Jesus welcomed the people, taught them about the Kingdom of God and healed those in need. Luke 9:11
Testimony
Before the weekend I was completely unable to accept a part of the Lordship prayer where we acknowledge the Lord's control over "the manner and timing of my death". I needed or wanted an "out", to be able to control this for myself..... Read More...

Seeds of the Kingdom

Released

by Richard Griffiths

6 November 2024

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When Jesus saw their faith he said, ‘Friend, your sins are forgiven’.
Luke 5:20, NET

I love the story of the paralysed man lowered through a hole in the roof (Luke 5:17-26). It’s easy to picture what happened. The men are carrying him on his stretcher, hoping to bring him to Jesus, but finding it impossible to get into the crowded house. You see them clambering up on to the roof and making a hole in it, big enough to lower him through. You can imagine the startled looks of the people underneath as bits of ceiling begin to fall on their heads. And, finally, down he comes (probably clinging on for dear life) and lands at Jesus’ feet.

Jesus saw everything. But, as He always does, He saw beyond the physically visible. He saw their faith.

It's not recorded in any of the Gospels, but I’m sure that there was some conversation between him and Jesus. Probably, no-one overheard it. But what they did hear was Jesus saying to him, ‘Your sins are forgiven’. The teachers of the Law, who were there, heard it and were horrified. ‘Blasphemy! Only God can forgive sins!’ Jesus knew exactly what they were thinking and said, in effect, ‘Just see what I do next, then you’ll know that I have the authority to forgive sins.’

I used to think that Jesus healed the man just to prove His authority to forgive sins. But I’ve changed my mind. I don’t think He ever used people in that way. He saw need, He saw faith, and He met the need. The fact that it proved something to His critics was secondary to that.

All Jesus’ attention was on the man in front of Him. He, who had ‘seen their faith’, also saw what had to be done before the physical healing: forgiveness.

We’re all on what we often call a ‘healing journey’. We carry emotional and spiritual (and physical) wounds and sicknesses. Some are from long ago, others from just yesterday. They all need healing. Someone has said something that upsets us; we feel angry – ‘it was unforgivable!’ The pain of it means that we refuse to forgive, and the unforgiveness locks the pain in place. I know of people who were immediately healed physically when their sin (often unforgiveness) was brought to the cross. And I’ve seen many others healed emotionally in the same way.

The healing of the paralysed man didn’t simply prove that Jesus had authority to forgive sins. It proved to everyone that the man had been forgiven and was set free, not just from physical sickness, but from ‘sickness’ of heart.

There’s a pattern in this story: faith, forgiveness, healing. When we trust Jesus, and come to Him, whatever the obstacles, with our need; when we confess our sin and receive His forgiveness, then we are in the place to receive His healing. For this man, the healing was instantaneous. Often, it’s a process as God gently ‘peels back the layers’ and gets to the heart of the problem.

Richard Griffiths When Richard retired from full-time Anglican ministry in Chichester in 2009, he and his wife, Sue, moved to Northumberland. He joined the ministry team at Ellel Grange in 2011, where he and Sue regularly ministered at healing retreats. They are now helping on the "Explore" team. They greatly enjoy walking in the beautiful Northumberland countryside and along the coast. Richard loves seeing God bringing people into a strong personal relationship with Him as their Father and the healing that comes with it.

 

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