Why do you harbour evil thoughts?

Gn 22,1-19; Ps 114; Mt 9,1-8
4 JULY

Jesus, saying to the paralytic: “Courage, son, your sins are forgiven”, does nothing new or special. It performs a highly prophetic action. In fact all the prophets are great announcers of the Lord’s forgiveness or of the invitation to repentance and conversion to have the forgiveness of sins. If for the ancient prophets it was not a blasphemy, why is for Jesus a profoundly prophetic action considered a blasphemy? Can a word be holy for one and blasphemy for others? David has sinned. He insulted the Lord. Nathan tells him: “Your sin is forgiven”.

The Lord sent Nathan to David, and when he came to him, he said: “Judge this case for me! In a certain town there were two men, one rich, the other poor. The rich man had flocks and herds in great numbers. But the poor man had nothing at all except one little ewe lamb that he had bought. He nourished her, and she grew up with him and his children. She shared the little food he had and drank from his cup and slept in his bosom. She was like a daughter to him. Now, the rich man received a visitor, but he would not take from his own flocks and herds to prepare a meal for the wayfarer who had come to him. Instead he took the poor man’s ewe lamb and made a meal of it for his visitor.” David grew very angry with that man and said to Nathan: “As the Lord lives, the man who has done this merits death! He shall restore the ewe lamb fourfold because he has done this and has had no pity.” Then Nathan said to David: “You are the man! Thus says the Lord God of Israel: ‘I anointed you king of Israel. I rescued you from the hand of Saul. I gave you your lord’s house and your lord’s wives for your own. I gave you the house of Israel and of Judah. And if this were not enough, I could count up for you still more. Why have you spurned the Lord and done evil in his sight? You have cut down Uriah the Hittite with the sword; you took his wife as your own, and him you killed with the sword of the Ammonites. Now, therefore, the sword shall never depart from your house, because you have despised me and have taken the wife of Uriah to be your wife.’ Thus says the Lord: ‘I will bring evil upon you out of your own house. I will take your wives while you live to see it, and will give them to your neighbour. He shall lie with your wives in broad daylight. You have done this deed in secret, but I will bring it about in the presence of all Israel, and with the sun looking down.'” Then David said to Nathan, “I have sinned against the Lord.” Nathan answered David: “The Lord on his part has forgiven your sin: you shall not die. But since you have utterly spurned the Lord by this deed, the child born to you must surely die.” Then Nathan returned to his house (2Sam 12,1-15).

Blasphemy is not the fruit of a Word of Christ the Lord. It does not even stem from a misinterpretation of Ancient Scripture. The Word of Jesus is declared blasphemy by wicked hearts who think evil things. These scribes did not come with a pure heart to compare the Word of the Master with that of the Law, the Prophets and the Psalms. Instead, they are present to compare the Word heard with the evil one of their heart. Their bad heart says the Word of Jesus is bad. On the contrary, declares it blasphemy. If Jesus blasphemes, he can be stoned. It is enough that one begins to throw the stones and Jesus is done with. They have homicidal intentions.

He entered a boat, made the crossing, and came into his own town. And there people brought to him a paralytic lying on a stretcher. When Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralytic, “Courage, child, your sins are forgiven.” At that, some of the scribes said to themselves, “This man is blaspheming.” Jesus knew what they were thinking, and said, “Why do you harbour evil thoughts? 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 stretcher, and go home.” He rose and went home. When the crowds saw this they were struck with awe and glorified God who had given such authority to human beings.

Jesus defends himself by attesting with the miracle that no man can blaspheme and at the same time speak in the name of God. Since healing is not a blasphemy, even the forgiveness of sins is not a blasphemy. When the heart is bad, the mind is bad. It loses all wisdom. It closes in its stubborn and murderous foolishness. Instead, the crowd present sees God in Christ Jesus and affirms it. It bears witness to the truth.

Mother of God, Angels, Saints, make us pure at heart. We want to see God where He works.