The Miracles of Jesus 7-Jesus Heals The Paralytic

Sermon # 7 -Jesus Heals the Paralytic

Summary: Seventh in a series on the miracles of Christ.

Text: Matt 9:2-7, Mark 2:3-12, Lk. 5:18-26

Series: The Miracles of Jesus

Date: 7 October 2018

Introduction

Dr Bailey says

Now the Lord returns to Capernaum, the city where He lived during His years of ministry.
There was a universal belief and teaching in Israel that sickness was the result of sin. It was thought that if a person’s mind was tormented by a sinful state, then the body would not be whole. Certainly, a person who is bitter and unforgiving is going to have physical problems. However, to say that sickness is a result of sin must be qualified. Job was one of the most righteous men who ever lived, yet he was afflicted for a time. Suffering, therefore, may be divided into the following classes:
1. We suffer as punishment for our sins (1 Pet. 4:15).
2. We suffer to learn obedience (Heb. 5:8).
3. We suffer vicariously for others as Jesus did upon the cross (Isa. 53:5; Col. 1:24).
In this episode in chapter nine, Jesus forgave the man’s sins because there is no healing unless the question of sin has first been addressed. This applies to all of us. If we are sick, we must ask the Lord to search our hearts to see if there is any wicked way in us. To have an understanding of where our sickness came from, let us pray the prayer of King David: “Search me, O God, and know my heart: try me, and know my thoughts: And see if there be any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting” (Psa. 139:23-24).

[Bailey Brian. J. "The Gospel of Matthew". Waverly : Zion Christian Publishers, 2000. Page 64]

Scripture reading:

This miracle is told in three of the gospel accounts and because each writer adds some details of what happened in that room, I want us to read all three of them. Let us rise to our feet and together read

Matthew 9:2-7

”Then behold, they brought to Him a paralytic lying on a bed. When Jesus saw their faith, He said to the paralytic, "Son, be of good cheer; your sins are forgiven you." (3) And at once some of the scribes said within themselves, "This Man blasphemes!"’ (4) But Jesus, knowing their thoughts, said, "Why do you think evil in your hearts? (5) For which is easier, to say, "Your sins are forgiven you,’ or to say, "Arise and walk’? (6) But that you may know that the Son of Man has power on earth to forgive sins"--then He said to the paralytic, "Arise, take up your bed, and go to your house." (7) And he arose and departed to his house.”

Mark 2: 3-12

”Then they came to Him, bringing a paralytic who was carried by four men. (4) And when they could not come near Him because of the crowd, they uncovered the roof where He was. So when they had broken through, they let down the bed on which the paralytic was lying. (5) When Jesus saw their faith, He said to the paralytic, "Son, your sins are forgiven you." (6) And some of the scribes were sitting there and reasoning in their hearts, (7)"Why does this Man speak blasphemies like this? Who can forgive sins but God alone?" (8) But immediately, when Jesus perceived in His spirit that they reasoned thus within themselves, He said to them, "Why do you reason about these things in your hearts? (9) Which is easier, to say to the paralytic, "Your sins are forgiven you,’ or to say, "Arise, take up your bed and walk’? (10) But that you may know that the Son of Man has power on earth to forgive sins"--He said to the paralytic, (11) "I say to you, arise, take up your bed, and go to your house." (12) Immediately he arose, took up the bed, and went out in the presence of them all, so that all were amazed and glorified God, saying, "We never saw anything like this!"

Luke 5: 18-26

”Then behold, men brought on a bed a man who was paralyzed, whom they sought to bring in and lay before Him. (19) 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. ‘ (20) When He saw their faith, He said to him, "Man, your sins are forgiven you." (21) And the scribes and the Pharisees began to reason, saying, "Who is this who speaks blasphemies? Who can forgive sins but God alone?" (22) But when Jesus perceived their thoughts, He answered and said to them, "Why are you reasoning in your hearts? (23) Which is easier, to say, "Your sins are forgiven you,’ or to say, "Rise up and walk’? (24) But that you may know that the Son of Man has power on earth to forgive sins"--He said to the man who was paralyzed, "I say to you, arise, take up your bed, and go to your house." (25) Immediately he rose up before them, took up what he had been lying on, and departed to his own house, glorifying God. (26) And they were all amazed, and they glorified God and were filled with fear, saying, "We have seen strange things today!

