Luke 5:17-26
Jesus, the Lord Who Forgives
We have noticed that Luke is introducing Jesus.
1. \\#Luke 4:30-37\\ Jesus, Lord over Sickness and Demons.
2. \\#Luke 5:1-11\\ Jesus, the Personal Lord
3. \\#Luke 5:12-16\\ Jesus, the Lord Who Cares
Now, we meet Jesus, the Forgiver of Sin.
Let’s jump directly into the message.
I. The Setting
A. The Location - This account is recorded in Matthew 9 and Mark
2 as well. Matthew tells us that Jesus entered into "His own
city." Mark tells us specifically that the city was
Capernaum. Those statements tell us directly that Jesus made
His home in Capernaum, a city along the northern coast of the
Sea of Galilee. It also tells us that enough time had passed
since Jesus came there, that He was settled and at home. Keep
this in mind.
B. \\#15\\ "and GREAT mulitides:
1. Luke has mentioned Jesus’ fame twice \\#Luke 4:14, 37\\.
2. But since healing the man with leprosy, now it is "great
multitudes," so great that people could not get through
the crowds to get to Jesus.
3. \\#17\\ In this crowd were the "Pharisees and doctors of
the law." Luke will refer to them as "scribes and
Pharisees" in \\#21\\.
a. Capernaum was not where these men lived. Jerusalem
wass.
b. Jesus’ fame had become so great that the religious
leaders had come to Him.
c. Now will begin their examination of Jesus.
(1) At this point, they are curious who He is and
what His presence might mean.
(2) Soon they will become offended, then jealous,
then hatful, then treacherous, then murderous.
(3) But right now, they are just curious.
C. A question:
1. Why did Jesus heal this man?
2. It is my belief that every miracle of Jesus served at
least two purposes.
a. Jesus wanted to help people. Here, Jesus wanted to
help this paralyzed man.
b. But I believe that Jesus also wanted to teach others
and us something. There are several lessons to be
learned here.
II. Let’s notice these lessons.
A. \\#18-19\\ The Compassionate Lesson
1. The Bible says the man had palsy, some form of paralysis.
2. Obviously, it affected his legs.
2. But this man also had four good friends. They made a
stretcher and carried the man to Jesus with the hope
that Jesus would heal him.
2. This man’s condition illustrated unsaved man’s condition.
a. The lost man is spiritually crippled, incapable of
getting to God on his own.
b. Such was this man.
(1) Logic suggests that this paralyzed man lived in
or near Capernaum where Jesus lived.
(a) \\#24\\ Jesus told him to go to his "house."
(b) \\#25\\ He did so.
(2) Jesus had lived there long enough that Matthew
called it "His… city."
(3) But this man could not get to Jesus and he could
not get to God!
(4) He was separated from God, God’s goodness, and
was helpless to do anything about it.
b. Thankfully, this man also had four good friends.
(1) Who were these friends?
(a) Had they childhood friends who knew the man
before his condition set in?
(b) Were they neighbors who just cared or
perhaps family who wanted to help?
(c) We do not know any of that but one thing we
know: they cared enough to get this man to
Jesus!
(2) Every lost soul needs a friend who knows about
Jesus and will get them to Him.
(3) We call people like these four "soul winners,"
although we should not need that term for the
term "Christian" ought to be synonymous with
soul winning.
3. Notice, there were obstacles.
a. Other people were in the way, preventing them from
getting their friend to Jesus.
(1) Sometimes, others will try to stop you from
getting others to Jesus.
(2) Some may block you by laughing at you.
(3) Others may stand in your way pulling your friend
the opposite direction.
(4) Some may be more forceful in stopping you.
(a) Soon, there will more laws prohibiting your
witness for Christ.
(b) Eventually, the persecutions that Jesus
promised will even come to this sole.
(5) What are you to do?
(a) If you love your friend and love your
Savior, you will push through the crowd and
do everything you can to get your friend to
Jesus.
(b) The four counted the frustration of the
crowd to be of less value than the body and
soul of their friend.
b. But there will also be things in your way.
(1) In this case, there was a roof blocking their
way.
(2) These four men deemed the value of the body and
soul of their friend to be of greater than the
value of the roof.
(3) Now, don’t be deceived as to their
responsibility.
(a) I’m sure they either fixed the roof or faced
some legal action—and maybe both.
(b) However, these men had some conciliation.
(c) While they were repairing the roof, their
friend was walking home!
c. It is our care for others that makes us push past the
obstacles to help men and women come to Jesus.
