Your Sins are Forgiven You

Introduction

A few weeks ago, the adult Sunday School class were assigned a task: put a 48 piece puzzle together in under 7 minutes. There were three puzzles and three tables with various persons at each table. Two of the three tables had puzzle-people at them. Puzzle-people are a rare breed. They can almost hone in on the piece they need like a metal-detector on the beach. The third table, which was coincidentally all male, had no puzzle-person at it. The first table had their puzzle together in about a minute and a half. The second in about three minutes. Coming in third was the all-male table and they got it in about 6 and a half minutes. So they still finished in time.

This morning, we’re putting a puzzle together. Thankfully, it is not a large one, but it has massive implications for us. There are only five pieces to this puzzle that Luke has put together for us. What we’re doing today is breaking apart the pieces and looking at them and then putting it back together as we go. In the end, we’re going to see a picture of Jesus that we have seen many times, but have probably forgotten just as many times if not more. The first piece of the puzzle is the crowd. The second is the companions, the third is the controversy. The fourth piece is the clarification. Finally, the commotion.

The Crowd

The Companions

The Controversy

The Clarification

The Commotion

Luke 5:17–26 ESV

On one of those days, as he was teaching, Pharisees and teachers of the law were sitting there, who had come from every village of Galilee and Judea and from Jerusalem. And the power of the Lord was with him to heal. And behold, some men were bringing on a bed a man who was paralyzed, and they were seeking to bring him in and lay him before Jesus, but finding no way to bring him in, because of the crowd, they went up on the roof and let him down with his bed through the tiles into the midst before Jesus. And when he saw their faith, he said, “Man, your sins are forgiven you.” And the scribes and the Pharisees began to question, saying, “Who is this who speaks blasphemies? Who can forgive sins but God alone?” When Jesus perceived their thoughts, he answered them, “Why do you question in your hearts? Which is easier, to say, ‘Your sins are forgiven you,’ or to say, ‘Rise and walk’? But that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins”—he said to the man who was paralyzed—“I say to you, rise, pick up your bed and go home.” And immediately he rose up before them and picked up what he had been lying on and went home, glorifying God. And amazement seized them all, and they glorified God and were filled with awe, saying, “We have seen extraordinary things today.”

The Crowd

The first piece of the puzzle that Luke set in place for us is the piece involving the crowd. If we’re not careful, we overlook what Luke has told us about this crowd. This is not the normal crowd that has flocked to Jesus. Normal crowds were made up of regular, everyday people in search of healing and to hear a word from the prophet. Luke tells us that this crowd is different. This crowd is made up of Pharisees and law-teachers. In our day, we might say that the regular crowds are the blue-collar workers, but his crowd is the intelligentsia. These are the professors, the rabbis and experts. These men were coming to hear from Jesus.

And they were coming from everywhere. Luke tells us they came from all the villages in Galilee and Judea and even from Jerusalem. Surely, he was exaggerating some here. There were 2400 villages in Galilee alone. So if only 1 Pharisee or law-teacher came from each village and only from Galilee, there’d be 2400+ of them. Then you’d have to add Judea and Jerusalem as well. On top of that there were about 6,000 Pharisees according to historic records. But if we took 10% of that number, we’re looking at hundreds of these intelligentsia coming to Jesus to hear from him. And their crowding into a house.

That being said, this is no camp meeting for people to get healed at; this was a conference for theologians. Luke points out that even though this is a meeting of the minds, Jesus still has the power to heal, in a foreshadow of things to come. But no one is there for healing. They are only there to hear from this great teacher that has taken Galilee by storm.

And it is important to note that these are made up of Pharisees and law-teachers for a couple of reasons. First, most law-teachers were Pharisees. Some were not, but most were. Secondly, they believed in what we would consider to be the entire Old Testament. They believed and were experts in the Torah - The Law, The Nevi’im - The Prophets, and The Ketuvim - The Writings. If you take the first three letters of each of those Hebrew words, you get the TNK or the Tanakh, which is the exact same thing as what we call the Old Testament. This is critical to understanding something later in the text. There are no Sadducees in this meeting. The Sadducees did not believe in any book outside the first five books of the Bible. Lastly, the Pharisees were all over Galilee, Judea, and in Jerusalem as well, just as Luke reported. Sadducees lived in Jerusalem for the most part. Some may have lived in towns just outside the city, but as they were the priestly class, they stayed around the temple. They did not live too far from the temple.

