THE MAIN IDEA
We all need the forgiveness of Jesus in order to get up and walk.

RELIGION DRAWS US AWAY FROM JESUS
Pharisaism was a Jewish sect whose mission was to lead the nation to be faithful to the law of Moses. But their good intentions were misguided because they tried to accomplish their goals through legalism. Religion itself is not bad unless religious traditions become more important than relationships. That’s what happened to the Pharisees. In fact, their legalism prevented many people from entering the community of faith. So we should ask ourselves whether our own religious traditions “shut the door of the kingdom of heaven in people’s faces” (Matthew 23:13). Because it is very easy for a Christian fellowship to turn into a social club instead of seeking the kingdom of God. When that happens, the Christianity of faith in Christ turns into “cultural Christianity.” Cultural Christianity shuts the door to the kingdom of God in people’s faces, and in so doing, defiles God.

FAITH BRINGS US BEFORE JESUS
In contrast to the Pharisees, the friends and the paralytic had faith in Jesus. They did not understand who Jesus was, yet. But they did believe that Jesus was sent by God. And so they believed that “the power of the Lord was with Jesus to heal” the paralytic. Of course, Jesus is not a genie in a bottle. And Jesus may not answer all our prayers. Yet Jesus cares for us more than we care for ourselves. We can trust that He hears, and He is working for the good of those who come to Him in need. And Jesus will answer our prayers according to God’s will, which is always for our ultimate good. We can put our trust in Jesus no matter what. Such faith makes us be driven by compassion for our loved ones. And such faith makes us focused on the mission to introduce our loved ones to Jesus. To have such compassion and focus takes faith—faith in Christ and Him crucified, resurrected, and returning.

FORGIVENESS COMPELS US TO PRAISE JESUS
Jesus asked if it is easier to say, “Your sins are forgiven,” or to say, “Get up and walk” For humans, it’s easier to say something that cannot be scientifically verified than to say something that can. For Jesus, one is as easy as the other. So to prove His authority to forgive sins, Jesus tells the paralyzed man to get up and walk, and he does, immediately. Everyone was amazed, but we must not miss the greater point that Jesus was making. (1) Jesus is the Son of Man (Daniel 7:14). (2) Jesus has absolute authority over sin, because Jesus is God. And (3) whatever hardship or suffering we may be going through, what we need more than anything else is not so much relief from our suffering but the forgiveness of our sins. And Jesus Christ, the Son of Man, went to the cross with the weight of all the sins of all the world for all time—past, present, and future—so that we might be forgiven through faith in Him. For that Jesus is worthy of our praise. Jesus is worthy of our worship.

DISCUSSION QUESTION
How has “religion” let you down in the past? What would you ask or say to Jesus about that if he were physically here?