“Which is easier, to say to the paralytic, ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or to say, ‘Rise, take up your bed and walk’?” (Mark 2:9 ESV) 

What Did It Cost God To Offer Us Forgiveness?

I remember when I was a little girl, waking up on Easter mornings to find a beautiful new dress and a basket filled with candy. We grew up in a home that worshipped the idol Buddhah and no one was even aware that the presence of Christ was missing. 

It wasn’t until years later when Jesus made Himself known to me that I discovered the incredible significance of the Easter Season.

The Apostle Paul tells us in 1 Cor 15:14 that our faith is worthless if Christ had not risen. His resurrection is the very cornerstone of our faith.

But what did it cost Jesus to take back the keys of hell and rise triumphantly to be seated beside His Father in Heaven? As Christians, we can become so familiar with certain truths and we lose sight of the magnitude of them.

I sought the Lord’s heart for a verse to focus on in our Easter post this year and His soft whisper dropped down into my soul: “Which is easier for Me to say to you, Donna? That I’m able to heal you or all your sins are forgiven?”

I knew the story Jesus was referring to. In Mark 2:1-12, He taught about God’s Kingdom to the crowd at the house where He was staying in Capernaum. As He preached, four men arrived carrying their paralyzed friend on a mat. 

They were not able to get their friend to Jesus because of the crowd pressing in all around. So what did they do? They dug a hole in the roof above Jesus’ head and lowered their friend right down in front of Jesus.

Seeing their faith, Jesus said to the paralyzed man, “My child, your sins are forgiven” (vs 5).

The religious leaders thought Jesus was blasphemous because only God can forgive sins (vs 7). Our main verse is Jesus’s response to their unspoken thoughts, where He asks: “Is it easier to say to the paralyzed man ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or ‘Stand up, pick up your mat, and walk’?” (vs 9) 

Many times when we hear this story, the focus is on the beautiful faith of the four friends who were determined to stop at nothing to get their paralyzed companion in front of Jesus. But, today, let’s focus on Jesus’ question. Which would be easier for our Lord, to heal or to forgive? It would seem easy for God to say or do either, right?

The crowd seemed silent (vs 5) when Jesus said He forgave the paralytic of his sins, the only sounds recorded were the condemning thoughts of the Pharisees in vs 6-7.

But in vs 11-12, the onlookers were amazed and praised God when the man rose up and walked. I imagine to our human minds, it would be more profound to see a physical healing manifest in front of us than to just hear we’re forgiven?

If this is true, then we are missing the big picture. Have you ever wondered why Jesus immediately forgave the paralytic’s sins when his four friends were seeking a physical healing for him instead?

Jesus is always more concerned about our eternal condition than our temporal one.

Jesus has many Names: Prophet. Healer. Teacher. Lord. The Good Shepherd. The King of kings. The Bread of Life. The Light of the World. The Anointed One. Etc. But what did it cost Him to be the Savior of the whole world?

What Did It Cost God To Forgive Us?

We know from the story of the woman with the issue of blood (Luke 8:40-48) that God’s healing power flowed from Jesus’ body when her faith touched the hem of His garment. But to be able to forgive the sins of the world, Jesus’ own blood needed to be spilled first on the old rugged cross at Calvary.

It definitely takes more than a release of God’s power to save our souls. It takes the literal laying down of His Son’s life. Salvation can only be found in the blood of Jesus.

Both God the Father and Christ the Son suffered deep agony so we could be forgiven. We all fall short of the Glory of God but He loves us so much that He was willing to pay the price for us to be free.

Many Scriptures point to what the LORD endured to forgive us.
Here are just a few …

• Isaiah 50:4-11: The Prophet spoke of the coming suffering of the Messiah. Despite opposition, suffering and humiliation, Christ would set His face like flint and He refused to be put to shame.
• Luke 9:51-56: Isaiah’s prophecy was fulfilled when Jesus, with His gaze fixed like flint, headed to Jerusalem to die for our sins.
• Hebrews 12:2: This verse tells us “Because of the joy awaiting him, he endured the cross, disregarding its shame. Now he is seated in the place of honor beside God’s throne” (NLT).
• Col 2:9: Christ was the fullness of God in a human body. When He took on the sins of the world, His very human body endured the suffering of being scourged by the Romans (John 19:1) and the gruesome death and affixiation of being nailed to a wooden cross.
• Matthew 26:36-46: Jesus suffered deep distress the night before the cruxifixion. His soul was deeply grieved to the point of death (vs 38).
• Luke 22:43-44: An angel appeared to Jesus and strengthened Him. Being in anguish, He prayed more earnestly, and His sweat was like drops of blood falling to the ground.
• Matthew 27:45-46: Darkness fell over all the land from 12:00 – 3:00 pm while Jesus was on the Cross. Jesus cried out in a loud voice, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”

Wow, to be loved this much! Because of His unfathomable love for us, Jesus paid a very high price to reconcile us back to our Heavenly Father.

If the Son of God felt the extreme distress of being separated from His Father for several hours, how much more will those who reject Christ suffer when they find themselves separated from God for all eternity?

Today, the enemy is stirring up a whole new level of crazy in our world because he knows his end is near and he desires to take you with him to his destruction. If you’re reading this now and are not yet saved, I pray you can see the significance of what Christ is offering you this Easter.

Jesus has done everything to save your soul for all eternity but it will require a response from you to receive His incredible gift for yourself.

I hope you have a blessed Easter, my friend …  

What Did It Cost God To Offer Us Forgiveness @ freshgracefortoday

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