Week 1 | Wednesday

February 28th, 2023

Who is Jesus?

Jesus and a Paralyzed Man

by Janet Nygren

Begin:

We pick up today after skipping a couple of vignettes in Luke. Because of the healings Jesus has performed, word has spread about him. Jesus continues to establish who he is, this time in front of a tough crowd. It’s especially important to ask for the Holy Spirit’s guidance in passages like this that might be familiar to you. Read it a few times and look for details that the Holy Spirit draws you to. Keep in mind that the Pharisees and the teachers of the law have been the guardians of truth for the Jewish people, the ones who try to keep people on track about their faith in God, particularly since the exile when the entire nation was punished for its bad practices and false beliefs.

Read: Luke 5:17-26

17 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.”

21 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?”

22 Jesus knew what they were thinking and asked, “Why are you thinking these things in your hearts? 23 Which is easier: to say, ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or to say, ‘Get up and walk’? 24 But I want you to know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins.” So he said to the paralyzed man, “I tell you, get up, take your mat and go home.” 25 Immediately he stood up in front of them, took what he had been lying on and went home praising God. 26 Everyone was amazed and gave praise to God. They were filled with awe and said, “We have seen remarkable things today.”

Be Curious

It’s easy to focus on the eagerness of the paralyzed man’s friends, the grumbling Pharisees, and the miracle that happens here, and all of those are very significant. But as we continue to try to learn more about Jesus, what can we learn about his powers of observation in this vignette? What is Jesus able to see and understand that we don’t?
The passage doesn’t specify all that is paralyzed in this man. I tend to think about his limbs mostly. But I wonder if, like a stroke victim, his ability to communicate is limited as well? How might that impact his sense of self and all that is essentially hidden or trapped inside of him–both sins and faith?
How would you answer Jesus’ question: “Which is easier, to say ‘Your sins are forgiven,” or to say, ‘Get up and walk’?”

Consider

How do you feel about Jesus being able to read your thoughts? Is that good news or bad news?
If you had to choose between a physical healing and forgiveness of sins, what does your heart gravitate towards?

Converse

Sometimes it’s hard to know what to say to God, especially if we know our hearts aren’t quite in the place we think God would want us to be. Borrowing the words from the psalm-writers can be a good way to turn to God in faith, and even learn to walk in their ways. Psalm 130 is a good example of this in relation to today’s passage:

Psalm 130
1 Out of the depths I cry to you, Lord;
2 Lord, hear my voice. Let your ears be attentive to my cry for mercy.
3 If you, Lord, kept a record of sins, Lord, who could stand?
4 But with you there is forgiveness, so that we can, with reverence, serve you.
5 I wait for the Lord, my whole being waits, and in his word I put my hope.
6 I wait for the Lord more than watchmen wait for the morning,
more than watchmen wait for the morning.
7 Israel, put your hope in the Lord, for with the Lord is unfailing love
and with him is full redemption.
8 He himself will redeem Israel from all their sins.

Connect

I’m not going to ask you to share your most hidden, sinful thoughts with this group! However, if you have experienced God’s forgiveness as this paralyzed man did, you too have likely been amazed, and gone home praising God! Does this bring a story to mind that you could share and cause others to be filled with awe and say, “We have seen remarkable things today” (v.26)?

7 Comments

Add Your Comment

Nick Tebordo - March 1st, 2023 at 4:44am

“Lord, I give You my heart-I give You my soul! I live for You alone.” I have sung those words with passion, yet I acknowledge my desires are not always pure. As I open my heart to God this morning, I want to want what He wants. Even as I say that, I can feel the tug inside me to get moving. As imperfect as I am, I surrender the day ahead to You. “This is my desire tho honor You.”

Peg - March 1st, 2023 at 5:23am

This may not be where I should be riding at this time and I do have so much inside my heart that I can think of. But I have to say thank you so much Kaitlyn for posting these every day. I find myself waking up at 4 AM anticipating the chime on my phone to go off so I can read this. Even some days when the pain at night is so bad that I barely get an hour sleep but that’s neither here nor there. I am so grateful to be able to get up and read these.Forever two or more gathered and I know that there are more than two people that are reading these and I actually at that moment feel a part of something beautiful. Thank you

Kaitlyn Wood - March 1st, 2023 at 7:06pm

Peg - I am so glad you're able to connect with us every day. <3

David Edelstein - March 1st, 2023 at 5:39am

Even the greatest of Jesus's healings such as recalling Lazarus from the dead after four days only lasted for a time until he died again. However, this restored Lazarus who was set free had an opportunity to commune with Jesus which is the greatest gift.

Tom Nygren - March 1st, 2023 at 5:47am

I'm always struck by the line: "When Jesus saw THEIR faith", referring to the man's friends. It gives me hope for friends and family that we try to bring to Jesus. But even so, we see even more clearly here that the physical healing was only a sign pointing to what he, and we, really need, which is heart-healing. May we grow in our faith to trust Jesus to heal what we really need, which may not always be what we think it is. And may we never forget or take lightly the amazing forgiveness he offers us.

Melody - March 1st, 2023 at 7:35am

Tom, this is also what I noticed today. It encourages me to keep praying for my friends and family members who need physical, spiritual, and emotional healing.

Janet Nygren - March 1st, 2023 at 7:21am

This is a pretty minor story, but its impact has stuck with me. I remember a time I had signed up to bring a meal to some friends after they had a baby. It's something that blessed me when I had my children, so I was eager to help others in the same way. But on this particular occasion I completely forgot I had signed up until they called to check on me. I felt SO bad and was beating myself up for dropping the ball. They were gracious and got a pizza--it didn't impact our friendship in any way. But I was still regretting my (lack of) action. Suddenly it occurred to me that this was what forgiveness was about. There was absolutely nothing I could do to undo the past, but Jesus releases me from any debt, loves me for who I am, and allows me to move forward without guilt or shame. I accepted his gift of forgiveness and moved on, better for the lesson I had learned.