B. The Sin Lesson
1. Jesus used a variety of techniques to heal.
a. Sometimes He merely spoke, "Rise up and walk."
b. Sometimes, He touched and spoke as in the Luke’s last
recorded miracle.
c. Once, even He even spat on the ground and took dirt to
place on the blind man’s eyes to heal him.
2. Here, Jesus only spoke but it was the words which He said.
Luke 5:20 …Man, thy sins are forgiven thee….
a. Jesus knew who was in the crowd and He knew what those
words would cause them to think. And they thought
it!
Luke 5:21 And the scribes and the Pharisees
began to reason, saying, Who is this which
speaketh blasphemies? Who can forgive sins, but
God alone?
b. This was no accident. Jesus did not have those. This
was a lesson!
3. Jesus wanted to teach that sickness is caused by sin.
a. Not always directly although that is possible, but
all sickness is caused because we are sinners.
b. Whether this man had committed a specific sin that
caused this condition the text does not clearly say,
but Jesus was making it clear that this man was lame
because of sin.
c. But Jesus argued the sin/sickness connection.
Luke 5:22 But when Jesus perceived their
thoughts, he answering said unto them, What
reason ye in your hearts?
23 Whether is easier, to say, Thy sins be
forgiven thee; or to say, Rise up and walk?
24 But that ye may know that the Son of man
hath power upon earth to forgive sins, (he
said unto the sick of the palsy,) I say unto
thee, Arise, and take up thy couch, and go
into thine house.
d. Jesus was saying, "I could say ‘Rise and walk," but
that is the same as saying "Thy sins are forgiven."
e. Hence, the first thing we should do when we get sick
is to deal with the cause!
(1) Doctors can only EVER deal with the symptoms.
(2) Physical sickness is caused by spiritual sin so
we should do what the Bible says.
Jas 5:14 Is any sick among you? let him call
for the elders of the church; and let them pray
over him, anointing him with oil in the name of
the Lord:
(3) If we are sick enough to stay in bed, take off
work, skip church, or go see a doctor, we are
sick enough to pray about it.
C. The Identity Lesson
1. Jesus was identifying Himself as God.
2. The religious leaders reasoned correctly.
a. No man can forgive sins, only God.
b. However, they missed the conclusion of their own
reasoning.
3. It was obvious by the power that Jesus had over sickness
and demons that He was not a mere man.
a. It was this truth that caused Niocdemus to come to
Jesus.
Joh 3:2 The same came to Jesus by night, and
said unto him, Rabbi, we know that thou art a
teacher come from God: for no man can do these
miracles that thou doest, except God be with him.
b. And it was by these miracles that Jesus expected to
sin some.
Joh 14:11 Believe me that I am in the Father,
and the Father in me: or else believe me for
the very works’ sake.
4. While anybody can claim they are God, but when they back
up their claim by doing works that only God can do, we
have reason to believe to believe them.
5. These people had the right logic just they failed to
believe what the evidence was telling them.
D. The Payment Lesson
1. Jesus had been healing people left and right for months by
now.
2. However here, Jesus plainly said, "Thy sins are forgiven
thee."
3. But wait, forgiving sins is not just forgetting about
them. Forgiving sins is paying for them.
4. Who was going to pay for the man’s sin that produced the
man’s sickness? Jesus was!
Isa 53:5 But he was wounded for our
transgressions, he was bruised for our
iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was
upon him; and with his stripes we are healed.
5. I believe the reason Jesus did more than just to die for
us was because He wanted to give us more than just
salvation.
a. Salvation is paid for my Jesus’ death.
b. What produces the glorified body? What produces
adoption? What produces a home in heaven?
(1) Of course, it’s God’s mercy.
(2) But the Bible specifically tells us that it was
Christ’s suffering that produced our healing.
6. I don’t understand everything about God’s justice and
mercy or His plans and purposes.
a. I can’t tell you why God heals some and not others or
why God heals sometimes and not all of the time.
b. But I can tell you that sickness is sin related and
Jesus has paid for our sins so—if not in this life,
in the next—I am expecting a complete healing
because I have been granted complete forgiveness!
c. I will not be disappointed!
1Co 15:54 So when this corruptible shall have
put on incorruption, and this mortal shall have
put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass
the saying that is written, Death is swallowed up
in victory.
55 O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where
is thy victory?
56 The sting of death is sin; and the strength
of sin is the law.
57 But thanks be to God, which giveth us the
victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.
On that day, one man walked away whole and forgiven. Others could
have, Instead, this will begin the animosity of the Jewish religious
leaders to Jesus. Jesus meant it when He said, "And the truth shall
set you free." Have you accepted the truth? Have you accepted God’s
Son?
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