The Holy Healer

When Asher was little he was at his friend Kory’s house playing. Kory’s mom made them some lunch. Knowing that Asher had some food allergies, she was paying very close attention to the ingredients on the bag of potato chips to see if he could have them. In the meantime, Kory, who wanted to share with his good friend, gave Asher half of his sandwich… his peanut butter sandwich.

I have no idea this has happened and so I’m alarmed when I receive a panicked phone call from Bethany that just says, “MEET ME AT THE HOSPITAL.” Apparently Sarah had told her what had happened and she was rushing Asher to the ER. On the way he started to stop breathing so she jabbed him with his epipen. When they got to the ER she carried him in and just said, “PEANUTS.” The doctor and nurses knew exactly what to do and took it from there and Asher recovered just fine. We knew what to do and where to take him. But let me ask you a question. What would have happened if this same scenario would have played out but instead of going to the ER, we would have taken him to the local dentist? Or what if we had rushed him to the library? There would have been a much more tragic ending because the people at those places, as much information as they may have, do not have the capability of dealing with the issue that was at hand. When you have a specific sickness, it matters if you go to someone who can actually do something about it.

Our passage today contains two incredible encounters that Jesus had with healing people who came to him or were brought to him because they believed He was able to help them. However, the physical healing that we see happen is just the tip of the iceberg for what is going on in these passages. Let’s dive in and see Jesus touching the untouchable, keeping up with his relationship with the Father, and finally how Jesus heals on the spiritual level.

Pray

As we begin the passage, we have just heard in the previous verses about Jesus calling the disciples to be fishers of men. He had performed the miracle of the miraculous catch of fish and you’ll recall, Peter was undone by the holiness of God standing before him in the person of Jesus. Jesus changed their life trajectory. As we come to this next section we don’t have a ton of information about the setting other than that He was in one of the cities. This is actually quite significant because of what happens.

Look back at verses 12-14.

Luke 5:12–14 ESV

While he was in one of the cities, there came a man full of leprosy. And when he saw Jesus, he fell on his face and begged him, “Lord, if you will, you can make me clean.” And Jesus stretched out his hand and touched him, saying, “I will; be clean.” And immediately the leprosy left him. And he charged him to tell no one, but “go and show yourself to the priest, and make an offering for your cleansing, as Moses commanded, for a proof to them.”

In this interaction we see Jesus’s mercy and His might.

There is a man full of leprosy that approaches. Here leprosy could have been any number of skin diseases but we should understand that this man was full of it. He was likely covered head to toe with open sores and was likely in a lot of pain. The Law of Moses prescribed that anyone with leprosy was ritually unclean. That meant that they couldn’t worship. They had to live in isolation away from the community, which is why it is so strange that this man approaches where there were people. When they went into an area with people they had to cry out their condition so no one else would come close and potentially have themselves made ritually unclean. The Law was so specific that you could be declared unclean by entering a home where leprosy had broken out. So when you have this man, full of this disease, approaching a group of people where Jesus was, you have quite a bit of tension. What was the man feeling? Did he have a bunch of anxiety as he approached, not knowing how Jesus or the others were going to respond?

I. Jesus touches the untouchable. (v. 12-14)

The leper believes that Jesus can make him clean. He acknowledges this as he speaks to Jesus. He puts it all in Jesus’ hands. If you will, you can. This is really the essence of faith, saying, Jesus it’s all up to you and if Jesus doesn’t come through then I’m sunk. It’s that picture of throwing all of your weight onto a chair. If it collapses, you’re on the ground.

Jesus says he will to making the man clean. But notice that Jesus doesn’t simply make the man ritually clean, He heals the man of the disease completely.

If you touched someone with leprosy, you would be made unclean. But Jesus actually confers His cleanness to the man. It’s a total reversal of the whole process. Instead of the touch making Jesus unclean, His touch of the man made the man clean. Jesus has a holiness that cleanses us. Only Jesus can truly cleanse us of sin because of His holiness.

This is a picture of redemption when Christ was on the cross He paid the price of death for our sin. He took the wrath of God that our sin justly deserved and in exchange confers on us His righteousness. He makes us clean before God and declares us righteous. He replaces our spiritual disease with His spiritual cleanness. What a Savior!!!

Jesus could have healed the man with a simple word. Yet, he reached out to this isolated and untouchable man and touched him. How long had it been since the man had felt human touch? We see the tenderness and care of the Savior as He meets the man in His hour of need.

