FAITHFUL, FAITH-FULL FRIENDS
Opening Prayer
“Open my eyes that I may see wonderful things in Your law” (Psa. 119:18).
Read Luke 5:17–26
Jesus Forgives and Heals a Paralyzed Man
17 One day Jesus was teaching, and Pharisees and teachers of the law were sitting there. They had come from every village of Galilee and from Judea and Jerusalem. And the power of the Lord was with Jesus to heal the sick. 18 Some men came carrying a paralyzed man on a mat and tried to take him into the house to lay him before Jesus. 19 When they could not find a way to do this because of the crowd, they went up on the roof and lowered him on his mat through the tiles into the middle of the crowd, right in front of Jesus.
20 When Jesus saw their faith, he said, “Friend, your sins are forgiven.”
21 The Pharisees and the teachers of the law began thinking to themselves, “Who is this fellow who speaks blasphemy? Who can forgive sins but God alone?”
22 Jesus knew what they were thinking and asked, “Why are you thinking these things in your hearts? 23 Which is easier: to say, ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or to say, ‘Get up and walk’? 24 But I want you to know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins.” So he said to the paralyzed man, “I tell you, get up, take your mat and go home.” 25 Immediately he stood up in front of them, took what he had been lying on and went home praising God. 26 Everyone was amazed and gave praise to God. They were filled with awe and said, “We have seen remarkable things today.”
New International Version (NIV)
Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
Reflect
Familiarity often dulls us to just how remarkable the Gospels are. Read the passage again, asking to see this story in a fresh way.Jesus is preaching to an overflowing house (17). The “house full” sign is in place when some men come huffing along, carrying their paralyzed friend on a mat. Believing that Jesus could and would heal, the friends refuse to give up. Finding the door impenetrable, they try the roof (18,19). What bold, unconventional, creative, even risky action, which must surely rank as one of the “remarkable things” (26b) in this story.
Jesus recognized the friends’ remarkable faith and responded with a remarkable pronouncement: “Friend, your sins are forgiven” (20b). Once the ensuing uproar had subsided, Jesus made yet another remarkable statement: “Get up, take your mat and go home” (24b). The visible physical healing validated the reality of the invisible spiritual healing (23,24).
How do we rate against such heights of faith and such depths of friendship? What lengths would we go to, what risks are we prepared to take, in order to bring our needy friends to Jesus? We wouldn’t break into someone’s house, but would we “intrude” upon their privacy to talk about Jesus? How firmly do we believe that the deepest need of any human heart is reconciliation with God?
Apply
Ask Jesus, the friend of sinners, to whom, and how, he wants you to be a faith-filled and faithful friend today.
Closing prayer
God of all creation, my help, hope and strength come from You.
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