News headlines flash with scandal—
stories of self-serving politicians, celebrities, criminals, and shady business people,
each demanding our click and our attention.
Yet in a modest house in Capernaum, a different scandal unfolds.
Jesus forgives sins. He welcomes those society has labelled as outcasts.
Friends gather on a flat roof,
lowering their paralysed friend through a broken ceiling,
driven by desperate, active faith.
In that crowded room, amid creaking wood and falling dust,
Jesus meets their faith with a simple declaration:
“Son, your sins are forgiven.”
This is the scandal of forgiveness—
not the kind of scandal that fills our newsfeeds,
but one that challenges our idea of what truly matters.
We chase jobs, beauty, and status,
believing these will make us whole,
yet our deepest need is for our broken relationship with God to be healed.
Then there is Levi, the tax collector,
a man despised for his greed and dishonesty.
Jesus sees past his past,
calling him not a lowlife, but a sinner in need of hope.
Levi leaves everything behind and follows him,
joining a group of outcasts who gather in Levi’s home.
Outside, the Pharisees sit apart,
arms folded, judging from the sidelines,
unable to see that everyone needs help—
that faith is an act, a step taken in desperation
to reach something greater than ourselves.
Today, as in those ancient streets,
the scandal of grace remains:
Jesus challenges our assumptions about forgiveness and hope,
calling us to act on our faith,
to lower our pride and open our hearts
to the truth that we all need healing.
Original Message by Andrew West, The Bridge Church Macquarie Park NSW
The Afterword 
Leave a comment