Oakbrook Evangelical Free Church

The down and in and the up and out!
Paralytic and the Tax Collector
Luke 5:17-26 “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.
When Jesus saw their faith, he said, “Friend, your sins are forgiven.” 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…. 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. Everyone was amazed and gave praise to God. They were filled with awe and said, “We have seen remarkable things today.”" NIV
Also found in: Matthew 9:1-8 and Mark 2:1-12
Introduction:
The Power of Personal Story
I.    Setting
Just healed leprosy - called cleansing in OT, not healing.
“Go, show yourself to the priest”  Lev 14
A messiahic sign
Large crowds began following him
Jesus modeled a disciplined, quiet, prayer walk with God
Observation #1: Word about Jesus has spread even to the upper levels of Jewish faith and leadership.
Pharisees - Aramaic meaning “separated ones”
First mention in Luke
Non-priestly, lay separatist movement whose goal was to keep the nation faithful to God.
To prevent violations of the law they developed an elaborate system of traditions in their code of ethics which they imposed on everyone.  Since their code of ethics was burdensome they also created an elaborate, self-serving system of loopholes to get around the arbitrary laws they’d created.
Teachers of the Law - scribes who helped study legal questions and aided in the development of tradition.  They often quoted each other in their explanations and answers.  - Ones learned in matters of the Scriptures.  Today?  Scholars and theologians.
Observation #2:  In the midst of traditional religious authorities God’s power rests on Jesus.
Jesus was anointed by God’s Spirit.  His commission was from God and he did not require official endorsement.  Of course, this makes from challenge and conflict and power struggle.
Jesus will heal the man with paralyzed legs but will he be able to heal paralyzed hearts?
Observation #3: This miracle pictures what Jesus can do for people.
Some friends came and four of them were carrying him to lay him before Jesus.
When they couldn’t get him to Jesus in the usual way of through the
door they went to great effort to bring him to Jesus through the roof.
Climbed the ladder on the side of the house.
Cut through the roof - likely an “arch and slab” construction
Raises a question: how much effort would you and I go through to bring a friend to Jesus?
~ Would you tell your “story”?
What is your story?
My life and attitudes before I came to Christ.
How I came to realize my need for Christ.
How I came to Christ.
What has happened since - what he means to me now.
For those who came to know Christ at an early age:
My home life, people who influenced me & early experiences
My early understanding of what following Christ meant.
How I came to relate personally to Jesus as Savior and Leader.
Specific areas which Christ has made a difference and areas where he is still working.
Have you ever told your story of faith in Christ to others?
Have you written your story out?
Did you know we have a place for your story online but that no one has ever taken advantage of it?
You don’t have to dismantle slabs and arches.  But you do have to build bridges!
Be a good listener.  Be available and vulnerable.  Look for ‘good’ in people.
Be a servant - minister to others in everyday needs.
Be genuine, not manipulative.
Share social / community events.
Share in natural conversation.
Share at work in ethical ways.
Share Christian events.
Take initiative!
Share Scripture, literature, Ctn friends
Jesus pulls a surprise!
The crowd expected a healing.  Jesus says his sins are forgiven.
(Connections physical sickness to the Fall.)
Raises a theological question:  Who is this man?  Who can forgive sins?
Don’t be too harsh on the Pharisees.  At least they get the issues!
The double-bind question posed by Jesus:  Which is easier?
to say “Your sins are forgiven” or to say, “Get up and walk?”
This puts the Pharisees and Scribes in a double-bind, no win situation.

Of course, the harder thing to actually do is to forgive sin.

Jesus says, “Get up and walk!”
This is crunch time for Jesus - either the man does or doesn’t!
This is crunch time for the religious leaders: either they admit Jesus is God or they don’t!
The man walked means that God has talked!
Observation #4: this story shows the importance of faith
God honors the faith of a few good friends.
Go back home, go to work, go out into the highways and byways and bring them in!