Why Do You Entertain Evil Thoughts?

Matthew 9:4 (NIV) – Knowing their thoughts, Jesus said, “Why do you entertain evil thoughts in your hearts?

Jesus had just arrived in His home town. Friends who loved their paralyzed sick friend decided to take a chance with Jesus. They brought the paralyzed man to Jesus. Immediately when they arrived, Jesus declared that the sick man is forgiven his sins. Some people who were present didn’t like that declaration and they entertained evil thoughts.

Matthew 9:2 (NIV) – Some men brought to him a paralyzed man, lying on a mat. When Jesus saw their faith, he said to the man, “Take heart, son; your sins are forgiven.”

When Jesus declared forgiveness of sin, it not only healed the sick man, but it also solved a huge theological problem. Is Jesus God? Only God can forgive sins. Jesus forgave sins. Therefore Jesus is God!

When Jesus forgave sins of the sick man, His fellow townspeople realized He was no longer one of them. Jesus was above them. Jesus was not just human like them. Jesus was also God. Only God can forgive all sins at ago. Some people felt bad and started entertaining evil thoughts.

Even when we offend each other, we have offended God too. As we forgive each other, forgiveness will only be complete when God forgives us. Therefore, only God can ultimately forgive any and all sins. Jesus forgave all the sins of the sick man. This meant that Jesus is God!

Psalms 51:3-4 (NIV) – 3 For I know my transgressions, and my sin is always before me. 4 Against you, you only, have I sinned and done what is evil in your sight; so you are right in your verdict and justified when you judge.

David sinned by committing adultery with Bathsheba. David sinned by murdering Uriah who was Bathsheba’s husband. David writes Psalm 51 to confess these sins. David declares that it’s only God he had offended. All sins are an offense against God. Therefore only God can ultimately forgive any and all sins. Jesus forgave any and all sins of the sick man. Therefore Jesus is God! This made some people to feel bad and entertain evil thoughts!

God the Father forgives sins. We address Him in the Lord’s Prayer and ask Him to forgive us as we forgive others. God the Son also forgives sins. He forgave the sick man.  Some people did not like the idea that God the Son is God and He forgives sins. Consequently they entertained evil thoughts.

Are you happy that Jesus forgives sins and therefore it means that He is God? Does it offend you? Does it make you entertain evil thoughts?

Matthew 9:4 (NIV) – Knowing their thoughts, Jesus said, “Why do you entertain evil thoughts in your hearts?

These people entertained evil thoughts because they had a spirit of competition. They were contemporaries of Jesus and didn’t want Jesus to be better than them in any way. The spirit of competition can make you entertain evil thoughts against the one you compete against. If you do not want anyone to be better than you and the person proves to be better than you, you will entertain evil thoughts.

These people were religious leaders who had issues against Jesus. Their wrong understanding of Jesus made them dislike Jesus. Whatever Jesus did, offended them. Do you have a wrong understanding against anyone? Is it causing you to entertain evil thoughts?

To entertain is to allow and give it time. Why do you entertain evil thoughts? Why do you allow evil thoughts and give them time? We can by the grace of God refuse to entertain evil thoughts!

Relationships suffer because we entertain evil thoughts. We hate people after entertaining evil thoughts against them. It becomes hard to reconcile because we have entertained evil thoughts against. We are paranoid because we entertain evil thoughts. We handle people with unwarranted excessive suspicion because we entertain evil thoughts about them! Jesus is asking – why do you entertain evil thoughts?

If you want to be happy in any and every relationship, do not entertain evil thoughts. Your relationship with your teachers, classmates, neighbors, friends, relatives, boss at work, colleagues, etc., do not entertain evil thoughts. In your relationship with your spouse, if you entertain evil thoughts, you will be unhappy all the days of your relationship. Why do you entertain evil thoughts?

When you entertain evil thoughts, you will keep seeing evidence around you to justify your evil thoughts. You will never see a situation where the other person is good. All evidence will be you should be suspicious and unhappy with this person. You are stuck in those unhappy thoughts. For your own good, do not entertain evil thoughts against anyone, because you will never see any good in them even if there is. Why do you entertain evil thoughts?

May God help us to stop entertaining evil thoughts. May God save us from relationships that are now stranded in evil thoughts against each other. In Jesus name, Amen!

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