Saturday, 17 January 2015

Healing Faith and Forgiveness

#Matthew Matt 9:1-7
#gospel #biblestudy #jesus #healing

After descending from the Mountain Jesus performed several acts of healing of the mentally ill and physically disabled. I want to focus on one particular one in chapter 9 the healing of the paralytic.

Now whatever the disability or illness of this young man actually was the first thing Jesus tells him is this

Tharsei teknon aphientai sou hai hamartai.

Be brave / positive / confident young one forgiven  to be free let go  of you  the errors / sins.

His first concern is the boy or young man's mental state.
Perhaps he was depressed or had what we might call post traumatic stress.
Perhaps he'd done or felt he had done something that caused or contributed to whatever accident or illness had made him a paralytic?

Notice this is not just faith healing. Jesus is not saying his sins caused the paralysis but focusing on tending to the boys spiritual and emotional well being? Then finally he tells him after rebuking the scribes to rise up take your bed and go home.

Faith can contribute to healing but a confident attitude helps.
however that doesn't mean we should rely ONLY and SOLELY on miracles of healing!

Tharsei has been translated as Be of Good cheer but the word also means be confident brave courage bold or to have a positive attitude in Modern English?

Note also the forms of the verb aphieemi  let go free release send away an important "irregular" verb you should learn.



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