So as we continue on with the narrative, keep the crowd in mind. This is no small matter as to who makes up the crowd.

The Companions

So the first piece of the puzzle is the crowd made up of Pharisees and law-teachers. The second piece of the puzzle that Luke puts into place are the companions that come to Jesus. These are not part of the intelligentsia. These are your regular old folks. Apparently they did not get the memo that today was a non-healing day. So here they come—one paralytic and a few helpers.

And the way that the text reads, these men are trying to get in to see Jesus, but there is no way through the crowd. Keep in mind that these companions did not “fit in.” The crowd was dense. Everyone was trying to hear what Jesus was saying. There is no way that anyone is going to make room for the likes of these companions, after all, this was not the time or the place for healing.

Have you ever noticed how many times people try to keep other people from Jesus in the Bible? Here is one such a place. But what about the children? What about blind Bartimaeus? Zacchaeus? The prostitute who wept at Jesus’s feet? Sometimes it was the Pharisees keeping them away; sometimes it was the disciples. But it was never Jesus. He always made time for them. Every single one. But it causes me to ask the question: am I keeping people away from Jesus? In all my well-intentioned actions, is part of me trying to keep Jesus for myself by keeping others away from him? Have you ever asked yourself that question?

The companions couldn’t find a way through the crowd as they were blocking their access. So they found a way to circumvent the crowd. On the side of houses, there were typically steps to the roof, but it could be that they found a ladder. They went up on the roof, tore away the tiles, broke through the thatch, and lowered him to Jesus. You know, while Jesus is always available, he is not always easily accessible. R. C. Sproul wrote, “The earnestness of these friends shows us that getting close to Christ is not a casual thing for those who understand their need; they will stop at nothing to come to his presence.” There are many who would say they need Jesus, but at the slightest hint of difficulty they stop short of getting to him. These companions would not be denied access to Jesus even if it meant hoisting their friend up to a roof of a stranger’s house, ripping through the tiles, tying a rope around the man’s cot, and lowering him down, all the while interrupting the conference Jesus was putting on.

The Controversy

This takes us to the next piece in the puzzle. The first was the crowd, the second the companions, and now the controversy. Luke wrote, “Seeing their faith.” It’s important to note that faith is not invisible. Faith is visible. I like how the Christian Standard Bible translators defined faith:

Christian Standard Bible Chapter 11

Now faith is the reality of what is hoped for, the proof of what is not seen

It’s the reality, the proof. In other words, it is visible. Jesus saw the faith of the companions. And having seen it, he knelt to talk with the man. But rather than doing and saying what everyone expected him to do and say, he flipped the script! “Your sins are forgiven you.”

Now, if you’ve been paying attention over the past few months as we’ve been going through Luke, this is the first time that Jesus has ever spoken these types of words. No one else who has been healed had these words uttered to them. What I find interesting is that Jesus waited to declare a man’s sins forgiven until he was in the presence of a vast amount of biblical scholars. Those who were there to hear and learn from Jesus were about to get a lesson they’d never forget!

And it caused a controversy. Stop and think for a moment if this was me saying this to a person. Imagine that a stranger pushes himself into this building on a wheelchair. None of us have ever met him, and no one has talked to him. Imagine me going up to him and saying to him, “Your sins are forgiven you.” Doctrinal bells would be going off all over the room! You’d be saying or thinking the same thing that the Pharisees and scribes were saying.

Luke 5:21 ESV

And the scribes and the Pharisees began to question, saying, “Who is this who speaks blasphemies? Who can forgive sins but God alone?”

