Healing and Forgiveness

Several weeks ago I taught over Luke 4:14-30, this is the instance where Jesus gets up in the Synagogue and preaches to the people in his home town of Nazareth.

The reason I bring this up is b/c we need to consistently come back to this passage as the key to unlocking what Luke is showing us as the theme of Jesus’ ministry.

During that message in the Synagogue Jesus reads from the scroll of Isaiah.

Luke 4:18–19 “18 The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim release to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to set free the oppressed, 19 to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.”

Like we say with the casting out of demons and the healing of Peter’s Mother in Law this will continue to be Jesus’ ministry.

He will preach and he will heal.

This morning’s text is no different.

This morning we are going to look at two events in Luke 5.

The first is the healing of the man with leprosy.

The second is the healing of the paralytic.

On the surface these are nice stories about Jesus’ compassion and grace toward those that are sick and hurting.

But the reality is they go much deeper than that.

Jesus isn’t just interested in physical healing.

Like I’ve said time and time again, The Miracles always point toward the message.

Both of the men that we will look at this morning were in dire straits and Jesus had compassion on them.

But he didn’t just heal them he restored them.

The flesh and bone was mended, but so was the Spirit.

These stories highlight the cleansing and forgiving power of Jesus.

Let’s pray and get into the text.

Luke 5:12–16 CSB

12 While he was in one of the towns, a man was there who had leprosy all over him. He saw Jesus, fell facedown, and begged him, “Lord, if you are willing, you can make me clean.” 13 Reaching out his hand, Jesus touched him, saying, “I am willing; be made clean,” and immediately the leprosy left him. 14 Then he ordered him to tell no one: “But go and show yourself to the priest, and offer what Moses commanded for your cleansing as a testimony to them.” 15 But the news about him spread even more, and large crowds would come together to hear him and to be healed of their sicknesses. 16 Yet he often withdrew to deserted places and prayed.

Healing the Leper

Jesus is a traveling preacher.

So after he gets his first disciples he starts to move from town to town doing what he was sent to do which was to proclaim the good news.

Often Luke isn’t interested in telling us which town Jesus was in when he was doing his ministry. Ususally he says something like he does here, “while he was in one of the towns.”

Jesus did a lot of the same things in each town he went to so this is just one instance of him doing ministry.

News about Jesus’ ministry had been spreading throughout the region.

And we are then introduced to a man with Leprosy.

Now when the Scriptures talk about leprosy it’s not necessarily what we usually think about.

It could simply be some obvious skin disease.

It could be psoriasis or another skin disease that causes inflammation and scaly or splotchy skin.

For the Israelites, leprosy was unclean.

They believed that it was contagious and could be passed on from one person to the next.

There was a fear that surround leprosy and other skin disease.

So the person with leprosy was avoided.

Isolated.

Abandoned.

Now this was also in line with the Scriptural mandate of how to handle someone with Leprosy.

Lepers were to be avoided.

In fact, it was the lepers responsibility to let people know if they were coming close to him.

The leper was to announce his condition in the way he looked and verbally.

Listen to what Lev 13:45-46 says

Leviticus 13:45–46 CSB

45 “The person who has a case of serious skin disease is to have his clothes torn and his hair hanging loose, and he must cover his mouth and cry out, ‘Unclean, unclean!’ 46 He will remain unclean as long as he has the disease; he is unclean. He must live alone in a place outside the camp.

The Lepers are deemed unclean.

And have to cry out that to help others avoid coming into contact with him.

Josephus, the Jewish historian, summed it up by saying that lepers were treated “as if they were, in effect, dead men”—dead men walking

Why was being unclean such a big deal?

The uncleanliness of someone was a meant that they were not suitable to be in the presence of God.

And if someone who was clean touched someone who was unclean then they would become unclean.

To add insult to injury, there was also a belief in Judaism that the uncleanliness that comes with leprosy is due to the fact that there was some hidden sin.

God had used leprosy in the OT as a judgment against some people.

Causing them to be isolated and cut off from others.

They would be unable to go to the temple or synagogue to worship God.

It wholly effected every aspect of their life.

Could you imagine how isolating and depressing it would be to be a leper.

Missing out on human contact.

Calling out to those who come near you that you are unclean.

