January 25 – Luke 5:17-26
Main Focus: Healing of Paralytic Man
In this section we see how Jesus has not only the power to heal but also the authority to forgive sin. We see also how he interacts with the Pharisees, they were the most influential of the three major Jewish sects and the scribes who were present.
While Jesus was teaching, a group of men brought on a bed a man who was paralyzed. They were seeking to bring and lay him before Jesus for healing but there was no way in because of the crowds. In an act of desperation they went up on the roof and lowered him in. Houses in ancient Palestine often had external stairs leading up to a flat roof. through the tiles. Some have claimed that Luke erred in saying that the roof had tiles. Though tiles were not widely used at this time, evidence exists that they were in fact used for some roof construction in Palestine, suggesting that this may have been a wealthy person’s house. In addition, typical mud roofs were made from slabs of mud first baked in the sun, then carried to the roof, and Luke may have called these “tiles.”
Jesus saw their faith and said to the man “your sins are forgiven.” By proclaiming that the man’s “sins are forgiven,” Jesus is announcing that he has the authority to forgive sins; he then demonstrates this authority by healing the man. Jesus does not deny that God alone can forgive sins, but claims that he has the authority (as the “Son of Man,”) to forgive sins. If this were not true, then Jesus would be guilty of blasphemy.
Jesus’ counter-question towards the Pharisees and scribes involves the difference between “saying” and “doing.” It is easier to say that a person’s sins are forgiven (which cannot be disproved) than to tell him to rise up and walk (which can be disproved). Jesus’ healing of the paralytic thus serves as proof (that you may know) that he, as the Son of Man, has the authority to forgive sins.
Discussion questions
Read Luke 5:17-26
– What surprised you most about this story (Jesus’ words, the leaders’ reaction, the friends’ actions, or the crowd’s awe), and why? What questions do you have from this story?
– According to the Bible, what is our real problem ? What does that look like?
– In what ways do we, like the paralytic, seek temporal fixes (physical healing, success) when our deeper need is spiritual forgiveness, and how can we recognize Jesus offers more?
– How might you fall into the trap of “religious pride” (thinking you’re good enough) or “irreligious pride” (thinking you don’t need God), and how does this story challenge those attitudes?
– If Jesus has the authority to forgive sins (which only God can do), what does this say about who He is, and how should that change your response to Him?
– What does the faith of the friends (lowering the man) and Jesus’ response to it teach us about faith, and how does it apply to bringing others (or ourselves) to Jesus?
– How can knowing your sins are forgiven, not earned, change your daily outlook, motivations, and reactions to life’s challenges?