BY REV. DORAL PULLEY | Today’s Church Tampa Bay
Read – Matthew 9:1-8
Scripture: “And the prayer of faith will heal the sick, and the Lord will raise them up; and if they have committed sins, they will be forgiven (James 5:15).”
Denial: “Sickness, pain, disease, discomfort, and dysfunction leave my body now.”
Affirmation: “Forgiveness brings about healing.”
According to H. Emile Cady, “Forgiveness is letting go of that which is old, worn, obsolete, and that which no longer serves you well.” It removes the broken screws of hurt and loosens you from the frozen nuts of bitterness and resentment.
Forgiveness clamps the love in your heart in place and reminds you of your oneness with all your brothers, sisters and siblings of the Universe. It removes the stripped screws of guilt and shame and opens you up to all the good that you zipped away. When you stand praying, forgive. You cannot pray without forgiveness, and you cannot forgive without praying; they go together.
When Jesus, our Wayshower, taught his disciples to pray, a part of the prayer included forgiveness. “Forgive us our debts as we forgive our debtors (Matthew 6:9-13).” Jesus, our example of what it means to be fully human and fully divine, also quantified forgiveness in his teachings. He gave forgiveness the number 70 x 7, which equals 490 (Matthew 18:21-23).
The purpose of the number was to show the importance of not keeping count of others’ infractions or the number of times that you had to forgive them. In addition to teaching about forgiveness, Jesus, our Perfect Pattern, practiced forgiveness. Forgiveness was a big part of Jesus’ healing ministry.
Sometimes, instead of telling people that they were healed, Jesus, the Christ unfolding in humanity, simply told them that their sins were forgiven. The religious leaders of his day objected to his ability to forgive people’s sins, but he knew the power of forgiveness. Jesus, the firstborn of many beloved offspring, knew that the root cause of their sickness and disease was unforgiveness.
He realized that once they forgave God, themselves, and others, the pain, discomfort, and dysfunction they were experiencing in their bodies had to leave. Like the man in our reading, you too can rise up and heal yourself as well as avoid disease through the power of forgiveness.
Reflection Question: How can you incorporate forgiveness into your daily routine?
Rev. Doral Pulley is the senior pastor of Today’s Church Tampa Bay, 2114 54th Ave. N, St. Petersburg and 5107 North Central Ave., Tampa.