SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR 5/8/2021 11:09 AM
My Worship Time
Focus: PT-1 “Forensic”
Bible Reading & Meditation Reference:
Matthew 9:4-6a
Message of the verses: “4 And Jesus
knowing their thoughts said, "Why are you thinking evil in your hearts? 5 “Which
is easier, to say, ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or to say, ‘Get up, and walk’? 6 “But
so that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins’”
Why
do we use the word “forensic” as the focus in this fourth aspect of this event
that we have been looking at? Forensic
refers to discussion, debate, or an argument, and because only Jesus’ words
were spoken aloud, we know that the scribes’ side of this interchange only
because the Lord omnisciently revealed to us exactly what they were thinking,
what thoughts were going on in their heads.
Let
us look at some verses to show us about this:
“and because He did not need anyone to testify concerning man, for He
Himself knew what was in man” (John 2:25).
“The Lord looks at the heart” (1 Sam. 6:7). “then hear in heaven Your dwelling place, and
forgive and act and render to each according to all his ways, whose heart You
know, for You alone know
the hearts of all the sons of men,” (1 Kings 8:39). "As for you, my son Solomon, know the
God of your father, and serve Him with a whole heart and a willing mind; for the LORD searches all
hearts, and understands every intent of the thoughts. If you seek Him, He will
let you find Him; but if you forsake Him, He will reject you forever” (1
Chron. 28:9). The following verse comes
from Acts 5:3 which speaks of when Ananias and Sapphira tried to deceive God
and Peter states “"Ananias, why has Satan filled your heart to lie to the
Holy Spirit and to keep back some of the price of the land?” I think that from these verses we can see
that Jesus had no problem in understand the thoughts of the scribes and the
Pharisees here.
Jesus
tells these men that they have evil in their hearts and an evil heart is a
heart that plots against God as seen in Acts 5:3-4, 9; 8:20-22, and so in
saying in those words to the scribes and also to the Pharisees Jesus is not
only laid bare exactly what they were thinking but He was also exposing the
wickedness behind their exact thoughts.
These men were actually claiming to defend God’s holiness, but were
actually showing themselves to be utterly against it. The reason is because
they were “thinking evil” of the Son of God whom they refused and continued to
refuse to acknowledge that He was God come in the flesh.
We
will conclude this “week-end” SD with a quote from John MacArthur and then try
and finish this section in our next SD.
“Jesus’
first argument was in the form of a rhetorical question: ‘For which is easier, to say, ‘Your sins are
forgiven,’ or to say, ‘Rise, and walk?’”
The scribes and Pharisees had seen irrefutable evidence of Jesus’ power
to heal disease. ‘Why therefore,’ He
asked in effect, ‘do you think it impossible for Me to forgive sins? Is one ‘easier’ than the other?’ Sin and disease are inseparable, just as are
sin and demons, sin and death, sin and disaster, and sin and the devil. The One who brought the kingdom who have to
deal with sin or else He could not deal with the rest; and the One who could
deal with the rest could also deal with sin.
If Jesus could not deal with sin by putting it away, He could not deal
with anything else related to sin. But
He could deal with both sin and its symptoms.”
5/8/2021 11:49 AM
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