Cheap
grace is the preaching of forgiveness without requiring repentance, baptism
without church discipline, Communion without confession, absolution without
personal confession. Cheap grace is grace without discipleship, grace without
the cross, grace without Jesus Christ." - Dietrich Bonhoeffer: (1906 –
1945) was a German theologian and anti-Nazi dissident,
Gospel
Text: (MT 9:1-8)
After entering a boat, Jesus made the
crossing, and came into his own town.
And there people brought to him a
paralytic lying on a stretcher.
When Jesus saw their faith, he said to
the paralytic,
"Courage, child, your sins are
forgiven."
At that, some of the scribes said to
themselves,
"This man is blaspheming."
Jesus knew what they were thinking,
and said,
"Why do you harbor evil thoughts?
Which is easier, to say, 'Your sins
are forgiven,'
or to say, 'Rise and walk'?
But
that you may know that the Son of Man
has authority on earth to forgive
sins"–
he then said to the paralytic,
"Rise, pick up your stretcher,
and go home."
He rose and went home.
When the crowds saw this they were
struck with awe
and glorified God who had given such
authority to men.
Like most everything in life, it is
our choice. We may choose to "save face," or to go with the more
popular opinion or position or to honestly speak the truth, based on what we
know and believe.
The paralyzed man was brought to Jesus
to be cured, as he had cured so many others. Though Jesus knew this as his
petition, Jesus wanted to give importance to a more important cure, a more
important healing, of his relationships with God. So he began with this more
important cure and lesson, "Courage, my son! Your sins are forgiven."
Only
after that, at the unexpressed query of the biased teachers of the Law, does he
physically cure him, "Stand up! Take up your stretcher and go home."
Both healings are miracles of God's
loving mercy: may we value the healing of the spirit more.
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