For the last month maybe more, I have been wrestling with what I am reading in Matthew 9. In short, Jesus knew that Messiah, in this case Son of Man, had God's authority to forgive sins committed against God while Jesus was on earth. Remarkable.
Many times, people comment wondering why I am questioning this ability because, after all, Jesus is in fact God Himself. I get that. But this time, it's different. This time I think I am beginning to see something that is causing me to have a glimpse at how large and deep God's love is for us. I want to refine this conversation more with the information I have learned while wrestling but, here is where I am at the moment.
I agree. Jesus is God and is man. It's easy for me to dismiss the human mystery of Jesus by stating that He is God. Many times, that's all we can do as people, correctly state that God is so much higher than we can comprehend. But, recently while studying, I've come to focus on the humanity of Jesus and all that it represents.
Jesus would have learned the Torah beginning to memorize it at age 5 then at 13 become a "Son of the Law" with His Bar Mitsvah. During those years, he would have memorized the first five books of our Bible, the Torah also known as the Law. (This is aside from the fact that He as God wrote the Torah.)
We see Him at age 12 while addressing His questions to the Jewish Temple leaders during Passover. Imagine if Jesus at age 12 grasping that He is God's Son tells Mary and Joseph that He is not listening to them anymore because He is God's Son. Imagine Jesus leaving His home at 15 or 16 to live into His calling before He completely matured into a competent man. Instead, Jesus goes home, obeying His earthly parents and matures.
I started to think that perhaps Jesus in His humanity, would have had to learn as we do and while learning, heard the Scripture speak to Him as God speaks to us in Scripture. Jesus would be reading, learning, hearing confirmation that He is in fact God's promised Son, the Messiah, the Anointed One, the Christ. Knowing that during Passover the Jewish Temple leadership make themselves available for Scriptural questions concerning the Law and the Prophets, Jesus seized upon that opportunity to determine if He was connecting the dots correctly - so to speak - and understanding who He truly was. He sought confirming counsel to make certain He was - as a human - understanding the truths of God correctly.
Many times, people comment wondering why I am questioning this ability because, after all, Jesus is in fact God Himself. I get that. But this time, it's different. This time I think I am beginning to see something that is causing me to have a glimpse at how large and deep God's love is for us. I want to refine this conversation more with the information I have learned while wrestling but, here is where I am at the moment.
I agree. Jesus is God and is man. It's easy for me to dismiss the human mystery of Jesus by stating that He is God. Many times, that's all we can do as people, correctly state that God is so much higher than we can comprehend. But, recently while studying, I've come to focus on the humanity of Jesus and all that it represents.
Jesus would have learned the Torah beginning to memorize it at age 5 then at 13 become a "Son of the Law" with His Bar Mitsvah. During those years, he would have memorized the first five books of our Bible, the Torah also known as the Law. (This is aside from the fact that He as God wrote the Torah.)
We see Him at age 12 while addressing His questions to the Jewish Temple leaders during Passover. Imagine if Jesus at age 12 grasping that He is God's Son tells Mary and Joseph that He is not listening to them anymore because He is God's Son. Imagine Jesus leaving His home at 15 or 16 to live into His calling before He completely matured into a competent man. Instead, Jesus goes home, obeying His earthly parents and matures.
I started to think that perhaps Jesus in His humanity, would have had to learn as we do and while learning, heard the Scripture speak to Him as God speaks to us in Scripture. Jesus would be reading, learning, hearing confirmation that He is in fact God's promised Son, the Messiah, the Anointed One, the Christ. Knowing that during Passover the Jewish Temple leadership make themselves available for Scriptural questions concerning the Law and the Prophets, Jesus seized upon that opportunity to determine if He was connecting the dots correctly - so to speak - and understanding who He truly was. He sought confirming counsel to make certain He was - as a human - understanding the truths of God correctly.
