Question
Get Up, Take Your Mat and Go Home!
Luke 5:17-26
Key Verse 5:24b
1. Verse 17 indicates that teaching (God's word) preceded Jesus' healing ministry. We see this pattern (teaching and healing) in other passages of the four gospels (cf. Luke 4:43) Why do you think Jesus put His priority on teaching? (Deuteronomy 28:15; 20,21; 59-61; Isaiah 45:7; Psalm 73:4-6; 2Co 12:9)
2. Verse 17b says, "The power of the Lord was present for him to heal the sick." What does this passage indicate about the way for the Lord to release his power? (Eph 3:20; Luke 11:9)
3. Think about "some men" carrying their friend (a paralytic) on a mat to Jesus (18,19). How are they different from the Pharisees and teachers of the law? What can we learn from them?
4. Memorize verse 20. It was when Jesus saw the faith of several men that Jesus did what he did. The expression "When Jesus saw their faith" indicates that had they not demonstrated faith Jesus would not have been willing (or able) to work. (cf. Mark 6:5,6) Why?
5. In verse 20 Jesus called the man lying on a mat, "Friend!" Why? Jesus also said, "Your sins are forgiven" (instead of saying, "You are healed of your paralysis"). Why?
6. In verses 21-24a Jesus addresses the problem of the Pharisees and the teachers of the law. What does this passage tell us about Jesus as a good shepherd even for those who criticized him?
7. Verses 24-26 show us that Jesus forgave this man's sins first and then made him physically well. Combine this factor with the words Jesus gave to the man, "I tell you, get up, take up your mat and go home." Why do you think Jesus helped the paralytic man in this way? (Genesis 1:26-28; 12:2-3)
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Get Up! Take Your Mat and Go Home!
Luke 5:17-26
Key Verse 5:24b
He said to the paralyzed man, “I tell you, get up, take your mat and go home.
Today we would like to think about how the Lord Jesus healed a paralytic. The American Heritage Dictionary defines paralysis as, “Loss or impairment of the ability to move a body part, usually as a result of damage to its nerve supply; Loss of sensation over a region of the body; and Inability to move or function; total stoppage or severe impairment of activity.” This definition indicates that paralysis drastically decreases or even completely destroys man’s ability to function as a normal citizen. Think about how animals function. The word “animal” means an animated being. So, consider how butterflies are so well animated that they flutter and fly far better than any ballet dancer. Remember how ants move ever so constantly and work tirelessly. Or look around yourself and see how little children like CBF members move around ever so lively; with all other conditions being equal, children are never couch potatoes. But a man lying on a mat, in today’s passage, was not like any of them. He was dysfunctional. He was a burden to others. Paralysis paralyzes man, not much to the frustration of others but himself.
More serious of a problem than this physical paralysis however is spiritual paralysis. After all, it is man’s spirit that causes man to function or dysfunction. You may be a quadriplegic and stuck in a wheelchair. But if your spirit is good, you may be able to be as productive as Franklin D. Roosevelt, the president in a wheelchair. Today we would like to think about how Jesus is going to heal you of your spiritual paralysis and live a fruitful life.
First, the word of God
The first point for us to consider for a productive life is the absolute necessity to study the word of God and teach the word of God. Look at verse 17, “One day as he was teaching, Pharisees and teachers of the law, who had come from every village of Galilee and from Judea and Jerusalem, were sitting there.” This passage indicates that, as in other cases of miracles recorded in Luke’s gospel, the miracle of healing the paralytic was preceded by Jesus’ teaching ministry.
Why did Jesus continue to teach God’s word? Why did Jesus put an emphasis on God’s word? We already know the answer. Jesus created man by His word. It is when we go by the word of God that we function the best. 2Tim 3:16-17 talks about this in a direct manner. “All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.” Here “every” (in every good work) means “every.” It is not an exaggeration. Many students fear that if they study the Bible their school studies might be disrupted. They think that Bible study might interfere with their career plan. But their fear is totally unfounded. I graduated from law school in the spring of 1970. But I had no desire to do anything meaningful with my life. While other students were preparing themselves for the bar exam, all I did was just play a game called Go because I could not find any meaning in life. But things started to change after studying the Bible. I started to study the Bible in the winter of 1971. Until that time I had no desire to develop a career as a lawyer. But, one friend of mine invited me to a Genesis Bible Academy. God’s word in Genesis brought about a change of mind. It gave me a meaning and purpose for my life. So I studied hard for the bar exam. After three months, the Lord enabled me to pass the exam. During that three months period I studied far more than all four years of studying I went through for law school. In the fall of the following year, I got married to Rebekah. Once upon a time I wanted to be a Buddhist monk and never get married. But the word of God changed my life. It transformed a one time Buddhist monk candidate into a missionary!
