Luke 5:17-26
Jesus Forgives and Heals a Paralyzed Man
17 One day Jesus was teaching, and Pharisees and teachers of the law were sitting there. They had come from every village of Galilee and from Judea and Jerusalem. And the power of the Lord was with Jesus to heal the sick. 18 Some men came carrying a paralyzed man on a mat and tried to take him into the house to lay him before Jesus. 19 When they could not find a way to do this because of the crowd, they went up on the roof and lowered him on his mat through the tiles into the middle of the crowd, right in front of Jesus. 20 When Jesus saw their faith, he said, “Friend, your sins are forgiven.” 21 The Pharisees and the teachers of the law began thinking to themselves, “Who is this fellow who speaks blasphemy? Who can forgive sins but God alone?” 22 Jesus knew what they were thinking and asked, “Why are you thinking these things in your hearts? 23 Which is easier: to say, ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or to say, ‘Get up and walk’? 24 But I want you to know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins.” So he said to the paralyzed man, “I tell you, get up, take your mat and go home.” 25 Immediately he stood up in front of them, took what he had been lying on and went home praising God. 26 Everyone was amazed and gave praise to God. They were filled with awe and said, “We have seen remarkable things today.”
Reflection:
Today we see three things of importance. One, Jesus continues his healing ministry with a growing number of people who see his works. Second, the Pharisees and teachers of the law are becoming more and more suspicious and jealous of what Jesus is doing. Some of it is theologically driven, as Jesus is blowing up their boxes they have for thinking about God. And the people are going after him and this drives their fear and insecurity about their own position and standing. Finally, Jesus links the power to heal with the power and authority to forgive sins. For who else could heal like Jesus is doing but God himself. And if Jesus is God, then it follows that He has the authority to forgive sins.
Ultimately the works of Jesus reveal who He is and His divine nature. And though we often need physical healing in our earthly lives, we also need the healing and salvation that comes with having our sins forgiven. When we are forgiven and in a right relationship with God as the song goes, "It is well, it is well with my soul".
Where do you need forgiveness in your life today? Maybe you need to feel and know the forgiveness of God through Christ? The word confession just means being honest with God. Literally the word means to "say the same thing". The thing is God already knows our hearts so it really doesn't make sense to try and hide from God. Bringing our faults to the light and allowing God to forgive us through Christ frees us to serve Him in newness of life.
Finally, maybe there is someone you need to forgive? The scripture tells asks us, how can we withhold forgiveness when God has forgiven us for all we have done. We pray, "forgive us our sins as we forgive those who sin against us". So implicit in our asking for forgiveness is being willing to forgive others. Who do you need to forgive today? Some people say I can't forgive someone unless they say, "I'm sorry!" But I don't hear that condition in the Lord's Prayer. The relationship may not be completely healed until a person asks for forgiveness, but that doesn't mean we can't forgive them out of gratitude for the forgiveness we have received. When you think about it, God didn't wait until we said sorry, but Jesus died for us while we were yet sinners. This is a good model for us to strive for even though we will never be perfect at it.
Thank God for the forgiveness you have been given and then as you are able forgive those who have trespassed against you in Jesus' name. Amen.
17 One day Jesus was teaching, and Pharisees and teachers of the law were sitting there. They had come from every village of Galilee and from Judea and Jerusalem. And the power of the Lord was with Jesus to heal the sick. 18 Some men came carrying a paralyzed man on a mat and tried to take him into the house to lay him before Jesus. 19 When they could not find a way to do this because of the crowd, they went up on the roof and lowered him on his mat through the tiles into the middle of the crowd, right in front of Jesus. 20 When Jesus saw their faith, he said, “Friend, your sins are forgiven.” 21 The Pharisees and the teachers of the law began thinking to themselves, “Who is this fellow who speaks blasphemy? Who can forgive sins but God alone?” 22 Jesus knew what they were thinking and asked, “Why are you thinking these things in your hearts? 23 Which is easier: to say, ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or to say, ‘Get up and walk’? 24 But I want you to know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins.” So he said to the paralyzed man, “I tell you, get up, take your mat and go home.” 25 Immediately he stood up in front of them, took what he had been lying on and went home praising God. 26 Everyone was amazed and gave praise to God. They were filled with awe and said, “We have seen remarkable things today.”
Reflection:
Today we see three things of importance. One, Jesus continues his healing ministry with a growing number of people who see his works. Second, the Pharisees and teachers of the law are becoming more and more suspicious and jealous of what Jesus is doing. Some of it is theologically driven, as Jesus is blowing up their boxes they have for thinking about God. And the people are going after him and this drives their fear and insecurity about their own position and standing. Finally, Jesus links the power to heal with the power and authority to forgive sins. For who else could heal like Jesus is doing but God himself. And if Jesus is God, then it follows that He has the authority to forgive sins.
Ultimately the works of Jesus reveal who He is and His divine nature. And though we often need physical healing in our earthly lives, we also need the healing and salvation that comes with having our sins forgiven. When we are forgiven and in a right relationship with God as the song goes, "It is well, it is well with my soul".
Where do you need forgiveness in your life today? Maybe you need to feel and know the forgiveness of God through Christ? The word confession just means being honest with God. Literally the word means to "say the same thing". The thing is God already knows our hearts so it really doesn't make sense to try and hide from God. Bringing our faults to the light and allowing God to forgive us through Christ frees us to serve Him in newness of life.
Finally, maybe there is someone you need to forgive? The scripture tells asks us, how can we withhold forgiveness when God has forgiven us for all we have done. We pray, "forgive us our sins as we forgive those who sin against us". So implicit in our asking for forgiveness is being willing to forgive others. Who do you need to forgive today? Some people say I can't forgive someone unless they say, "I'm sorry!" But I don't hear that condition in the Lord's Prayer. The relationship may not be completely healed until a person asks for forgiveness, but that doesn't mean we can't forgive them out of gratitude for the forgiveness we have received. When you think about it, God didn't wait until we said sorry, but Jesus died for us while we were yet sinners. This is a good model for us to strive for even though we will never be perfect at it.
Thank God for the forgiveness you have been given and then as you are able forgive those who have trespassed against you in Jesus' name. Amen.
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