The Right to Forgive

Sometimes our questions need to be put in a different way before we get and answer. When the Jews challenged Jesus about breaking their traditions he referred them to the issue of authority - who has the right to tell us what to believe or what we should do? Public opinion and political correctness carry a lot of weight. By referring to the Word of God Jesus frees us from the opinions of men - we have the Word of our Father in heaven. Only he can rightfully burden our conscience. Jesus' comments about spiritual 'contamination' should be heeded by every church. It is not the people we bring to hear the gospel who can contaminate us - it is the thoughts that come from our own heart. Jesus' critics were taking the Mosaic regulations out of context and making them the be-all-and-end-all of religion. On a different occasion Jesus referred to this matter - of who has rights in the area of moral guilt and forgiveness. When people brought a paralysed man to him (Mark 2) he acted in a different way from normal - instead of healing immediately he said something apparently irrelevant to the situation - 'Your sins are forgiven'. He was making it conspicuous, so they could not avoid noticing - 'the Son of Man has power on earth to forgive sin'. In those two incidents Jesus is teaching that God alone has authority in matters of faith and practice. He declares what is right; and in Christ he is the only Saviour if sinners.