Good News Week 8. The Sick Need A Doctor

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.”

Reaching out his hand, Jesus touched him, saying, “I am willing; be made clean,” and immediately the leprosy left him. 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.”

But the news about him spread even more, and large crowds would come together to hear him and to be healed of their sicknesses. Yet he often withdrew to deserted places and prayed.

Let’s talk about leperosy for a minute.

Leprosy was a catch-all term for a variety of skin diseases.

Leprosy made one unclean.

What does unclean mean?

Well, clean or unclean was about ceremonial worship.

If something was designated unclean it could take part in the worship ceremony.

There were multiple things that made something unclean.

And it wasn’t always about sin or breaking God’s law.

Sometimes it was sickness, or bleeding, or contact with a dead animal.

And if you were unclean you had to be declared clean.

But until you could be declared clean you had to separate from the community

Luke 5:12-16

Luke 5:12–16 CSB

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.” Reaching out his hand, Jesus touched him, saying, “I am willing; be made clean,” and immediately the leprosy left him. 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.” But the news about him spread even more, and large crowds would come together to hear him and to be healed of their sicknesses. Yet he often withdrew to deserted places and prayed.

This leper is fully aware of 2 things

His own uncleanliness

Jesus’ ability to make him clean

Let me remind you this morning, we are wholly unclean on our own and we need Jesus to make us clean.

This leper fell facedown.

Humility.

He fully understood his position, his weakness, his situation, his powerlessnes.

He fully understood Jesus position, his authority, his mission, his power.

We must approach Jesus with that same posture.

We are weak.

He is strong.

We powerless.

He has all authority.

We must fall on our face and worship.

Jesus is worthy.

And what is Jesus response to this leper?

This one who is unclean.

This one who by his touch can make others unclean?

Jesu response is to reach out and touch him!

The only song says, “I was lost and undone without God or His Son, ‘till He reached down His hand for me. He had to reach way down for me!”

Hear this!

Jesus has power to make the unclean things clean.

His light drives out darkness.

His life overcomes death.

His holiness makes the unclean clean.

His holiness makes the unholy holy.

His righteousness makes the unrighteous righteous.

His blood covers our impurity.

Jesus does it.

Jesus touches us in our uncleanlness, our sin, our unrighteouness and changes our nature.

Jesus makes the unclean clean.

We can’t do it.

We can’t.

Be Jesus does it.

And everyone who recognizes their sickness and uncleaness seeks out Jesus to hear Jesus teach and be healed and made clean.

Jesus Forgives Our Sin

Luke immediate tells us of another miracle.

This time its a paralyzed man.

This miracle, I love this miracle, because Jesus doesn’t do it the way everyone expects.

He doesn’t even do the miracle they expected him to do at first.

He does another miracle.

Lets check it out.

Luke 5:17–26 CSB

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. 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. 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. Seeing their faith he said, “Friend, your sins are forgiven.” 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?” But perceiving their thoughts, Jesus replied to them, “Why are you thinking this in your hearts? Which is easier: to say, ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or to say, ‘Get up and walk’? 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.” Immediately he got up before them, picked up what he had been lying on, and went home glorifying God. 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.”

First note that Pharisee and teachers of the law were keeping on eye on what Jesus was doing.

Legalists always want to makes sure they have control over the work of the Spirit.

Second note that the man who received the miracle did nothing on his own to recieve the miracle.

He didn’t touch Jesus.

He din’t ask Jesus.

He didn’t get to Jesus on his own.

This man did nothing to recieve his miracle.

But this man was brought to Jesus.

Some folks who cared enough about their friend that they made sure that man made it Jesus.

They loved their friend so match that they made sure he got in a position to hear the word of Jesus, to feel the touch of Jesus, to experience the power and authority of Jesus.

Who are you bringing to Jesus.

You can some friend who are powerless for their miracle.

You have some family members who are powerless.

They are lost, broken, bound, held captive.

They can’t walk.

They can’t stand up.

They need you to bring them to Jesus.

Nothing was going to stop them from bringing their friend to Jesus.

Noting was going to prevent them for putting him in the position to recieve his miracle.

And when they get their friend in front of Jesus, Jesus does the most powerful miracle Jesus does.

Jesus forgives his sins.

There is no greater miracle than the miracle of forgiveness.

There is no greater miracle than the miracle of your debt being cancelled.

