Matthew records that the healing power of Jesus caused the crowd to marvel and glorify God, who had given such power to man. The particular occasion is that of the healing of the man who was sick of the palsy. His friends brought him lying helpless on his bed and when Jesus saw their faith he said, “Son, be of good cheer; thy sins be forgiven thee” (Mat. 9. 2).
The word translated by the phrase “be of good cheer” is used only by our Lord, and some of the occasions of its use will help us see the meaning behind it. In the reference already mentioned the contrast between the scribes and Jesus is starkly shown. These stern religionists looked at the shaking paralytic with contempt and revulsion, scorning such an evident sinner. Jesus’ love poured out in response to the faith shown and, like a shaft of light, his look of compassion and comforting words illuminated the empty blackness of this man’s life.
It is Luke who recalls the incident of the woman who crept up behind Jesus to touch the border of his garment, being convinced that thus she would be healed of her issue of blood. The method she adopted, her reticence on being questioned, the attempted hiding and the physical reaction on discovery, speak volumes about the low esteem in which women were then regarded. As she lay grovelling at Jesus’ feet, her trembling terror must have turned into unspeakable joy as he confirmed the cure with the elevating blessing, “Daughter, be of good comfort (cheer); thy faith hath made thee whole: go in peace”.
When the disciples were battling with wind and wave, the appearance of a ghostly figure terrified them until the well-loved voice uttered the words, “Be of good cheer; it is I: be not afraid”. Perhaps this was an illustration of what was to come. Mark describes them as “toiling in rowing” and this word is used in the papyri about the torturing of slaves to elicit information. In the 16th chapter of John, Jesus warns his disciples of just such a testing: “Yea, the time cometh that whosoever killeth you will think that he doeth God service. . . . These things I have spoken unto you that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world.” Paul, incarcerated in Jerusalem, had unforgettable proof of this power of Jesus to direct the affairs of men. In the night the Lord stood by him and said, “Be of good cheer, Paul: for, as thou hast testified of me in Jerusalem, so must thou bear witness also at Rome.”
This cheerful courage in the service of Christ is well founded when we combine these quotations. Jesus bids us, “Be of good cheer; thy sins are forgiven, for thy faith hath made thee whole: go in peace and fear not, for I have overcome the world”.
Let these words comfort and sustain us, until we hear those other welcome words,”Behold, it is l”.
The Origin of the Organic World – Part One