A paralysed man and his friends trusted Jesus for healing (Matthew 9:1-3). But when Jesus saw his faith, He forgave his sins - causing an indignant muttering by the religious leaders. They thought it was blasphemy (because only God could forgive sins). Even though they did not speak loudly, Jesus knew exactly what they were thinking and saying; and He condemned their thoughts as being 'evil'.

That may seem rather strong. He could have said that they 'misunderstood'; but to say 'evil' aligned them with the Evil One (the Greek word used is a title, meaning 'The Evil'). And, of course, Jesus was right. To say that Jesus is not God who is able to forgive sins, is a blasphemy in itself. These verses need to be taken seriously by everybody who denies the divinity of Jesus Christ. Such an idea is not simply a theological interpretation or a matter of personal belief: it defines a person's true relationship with God. That applied even to the respected clerics who said that Jesus was not God: they were not only wrong but had evil hearts. They were on the side of the devil, even though they did not realise it.

It is easy to say anything, but how will anybody know if it is true? How would they know that Jesus really could forgive sins? So He set them a riddle. Which is easier to say - 'Your sins are forgiven' or 'Get up and walk'? They thought that commanding a paralysed man to walk, was harder. So Jesus did instruct the man to walk ... and he walked home with his bed roll under his arm. That divine power proved that Jesus had authority to forgive. Whatever the religious teachers thought, the crowd got the message and praised God for Jesus.

The identity of Jesus is the key to eternal life (John 6:28-29), salvation (Acts 4:12) and peace with God (Romans 5:1). The miracles were not just an expression of God's compassion but divine identity. Jesus was God in a human body and it is an evil thing to deny that. If He is not God then He could be ignored and faith in Him treated as a consumer option. But because He is God then we are accountable to Him: and to deny His divine identity puts us on the same side as the devil. It is a hard thing to say to friends and we will need wisdom as to how to speak, but it shows how urgently we should pray for our friends and colleagues. Teaching people the identity of Jesus and how to be saved through Him is the most precious responsibility in the world. If you know the message - pass it on!