You Are Forgiven
March 2nd, 2009 • Posted in Messages/Sermons • 1,320 viewsLuke Lesson 15 (2009)
YOU ARE FORGIVEN
Luke 5:17-26
Key Verse: 5:20
“When Jesus saw their faith, he said, ‘Friend, your sins are forgiven.’”
A newspaper reported the tragic story of the drowning of an eight-year old boy, named Jason. He had been accompanied by three friends, who said that he had slipped into the pond. They said they thought he was playing a trick on them. Two years passed, and then the truth was revealed when the fifteen-year-old boy who pushed Jason into the water confessed his guilt to a friend. Soon the police became involved. In those two years one of the three boys began crying frequently after Jason’s death and had to sleep with his mother. The second one, an eighteen-year-old, was fired from his job because he would stay home from work on days when he felt angry and disgusted about telling a lie to protect his friend. The third boy, a thirteen-year-old, started hearing voices and seeing visions and barely talked to his parents. He later entered a hospital for emotionally disturbed children. Guilt is a very strong feeling which affects us almost every aspect of our life, emotionally, mentally, physically, socially and spiritually. No matter how noble our reputation is, we all have areas of shame and guilt which we hope no one may discover. The only lasting solution to a guilty conscience is the forgiveness of God.
In today’s passage, Jesus declares that he has authority on earth to forgive sins. In fact, he was declaring that he was the Messiah. His declaration stirred up a great controversy and resistance among the religious leaders in Israel. Yet, Jesus demonstrated his authority to forgive sins by healing the paralyzed man. When Jesus said to the paralyzed man “Get up, take your mat and go home”, he immediately stood up in front of everyone, took his mat and went home praising God. I hope and pray that through Jesus, we may accept God’s forgiveness and experience God’s healing in our lives emotionally, spiritually, socially and even physically.
Look at verse 17. “One day as he was teaching, Pharisees and teachers of the law, who had come from every village of Galilee and from Judea and Jerusalem, were sitting there. And the power of the Lord was present for him to heal the sick.” According to Mark’s account, this event occurred in the place where Jesus used to stay in Capernaum. (Mk 2:1) While Jesus was teaching the word of God to the crowd, Pharisees and teachers of the law also came to hear what he was teaching. This is the first appearance of Pharisees and teachers of the law in Luke’s gospel. What kind of people were they? The Pharisees were one of the religious parties in Judaism in Jesus’ time, and the others were Sadducees, Zealots and Essenes. Unlike the Sadducees who were mostly priests, the Pharisees were lay people who were involved in the separatist movement that emphasized the strict observance of the Mosaic Law. This movement started because they believed that their ancestors were exiled into Babylon because of their failure to the observance of the law of God. Some of them were doctors of the law. Their primary concern was “Is it lawful or unlawful?” They developed many traditions and regulations to establish how the Law should be applied. They were extremely legalistic. Before Saint Paul was converted, he was a Pharisee.
Apparently, these men of high religious status came to investigate Jesus and see whether or not his teachings and deeds were acceptable to their standards based on the law of God. They examined Jesus’ every movement and every single word as they were sitting near him. The atmosphere was very tense. But Luke says something very interesting, “the power of the Lord was present for him to heal the sick.” (17b) What does “the power of the Lord was present for him” mean? Wasn’t Jesus always supposed to be able to heal the sick? If that was the case, why did Luke have to say “the power of the Lord was present for him to heal the sick”? We don’t have an exact answer to this question. But we can see that Jesus’ healing power didn’t come from himself but God’s Spirit. Jesus always depended on the power of God’s Spirit whenever he did miraculous healing. That’s what he also said in the synagogue in his home town Nazareth: “The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to preach good news to the poor…” (4:18) This shows that Jesus was always in communion with God the Father and God the Spirit. At this particular moment, the power of the Lord was present for Jesus to heal the sick.
Look at verses 18-19. Some men came carrying a paralyzed man on a mattress, trying to take him into the house to lay him before Jesus. But the house was already jam-packed with so many people. Many sick people were already inside the house, waiting for their turn to be touched by Jesus. When these friends couldn’t find a way to bring the man to Jesus, they did something extremely radical. They went up to the roof of the house, took off some tiles and lowered the man down in the middle of the crowd, right in front of Jesus. Some people could have been offended by their extreme and unacceptable behavior. Imagine that if some guys made an opening in the roof of our church building and lowered a sick person down in front of the podium while I am giving the message. How would you respond to them? We would all react. Someone would dial 911. We wouldn’t even have time to analyze their behavior. We would be offended and greatly disturbed.
