Here are some questions based on last Sunday’s sermon text (Matthew 9:1-8), in case they’re helpful to you for personal growth or group discussion…

• [2] Jesus saw the faith of the paralytic and his friends. The evidence of faith that we can see is that they went to great lengths to get the paralytic before Jesus (see also Mark 2:4-5 and Luke 5:18-20). It’s likely that they didn’t know exactly what to expect from Jesus, and it’s also likely that they were surprised to hear Jesus tell the paralytic that his sins were forgiven, rather than healing him first thing. Faith doesn’t have Jesus entirely figured out before recognizing him as the one we need. Faith grows along the way as we learn more about Jesus from Jesus. What was your faith in Jesus like at first? What were your “felt needs” that first caused you to go to him? In what ways has your faith grown over time? How might you describe your “felt needs” for Jesus now? In what ways has Jesus surprised you as you’ve learned about him? How (i.e., by what means) does one’s faith grow over time?

• [6] Jesus healed the paralytic in order to show that he has authority to forgive sins, which is something only God can do. We tend to think of the healing as the big deal in this passage, when really it is the fact that Jesus has authority to forgive sins that is the big deal. Do you believe that Jesus has the authority to forgive sins? Why or why not? Do you believe that he forgives your sins? Why or why not? Why do you care whether he forgives your sins or not? Are there some sins you’ve committed that are particularly difficult for you to believe Jesus forgives? Do you believe that the forgiveness of your sins is in some way dependent on you? Or do you believe that forgiveness belongs to Jesus (Daniel 9:9), and that if he tells you that your sins are forgiven, then they’re forgiven? How does it change your life to know that your sins—past, present, and future—are forgiven by Jesus?