Intercession: Difference between revisions
→Intercession of the Son to the Father in Scripture
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== Intercession of the Son to the Father in Scripture == | == Intercession of the Son to the Father in Scripture == | ||
=== Who can forgive sins? === | |||
When Jesus forgives the sins of the paralytic, the pharisees are horrified and reply,<blockquote> | |||
“Why does this man speak that way?* He is blaspheming. Who but God alone can forgive sins?” ([https://bible.usccb.org/bible/mark/2:7 Mk 2:7])</blockquote> | |||
Such a wonderful response from the Lord ([https://bible.usccb.org/bible/mark/2?9 Mk 2:9-12]),<blockquote> | |||
"Which is easier, to say to the paralytic, ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or to say, ‘Rise, pick up your mat and walk’? "But that you may know that the Son of Man has authority to forgive sins on earth”—he said to the paralytic, “I say to you, rise, pick up your mat, and go home.” | |||
He rose, picked up his mat at once, and went away in the sight of everyone. They were all astounded and glorified God, saying, “We have never seen anything like this.”</blockquote> | |||
Jesus' use of the "Son of Man" is confusing, but in this passage we see exactly what he means: The Father has empowered the Son of Man to forgive sins: <blockquote> | |||
"the Son of Man has authority to forgive sins on earth"</blockquote>In other words, not from heaven but from earth does the Son of Man have the authority from God in heaven.<ref>The Resurrected Christ uses the same language in the Great Commission: | |||
''Then Jesus approached and said to them, “All power in heaven and on earth has been given to me."'' ([https://bible.usccb.org/bible/matthew/28 Mt 28:18])</ref> So we see that the Son of Man is God's representative on earth -- is it Jesus the man or Christ the Messiah? Doesn't matter -- indeed, it's both, as Jesus is 100% man and 100% God. Still, it is an "authorization", which means a power conveyed upon another. And when the authorized party acts on that conveyed power, there we have the intercession. | |||
Of course, Jesus subsequently conveys that same authority upon the Apostles, <blockquote>He summoned the Twelve and gave them power and authority over all demons and to cure diseases ([https://bible.usccb.org/bible/luke/9?1 Lk 9:1])</blockquote> | |||
=== Praying for Peter === | |||
We all know how at the Last Supper, Jesus tells the brash Peter that he will deny him. What is often missed is the larger context of the passage, which in Luke 22 is called "Peter's Denial Foretold." In [https://bible.usccb.org/bible/luke/22?31 Luke 22:31-32], Jesus tells him,<blockquote>"Simon, Simon, behold Satan has demanded to sift all of you like wheat, but I have prayed that your own faith may not fail; and once you have turned back, you must strengthen your brothers.”</blockquote>Jesus "prayed" for Peter -- and not only prayer to uphold Peter's faith, but that he will then strengthen the faith of his "brothers" (the Apostles), a magnificent demonstration of intercession to God on behalf of others. | We all know how at the Last Supper, Jesus tells the brash Peter that he will deny him. What is often missed is the larger context of the passage, which in Luke 22 is called "Peter's Denial Foretold." In [https://bible.usccb.org/bible/luke/22?31 Luke 22:31-32], Jesus tells him,<blockquote>"Simon, Simon, behold Satan has demanded to sift all of you like wheat, but I have prayed that your own faith may not fail; and once you have turned back, you must strengthen your brothers.”</blockquote>Jesus "prayed" for Peter -- and not only prayer to uphold Peter's faith, but that he will then strengthen the faith of his "brothers" (the Apostles), a magnificent demonstration of intercession to God on behalf of others. | ||