““Then behold, men brought on a bed a man who was paralyzed, whom they sought to bring in and lay before Him. And when they could not find how they might bring him in, because of the crowd, they went up on the housetop and let him down with his bed through the tiling into the midst before Jesus. When He saw their faith, He said to him, “Man, your sins are forgiven you.””
There it is! In the desperate actions of these friends of the paralyzed man, Jesus saw the very thing that His love awakens in us that permits His power to be released in our lives… faith. He saw their faith in Him, in His character of love that reveals that God is a healer! And here is the first thing we learn from the experience of this paralyzed man. We recognize that the power of the Lord is present to heal, when…
Our faith is aroused to trust Jesus, primarily, to heal us spiritually through forgiveness.
As our Great Physician, Jesus looks at us holistically and can trace our history from cause to effect. He knows the condition of our health spiritually, mentally/emotionally, physically and relationally. He knows that our deepest and most urgent need is the healing that flows from His forgiveness of all our sins by His grace which leads us to the complete assurance of our salvation. Now I know you won’t say it out loud, so I’ll say if for you. Well, thanks for the forgiveness Jesus, but I’d kind of like to be healed from my paralysis. From our limited and often short sighted, finite human minds, we often don’t trace back to the root cause that has more dire consequences for both now and eternity. So we end up putting band aids on our issues, treating symptoms and not the cause.
It’s like if you went to a doctor with a terminal disease and after examining you, they say to take two Tylenol and call them in the morning. You’d soon be trying to find a new doctor! Well, Jesus is the greatest Doctor in the universe and He looks right at this paralyzed man and gets right to the cause and cure.
The Bible says that Jesus saw “their faith.” This is referring to the faith of the paralytic and his friends. It really speaks to the need that we have to have godly friends in our corner who can have faith on our behalf, even when we feel our faith is week. It encourages us to keep praying for your friends and loved ones, even when it seems like they don’t have any. These friends would not be deterred from presenting their friend to the Lord, even when the crowd got in the way. And unfortunately we can get so caught up in just being spectators of what Jesus is doing that we get in the way, of those desperate sinners among us, that know their need and are just trying to get to Jesus and be healed! We are not the Doctor, but fellow patients in His hospital the church! We need His healing just as much, if not more, than those with desperate faith, that know they need Jesus!
Ellen says in Desire of Ages…
“…it was not physical restoration he desired so much as relief from the burden of sin. If he could see Jesus, and receive the assurance of forgiveness and peace with Heaven, he would be content to live or die, according to God’s will.”
Many people are physically sick, because their minds are not at ease, because they don’t have peace with God. They are paralyzed by guilt and shame, burdened by their sin and are full of worry and anxiety. Their minds and hearts are not at rest. They are restless and weighed down with stress. Therefore Jesus heals us spiritually by His grace and forgiveness so our minds can be at ease, which frees us mentally to make better decisions about our physical health. This gives us a sense of wholistic wellness that enhances our ability to pour into others by fostering thriving relationships.
So what about you? Do you sense His love drawing you to Himself in faith? Maybe you’re sensing His presence right now, in healing power, brooding over us. Do not resist Him. If your heart is aroused in faith, this could be your moment to experience His power to heal. The healing He always provides immediately is the forgiveness of all your sins, because the cross has already accomplished it. Receive His forgiveness daily, by going to the cross daily in prayer and receiving what He has already provided for you!
Well, of course the scribes and Pharisees, weren’t happy with Jesus forgiving this man’s sins. Everyone knew, at that time, that you had to go to the Temple to receive forgiveness from sin, for only God could forgive sins. However, Jesus was a one Man mobile Temple, for the Temple had always pointed to His work. Jesus is not only undermining the Temple, but replacing it. He was subverting the very system He Himself established, but they had corrupted! And for this, they accused Him, in their minds, of blasphemy. Who does He think He is anyway! And this is exactly what Jesus wants the Pharisees and scribes to wrestle with. Who is. He? He then demonstrates His divine power by reading their minds and then verbalizes their thoughts to them. Then He says in verse 23…
CJ Cousins
Follower of Jesus, Husband, Father and Associate Pastor for Younger Generations at Vienna SDA Church.