Reflecting on Luke 5:17-26
"When Jesus saw their faith, he said, 'Friend, your sins are forgiven.'" (Luke 5:20)These men believed that Jesus could heal their friend.
Jesus saw their faith, how they pushed through despite the roadblocks.
They did not let the crowds, or the roof, keep them from Jesus.
There is no mention of the paralyzed man’s faith, just his friends.
The lesson for me in this is that I can trust Jesus for others.
My confidence in Jesus and God has a spillover effect for others.
Even if they do not have that confidence themselves.
There are people that I am trusting Jesus for.
My confidence is not deterred by their lack of faith.
Nor will I let roadblocks or setbacks keep me from trusting Jesus.
Jesus sees my trust, and He also sees the people I am bring to Him.
There is another lesson in this: Jesus does not heal the man first.
The friends brought their friend to Jesus for healing.
Jesus sees more than they do, that this man needs to experience God’s forgiveness.
In ancient times, people saw sickness and suffering as God’s punishment.
Those who struggled were under God’s judgment, because they sinned.
“As he went along, he saw a man blind from birth. His disciples asked him, ‘Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?'” (John 9:1-2)
Those who struggled lived with the added burden of being under God’s judgment.
From birth they were told, ‘you must have done something to deserve this!’
I still meet people who think like this, who see hardship as God’s punishment.
(Or they think the opposite, that their blessing is because they deserve it.)
Can you imagine living under this cloud of judgment?
‘What have I done to deserve this?’
Jesus gives this man deep soul healing: you are NOT under God’s judgment.
‘You are loved, forgiven, welcomed and received by God!’
‘Don’t let your hardships, or your community, tell you otherwise!’
By declaring God’s forgiveness, Jesus is repeating the idea of the beatitudes.
‘Blessed are you when you are sick or suffering…
For God’s love and mercy and healing belongs to you!’
So many Christians today misunderstand God’s blessing and judgment.
They associate good things with being blessed, and bad things with being cursed.
They look at others and themselves in this deserving/undeserving way.
We live in a world of hardship: sickness, injustice, poverty, violence.
We think of our advantages, and say to ourselves, ‘we’re so blessed’.
We look at a country like Haiti, and say, ‘they are under God’s curse’.
Our deepest need for healing and hope is to know God’s love.
Jesus gives this man something better than physical healing.
I believe Jesus intended to heal this man physically too.
But He saw his deepest need, and gave him something his friends didn’t see.
Jesus does MORE than they ask and imagined, as well as what they asked.
When I pray for Haiti, or trust in Jesus for others, I trust His response.
His immediate answer may not be what I asked… but it will be MORE.
For Jesus assures me that God is for them, not against them.
I will keep on praying, and not let delayed answers hinder me.
I will keep on P.U.S.H.ing through the crowds and the ceiling.
Pray Until Something Happens… bring them to Jesus, and trust Him.
And keep on assuring them: ‘God is not against you, God is with and for You.’
‘Blessed are you, despite your struggles, for the kingdom belongs to you.’
My sins are forgiven, your sins are forgiven, all our sins are forgiven.
For God is love, and will push through the barriers and ceilings to restore us.
Jesus is God P.U.S.H.ing through to us, to heal and restore us.
This really is good news of great joy for all people!
PRAYER
Lord Jesus, thank you for assuring this man, and me, and all others, that we are not under God's curse but under God's blessing. I especially pray for Haiti. May they come to know and experience hope and healing, both physical and spiritual. I especially pray for this person, especially for spiritual renewal. I will keep on believing for them, and P.U.S.H through the ceiling by faith.