Luke 5:24 But I want you to know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins.” So he said to the paralyzed man, “I tell you, get up, take your mat and go home.”

You might wonder why this story was included in Scripture readings on training disciples, but this was a powerful lesson indeed to Jesus’ disciples. They needed to know and trust Jesus’ authority, and this was pretty definitive. This incident probably scared the religious professionals present no end! Here was someone who clearly had divine authority, rather than just quoting some teacher from the past, and that wasn’t something they could claim. Jesus’ disciples, then and now, needed, and need, to understand that when Jesus told/tells them to do something, everything in the universe backs that up. As He Himself said in the Great Commission, all authority in heaven and on earth has been given to him. (Matthew 28:18) This was just a warm-up! The devil, with the full cooperation of our flesh, seeks to denigrate the authority of Scripture every chance he gets, and it’s not pretty. We see all sorts of damage, destruction, and death as a result. No human being has the sort of absolute authority that God does, but His authority does operate through us, to the degree that we are submitted to Him. That’s why James could say, “Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.” (James 4:7) If we aren’t submitted to God, the devil will laugh at our attempts to resist him. The problem is, submission requires humility, and pride is our big stumbling block. We don’t like to submit! However, our lack of submission doesn’t change God’s authority in the slightest. If we want to operate in the authority and power of God, as Jesus did, we’ve got to be fully submitted to Him. That’s why repentance is essential for salvation. We’ve got to acknowledge we were wrong before God can make us right before Him. The good news is, if we do, He will. As this story says, He will indeed forgive our sins and heal us, giving us eternal life through faith in His Son. That is absolutely glorious!

I have experienced this on several levels. I remember telling someone once that I forgave them, and they got angry, demanding to know what kind of a high horse I thought I was on to be able to do that. They instinctively knew that forgiveness requires authority, and in a sense, it imparts authority as well, because we are acting as God’s agents when we forgive. One of the many astounding things Jesus said was, “If you forgive anyone’s sins, their sins are forgiven; if you do not forgive them, they are not forgiven.” (John 20:23) If I want to operate in God’s authority, and I do, I need to be a forgiving person. Forgiveness isn’t giving that person permission to do that thing again, but it frees me from the fallout of what they have done. I am uncomfortable with ordering people around, but I should never hesitate to forgive!

Father, thank You for this reminder. Help me operate as Your agent at all times in all ways, exercising Your authority so that Your will is done on Your schedule for Your glory. Thank You. Hallelujah!