It’s amazing to read about Jesus’ power to heal and forgive in the pages of the Gospels, and know that he lives on with this power today! Even more, the faith of men in the Bible who will do anything to get to him serves as a great example for us.
Luke 5:17-20
One day Jesus was teaching, and Pharisees and teachers of the law were sitting there. They had come from every village of Galilee and from Judea and Jerusalem. And the power of the Lord was with Jesus to heal the sick. 18 Some men came carrying a paralyzed man 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.”
My favourite thing about the Gospels is taking in all the details about Jesus’ nature. It’s so comforting to read about this kind, gentle man and know that he’s God. Even this short section tells us so much about him; that he drew in people from all over the place, that he had the power to heal the sick, that people trusted him to heal them so much that they went to extreme lengths, and that he forgave the sin of people who have faith in him – even prioritising the forgiveness of sin over healing sickness. This story also shows a great example of friendship! We could all learn something from the determination of these men to get their friend to Jesus, not to mention that Jesus himself calls this man “friend”. But these aren’t just things that Jesus used to do. Jesus is now as he was then. He still lives, he still heals and he still forgives. And in his eyes, the greatest thing he can heal us from is sin. When the men in this passage brought their friend to Jesus, he didn’t hesitate to show acceptance and forgiveness, and nor does he hesitate for us. He sees our faith and forgives our sins. He wants to do this because he loves us. So we have no reason to hesitate in turning to him every day, and pointing our friends to him also, just like the men who carried their paralysed friend.
Head: What has this passage taught you about the nature of God and his priorities for our lives?
Heart: This passage really highlights Jesus’ care for people and their need for him. How does this make you feel towards God and others?
Hands: What barriers do you need to overcome in your life to get yourself and the people around you closer to Jesus?
Prayer:
Father God,
You have so much love for me and you always know what is best. Even when I come to you with all of my problems, you know that the root of all these things is sin, and you have provided Jesus as a solution which covers all of it. Thank you so much for this. Thank you that we can read stories of Jesus caring for people in need, and that we can rejoice that he is alive today. God I’m sorry for the opportunities I’ve missed in my life to share your love with my friends. Please help me to follow the example of the friends in Luke 5, and not let anything stand in my path.
In the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit,
Amen
A song to listen to: The Love Of The Father
Stephanie Wiseman
For these holidays, we are revisiting our Grow Dailys from the Luke series the Way Home 1.