Following that line of thought, I see Him going home for the next 18 years growing and maturing into who He is called to be. His baptism audibly confirms He is the very Son of God and ordains Him as a teacher of those truths. He's then tested by the fast in the dessert - a testing that proves to Jesus that He is ready because after all, God in His omniscience, knew His Son was ready for His mission. We then see Jesus telling people which way to go to the Kingdom of God, teaching the very truths of God's Word, living the human example that Adam, and every other person asked by God to live Godly, failed to do as we fail to do.
The proof that Jesus is who He said He is? The miracles. The proof that what Jesus said about God, God's character, God's truths, God's Kingdoms is in fact true? The miracles. Everything that describes God, His truths, His Commands, His Law, His promises, His plan of redemption, His desire for mercy and forgiveness - everything - can be found in the Old Testament. There was no New Testament for Jesus to learn. As a human, Jesus knew God from the Old Testament. That's why it means something significant when Jesus said to the Temple and Jewish leadership, during His ministry, that they should have known these things. They read and learned them just as He did.
The proof that Jesus is who He said He is? The miracles. The proof that what Jesus said about God, God's character, God's truths, God's Kingdoms is in fact true? The miracles. Everything that describes God, His truths, His Commands, His Law, His promises, His plan of redemption, His desire for mercy and forgiveness - everything - can be found in the Old Testament. There was no New Testament for Jesus to learn. As a human, Jesus knew God from the Old Testament. That's why it means something significant when Jesus said to the Temple and Jewish leadership, during His ministry, that they should have known these things. They read and learned them just as He did.
Now in Matthew 9, we see Jesus forgive a man's sins against God then heal the man physically to prove Jesus - Son of Man - had the authority to forgive the sins against God on earth as God's representative. I read in Daniel 7 where God gives all authority to Son of Man - glory, authority and sovereign power. My only conclusion is that when Jesus, as fully man, is learning about God's plan, He comes to the knowledge that Son of Man (Messiah) has the authority to forgive sins against God on earth, and in the case of Matthew 9, in Jesus' then present earthly time.
The paralytic who was first forgiven of his sins then healed to prove his sins were in fact forgiven, had sinned against God. We're told to forgive the sins people have made against us; we're called to be gracious and forgiving as God is. "Forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us." However, those actions are when people sin against us. Jesus knew that God wanted to forgive sins so He could reconcile a people to Himself - He would have learned that through the Law and the Prophets (the Old Testament). Then Jesus knew that God gave the authority to Son of Man (Messiah) which in fact declares Jesus the divine equivalent to God.
The paralytic who was first forgiven of his sins then healed to prove his sins were in fact forgiven, had sinned against God. We're told to forgive the sins people have made against us; we're called to be gracious and forgiving as God is. "Forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us." However, those actions are when people sin against us. Jesus knew that God wanted to forgive sins so He could reconcile a people to Himself - He would have learned that through the Law and the Prophets (the Old Testament). Then Jesus knew that God gave the authority to Son of Man (Messiah) which in fact declares Jesus the divine equivalent to God.
So, my question is rather than me assuming that Jesus knew He was God in the flesh so therefor Jesus (on earth) can do what God can, is there some Old Testament Scriptures that point to this promise of God? That when Messiah comes, He will have the authority on earth to forgive sins against God.
This is why the teachers of the law thought Jesus was blaspheming because Jesus was doing only what God could do. This is the first time I understood why the teachers thought Jesus was blaspheming. Before, I thought they were stupid for not knowing; after all, Jesus was God. Yet Jesus walked, talked, looked, acted human and that perplexed the religious leaders.
This is why the teachers of the law thought Jesus was blaspheming because Jesus was doing only what God could do. This is the first time I understood why the teachers thought Jesus was blaspheming. Before, I thought they were stupid for not knowing; after all, Jesus was God. Yet Jesus walked, talked, looked, acted human and that perplexed the religious leaders.
Through all of this wrestling, what I am beginning to realize is the depth of love God has for all of us and the risk He took to redeem us. When Jesus became human - as a baby born to a very poor couple, under a socially difficult situation which never left that family - God said something about His depth of love and risk He was willing to take. He could have come as Jesus the conqueror, born rich and powerful. He could have come as a fully grown man truly knowing who He was. He could have come down as God Himself.
