Gospel of Luke 5:17-26 - The Power of Persistent Friends
(portions of this message were taken from a message here on Sermon Central. I do not remember the author or the sermon title - my apologies!)
We are in a message series on the Gospel of Luke
The word “gospel” literally means “good news”
So, you could say that this series is about “The good news of Luke”
What exactly is this good news?
Simply put, it’s the life story of Jesus Christ
Jesus Christ is, without a shadow of a doubt, the most influential person who has ever existed
Even if you’re not a Christian, or even a particularly religious person, you cannot deny this fact
No one life has affected the whole of humanity more than Jesus Christ
Since He has affected the world so deeply you would think that all of us would know a lot about Him, but unfortunately that is not true
Many claim to know about Jesus, but in reality few people really do
The Gospel of Luke details the events of Jesus’ life from His birth to His death on the cross and subsequent resurrection
Luke is written by a Gentile to a Gentile audience
Since the vast majority of us listening to this message are Gentiles I think it’s very appropriate that we study this Gospel
Let’s jump right into our passage for today in Luke chapter 5
Luke 5:17-26 One day as he was teaching, Pharisees and teachers of the law, who had come from every village of Galilee and from Judea and Jerusalem, were sitting there. And the power of the Lord was present for him to heal the sick. 18 Some men came carrying a paralytic 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 that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins...." 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."
There’s a lot going on in this passage!
Jesus is teaching inside someone’s house
We don’t know whose house it is – that doesn’t really matter
What we do know is that the place was packed with people!
Luke specifically states that there were “Pharisees and teachers of the law, who had come from every village of Galilee and from Judea and Jerusalem”
Word about Jesus had spread across the whole region and these religious leaders came to check Him out
I’m sure that there were plenty of other people in the house as well and most likely the crowd spilled outside the house
I’m sure more and more people were arriving as word spread that Jesus was in town
In fact, word of Jesus being in the house reached the ears of some men who had a friend that was paralyzed
We don’t know why or for how long, but that doesn’t really matter
These friends had heard about Jesus and about the miracles that followed Him
So these men decided to bring their paralyzed friend in on a mat in hopes that Jesus would heal him
I can imagine the excitement that was in the air as they carried their friend towards the house where Jesus lived
And carrying their friend was not necessarily an easy task!
Most of you know that I’m an EMT (Emergency Medical Technician)with our local volunteer fire department
I’ve had many occasions in which we had to carry a patient and let me tell you it is hard!
Our rule of thumb is that if we’re going any real distance we want 6 people carrying
We have backboards and stretchers that are designed for this job and even with 6 people it still is exhausting work
With the paralyzed man in this story there was no special equipment – they were carrying him on a mat
We don’t know how far they had to carry the man, but regardless of the distance it was still tiring work
Can you imagine how they must have felt when they finally got to the house only to discover that they couldn’t get their friend inside?
There were so many people inside and outside the house that there was no way to reach Jesus
I can picture them trying
“Excuse me!” “Paralyzed man here!” “Can we get to Jesus please?”
No matter how hard they tried, they couldn’t get the people to move
Here was a man that desperately needed Jesus but couldn’t get to Him because people were standing in the way
And who were many of these people?
The religious leaders of the day – Pharisees and teachers of the Law
I think there’s a lesson for us right here – and by “us” I mean those of us who claim to be followers of Jesus
We all know that we live in a world that needs Jesus just as desperately as this paralyzed man
But maybe, just maybe, part of the reason the world isn’t getting what they need is because we are blocking their way
One of my favorite Christian music groups is Casting Crowns
They spoke perfectly about this issue in their song “What This World Needs”
People aren’t confused by the gospel
They’re confused by us
Jesus is the only way to God
But we are not the only way to Jesus
This world doesn’t need my tie, my hoodie
My denomination or my translation of the Bible
They just need Jesus
We can be passionate about what we believe
But we can’t strap ourselves to the gospel
’Cause we’re slowing it down
Jesus is going to save the world
But maybe the best thing we can do
Is just get out of the way
What do I mean by “get out of the way?”
I’m not talking about watering down the Gospel message – we must never do that
I mean don’t let our opinions and preferences stand in the way of the Gospel message
Styles of music, dress codes, lifestyle choices (i.e. smoking, drinking), etc.
