In Him [Jesus] we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of our transgressions, according to the riches of His grace… - Ephesians 1:7
Today’s sermon is titled “A Paralytic on a Pallet”. This miraculous story is recorded in Matthew, Mark, and Luke. We will use Luke 5:17-26 as our primary text (you can go ahead and turn there in your Bibles), but I encourage you to look at Matthew 9:1-8 and Mark 2:1-12 also. All 3 of these are parallel passages that describe the same event. I will combine details from each of these accounts to give a more complete presentation of today’s story.
For those keeping track, this is the 6th message of our series on “The Miracles of Jesus”. Thus far we have covered 8 distinct occasions during which Jesus performed a miracle or miracles. Last week we talked about HIm healing several people in the evening and then cleansing a man who had leprosy. This morning we will examine a familiar passage that some of you have likely heard before.
I. FAITHFUL FRIENDS (Luke 5:17-20a; Mark 2:1-5a; Matthew 9:1-2a)
After traveling to various locations throughout Galilee, Jesus and His disciples returned to Capernaum. News quickly spread around town that Jesus was back, presumably residing at Peter’s house. A large crowd of people converged upon the house and went inside to listen to Jesus teach. It wasn’t long until the house was completely full and excess people were standing outside. There were several scribes and Pharisees present among the gathering.
Knowing that Jesus had returned, a group of 4 men carried their paralytic friend on a pallet to Jesus, hoping that the Lord would heal him. However, when they arrived the crowd was already so large and dense they couldn’t get through it. Therefore, they climbed up onto the roof of the house, removed some tile and dug a hole through it, and then carefully lowered their paralyzed friend down into the room right in front of Jesus as He was teaching.
These 4 men took remarkable strides to get their paralyzed friend to Jesus. They could have easily given up and gone home after realizing that they couldn’t get through the thick crowd. But instead, these determined men found another way. When they lowered the paralytic through the opening in the roof, Jesus saw their incredible faith. My prayer is that all of us would have friends like these who would love us enough not to give up on us and that each of us would be a friend like this to others.
II. ANGRY ACCUSERS (Luke 5:20b-23; Mark 2:5b-9; Matthew 2:b-5)
Jesus turned His attention to the paralyzed man who was lying on a pallet suspended in the crowded room. He said, “Friend, your sins are forgiven.” The scribes and Pharisees began reasoning to themselves that since only God has the authority to forgive sins, Jesus must be speaking blasphemy. But Jesus knew their thoughts, turned to them, and asked why they were thinking such things. He then asked, “Which is easier? To say ‘Your sins or forgiven’ or to say ‘Get up and walk’?”
Jesus’ had the supernatural ability to read minds and/or know things He hadn’t personally seen or heard, such as knowing the thoughts of these scribes and Pharisees. A few other examples of this wondrous ability include knowing that Nathaniel was standing under a fig tree though He Himself hadn’t witnessed it (John 1:43-51) and knowing that the woman at the well had several previous husbands though they’d just met (John 4:15-18). Jesus had and sometimes exercised the divine characteristic of omniscience, and though we are not including these instances in our series of miracles, they are quite miraculous nonetheless.
Can you imagine the scribes’ and Pharisees’ surprise when Jesus began addressing their secret thoughts? He knew they were accusing Him of blasphemy in their hearts and minds, even though they hadn’t said it out loud. May this be a lesson to us - the Lord knows what we're thinking. Then He asked them a thought provoking question. Is it easier to say “Your sins are forgiven” or to say “Get up and walk”? Obviously, it is easier to say “Your sins are forgiven”, because there is no observable way to prove if the statement is true or not. Forgiveness isn’t something we can see, smell, hear, taste, or touch.
III. ASTONISHED WITNESSES (Luke 5:24-26; Mark 2:10-12; Matthew 2:6-8)
So, as evidence of His power to forgive sins, Jesus told the paralytic to get up, take his stretcher with him, and go home. And immediately, as the bustling crowd watched and his dear friends looked down from the roof top above, the man stood up, gathered his pallet, and went home glorifying God. His paralysis vanished! The crowd was completely astonished by what they’d just seen and they too began praising and glorifying the LORD.