What was Jesus’ response? Look at verse 20. “When Jesus saw their faith…” What did Jesus see? Jesus saw their faith. This is a surprising statement. In spite of all that had happened, Jesus saw faith in them. People who were there didn’t see what Jesus saw. When things happen, we mostly do not see what Jesus sees. People see things differently from one another. We also see what we want to see. But what Jesus sees is different from what most of us want to see. He sees something deep inside. Jesus sees our faith. How could these men have faith? Perhaps, they had heard about Jesus’ healing of many sick people, especially how he had compassion for the man who was covered with leprosy and was healed. That healing was a sensational miracle that raised the eyebrows of Jewish religious leaders. But to the friends of the paralyzed man, this event demonstrated Jesus’ messianic power and mercy. They believed that Jesus was not only able but also willing to heal their sick friend. They believed that they would not be put to shame. So they dared to do what they did.
These men also had such a wonderful friendship with the man who otherwise would have remained paralyzed until he died. They thought that the only way for this man to be healed was to be brought to Jesus even though it meant offending a lot of people. But they decided to bring their friend to Jesus so that he could be healed and live a new life. Even though the way they came to Jesus was offensive to many others, Jesus saw faith in them. Of course, it does not mean that it’s okay for us to ignore social justice and certain rules of life. We are to honor the law of God and keep the rules and regulations in society. But under certain circumstances, we might not be able to avoid offending people and acting against social norms and traditions if we want to save our friends, like these men in the passage. After all, what is the main purpose of God’s law, to save life or to destroy it?
People thought that these guys were intruders and troublemakers who deserved punishment. What did Jesus do? Jesus didn’t teach the crowd morals or ethics as to how they should behave better. Instead, he said to the paralyzed man something totally unexpected. Instead of saying to the man “Be healed”, Jesus said to him, “Friend, your sins are forgiven!” When Jesus said “Friend, your sins are forgiven!” he was definitely implying that there was connection between this man’s paralysis and sin. Of course, it does not mean all paralysis is the result of sin. Some are paralyzed because of accidents. But Jesus saw that this man’s paralysis was due to his sin. Perhaps, this man had done something so terrible that he could not forgive himself and suffered so much with guilt, anger and fear and that he eventually became paralyzed emotionally, mentally, spiritually, socially and even physically.
There was a Vietnam War veteran who had not been functioning for years. When the doctors examined his body, they could not find any significant medial problem in his body. But the fact is that in the course of his duty in Vietnam this man had been responsible for the deaths of many people. After listening to this man’s story, the hospital staff felt convinced that his illness was the result of his inability to forgive himself. One day the psychiatrist, who happened to be a Christian, came in and asked to see this particular patient. He went into this man’s room, sat on the bed and said, “Mr. Richard, I want to tell you that your sins are forgiven.” “What? What did you say?” asked the patient. The doctor continued, “I have the authority to tell you through Jesus Christ that your sins are forgiven.” At first it was hard for the man to accept God’s forgiveness. But that exchange marked the beginning of healing, and the patient is now back functioning in society.
We don’t know the whole story of the paralyzed man in the passage. Some people don’t feel guilty even after they have done terrible things. Perhaps this man was so sincere that he felt guilty after he had done something he shouldn’t have done. He felt so condemned that he could not forgive himself. A sense of guilt and shame overshadowed him and began to paralyze him emotionally and mentally and even socially. Maybe he even attempted suicide. And one day he was not able to move at all. What he needed was God’s forgiveness. What a heavenly message that Jesus said to the paralyzed man, “Friend, your sins are forgiven.”
Listening to what Jesus had just said, the Pharisees and the teachers of the law couldn’t believe their ears. They were greatly offended by Jesus’ words and began thinking to themselves, “Who is this fellow who speaks blasphemy? Who can forgive sins but God alone?” (21) What they were saying was absolutely correct. Only God has authority to forgive sins. So if Jesus said that he had authority on earth to forgive sins, he was claiming to be God Himself. If Jesus didn’t have authority to forgive sins, he was guilty of blasphemy. According to the Jewish law, it was a serious crime that deserved the death penalty. Obviously, Jesus was fully aware that if he didn’t prove himself to be the one with authority to forgive sins, it was quite possible for him to be stoned to death right there.
