Luke 5:17-26 - Paralyzed Proof
Notes
Transcript
Handout
Introduction:
As we begin today’s message, we will be seeing an account that involves a paralytic man. We are not told details about how long he was paralyzed or what caused his paralysis. But we are able to observe that he is unable to get around other than being carried on a bed by his friends. It is hard to imagine how difficult that this condition was during this time. There weren’t the fancy wheelchairs that we have. There weren’t requirements for handicap accessible buildings. And there also was a sense of condemnation that came because of the condition. Many in this Jewish culture wrongly assumed that every condition was a result of that person or their family’s sin. So this man was not only afflicted by paralysis - but he was also afflicted by the judgment of his fellow Jews.
But by the end of this account we are going to see the tables turn on the religious leaders that are watching. This man comes into this account as condemned by his people as well as physically paralyzed and yet walks away completely healed and forgiven. Yet the religious leaders walk in with self-righteous piousness but leave paralyzed in reverent fear for what has just taken place in front of their eyes.
Join us as we get into this amazing account of Jesus’ teaching and works on earth.
Read Full Scripture:
On one of those days, as he was teaching, Pharisees and teachers of the law were sitting there, who had come from every village of Galilee and Judea and from Jerusalem. And the power of the Lord was with him to heal.
And behold, some men were bringing on a bed a man who was paralyzed, and they were seeking to bring him in and lay him before Jesus,
but finding no way to bring him in, because of the crowd, they went up on the roof and let him down with his bed through the tiles into the midst before Jesus.
And when he saw their faith, he said, “Man, your sins are forgiven you.”
And the scribes and the Pharisees began to question, saying, “Who is this who speaks blasphemies? Who can forgive sins but God alone?”
When Jesus perceived their thoughts, he answered them, “Why do you question in your hearts?
Which is easier, to say, ‘Your sins are forgiven you,’ or to say, ‘Rise and walk’?
But that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins”—he said to the man who was paralyzed—“I say to you, rise, pick up your bed and go home.”
And immediately he rose up before them and picked up what he had been lying on and went home, glorifying God.
And amazement seized them all, and they glorified God and were filled with awe, saying, “We have seen extraordinary things today.”
Prayer
Today we will see three ways Christ shows His glory in our account. The first is…
I. Christ Comes with Power (17-19)
I. Christ Comes with Power (17-19)
On one of those days, as he was teaching, Pharisees and teachers of the law were sitting there, who had come from every village of Galilee and Judea and from Jerusalem. And the power of the Lord was with him to heal.
Luke doesn’t tell us where Jesus was at the time but Mark lets us know that Jesus had returned to Capernaum (Mark 2:1) while Matthew refers to Capernaum as Jesus’ own city (Matthew 9:1). This city had become Jesus’ new hometown after being rejected by His hometown of Nazareth.
And we see Jesus doing what He did much of the time throughout His ministry on earth - namely teaching. And like our last account, Jesus is teaching somewhere other than a synagogue again. He is in a home (Mark 2:1). And this teaching time brought a crowd that came from all over the region. We are told that a crowd of people came from every village of Galilee and Judea and even from Jerusalem of Judea. And it wasn’t just any crowd that showed up - it was a crowd of Pharisees and teachers of the law.
These two groups were part of the religious elite during the time of Jesus. We will see them show up time and time again - albeit mostly in negative connotations as they were jealous of the attention Jesus drew. And this account is one such negative instance. These religious leaders had heard about the miracles that had been done by Jesus, and they had come to check out what the fuss was all about.
These religious leaders where known for their pious living. The phrase teachers of the law refers to the Scribes. Most of the Scribes were actually a specialized group of Pharisees. The Scribes and Pharisees were actually doctrinally sound on some of the big issues of the day. They believed in the resurrection, the coming Messiah, God’s sovereignty, and man’s responsibility. Yet, they also added many rules and regulations that not only were extra-Biblical - some were even anti-Biblical.
We should reflect each time we read about these religious leaders - especially as a conservative church that holds the Bible in high regard as the inerrant Word of God. We need to make sure that not only is our doctrine correct - but that our heart and love for the Lord and others is aligned properly as well. These leaders, sadly, had their heart walled off from God and others by their legalism. May we never fall into such a trap, Church.