Beloved, in my meager opinion, this story may be the best illustration in the entire Bible of why Jesus performed earthly miracles. In this instance Jesus clearly stated that He healed this man’s paralysis to prove that He’d truly forgiven his sins. In other words, the physical miracle was done to reveal Jesus’ identity as the Son of God and to confirm His authority to forgive sin. The physical miracle that followed was secondary and subsidiary to the first and greater miracle - the forgiveness of the man’s sin.
What type of physical miracle was this? It was another healing miracle. Thus far we have read about the healings of those with fever, various sicknesses, leprosy, and now paralysis. How did Jesus perform this healing miracle? With a spoken command. He simply said the words and it was done. Why did Jesus heal this paralyzed man? In His own words… to prove that He was God, and that as God, He had the authority to forgive sin.
CONCLUSION
Have you ever heard the saying, “The days are long, but the years are short.” This statement expresses the idea that while some days seem to drag on forever (can I get a witness?), the years seemingly fly right by. For most, this sentiment feels especially true as you get older. It seems like just a few days ago my children were being born, and suddenly they’ve all turned into adults with their own jobs, families, and lives. Where did the time go?
Friends, take a moment to reflect upon eternity. It never ends. Even if someone were to live to 100 years in this life, their days would be a tiny, insignificantly measurable blip in time compared to eternity, a fraction ever decreasing with each passing day. I am convinced that until a person grasps the magnitude of eternal life, they cannot truly appreciate the miracle of salvation. It is forever! Jesus is able to forgive sin, redeem lost souls, and give believers eternal life. This is, without any doubt, the greatest miracle of all - far exceeding any temporal miracle. So, have you turned to Jesus for the forgiveness of your sins?
Well it’s June my friends, the kids are out of school, summer has begun, and it's getting hotter out there. It seems like a good time to go to the pool. With that in mind, in next week’s sermon Jesus will travel to Jerusalem where He’ll encounter a man at the Pool of Bethesda. I hope to see you then and may God bless you.
Today’s sermon is titled “A Paralytic on a Pallet”. This miraculous story is recorded in Matthew, Mark, and Luke. We will use Luke 5:17-26 as our primary text (you can go ahead and turn there in your Bibles), but I encourage you to look at Matthew 9:1-8 and Mark 2:1-12 also. All 3 of these are parallel passages that describe the same event. I will combine details from each of these accounts to give a more complete presentation of today’s story.
For those keeping track, this is the 6th message of our series on “The Miracles of Jesus”. Thus far we have covered 8 distinct occasions during which Jesus performed a miracle or miracles. Last week we talked about HIm healing several people in the evening and then cleansing a man who had leprosy. This morning we will examine a familiar passage that some of you have likely heard before.
I. FAITHFUL FRIENDS (Luke 5:17-20a; Mark 2:1-5a; Matthew 9:1-2a)
After traveling to various locations throughout Galilee, Jesus and His disciples returned to Capernaum. News quickly spread around town that Jesus was back, presumably residing at Peter’s house. A large crowd of people converged upon the house and went inside to listen to Jesus teach. It wasn’t long until the house was completely full and excess people were standing outside. There were several scribes and Pharisees present among the gathering.
Knowing that Jesus had returned, a group of 4 men carried their paralytic friend on a pallet to Jesus, hoping that the Lord would heal him. However, when they arrived the crowd was already so large and dense they couldn’t get through it. Therefore, they climbed up onto the roof of the house, removed some tile and dug a hole through it, and then carefully lowered their paralyzed friend down into the room right in front of Jesus as He was teaching.
These 4 men took remarkable strides to get their paralyzed friend to Jesus. They could have easily given up and gone home after realizing that they couldn’t get through the thick crowd. But instead, these determined men found another way. When they lowered the paralytic through the opening in the roof, Jesus saw their incredible faith. My prayer is that all of us would have friends like these who would love us enough not to give up on us and that each of us would be a friend like this to others.