How would that attack your psyche.

I mean, we could reflect on how this affected us just a few years ago.

During the height of Covid people were afraid to touch one another.

We went around wearing masks and avoiding contact.

And there’s not a time I can think of that caused more anxiety and despair than when we couldn’t treat each other like human beings.

I remember the first time someone, other than a family member, was ready to have a hug around the neck, it was an emotional experience for me.

We long for human connect.

We were designed by God have a community around us.

And this man, this leper b/c he is unclean is missing out on that connection.

We can hear and feel the desperation in this man’s voice as he begs Jesus to cleanse him.

He’s tired of being an outcast.

He’s tired of being avoided.

He’s tired of being unclean.

This man falls face down in front of Jesus and begs him to be made clean.

I’m sure this man felt like this was his last resort.

If Jesus didn’t clean him then he would forever go on in life as an outcast.

So this man says to Jesus “If you are willing, you can make me clean.”

Can you hear the faith of this leper.

He knows the healing power of Jesus.

He knows the cleansing power of Jesus.

He knows that Jesus is the only one who can do it.

But notice also the humility with which he approaches Jesus, “if you are willing”

He doesn’t presuppose or try to manipulate Jesus into this miracle.

Rather he humbly approaches him and recognizes him as Lord.

Knowing that Jesus will do what he wants to do and there’s nothing that this man can do to change his mind.

This man respected and revered Jesus.

Placing his life in Jesus’ hands.

He is at the mercy of Jesus’ compassion and power.

Do you see that he is humbly submitting himself to the will of Jesus.

There is no pretense.

There is no demand.

There is no bargaining.

Simply, if you will I know you can.

How different are some of us today?

Where we come to Jesus readily expecting that b/c we ask he will simply comply.

There is humility that comes with Asking Jesus to answer our requests.

B/c that simply what they are, requests.

We can’t make demands of Jesus.

We can’t force or manipulate him into our service.

He is Lord. He does as he pleases.

Now that doesn’t mean that he isn’t compassionate.

Jesus is kind.

He is compassionate.

He is merciful.

He is gracious.

But he acts on his own terms not ours.

And here we see his compassion on full display.

After the leper asks if Jesus would cleanse him, Jesus reaches out and touches him.

v. 13 saying, “I am willing; be made clean”.

Let’s start off by thinking about this.

The man hadn’t been touched in who knows how long.

B/c to touch him would make you unclean.

So the first touch this man felt since being ill was from the hand of Jesus.

This is astounding and even a little overwhelming.

The fact that Jesus would touch the unclean.

That he wouldn’t just say you are healed, but actually reach out and touch him demonstrates the compassion of Jesus.

Jesus knew that the man didn’t just need to be cleaned, but that he also needed to feel loved.

And Jesus’ healing touch provided both for him.

The cleansing and the touch that he so desperately needed.

Jesus restored this man.

Wholly and completely.

Showing him that he was seen and known by God even if the world around him rejected him.

This touch for a normal man would have caused us to be unclean.

But the touch from the Son of God caused the leper to be made clean.

Jesus took away the impurity of this skin disease with the simple touch of his hand.

Jesus absorbed and healed this mans infirmity.

Because he had the authority and power to do so.

Now after Jesus’ cleanses him, he does need to go and fulfill the law of Moses

This includes having his body checked out by a priest, shaving of hair, a new set of clean clothes, and the offering a sacrifice.

After the cleansing from the leprosy there are still commands that need to be followed.

But out of joy for the new life this man received he will happily go and do what is required of him.

But before he leaves, Jesus tells the man to keep this quiet.

Don’t tell anyone except the priest.

This is b/c Jesus doesn’t want the excitement of his ability to heal to overshadow his proclamation of the good news.

He is controlling the spread of his ministry.

I want us to see the parallel that runs here.

This story is layered.

The story of the leper illustrates through the physical body the reality of our sinful state.

Leprosy is used as an outward signal of our desperate inward problem.

Sin runs through all mankind like a disease without a cure.

Our default heart and mind runs in rebellion against God.

And it effects the entirety of our existence.

It has invaded every crevice of our lives.

Sin affects our relationships with others.

And there is only one way that we can be cleansed from our sin.

