Message by Larry Thacker Jr. from August 7, “Do You See What God Sees?”
One time, Jesus was literally preaching to a packed house. It was so crowded that no one else could get in. He had already performed healing miracles, and everyone was flocking to him. Among them were 5 men, one of whom was paralyzed. They were determined to get to Jesus, knowing that He could heal the paralyzed man. Finding that they were never going to be able to carry the man through that crowd to get to Jesus, they got up on the roof and broke through to lower him right in front of Jesus.
There are many things we can learn from this story, but what happens next is what I want you to see this time. It is pretty obvious what these men want and they will get it, but that isn’t where Jesus starts. His first words to the man who is paralyzed are, “Friend, your sins are forgiven you.” Jesus sees past the apparent need to the real one. If He ad only healed the man, it would have done him no lasting good. He might enjoy his life a bit more while he had it, but he would have died with no hope. The Bible tells us we’ve all sinned, and we all need forgiveness. Jesus, through the pronouncement of forgiveness and the act of healing, establishes that He is the one who can offer it. (Luke 5:17-26)