Look at verse 22-25. Knowing what they were thinking, Jesus asked, “Why are you thinking these things in your hearts? Which is easier: to say, ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or to say, ‘Get up and walk’? But that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins…” He said to the paralyzed man, ‘I tell you, get up, take your mat and go home.’ Immediately he stood up in front of them, took what he had been lying on and went home praising God.” By healing the paralyzed man, Jesus proved himself to be the one with the authority of forgiveness of sin. The grace of forgiveness of sins is indeed amazing news, the good news of great joy that will be for all people.
People in Jesus’ time expected the Messiah in many different forms. Some wanted the Messiah to solve their bread problem, some wanted the Messiah to give them political freedom and social justice and so on. In fact, the Messiah is able to meet all our needs. However, the most fundamental work of the Messiah would be the redemption of fallen humankind from their sins. The Lord said to the people of Israel when they were in exile in Babylon, “Come now, let us reason together. Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow, though they are red as crimson, they shall be like wool.” (Isaiah 1:20) David was a king when he committed adultery and murder. Even though he lived in a great mansion, he was not happy when his conscience was constantly bothered by guilt and shame. He could have rationalized himself. But it didn’t work. He cried out for the forgiveness of sins in Psalm 51:1-2 and 7 reads, “Have mercy on me, O God, according to your unfailing love; according to your great compassion blot out my transgressions. Wash away all my iniquity and cleanse me from my sin…Cleanse me with hyssop, and I will clean; wash me, and I will be whiter than snow.”
According to the Prophet Isaiah, the Messiah who was supposed to come is portrayed as a suffering servant and a sacrificial lamb who would take away all our sins. Isaiah 53:4-7 read, “Surely he took up our infirmities and carried our sorrows, yet we considered him stricken by God, smitten by him, and afflicted. But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon him, and by his wounds we are healed. We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to his own way; and the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all.” Jesus came to this world to save sinners. The good news he preached was forgiveness of sins, freedom for the prisoners, recovery of sight for the blind, liberation from the oppressed. Jesus came to proclaim God’s grace, grace that is far greater than all our sins. The healing of the paralyzed man demonstrated Jesus’ authority on earth to forgive sins as the Son of Man, the Messiah.
In fact, I have never heard of anyone among the great men and women in history, except Jesus Christ, who claimed to have authority to forgive men’s sins. So when people saw what happened to the paralyzed man, they were so amazed and gave praise to God saying, “We have seen remarkable things today.” Jesus’ words “Friend, your sins are forgiven” apply not only to this man but also to everyone who is paralyzed by guilt and shame. As the Spirit of God was the source of Jesus’ healing power, so the same Spirit who dwells in us is the source of healing power among us. God the Father – the Creator, God the Son – the Redeemer and God the Holy Spirit – the Transformer work together in us.
A lady was having an affair. Since she was a believer, she felt even more convicted of her sin, and the burden of guilt was unbearable. One day she wandered into the woods to think and pray about her broken and crumbling life. She poured out her bitterness and frustration to God and described her disastrous life to him. As she stood silent and still before the Lord she had a vision. She saw a broken vessel representing her life. Into the picture came Jesus. Tenderly Jesus stooped and carefully picked up the broken pieces, as if every piece was precious. With skill Jesus put the vessel together. In her vision the woman saw Jesus hold the flawless vessel up to her. That vision was a promise to the woman of the forgiveness and healing of Jesus that enabled her to turn her back on the sin in her life and start all over again.
Our lives are broken because we either hurt others or are hurt by others. Unfortunately, these undesirable relationships go on and on everywhere. Many peoples’ lives are paralyzed by the power of sin, guilt and shame, bitterness and anger. But we don’t need to allow all this negativity continue to ruin our precious life and relationships. We need forgiveness. How much we need to hear “Your sins are forgiven.” Jesus our Lord and Savior suffered and died on the cross as the atonement for our sins. Now, we don’t need to hesitate to claim God’s grace of forgiveness, and we can start a new life and new relationship with Him. We don’t need to hesitate to say to anyone around you, “You are forgiven!” What a glorious and liberating message from heaven through our Lord Jesus Christ! Through the grace of forgiveness, this healing can take place in every aspect of our lives. Are you living in the grace of forgiveness or in guilt and shame? You need to hear Jesus’ words, “Friend, your sins are forgiven.” Are you still holding grudges against somebody? Set them free. Guilt is powerful but forgiveness is much more powerful. God’s grace of forgiveness is far greater than all our sins. It heals us from paralysis. God sent Jesus to this world to save sinners. Jesus said, “Friend, your sins are forgiven.” Why don’t we say to ourselves “I am forgiven.” And turn to your neighbor and say, “You are forgiven.”
