Admiration and not fear had to accomplish this work, but even now the order of the mystery remains. To add a glimpse of the future to the truth of the present, the crowds fear the Lord’s words and actions. It is frightful to face death without having one’s sins forgiven by Christ, for no one returns to the eternal home unless forgiveness of sins has been granted. “And they honored God who had given so much power to humans.” Everything is concluded in proper order, and with the cessation of desperate fear, honor is rendered to God for giving so much power to humans. But this was due to Christ alone, to whom it was normal to share the Father’s very essence. No wonder then that he could do these things—for the power of God is not limited. Otherwise praise would have come from the man healed and not from the many. But the reason here for honor offered to God is this: Power was given through God’s Word to humanity for the remission of sins, the resurrection of bodies and the return to heave...
Do you see how he is shown to be Creator of both souls and bodies? He heals the paralysis in both soul and body. The healing of the soul is made evident through the healing of the body, even while the body still remains a creature crawling on the ground. The crowds were slow to recognize who he was: “When the crowds saw it, they were afraid, and they glorified God, who had given such authority to humans.” … He proceeded by his daily actions to arouse them and lift up their thinking. It would have been no small thing for him to be thought greater than all others, as having come from God. If they had established this adequately in their own minds, they would have known in due order that he was indeed the Son of God. But they did not grasp these things clearly. Because of this they did not come close to recognizing who he was. For again they were saying, “This man is not from God! How can this man be from God?” Their minds churned over these statements continuously. The Gospel of Matthew,...
