The Bible Study Podcast, episode 425. Today, the Bible Study podcast continues the study of the

gospel of Matthew with Matthew 9.

Welcome to the Bible Study podcast. I'm your host, Chris Christensen. We continue on with the gospel of

Matthew today with chapter 9, and in chapter 9, Jesus heals someone, but there is more to it than that.

Jesus stepped into a boat, crossed over, and came to his own town. Some men brought to him a paralyzed man, lying in a mat.

When Jesus saw their faith, he said to the men,

take heart, son, your sins are forgiven. At this, some of the teachers of the law said to themselves,

this fellow is blaspheming. Knowing their thoughts, Jesus said, why do you entertain evil thoughts in your

hearts? Which is easier to say, your sins sins are forgiven or say, get up and walk.

But I want you to know that the son of man has authority on earth to forgive sins.

So he said to the paralyzed man, get up, take your mat, and go home.

Then the man got up and went home.

When the crowd saw this, they were filled with awe, and they praised God who had given such

authority to man.

It isn't interesting.

Do you notice this theme here of authority in the Gospel of Matthew?

I'd never really noticed it as much as I have in this study, but we keep getting authority, authority, the

authority the centurion says he has, the authority over the wind and the waves, the authority

by which he both forgives sins and tells this man to take up his mat, to get up and walk.

Now, I like the version of Luke a little better than this because Luke tells

the whole story about how these four friends take this paralyzed man and lower him down through

the roof of somebody's house while the owner of the house is probably watching there as Jesus

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