2 Jan 2015
Matthew 9:3-4
Matthew 9:3: “And, behold, certain of the scribes said within themselves, This man blasphemeth.”
The scribes were right in thinking that only God can forgive sins. This is because sins are offenses against God, and only the offended party can grant forgiveness for the offense. For example, if Bob walks up to Joe and hits him, only Joe can grant forgiveness for that. I, a third party, can’t go over to Bob and say “Hey, I forgive you for hitting Joe.” Since I am not the offended party I can’t grant forgiveness. God, however, can grant forgiveness, because all sin is an offense against God. That is why He is also the only one who can grant forgiveness for sins.
Where the scribes went wrong was thinking that Jesus could not forgive sins. The reason Jesus can grant forgiveness because He is God. When Jesus publicly forgave someone He was making a claim to be the Messiah – a claim that He backed up with divine power, by raising the man to full health.
Jesus did not shy away from claiming to be the Messiah. He was quite clear about who He was – and yet, despite all the evidence He provided and all the prophecies He fulfilled, His people still rejected Him.
Matthew 9:4: “And Jesus knowing their thoughts said, Wherefore think ye evil in your hearts?”
Notice how Jesus immediately knew what they were thinking. He was fully man, but He was also fully God – and He still is today. He knew what people were thinking. He could forgive sins and even raise the dead back to life again. He was not just a “good man”; He was God Himself. He never claimed otherwise.