I could keep going on this for the rest of the day, but I think you get my point
When the friends of the paralyzed man couldn’t get through to Jesus nobody would have blamed them if they gave up and went back home
“Sorry Bubba, we tried! Maybe we can try again tomorrow”
But they didn’t stop, they got creative!
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.
Houses in this region during this time period were very different than our houses today
Houses had flat roofs made of dried mud, straw, and sticks.
They were made so you could actually walk on the roofs, and in fact, many people spent considerable time on their roofs
So much so that it was normal for there to be an outside staircase going up to the roof
So when these men saw that they couldn’t get through the crowd they just carried their friend up to the roof, dug a hole in the roof, and lowered him down in front of Jesus
Just for a moment put yourself in the place of one of the people inside the house
Here you are listening to Jesus when all of a sudden there is a huge commotion over your head
Dust, dirt, and debris are falling all over you and everyone else in the house
You look up and see some guys digging a hole in the roof
I don’t know about you, but I would be pretty ticked off!
Even when they started lowering their paralyzed friend I still think I’d be upset
The people inside the house may have been yelling at the guys on the roof, but I can just picture Jesus smiling ear to ear!
I can imagine Him telling the folks inside to stop shouting – why? Because the men on the roof got it!
They were willing to do whatever it took to get their friend into Jesus’ presence
They were willing to get radical, they were willing to get their hands dirty, they were willing to face the anger of the crowds as well as the anger of the homeowner
If it was your house wouldn’t you be mad if someone put a hole that big in the roof?
To them the only thing that mattered was getting their friend to Jesus
Why?
Verse 17 tells us “And the power of the Lord was present for him to heal the sick.”
Where you find Jesus, you find His power … His power to change your life.
If you aren’t saved, it’s NOT BECAUSE the power of Jesus isn’t able to save you.
If your needs aren’t met, it’s NOT BECAUSE the power of Jesus isn’t able to meet your needs.
If you’re living a defeated Christian life, it’s NOT BECAUSE the power of Jesus isn’t able to give you victory.
If your faith is weak, it’s NOT BECAUSE the power of Jesus isn’t able to strengthen you.
If you don’t have the joy, peace, hope & love that you need, it’s NOT BECAUSE Jesus doesn’t have the power to give it to you.
It’s because you haven’t come to Jesus for the power that you need … that Jesus is able to give you. “The power of the Lord was present” … and it STILL IS.
SO – back to the paralyzed man
Here’s where things get interesting
His friends go through all the effort to get him to Jesus
Jesus’ words are not what you would expect them to be
20 When Jesus saw their faith, he said, "Friend, your sins are forgiven."
Huh? What’s up with that?
Wasn’t this guy paralyzed? Why was Jesus telling him his sins were forgiven?
There are two reasons –
First and foremost I think Jesus was making the point that the man’s spiritual condition was more important than his physical condition
What do I mean?
If the man was healed, but did not receive forgiveness of his sins, he was going to hell
Yes, he had a huge physical need, but his spiritual need was far greater
The lesson here for us is that we spend most of our life involved in the physical realm.
We spend most of our time concerned about enjoying life … reducing stress … making our life easier … making more money.
Millions of people are going to die with healthy bodies, big bank accounts, and great memories of a wonderful life. AND THEN … spend eternity in Hell!
Millions of Christians are going to die and leave behind all their “toys” … all their worldly possessions … all their earthly treasures.
AND THEN … when they get to Heaven … find out that they don’t have any treasures laid up in Heaven.
They’ll leave it all behind on earth … and be bankrupt in Heaven. What a shame … what a waste!
The second reason Jesus told the man his sins were forgiven was, in my opinion, to prove His divinity to the religious leaders.
Take a look at what happens next
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’?
In defense of the religious leaders they were correct in their thinking
Only God can forgive sins and on the lips of anyone else but Jesus this would be blasphemy
But Jesus has the power to forgive sins because He is God!
To prove His point Jesus continued:
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 that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins...." 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.
Jesus proved His point wouldn’t you say?
One other point I want to make this morning
This man would never have received his healing had it not been for his friends
We all need friends like this man had
[Extrapolate]
Life is not meant to be lived alone
No matter how proud you are you will need help at some point
We all need friends who won’t give up
We also need to be the type of friends who won’t give up!
The power of Jesus is here today just like it was then
Power to heal, power to restore, power to deliver
Grab a friend and come!
[insert closing of your choice]
