It is easy to be taken with the outwards externals of the miracles that Jesus performs. I personally often wonder what it would have been like to follow Him from town to town, to listen to Him teach in ways that had never been experienced before, and to witness the many life-changing healings that He performed. The Gospel today, however, reminds us that the ultimate significance of Jesus’ public ministry does not reside in the outward externals. Rather, the true meaning of Christ’s work is the reconciliation between God and humankind and the conversion of hearts. Christ Himself points to this reality as he identifies that the forgiveness of sin is much more significant than the mere physical recovery of bodily health, important as that might be.
I personally find this passage to be a continually helpful reminder of our reality as pilgrims making our way through this Earthly life. It is so easy for us to get caught up in managing the externals of our lives that we often neglect the things that we cannot physically see. Ironically, the things that cannot be seen are far and away the most important aspects of our existence and have the most bearing on our eternal good. We are physical human creatures and so must necessarily tend to our daily labors to provide for our needs and those who depend on us. At the same time, we must never lose sight of the wonders that Christ has accomplished for us through His Passion, Death, and Resurrection and the necessity of cultivating hearts that love and yearn for Him above all other things.