Then Jesus healed the man. Jesus healed many, many times. John tells us in chapter 21 of the Gospel he wrote:Some men brought to him a paralytic, lying on a mat. When Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralytic, "Take heart, son; your sins are forgiven." (Matthew 9.2)
For some reason, there are particular events that the disciples chose to relate to us. This one touched me especially this morning, because there are times and seasons when my faith is weak. I believe God can heal, but will he? Does he really want to do this for me right now?Jesus did many other things as well. If every one of them were written down, I suppose that even the whole world would not have room for the books that would be written.
In Matthew 9, it was their faith - the combined faith of the man and his friends - which caught Jesus' attention. Do you see it, too? It was not dependent on the paralyzed man's faith alone. I love this!
I love the way the Word of God meets my needs, tells me God can touch me, heal me, speak to me right where I am. I do not need to get to a better place - have more faith, get my act together, stop sinning, or understand it all - before God will listen to me. He takes me right where I am today, with all my weakness, faithlessness, and stumbling ways.
