When Jesus saw their faith, he said, “Friend, your sins are forgiven.”
Summary: There is an intriguing story in Luke about a man who comes to Jesus to be healed. Instead of being healed, he is forgiven and we are left to wonder why.
There are many stories in the Bible where Jesus heals someone. All of them illustrate God’s power to restore the body’s flesh to working order. But not every story begins with a healing.
One story that intrigues me is recorded by Luke in his gospel (Luke 5: 17-26). It begins with Jesus teaching people about God.
Many stories about Jesus teaching are set in large venues. Some are in the synagogue, which is the equivalent of our church buildings today. Many are scenes where Jesus is teaching a large crowd that has followed him out into the lonely places outside of town. These crowds swelled to thousands of people. Jesus would teach the people and heal the sick, and on two occasions fed everyone enough food to fill all of their bellies.
The story in Luke is much more intimate. Jesus is in somebody’s house. We don’t know who owns it because Luke didn’t know or think it was important. We know that the house was packed with people and there was a crowd there because Luke tells us about some people who wanted to bring a sick person to Jesus for healing but they couldn’t get close because of the crowds.
As usual, Pharisees and teachers of the law were there keeping an eye on Jesus and probably sitting in the most comfortable seats. Everyone else was jammed in as tight as they could, or crowded around the widows so that they could hear what Jesus was saying.
We don’t know exactly what kind of house Jesus was in. Many houses in Jesus’ day had stone walls and flat roofs that were used as additional living space. The roof might have an opening in it for access. Some roofs might have been wood beams and straw, or straw and mud. The text for this passage uses the word “keramos” which suggests the roof used tiles, so it might have been a pitched roof.
The four friends of the sick man who was paralyzed got him up on the roof. That might have been as easy as carrying him up an outside staircase. It might have been as hard as climbing up on a ladder and hoisting their friend’s stretcher up by ropes. Somehow they got him up there. Then they let him down again through the roof so he could get close to Jesus.
The text doesn’t tell us if they dug a hole in the roof, removed some tiles, or simply let him down the access opening that was already there. Much is left to our imaginations, but we can be sure it wasn’t easy. Finally, the sick man is in front of Jesus. “When Jesus saw their faith, he said, ‘Friend, your sins are forgiven.’” (Luke 5: 20)
Now the remarkable part of this story is not that there was a crowd, or that the Pharisees were there. It wasn’t even that four men broke their backs getting their friend on a roof so they could let him down in front of Jesus. The remarkable part of the story is what Jesus doesn’t do. He doesn’t heal the man. Instead, he says, “Your sins are forgiven.”
The Greek word for “forgiven” in this passage is “aphiēmi.” It is a word that is sometimes used to describe divorce. It means to “send away.” Jesus sends away the man’s sin.
The story could have ended there, but of course, Jesus needs to heal him. Yet there is something he wants us (and the Pharisees!) to know first: like the spiritual body needs spiritual food, the spiritual body also needs healing even more than the physical body does.
Application: Don’t be so focused on our physical needs that you lose sight of our spiritual needs.
Food for Thought: How do we know when our physical needs have been met? How do we know when our spiritual needs are met?
These two questions really got my mind racing! I thought about physical needs first, when are they not met and met. Food, water, shelter, those seem to be the main physical needs. Its easy to fall into the haves or have nots, but I think it is more than that. I can satisfy the physical needs by eating dirt, drinking motor oil, or living in a car. So its more than just having or not having, it is also about the effect it has on your health. So I would say our physical needs have been met when we are healthy.
Likewise, I believe our spiritual needs are met when we are healthy. People climb mountains, light candles, bang gongs, and do all sorts of things to try and meet their spiritual needs, but it doesn’t bring spiritual health. We pray for God to give us our daily bread, and I believe that to mean more than the bread that goes into our physical body, but also our soul. That daily bread we ask for is spiritually pure and good for consumption. The Holy Spirit and the Word guides us in our walk with God, and in our walk with God we can find true spiritual health.
John 6:27 Do not work for the food that perishes, but for the food that endures to eternal life, which the Son of Man will give to you. For on him God the Father has set his seal.
Well said, Chris!
I love that you are wrestling with the duality of our human nature; both physical and spiritual. I really appreciate your description of how people attempt to meet spiritual needs with physical effort. Of course, Jesus offers the only true food and healing for the soul.
Now that I have collected my points for the most concise response, it is time to get wordy again!
Thank you to Chris H.!
01-06-2022, How do we know when our physical needs have been met? How do we know when our spiritual needs are met?
Paul writes, “And this same God who takes care of me will supply all your needs from His glorious riches, which have been given to us in Christ Jesus.” Philippians 4:19
According to Abraham Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs, Mans guideline, we give priority to our physical needs. According to God, we are to look to our spiritual needs first, and He will make sure our physical needs are met. I think the wise stick with giving priority to seeking God brings peace and stability, as we ” In Faith ” learn to trust and allow Him take care of our physical needs.
Matthew 6:2, 6:26-34, Luke 9:58
How did Jesus, John the Baptist, Paul, Mary, Tamar, Rahab, Lydia determine their priorities? They all lived lives in faith knowing God would take care of all their physical needs. We are only here a very short time and I don’t want to play the “Who Can Get The Most Toys” anymore. I have found, true life comes from God, and there is no greater reward than to live my life pursuing and sharing His righteousness with those He places within my small sphere of influence.
A strong growing spiritual relationship with our God is our number one need. As we accept and live in the faith provided by God, He will make sure we are physically, well cared for.
Well said, Ron!
Thank you for being “wordy.” 🙂
Great question and comments.
I think we are more aware of our physical needs. I know when I am hungry or thirsty or tired or cold or hot, etc. There are internal physical gauges that help us identify our physical reality.
The spiritual need is, at least for many people, a lot more difficult. An unbeliever is totally unaware of their need because they don’t have the Holy Spirit as a spiritual gauge. They can be dead spiritually but believe they are fine because they are only measuring things physically. 1 Corinthians 2: 14.
Even believers can become desensitized if they are allowing themselves to conform to this world rather than being transformed by the Spirit. Romans 12: 1 – 2; 1 Corinthians 3: 1 – 3.
So we need to make the effort to feed our spiritual needs and grow spiritual through prayer, intaking God’s word, refusing the poison of the world, serving God and others, etc.
Feeding the physical – and even our sinful nature is easy. Feeding our spirits takes discipline.
Rich,
Thank you!
When you talk about being “dead spiritually” it makes me think of a callous. When a person works with their hands, they become calloused and hard. The skin is tough which can be good, but sensitivity is sacrificed. Without God’s Spirit to guide us, we can build up callouses on our spiritual skin, making us insensitive to what is happening.
Good analogy
Really nice analogy. I’m always fascinated by all the different analogies. How each one gets close but never perfect.