This is the word of the Lord. Thanks be to God. May the sweet Holy Spirit add His manifold blessings to our text in our hearing this morning.... Amen! You may be seated in God's Presence.

The Background of the Miracle

The news of Jesus’ teaching and his miracles has spread all over Galilee, forcing him to seek remote places to have any time alone. According to Mark and Matthew, he has finally returned to Capernaum, where he has begun his ministry. Here, he took up residence in a house and soon attracted crowds of people who were eager to hear him speak. This is what revival is like. We have to be prepared for it. We must be prepared vessels. You have to have that relationship with the Lord so that when you are called upon to teach with short notice, you can declare a word from God. You must spend much time in prayer and study. You need to enter into the spirit of prayer so that you are praying wherever you are—always in touch with your Heavenly Father.

Among these who came to hear speak, according to Luke, were “Pharisees and teachers of the Law, who had come from every village in Galilee, from Judea and from Jerusalem.” Here was a delegation made up of Pharisees and teachers of the law sent to examine him. Ironically the Pharisees had come to judge Jesus by their standards, unaware that it would be their standards might be judged by Jesus’ teachings.

As Jesus began to preach and teach to the assembled crowd, four men arrived at the house carrying a paralyzed companion. They found that there were so many people inside and outside the house that they could not break through to see Jesus. Now they must come up with some way to get there friend to Jesus. Seeing their way barred by the crowds, they took the only option open to them, namely the roof. So undaunted, they climbed up onto the roof and began to strip it away.

Here the accounts of Mark and Luke diverge slightly. In Mark’s account, the suggestion is that the roof was typical of those in Palestine at the time. Palestinian houses had flat roofs. The roofs were used for many purposes; for the storing things, drying flax (story of the spies in Joshua), and as places for quiet and prayer (the little one room houses had no where else that one could be alone). For that reason there was always an outside stairway up to the roof.

Luke, however, seems to describe a Greek or Roman house, with roof constructed of tiles. ( 5:19) ”they went up on the housetop and let him down with his bed through the tiling into the midst before Jesus.”

But in any case, regardless of the construction of the roof, the determination involved in creating an opening large enough to pass their friend through the roof was the same.

The Elements of The Miracle

As to the disease that this man brought to Jesus suffered, Luke uses a medical term to describe this man when he says, he was “paralyzed” or as it is rendered in the KJV “palsied.” It was a technical Greek word used of pronounced paralysis from disease of some part of the nervous system 

[Lockyer p. 174]

The crowd gathered around Jesus was so large that no one could get through. Some people who were carrying a man sick of the palsy were so desperate to get to Jesus that they literally pulled up the roof and let the man down into the house so Jesus would pray for Him. 
Can you picture this scene? While Jesus was preaching, these desperate people were on top of the building taking the roof off. Undoubtedly, pieces fell on the people inside the house. But it did not seem to bother anyone because they were all captivated by the strong anointing that was upon Jesus. This is what happens when the Spirit of God is moving. I have been in revival meetings where there were as many people lined up outside as there were inside.

[Bailey Brian. J. "The Gospel of Mark" . Waverly, New YORK: Zion Christian Publishers, July 2006. Pages 39-40]

“When He saw their faith.” (Luke 5:20)

“When He saw their faith, He said to him, "Man, your sins are forgiven you."

When Jesus saw their faith he responded at once. The wonderful thing here is – this man was saved by the faith of his friends. The persistence of the paralytic’s friends demonstrated the reality of their friend. Biblical faith is more than wishful thinking. The Lord immediately recognized the faith of the friends of the paralytic. His words are somewhat surprising in that He did not mention his sickness but addressed the question of the man’s sin. 

