17 On one of those days while he was teaching, Pharisees and teachers of the law were sitting there who had come from every village of Galilee and Judea, and also from Jerusalem. And the Lord’s power to heal was in him.
18 Just then some men came, carrying on a stretcher a man who was paralyzed. They tried to bring him in and set him down before him.
19 Since they could not find a way to bring him in because of the crowd, they went up on the roof and lowered him on the stretcher through the roof tiles into the middle of the crowd before Jesus.
20 Seeing their faith he said, “Friend, your sins are forgiven.”
21 Then the scribes and the Pharisees began to think to themselves, “Who is this man who speaks blasphemies? Who can forgive sins but God alone?”
22 But perceiving their thoughts, Jesus replied to them, “Why are you thinking this in your hearts?
23 Which is easier: to say, ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or to say, ‘Get up and walk’?
24 But so that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins”—he told the paralyzed man, “I tell you: Get up, take your stretcher, and go home.”
25 Immediately he got up before them, picked up what he had been lying on, and went home glorifying God.
26 Then everyone was astounded, and they were giving glory to God. And they were filled with awe and said, “We have seen incredible things today.”
Commentary
What we may learn from this passage:
- Other scripture passages concerning Jesus and teaching or healing indicate when the day of the week is the Sabbath. V.17 simply says "one of those days." Our instruction, if we are to follow Jesus, is to do the Lord's work every day of the week, not only on the Sabbath.
- The Pharisees and teachers of the law were present, but not necessarily sitting at Jesus' feet, eager to learn from Him. Their hearts were hardened and they were unbelieving. Many in this world are unbelieving due to the condition of their hearts. The Pharisees believed they were doing the right thing. We ought to regularly check our thoughts against scripture. We may be deceiving ourselves into thinking we are doing/thinking/saying the right thing, when in fact we are in error and need to correct.
- Friends and family should go above and beyond to bring the Good News to the unsaved in our circles.
- Our own faith could probably use some strengthening.
- Jesus has the power to forgive our sins and heal us from our infirmities. Jesus also has the power to perceive our thoughts. He knows our sins. He knows our pain. He knows our weaknesses. Yet, still He wants to bring restoration to our lives. Jesus is compassionate, not condemning.
- We must always remember to give glory to God. This affects out heart condition, restores and strengthens our relationship with God, and gives witness to Who we serve.
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