By coming before Jesus and asking for him to cleanse us.

He is the one that can make us clean.

At his touch our lives are changed.

We are born into a state where, though we cannot see the effects of sin, they are there.

We are, as Paul writes, “Dead in our sins and trespasses.”

We are walking around not as outcasts of society but as enemies of God and his Kingdom.

That’s true for each and everyone of us.

We are the outcasts.

We are the unclean.

And when we realize our sinful state we can humbly approach Jesus and ask that he cleans us up.

And b/c of his kindness, mercy, compassion and grace he will gladly wash us clean.

He will remove the stain of sin and death and offer us a new life.

The Touch of the savior will cleanse us of all righteousness.

2 Corinthians 5:21 “21 He made the one who did not know sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.”

Here we need to remember that there is no one who is too unclean.

Too untouchable for Jesus to cleanse.

All who come with a humble heart will be cleansed.

All who call on the name of the Lord will be saved.

However, we do have to recognize our sour state.

We need to realize our need for a savior.

And we need to ask Jesus to save us.

This will only happen if we get to the end of our rope and recognize we need help.

We have to recognize fully our hopeless state.

We have nothing to offer Jesus.

Even the good things we do are still stained by our uncleanliness.

Anything we offer him carries with it the stench of death and decay.

We aren’t half clean.

A quarter clean.

or even 1% clean.

Outside of Christ we are 100% unclean.

But the good news is we know the one who can wash us white as snow.

We know the one who can take our brokenness and make us whole.

But we need to approach him with humility.

Humility before Jesus is asking him to do what only he can do.

That’s what the leper did.

He had no hope outside of Jesus.

So guess what he did…He went to Jesus.

Maybe today is the day you need to come to Jesus.

Maybe its’ the day that you need to ask for cleansing.

Maybe you have finally realized that you don’t have it all together and you need a savior.

Don’t let pride and arrogance get in the way come to Jesus ask to be made clean.

And Jesus will cleanse you of your sin and offer you forgiveness.

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After this event, Luke tells us two things about Jesus ministry.

The first is that Jesus is becoming more popular.

Large crowds of people were coming to hear him and be healed by him.

But Jesus being fully God and fully man would get tired.

He needed to recharge in order to do ministry.

So Luke reminds us that Luke 5:16 “16 Yet he often withdrew to deserted places and prayed.”

Why did Jesus often withdraw and pray.

B/c he knew that his reliance on the spirit and submission to the Father’s will was the only way that his mission would be accomplished.

Human popularity was good, but it wasn’t what was going to sustain him.

Communion with the Father would.

Even if he was getting super popular in one area he couldn’t stay stagnant.

He had to rely on the Father to guide him.

He had to step away to connect with the Father.

To stay on mission.

To be fruitful in his ministry he needed to stay attached to the source of life.

So that’s what he did.

He would leave the crowds behind and devote himself to prayer.

He wouldn’t allow the demanding time of the people to distract him from what’s most important time with his Father.

This time would energize him.

Not only that, but Luke uses it as a marker for us as readers of his gospel too.

Remember, I’ve said before that Luke uses prayer as a way to set us up for what’s to come.

In the next section of his gospel, Jesus is going to start to feel the rub against the religious leaders of the time.

In fact, from Luke 5:17-6:11, there are going to be 5 different controversies with the Pharisees.

Jesus’ notoriety with the crowds grows as does the tension with the religious elite.

So this next section v. 17-26 is going to be the beginning of friction between Jesus and the Pharisees.

Luke 5:17–26 CSB

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.”

Forgiveness of Sins

As I stated just earlier, this is where the rubber of Jesus’ ministry starts to rub against the road of the pharisee’s expectations.

For a little breakdown, here’s how the controversies are going to go over the next couple of weeks.

healing of paralytic=forgiveness of sins 5:17-26

call of Levi= Eating with tax collectors and sinners 5:27-32

Fasting=Why his followers don’t 5:33-39

Picking grain=Work on the Sabbath 6:1-5

Healing on Sabbath=Work on the Sabbath 6:6-11

So this morning we are only going to focus on the first controversy.

To Set the stage.

Like we heard in v.15, the crowds were growing and Jesus was becoming popular.

