SSL 9 - Luke 5:17-26 - SALVATION THROUGH THE ROOF
BACKGROUND: Last week we covered Luke's reports of Jesus calling His first disciples. Becoming a disciple of Jesus is a theme woven all through Luke's gospel and is continued in the book of Acts. The main points of application we learned were: (1) Every believing Christian is called to be a disciple of Jesus Christ. We are all heirs to original the call of Peter and our evangelistic role as disciples-spreading the good news of grace available through Jesus-hasn't changed. (2) Discipleship involves shifting your focus on the things of the world to the things of God. In the lesson the disciples left everything behind when Jesus called them to follow Him. While most us of aren't called into full-time ministry, we still must be prepared to leave a lot of our former life behind to make room for spreading the gospel and making new disciples. (3) Jesus' love extends to all sinners. Jesus doesn't care what others think about other people or how they value them. In the story of the call of Levi, the hated tax collector, Jesus clearly demonstrated His love for the outcasts and lowlifes in society. As disciples, Jesus is calling every one of us to be prepared to get out of our "comfort zones" so we can reach people with the gospel in every level of our society and make new disciples of them. This week, we'll rewind a bit and go back to the middle of Chapter 5, where we will hear Luke relate the story of Jesus healing a paralytic man in Capernaum. The two major themes of the story are (1) the relationship between forgiveness and sin and (2) our duty as Christians to help our friends find forgiveness through Jesus who, alone, has the authority to forgive sin.
Read Luke 5:17-19 - ONE DAY JESUS WAS TEACHING
17 One day He was teaching; and there were some Pharisees and teachers of the law sitting there, who had come from every village of Galilee and Judea and from Jerusalem; and the power of the Lord was present for Him to perform healing. 18 And some men were carrying on a bed a man who was paralyzed; and they were trying to bring him in and to set him down in front of Him. 19 But not finding any way to bring him in because of the crowd, they went up on the roof and let him down through the tiles with his stretcher, into the middle of the crowd, in front of Jesus.
v. 17a: "One day He was teaching; and there were some Pharisees and teachers of the law sitting there, who had come from every village of Galilee and Judea and from Jerusalem" - Mark 2:2 indicates that besides the Pharisees and teachers of the Law, there was also a large crowd of people gathered to hear Jesus teach. Jesus had gained so much attention by this time that it attracted Pharisees from all over Galilee and Judea. You might be interested to know that the term "Pharisee" comes from a Hebrew word that literally means to divide or separate. They had all gathered at this point in time, not to learn from Jesus, but to pass judgment on Him and determine what they should do about Him. Actually, this is the very question faced by every person who encounters Jesus: Will you accept Him or will you reject Him? In the verses that follow, Jesus will show you who He is.
v. 17b: "and the power of the Lord was present for Him to perform healing" - Because Luke is a physician, he emphasizes the healing ministry of Jesus. While we know that Jesus was teaching that day, the phrase, "the power of the Lord was present for Him to perform healing," informs us that He's preparing to show the crowd and the assembled Pharisees that He's more than a teacher: He is God in the flesh. Many acknowledged Him as prophet, and He was, but He was far more than that.
v. 18: "And some men were carrying on a bed a man who was paralyzed; and they were trying to bring him in and to set him down in front of Him" - The "paralyzed" man portrayed in this verse appeared to have been a complete cripple who was completely dependent upon his friends or relatives for everything. When they arrived at the house, they found the place so packed with people that they couldn't even get the paralytic man on the bed through the front door, let alone inside.
v. 19: "But not finding any way to bring him in because of the crowd, they went up on the roof and let him down through the tiles with his stretcher, into the middle of the crowd, in front of Jesus" - These friends had apparently heard about Jesus and his miraculous powers and were bound and determined to get their severely crippled friend in front of Him. Most of the houses in Galilee at the time had flat roofs with a stair or ladder leading to the top. Many of the roofs were made up of large squares of sun-hardened clay or flat stones-i.e., tiles--that overlaid a timber framework. These determined men took their friend up on the roof, moved the tiles aside to create an opening, then began lowing the crippled man down into the middle of the room. Can you picture this scene? The Pharisees and the others suddenly hear scraping noises above, then look up to see a shaft of sunlight appearing through bits of falling dirt and debris, and through all of it, here comes a man on a bed being lowered to the floor, and he arrives right in front of Jesus! Wow!
Read Luke 5:20-21 - A SAVIOR WITH THE POWER TO FORGIVE
20 Seeing their faith, He said, "Friend, your sins are forgiven you." 21 The scribes and the Pharisees began to reason, saying, "Who is this man who speaks blasphemies? Who can forgive sins, but God alone?"."
v. 20: " Seeing their faith, He said, "Friend, your sins are forgiven you" - At this juncture, everyone expected Jesus to heal the man, but He did something totally different, shocking really, that they didn't expect. Notice that the faith Jesus saw was not just that of the paralyzed man but the faith of the men who brought him. What this shows us is that we can help save our friends, neighbors, and family members. Paralysis can be physical, spiritual, or both. How many people do you know of whose lives have been "paralyzed," absolutely devastated by sin?. Like the physically paralyzed man on the bed, they desperately need someone pick them up and bring them to Jesus for forgiveness. What Jesus said in this verse proclaims that He has the authority (as God) to forgive sin and not only that, but He is prepared to prove it with a miraculous sign that will confirm who He is.
v. 21: "The scribes and the Pharisees began to reason, saying, "Who is this man who speaks blasphemies? Who can forgive sins, but God alone?" - The Pharisees understood the claim Jesus was making. Ironically, they came to find out who Jesus was, and He has just given them their answer. And they are entirely correct in saying that only God can forgive sin. When we sin against others, they can forgive us for the effects of the sin but only God has the power to forgive the sin itself. But the Pharisee's error-what caused them to jump to the conclusion that Jesus spoke blasphemy-was their refusal to recognize who Jesus actually was: God the Son, who does have the authority to forgive sins.
