The First Sunday after Michaelmas – Pr. Anderson sermon
St. Matthew 9:1-8 “The Lord Searches and the Lord has Found You”
October 4, 2026 | Christ Lutheran Church
In Nomine Iesu
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O mighty and everlasting God, by Your Son Jesus Christ You mercifully helped the paralytic both in body and soul: We beseech You, for the sake of Your great mercy, be gracious also to us; forgive us all our sins, and so govern us by Your Holy Spirit, that we may not ourselves be the cause of sickness and other afflictions; keep us in Your fear, and strengthen us by Your grace that we may escape temporal and eternal wrath and punishment; through Your Son, Jesus Christ, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one true God, now and forever. Amen. (Evangelical Lutheran Hymnary, by Veit Dietrich, p. 163)
Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. Amen. (Rom. 1:7, etc.)
The sermon text for today is taken from the 9th chapter of the Gospel according to St. Matthew. We read selected verses in Jesus’ name:
And getting into a boat [Jesus] crossed over and came to His own city. And behold, some people brought to Him a paralytic, lying on a bed. And when Jesus saw their faith, He said to the paralytic, “Take heart, My son; your sins are forgiven.”
These are Your words, heavenly Father. Sanctify us by Your truth, Your Word is truth. Amen. (Joh. 17:17)
In Christ Jesus, who searches to see the faith He has given you, faith that believes in Him as your Savior who forgives you all your sins, dear fellow redeemed:
In playing games with little children, there is one that happens early. The game is called Hide-and-Seek. The parents close their eyes and count to ten. Before even opening eyes, you can hear their giggles or maybe better yet, you see them sticking out in their hiding spot because it is simply out in the open and they didn’t realize it. Just like the children we once were, we can be hiding, thinking we can’t be seen and yet, it is so easy to see us. There is no joke to leave us hiding, because even at our lowest, we are sought out and healed just like a King of Israel. In those days Hezekiah became sick and was at the point of death. And Isaiah the prophet the son of Amoz came to him and said to him, “Thus says the Lord, ‘Set your house in order, for you shall die; you shall not recover.’” Then Hezekiah turned his face to the wall and prayed to the Lord, saying, “Now, O Lord, please remember how I have walked before you in faithfulness and with a whole heart, and have done what is good in your sight.” And Hezekiah wept bitterly. And before Isaiah had gone out of the middle court, the word of the Lord came to him: “Turn back, and say to Hezekiah the leader of my people, Thus says the Lord, the God of David your father: I have heard your prayer; I have seen your tears. Behold, I will heal you. On the third day you shall go up to the house of the Lord, and I will add fifteen years to your life. I will deliver you and this city out of the hand of the king of Assyria, and I will defend this city for my own sake and for my servant David’s sake” (2 Kings 20:1-6). What was the Lord looking for here? From long ago to here right now, the Lord continues to search for those who are sick and in searching, He sees the faith you have, the faith He gave to you, the faith which means, you are found.
Hezekiah wasn’t the only one who had faith and was in need of healing. The Lord does what is best. He heals some of their diseases. Some would be upgraded to many when the One who brings healing in His wings bursts onto the scene. And just like the Lord who saw the reaction and faith of Hezekiah, He saw the faith of many others because of His signs to heal, and He doesn’t sit idly by. But now even more the report about him went abroad, and great crowds gathered to hear him and to be healed of their infirmities (Luke 5:17). Like so many who had come and were continuing to come, with the spread of Jesus’ saving work, the message was being passed on and was no longer hidden from view. A group of friends had faith their friend could be looked at by Jesus and Jesus would help him. And behold, some people brought to Him a paralytic, lying on a bed. Were they genuine people in need? Jesus saw their faith in action, and He could read their hearts. Jesus reveals not only did He see them coming, He knows that faith is found in them all.
If only all could be found with faith in Jesus’ and His abilities. For many today do not believe in the One who is promised has arrived just like in Jesus’ day even as the signs are still there. As the signs, miracles, and wonders reveal a saving work, people still believe Jesus couldn’t have been on the right path and that is revealed in their very thoughts. The enemies of Jesus accused Him of a very serious charge. They believe based on what they had seen and heard, Jesus was breaking the law of blasphemy because He was speaking and acting in the place of God. Again, like today, when we see countless people look at Jesus and do not believe He is God, there were many then who did not regard Him as God. Accusations and unbelief stem from wanting things to stay hidden, to not be found out. This is impossible with Jesus. People are flocking to Him because their faith is believing Jesus is capable of helping them. This can only happen if Jesus knows what is wrong and He doesn’t see only the outside problem. Jesus knew their thoughts because He is true God, He is Omniscient. Well, if you want things to stay hidden and not let this individual see them, then the best thing you can do is destroy Him. To attempt to destroy God reveals wickedness.
