In Luke 5, we read about an amazing event in which Jesus healed a man’s soul and body. It was a man who was paralyzed and could not come to Jesus himself, so his friends or acquaintances brought him. Because it was impossible to get into the house due to the crowd, they took the unthinkable step of removing the roof of the house and lowering the sick man down at Jesus’ feet. Jesus looked at the situation and said, “Man, your sins are forgiven you” (Luke 5:20). No one had expected this; not the sick man, not his friends, not Jesus’ disciples, and certainly not the Pharisees and teachers of the law! They considered it blasphemy.
Let us consider a few points here.
1. Jesus came to heal souls
Although healing the body is an integral part of the Plan of Salvation, the Savior’s primary concern is the salvation of the soul. What good would it do to enjoy a few short years of health if, in the end, a person were lost forever? Probably everyone present looked at the poor, crippled man and thought, “Yes, in his helplessness, he really needs healing for his sick, broken body.” But Jesus looked much deeper. Of course, He wanted to proclaim His divinity through His statement, “Man, your sins are forgiven you.” He used the opportunity to give the unbelieving Pharisees and teachers of the law a chance to recognize the Savior of the world and also be saved. Although they were probably there to denounce Him before the people, He loved them and wanted to help them. And so Jesus looked at the faith of the paralyzed man’s friends… and forgave his sins!
Healing of the soul is still the greatest need that every human being has today. Through sin, all are corrupted and will ultimately be condemned to eternal damnation. Only through faith in Jesus, by repenting of one’s sins and finding forgiveness and salvation in the Savior, can one escape the threatened punishment. How many souls are broken and “paralyzed” by sin, far more than this physically paralyzed man! How many other broken hearts are there that Jesus would like to heal… including yours, if you are in such a situation. Whatever your need is, bring it to Jesus. He can and wants to heal you!
2. Jesus heals the body of the paralyzed man
And the scribes and Pharisees began to reason, saying, “’Who is this who speaks blasphemies? Who can forgive sins but God alone?’ But when Jesus, perceived their thoughts, He answered and said to them, ‘Why are you reasoning in your hearts? Which is easier to say, “Your sins are forgiven you,” or to say, “Rise up and walk”? But that you may know that the Son of Man has power on earth to forgive sins, He said to the man who was paralyzed, ‘I say to you, arise, take up your bed, and go to your house!’” (Luke 5:21-24).
Jesus forces the unbelieving religious scholars to abandon their preconceptions. He left no doubt that He, as the Son of Man, is God! But the Savior also forces the sick man to make a decision. Previously, Jesus responded to the faith of those who removed the roof and lowered the paralyzed man down. Now the paralyzed man himself had to believe.
We don’t know how long he had been paralyzed, but the fact is that after a few weeks of inactivity, muscles atrophy and cannot regain enough strength in a matter of seconds to enable a paralyzed person to jump up and walk away. It’s just not possible. It takes a lot of practice and the body has to rebuild itself. But all that is nothing in the face of the Creator of the entire universe. When He says, “Get up!”, the impossible becomes possible!
Once, after being anesthetized in a clinic, I was lying on a hospital bed and the nurses immediately ordered me to get up and go home because they needed the bed for someone else. Two of them grabbed me under my arms and tried to get me to my feet, but I simply had no strength in my arms or legs. I hurriedly told them that if they lifted me off the bed, I would collapse. No matter how hard I tried, I couldn’t move my arms or legs. That’s how I imagine this paralyzed man. Jesus commands him, “Arise, take up your bed, and go to your house!” What would we have done?
Would we have objected, saying, “I can’t!”? Or would we have simply obeyed Jesus’ word despite the impossibility and stood up in faith? We read about the paralytic: “Immediately he rose up before them, took up what he had been lying on, and departed to his own house, glorifying God” (Luke 5:25). Surely it was joy over his sins being forgiven that led him to childlike faith in Jesus. Do we, as children of God, also have such faith?
3. The power of God was there to heal them
Who were they who wanted the power of the Lord to heal them? In Luke 5:17 we read: “… and there were Pharisees and teachers of the law sitting by, who had come out of every town of Galilee, Judea, and Jerusalem.” The classic Luther translation ends this verse with the words: “and He helped everyone.” Yes, the power of the Lord was present to heal everyone, but one class of people found no healing! It was the spiritual elite. All who sincerely sought found help… but not them.
Why?
a. Because they were not there with pure motives. They had come to criticize. They had come to find fault with Jesus, to corner Him in front of the people. And so they could not be healed.
b. They could not be healed because they saw no need for healing. They were the good ones, the ones who were right. God cannot easily help the self-righteous. They must first humble themselves before Him and recognize their great need for healing through Jesus.
c. Although God’s power was present to heal them, they were not healed because they did not believe. Without faith, it is impossible to please God and find help from Him.
How tragic that these spiritual leaders did not find healing for their greatest need! The power of the Lord was there, and it was there to heal them… but they did not want it! How many people in our time also despise the grace of God that is offered to them. The power of the Lord is still there today to heal you. Claim it for yourself! Then you too, like this former paralytic, will go home rejoicing and praising God.
Ron Taron
Steinbach, Manitoba
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