Investigating a Messianic Claim
The healing of the leper
required the Sanhedrists to act. Investigating a Messianic claim involved three
stages.
(i) The stage of observation. This
first stage required a delegation from the Sanhedrin to visit and observe the
ministry of the Messianic claimant, and then return to Jerusalem and report to
the authorities. During this stage, the Sanhedrists were not allowed to
cross-examine the claimant; only come to an opinion as to the significance of
the Messianic movement.
(ii) The stage of interrogation. If the movement
was considered significant, the representatives of the Sanhedrin could question
the claimant, check his beliefs, raise objections and receive answers to any
concerns they had.
(iii) The
stage of decision/declaration. At this stage the Sanhedrin were required to
declare whether they upheld or dismissed the Messianic claims of the individual,
and give reasons for their decision.
The healing of the leper caused such
interest that in addition to the delegation coming from Jerusalem for the stage
of observation, “there were Pharisees and teachers of the law sitting by, which
had come out of every town of Galilee, Judea, and Jerusalem” (Luke 5:17). These were in the house
where He was - observing, taking note.
Five friends, driven by need, came to
this house, four of them carrying a fifth that lay on a pallet. Trusting that the young Rabbi, who helped the
disadvantaged, could help them, they tried to get admittance to the house, but the crowd was
too thick. So climbing to the roof, they
made a rough entrance and gently dropped their friend at the feet of the
Messiah in silent appeal for His help. Jesus, aware of the delegation from the
Sanhedrin and the procedure involved in the stage of observation, took the
opportunity presented by the presence of the paralytic to demonstrate His Messianic
credentials.
The
condition of the paralytic was the result of personal sin, which brought into
focus the rabbinical teaching, “the sick is not healed, till all his sins are
forgiven him”. Deut. 28 lists diseases
of body and mind that could cling to those that obdurately refuse to honour the
Law. From these passages arose the
practice of giving up such offenders to a ‘cherem’ or curse, that is, in Jewish
teaching, giving them up to Satan. An offender who resisted
correction and exhausted all remedy contained in the Law would become “a curse
among his people”. The Messiah remarked on such a one, “… ought not this woman,
being a daughter of Abraham, whom Satan has bound for
eighteen years, be loosed from this bond on the Sabbath?” (Luke
13:16) The
paralytic brought to Jesus was one who had been an obdurate sinner whom Satan
had bound!
So Jesus
first says, “Son, be of good cheer; your sins are forgiven you.”
(Matt.9:2) Because it was the stage of observation, the delegation could
not question the Messiah but they were making mental notes of objections that
would later be raised, so it is
recorded, “And some of the scribes were sitting there and reasoning in their hearts,
“Why does this Man speak blasphemies like this? Who can forgive sins but God
alone?” (Mark 2.6,7) Their
theology, of course, was correct, and
confirmed by three of the greatest writers of the T’nach. Daniel said, “To the Lord our God belong mercy and forgiveness” (Dan.9:9).
Moses quoted God’s self-revelation: “The Lord,
the Lord
God, merciful and gracious, longsuffering and abounding in goodness and truth,
keeping mercy for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin”.(Exod.34:6,7) And David couples
the healing of the body with the
forgiveness of sins: “Bless the Lord,
O my soul, And forget not all His benefits: Who forgives all your iniquities,
Who heals all your diseases”.(Ps.103:2,3)
God had never delegated the authority to forgive sins to any other, a truth
that was surely included in the statement, “my glory I will not
give to another”.(Isa.42:8)
Although the complaint of the scribes was unspoken, yet the Messiah knew and
responded to it: “But Jesus, knowing their thoughts, said, Why do you think evil in
your hearts? For which is easier,
to say, Your sins are forgiven you, or
to say, Arise and walk? But that you may know that the Son of Man has power on
earth to forgive sins —then He said to the paralytic, Arise, take up your bed,
and go to your house. And he (the paralytic) arose and departed to his
house.” (Matt.9:4-7) Therefore,
this miracle was not only a sign of Messiahship but also implied deity. Of
course, there was an immediate effect on the crowd, who marvelled and glorified
God. The Messiah had further supported
His Messianic claim and sent the delegation back to Jerusalem to report a
significant Messianic movement. It was enough to indicate that the movement
deserved further investigation. But the
issue that would cause the most difficulty for the Jewish leaders was already
visible at this early stage – Jesus’ claim to deity! As to His work, He was offering Himself to
the nation as the Messiah of God; but as to His person, they would have to
appreciate that the Son of God was among them.
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