At the end of verse 17 Luke lets us know that something miraculous is about to happen as he ends verse 17 with the phrase - and the power of the Lord was with him to heal. This statement points to the fact that Jesus Christ is ministering in submission to the Father and in the power of the Holy Spirit. It is not His will that He is doing - it is the will of His Father.
Moving forward, this account starts to get a little more lively.
And behold, some men were bringing on a bed a man who was paralyzed, and they were seeking to bring him in and lay him before Jesus, but finding no way to bring him in, because of the crowd, they went up on the roof and let him down with his bed through the tiles into the midst before Jesus.
Luke sets the scene for what is about to occur by letting us know that there is a great crowd that has developed and gathered. Obviously news of Jesus must have spread far and wide by this point to get the religious elites to all gather in the same place. We are not told whose home this meeting was occuring in, but we are told that it was completely packed. So much so, that the friends of a paralyzed man couldn’t get the man to Jesus because of the crowd.
One thing we must note here is the dedication of these men to this paralyzed man. Mark tells us that there are four such men, and we see here in Luke that they are carrying him on a bed (Mark 2:3). Each man likely has a corner of this traveling bed in order to get this paralytic around. We are not told the relationship between these men and the paralytic man, but we must see their dedication to this man. We see this dedication spelled out even more clearly in verse 19.
The men didn’t just give up because of the crowd. They didn’t tell the paralytic, ‘Sorry man, this just isn’t your day. We are heading home. It isn’t worth trying to fight this crowd.’
Instead they get innovative. If we can’t get in through the door, we will go through the roof!
As an aside - we can learn a lot about dedication to the least of these. Christ came as a physician for the sick (Matthew 9:12). May our hearts be drawn to the broken in body and broken in spirit like Christ.
Getting back to these men taking this man to the roof of the dwelling we need to understand homes during this time period.
First century homes were usually one-story and the roofs of these homes oftentimes had a winding staircase that led to the roof where a patio area would be.
The roof of this home was likely tiled with an under-layment that required some digging through.
And while Jesus is teaching, it must have become obvious that something was going on. Part of the roof was being removed. It is likely that even some dirt was falling to the ground during this interchange. And before they knew it, an image like the following was in front of them.
Here we see an illustration of what this might have looked like.
Can you imagine the scene here. There are a ton of people gathered together and a man starts being let down through the roof! I’m sure this was quite an experience for those there. However, they hadn’t seen anything yet! They had no idea what was about to happen.
As we have already seen alluded to in verse 17 - Christ comes with power - at His first coming it was the power of the Holy Spirit. At His second coming He will come in all power and glory and honor. As Philippians 2:5-11 asserts - the One Who emptied Himself at His first coming will be fully worshipped and glorified at His second coming.
Not only does Christ come with power, but He also…
Scripture References: Mark 2:1-3, Matthew 9:1, Matthew 9:12, Philippians 2:5-11
II. Christ Comes with Proof (20-25)
II. Christ Comes with Proof (20-25)
And when he saw their faith, he said, “Man, your sins are forgiven you.”
Jesus’ response to this chaotic scene is startling to those who are present. This man who is being let down through the roof is greeted by Jesus with a statement that his sins are forgiven him. As we have said a few times already, this man was no worse a sinner than anyone else. But he was also no less a sinner than anyone else! Jesus’ first response to this man isn’t physical healing - it is spiritual healing! This man might have been paralyzed in regards to his body, but his soul’s paralysis was much more of an urgent issue.
As pastor and theologian John MacArthur asserts: “The Lord addressed first the more significant of the man’s need of salvation. Shaken with grief and fear because of his sins, he wanted healing, but more important, Jesus knew he wanted forgiveness.”
This man had carried the shame and affliction of being looked down upon by his people. Many looked upon him and thought that his paralysis was a direct result and measurement of his sinfulness. And this man, knowing that he was a sinner at heart, was stuck in despair. Not only was his body broken, but his heart was as well. And Jesus boldly and clearly pardons this broken man.
We would hope that his is where the account would become joyous. This man has been forgiven. Wouldn’t it be nice if everyone would now come to faith in Jesus Christ and repent of their sins as well. Sadly, that is not how the account turns next.
