Understanding Jesus

Matthew 9:1-13

Well it's the first Sunday of the semester and it felt great to be back. It was nice to see everyone again and I wish the best of luck to everyone for this semester. The sermon that Joe gave was very good in that it challenged us. No matter where we are in our beliefs, we always doubt and question the existence of God. As we learned, the evidence is more than enough and is available to us in the Bible. What WE have to do is read it and understand it. So it's really up to us.

Most of today I kind of thought about that and kind of googled around for what people thought. There's a lot of stuff on the Internet and so for those who are interested and have some time, try reading some of it. Now keep in mind that every website is not 100% trustable, and that goes both ways. Meaning, some sites that claim Jesus to have existed may use some questionable evidences and others claiming otherwise also have questionable content. You really have to keep an open mind and research "smart." My first advice would be to look towards sources you know. Then start digging in from there. It's quite interesting what you can find. Maybe if I find something interesting, I'll post it on here.

Jesus Heals A Paralytic
This is another story of how Jesus healed someone that needed help, but it was different in that He showed that He was indeed the Son of Man. Jesus, before He told the paralytic that his sins were forgiven, saw where the people's faiths were at and therefore wanted to clarify things for them.

Many people are probably very skeptical at this point about Jesus. They heard of the things He has done and of the things that He can do. Yet, they're still skeptical about it. It's just like any great performance we see today. You see someone do something that's just extraordinary and you want to see it again just to make sure. Take magic for instance. Someone performs a magic trick and you can't believe your eyes. The first thing any person does is deny that it has ever happened and that it's just some trick. And we keep questioning it. It's the same concept here, but the difference is that Jesus isn't just pulling up a trick.

So in order to clarify and comfort the audience, Jesus showed what He was really capable of doing, which was to forgive sins. That was His purpose of His arrival. And that's why we believe in Him.

The Calling Of Matthew
Jesus meets Matthew, who is a tax collector and eats with him and other tax collectors and sinners. Now this is a rather strange concept to the Pharisees because here is Jesus who stands for all that is holy, and yet he's hanging out with the sinners. But that's the beauty of it. Jesus replies that He did not come for the righteous, but the sinners, the same way the doctors are there for the sick and not the poor.

This is something that we as Christians forget a lot and something that we get criticized a lot for. I think I mentioned something about it, as I mentioned judging others. We come to church and a lot of people feel as if they are being judged. We have to understand that the church is there for the sinners like us, not for perfect people. Just because we are Christians, does not make us less of a sinner. A sinner is a sinner. In those terms then, nobody is better than anyone. Jesus is here for all of us, and in this case Matthew was an example.

Summary:

Jesus Heals A Paralytic
1-3 Jesus returned to His town and some men brought to Him a paralytic. Jesus told the paralytic that his sins were forgiven and the teachers of the law cried out that it was blasphemy.
4-8 Jesus explains that the Son of Man has authority to forgive sins and showed that He has healed the paralytic. Everyone was in awe of what has occurred.

The Calling Of Matthew
9-10 Jesus saw Matthew, who was a tax collector, and asked him to join Him. Matthew did. Jesus ate with the sinners and tax collectors.
11-13 Pharisees questioned why Jesus did this, Jesus replied that just as the sick need the doctor and not the healthy, He is here not to call the righteous, but the sinners.