When Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralytic, ‘Take heart, my son, your sins are forgiven.’ … And Jesus said - Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. Go and learn what this means: ‘I desire mercy, and not sacrifice.’ I came not to call the righteous, but sinners. Matthew 9:2, 12 – 13 Jesus has been sent to bring forgiveness to a sinful world… If one views disease as God’s chastening rod, as they did in Jesus’ time, then God offers forgiveness through Jesus… and vanquishes those things that in the Old Testament prevented one from coming into the presence of God – whether it be unclean spirits (8:28 – 34), an unclean disease (8:1 – 4), or sin (9:1 – 13). Jesus opens up the way for God’s reign to enter into all spheres of life. - David E. Garland The Theology of Interruptions At Home or at Work (9:1, 9) b. After a Stressful Time (8:34) c. When not Working (9:1) The Theology of the Misinformed Sickness is always or never the result of sin (9:2 – 8) b. God is always more interested in the righteous than sinners (9:10 – 13) c. Real faith is more about giving to God than receiving from Him (9:2 – 13) The Theology of a True Disciple Matthew’s Conversion (9:9) b. Matthew’s Confession (9:10) Discussion Questions: This Bible story is not clear as to whether the paralytic was suffering because of a spiritual reason (i.e., sin), or not. Commentators are divided. But what everyone agrees on is that Jesus saw the man and his friends, and He had compassion. He saw the man’s physical and spiritual need. The healing quickly turns into a lesson on WHO Jesus is and WHAT He came to do. o Do you tend to see interruptions as annoying? Have you ever had an experience when an interruption turned out to be a God-moment? Why don’t you share the story? o What part of the story ‘resonates’ with you the most? Who do you identify with? Is it the paralytic, his friends, the religious leaders, or the people who witnessed the event (9:8)? o Matthew puts the story of his own calling (9:9 – 13) in the long list of healing stories. This is how he saw his conversion. Are you like Matthew in this way? Share why or why not. Application: As you look at the three points under the heading ‘Theology of the Misinformed’, is there one that stands out as an error in your thinking? Have you misjudged God somehow? To apply this message deeper in your life, think through how you might have had God in a box. Then explain to a friend why you think you were wrong and how you are seeking to correct your theology with Scripture in both a truthful and compassionate manner.