You’d want to know: has he made a credible profession of faith? Has he confessed his sins and sought forgiveness? Does he believe in Jesus as the Son of God? So many questions. I can’t just say his sins are forgiven if I’ve never met the guy before! That’s blasphemous! It’s heresy! We’re cool with Jesus saying this because we’re viewing this with Christian glasses on. It’s no big deal to us. But it was huge to them as it was the first time they’d heard such a thing and it went against everything they believed in. Or did it?

The Clarification

Which leads us to the fourth piece of the puzzle. The first is about the crowd, the second the companions, the third the controversy, and now the clarification. In this is the key piece of the puzzle. Back at the beginning of the Gospel According to Luke, Luke wrote that he was writing to Theophilus so he’d have certainty about the things he’d been taught. And here is a key doctrine about Jesus.

The Pharisees are questioning the validity of Jesus’s being able to forgive sins. No one can forgive sins but God. Unless Jesus were God in the flesh, then he could not forgive this man’s sins. Remember, these are Pharisees. They knew their Tanakh—their Old Testament. What they had yet to see or understand was how Jesus fit in with the Scriptures. So Jesus was going to clarify.

He started by asking two simple questions. First, why do you question in your hearts? Verse 21 stated that they were saying these things, but verse 22 make it clear that they were saying these things internally, not externally. Jesus heard the questions of their hearts. I don’t think this is a harsh rebuke by Jesus. It’s more of a mild rebuke. So far, the Pharisees are on friendly terms—at least in Luke’s account. Jesus heard the questions of their hearts. Why not just ask him? Why keep these thoughts pent up inside?

But his second question was a clarifying question. Which is easier to say your sins are forgiven or to say rise up and walk? The answer is easy. It’s easier to say your sins are forgiven. No proof is necessary to say it happened. No one would ever know. But if Jesus were to order the man to rise up and walk, well now there is some tangible evidence. So the latter part is tougher than the first. But it’s the latter part that gives clarification and evidence to the first.

Luke 5:24 ESV

But that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins”—he said to the man who was paralyzed—“I say to you, rise, pick up your bed and go home.”

When you read verse 24, you’ll notice that Son of Man is capitalized. It’s in every major translation that way. It doesn’t matter if you’re reading the ESV, NASB, CSB, NLT, or what, you’re going to see that capitalized because it is a title, a very specific title. And this is why it is so important to remember the crowd. These are Pharisees and not Sadducees. They believed and knew all of the Scriptures, including the Writings of which Daniel was one. And in Daniel 7, we read about an interesting dream. Daniel sees animals coming and going. First was a lion with eagles wings. Then a bear with ribs in its teeth. Next was a leopard with four wings. Finally, there’s a terrible beast with iron teeth. Each animal representing the terrible governments and kingdoms of the world. Then the scene changes and he sees heaven. The Ancient of Days—God—was sitting on his throne. So while it seemed that the governments were in charge, it was God who was truly ruling. And as he sat there ruling and judging, we read these words:

Daniel 7:13–14 ESV

“I saw in the night visions, and behold, with the clouds of heaven there came one like a son of man, and he came to the Ancient of Days and was presented before him. And to him was given dominion and glory and a kingdom, that all peoples, nations, and languages should serve him; his dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, and his kingdom one that shall not be destroyed.

One as the Son of Man came and to him was given dominion and glory and a kingdom. And this heavenly son of man would have that kingdom made up of people, nations, and languages. In other words, this was a heavenly being with an earthly kingdom. What was commanded so long ago in Genesis to Adam and Eve, would be done by the Son of Man.

That word dominion, in Hebrew is shalton. But for about 300 years or so, the Jews used the Greek translation of the text and not the Hebrew. And the Greek word for shalton is exousia. That’s the word Jesus used in his clarifying statement. But that you may know that the Son of Man has exousia (authority)/shalton (dominion) on earth. The Pharisees would have caught on to this allusion immediately! The fact that Jesus would go on to tell the man to rise and walk, was an indication that he considered himself to be the Son of Man—the heavenly being setting up a kingdom on earth.