At once we see the faith and perseverance of the friends of this poor man. I always admire those who tend to the sick. Having to care for my own wife who was paralyzed because of a stroke, I know how self-giving one has to be for those who are in that unfortunate state. The act of letting him down through the tiling literally involved the tearing up of the roof of the owner’s home. In itself, this would require much boldness and assurance of the ultimate result. Otherwise, they would never have attempted such an act.

[Bailey Brian. J. "The Gospel of Luke" . Waverly, New York: Zion Christian Publishers, 1999. Pages 72-73]

“Your Sins Are Forgiven.” (Luke 5:20)

“When He saw their faith, He said to him, "Man, your sins are forgiven you."

There are several possibilities of what Jesus mean when he said “your sins are forgiven.”

First, it was a belief of the Jews in those days that all sickness and misfortune were due to sin. Jesus declared him to be forgiven of his sins. In the minds of the superstitious Israelites of that day, sickness and sin were related. We see this attitude in the minds of the friends of Job the patriarch. They accused him of sin because he was covered with boils and had lost everything.We see this in Job (4:7). Jobs friends advised him, "Remember now, who ever perished being innocent? Or where were the upright ever cut off.” This that sin is always the cause of sickness and misfortune is not true of course. Jesus touched on this problem when he healed the man born blind in John (9:2-3). When he was asked who had sinned the blind man or his parents, Jesus’ answer was, “neither ….. but that the works of God should be revealed in him.” But on this occasion in saying, “your sins are forgiven,” Jesus may have been acknowledging that on this occasion this man’s physical symptoms were directly connected to some sinful acts that have not been stated by the Gospel writers. By implication sin was responsible for the man’s paralyzed condition.

It is possible that the paralyzed man had committed some sin and was haunted by the memory of it. Even if sin had not caused the illness his past sins may have caused him to be afraid that he would not be healed.

We know by means of modern medicine that illness often has a psychosomatic element. It is possible that this man’s paralysis had been brought on some previous sinful conduct. If this man’s mind was sick, his body would be sick as well. We now know that many physical illnesses are brought on by an unsound mental state. So Jesus using the most to date in 21st century medicine treated him by freeing him from his feeling of guilt. When this man understood that his sins were forgiven, he was healed.

Finally, Jesus was claiming that he had divine power forgive sins and it was this claim that so shocked the Pharisees and Scribes who were present. The religious leaders were baffled because by their own admission the man could not be healed until he was forgiven. Now he had been cured and therefore they had to admit that he must have been forgiven. The sign of his sin now became the sign of his cure.

Who is this who speaks blasphemies? (Luke 5:21)

"Who is this who speaks blasphemies? Who can forgive sins but God alone?

The question behind the religious leaders charge that Jesus was guilty of blasphemy was, “Does he (Jesus) have the right (exousia) to forgive sins?” In their opinion only God had the ability and authority to forgive sins.

Jesus knows the very intents and thoughts of our hearts. John 2:24-25 says, “But Jesus did not commit himself unto them, because he knew all men, And needed not that any should testify of man: for he knew what was in man.” As the anointing increases in your life, you can read what people are thinking. They might be saying one thing, but you will know what they are really thinking in their hearts.

[Bailey Brian. J. "The Gospel of Mark" . Waverly, New YORK: Zion Christian Publishers, July 2006. Page 40] 

One thing we must understand is that while we are upon this earth, men do not know our thoughts, although God does. However, in heaven everyone will know our thoughts. So let us gird up the loins of our minds and ensure that our thoughts are as pure as our words and actions. We must all ask God to create within us a pure heart.

[Bailey Brian. J. "The Gospel of Luke" . Waverly, New York: Zion Christian Publishers, 1999. Page 73]

 This was a part of the very issue that they had been sent to answer. What they want to know was, “Is he the Messiah, and if so how should the religious establishment react to him?” This miracle presents Jesus’ ability to immediate cancel the bondage of sin. So able to dispute his miracles they fastened to his words.

Yet even today some people regard it as presumptuous for human beings to claim they know their sins are forgiven, and that they are assured of heaven.

“Which Is Easier?” (Mt 9:5, Mk. 2:9, Lk. 5:23)

“Which is easier, to say, "Your sins are forgiven you,’ or to say, "Rise up and walk’?”