See how the religious leaders responded to such a statement from Jesus:
And the scribes and the Pharisees began to question, saying, “Who is this who speaks blasphemies? Who can forgive sins but God alone?”
The Pharisees bring out the dreaded theological word that starts with a b - blasphemy. If you don’t understand how great of an accusation this is, see what the Law said regarding one who blasphemes the Lord:
Whoever blasphemes the name of the Lord shall surely be put to death. All the congregation shall stone him. The sojourner as well as the native, when he blasphemes the Name, shall be put to death.
Blasphemy was the most heinous and terrible crime for Israel.
It is here that we must assert the fact that one must take a clear stance on Jesus Christ. The Pharisees were right in knowing that it was only God who could forgive sins. Their understanding of the Law was correct, but their understanding of God was not. God-made-flesh was standing right in front of them, and they were completely missing Him.
Today, some attempt to give Jesus a head nod by calling him a prophet, a good man, or a godly teacher. Yet, these are incompatible with Jesus’ earthly ministry. He is either God or He is a blasphemer. The Bible is clear that blasphemers have their part in the Lake of Fire.
“You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain, for the Lord will not hold him guiltless who takes his name in vain.
If Jesus is not God, then He has just taken the Lord’s name in vain by forgiving sins.
So we must all make a clear decision when it comes to Jesus. He is either fully God and fully man and has the power to do this - or He doesn’t.
What is your answer?
I pray that you believe and understand that Jesus Christ is Lord and God above all.
Moving forward we see two more proofs that Jesus is in fact God - the first being that Jesus forgave sins. Let’s see these next two proofs in action.
When Jesus perceived their thoughts, he answered them, “Why do you question in your hearts? Which is easier, to say, ‘Your sins are forgiven you,’ or to say, ‘Rise and walk’?
This verse really shows Jesus’ power as being fully God. He perceives their thoughts. Only God can do this. This is yet another proof of Christ’s deity.
1 Corinthians 2:11 lets us know that only the spirit of a person knows what is going on in their thought life (obviously - other than God as we see the Holy Spirit working in the minds of believers - Romans 12:1-2).
This is an important understanding to note. Satan and his demons can whisper lies to you. But they cannot read your mind. They cannot perceive your thoughts. One must acknowledge that they are cunning and have studied the sinfulness of mankind for centuries. They obviously know our weaknesses and how to hit us. But they are not all-knowing like God.
But Jesus - being God-made-flesh - certainly can read minds and perceive thoughts.
Jesus then calls it out loud. Why do you question in your hearts?
Take a moment and reflect on that. Christ sees what is in our minds and He sees what is in our hearts.
Jesus sees what is inside your heart. He knew that the hearts of the Pharisees and Scribes were full of envy, legalism, self-righteousness, and judgmentalism. But what is in your heart?
May we ask that the Lord searches us and renews our minds and cleanses our hearts of any impurity. As the Psalmist in Psalm 24:4 encourages us to be pure - may we have clean hands and a pure heart as we walk before our Savior.
Jesus then asks a rhetorical question here. Which is easier? The crowd would have said paradoxically that saying your sins are forgiven is easier. Yet the actual act of forgiving sins was much more difficult. So difficult that only God could do it! So difficult, that it would require the shed blood of Jesus Christ on the cross to be eternally forgiven from sins.
But in a demonstration of confirming His power to forgive sins, we see the following:
But that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins”—he said to the man who was paralyzed—“I say to you, rise, pick up your bed and go home.” And immediately he rose up before them and picked up what he had been lying on and went home, glorifying God.
Before getting into the three commands given here, Jesus uses a phrase that will be recurrent as we go through the Gospel of Luke. He calls Himself the Son of Man. This phrase is used some 83 times in the four Gospels alone. It is a term that comes from Daniel 7:13:
“I saw in the night visions, and behold, with the clouds of heaven there came one like a son of man, and he came to the Ancient of Days and was presented before him.
Don’t confuse this with the son of man phrases in Ezekiel which speak of a mortal man. This reference in Daniel speaks of the Ancient of Days - it speaks of Christ being God. This is a favorite name that Christ uses for Himself as almost every reference to it in the Gospels comes from the lips of Christ personally. Jesus uses this name here to assert His authority to forgive sins and now also to prove His power and authority by healing this man.
