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Category: Christian Crossroads Christian Crossroads
Published: 30 September 2018 30 September 2018

In Matthew Chapter 9, Mark Chapter 2, and Luke Chapter 5, we find the account of Jesus healing a man who couldn’t walk. The three authors, each in their own style, describe how four men brought the paralytic on a bed to the house where Jesus was preaching. Because they couldn’t reach Jesus for the crowd, they climbed to the roof, removed tiles, and lowered the paralytic down to Jesus through the hole they had made.

Jesus’ reaction was to say to the paralytic, “Your sins are forgiven.”

What did the paralyzed man do to earn the forgiveness of his sins and thus be cleansed and fit for heaven? Scripture records that he did nothing. He didn’t pray. He didn’t confess his sins. He didn’t fall to his knees. Jesus said it was only because of faith. Faith in what? Faith in Jesus and who He said He was. How did Jesus know they had faith?

I’ll tell you what, if Jesus could see the evil in the hearts of the scribes and Pharisees who were gathered there and call them on it, He certainly could see the saving faith in the heart of the paralytic.

To show He had power over what people could not see Jesus did the invisible thing first. He then demonstrated He had power over what they could see. It was as easy for Him to heal the man physically as it was to heal him spiritually.

Actually, I believe the four litterbearers were cleansed of their sins as well, for each of the three accounts state that Jesus saw ‘their’ faith. Jesus focused on the paralytic because the four were healthy without infirmity. But, through the paralyzed man, Jesus could show not only His power to forgive sins but could confirm that power by demonstrating His power to heal.