The leper’s faith caused him to come to Jesus. Hear this: his faith was because of Jesus. God makes us see Jesus for who He really is. The man’s faith moved him to come to Jesus for cleaning. It raises the question for us, “Has your faith caused you to come to Jesus?” Or is your lack of faith keeping you moving the opposite direction of Jesus?

He tells the man not to tell anyone about this but go and show himself to the priest as the Law requires. Two things here: 1. Jesus healing the man did not relieve him from having to obey what the Law said. 2. It was for a proof to them that he was truly made clean. It would have in and of itself been a giant testimony that God had healed the man.

And even though Jesus told the man not to tell anyone, more and more people started to hear about this man, Jesus who was teaching and doing marvelous works among them.

But Jesus was focused. He did not let this fame get in the way of spending time with the Father in prayer.

II. Jesus did not let His growing fame get in the way of His most important relationship. (v. 15-17)

Luke 5:15–17 ESV

But now even more the report about him went abroad, and great crowds gathered to hear him and to be healed of their infirmities. But he would withdraw to desolate places and pray. 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.

Jesus power to heal was from the Lord and He knew that He needed to stay connected to God. There are many sermons that could be preached about the relationship within the Holy Trinity of Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Jesus obviously placed an importance on solitude and prayer and we can conclude that this is also important for us. Prayer is how Jesus prepared for ministry and to do the work that God had prepared for Him to do. We too must be dedicated to prayer and the Word of God, spending time with Him and knowing in what He has said in His Word, what His plan and mission is for us as individuals and as a church.

After this time of prayer we are taken to a setting where Jesus is teaching and some of the Pharisees and teachers of the law showed up, likely to evaluate this exciting teaching they had been hearing about as Jesus’ became more well known in the area. We see a statement that the power of the Lord to heal was with Jesus. This is kind of a foreshadow of what is about to happen.

Luke 5:18–26 ESV

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.”

III. Jesus is able to heal at the spiritual level. (V. 18-26)

The men brought their friend for physical healing. However, Jesus knew the man had a deeper problem than being paralyzed.

Jesus’ response to the men lowering the paralyzed man is rather surprising. It certainly was to the Pharisees and teachers of law who were there. Jesus seems moved by their love for their friend and their lively faith that He can help that would drive them to such drastic actions. Their faith was pleasing to Him. We are talking about the faith of all 5 men. For the paralyzed man surely believed Jesus could improve his situation as well.

Jesus addresses the man’s sin instead of his physical condition.

The Pharisees agreed with Jesus that only God could forgive sin. But they were trusting in their works and their service to earn or merit their salvation. They were not trusting in God’s undeserving mercy.

The Pharisees and Jesus’ other critics did not believe that He was God. This would inform their activities against Him.

They accuse Him of blasphemy. He goes on to prove his ability to forgive sins by healing the man’s physical condition.

It wasn’t the amount of their faith but the object of their faith that made the difference.

When we trust in the wrong physician to deal with our spiritual sickness we don’t benefit. In fact, when we trust in incapable spiritual physicians who may be sick, deceived themselves, or set on deceiving others we take a giant risk. We can’t truly be healed from our sin unless we are approaching the only one who can do anything about our sin. When we trust in what John Boys referred to as the “heavenly doctor” we find his comfort and true spiritual healing.

Closing

Jesus was really raising the stakes by shutting down the options of who He is and who He was claiming to be. His miracles proved what they knew only God could do. If this man was doing what only God could do, then what other conclusion could we come to unless they were deceived? He gives proof that they could actually see and yet they still refused to believe in Him.

Luke does something really helpful for us. It’s really tempting to take one aspect of who Jesus is and sort of present Him in a one dimensional light. But Luke will only give us a fuller picture of who Jesus is. He shows us both His power and His holiness that caused Peter to realize He was not worthy to be around Him in the fishing boat. Luke also shows us the Lord’s compassionate, healing touch on the untouchable and His forgiveness of sin against His very holiness. We must also present a full picture of who Jesus is. He is love but also holiness. Mercy but also justice. Love for sinners and wrath against sin. Hate for sin and a substitutionary sacrifice for the sin of man.

This Jesus offers you life.

Healing from your spiritual disease which is your greatest need.

This Jesus cleanses us from sin, gives us His right standing before God, and then sets us on mission in and for the kingdom.

How does it affect you that Jesus uses sinful people to accomplish His purposes? It should both encourage you and challenge you.

Encourage

Challenge

What difference does it make in how you look at your day, now that you know that your greatest need in life - the forgiveness of your sin - has already been met if you are trusting in Christ?

You are free to live obedient to His will. You are free to serve. You are free to share this good news with the world around you.