Shattered Assumptions

It sucks to have your preconceptions shattered.  The earth is flat; no, it’s round.  Our race is superior; oops, it’s not.  Global warming is a conspiracy concocted by tyrannical leftists; oops, there goes the polar ice cap. 

Meanwhile, back at the house with the man-made skylight…

Read Luke 5:17-26  

The man comes for healing and gets that, and forgiveness too.  The Pharisees, threatened and scrutinizing, hear Jesus declare forgiveness of sins for the paralyzed man.  Their blasphemy sensor is screaming.  How dare Jesus forgive this man’s sins?  That is something God, and God alone, can do. 

The Pharisees are right of course.  Correct as usual, King Friday.  For Jesus to forgive sins is tantamount to his declaring himself God. 

Later Judaism would teach that God does not help sinners or liars.  If that man is paralyzed, he must have done something to deserve it, sinner that he is (or at least his parents, see the gospel of John chapter 9, verse 2).  And they were quite confident that God does not appear in human form. 

The Pharisees were quite certain about a lot of things.  It sucks to have your preconceptions shattered, unless you have power and you can silence the truth tellers. 

Luke presents a Jesus who forgives sins, who is divine, who is God made man.  The divinity of Jesus is the plain teaching of the New Testament. 

And because Jesus is God, he has power to forgive sins, yours included.  He is able to fill that God-shaped vacuum we feverishly try to fill our hearts with anything besides him. 

Come to Jesus on your own terms and your preconceptions will be shattered too.  It may be preconceptions about Christianity, or about Christians when you get up close.  It may be preconceptions about yourself: you didn’t deserve to be violated the way you were.  You are more deeply loved than you ever dared to imagine.  It will certainly be preconceptions about Jesus.  He’s good.  He’s powerful.  He’ll change your life.  But you can’t control him.  Aslan is not a tame lion.