Read Luke 5:22-24 -JESUS' RESPONSE TO THE PHARISEE'S REASONING
22 But Jesus, aware of their reasonings, answered and said to them, "Why are you reasoning in your hearts? 23 Which is easier, to say, 'Your sins have been forgiven you,' or to say, 'Get up and walk'? 24 But, so that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins,"-He said to the paralytic-"I say to you, get up, and pick up your stretcher and go home."
v. 22: "But Jesus, aware of their reasonings, answered and said to them, "Why are you reasoning in your hearts?" - From this, it's clear that Jesus is all-knowing and knew exactly what these Pharisees were thinking. The "heart" He spoke of didn't refer to the physical organ but their inner selves-the seat of their emotions, thoughts, desires, and fears.
v. 23: "Which is easier, to say, 'Your sins have been forgiven you,' or to say, 'Get up and walk'?" - Anyone can claim to forgive sins. Anyone can say "Your sins are forgiven," but it's impossible from our human perspective to know with any certainty whether the forgiveness was genuine. Since forgiveness is something unseen, its far easier to do than making a complete cripple to walk. Yes?
v. 24: "But, so that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins,"-He said to the paralytic-"I say to you, get up, and pick up your stretcher and go home." The "Son of Man," Jesus' favorite self-designation, alludes to the term used in Daniel 7:13-14 to describe a man who combines both divine and human traits in one person. So, in order to show them all that He has the power on earth to forgive sin-and thus prove that He is in fact God in the flesh-He commands the paralyzed man to "get up, pick up your stretcher and go home."
Read Luke 5:25-25 - IMMEDIATELY HE GOT UP
25 Immediately he got up before them, and picked up what he had been lying on, and went home glorifying God. 26 They were all struck with astonishment and began glorifying God; and they were filled with fear, saying, "We have seen remarkable things today."
v. 25: "Immediately he got up before them, and picked up what he had been lying on, and went home glorifying God" - To all appearances, the healing was instantaneous: On Jesus' command, the cripple simply got up, picked up his bed, and walked out. It was a miracle, not a medical cure-something that only God can do. This man, who went away "glorifying God," had not only been freed from paralysis but had been freed from the greater burden of sin. While paralysis had robbed him of mobility, sin chained him to death.
v. 26: "They were all struck with astonishment and began glorifying God; and they were filled with fear, saying, 'We have seen remarkable things today'" - This is what we would call a mixed reaction, which really isn't unusual. Everyone there was amazed and glorified God, but at the same time came away fearful and felt they had seen some very strange happenings. The truth is that they don't really know how to respond to Jesus. Now the Pharisees and scribes, as a group, will eventually conclude that Jesus is not God to the point of arresting Him and crucifying Him. As we move through this gospel, we will see people respond to Jesus in different ways: some will believe, follow Him, and be saved; some will follow Him around for a while watching His healings and miracles, just short of being committed followers; and some will side with the authorities and cry "crucify Him" at His trial. So, what is your response to Jesus? Who do you say He is? Is he God in the flesh or just some man with good morals and teachings? And If you believe He is God, have you trusted in Him alone for the forgiveness of your sins and the salvation of your life-eternal life? There is no other way your sins can be forgiven. The most important thing to know about Jesus is that He is God.
APPLICATION:
1. Forgiveness of sin is the highest need of every person. In today's story, paralysis represented sin's crippling power and the sinner's sheer helplessness to do anything to relieve his or her own suffering. Forgiveness of sin isn't just one option among others; it is the only option absolutely essential and central to being released from the bondage of sin and ultimately, death.
2. Because forgiveness is such an imperative need, we should do everything possible to bring our friends to Jesus. The friends of the paralytic In today's story were most likely motivated by their friend's physical needs, yet, their determined and extreme actions to bypass the crowd and get their friend to Jesus was a great illustration of doing everything possible to bring someone to Jesus.
3. Jesus alone has the authority to forgive sins. Throughout this gospel account, Luke has been progressively establishing Jesus' authority as God in the flesh, such as: teaching (4:36), demons (5:1-11), disciples (5:4-11, 27-32), and diseases (4:38-40, 5:12-16, 17-26). The miracle of healing the paralytic in today's lesson proves and confirms His claim of authority to forgive sin.
PRAYER: Lord, there have been times when I have felt paralyzed, too, and my Christian brothers and sisters have lifted me up to You in prayer. And You have answered by healing me and restoring me with a word. Thank you. Father, I ask you, too, to help me be a friend to others who can't get to you on their own. In the most powerful name of Jesus Christ, I ask these things, AMEN.
