And when He saw [their confidence in Him, springing from] their faith, He said, Man, your sins are forgiven you! And the scribes and the Pharisees began to reason and question and argue, saying, Who is this [Man] Who speaks blasphemies? Who can forgive sins but God alone? But Jesus, knowing their thoughts and questionings, answered them, Why do you question in your hearts? Which is easier: to say, Your sins are forgiven you, or to say, Arise and walk [about]? But that you may know that the Son of Man has the [power of] authority and right on earth to forgive sins, He said to the paralyzed man, I say to you, arise, pick up your litter (stretcher), and go to your own house! Luke 5:20-24 [AMP]
Feels like I have been away from my posting for longer than just 3 days. I am happy to be back sharing my time with the Lord in this form but my time away with the elders, pastors, and their wives at the CHCC Pastor/Elder retreat was amazing. We had Drs Nicholas and Vanesa Ellen with us to encourage and admonish us. It was a special time.
In my reading today I focused on the well-known story of Jesus healing the paralytic who was lowered down through the roof and set right in front of Jesus as He taught those there. There were many Pharisees and Teachers of the Law that were in attendance, who had come from all over to hear this Man who was having a meteoric rise in His visibility and following. As you likely remember, this paralyzed man had a set of friends who knew Jesus could heal the sick (as He had been doing this for the last several days/weeks and news had traveled). They were so bent on getting their friend in front of Jesus, that that took him up to the roof (no small feat), broke through the thatched roof and then lowered their friend down right in front of where Jesus was sitting.
Luke does not tell us anything about the paralyzed man and his belief, but Jesus addressed this man’s condition because of the faith of his friends. The condition Jesus addresses is not what we might think initially…He said “Friend, your sins are forgiven.” This immediately set off the Teachers of the Law and Pharisees that were in attendance. For them, Jesus’ assertion constitutes a blasphemous usurpation of authority, since declarations of forgiveness could only appropriately be made by either Yahweh (Exod. 34:7; Ps. 103:12) or Yahweh’s appointed agent. On the face of it, the teachers’ reaction is not entirely unreasonable, especially since Scripture clearly indicates that sin forgiveness is a strictly divine action. But Jesus then reinforces HIs identity by healing the paralytic, telling him to “Get up, pick up your mat, and go home!”. There must have been astonishment from everyone that was there. He is now trying to get their attention.
Application:
This repetition is one of the things I notice in my own walk when God is trying to get my attention. I have learned to stop in my tracks when I see this happening, and respond with obedience on what I feel Him calling me to do. My study of Romans 8 and Spiritual Warfare was one of these.