Luke 5:20-26 (pt1)

And when he saw their faith, he said, “Man, your sins are forgiven you.” 21 And the scribes and the Pharisees began to question, saying, “Who is this who speaks blasphemies? Who can forgive sins but God alone?” 22 When Jesus perceived their thoughts, he answered them, “Why do you question in your hearts? 23 Which is easier, to say, ‘Your sins are forgiven you,’ or to say, ‘Rise and walk’? 24 But that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins”—he said to the man who was paralyzed—“I say to you, rise, pick up your bed and go home.” 25 And immediately he rose up before them and picked up what he had been lying on and went home, glorifying God. 26 And amazement seized them all, and they glorified God and were filled with awe, saying, “We have seen extraordinary things today.”

There is a lot going on in this story.  One way we can visualise Luke’s story telling is as a theatre. The action: Jesus is centre-stage, healing, delivering, providing, empowering, teaching.

The critics: The Pharisees and other religious folk are off to the side, commenting, critiquing, taking offence, plotting.  

The reader’s questions:  Jesus perceives their thoughts, he knew what they were thinking and so is able to respond to them, giving a third layer, his demolition of religion, which is also a way for Luke to help us gain meaning from the story.

The first, clear layer, the action, is that amazing miracles happened through Jesus’ words.  A paralysed man, gets up from his mat and walks away,  that is a wonderful thing!  The crowd were amazed, and went home glorifying God.  I know I’d be talking about it for days if I’d seen that happen.  I am gripped by the prayer “Hallowed be your name”.  When God does miracles, he is glorified by them and people are filled with awe. Yes please, to more of that. 

But Luke also gives us the sneering critique of the Pharisees.  It helps me to imagine them as the two critics in the muppets, Statler and Waldorf, who sit in the balcony, sneering, heckling and knowing best.  By amplifying their voice in the story, Luke wants to communicate through his biography of Jesus, the way that Jesus demolishes hollow religion and its damaging restrictions. 

Luke uses the critics to bring in the question Jesus’ identity.  Does Jesus have the authority to forgive sins, if only God can do that? (Note their starting assumption is that Jesus isn’t God and so can’t.)  When Jesus heals the man, he does so to show that the Son of Man has authority to forgive sins. 

This gets theologically complicated, because Jesus uses the title ‘the Son of Man’.  This title when used with ‘the’, is unique to the gospels, but used 81 times in them to describe Jesus.   The closest Old Testament link is to Daniel 7, a prophetic vision of the Son of Man being given dominion and authority on earth by God.  This makes sense within Christian doctrine, because Jesus is fully God and fully human.

The third layer deliberately raises questions by exploring forgiveness and healing.

Forgiveness, is an abstract, unseen reality, discussed theologically.  

Healing is a concrete, physical, seen reality, a demonstration of what is going on unseen.  

Jesus deliberately links the two and Luke faithfully tells the story so that we see this.

(v17) Jesus was teaching and the power of the Lord was with him to heal.

(v24) The Son of Man has authority to forgive sins.

Jesus is faced with a paralysed man, whose friends have broken through a roof to enable him to be healed.  But his first words are ‘Your sins are forgiven’, yet again Jesus confounds expectations and seems to be on a different script to the rest of us.  Why address his sins, not his sickness?  Why forgiveness not healing?  Why start with the unseen, rather than the obvious thing everyone can see? 

The first simple answer is that our primary need is forgiveness of sins, above physical healing.  Our bodies deteriorate and will pass away, our eternal need is forgiveness of sins and spiritual reconciliation with God.  Jesus addresses the primary issue first.

By directly linking them however, Jesus proves that he is authorised forgive sins.  Just saying “your sins have been forgiven’, wouldn’t have satisfied the Pharisees or any other critics, the physical healing gives a physical sign that God has forgiven this man.  The healing is a sign, a demonstration of the unseen reality, which is that Jesus has been given authority by God the Father.

We might long to see a similar sign, to have a physical demonstration that Jesus can forgive us.  But we have one, here, this is why Luke has researched it and written it down for us, the proof is there for us.  Sometimes our feelings can play tricks with us.  We know in our heads that God says he forgives us, but we continue to feel ashamed, unworthy, unforgiven and when we do it paralyses us.

I have been through many times, when my feelings of being unworthy, sinful, or not having prayed or worshipped enough have paralysed me and held me back from serving God or pressing on in ministry to others.  When Jesus tells you that you are forgiven – you are forgiven!! 

It’s done.  He means it and he is authorised to do so. 

Pick up your mat and walk! Let the truth that you are forgiven set you free today.  Don’t let your emotions get you into a spin that God might be cross, or disappointed in you, or that you’re not spiritual enough or you’ve let him down. So pick up your mat and go for it.  God might have someone lined up for you to bless today, he might be waiting for you to listen to him for a prophetic word for someone, he wants to partner with you.  

Forgiveness sets us free, to love and serve.