And since saying rise, pick up your bed, and walk is more difficult to say because it can be proven true or false in a matter of seconds, Jesus used the healing to give evidence that he could truly forgive sin since that could have no external evidence in itself. And wouldn’t you know it, the man got up, took up his bed, and went home!

What I find helpful in this, is with both the Pharisees and the paralytic, nothing was hidden from Jesus. He knew the questions of the heart and he knew what the man truly needed—forgiveness. Nothing in our lives is hidden from our Lord. Yet, like Adam and Eve we hide when Jesus gets too close. I read a quote from Soren Kierkegaard this past week that I’d like to share with you.

You have loved us first, O God, alas! We speak of it in terms of history as if You loved us first but a single time, rather than that without ceasing You have loved us first many times and every day and our whole life through. When we wake up in the morning and turn our soul toward You—You are there first—You have loved us first; if I rise at dawn and at the same second turn my soul toward You in prayer, You are there ahead of me. You have loved me first. When I withdraw from the distractions of the day and turn my soul toward You, You are there first and thus forever. And we speak ungratefully as if You have loved us first only once.

In other words, God has loved us first and will always love us first. There is no need to hide because eventually we must come out of hiding and every time we do, we will find that God is already there…loving us first.

The Commotion

So let’s turn to the final piece of the puzzle. We’ve talked about the crowd, the companions, the controversy, the key clarification, and now the commotion. One does not see a paralyzed man walk everyday! And the people knew it! The “them” in verse 26 is the Pharisees and law-teachers.

So first there is the paralytic glorifying God for the forgiveness and healing, but then the Pharisees and law-teachers are glorifying God in amazement as well. I find this interesting because it is not what we would expect from these groups of people. But then again, what they saw that day was unexpected as well. The ESV translates it as extraordinary. But others would translate it as unusual or remarkable or unexpected. In other words, they were saying, “Wow! Praise the Lord! We did not expect that to happen!” Everyone was stirred up by what they had just witnessed.

Beloved, do Jesus’s words and work still cause a stir in your heart and soul? As a church are we amazed by his power or have we grown bored with it? Better yet, are we even expecting to see Jesus work in our midst or are we just interested in hearing Jesus’s word in our midst? Remember how Luke began the narrative. He began it by telling us who was in the crowd. It was the intelligentsia. They wanted the word, but never expected the work. Yet Luke foreshadowed the work when he said, “The power of the Lord was with him to heal.” No one expected to see Jesus do a mighty work, no one except the companions. And to be honest, it doesn’t sound like they were looking for a word, but only a work.

Jesus gave an unexpected word to the companions, and an unexpected work to the crowd. May we not be about one or the other, may we always expect both from Jesus.

Conclusion

The puzzle has come together. These five pieces that Luke has given us helps us to the a picture of Jesus that we had yet to see. Back in the middle of Luke 4, Luke told us that Jesus was the Messiah—the Anointed One, the one whom the Spirit of the Lord was upon. And then we see him doing all these miracles. Demons are cast out, fevers are rebuked, fish are caught, and a leper has been cleansed. But what we read today was special. Jesus did not just heal the body in today’s passage. He healed the soul. And we need to understand that every piece of the puzzle was necessary—not so that Jesus could heal, but so he could give us the lesson of a lifetime: He is the Son of Man and this is his world. He has been “given dominion and glory and a kingdom, that all peoples, nations, and languages should serve him.” And since this is his kingdom, he has the authority to forgive. He has the authority to heal. And it is not for us to question his authority, but to marvel at it.

This past week, were our elections. And I am not trying to get political here, but most people within this church are likely to have voted in a certain way and were expecting a certain result and did not receive what you were hoping to get. Remember this world has been given to the Son of Man, and we need not question his authority over it. This world does not belong to Republicans. It does not belong to Democrats. It does not belong to Russians or Ukrainians. This world does not belong to the Chinese and it does not belong to the US. It belongs to Jesus. Let us marvel at his handiwork. Let us marvel at how he builds his kingdom though this world fights against its rightful king.

The Lord Bless you and keep you

The Lord make his face shine upon you and be gracious to you

The Lord lift up his countenance upon you and give you piece.