“All Scripture is Godbreathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.”
Here “all scripture” refers to Jesus Christ himself. In Luke 5:1-11 we see how Jesus, the Word of God in flesh, enabled Simon Peter to make a huge catch of fish. Surely Bible studies lead man to knowing Jesus in person. Just as Jesus transformed an unproductive fisherman into a productive fisherman, so also Jesus changed a man named Saul, a powerful wounding machine, into St. Paul, a very fruitful missionary who spread the gospel to the four corners of the world!
Surely studying the word of God and teaching the word of God is the key to living a life that is full of good fruit.
Second, the power of the Lord for him to heal the sick
The second point for us to consider for a fruitful life is the kind of help the Lord God has made available to his children. Luke 5:17b reads, “And the power of the Lord was present for him to heal the sick.” Many people tend to interpret the meaning of this passage in a rather limited way; they think that the Lord’s power is present only in a limited situation such as Jesus being physically present at that particular moment and in that particular house; they do not believe that this kind of power is available to all who believe, in all different locations in all different generations. But this is not true. The truth is that wherever there is a true believer, there is the presence of the Lord’s power to heal the sick. Speaking of the same truth, one of the psalmists says in Psalm 46:1, “God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble.” Here the word “ever” in “ever-present” has the meaning of “constant.” More directly than Psalm 46:1 is the promise of our Lord Jesus Christ, who said in Matthew 28:20b, “I am with you always to the very end of the age.” Similarly, Mark 16:20 indicates that the effect of Jesus being with his disciples is miracles after miracles taking place in their lives! Testifying to the same truth, the Apostle Paul even went to the point of saying in Ephesians 3:20, “Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us…” This is true not only in the days of the apostles but in our own day. It is true today as well. Even among us having worship service today, the Risen Jesus is the ever present help. The power to heal, the power to transform, is with us here and now.
“And the power of the Lord was present for him to heal the sick.” Let us pay attention to the phrase, “for him to heal the sick.” In some cases, God does not heal the sick all the time. Rather, God makes you a man of good health to be sick again. When God knows that if he heals you, you might become proud and stop offering yourself to serving God’s purpose, the Lord will continue to let you suffer from one sickness or another. A classic example is the Apostle Paul. Paul testified of his physical ailments in 2 Corinthians 12:7-10: “To keep me from becoming conceited because of these surpassingly great revelations, there was given me a thorn in my flesh, a messenger of Satan, to torment me. Three times I pleaded with the Lord to take it away from me. But he said to me, ‘My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.’ Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ's power may rest on me. That is why, for Christ's sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong.” But with categories of exceptions like this, we must remember that the power of the Lord is present with us here and now, the power to heal, the power to fulfill immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine. And this power is at work “within us” (who put trust in Him!). In other places of the Bible, Jesus affirmed this truth, saying that God is living and active. God is the God of the living, not of the dead. He is a living God, and he is alive to help the needy. He is the ever present help particularly for the one who is in trouble.
Third, they went up on the roof and lowered him on his mat through the tiles into the middle.
Again, to know that God is the ever present help for those who are in trouble is one thing, to actually go for it with absolute faith backed up with an action plan is another. Standing in contrast on this point are two classes of people. Ironically, the passage shows us that it was the religious leaders, such as Pharisees and teachers of the law, who did not act with faith; but “some men” who must have been lay persons took an action by faith in the Lord’s power to heal the sick.
Look at verses 17-19. “One day as he was teaching, Pharisees and teachers of the law, who had come from every village of Galilee and from Judea and Jerusalem, were sitting there. And the power of the Lord was present for him to heal the sick. Some men came carrying a paralytic on a mat and tried to take him into the house to lay him before Jesus. When they could not find a way to do this because of the crowd, they went up on the roof and lowered him on his mat through the tiles into the middle of the crowd, right in front of Jesus.”
