A Man Sick of the Palsy Matthew 9:2

Matthew shared how the people of the city where the demon possessed men were delivered by Jesus both “met” Jesus and “asked him to leave their coasts”, and afterward, “he entered into a ship, and passed over, and came into his own city.” In chapter nine and verse two of his book, Matthew shared how the people of Jesus' city, “brought to him a man sick of the palsy” where we read:

And, behold, they brought to him a man sick of the palsy, lying on a bed: and Jesus seeing their faith said unto the sick of the palsy; Son, be of good cheer; your sins be forgiven you.

The verse reads, “And, behold, they brought to him a man sick of the palsy, lying on a bed:” Matthew began with the words, “and behold” or “and lo and see”, “they brought him” which means “the people of Jesus' city carried, bore and lead to Him” “a man” or “a male human being”“sick of the palsy” which means “who was a paralytic suffering from the relaxing of the nerves of one's side, disabled and weak of limb”, “lying” or “reclining, thrown, poured out and inserted” “on a bed” which means “upon a small couch”. Matthew shared how the people within Jesus' headquarter city of Capernaum brought Jesus a man reclining upon a bed who was a paralytic.

The verse continues, “and Jesus seeing their faith said unto the sick of the palsy; Son, be of good cheer; your sins be forgiven you.” Matthew added the words, “and Jesus” or “and Jesus whose name means Jehovah is Salvation and is the Son of God, the Savior of mankind and God incarnate” “seeing their faith” which means “perceiving, noticing, discerning and discovering the people's trust, belief and conviction of the truth” “said” or “uttered, declared and proclaimed” “unto the sick of the palsy” or “to the who was a paralytic suffering from the relaxing of the nerves of one's side, disabled and weak of limb”; “Son” which means “an affectionate address such as patrons, helpers, teachers and the like employ”, “be of good cheer” or “have courage and comfort”; “your sins” which refers to “the man sick of the palsy's missing of the mark, errors, mistakes and offenses that wander from the law of God” “be forgiven you” or “are departed from, left and kept no longer against the man”. Matthew shared how Jesus declared that the man who was a “paralytic” from the sickness of “palsy” was “forgiven” for his “sins”.

When we meditate upon Matthew's words in this verse, we see how Jesus addressed the spiritual condition of this man first before ministering to him physically. This “stroke-like” sickness disabled the man and kept him from his normal course of life. He had to be “carried” to Jesus because of his inability to function on his own, and yet, Jesus addressed his “spiritual” problem first. God knows the temporary nature of our earthly bodies, and though He is able to restore one's health completely, if they have a “spiritual problem” of “sin” in their lives, they shall be physically well and spiritually dead. As we watch Jesus work among the sick and those with infirmities, let us be aware of the “spiritual needs” that are within every person He encounters and remember that each person we encounter has “spiritual needs” as well.

Next time Matthew shares how, “certain of the scribes said … this man blasphemes”, so read ahead, and we shall join together then.

Until tomorrow…there is more…

Look for the daily devotional book “Equipped for Battle – From Generation to Generation”, the marriage book “So, You Want to Be Married”, “One Year in the Sermon on the Mount” and the new poetry book "Random Mushrooms Volumes I and II" and the new novel "Elizabeth County" in all major bookstore sites, http://www.amazon.com ; http://www.barnesandnobles.com ; download to e-books, and find it locally at www.mrzlc.com/bookstore.