Luke 5:17-26 Jesus obliterates the power of sin

It is clear in our passage that Luke is moving to a stage where it is becoming clear that Jesus is our everything. In Jesus we are complete and without Him we are nothing.

Jesus was busy teaching in a house. There were a lot of very important people there. At some stage during his lectures men arrived with a stretcher to bring a paralysed man to Jesus for help. They could not enter the house. Being adamant they decided to get onto the roof and lower their friend down to the floor in front of Jesus. Jesus saw their faith and decided to give them what they were seeking.

The thinking of the day was that if you are sick or paralysed, it is the result of your sin. If you look at the story of Job, it is the same situation, Job’s friends are convinced that Job is in trouble because of his sinfulness. So the men also believed that the paralysed guy is in trouble because of some sort of terrible sin he committed.

In verse 17 it is stated that Jesus was equipped with the Holy Spirit to heal people. So Jesus did what was expected by the men. When he saw their faith, Jesus forgave the man his sins. At that stage he did not yet got up from his little bed. Then there was a quarrel between Jesus and the teachers of the law. They said only God can forgive sins not a human being. Jesus then showed them he is not a human being He is God. He said get up and go home and only then was the guy able to get up and go home. Men’s prime enemy was conquered. Sin has been destroyed by Jesus. In Jesus priestly office he saved man from his sin, in his prophetic stance he calls man away from sin and in his kingly he reigns over sin.

The Pharisees and the teachers could not see Jesus for who he was, but the men could see the son of man, the Savouir of the world. The destroyer of all sin. Jesus not only have the power to heal people he also have the power to end the reign of sin over our lives.

Look what the Bible promises: “On that day a fountain will be opened for the dynasty of David and for the people of Jerusalem, a fountain to cleanse them from all their sins and impurity.” (Zechariah 13:1, NLT) As well as: “Once again you will have compassion on us. You will trample our sins under your feet and throw them into the depths of the ocean!” (Micah 7:19, NLT)