The Divine Prerogative

Series on Luke

III The Initiation

B The Authority of His Ministry

4 Over Disbelief

Text: 5:17-26

Introduction

There are many accounts of Jesus healing in the gospels. There are also numerous accounts of persistence in faith like the Syrophoenician woman, a Canaanite who said that even the dogs ate the crumbs from the table when Jesus hesitated to grant her request and tested her faith. We could mention also the woman who touched the hem of His garment as he was walking by, or Zacchaeus climbing a tree to see Jesus because he was a little man. We see that same persistence in faith rewarded in verses 17-19, One day as he was teaching, Pharisees and teachers of the law, who had come from every village of Galilee and from Judea and Jerusalem, were sitting there. And the power of the Lord was present for him to heal the sick. Some men came carrying a paralytic on a mat and tried to take him into the house to lay him before Jesus. 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. This however is not just another story of Jesus’ power and believing faith, It is about the divine prerogative. The prerogative to acquit, to accuse, and to amaze.

I Acquit

It says when Jesus saw their faith something exceedingly important happened. We read in verses 20 and 21, When Jesus saw their faith, he said, “Friend, your sins are forgiven.” The Pharisees and the teachers of the law began thinking to themselves, “Who is this fellow who speaks blasphemy? Who can forgive sins but God alone?” This story is really about Jesus’ authority to forgive, to acquit, and to justify sinners. The religious leaders are right that God alone has the prerogative to forgive and acquit sinners. The instant assessment of the Scribes and Pharisees is that Jesus has committed blasphemy and they take that very seriously. Moreover they are centered in Jerusalem and the word about Jesus has spread so that they have come a long way to investigate because the gospel of Mark indicates that this incident took place in Capernaum, in Galilee. Now of the crux of this accusation is understood, it becomes a remarkable testimony. Later Judaism clearly taught that God does not help sinners or liars, Clearly if this man is physically healed then the power of God is with Jesus. If Jesus is not who He claims to be, then the man should not walk away healed. God is vindicating Jesus’ claims. Luke reinforces this when he tell us at the end of the story that the people praised God. The greatest testimony to the divinity of Christ is the claims that He made. Either he was a liar, or a madman, or He was who He claimed to be.

II Accuse

We have a further indication of who Jesus is in His ability to look into men’s hearts and minds in verses 22-25, Jesus knew what they were thinking and asked, “Why are you thinking these things in your hearts? Which is easier: to say, ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or to say, ‘Get up and walk’? But that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins….” He said to the paralyzed man, “I tell you, get up, take your mat and go home.” Immediately he stood up in front of them, took what he had been lying on and went home praising God. This is no parlor trick such as you see in magic shows. Such demonstrations may fascinate but they do not enrage. Jesus is speaking to His worst enemies and is accusing them. i am reminded of Jesus’ words in John 8:42-47 where He is confronting the Scribes and Pharisees, Jesus said to them, “If God were your Father, you would love me, for I came from God and now am here. I have not come on my own; but he sent me. Why is my language not clear to you? Because you are unable to hear what I say. You belong to your father, the devil, and you want to carry out your father’s desire. He was a murderer from the beginning, not holding to the truth, for there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks his native language, for he is a liar and the father of lies. Yet because I tell the truth, you do not believe me! Can any of you prove me guilty of sin? If I am telling the truth, why don’t you believe me? He who belongs to God hears what God says. The reason you do not hear is that you do not belong to God.” As we all know, even though Jesus proved to them on this an other occasions that His claims were valid, they still did not believe in the end and they crucified Him.

III Amaze

The man who is healed knows who healed him and he gives God the glory. Verse 26 reminds us that others joined in, Everyone was amazed and gave praise to God. They were filled with awe and said, “We have seen remarkable things today.” Clearly it is God who is at work here and everyone recognizes it. If the Pharisees present that day recognized it, it was short lived. Later they accuse Jesus of casting out demons by the power of Beelzebub, the devil. He was a threat to their power and authority because Jesus’ power came directly from God and theirs came from tradition. They would have to invent all kinds of specious accusations to deny Him. He was from Galilee, he ate with publicans and sinners, he touched lepers, he was in league with the devil, and so He must be a blasphemer. As we know the accusation emerged again at His trial before His death. But there is something that should amaze us as well. Jesus surprises the crowd that was surely expecting a miracle by first talking about sin. Thus he turns the miracle into a parable. In this parable the paralytic stands for the paralyzing effect of sin. He is brought to Jesus by friends who are so determined that they place him directly at the Savior’s feet. They stand for Christians who have the confidence in Jesus to forgive and heal and bring others to meet Him. They are not disappointed. Jesus amazes us again.