Today's Daily Lesson is from Mark 2:
"5 And when Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralytic, “Son, your sins are forgiven.” 6 Now some of the scribes were sitting there, questioning in their hearts, 7 “Why does this man speak like that? He is blaspheming! Who can forgive sins but God alone?”
Throughout the centuries people have used religion as a means of control and domination. Brian McLaren says religion has often acted like a spiritual protection racket where religious systems in effect say something like,"You are bad and must present sacrifices and offerings to God in the Temple. We are the only authorized dealers in sacrifices and offerings to God."
Jesus was not an authorized dealer - at least not in the eyes of those who were purported themselves to be authorized dealers. So when Jesus came proclaiming forgiveness without the approval of the Temple cult system he was charged with blasphemy by members of the system. He was seen as a threat to their whole religious system - a threat who in their eyes ultimately needed to be eliminated. This just proves how desperate a religious system can be when it comes to retaining control.
When a religion professes to speak on behalf of God and tells you you have to be circumcised or baptized just like they say, or read the Bible just like they do, or tithe, or give alms, or pilgrimage, or volunteer in the nursery, or do anything else through its system in order to receive forgiveness then that religion really isn't speaking on God's behalf - it's speaking on it's own behalf.
The paralytic in the story did nothing to have his sins forgiven. Forgiveness was there for the taking. And it still is today - it's free of charge. And if we receive God's forgiveness then we are free of charge also.
"If the Son of Man says you are free, you are free indeed." Believe that; and don't let yourself be caught up in any racket that says otherwise.
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