#36. Luke 5:17-26 JESUS, THE ONE WHO CAN FORGIVE SIN

 

Introduction:

 

    When Jesus began His ministry it did not take Him long to become famous.

Great crowds of people began to come to Him to hear Him preach, to see Him

perform  miracles, or to be healed.  In our text last Sunday we learned that

Jesus healed a man of leprosy and became more famous than ever.  The crowds

increased all the more.  In our text today we see that Jesus is able to do

more than just to heal the physical body.  Jesus is able to cleanse from sin.

 

I.  The coming of the scribes and Pharisees to Capernaum to test Jesus

 

     V. 17, "And it came to pass on a certain day, as he was teaching..."

Luke does not tell us, but according to both Matthew and Mark, Jesus had

returned to the city of Capernaum at this time and is preaching, teaching

and healing the sick in the city of Capernaum.  Perhaps He was back in the

home of Simon Peter where He had earlier healed Simon Peter's mother-in-law.

    At any rate, a great crowd of both friends and enemies gathered there to

see and hear.  Luke does not say a great deal about the friends, who made up

the greater part of the crowd.  Luke focuses his attention on the enemies of

Jesus.  (V. 17), "...that there were Pharisees and doctors of the law

sitting by, which were come out of every town of Galilee, and Judaea, and

Jerusalem..."

    These people were not there to be healed of some kind of disease.  There

were not there out of curiosity.  They were not there to thrill at the sight

of the miracles that He was performing.  They certainly were not there out

of any desire to learn the truth of God.

    These men were there to put Jesus to the test.  It was obvious to them

that most of the nation of Israel had accepted Jesus as a prophet of God.

It had also come to their attention that a growing number of people were

claiming that Jesus is the Christ whom God had promised.  These men

considered themselves to be the authority who would determine on behalf of

the nation of Israel whether or not Jesus is the Christ.  They had heard a

great deal about Jesus, but now they were to see and hear Him in person and

see for themselves if Jesus is the Christ.  If they should decide that Jesus

really is the Christ, they would say so and the people of the nation would

be encouraged to believe in Him.  But on the other hand, if they should

decide that Jesus is not the Christ, then they would do everything in their

power to prevent the people of the nation from believing in Him.  They had

the same attitude as the woman on the television.  She says, "It's not Hanes

until I say that it's Hanes."  They had the idea, "Jesus is not the Christ

until we say that He's the Christ."

    So they were there from all parts of the land.  They were there from

throughout Galilee and Judea.  They were there from the temple in Jerusalem.

The Pharisees were there and the most scholarly scribes were there.  They

were there to examine Jesus first hand and officially decide what attitude

the Jewish leadership would take toward Jesus.

 

II.  The claim of Jesus that He is able to forgive sin

 

    While Jesus was not dependent on their support, yet He gave them every

opportunity to believe that He is the Christ and to lend Him their support.

In their presence, He gave conclusive proof that He has authority to forgive

men their sin.  This is a power and authority that He could only have if He

were indeed God dwelling in Human flesh.  Thus He is the Christ.  Not only

were they putting Jesus to the test.  Jesus was putting them to the test and

they failed the test.

    (V. 17), "...and the power of the Lord was present to heal them."  That

is, the power of the Lord was in Jesus to heal the sick people in the crowd.

Jesus demonstrated in the presence of His enemies that He had power to heal

the sick by actually healing many of them.  He healed all who came to Him

for healing.

    V. 18-19, "And, behold, men brought in a bed a man which was taken with

a palsy: and they sought means to bring him in, and to lay him before him.

And when they could not find by what way they might bring him in

because of the multitude, they went upon the housetop, and let him down

through the tiling with his couch into the midst before Jesus."  Luke

informs us that a paralyzed man was brought to Jesus by some of his family

or friends.  They tried to get through the door of the house where Jesus

was, but they could not get through the door.  The picture I get is that

they could not even get to the door.  If this had been just one individual

trying to push his way through the crowd, he might could have made it.  But

for four men to get through that crowd carrying another man on a couch or

bed was just impossible.

    So they went up the stairway, which in those days was built on the

outside of the house and they went to the rooftop.  Once they were on the

top of the house, they pulled loose some of the tile of the roof and let

Jesus down into the room right in the presence  of Jesus so that  Jesus

could not help but see him.

    I must confess.  It used to bother me somewhat when I would read that

they tore a hole in the roof of the house.  I guess I could somewhat

sympathize with the owner of the house.  But it finally dawned on me that

they really did not hurt the house.  The tile which they took up could be

easily laid back down again.

    At any rate, here is this man with the palsy, this paralyzed man who is

let down right in front of Jesus.  V. 20, "And when he saw their faith..."

When He saw whose faith?  He saw the faith of the four men who brought the

paralyzed man to Him.  He saw that they truly believed that Jesus could heal

this man.  He saw also the faith of the man on the bed.  He could not

actively demonstrate his faith by coming to Jesus Himself because he was

paralyzed and could not walk.  But he surely must have had believed that

Jesus could heal him, because apparently he raised no objection to their

bringing him to Jesus and he raised no objection to the rather unorthodox

way they went about getting him into the presence of Jesus.

    So when Jesus saw their faith He spoke to the man and what wonderful

words they were.  (V. 20), "...he said unto him, Man, thy sins are forgiven

thee."  These words must have meant the world to that man.  You see he was

surely conscious of the fact that he is a sinner before God.  More than

that.  He was conscious that certain sins he had committed had put him in

this condition.  The Bible does not tell us what particular sins had brought

this condition upon Him, but it does make it clear that he had done

something that caused it.  Since the Bible does not tell what he had done to

cause his paralysis, I am not going to speculate.  But I think we can be

sure that he knew what he had done that caused it.

