Easier to pay for Healing than to Pay for our Sins!

In Luke 5:20-24 New King James version, it says, “When He saw their faith, He said to him, ‘Man, your sins are forgiven you.’ And the scribes and the Pharisees began to reason, saying, ‘Who is this who speaks blasphemies? Who can forgive sins but God alone?’ But when Jesus perceived their thoughts, He answered and said to them, ‘Why are you reasoning in your hearts? Which is easier, to say, ‘Your sins are forgiven you,’ or to say, ‘Rise up and walk’? But that you may know that the Son of Man has power on earth to forgive sins’ – He said to the man who was paralyzed, ‘I say to you, arise, take up your bed, and go to your house’.”

This is the story of a man with the palsy who was bedridden. Evidently, he and his friends heard about Jesus and so they were going to take their friend with the palsy to Jesus to be healed. When they arrived, the place was full of people, but thank God, they were determined to get to Jesus! A crowd did not deter their faith; they went up on the roof and cut a hole large enough to let the man down in his bed. Notice the first thing Jesus said was, “Man, your sins are forgiven you.”

For years I could not figure out why Jesus said “Man, your sins are forgiven you.” Then one day as I was fasting and in prayer, it came to me…

The very root of sickness is sin!

I did not say, if you had physical problems then you are in sin. We live in this world and it is contaminated with sin.

Let’s look at the scriptures and see the connection of sin and sickness. In Psalms 103, beginning with verse one, “Bless the LORD, O my soul, And forget not all His benefits: Who forgives all your iniquities, Who heals all your diseases, Who redeems your life from destruction, Who crowns you with lovingkindness and tender mercies, Who satisfies your mouth with good things, So that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s.” NKJV

We have Good Benefits in Jesus!

Look at these benefits:

1. Forgives our sin.
2. Who heals all your diseases.
3. Redeems us from destruction.
4. Crowns us with Love and mercies.
5. Satisfies our mouth with good things.
6. Renews us like youth to soar like eagle.

As we look into the New Testament we can see the same principle. In 1 Peter 2:24, it says, “Who Himself bore our sins in His own body on the tree, that we, having died to sins, might live for righteousness – by whose stripes you were healed.” Here again we see healing connected with forgiveness of sin. As we look in James 5:14-15, “Is any sick among you? Let him call for the elders of the church; and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord: And the prayer of faith shall save (restore) the sick, and the Lord shall raise him up; and if he have committed sins, they shall be forgiven him,” we see forgiveness right along with healing. We can’t say “that is not for today,” because He is talking to the church.

If we look beginning in Matthew 26:57 and continuing in chapter 27 at the account of Jesus being judged and going to the cross, something special is taking place. As He was taken before Caiaphas, the high priest, all sorts of accusations were made against him. In order to really understand the complexity we need to go to Isaiah 53:7 and see the prophetic account. “He was oppressed and he was afflicted, Yet He opened not His mouth; He was led as a lamb to the slaughter, And as a sheep before its shearers is silent, So He opened not His mouth.”

Remember, He was beaten with whips and received stripes, they pulled His beard, they slapped Him, they even spit upon Him, yet “as a sheep before its shearers is silent, So He opened not His mouth.” They made a crown of long hard thorns and slammed it down upon His head. They mocked him and tried to get Him to prophecy that He was God. Yet, "as a sheep before its shearers is silent, So He opened not His mouth.” They put a heavy cross on His back and made Him drag it up mount Calvary. Along the way they would hit Him and laugh at Him yet, "as a sheep before its shearers is silent, So He opened not His mouth.” Once he arrived at Calvary, they laid Him upon the cross and then they drove large spikes into His hands and feet. When they had Him nailed to the cross they picked it up and dropped into a hole with all of His insides feeling as if they were torn away from His body. They took a sword and ripped open His side. Yet, "as a sheep before its shearers is silent, So He opened not His mouth.”

However, according to Matt 27:46, “And about the Ninth hour Jesus cried out with a loud voice, saying, ‘Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani?’ that is, ‘My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me’?” Most all theologians agree, this is the point where the sin of mankind was put upon Him. Notice, it says, “Jesus cried out with a loud voice! I submit to you that, according to the scriptures, it was easier for Jesus to bare our sickness than it was for Him to take away our sin!

If we look again at Luke 5:23, “Why are you reasoning in your hearts? Which is easier, to say, ‘Your sins are forgiven you,’ or to say, ‘Rise up and walk’? But that you may know that the Son of Man has power on earth to forgive sins’ – He said to the man who was paralyzed, ‘I say to you, arise, take up your bed, and go to your house’.” I believe Jesus was mocking the religious people. They were more interested in the letter of the law rather than the results. Notice, He said, “Which is easier?”

If Jesus Himself said it is just as easy to forgive as it is to heal, why then do we pray and beg and pray and beg God to heal us? How did we become “Born again?” We simply called on the name of the Lord! Healing comes the same way! If we go to him with the same faith that we were “Born again” with, we will see more miracles than ever before. Don’t allow the religious leaders of today to keep you from the benefits you have in Christ Jesus!

Remember, NOTHING IS TOO HARD FOR JESUS!

 - Pastor Larry