The contrast between the Pharisees and the teachers of the law and the friends of the paralytic reminds us of what James says in James 2:17-19, “In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead. But someone will say, ‘You have faith; I have deeds.’ Show me your faith without deeds, and I will show you my faith by what I do. You believe that there is one God. Good! Even the demons believe that and shudder.” Unlike the religious leaders of Jesus’ day, the friends of the paralytic showed their faith with action. In the course of bringing the paralytic to Jesus, they ran into obstacles. But the obstacles did not stop them. Facing obstacles (the human wall) they made another plan of action: take the man to the roof top. There they were faced with another obstacle: the roof tiles. What did they do? They made another action plan. What was it? Just take away the tiles. After taking away the tiles they ran into another obstacle. The paralytic was as heavy as a heavy boulder. But by faith they made another action plan. (This is my guess.) They secured ropes. They tied up the four corners of the mat with the ropes then carefully lowered the mat. And they landed the man right in front of Jesus. I once watched a man who was drowning in the LA River. At that time there was heavy rainfall. The level of the water rose almost to the top of the river bank, and the flood water was flowing very fast. The young man got swept up by the river, and he was flowing down fast. Then a copter flew over the area. They lowered a rope. After a lot of struggles, the man grabbed the rope. And they rescued the man. What the friends of the paralytic did amounted to this kind of rescue operation. By faith they took action.
Our missionaries working in overseas chapters set a good example like the friends of the paralytic. Dr. Peter Kim of Kiev is one example. He was invited to the U.S./Canada staff conference in Chicago. His presence and testimony reminded me of how our missionaries took holy actions to bring the gospel to the former U.S.S.R. At that time the iron curtain still blocked anyone to break into the communist’s society in the Russian block. But by faith they took action. By faith they made an action plan to pass through check points established at the border line. By faith they secured letters of admission from the universities in the region. One thing led to another, and in 1991 we had the first, historical, summer Bible conference at the State University of Leningrad. And even this first conference was not without obstacles. I still remember the night before the conference began. At that time we were in Moscow ready to travel to St. Petersburg by night train. But around 2 p.m., a coup broke out. A military group, which did not believe in Gorbachev’s Glasnost, put Gorbi in jail. As of 5:00 p.m., curfew was in place; no one was allowed to move in or out of Moscow. But all of us prayed. Other servants in other chapters worldwide also prayed. Then the next morning the Lord picked up the rebel group and tossed them in jail. Gorbachev was released. The curfew was removed. We then thanked God. The previous evening, one pastor from a church in Orange County visited Moscow with five hundred New Testament books in Russian. Knowing that the rebel group took over the regime, he donated all of the books to us and quickly left the country. Thanks to his donation, 19 of us divided the books into different bundles. We took a subway and then a bus. We then donated the gospel to our missionaries in Moscow. It was a godsend. And as scheduled, we were able to hold the conference in Leningrad. Now, the ministry in the former Russian block grew. Along with Moscow UBF, Kiev UBF is one of the good examples. On the bulletin board in the office area, I posted Dr. Peter Kim’s testimony. There you will see that they are already sending out shepherds to other regions. They are also dispatching Shepherd Vladimir Point and his wife to pioneer Turkey. At the 2004 International Summer Bible Conference, Shepherd Point served a beautiful message. But when he first showed up at the Kiev UBF center he was not a good shepherd. He was a playboy of sorts, who showed up at the center only to seduce girls. According to Dr. Peter, he showed up in blue jeans, wearing a cowboy hat, and holding a guitar. He brought sisters around him and played guitar. The sisters swooned. But he is now changed. And he is a missionary. Who imagined that Russian playboys like him would have changed into a missionary to a foreign country? But this happened all because some missionaries like Dr. Peter Kim, who took a holy action by holy faith in the holy God.
Fourth, friend, your sins are forgiven!
How did Jesus bless them? Look at verse 20. “When Jesus saw their faith, he said, “Friend, your sins are forgiven.”” It is interesting to note that upon “seeing” their faith, instead of just healing the man of the paralysis, Jesus just said, “Friend, your sins are forgiven!” This makes us to stop and think what Jesus did. Why did he do this? Why did Jesus touch on this man’s sin problem?
Most of us already know the answer. As I mentioned briefly at the outset of today’s Bible study, Jesus wanted to heal this man’s spiritual paralysis first, and then physical paralysis. The reason for this order is that what is spiritual is more important than what is physical; in fact, the latter is dependent on the former. In 3 John 1:2, the Apostle John expresses the same idea by saying, “Dear friend, I pray that you may enjoy good health and that all may go well with you, even as your soul is getting along well.” The soul is the seat of the spirit. Sin exists first on the level of the soul/spirit. For this reason, the Apostle Paul prayed for his flock, “May God himself, the God of peace, sanctify you through and through. May your whole spirit, soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ” (1 Thessalonians 5:23).
