And some men were carrying on a bed a man who was paralyzed; and they were trying to bring him in and to set him down in front of Him. But not finding any way to bring him in because of the crowd, they went up on the roof and let him down through the tiles with his stretcher, into the middle of the crowd, in front of Jesus. Seeing their faith, He said, “Friend, your sins are forgiven you.” He (Jesus) said to the paralytic—“I say to you, get up, and pick up your stretcher and go home.” Immediately he got up before them, and picked up what he had been lying on, and went home glorifying God.

                                                                                         Luke 5:18-20, 24b-25 

Today: Read Luke 5

This man was on his back. The Bible describes him as a paralytic. With an inability to walk, this man was dependent on others for his mobility. None of us have to be paralytics to be “on our backs.” Have you ever been spiritually paralyzed? Have you ever been in that place in life where you felt as if you were down for the count and there was absolutely no immediate remedy? The experience of this man should act as a tutorial for the rest of us when we feel helpless and “unable to move.”

Faith

First there’s faith. The simplest definition for faith is “to trust.” Trust comes when we are no longer in control of a situation, such as when we step on an airplane. As safe as air travel has become, as passengers, we are not in control of the plane. Our job is to sit there and allow others to get us safely to our destination. We are, in the truest sense of the word trusting the crew, the air traffic controllers, and others to guide us safely through the air. This man had to trust. But in whom was he trusting? I see that the overarching theme of this account is an attempt to get to Jesus. To have faith is to understand that we are completely unable to get ourselves to our eternal destination alone. We must have a Savior, One who is capable of guiding us safely to our destination.

Friends

I believe that this man (and his friends) had placed all of their hope on seeing Jesus. As popular as Christ was, drawing large crowds at the very mention of His presence, these men exercised their faith through their actions. They were determined to do whatever was necessary to get this paralytic into the presence of Christ. What is your definition of a true friend? We all need others in our lives to assist us in our spiritual growth. That is one very good reason why Christians should remain connected. As believers, we want to make sure that the people in whom we choose to spend our time are individuals deeply rooted in a love for God and are actively pursuing a relationship with Jesus Christ. This man appears to have had men assisting him who were like-minded, agreeing with him that his faith in seeing Jesus was not misplaced and that their efforts to reach Christ would not be in vain.

Forgiveness

Faith accompanied by a relentless perseverance to seek out Jesus would produce an outcome perhaps greater than any of these men could have anticipated. It is important to notice that this determination came from the men themselves (and the paralytic). They had faith in Jesus and that faith moved them into action. The rest of this wonderful account is a focus on Jesus’ response to these men and their faith. The gospels are full of situations in which Jesus moved on behalf of others “according to their faith.” Faith is the very currency in which God works in our lives. Whether it is worship, prayer, biblical study, giving, or witnessing, all Christian activity should be surrounded by faith. Don’t miss Luke’s rendering of this event: Seeing their faith, He (Jesus) said, “Friend, your sins are forgiven you.” Wow! Positioning this paralytic to be in the presence of Jesus was all that it took for this man to have his sins forgiven. Do we understand the magnitude of this declaration from Christ? When Jesus says we are forgiven, it means that we are forever freed from the judgment and penalty that our sin brings. At this pronouncement, this man moved from spiritual death to spiritual life with all of the benefits that come from knowing Jesus in a saving way. But that is not all.

Freedom

Of course there were onlookers, they were always there either waiting to celebrate with the ones being healed or waiting for an opportunity to be critical of Jesus’ goodness and miraculous power. Nothing has changed. Today, we can still see two completely different (and competing) attitudes at work in “the crowd.” When God works in our lives and it is obvious to everyone around that we are functioning in the spiritual power that comes only from Him, two reactions will be present. Some will celebrate with us and act as a catalyst to spur us on to greater works. But there will be others who will mock us and say all kinds of things against us (usually in our absence). Jesus faced the same reactions. There were those witnessing His declaration of forgiving sin only to criticize Him for being so blasphemous (in their estimation). Not recognizing the very presence of God, they took the road of disapproval and condemnation. So in order to demonstrate His power to forgive, Jesus did something that even the hardest of hearts could not deny. He spoke a word of healing and physical restoration over this paralytic. Again, consider Luke’s rendering: He (Jesus) said to the paralytic—“I say to you, get up, and pick up your stretcher and go home.” Immediately he got up before them, and picked up what he had been lying on, and went home glorifying God. It is not surprising that this man went away glorifying God. He was lost in sin and had been forgiven of his sins. He was unable to walk but now his legs had strength. He was physically and spiritually healed. He was truly set free! And this all began with a faithful determination to see Jesus.

Have you reached the place in life where you have surrendered to Jesus by faith? Do you have others who can and will assist you in your devotion to Christ? Have you experienced complete forgiveness from God? Are you walking in the freedom that comes from surrendering your life to Christ? Don’t be a spiritual paralytic. Be healed. It all begins with a faithful determination to seek out the presence of Jesus!