II. ANGRY ACCUSERS (Luke 5:20b-23; Mark 2:5b-9; Matthew 2:b-5)
Jesus turned His attention to the paralyzed man who was lying on a pallet suspended in the crowded room. He said, “Friend, your sins are forgiven.” The scribes and Pharisees began reasoning to themselves that since only God has the authority to forgive sins, Jesus must be speaking blasphemy. But Jesus knew their thoughts, turned to them, and asked why they were thinking such things. He then asked, “Which is easier? To say ‘Your sins or forgiven’ or to say ‘Get up and walk’?”
Jesus’ had the supernatural ability to read minds and/or know things He hadn’t personally seen or heard, such as knowing the thoughts of these scribes and Pharisees. A few other examples of this wondrous ability include knowing that Nathaniel was standing under a fig tree though He Himself hadn’t witnessed it (John 1:43-51) and knowing that the woman at the well had several previous husbands though they’d just met (John 4:15-18). Jesus had and sometimes exercised the divine characteristic of omniscience, and though we are not including these instances in our series of miracles, they are quite miraculous nonetheless.
Can you imagine the scribes’ and Pharisees’ surprise when Jesus began addressing their secret thoughts? He knew they were accusing Him of blasphemy in their hearts and minds, even though they hadn’t said it out loud. May this be a lesson to us - the Lord knows what we're thinking. Then He asked them a thought provoking question. Is it easier to say “Your sins are forgiven” or to say “Get up and walk”? Obviously, it is easier to say “Your sins are forgiven”, because there is no observable way to prove if the statement is true or not. Forgiveness isn’t something we can see, smell, hear, taste, or touch.
III. ASTONISHED WITNESSES (Luke 5:24-26; Mark 2:10-12; Matthew 2:6-8)
So, as evidence of His power to forgive sins, Jesus told the paralytic to get up, take his stretcher with him, and go home. And immediately, as the bustling crowd watched and his dear friends looked down from the roof top above, the man stood up, gathered his pallet, and went home glorifying God. His paralysis vanished! The crowd was completely astonished by what they’d just seen and they too began praising and glorifying the LORD.
Beloved, in my meager opinion, this story may be the best illustration in the entire Bible of why Jesus performed earthly miracles. In this instance Jesus clearly stated that He healed this man’s paralysis to prove that He’d truly forgiven his sins. In other words, the physical miracle was done to reveal Jesus’ identity as the Son of God and to confirm His authority to forgive sin. The physical miracle that followed was secondary and subsidiary to the first and greater miracle - the forgiveness of the man’s sin.
What type of physical miracle was this? It was another healing miracle. Thus far we have read about the healings of those with fever, various sicknesses, leprosy, and now paralysis. How did Jesus perform this healing miracle? With a spoken command. He simply said the words and it was done. Why did Jesus heal this paralyzed man? In His own words… to prove that He was God, and that as God, He had the authority to forgive sin.
CONCLUSION
Have you ever heard the saying, “The days are long, but the years are short.” This statement expresses the idea that while some days seem to drag on forever (can I get a witness?), the years seemingly fly right by. For most, this sentiment feels especially true as you get older. It seems like just a few days ago my children were being born, and suddenly they’ve all turned into adults with their own jobs, families, and lives. Where did the time go?
Friends, take a moment to reflect upon eternity. It never ends. Even if someone were to live to 100 years in this life, their days would be a tiny, insignificantly measurable blip in time compared to eternity, a fraction ever decreasing with each passing day. I am convinced that until a person grasps the magnitude of eternal life, they cannot truly appreciate the miracle of salvation. It is forever! Jesus is able to forgive sin, redeem lost souls, and give believers eternal life. This is, without any doubt, the greatest miracle of all - far exceeding any temporal miracle. So, have you turned to Jesus for the forgiveness of your sins?
Well it’s June my friends, the kids are out of school, summer has begun, and it's getting hotter out there. It seems like a good time to go to the pool. With that in mind, in next week’s sermon Jesus will travel to Jerusalem where He’ll encounter a man at the Pool of Bethesda. I hope to see you then and may God bless you.