A lot of people do not consider the problem of sin, especially the sin of unbelief, a serious matter. But the sin of unbelief is the source of all troubles; it is the mother of all miseries. But absolute faith in the Lord’s goodness results in the forgiveness of sins, especially the sin of unbelief. Most importantly, the powerful demonstration of one’s faith in the Lord elevates man to the position of becoming a friend of God the Father! “Friend! Your sins are forgiven!” If it is any regular citizen walking on the street here in the city of Downey who says, “Friend,” I would not be too excited. Actually, I used to have my haircut at the barber’s shop next door. Each time I visited, I was greeted, “Hello, Amigo! Nice to see you again.” But the way they did my hair was not that good. They are very friendly, but they are not good hairstylists, as far as I am concerned. But remember. It is the Son of God, the creator of the universe saying, “Friend! Your sins are forgiven!” His name went straight to the book of life! Holy faith resulting in holy action produced holy salvation!
Fifth, the Son of Man
The greater blessing for the life that lives by faith in the Lord’s total goodness is yet to be known. Look at verses 21-24. “The Pharisees and the teachers of the law began thinking to themselves, ‘Who is this fellow who speaks blasphemy? Who can forgive sins but God alone?’”
Jesus knew what they were thinking and asked, “Why are you thinking these things in your hearts? Which is easier: to say, ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or to say, ‘Get up and walk’? But that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins....” It would have been perfectly fine for this man to remain physically dysfunctional, since his spiritual relationship with God the Father has been restored. Just as Franklin D. Roosevelt functioned so fabulously in a wheel chair, this man could have bore lots of good fruit even with the impairment of his physical body. But still Jesus proceeded to heal him physically, not exactly for the sake of the paralytic but for the sake of the Pharisees and teachers of the law.
To Jesus, they were a bunch of blind sheep. How so? They were blind because they did not know who Jesus really is. Anyone who does not know the deity of Jesus is a blind man. Jesus is God incarnate. Jesus is what the Word of God has been made visible in the form of flesh. Jesus is the exact representation of God’s true being. No one ever revealed who God is as exactly and concretely as Jesus did. So not knowing Jesus as the Son of God is as good as living in total darkness.
And today we thank God that, even using the religious leaders who were argumentative, the Lord God gave us the privilege of knowing Jesus as the Son of God! And this knowledge of Jesus as the Son of God is the key to living a fruitful life, for the Apostle Paul says, “I can do everything through him [Jesus Christ] who gives me strength” (Philippians 4:13).
Sixth, get up, take your mat, and go home!
In addition to the joy of salvation, in addition to the privilege of knowing Jesus, Jesus gives us as a special bonus another set of joys, that is, the joy of proving ourselves by doing what we are supposed to be doing. Look at verses 24b-25. “He said to the paralyzed man, ‘I tell you, get up, take your mat and go home.’ Immediately he stood up in front of them, took what he had been lying on and went home praising God.” Notice that Jesus did not even extend his help. In the case of the leper, Jesus reached out his hand and said, “Be clean.” But in this case, since Jesus had already forgiven him of his sins, Jesus simply commanded him to function as he was supposed to be functioning. And lo and behold! he got up, took up his mat, and went home.
Here, two commands, “take up your mat,” and “go home,” have one common message, that is, the joy of being independent by being dependant upon God, and thereby living as a source of blessing to others by positively discharging all the duties we are called to attend to. In the past, this man must have been greatly frustrated, particularly at home because of his inability to perform even basic duties, such as going to the rest room on his own. But now he can prove himself. He can help out his parents and siblings. In short, Jesus gave him the joy of proving himself by doing what he is supposed to be doing.
Lastly, let us read verse 26. “Everyone was amazed and gave praise to God. They were filled with awe and said, ‘We have seen remarkable things today.’” This passage gives us a grand conclusion, that is, God sent Jesus to help us turn from a life that is unfruitful to the life that is fruitful, and thereby render glory to God.
One word: praise be to God the Father who sent Jesus
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Get Up, Take Your Mat and Go Home!
Luke 5:17-26
Key Verse 5:24b
This passage shows us that Jesus came to help men to be fruitful and increase in number, thereby fulfilling God's purpose of creation that is a man becoming a source of blessing for all peoples on earth.
