FORGIVENESS
FOLLOWED
BY HEALING,
SON
OF MAN’S AUTHORITY REVEALING
Luke
5:17-26
Luke
5:17 And it came to pass on a certain day, as he was teaching, that there were
Pharisees and doctors of the law sitting by, which were come out of every town
of Galilee, and Judaea, and Jerusalem: and the power of the Lord was present to
heal them.
Susie: Pharisees
and scribes had come from as far away as Jerusalem because Jesus was becoming
well known as a teacher and healer, and possibly a prophet.
Susan: They
did not come to listen to Him with an open heart and mind, but to critique Him,
trying to find fault.
Susie: On
this particular day, the power to heal was flowing from Jesus mightily. The mammoth
crowd of people desiring to be cured of sicknesses overflowed the house where
He was teaching.
Luke
5:18-19 And, behold, men brought in a bed a man which was taken with a palsy:
and they sought means to bring him in, and to lay him before him. And when they could not find by what way
they might bring him in because of the multitude, they went upon the housetop,
and let him down through the tiling with his couch into the midst before Jesus.
Susie: Some
men, believing Jesus was able to heal, brought their paralyzed friend hoping to
take him in the house and place Him before Jesus. When they could not get
through the press of the crowd, they decided to think outside the box and find
another way. They carried him up to the roof, removed some of the roofing
tiles, and lowered him between the support beams in such a way that he landed
right at Jesus’s feet where he would be certain to gain His attention!
Susan: I
wonder if this man was paralyzed from birth or something had injured him later.
Perhaps he even had cerebral palsy like me. Regardless, he and I are alike in
that he had faithful, loving friends. However, I’m not sure I want any of my
friends to take me up on a roof. Though if I knew that I knew that Jesus was
below, I might change my tune and allow myself to be lowered through a hole in
the roof!
Luke
5:20 And when he saw their faith, he said unto him, Man, thy sins are forgiven
thee.
Susan: Jesus
did not address the man’s friends . . .
Susie: . . . however,
He did praise their faith.
Susan: Jesus
addressed the man with the problem who must have had great faith as well to
allow himself to be lowered on a mat through the roof. I can assure from
personal experience that trusting others to lift and carry you is no easy task.
Surely, he had faith in Jesus’s ability to heal him to go to such drastic
measures.
Susie: Jesus
did not immediately heal his paralysis. Instead He said, “Man, thy sins are
forgiven thee” (Luke 5:20b).
Susan: Jesus
first addressed the man’s greatest need—his sin problem, which created a chasm
between he and the Father. He solidified the man’s relationship to God before
meeting his physical need.
Luke
5:21 And the scribes and the Pharisees began to reason, saying, Who is this
which speaketh blasphemies? Who can forgive sins, but God alone?
Susie: The
scribes and Pharisees, the Jewish religious elite, were thinking to themselves
that the man Jesus was committing blasphemy because only God could forgive
sins.
Susan: Blasphemy
is accrediting what only God can do to anyone or anything other than God.
Luke
5:22 But when Jesus perceived their thoughts, he answering said unto them, What
reason ye in your hearts? Whether
is easier, to say, Thy sins be forgiven thee; or to say, Rise up and walk?
Susie: Jesus
knew exactly what they were thinking, and in a display of that omniscience,
asked them a question that would reveal this to them. He asked whether it was
easier to tell the man his sins were forgiven or to command him to rise up and
walk.
Susan: Of course, they would think it was easier to say his sins were forgiven. However, for
Jesus to say the man’s sins were forgiven, He knew that would require Him to
meet the cross head on, satisfying the demands of the Father requiring His
death as the perfect sacrificial Lamb to atone for sin.
Susie: Even
though He knew He would ultimately be raised from the dead, Jesus understood
the physical, emotional, and spiritual pain our forgiveness, as well as that of
this man, would cost Him.
Susan: The
paralyzed man probably thought the harder thing would have been for him to get
up off that bed, especially if he had been there his entire life.
Susie: True.
But only he and Jesus knew the magnitude of his sin. I am sure he realized both
forgiveness and physical healing were a gracious gift from God.
Luke
5:24 But that ye may know that the Son of man hath power upon earth to forgive
sins, (he said unto the sick of the palsy,) I say unto thee, Arise, and take up
thy couch, and go into thine house.
Susie: Whenever
Jesus referred to Himself as the “Son of Man” He was quoting the Old Testament
prophet Daniel and clearly claiming to be the Messiah as this was widely
accepted as a Messianic prophecy:
Daniel
7:13-14 I saw in the night visions, and, behold, one like the Son of man came
with the clouds of heaven, and came to the Ancient of days, and they brought
him near before him. And there was given him dominion, and glory, and a
kingdom, that all people, nations, and languages, should serve him: his
dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, and his kingdom
that which shall not be destroyed.
Susie: For an
article explaining the term “Son of Man,” click on the link below.
Susan: Jesus
addressed the Pharisees saying so that you
will have no doubt that I, Jesus, have the authority and power to forgive sins,
I will now demonstrate.
MacArthur
Study Bible note:
5:24
that you may know. His ability to heal anyone and everyone at will—totally and
immediately (v. 25)—was incontrovertible proof of His deity. As God, He had all
authority to forgive sins. This was a decisive moment and should have ended
once and for all the Pharisees’ opposition. Instead, they began to try to
discredit Him by charging Him with violating their Sabbath rules
Susie: Then,
turning to the paralyzed man, Jesus commanded him to get up, pick up the mat he
had been lying on, and go home.
Susan: The
tasks Jesus gave him were progressive—1. Get up, demonstrate ability to stand,
2. Pick up your mat, demonstrate upper body strength, and 3. Go home,
demonstrate coordination and strength to walk while carrying his bedding. This
would prove that he was completely healed.
Luke
5:25 And immediately he rose up before them, and took up that whereon he lay,
and departed to his own house, glorifying God.
Susan: I know
that in my own case, simply moving my weaker left arm into position to give
Susie a hug takes tremendous effort on my part because she wants both arms to
hug her. I suspect she is using hugs as occupational therapy (LOL)! This man
instantly, with apparently little or no effort, rose to his feet, picked up his
mat, and walked home glorifying God. He had no doubt where Jesus got His power.
If he entered the house with doubt, he certainly did not leave with it. He knew
better than anyone else the condition he arrived in, and the miraculous transformation
he had undergone both physically and spiritually!
Luke
5:26 And they were all amazed, and they glorified God, and were filled with
fear, saying, We have seen strange things to day.
Susie: Even
the Pharisees and scribes were amazed at the healing power displayed that day.
Susan: They
were left with their mouths hanging open, and no disdain could come out for the
moment.
Susie: However,
even though they were compelled to testify that they had “seen extraordinary things
today,” (Luke 5:26b CJB) this was a non-committal statement. They were in awe
but not in true belief that Jesus was the Messiah.
Ponder
this and apply it: What do you see as your greatest need? Is it
healing from sickness or weakness? Is it financial security? Is it the need for
the friendship of a kindred spirit? No matter what our perceived needs are, the
greatest need of any person is to be forgiven of sin and welcomed into the
family of God. All other needs are secondary. God cares about them all, but prioritizes
your relationship with Him. If you already have that relationship with Jesus,
praise Him and share Him with others. He wants to use His children to spread
the Good News that He can meet a person’s greatest need. Tell the Good News!
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