There is no greater miracle than the miracle of your guilt being removed.

There is no greater miracle than forgiveness.

And there is no miracle than make the religious leaders angry at Jesus than when He declares sins forgiven.

They don’t mind Jesus healing physical sickness or diseases.

They don’t mind raising the dead.

They mind Jesus feeding the hungry.

But when Jesus starts forgiving sinners the get upset.

He’s claiming tto be God, they say.

Don’t let anyone every tell you that Jesus never claimed to be God or understood himself to be God.

The Pharisees and teachers of the law understood this declaration of forgiveness to be an act of blasphemy.

They said you can’t forgive sin, only God can forgive sin.

Jesus says, oh yeah, what's this...

And raises the paralytic from his mat.

And says so you understand I have the power to forgive sins lets me show that I have power to heal.

Jesus is demonstrating his power and authority as the Son of Man (The Son of Man is another sermon, but quickly, Son of Man is the title Jesus uses most when referring to himself, and points back to a vision by Daniel in the Old Testament of the Son of Man who is the Ancient of Days, God, whose Kingdom is eternal)

So Jesus is demonstrating himself to be this eternal King.

Jesus is revealing himself to be God who forgives.

Healing sickness is not a hard thing for God.

Forgiving sin is something only God can do.

Jesus is revealing himself to be God.

Jesus can heal sickness.

But even greater, Jesus can forgive sins.

Tell me what is too hard for God.

Tell me what God can’t do.

Tell me what Jesus can’t redeem.

Tell me what Jesus can’t restore.

Tell me what Jesus can’t reconcile.

Tell me what Jesus can’t rescue.

Tell me what Jesus can’t do.

Nothing.

Absolutely nothing.

There is nothing that my God cannot do.

But hold on, we’ve got one more Miracle Story.

Jesus Sits With Sinners

Luke 5:27–32 CSB

After this, Jesus went out and saw a tax collector named Levi sitting at the tax office, and he said to him, “Follow me.” So, leaving everything behind, he got up and began to follow him. Then Levi hosted a grand banquet for him at his house. Now there was a large crowd of tax collectors and others who were reclining at the table with them. But the Pharisees and their scribes were complaining to his disciples, “Why do you eat and drink with tax collectors and sinners?” Jesus replied to them, “It is not those who are healthy who need a doctor, but those who are sick. I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.”

The other two miracle stories where obvious.

But maybe you don’t see this one.

That’s ok.

Here’s the miracle.

Jesus calls the outcasts.

Here’s the miracles.

Jesus sits with sinners.

Here’s the miracle.

Jesus makes the unclean clean and the sinner righteous.

Here’s the miracle.

Jesus isn’t worried about being mislabeled.

Here’s the miracle.

Jesus doesn’t care about his reputation.

Here's the miracle.

Jesus Missional Mandate was more important to him than religious political posturing.

Here’s what scripture says, “don’t let your good be evil spoken of.”

As believers we are not Jesus.

We have to guard our hearts.

We have to guard against temptation.

We are not Jesus.

There are places we can’t go because we know we know we will fall.

We are not Jesus.

But I think sometimes we avoid the sinner not because we are trying to guard against our own weakness but because we care more about sin than the sinner.

We have the cure but believe they aren’t worth the trouble of giving to them.

We have the cure but don’t believe it’s powerful enough to work on them.

We think their sin is greater than our Savior.

But Jesus sits with sinners.

Why?

Because its not the well who need a doctor but the sick.

It’s not the righteous who need repentance but the sinner.

The miracle is Jesus bringing righteousness to the sinner.

The miracle is Jesus comes near to the ones who couldn’t come near.

The miracle is Jesus coming near to the ones who had been pushed away.

The miracle is Jesus comes to our table, bringing grace and offering a fresh vision of God..

Jesus Meets Us At The Table

The miracle is Jesus invites us to his table to eat the bread of his flesh and drink the wine of his blood.

The table is where Jesus meets with sinners and makes them righteous.

The table is where we leave the dissatisfaction of the meals we fixed oursleves for the satisfaction of the feast of the LORD.

The table is where we meet the miracle of Jesus.

First He comes to our house and our table, God takes on flesh, and then He invites us to His Table and His House, He gives us His Spirit.

There is new life at the table this morning.

Forgiveness and healing at the table.

Come to the table.

Recieve all of Jesus this morning.

Come to the table.

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