Arise, and Take Up Thy Bed

In Nomine Iesu!

In the Name of the Father and of the + Son and of the Holy Ghost. Amen.

Sermon Text: St. Matthew 9:1-8

“And + Jesus knowing their thoughts said, ‘Wherefore think ye evil in your hearts? For which is easier, to say, “Thy sins are forgiven;” or to say, “Arise, and walk?” But that ye may know that the Son of Man hath authority on earth to forgive sins’ (then saith He to the sick of the palsy), ‘Arise, and take up thy bed, and go unto thy house.’”

Prayer in Pulpit before Sermon:

Almighty and Everlasting God, Who, by Thy Son, hast promised us forgiveness of sins and everlasting life: we beseech Thee so to rule and govern our hearts by Thy Holy Spirit that in our daily need, and especially in all time of temptation, we may seek help from Him, and by a true and lively faith in Thy Word obtain the same; through + Jesus Christ, Thy Son, our Lord, Who liveth and reigneth with Thee and the Holy Ghost, ever One God, world without end. Amen.

Grace, mercy, and peace be to you from God our Father and from our Lord and Savior + Jesus Christ. Amen. 

My dear friends in Christ, in chapter eight of the Apostle and Evangelist St. Matthew’s Gospel, the previous chapter to the one that contains our Gospel reading for today, our Lord + Jesus got into a boat and crossed over the Sea of Galilee. While He was on the Sea He fell asleep in the boat and a great tempest arose over it, so that the Apostles greatly feared for their life. Urgently they awoke the Lord because of their fear of the boat capsizing from the waves that were filling the boat, and said to our Him, “Save, Lord; we perish.” Our Lord + Jesus showed that He had great authority on earth by calming the wind and the waves, so that Sea became like glass. He had authority over the wind and the Seas.

When He reached the other side, He came to the country of the Gadarenes. There He was met by two men who were possessed by demons. These men lived in the tombs, and because of the demons possessing them, they did not allow any man to pass by. But when our Lord comes to pass by, the demons within these men become sorely afraid, and beg Him that they would not be cast out into the abyss. There was a herd of swine in that country, and they begged our Lord to be cast out into the swine. This our Lord permitted. They possessed the demons, and the swine ran off the cliff into the Sea and drowned. In this our Lord + Jesus showed that He had great authority on earth. He had great authority over the devils and demons.

But the men of that country, the Gadarenes, when they saw what had happened begged the Lord + Jesus to depart from their country. They rejected the power and authority that the Son of Man had on the earth. So, our Lord + Jesus got into a boat and crossed over to the other side. This is where our Gospel reading picks up the narrative. He returned into His own home in Capernaum. There He was met by a multitude of people. This detail is related in the other synoptic Gospels of St. Mark and St. Luke. They also relate the missing fact in the Gospel of St. Matthew, that because of the crowds, the friends of the man with the palsy, who they had brought to our Lord to be healed, they went up onto the roof, and removed the roof tiles, so that they could let the man down into the midst of the Lord + Jesus.

This man has an obvious problem. He is palsied. He is lame. He cannot walk. The Greek word that St. Matthew uses in his Gospel is that this man was literally cast onto the bed on which he lies. He the word implies that once he had been cast thereupon, he remained there and could not be removed. The lame today do not get cast onto beds, but they are placed onto wheelchairs which they must use to get around, either through manipulating the chair of their own power, or being pushed by their friends and family. This man sick of the palsy is different. Because he is on a bed, he is at the mercy of others to move him around. This is shown by his friends who bring him to the Lord + Jesus. 

The friends show their love for their friend in that they both carried him to the Lord, and seeing that they could not bring him before the Lord because of the multitudes, they go up onto the roof and let him down before the Lord that way. In this they show great faith in the Lord + Jesus. St. Matthew even records that our Lord saw “their” faith. They knew the Man Who could heal their friend. It does not matter if “their” refers to just the friends, or includes the man sick of the palsy. Someone had faith enough to look to help from the Lord + Jesus. They recognized that the Lord + Jesus had authority on earth. They had heard about, and most likely seen, the great wonders that the Lord + Jesus had done on earth. If anyone was to heal their friend of his palsy the Man Christ + Jesus of Nazareth was to be the One.

So, we can see that this man has an obvious ailment. He has been cast on a bed. He has to be carried by his friends. He cannot walk or stand because of the palsy. Everyone that looks upon this man knows why his friends would go to so much trouble to bring him before the Lord + Jesus. His friends hoped that the Lord + Jesus would use His authority to heal their friend. This man sick of the palsy also probably hoped to be healed of his palsy. It was obvious to everyone who looked upon him. But our Lord + Jesus sees the man’s heart, and sees that he has an even greater need. It is not his palsy that truly troubles this man, but it is his sin. 

