Jesus Saves

                                                                                                                                         Pg.1
                                           Jesus Heals a paralytic

Luke 5:17  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."

Finding Jesus:
In vs. 17 Jesus is visiting in someone’s home or in a public place. this was not uncommon for Jesus at this time, as he was teaching, healing, and spreading the word of God before the people at every opportunity. In this instance Jesus was there teaching and healing the sick. And yet there were those there just to observe, who did not approve of his work, and wanted to see him stopped.  This is the message that God gives us as his servants. Go and serve.

Q.1 Was it Jesus’ custom to do this teaching and healing wherever he went?
Q.2 And had it become well known by now that this is what he was doing?
Q.3 We know by now what attracted most of the people, but what attracted his enemies?
Q.4 Were there those who were against Jesus, yet came to see miracles and hear his message?
Q.5 So why was he being scrutinized so closely by the Teachers, Scribes and Pharisees?

Jesus is accessible:
In vs. 18&19 Jesus is now surrounded by the crowds that follow him. So much so that he becomes inaccessible to some who are crippled and infirm.  And these individuals want to be near him for their healing. This presents a problem so they began to devise methods and ways to gain access to him by any means possible. In this instance, we see a very innovative way that is devised to do that. One should use any means possible to have access to God through Jesus. He is the way the truth and the light, listen to him, and learn from him at any cost.

Q.1 What was it that drove the paralyzed man to seek Jesus?
Q.2 And do our infirmities also drive us to seek Jesus?
Q.3 Would this man have sought out Jesus had he not been paralyzed?
Q.4 Were some in the crowd just there because they were curious?
Q.5 Do some of us “Christians” come just out of curiosity? Christmas, Easter, and Mothers day.

Jesus heals the paralytic:                                                                                  Pg.2
In vs.20 the paralytic is placed in close proximity to Jesus by his faithful friends who worked to get him to Jesus, and Jesus was impressed by that act  So much so that Jesus then pronounces his sins are forgiven. It is very unlikely that Jesus would have offered forgiveness unless He had known that it was yearned for. But whether that is so or not, we may fairly consider that Jesus knows our hearts, and he knew this man needed forgiveness and  what Jesus then gave first is His chief gift. In most of His other miracles He gave bodily healing first.  This was enough to cause Satan to be furious I am sure. But here was this man finding a way to be with Jesus in spite of the odds. But as expressed in verse 21, there are those who feel that Jesus was wrong in what he was doing. Helped by friends. We should all have that kind of friend should we not? The type of friend that can deliver our salvation, the type of friend that we find in Jesus

Q.1 Was it this mans sin that prompted his wanting to be near Jesus?
Q.2 What was it that caused Jesus to pronounce that the man’s sins were forgiven?
Q.3 When this was heard by the Pharisees and the teachers of the law what was their reaction?
Q.4 Why do you suppose that some are moved with compassion at Jesus acts, and some are not?
Q.5 What has Jesus done for me lately?

In vs. 22 thru 24, Jesus gets directly to the heart of the doubters and puts a question to them which when considered, is the answer that should be obvious to them.  Jesus has no time for doubters and nay Sayers   He then explains by what authority he does these things. And that which he wants them to know and not doubt is true. He is the Son of Man and he can and does forgive sin in an individual if one is desiring to receive it, and to heal that same person by a very simple command. They failed to recognize that Christ was God. So, He then makes a point of showing them that it's just as easy for Him to heal a body as it is to forgive sins. He then solidifies His position by healing the man, proving that He does have power over the physical, removing their doubt of his power over the spiritual. Then he commanded the man to get up, take his bed and go home.
Jesus is willing to do as he has said, forgive our sin and heal our broken and crippled lives.  He is our hope and salvation and through no one else can our sins be forgiven, and eternal joy be ours, except it be through Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior.

Q.1 How did Jesus know what the Pharisees and teachers were thinking?
Q.2 Does this world today have questions about Jesus’ authority?
Q.3 How are this worlds doubts and questions manifested ?
Q.4 What is there in Jesus’ words that he wants the doubters to know?
Q.5 Do we as Christians also have lives over which The Son of Man has authority?









Jesus makes his point:                                                                                          Pg.3
In vs 25 & 26 we are told of the results of this encounter with Jesus. This mans sins were forgiven, he was healed, and he left there a changed man. This was a miracle which Jesus used to drive home a point. Not only can He the Son of God forgive sins, he can and did heal this man in their presence.

