1059. Christ to His Critics
Christ to His Critics
"And immediately when Jesus perceived in His spirit that they so reasoned within themselves, He said unto them, Why reason ye these things in your hearts?
"Whether is it easier to say to the sick of the palsy, Thy sins be forgiven thee; or to say, Arise, and take up thy bed, and walk? But that ye may know that the Son of Man hath power on earth to forgive sins, (He saith to the sick of the palsy,)
"I say unto thee, Arise, and take up thy bed, and go thy way into thine house" (Mar_2:8-11).
It is most interesting and instructive to watch the manner in which our Lord met His critics. We have much to learn just here.
1. "Jesus perceived in His spirit that they so reasoned within themselves." Our Lord was just as quick to discern the thoughts and the intents of the hearts, of these scribes as He was to see the faith of the paralytic and of the blessed four.
Who has not felt a chill, as he realized that in the audience there sat some who come to criticise. Such hearers cannot be pleased. Say what you will and say it how you may, they will find something wrong. God save us from those who put on airs of piety and of devotion to Christ, when in fact they are no more than heartless demagogues.
2. Jesus asked two startling questions.
(1) Christ asked, "Why reason ye these things in your hearts?" The Lord wanted to get at the bottom of their unbelief. WHY? We have already, in a preceding paragraph, touched upon the fact that the heart life of these scribes was wrong. One other thing should be said. Had these scribes sought counsel of God in His Word, they would have known the truth of Christ's power to forgive sins. They had turned aside from God's Word; they followed human "reasonings."
Why do the critics of to-day deny the Lord? The answer must be much the same. "They are men of mind, having not the Spirit." In their wisdom they have not known God.
(2) Christ asked, "Whether is it easier to say to the sick of the palsy, Thy sins be forgiven thee; or to say, Arise, and take up thy bed, and walk?" (Mar_2:9).
In this question the Lord contrasted the visible and the invisible. He seemed to say: "Why not deny My power to heal the paralytic?" "This you cannot do, because it is a visible healing." "That which is invisible you place in question." "You cannot deny My power to heal the incurable, because your eyes behold the work–the dead are raised, the lame walk, the deaf hear, the blind are made to see and the leper is restored." "You doubt My power to forgive sin, because your natural eyes see not in the realm of things spiritual."
3. Jesus based His Deity, and power to forgive sins on His power to heal the paralytic: "That ye may know that the Son of Man hath power on earth to forgive sins, (He saith to the sick of the palsy,) I say unto thee, Arise, and take up thy bed and go thy way into thine house."
(1) Miracles of healing are not the supreme proof of Christ's Deity. The resurrection is supreme. When the scribes and the Pharisees asked for a sign Christ gave them the sign of the Prophet Jonah, "For as Jonah was three days and three nights in the whale's belly, so shall the Son of Man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth."
(2) Miracles of healing, however, are repeatedly used as minor proofs, manifesting Christ's power and Deity. This is particularly emphasized in John's Gospel, which was written that we might know that Christ was the Son of God. Notice some of these statements:
"This beginning of miracles did Jesus in Cana of Galilee, and manifested forth His glory" (Joh_2:11).
"No man can do these miracles (Gr. signs) that Thou doest except God be with Him" (Joh_3:2).
"Many believed in His name, when they saw the miracles (signs) which He did" (Joh_2:23).
"When they had seen the miracle (sign) that Jesus did, said, This is of a truth that Prophet that should come into the world" (Joh_6:14).
"How can a man that is a sinner, do such miracles? (signs)" (Joh_9:16).
"For this cause the people also met Him, for that they heard that He had done this miracle (sign)" (The raising of Lazarus) (Joh_12:18).
"And many other signs truly did Jesus" (Joh_20:30), "but these are written, that ye might believe that Jesus is the Christ" etc. (Joh_20:31).
Now we understand better what Jesus meant when He said, "That ye may know that the Son of Man hath power on earth to forgive sins, (He saith to the sick of the palsy,) * * Arise," etc.
Christ is still saying to the skeptics of this day, "Believe Me, or else believe Me for the very works' sake."
How with any justice could the scribes acknowledge Christ's healing and deny His power to forgive sins? The latter was established by the former.
Autor: R.E. NEIGHBOUR