S121P10 – The Savior’s many faces: the discerning listener
Lk. 5:21-24
And the scribes and the Pharisees began to reason, saying, “Who is this who speaks blasphemies? Who can forgive sins but God alone?” But when Jesus perceived their thoughts, He answered and said to them, “Why are you reasoning in your hearts? Which is easier, to say, ‘Your sins are forgiven you,’ or to say, ‘Rise up and walk’? But that you may know that the Son of Man has power on earth to forgive sins”—He said to the man who was paralyzed, “I say to you, arise, take up your bed, and go to your house.”
He sat in the back row every service but never really spoke to any of the other parishioners. No one really noticed him coming or going; he was just there during service and then gone. For some reason, he gained the pastor’s attention at just about every service. He always seemed focused on the message but usually had a quizzical look on his face. Still, his eyes never left the pastor as he spoke. One morning, the pastor stopped speaking in mid- sentence. It was as if he could hear the man questioning whether any of this were real or true. It was the call the pastor had been waiting for, the opportunity to address the unbelief he had felt for so long had been staring at him from the pews.
We can debate whether Jesus was a mind reader, a heart reader, or both. We can attribute the events of this passage to what the world might call clairvoyance, but those who are spiritually mature know this was nothing more than God’s discernment. Jesus was not some magical psychic but merely someone so in tune with the Father that He could discern what a person truly thought or felt. This is not a parlor trick but a spiritual gift that is available even to us today. In fact, this kind of discernment can be a mighty testimony to the world of our connection to the one true God. Imagine being able to discern why someone has no desire to approach God and address the issue squarely without being told about it.
We hear people talk about having a sixth sense, about being able to know what someone is thinking or feeling. Some of that comes from physical cues like a person’s body language or facial expression. What Jesus did here is much greater than that. We have the power through Christ to know things that we should not know, and that knowledge can help us spiritually pierce the hearts of those who have built so many walls over so long. It takes a deep connection to the Lord to come to that place, but this kind of discernment is available for us now if we desire to walk in it. Father, show us how we must grow in order to have the miraculous discernment your Son showed.