This is true of all of us. We may have physical ailments. We may have other obvious troubles and sorrows of an earthly nature, but our true need is always our sinfulness. Our physical, earthly maladies only trouble us in this life. They do not trouble us after our bodies go into the grave. But our sinfulness if they are not remedied in this life, will have eternal consequences. Unrepentant sin leads to eternal death and hell. Sins that remain unforgiven and absolved lead to eternal torment, especially when they are unforgiven because we have refused to repent and humble ourselves before our Lord God with true hearts—hearts that recognize our sins and seek from the Lord God forgiveness and absolution.

This is why we begin our Divine Service with a confession of our sins. We come before the Triune Lord God, Father, Son, and Holy Ghost, beseeching Him to forgive us all our sins. Especially those which trouble our hearts. We confess our sins publicly, as a group, but only we can know in our hearts whether we are truly sorry for our sins, or we are just mouthing the words along with everyone else. This is why the absolution by the pastor makes clear that those who are not paying attention to the words, and just mouthing them out of habit, will have their sins retained, until such time as when they will repent and openly confess their sinfulness.

But for those of us who do come before our Lord God with true hearts beseeching Him in the Name of our Lord + Jesus Christ, as the confession and absolution section begins, our Lord + Jesus promises us that in the stead and by His command He has sent to us a minister who can and will forgive us of our sins. For our Lord + Jesus has great authority on earth to forgive sins. He has given this authority to mankind. He has given this authority to his ministers to absolve us of all our sins. The sins which trouble our hearts. The sins which our Lord God can see in our hearts that need the healing balm of the absolution.

This is our greatest need, even in the midst of all our earthly maladies. It was the same great need of the man sick with the palsy, even though he has a very obvious other malady. In proclaiming to this man sick of the palsy, “Son, be of good cheer; thy sins are forgiven” our Lord once again shows that He has great authority on earth. But just like the Gadarenes who rejected our Lord after seeing His great authority over the two men possessed by the demons, there are those who object to our Lord + Jesus forgiving sins. For, who can forgive sins, but the Lord God. Mankind has not this authority. Only the Lord God can forgive sins. Therefore, certain of the scribes accuse our Lord of blasphemy.

They do not see that the Lord + Jesus, the Son of Man, has authority on earth to forgive sins. So, just like He has done throughout the previous chapter of St. Matthew’s Gospel, He shows that He has authority on earth to forgive sins. For which is easier, that is, literally, “less labor” to say, “Thy sins are forgiven,” or to say, “Arise, and walk?” Therefore, our Lord + Jesus says to the man sick of the palsy, “Arise, and take up thy bed, and go unto thy house.” The man who was cast onto the bed from which he could not remove himself, picked up that same bed, and went to his house. He went home doubly blessed, for not only was his greatest need granted to him: the forgiveness of his sins, but also the physical malady which troubled him was also healed. In this our Lord + Jesus showed that He had authority on earth to forgive sins.

Therefore, my dearly beloved ones, we can take comfort when we hear the pastor or deacon declare to us that our sins are forgiven. For, they are acting by the command and in the stead of our Lord + Jesus. Their word of absolution is the Lord’s word of absolution. Their declaration of forgiveness for our sins, is the Lord’s declaration of the forgiveness of our sins. So that we can go to our homes knowing full well that our greatest malady has been healed. We can go to our homes justified; forgiven of our sins. For our Lord + Jesus has great authority on earth to forgive sins, and He has given that authority to His ministers to absolve us of our sins. 

And our Lord does not just declare this to us in the Absolution, but He has declared it to us in the waters of Holy Baptism when He placed His Name upon us; the Name which we remember and by which we begin the Divine Service. And our Lord + Jesus also declares that our sins are forgiven when we come to this altar to receive His true and substantial Body and Blood in bread and wine for the remission of our sins at the end of the Divine Service. Therefore, my friends, let us give thanks unto the Lord + Jesus for establishing His authority among us. He has established His authority to forgive sins. He has established His authority to forgive our sins. In the Name of our Lord + Jesus, the Christ. Amen.

Prayer in Pulpit after Sermon:

Almighty God, be pleased to accompany Thy Word with Thy Holy Spirit and grant that Thy Word would increase faith in us; bring into the Way of Truth all such as have erred; turn the hearts of the unrepentant; and for sake of Thy Name grant succor to all heavy hearts and those who are heavy-laden, that they may through the mercy of the Lord + Jesus Christ be relieved and preserved so that they succumb not to the temptation of despair but rather that they gain the victory over the world, the flesh, and the devil; through the same + Jesus Christ, Thy Son, our Lord, Who liveth and reigneth with the Thee and the Holy Ghost, ever One God, world without end. Amen.

The Votum:

The peace of God, which passeth all understanding, keep your hearts and minds through Christ + Jesus. Amen.

Soli Deo Gloria!