Getting back to our verses:
But that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins”—he said to the man who was paralyzed—“I say to you, rise, pick up your bed and go home.” And immediately he rose up before them and picked up what he had been lying on and went home, glorifying God.
We see three commands are given in rapid fire succession.
Rise - which takes miraculous healing from God.
Let it be a lesson here that God will not give you a command that He has not equipped you to follow.
Jesus tells this paralytic man to rise up because He has empowered and healed him to do so! If Jesus commands you to do something that seems impossible for you to do - trust that He will equip you to do it! He is faithful.
Pick up Your Bed - the same man who has been picked up and carried in his bed time and time again now picks up his own bed and carries it out.
What a powerful, visual demonstration of God’s work in this man’s life.
Go Home - it is obvious that Jesus has fully launched His public ministry by now. This man is to go back home and proclaim the glory of God and faith in Jesus Christ - the Messiah.
Just like our last account regarding the leper, the paralytic is immediately healed. He immediately rises up and picks up his bed and goes home - all the while glorifying God.
Can you imagine the overwhelming joy and peace that this man had? Not only had he been healed, he had been forgiven.
So we have seen Jesus full of power with the Holy Spirit walking with Him in our first point.
And now we have seen three proofs that Jesus is God-made flesh:
He Forgives Sins
He Perceives Thoughts
He Heals a Paralyzed Man
Jesus truly is the Son of Man from Daniel 7:13. He is the Ancient of Days. He is God-made flesh.
Finally, we see that Christ…
Scripture References: Leviticus 24:16, Exodus 20:7, 1 Corinthians 2:11, Romans 12:1-2, Psalm 24:4, Daniel 7:13
III. Christ Comes with Praise (26)
III. Christ Comes with Praise (26)
And amazement seized them all, and they glorified God and were filled with awe, saying, “We have seen extraordinary things today.”
Christ will be praised and glorified. One cannot help but be amazed by the power of Christ here. The word amazement used here is the Greek word ekstasis (ex-stah-sees) which means confused, to be in a trance, or to lose one’s mind. It is a paralyzing type of amazement in which one cannot even move.
As we discussed in the introduction, the paralyzed man leaves the scene walking and with complete healing inside and out.
Yet these Pharisees and Scribes are left paralyzed with amazement and reverent fear of Jesus.
Sadly, these religious leaders, at least many if not most of them, were not forgiven this day. They acknowledge that extraordinary things have been done and they glorify God in response to that. But as we will see as we move through this account, they don’t submit their lives to Christ and repent of their sins. As we mentioned last week, forgiveness requires humility. And these men weren’t about to lay aside their pride.
Despite the opposition that Christ recieved on earth, He still recieved praise from many - albeit it was oftentimes usually temporary praise that would fade away in time.
But as we mentioned already - when He returns He will receive eternal praise that will never end. Every knee will bow and every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord - Philippians 2:10-11:
so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
Scripture References: Philippians 2:10-11, Ephesians 2:4-5
Conclusion:
As we come to a close, I want to ask a difficult question.
What do you see as the biggest problem on earth right now?
Is it physical concerns like cancer, sickness, or disability? Or is it sin?
Theologian David Garland asserts that there are so many in the world joining forces for marches against things. They seek donation and lobby legislators for cures for various diseases. These are noble works and we should applaud them.
Yet, how many out there are bringing attention to the sinful human condition that leads to eternal death? How many are marching and raising money and lobbying for others to experience eternal life?
I don’t bring this up to negate any of the physical issues that people face today. These are terrible and praise God that they will not be present in the eternal lives of believers in heaven!
Yet, may we make our lives centered around the main thing. And that is the Gospel.
Man needs to hear the Gospel. That he is a sinner who is lost and without hope. But God being rich in mercy, because of the great love which he loved us - died on the cross for our sins and rose the dead three days later. By grace we may be saved friends (Ephesians 2:4-5).
This is the best news anyone could ever hear. May we be sure that we have truly believed, repented of our sins, and are true follower of Christ. And may we tell others about this great gift as well.
May we seek to tell of the One who can heal a paralyzed and dead heart and make it new and alive for the first time.
Prayer