Answering a question that they had voiced only in their own minds, this is in fact a second miracle. Jesus said, “Which is easy to say (not easier to do).” The obvious answer is that it is easier to say that sins are forgiven. It is easier because there is no way to tell whether such words have any meaning. Forgiveness is a transaction that takes place between an individual and God.

On this matter of saying to a person, “Thy sins are forgiven,” the Lord gave this same authority to the Apostles. After He was risen from the dead, Christ said to His disciples: “Whose soever sins ye remit, they are remitted unto them; and whose soever sins ye retain, they are retained” (Jn. 20:23).If the Lord quickens this particular passage to us, then we also have the power to forgive sins. As God’s spokesmen, when we are anointed, we are authorized to say to a person, “Thy sins are forgiven.” Oh, what joy fills our soul, as well as the one to whom we accord forgiveness for pastsins. Even the angels rejoice with us, for that is the message of heaven sent down through the giving of Jesus for all of our sins.The Heavenly Father, the Son, the Holy Spirit, as well as all of heaven rejoice together over sins forgiven. Oh, what a precious promise is given to us through the beloved Apostle John: “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness” (1 Jn. 1:9).Let us go no further with this study until we have that wonderful joy and assurance in our hearts of knowing that our sins have been freely forgiven by the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world. Let us ask Him now! Not only can He forgive us for past sins, but He can also cleanse us from all unrighteousness so that we do not continue to sin.

[Bailey Brian. J. "The Gospel of Matthew". Waverly : Zion Christian Publishers, 2000. Page 65]

The Effect of the Miracle

“And They were all amazed.” (5:26)

“And they were all amazed, and they glorified God and were filled with fear, saying, "We have seen strange things today.”

The word translated amazed is (ekstasis) from which we get our word ecstasy. In classical Greek the word implied an intense but passing excitement. When he said they were “all amazed” the “all” is best to be taken as referring primarily to the delegation of Pharisees and Scribes.Many times it is good to pray that God will perform miracles before you preach because then the people will accept your God given message. It is noteworthy that when Jesus manifested extraordinary power that the people were filled with a holy fear of the miraculous.

They glorified God” (Luke 5:26)

“And they were all amazed, and they glorified God and were filled with fear, saying, "We have seen strange things today.”

This statement is a positive assessment of the delegation’s reaction to the miracle healing. In many countries, the service needs to begin with miracles to enable you to preach the Gospel. In one place in our country where I was ministering, the people were more interested in healings than in hearing the Gospel. It was the signs and wonders that drew them to the meetings. 

“They were filled with fear” (Luke 5:26)

“And they were all amazed, and they glorified God and were filled with fear, saying, "We have seen strange things today.”

The Greek word translated here as fear is the most common term for fear – (phobos). The result of their fear was that the people heard them say, “This is strange, really strange.” It is noteworthy that when Jesus manifested extraordinary power that the people were filled with a holy fear of the miraculous.

Application

In many instances the Lord appeals to the demonstration of the power of God manifested in His ministry to authenticate His message. This was true for the New Testament Church, since Jesus said in Mark 16:17-18: “These signs shall follow them that believe; In my name shall they cast out devils; they shall speak with new tongues; They shall take up serpents; and if they drink any deadly thing, it shall not hurt them; they shall lay hands on the sick, and they shall recover” 

Jesus went home to rest. We must remember that we still live in this mortal body and we need rest after a day of ministry. Some ministers have become burned out and some have even died before their appointed time because they have not taken time to rest. Let us beware and take care of our bodies.

Some people have been so crippled, physically or psychologically, that their ability to relate to God or even to other people has damaged or even paralyzed. Their recovery may well need help from their friends to persist in overcoming obstacles – as the paralytics companions did – and to offer care, acceptance and prayer. No doubt in sending the afflicted back to His own home it was again a gracious and compassion act on the part of the Lord to bring joy and gladness to his family.

The adulation of the multitudes meant nothing to the Lord. May the praise of man never be our meat and drink. Instead, may we rejoice only in the knowledge that we have done what is pleasing in the sight of our loving Heavenly Father, whom we live to glorify.