In fact, he was becoming so popular that news about his was making it’s way to the religious leaders.

That’s what we hear in v. 17.

They had come not just from Galilee and Judea, they had come from Jerusalem too.

This is like having your boss from corporate visit.

It’s not a little thing.

We hear all the time that the Pharisees were enemies of Jesus.

But we don’t usually hear who the Pharisees are or what they believed.

And I think if we just take a couple of minutes to examine them then we will have a little bit of a better understanding of where they come from.

Most of the Pharisees where lay leaders.

Meaning that most of them weren’t priests, rather they were “normal people” who had earned the position of religious leader.

The Pharisees were in charge of helping the Jewish people stay pure and devoted to God.

They did this by interpreting the Scriptures and helping to draw boundaries around the people to help them know what to do and how to live that would honor God.

And the reason they wanted this is b/c they knew their history.

They know that if you obey God he would bless you and if you disobeyed God then he would rain Judgment down.

The Pharisees wanted people to obey God’s law which isn’t necessarily a bad thing.

However, they do become antagonistic toward Jesus and that begins here.

One of the other things I want us to notice is that in v. 17 Luke provides us with this detail “and the Lord’s power to heal was in him.”

Luke wants us to know that what is about to happen is divine in nature.

It’s not a parlor trick.

It not magic, but Jesus’ healing of the paralyzed man is through the Lord’s own Power.

It is the power of the Lord to heal.

He alone holds the power.

So Jesus is teaching in a crowded room and some men come bringing their friend.

They try to come in through the door, but they can’t squeeze through b/c the man is on a stretcher.

As an alternative, they climb up to the roof and b/c the roof is made of mud and thatching, they start to dig into the house so that they can lower the man down to Jesus.

These are some great friends, they are going to extremes to make sure that their friend is healed.

And often when this passage is preached they are the focus, but what I want you to understand is that the friends aren’t the focus of this story.

The power, authority, and sonship of Jesus is.

After lowering down the man through that self-dug hole in the roof.

There are no words exchanged.

The men don’t ask for healing.

Luke doesn’t provide us with any type of conversation.

He does tell us that Jesus saw their faith.

They truly believed that Jesus could heal.

The believed that Jesus held that power and authority.

But unlike the Leper, there were no words exchanged.

Jesus doesn’t even tell him you’re healed.

He doesn’t say get up and walk.

He says something that we wouldn’t expect.

v.20 “Friend, Your sins are forgiven.”

Jesus is using this miracle to prove his message.

Jesus uses this miracle to proclaim the good news of the forgiveness of Sins.

This here again shows us what Jesus sees as most valuable.

It isn’t this man’s ability to walk.

It isn’t his friend’s faith.

It’s that we need forgiveness of Sin.

This broken man, like the leper, is simply a symbol of humanity’s true problem.

We are all broken by sin.

Our lives are entangled by it.

It affects us in ways that we don’t even comprehend.

Sin is serious.

And as such We must take it serious.

I do think it’s interesting that Jesus doesn’t highlight a specific sin that the man has committed.

He doesn’t call out sexual immorality, blasphemy, greed, hatred, murder.

Rather he just forgives sins.

That’s the good thing about Jesus, he will forgive all kinds of sin.

No matter how greatly you sin, the grace, compassion, and love of Jesus is greater.

His mercy is more.

Now, Jesus’ claim to forgive sin causes a stir for the religious leaders.

Remember Jesus is using this miracle to proclaim the good news.

And these religious leaders are having some thoughts.

Now here’s the thing about Jesus, b/c he’s God he has some insight into the minds and hearts of People.

While the Pharisees are thinking that Jesus is blasphemes God, he perceives their issue.

The Pharisees have an issue with Jesus saying to the man that his sins are forgiven b/c there is only one person who can forgive sins.

Forgiveness of sins is a divine mandate.

Only God can forgive sins.

Isaiah 43:25 “25 “I am the one, I sweep away your transgressions for my own sake and remember your sins no more.”

Isaiah 44:22 “22 I have swept away your transgressions like a cloud, and your sins like a mist. Return to me, for I have redeemed you.”

It is one thing to declare a person forgiven based on the Lord’s promise to forgive; it is another thing to claim that one has the intrinsic authority to forgive sins—and they believe Jesus is doing the latter.