As the Old Testament is filled with all kinds of wickedness in the attempt to destroy what God has given and revealed for Jesus’ enemies to see, it is also filled with many passages about how the wickedness is corrected. It is corrected with the acknowledgement of the evil done against God, the evil He knows we have done. To see wickedness that likes to be hidden removed, it can only be removed with a miracle. As the crowds are about to witness a great miracle, it is a miracle that has always happened since the day of the fall in the garden. With the miracle of making the man stand up, Jesus speaking to the paralytic and saying his sins are forgiven is another miracle, an old miracle. Knowing what it feels like to have our sins forgiven and to hear those precious words, where do Jesus’ enemies find this as being disrespectful to God? To do this and take God’s place, was the worst type of blasphemy. They were correct, it is God’s office to forgive sins. But, if He had committed blasphemy, He wouldn’t have authority to cure the sick
man.
Let’s entertain Jesus’ detractors. Let’s say for a moment, He is not who He says He is. The enemies of God even with the harshest rebukes of blasphemy, all they have to look at His actions and the law and it all falls flat. The Prophet Ezekiel records, Again, though I say to the wicked, ‘You shall surely die,’ yet if he turns from his sin and does what is just and right (Ezekiel 33:14). The law in its goodness points out there is a way to live. Of course, you have to follow it completely, but if a person could simply follow the law to forgive his neighbor, a similar accusation would be coming after your pastor as he says to you, “as a called and ordained servant of the Word I forgive you all of your sins…” Both miracles, to command a paralytic to rise and to forgive sins require the identical power of God. No one can see the paralytics sins piled up and no one can see what sins are weighing you down. And as we see all of our hidden faults, and knowing Jesus does too, what do we then expect from Jesus? There are times we might be struggling to believe His Words, “which is easier.” Is it truly easy to hear our sins are forgiven.
“But that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins”—He then said to the paralytic—“Rise, pick up your bed and go home.” And he rose and went home. Jesus performed an amazing miracle and it is described in a matter-of-fact way! This power which hasn’t been seen in a long time. What was once found enthroned in the Most Holy Place, unapproachable in almost any way, it is now in their midst. It is now in your midst. And while the miracles of great healing have ceased, there is a great miracle people can see for themselves. Jesus is in the people’s midst, not hiding, but continuing to do the miracle of the forgiveness of sins. Jesus was doing what they knew only God could do. And if Jesus is doing the things of God and even His enemies recognized it to call it out, the passages of the Old Testament come to life like this one in Isaiah where the people heard, I, I am he who blots out your transgressions for my own sake, and I will not remember your sins (Isaiah 43:25). He does it for Himself because only He can be the Savior of His creation. Only He can bring His creation out of hiding and into the light again. All throughout this month of October, we see the devil, the one who tempts, and the one who leads the charge in wickedness be defeated with the miraculous works of God.
So, “which is easier?” To say, ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or to say, ‘Rise and walk’? But that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins”—He then said to the paralytic—“Rise, pick up your bed and go home.” As awesome it may be to see a loved one you know or maybe yourself come to full health through a miraculous sign, this is an even greater blessing, to hear your sins are forgiven. For when sins are confessed, because of the work of Christ, they are absolved. Sin is the greatest evil, this makes forgiveness the greatest good. And to know how precious you are to Jesus, the word here is τεκνον which is the Greek word for child. This is far more tender than a son. In your attempt to hide, all illnesses point out how you are nothing but sinners. So you go to what Jesus enemies would know and hear, “Come now, let us reason together, says the LORD: though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red like crimson, they shall become like wool If you are willing and obedient, you shall eat the good of the land; but if you refuse and rebel, you shall be eaten by the sword; for the mouth of the LORD has spoken” (Isaiah 1:18). And in thinking you are a rebel, you are white as snow because Jesus has reasoned with the Father on your behalf. Jesus has painted you white with His own blood shed on the cross. You don’t just eat good; you take the medicine of immortality.
Medicine which is given to you because your Savior has searched you out. He has known your hidden faults, and He has taken them all away. You have no need to wrestle with the person of Christ, as many continue to do. They wrestle with Him because I’m trying to hide their sins, they are sinful mortals reacting with fear when confronted with evidence of God at work. The fear is from feeling their sinfulness. In feeling the weight, the Lord is using the weight to not cause people to hide, but to search them out and call to faith people who are conscious of their unrighteousness. This is the presence of God. For death could not contain the Man who performed mighty and sincere miracles for His people. Who is to condemn? Christ Jesus is the one who died—who is at the right hand of God, who indeed is interceding for us (Romans 8:34). and for the death he died he died to sin, once for all, but the life he lives he lives to God (Romans 5:10). From what seemed unapproachable in the Old Testament was always approachable because the Son of God was always there. The Son who would always keep the Father’s plan. The Son, who would not hide from His mission, but would take on the sins that plague His people so that He can say to them with full assurance “Your sins are forgiven.” A miracle that you pray never goes away and that you always get to see it every time you come here and when you say it to one another. For where there is the miracle of the forgiveness of sins, there is also life and salvation. Amen.
Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Ghost; as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, forevermore. Amen.
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