“Jesus Heals a Paralyzed Man: His Authority to Forgive Sin” (Luke 5:17-26)

 

EVENING SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR 5/28/2026 7:07 PM

My Worship Time Focus:              “Jesus Heals a Paralyzed Man: His Authority to Forgive Sin”

Bible Reading & Meditation                                                                 Reference:  Luke 5:17-26

            Message of the verses: “ Man Lowered Through a Roof”

 “17 One day He was teaching, and there were some Pharisees and teachers of the Law sitting there who had come from every village of Galilee and Judea, and from Jerusalem; and the power of the Lord was present for Him to perform healing. 18And some men were carrying a man on a stretcher who was paralyzed; and they were trying to bring him in and to set him down in front of Him. 19But when they did not find any way to bring him in because of the crowd, they went up on the roof and let him down through the tiles with his stretcher, into the middle of the crowd, in front of Jesus. 20And seeing their faith, He said, “Friend, your sins are forgiven you.” 21The scribes and the Pharisees began thinking of the implications, saying, “Who is this man who speaks blasphemies? Who can forgive sins, except God alone?” 22But Jesus,  aware of their thoughts, responded and said to them, “Why are you thinking this way in your hearts? 23Which is easier, to say: ‘Your sins are forgiven you,’ or to say, ‘Get up and walk’? 24But so that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins,” He said to the man who was paralyzed, “I say to you, get up, and pick up your stretcher, and go home.” 25And immediately he got up before them, and picked up what he had been lying on, and went home glorifying God. 26And they were all struck with astonishment and began glorifying God. They were also filled with fear, saying, “We have seen remarkable things today!”

            Now what I am about to quote from John MacArthur’s commentary is an introduction to the verses from above, and then, Lord willing I will begin to look at these verses in small numbers to better understand what they have to say. 

            “As was the case with the account of Christ’s healing of the leper, the time of this event is not known.  Luke merely notes that it happened one day when He was teaching.  It most likely took place after one of the Lord’s journeys around the lake area (Mark 1:39) when He was able to return to return to Capernaum (Matt. 9:1).”

(Mark 1:39)

“39  And he went throughout all Galilee, preaching in their synagogues and casting out demons.”

(Matt. 9:1)

1 ¶  And getting into a boat he crossed over and came to his own city.”

“The Lord’s healing of the paralyzed man once again demonstrated His supernatural power over disease.  But even more significantly, it revealed His authority to forgive sin—which is the prerogative of God alone, and the greatest need of man, so as to escape eternal judgment.  Luke’s account of this event explains the context, the claim, the confrontation, and the consequences.”

            These highlighted words are the outline for what we will be looking at, Lord willing, in the next days.

Spiritual Meaning for my Life Today:  I have written in an earlier SD what a friend of mine told me one day when I was a very young believer and kind of struggling with trying to understand about what some people in the Church had to say about healing.  My friend who was mentoring me when I was a young believer told me that God heals you every time except the last time.  Knowing that set me free from what some believers believe and that is God is obligated to heal every sickness that His children have. 

My Steps of Faith for Today:  I am trusting the Lord to help my wife get through the experience that she’s going through with cancer, helping her to get through some treatment that she is to begin tomorrow afternoon.

5/28/2026 7:29 PM