Jesus isn’t saying “God Forgives you.”

He’s saying “I forgive you”

Jesus here is claiming to Be God.

This is the blaspheme that he is being accused of and will continue to be the Pharisees problem with Jesus throughout Luke’s Gospel.

To blaspheme was to perform an action that violated God’s majesty. Claiming a prerogative that was only God’s would be such a violation

I mean the claim to forgive sins: any sins. Now unless the speaker is God, this is really so preposterous as to be comic. We can all understand how a man forgives offences against himself. You tread on my toes and I forgive you, you steal my money and I forgive you. But what should we make of a man, himself unrobbed and untrodden on, who announced that he forgave you for treading on other men’s toes and stealing other men’s money? Asinine fatuity is the kindest description we should give of his conduct. Yet this is what Jesus did. He told people that their sins were forgiven, and never waited to consult all the other people whom their sins had undoubtedly injured. He unhesitatingly behaved as if He was the party chiefly concerned, the person chiefly offended in all offences. This makes sense only if He really was the God whose laws are broken and whose love is wounded in every sin. In the mouth of any speaker who is not God, these words would imply what I can only regard as a silliness and conceit unrivalled by any other character in history.-C.S Lewis

Jesus is taking on the divine right of God and the religious leaders aren’t having it.

So Jesus speaks to them about it.

For the longest time this phrase confused me. I didn’t really understand what Jesus was saying.

Luke 5:23 “23 Which is easier: to say, ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or to say, ‘Get up and walk’?”

What was Jesus getting at here?

It was easier for Jesus to say “your sins are forgiven” b/c there’s no physical proof that this is true.

There’s no evidence other than his words that this happened.

While, on the other hand, “Get up and walk” would be seen by everyone.

Either Jesus’ words would heal the man or they wouldn’t and it would be evident.

So Jesus to verify his claim of divinity and demonstrate his authority to forgive sins does both.

The man can get up, b/c his sins are forgiven.

Jesus is providing evidence for the doubting Pharisees that he is the Holy One sent by God.

He has intrinsic divine authority.

It is his prerogative to forgive sins and to heal the broken.

And at Jesus’ word, the man that was lying broken immediately got up and went home.

He was healed by the forgiveness of his sin at the hands of Jesus.

Both the Touch of Jesus and the Words of Jesus carry with them the same power.

And what happens to the man and the crowd.

They all begin to glorify God.

That’s the purpose of Jesus’ ministry.

That’s the goal of Jesus’ life to bring glory to God.

Jesus’ life was centered on and focused on bringing glory to God.

And when the crowd witnessed the miracle that exactly where there heart went.

They had witnessed something amazing and knew who the source was.

Jesus alone has the power to forgive sins

The power to heal the broken.

The power to right the wrongs.

The power to redeem and reconcile.

As amazing as these miracles are.

They are nothing compared to the greatest miracle.

The miracle of salvation.

The miracle of forgiveness.

These men who’s bodies were broken are a physical picture of our spiritual state.

Outside of Jesus’ healing and forgiveness we are not much different from these men.

Our souls are broken.

We are as helpless as the paralytic.

Dead in our sins.

But the good news is Jesus can raise us to life.

Through his sacrifice on the cross.

Through his resurrection.

Through our trust in his divine authority we can be made whole.

We can be made new.

We can be transformed.

That’s the good news of the gospel.

Jesus saves sinners.

And that’s the reason that we glorify God.

B/c he makes dead men alive.

He forgives sins.

If you haven’t given your life to him today, he’s calling out to you.

Will you answer him?

Matthew–Luke Response

Now, unless the speaker is God, this is really so preposterous as to be comic. We can all understand how a man forgives offences against himself. You tread on my toe and I forgive you, you steal my money and I forgive you. But what should we make of man, himself unrobbed and untrodden on, who announced that he forgave you for treading on other men’s toes and stealing other men’s money? Asinine fatuity is the kindest description we should give of his conduct. Yet this is what Jesus did. He told people that their sins were forgiven, and never waited to consult all the other people whom their sins had undoubtedly injured.… This makes sense only if He really was the God whose laws are broken.