 Are there other aspects of this encounter with Jesus we should discuss?
The four friends who burdened themselves to bring this man to Jesus here were spared their hard work ever after, never again would this man be unto them a burden.. This is the first manifestation of spiritual strength in the carrying honestly our own share of life’s responsibilities! Secondly, we shall glorify God through our spiritual powers. We shall praise him for his loving-kindness and tender mercy towards us. And lastly, we shall lead others to fear and to glorify God too. Hence the great importance of getting rid of spiritual paralysis and of rising into the exercise of spiritual power. We should also learn distinctly from this miracle what possibilities lie awaiting intercessory prayer and disinterested faith. We may do much in bringing helpless souls to Jesus, that they may be healed by him. He is able to do much for our friends as well as for ourselves, and the joy of bringing others to Christ is only exceeded by the joy of coming ourselves. Let us keep coming to Jesus for ourselves and with others, and strange and blessed experiences shall still be ours.

Q.1 Were the lives of those, his friends, who brought him to see Jesus, affected in any way?
Q.2 What effect if any did this event have on the doubters?
Q.3 What affect did this compassionate act of Jesus have on those who do not doubt.
Q.4 Are there words that Jesus spoke that resonate with us today?
Friend, your sins are forgiven."
Why are you thinking these things in your hearts?
Get up and walk'
I want you to know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins
















                                                                                                                         Pg.4
Meditation:
In this Scripture, we glimpse how the encounter with Christ can strengthen us with power through his Spirit in our inner being, so that Christ may dwell in our hearts through faith…and that we may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.” May that be our personal mission statement. God has plans for our life, and the lives of our loved ones. Our life is God’s gift to us, It may be filled with more hardships than we think we can possibly bear at times. That is when we rely on the faith we have gained in times of communion with Christ. God desires that we have a relationship with his Son, He desires for us to listen to him and learn from him, Our choice is to try to say “yes” not just when loving and trusting are easy, but even when it is very difficult and scary, and we desperately need him to respond. We are never alone. We are ever loved beyond all measure. But we need to be aware and certainly never underestimate what Jesus can do in our life if given an opportunity. He can do Miracles.
This was from the point of view of us in the world, the statement "your sins are forgiven" is easier to say. However, in actuality, the statement "get up and walk" is easier to say. There is no moral reason why God should not give someone special healing power to heal paralytics. In fact, the twelve apostles, and many prophets, of the Bible were given special healing powers at times. Paul even raised someone from the dead. However, no one except God has the authority to forgive sins. When we sin, we sin against God, and so only God can forgive sins. In God’s truth, the statement "your sins are forgiven" is the more difficult statement to say, because it could only be said by God Himself. Moreover, God’s plan of atonement for sin entailed that sins could only be forgiven through blood sacrifice. Ultimately, for Jesus to be able to forgive our sins, He had to come into the world as a man, and then die on the cross for our sins. Certainly, when this is taken into consideration, the cost, for Jesus, of being able to say, "Your sins are forgiven", was much greater than any physical toll from healing the paralytic. The bottom line is, then, that both statements are exceedingly difficult to say. None of the two by any means is "easy" to say. Both works—healing the paralytic, and forgiving his sins—were recognized by the witnesses as the work of God. Both were impossible for men, in and of themselves. And so, since the healing of the paralytic would be so clearly a work of God, Jesus used it as a proof that He had the authority to forgive sins. For, why would God give Jesus the ability to heal the paralytic if He preceded the healing by blaspheming God by erroneously stating that the paralytic’s sins were forgiven? As Jesus put it: "‘But so that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins…’ Then He said to the paralytic, ‘Get up, take your mat and go home.’ And the man got up and went home" This was the proof that Jesus can forgive sins.
Indeed, Jesus Saves                                              








Opening Prayer:                                                                                                         Pg.4

Father God, we come to study about Your Son, Our Lord Jesus Christ whom we believe with all our heart is our Savior. We understand that there are people and places in this world where His presence is  anticipated, and welcomed. Our study today takes us to one of those places. We ask that no word be spoken here tonight which might be contrary to your will.  Bless those who are here tonight with the perfect understanding of those things which You would have us learn from this study. Bless our brothers and sisters in Christ who need your healing touch, give them reassurance that even though you are not present in body, you are most certainly with us in spirit. Offer them your healing Spirit as you truly are there with them. We ask this in the name of Jesus Amen


Our study today shows Jesus in a discourse with a very prominent man who beseeches Jesus to go with him to heal his dying son. Jesus is indeed our healer, he redeems, forgives, heals, leads, and directs our lives if we but take the time to ask and believe that he can do as he says. All we need is to trust in him and do as he says. This man came to Jesus with an urgent need, Jesus answered his need and deepened his relationship with him. As a result the man’s son was healed and Jesus never even touched him, indeed never even saw him or even knew his name. Jesus can do miracles, we just need to trust him at his word.


Closing Prayer:
Father God,  be with us now as we leave this place. May we carry with us your blessing as we continue in our efforts to live the life of a disciple of Jesus Christ. We pray for your continued watch over our loved ones and those among us who need your healing hand to touch them in their time of distress. Some are ill some are conflicted, all need your healing power. We pray now that  we will have Your guidance as we continue in our day to day living. It is in Jesus name we pray, AMEN