Archive for the ‘scribes’ tag
February 8, 2009: Jesus Heals a Man Who Is Paralyzed
The text for this lesson is Mark 2:1–12.
Key Points
- The miracle of healing the paralyzed man confirmed that Jesus, the Son of Man, has authority on earth to forgive sins and deliver all believers from death and the power of the devil.
- Law: Sinners don’t know what they need; they know what they want. They want instant gratification, their fancy tickled, their wallet fat, and their health pristine. They keep last things first. They major in minors. That which contributes the most to their salvation, they value the least.
- Gospel: Christ knows what we need, and He bestows it without our even having to ask. Though we, like the paralytic, suppose we need healing more than forgiveness, He gives forgiveness first. He keeps first things first: forgiveness, life, and salvation for us.
January 25, 2009: Jesus Calls Matthew
The text for this lesson is Mark 2:13–17.
Key Points
- We sinners rejoice, for we too have been called from our own sin to dine at the table of the friend of sinners: Jesus.
- Law: “If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves” (1 John 1:8). But also, if we say we have no sin as bad as so-and-so’s, we dupe ourselves just as much. The root of hypocrisy is self-deception. We think we are much higher up on God’s “honor roll” than our peers. Such lies, which dam up the flow of repentance and forgiveness, leaves the sinner damned. Jesus is the friend of sinners. He lives with them, eats with them, dies with them. Self-made saints have no friend in Jesus, for they despise His compassion as well as His companions.
- Gospel: If we confess our sins, if we say “I am a sinner,” Jesus will say, “I am your friend. Fear not. I am faithful and just to forgive your sins and cleanse you from all unrighteousness” (see 1 John 1:9).
