Luke 5:12–26

Luke 5:12–26

¹² While Jesus was in one of the towns, a man came along who was covered with leprosy. When he saw Jesus, he fell with his face to the ground and begged him, “Lord, if you are willing, you can make me clean.”

¹³ Jesus reached out his hand and touched the man. “I am willing,” he said. “Be clean!” And immediately the leprosy left him.

¹⁴ Then Jesus ordered him, “Don’t tell anyone, but go, show yourself to the priest and offer the sacrifices that Moses commanded for your cleansing, as a testimony to them.”

¹⁵ Yet the news about him spread all the more, so that crowds of people came to hear him and to be healed of their sicknesses. ¹⁶ But Jesus often withdrew to lonely places and prayed.

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.”

Holy Interdependence

Living in a culture that seems more and more committed to an individualistic approach to life and the pervasive influence of individual rights etc., the concept of group influences on how a person lives seems less and less dominant. The old adage “It takes a village to raise a child” carries less and less currency. I would argue this tendency is finding its way into the church as well. The impact that individuals allow the Church, the Body of Christ, to have on our spiritual development feels like it is on the decline. Christian spirituality and growth reside in the realm of the personal; it’s about ‘me and Jesus.’ Yet God’s intent was that his children live interdependently. We really do need each other.

This passage from Luke is an excellent illustration of what this could and should actually look like. We read of a wonderful healing that Jesus graciously performed (parallel accounts can be found Matthew 9:2-8 and Mark 2:1-12). Jesus’ teaching ministry had gained such popularity that on this occasion, the place where he ministered was so crowded that there was no access to Jesus. Into this mass of people, four men attempted to get their paralytic friend to Jesus. Their desperation led them to a creative, if not somewhat destructive, maneuver that placed their needy friend literally at the feet of Jesus. One can only imagine the shock, even distress, among those present as dust from the roof above them started descending on Jesus and the crowd, only to be followed by a man’s crippled body being lowered into their presence. One of the most amazing statements included in all three gospel accounts is this: “And when he saw their faith, he said ‘Man your sins are forgiven you.’”

Notice that it did NOT say, “When he saw the man’s faith …” Arguably, the paralytic man exercised faith, even if only in his friends to carry him into Jesus’ presence. But it strikes me as very significant that it was the faith of these friends that drew Jesus’ attention. Their faith was determined and demonstrative. Their faith was made visible to Jesus through their actions, and it moved Jesus to act on behalf of their friend. Jesus’ statement to the man clearly indicated that his fundamental need was beyond that of his physical condition, although it did indeed include that. Jesus first of dealt with the condition of his heart—his need for the forgiveness of his sins—then addressed his physical need. Some questioned whether or not this indicated that the man’s paralytic condition was a result of some sinful activity. None of the three gospel accounts give any indication that such was the case. The friends who brought their friend to Jesus wanted to see him walk again, and they were convinced Jesus could make that happen.

There are a number of principles that can be applied to our spiritual lives from this scenario, but I will focus on one in particular. The paralytic man in this story was completely incapable of getting himself to Jesus on his own. However, he was fortunate enough to have friends who were willing to become his hands and feet, and to do all they could to get him there. This illustrates what it means to be a part of the Body of Christ, the Church. There are going to be times in all of our lives when we may feel like that man on the mat, helpless, seemingly incapable of moving forward, perhaps even resigned to live our lives ‘on the mat’ as it were. It is in these times that the fellowship and support of other believers are so pivotal. It is in these times that we need to be willing to admit to a few close friends that we are not well, that we are, in fact, in desperate need of their help and their faith.

One of the unfortunate consequences of the pandemic has been a residual tendency among some to live apart from the community of faith. Some have grown far too comfortable with worshipping online, in the comfort of our own homes. The assumption that we can live our Christian lives on our own—just Jesus and me—is misguided, and it has the potential to undermine the very essence of what it means to be the Church. I had a teacher who once said: “I may not need the Church to become a Christian, but I could not be the Christian I have become without the Church.”

There will also be times when we find ourselves in the position of these friends. We may have loved ones who, for all intents and purposes, are like this paralytic man, incapable or unwilling to get themselves to Jesus, the only one who can truly bring relief and meaning. Many of us as parents know what it is like to have a child who is essentially paralyzed by an addiction or fear or an insatiable appetite for more. We know the last thing they need is a sermon or scolding. Like the friends in this story, all we can do is lay our kids and our loved ones at the feet of Jesus. Every day as a parent, with a faith like those desperate, determined friends, we need to lay our children at the feet of Jesus, and know with all our heart that he wants to see them whole even more than we do; that he loves them more than we ever could, and that he is always working, whether or not we see it or believe it.

I wonder where you might find yourself today—on the mat, paralyzed, without faith, or like one of those friends, holding on desperately to the corner of the mat of a friend or loved one. The result of this wonderful, desperate effort that these friends exercised on behalf of their friend was that people were amazed and praised God. The friends were not the ones who received the glory, nor was it the paralytic man. It was God to whom all the glory belongs.

Questions for Reflection:

1. Who in your life would be like these friends? Who would you be willing to let know when you are down, feeling paralyzed?
2. Who do you know personally who would be like the paralytic man in this story? In what ways do you think God may be nudging you to become involved in their lives?
3. When have you found yourself ‘on the mat’ like the paralytic man? How did you come through that experience?
4. When have you found yourself in the position of the friends? How would you assess your response then?
5. What has God been saying to you through this account? What are you going to do about it?

Author Bio

Born to missionary parents in Chad Africa, Bill grew up in a pastor’s home in Toronto. After serving on pastoral teams for over 15 years in Ontario and Saskatchewan, he served on the faculty of Canadian Bible College/Canadian Theological Seminary in Regina and Ambrose University in Calgary from 1993 to 2019 when he retired. Bill received his PhD from Aberdeen University (Scotland) and has published two books: Sacred Space for the Missional Church, and Four Essential Loves: Heart Readiness for Life and Ministry, both by Wipf & Stock Publishers. He and his wife, Heather celebrated their 50th anniversary in September 2024 and have four married children with six grandchildren.

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Luke and Acts taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc. Used with permission. All rights reserved worldwide. The “NIV”, “New International Version”, “Biblica”, “International Bible Society” and the Biblica Logo are trademarks registered in the United States Patent and Trademark Office by Biblica, Inc. Used with permission.