THE CURE OF THE PARALYTIC

Luke 5:17-26

17 One day Jesus was teaching, and the power of the Lord made

him heal. Sitting close by were Pharisees and teachers of the

law who had come from every village of Galilee and from
Judea and Jerusalem. 18 Some men came along carrying a
paralytic on a mat. They were trying to bring him in and lay
him before Jesus; 19 but they found no way of getting him
through because of the crowd, so they went up on the roof.
There they let him down with his mat through the tiles into
the middle of the crowd before Jesus. 20 Seeing their faith,
Jesus said, “My friend, your sins are forgiven you.”
21 The scribes and the Pharisees began a discussion, saying:

“Who is this man who utter blasphemies? Who can forgive

sins but God alone?” 22 Jesus, however, knew their

reasoning and answered them by saying: “Why do you

harbor these thoughts? 23 Which is easier: to say, ‘Your sins

are forgiven you,’ or to say, ‘Get up and walk’? 24 In any case,

to make it clear to you that the Son of Man has authority on

earth to forgive sins’ – he then addressed the paralyzed

man: “I say to you, get up! Take your mat with you, and

return to your house.”

25 At once the man stood erect before them. He
picked up the mat he had been lying on and
went home praising God. 26 At this they were
all seized with astonishment. Full of awe, they
gave praise to God, saying, “We have seen
incredible things today!”.
 Mark’s Gospel states that this event took place in
Capernaum. In Matthew’s Gospel, it took place
in “his own town” which he had reached by
crossing the Sea of Galilee, while Luke’s Gospel
does not specify where the miracle occurred.
 Verse 17 introduces us to Pharisees and “teachers of the law” (also known as the
scribes).  Who are these guys?  They were religious leaders in the Jewish community
and it should capture our attention that they came to listen to Christ teach.  These
were the mean who taught in the synagogues all over the region; these are the mean
that everyone else turned to for teaching, and yet they are here, listening to Jesus.
We can also conclude that more than just a few of them are present.  Notice that the
verse tells us that they came from “every village of Galilee and Judea and Jerusalem.”
 They hear Christ say “your sins are forgiven” and they understandably think that He
has committed blasphemy – Only God can forgive sins.  Christ knows their thoughts
and proves to them that He can forgive sins.  Christ says, “Rise, pick up your
stretcher and go home.” and the man is immediately made well.  In Jewish thought,
your afflictions were a consequence of your sins.  So to the Scribes and Pharisees, the
man is paralyzed because of his sin; they only way he could walk is if his sins had
been forgiven.
 The Scribes and Pharisees were astonished; they rightly glorified God because God
had forgiven the man’s sins.  But at the end of this story we’re left not knowing what
th
   But at the end of this story we’re left not knowing what they thought about Christ himself.  They
don’t have Simon’s reaction; they don’t say “depart from me Lord for I am sinful.”
 When Jesus faces opposition in the scriptures he is most often challenged by the religious leaders

like the scribes and Pharisees.  However, it’s important for us to note that some of them were
adherents to Christ’s teaching (c.f., Acts 15:5).  Nevertheless, as we progress through the Gospel
According to Luke, we will see the religious leaders grow more and more entrenched in their
opposition to Jesus.  As we read further, we’ll see that everything they know is going to be
challenged.  For those that reject Him, it’s so very difficult for them to recognize Jesus as the
Messiah because He isn’t the Messiah they were expecting.  In a way, this sheds light on a
different kind of idolatry – that is, forming God into the image we think he should fit.
 There’s a lot going on in this periscope and I just don’t have time to do it justice.  On your own,

pray about the action of Christ in forgiving sins and on what has lead him to that mercy.  Notice
the heroic act of the paralyzed man’s friends.  They carried him to Christ, they tore a hole in the
roof, and they placed their friend in front of Christ.  Reflect on how we are to be like the paralyzed
man’s friends and how we are called to bring others to Christ.