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The forgiveness of sins is what Jesus gave this man that hour, and it is what He gives you this hour. He gave it to you first in Holy Baptism, where you were carried to Him; ever since, He has never stopped applying it. It resounds through the whole of the Divine Service; as you have just sung, the Spirit witnesses to your soul’s salvation “in Your Sacraments and Word,” and “there He sends true consolation.” The Service begins with the Name of God, the very Name into which yo

This Gospel, of Jesus’ healing of the paralytic, is for and about every Christian; it is for you and about you. This Gospel is not only a recounting of an actual event; more importantly, it was recorded for you, that you might recognize that you are one and the same as this poor man. You are him: you are the sick man, paralyzed and lying on a bed. For just as he could not raise himself from his sickness and come to Jesus on his own, by his own reason or strength, neither co

After forgiving the paralytic, Jesus said, “Arise, take up your bed, and go to your house.” And the man was healed. For where there is...