One day while Jesus was teaching, some Pharisees and teachers of religious law were sitting nearby. (It seemed that these men showed up from every village in all Galilee and Judea, as well as from Jerusalem.) And the Lord’s healing power was strongly with Jesus.
18 Some men came carrying a paralyzed man on a sleeping mat. They tried to take him inside to Jesus, 19 but they couldn’t reach him because of the crowd. So they went up to the roof and took off some tiles. Then they lowered the sick man on his mat down into the crowd, right in front of Jesus. 20 Seeing their faith, Jesus said to the man, “Young man, your sins are forgiven.”
21 But the Pharisees and teachers of religious law said to themselves, “Who does he think he is? That’s blasphemy! Only God can forgive sins!”
22 Jesus knew what they were thinking, so he asked them, “Why do you question this in your hearts? 23 Is it easier to say ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or ‘Stand up and walk’? 24 So I will prove to you that the Son of Man has the authority on earth to forgive sins.” Then Jesus turned to the paralyzed man and said, “Stand up, pick up your mat, and go home!”
25 And immediately, as everyone watched, the man jumped up, picked up his mat, and went home praising God. 26 Everyone was gripped with great wonder and awe, and they praised God, exclaiming, “We have seen amazing things today!” Luke 5:18-26 NLT)
There are at least three confrontations in Luke's report of Jesus' miracle.
First is the confrontation between Jesus and religious elite who were watching Jesus and accused Him of blasphemy. They refused to believe what they could see. Are we ever like that, refusing to believe what God says to us?
The second is the confrontation between paralysis and healing. The man can't walk on his own. He has to be carried by friends who had faith that Jesus would heal him. When Jesus told the man to pick up his mat and go home, he did. Jesus has the power to heal.
This healing was proof that Jesus has the power to deal with the final confrontation. Jesus met the man's greatest need first by forgiving his sins. Jesus has the power to forgive our sins too.
We can be confronted for our faith more often that we realize. When that happens we need to believe Jesus and His words, trust in Him to help us, and rely on His love and forgiveness.
18 Some men came carrying a paralyzed man on a sleeping mat. They tried to take him inside to Jesus, 19 but they couldn’t reach him because of the crowd. So they went up to the roof and took off some tiles. Then they lowered the sick man on his mat down into the crowd, right in front of Jesus. 20 Seeing their faith, Jesus said to the man, “Young man, your sins are forgiven.”
21 But the Pharisees and teachers of religious law said to themselves, “Who does he think he is? That’s blasphemy! Only God can forgive sins!”
22 Jesus knew what they were thinking, so he asked them, “Why do you question this in your hearts? 23 Is it easier to say ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or ‘Stand up and walk’? 24 So I will prove to you that the Son of Man has the authority on earth to forgive sins.” Then Jesus turned to the paralyzed man and said, “Stand up, pick up your mat, and go home!”
25 And immediately, as everyone watched, the man jumped up, picked up his mat, and went home praising God. 26 Everyone was gripped with great wonder and awe, and they praised God, exclaiming, “We have seen amazing things today!” Luke 5:18-26 NLT)
There are at least three confrontations in Luke's report of Jesus' miracle.
First is the confrontation between Jesus and religious elite who were watching Jesus and accused Him of blasphemy. They refused to believe what they could see. Are we ever like that, refusing to believe what God says to us?
The second is the confrontation between paralysis and healing. The man can't walk on his own. He has to be carried by friends who had faith that Jesus would heal him. When Jesus told the man to pick up his mat and go home, he did. Jesus has the power to heal.
This healing was proof that Jesus has the power to deal with the final confrontation. Jesus met the man's greatest need first by forgiving his sins. Jesus has the power to forgive our sins too.
We can be confronted for our faith more often that we realize. When that happens we need to believe Jesus and His words, trust in Him to help us, and rely on His love and forgiveness.
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