    So since the man knew that it was his sins that had caused his

paralysis and since Jesus said that his sins were forgiven, he knew that

Jesus was going to heal him.  He knew that Jesus was going to make him to

walk again.

 

III.  The failure of the scribes and Pharisees to believe His claim

 

    But instead of going on to tell us immediately about the healing of the

palsied man, Luke draws our attention again to the enemies of the Lord who

were present on this occasion.  V. 21, "And the scribes and the Pharisees

began to reason, saying, Who is this which speaketh blasphemies?  Who can

forgive sins, but God alone?"

    Immediately the scribes and Pharisees jump to a conclusion before

examining all the facts.  They jump to the conclusion that Jesus is not the

Christ and that He is a blasphemer.  They had just heard Him claim to

forgive the man's sins and they knew that nobody but God could forgive sin.

They certainly did not believe that He is God dwelling in human flesh.  They

were not willing to even consider the possibility that He is God in human

flesh.  They were not willing to be persuaded no matter what evidence He

might present that He is God in human flesh.  So they jumped to the

conclusion that He is a blasphemer and they held doggedly to that position

to the very end.

    Now let me clarify:  They did not make this charge of blasphemy against

Jesus publicly at this time.  This was just the conclusion they reached in

their own minds and hearts..  V. 22, "But when Jesus perceived their

thoughts, he answering said unto them, What reason ye in your hearts?" Jesus

brought the matter right out into the open.  He wanted to show publicly that

they were wrong.

    V.  23, "Whether is easier, to say, Thy sins be forgiven thee; or to

say, Rise up and walk?"  Technically, it is easier to say, "Thy sins be

forgiven thee."  All that is required in saying that the man's sins are

forgiven is to just speak.  Nobody can see whether the sins are forgiven or

not.  Men may deny that He actually forgave the man's sins, but nobody can

prove Him wrong, because nobody can see whether He did or not.  But to say,

"Rise up and walk" would require some action on His part that everybody

could see.  They would be able to see whether or not Jesus was able to make

him to walk.

 

IV.  The failure of the scribes and Pharisees to accept positive proof that

     Jesus can forgive sin

 

    V. 24, "But that ye may know that the Son of man hath power upon earth

to forgive sins, (he said unto the sick of the palsy,) I say unto thee,

Arise, and take up thy couch, and go into thine house."  Jesus was

interested in doing more than merely healing  the man.  Jesus wanted them to

know that He had power to forgive sin.  Jesus could forgive a man's sin so

that before God the Father that man was free of sin.  If He were able to

cause the man to rise up and walk that would be proof that He had forgiven

the sins that had caused the paralysis.  So Jesus just turned to the man and

told him to rise, to take up his own bed and to walk to his own house on his

own two feet.  If that man could not get up---if he had to be carried back

to his house on his bed, then this would be proof that Jesus is not able to

forgive sin and that He is not the Christ.  But if that man does get up, if

he takes up his bed and carries his bed back to his house, then that is

positive proof that Jesus does forgive sin and that He is the Christ of God,

the Savior of men.  Nobody can forgive sin but God.

    V. 25, "And immediately he rose up before them, and took up that whereon

he lay, and departed to his own house, glorifying God."

    Now let me comment on something that Luke says nothing about.  Jesus

showed conclusive proof to the scribes and Pharisees that He is Deity God

dwelling in human flesh.  Nobody but God can forgive sin.  But Jesus did

forgive sin showing that He is Deity God.  But those scribes and Pharisees

would not be persuaded.  They had made up their minds and that was that.

    Luke does tell us about the reaction of the rest of the people in that

great crowd.  V. 26, "And they were all amazed, and they glorified God, and

were filled with fear, saying, We have seen strange things to day."  Not all

the people of the crowd accepted the fact that He is Deity God born in human

flesh.  Not all of them accepted Him as the Messiah, the Christ of God.  But

all the rest of that crowd did understand that the power of God was with

Jesus and that He is indeed a prophet of God.  I personally believe that a

goodly number of them actually accepted Him as Christ and trusted in Him to

save them from their own sins.  They saw that He could forgive sins, surely

some of them must have trusted Him to save them from their own sins.

 

V.  Men's need of forgiveness today

 

    But what about you?  What about you and your sins?  Are you willing to

believe what this passage of Scripture plainly teaches.  It teaches that

Jesus Christ can forgive you of your sins.  He forgave that man.  He forgave

me when I trusted in Him.  He forgave many others.  He has forgiven very of

the people who are here in this service this morning.  Has He forgiven you?

Have you ever looked to Him and trusted Him to save your soul and to forgive

your sins?  If not, I am urging you to do so right now in this service

today.

    I feel sure that there is no need for me to try to convince you that you

have sinned.  I think you know that you have sinned.  I hope you know that

your sins are deadly.  The wages of sin is death.  The wages of sin is even

the second death.  In other words, if God has to judge you for your sins and

pay punish you in eternity for your sins, you will experience the second

death. You will be cast into the Lake of Fire and Brimstone.  But Jesus

Christ died on Calvary's cross that He might be able to save you from your

sins and to cleanse you from every sin.  Won't you come today and put your

trust in Jesus Christ that you might be saved.

 

Conclusion:  Will you be one of those who do believe and who do trust in

Jesus for forgiveness of sin?  If so come today and trust in Him.