He is the Alpha and the Omega. The first of time and the last of time - nothing exists outside of God. He is also El Shaddai, God Almighty, the Only, the First and Greatest. He is also the second Adam, the Son of Man, the human Jesus who poured Himself out completely - completely - emptying Himself of His divinity poured out like a drink offering. Knowing He was equal to God but didn't grab it for His benefit submitting Himself to God's will for our benefit and God's plan.
As El Saddai and Jesus - God is also the Alpha and Omega - there is nothing outside of God. There is no other God, no other God greater than God. As a complete human, there is no lesser state of humanity outside of Jesus. If there is human existence less than the human existence Jesus lived and experienced, then His sacrifice on our behalf wouldn't be quite complete. Satan could argue, "What about Rose over here? She is less of a human than Jesus was so His life cannot cover her life." But, Jesus lived a human life - He became sin for us and yet was sinless. He didn't know sin - our human state - yet became human to identify with our human state, then not sinning against God, Jesus is the only perfect substitute for us. He can step into our place and take our punishment. God truly and completely emptied Himself to become one of us, learning like we do, growing like we do, living like we do. Jesus once-and-for-all is the sacrificial Lamb of God. Yet, He is God so His forgiveness of our sins is complete. "Forgive them Father because they don't know what they're doing."
Blows my mind!
He is the Alpha and the Omega. The first of time and the last of time - nothing exists outside of God. He is also El Shaddai, God Almighty, the Only, the First and Greatest. He is also the second Adam, the Son of Man, the human Jesus who poured Himself out completely - completely - emptying Himself of His divinity poured out like a drink offering. Knowing He was equal to God but didn't grab it for His benefit submitting Himself to God's will for our benefit and God's plan.
As El Saddai and Jesus - God is also the Alpha and Omega - there is nothing outside of God. There is no other God, no other God greater than God. As a complete human, there is no lesser state of humanity outside of Jesus. If there is human existence less than the human existence Jesus lived and experienced, then His sacrifice on our behalf wouldn't be quite complete. Satan could argue, "What about Rose over here? She is less of a human than Jesus was so His life cannot cover her life." But, Jesus lived a human life - He became sin for us and yet was sinless. He didn't know sin - our human state - yet became human to identify with our human state, then not sinning against God, Jesus is the only perfect substitute for us. He can step into our place and take our punishment. God truly and completely emptied Himself to become one of us, learning like we do, growing like we do, living like we do. Jesus once-and-for-all is the sacrificial Lamb of God. Yet, He is God so His forgiveness of our sins is complete. "Forgive them Father because they don't know what they're doing."
Blows my mind!
And yet, the risk. Jesus newborn baby, dependent on His parents, defenseless, subject to their knowledge of God and His truths. Jesus, a toddler, who could have been killed by a maniacal king Herod. Jesus as a teenager... 'nuf said. Jesus as a very hungry (maybe nearly starving) man of 30 after fasting for 40 days, doesn't give into Satan's demands to feed Himself by His God given ability. Jesus on the night He was betrayed, stays in the garden, accepting His Father's will choosing not to walk through the garden, over the hill and into the night. Jesus on the cross, who didn't call down angels to assist Him choosing to suffer until "it is paid in full" dying in place of us. Jesus, didn't do anything that was not sanctioned by God. THAT is what amazes me. THAT is what tells me that God really loves me so deeply. He doesn't grab onto the easy things He could do, yet chose to walk in my shoes, pay with His life the debt I cannot pay, to forgive my sins, so I can live with Him enjoying the inheritance that should be Jesus' alone and yet, He shares it with me. That is amazing love!
So it brings me to what I am trying to understand. If Jesus is our example to follow, then Jesus would have learned/read in Scripture that God wants to forgive sins and that God gave that authority to Messiah to forgive sins against God while Messiah was on earth.
Any suggestions would be appreciated. Or, if I am going down a very wrong path, please let me know.
