From Paralysis to Joy - The Conversion of the Paralytic

When Jesus saw the paralytic being let down through the roof, he saw their faith (the paralytic and his four friends) and said, "My son, your sins are forgiven." These are six words we all long to hear. Those who have come to Christ have heard them. Three elements characterize the paralytic's faith. 1) He believed his situation so desperate that getting to Christ was a necessity. 2) He believed Christ had the authority to forgive him. 3) He believed Christ would forgive him. Most people don't believe number 1. They are not desperate. They don't come to Christ for forgiveness, but prefer to imagine that some ritual will do the job, thereby exempting them from the need to humble themselves before the Lord of salvation. A few souls have trouble believing number 3. That is they are convinced of their desperate need for Christ and that He is the only who can forgive them, but they hold back, tarrying, wondering whether they are elect or whether Christ will really have mercy on them. They need to see that Christ did not require the paralytic to prove that his name was in the Lamb's Book of Life BEFORE he came to Christ for forgiveness. They also need to consider that they cannot find one example in any of the gospels where Jesus rejected a begging sinner. He always gave them mercy.