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JANUARY 12
12 When Jesus heard that, He said to them,
“Those who are well have no need of a physi-
cian, but those who are sick. But go and
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9:1 His own city. Capernaum is the city where learn what this means: ‘I desire mercy and not
Jesus settled. Jesus had left there to get away sacrifice.’ For I did not come to call the righ-
from the crowds for a time.
teous, but sinners, to repentance.”
Matthew 9:1–17
So He got into a boat, crossed over, and 9:13 go and learn what this means. This
9 came to His own city. Then behold, they phrase was commonly used as a rebuke for
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brought to Him a paralytic lying on a bed. those who did not know something they
When Jesus saw their faith, He said to the par- should have known. The verse Jesus cites is
alytic, “Son, be of good cheer; your sins are Hosea 6:6,which emphasizes the absolute pri-
forgiven you.” ority of the law’s moral standards over the cer-
And at once some of the scribes said within emonial requirements. The Pharisees tended
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themselves, “This Man blasphemes!” to focus on the outward, ritual, and ceremoni-
But Jesus, knowing their thoughts, said, al aspects of God’s law—to the neglect of its
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“Why do you think evil in your hearts? For inward, eternal, and moral precepts. In doing
which is easier, to say, ‘Your sins are forgiven so, they became harsh, judgmental, and self-
you,’ or to say, ‘Arise and walk’? But that you righteously scornful of others. Jesus repeated
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may know that the Son of Man has power on this same criticism in 12:7.
earth to forgive sins”—then He said to the
paralytic, “Arise, take up your bed, and go to
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your house.” And he arose and departed to 14 Then the disciples of John came to Him,
his house. saying, “Why do we and the Pharisees fast of-
Now when the multitudes saw it, they mar- ten, but Your disciples do not fast?”
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veled and glorified God, who had given such 15 And Jesus said to them, “Can the friends of
power to men. the bridegroom mourn as long as the bride-
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As Jesus passed on from there, He saw a groom is with them? But the days will come
man named Matthew sitting at the tax office. when the bridegroom will be taken away from
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And He said to him, “Follow Me.” So he arose them, and then they will fast. No one puts a
and followed Him. piece of unshrunk cloth on an old garment; for
Now it happened, as Jesus sat at the table the patch pulls away from the garment, and
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in the house, that behold, many tax collectors the tear is made worse. Nor do they put new
and sinners came and sat down with Him and wine into old wineskins, or else the wineskins
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His disciples. And when the Pharisees saw it, break, the wine is spilled, and the wineskins
they said to His disciples, “Why does your are ruined. But they put new wine into new
Teacher eat with tax collectors and sinners?” wineskins, and both are preserved.”
DAY 12:Why were the scribes upset that Christ forgave the paralytic?
In Matthew 9:1-8, the fact that the man was brought on a bed indicates that his paralysis was
severe. Christ ignored the paralysis and addressed the man’s greater needs. Christ’s words of for-
giveness may indicate that the paralysis was a direct consequence of the man’s own sin (John 9:1–3).
The scribes outcry,“This Man blasphemes!” would be a true judgment about anyone but God
incarnate, for only the One who has been sinned against has the prerogative to forgive. Jesus’words
to the man were therefore an unequivocal claim of divine authority.That He asserted His prerogative
that was God’s alone was completely understood by the scribes.
Jesus then confronts the scribes directly.It is certainly easier to claim the power to pronounce
absolution from sin than to demonstrate the power to heal.Christ actually proved His power to for-
give by instantly healing the man of his paralysis. His ability to heal anyone and everyone at will—
totally and immediately—was incontrovertible proof of His deity. If He could do the apparently
harder,He could also do what seemed easier.The actual forgiving of the sins was in reality the more
difficult task, however, because it ultimately required Him to sacrifice His life.

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