1. Verse 17 indicates that teaching (God's word) preceded Jesus' healing ministry. We see this pattern (teaching and healing) in other passages of the four gospels (cf. Luke 4:43) Why do you think Jesus put His priority on teaching? (Deuteronomy 28:15; 20,21; 59-61; Isaiah 45:7; Psalm 73:4-6; 2Co 12:9)
** Again Jesus was working on the cause, not the symptom alone. Disobedience to God's word, resulting in separation from God, causes man to become paralyzed (and become useless) first spiritually then physically.
Deuteronomy 28 teaches us that upon obedience God will make man to be prosperous, whereas upon disobedience man will only go from bad to worse.
Isaiah 45:7 says that God can both heal and make man sick. All came from God, and are coming from God, to serve God's purpose, that is, to support the truth that it is through dependence on God that man (and all other creations) can thrive.
In Psalm 73 the psalmist thought that on many occasions while the righteous suffer a lot, the wicked even enjoy good health. But soon he realized that it was only a great misunderstanding based on his short-sightedness, for their seeming happiness (enjoying good health etc.) is only a prelude to true disaster, that is, eternal destruction.
In the case of Paul, the Lord God kept him sick of a certain disease, only to keep him humble, so he would not go proud like the wicked. This then supports the same truth that God kept him partially healthy to help him remain obedient to the end. The key point then remains the same, that is, obedience is the key to the life of ultimate wellbeing.
2. Verse 17b says, "The power of the Lord was present for him to heal the sick." What does this passage indicate about the way for the Lord to release this power? (Eph 3:20; Luke 11:9)
** The way is for his children to use it. The word "present" means "presently available." The Lord God makes his power available for us his children/servants to use it. No use, no manifestations. And we need to use it by asking in Jesus' name. Sometimes he does not allow, sometimes he allows. But the bottom line is that we must ask (not for our own selfish purposes, but for God's glory, particularly for others, so that when other conditions remaining equal such as finding the healing fit to God's purpose, God would bring about his healing.)
3. Think about "some men" carrying their friend (a paralytic) on a mat to Jesus (18,19). How are they different from the Pharisees and teachers of the law? What can we learn from them?
** Unlike the religious leaders (who only ran their computers, i.e., brains, doing nothing but arguing with Jesus, and thereby becoming stumbling blocks for the flock of God coming to Jesus for help), these men moved their bodies, doing something practical to help out the man.
** We learn from them their true friendship, for a friend in need is a friend indeed.
4. Memorize verse 20. It was when Jesus saw the faith of several men that Jesus did what he did. The expression "When Jesus saw their faith" indicates that had they not demonstrated faith Jesus would not have been willing (or able) to work. (cf. Mark 6:5,6) Why?
** First reason is because Jesus does not want to violate the way he created man, that is, free will, the will to make a choice freely.
The second reason is because it is faith that builds the relationship between God and men, meaning that Jesus wants us to come to him desiring Him, not just for quick benefits like the quick fix of a financial problem, or finding a marriage partner, or some other goodies like getting healed of a disease.
5. In verse 20 Jesus called the man lying on a mat, "Friend!" Why? Jesus also said, "Your sins are forgiven" (instead of saying, "You are healed of your paralysis"). Why?
** When Jesus said "friend" he did not say it lightly like we hear people in Downey saying, "Amigo!" Rather, Jesus said it based on the Biblical concept of friendship that is obeying God's command.
John 15:14 You are my friends if you do what I command.
And God's command is for us to live by faith in the Lord, for faith is the mother of obedience.
** Sin is unbelief, or unbelief is sin. It is this sin of unbelief that makes man lose his relationship with God, which is the beginning of all tragedies.
6. In verses 21-24a Jesus addresses the problem of the Pharisees and the teachers of the law. What does this passage tell us about Jesus as a good shepherd even for those who criticized him?
** Jesus is a good shepherd for them in two ways:
1) He displayed intimate knowledge of them, knowing even what is going on in their inner thought world.
2) Jesus wanted to save them from their sins, for it is through knowing Jesus the son as the Lord and Savior that one can be saved from his lost condition. In order to help them to know Jesus better Jesus taught them who he is, that is, the one sent by God to have their sins forgiven.
7. Verses 24-26 show us that Jesus forgave this man's sins first and then made him physically well. Combine this factor with the words Jesus gave to the man, "I tell you, get up, take up your mat and go home." Why do you think Jesus helped the paralytic man in this way? (Genesis 1:26-28; 12:2-3)
** Jesus' purpose is to make man to be a wholesome child of God, made whole in spirit and body, and thereby as he remains in the relationship with the Lord, he would be a source of blessing for all peoples on earth.
The end