30 Days Watching Jesus. Forgiven.
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Transcript
Matthew 9:2 (NKJV): Then behold, they brought to Him a paralytic lying on a bed. When Jesus saw their faith, He said to the paralytic, “Son, be of good cheer; your sins are forgiven you.”
Matthew, Jesus. Matthew 9:2
Hey, I’m Nathan, and this is Day 7 of 30 Days Watching Jesus. His condition was desperate—he was paralyzed. His body thin, wasted. His heels, shoulder blades, hips, plagued by bedsores. Yet, what weighed on his mind was not his severe physical condition—but guilt, unresolved shame. It overshadowed all of the disabling limitations of his paralysis. It seemed to cloud the sunniest of days. He was a broken man—heart more broken than body. How often the folks we pass share his pain. They carry a load of hurt, of shame, guilt—memories of failure—that we cannot see, and yet these are felt more keenly than any physical illness. These dark memories tug at the heart on the very best of days, blowing thick clouds into the very brightest of moments. We can help lift these clouds, by offering the cool, refreshing gift of our own, freely-offered forgiveness—and then we can point their heavy hearts toward Jesus, and his lavish forgiveness and unconditional acceptance of them. We can offer hope unmatched by a myriad of cutting-edge psychiatric remedies.
