12 While he was in one of the cities, there came a man full of leprosy. And when he saw Jesus, he fell on his face and begged him, “Lord, if you will, you can make me clean.” 13 And Jesus stretched out his hand and touched him, saying, “I will; be clean.” And immediately the leprosy left him. 14 And he charged him to tell no one, but “go and show yourself to the priest, and make an offering for your cleansing, as Moses commanded, for a proof to them.” 15 But now even more the report about him went abroad, and great crowds gathered to hear him and to be healed of their infirmities. 16 But he would withdraw to desolate places and pray.
Jesus Heals a Paralytic
17 On one of those days, as he was teaching, Pharisees and teachers of the law were sitting there, who had come from every village of Galilee and Judea and from Jerusalem. And the power of the Lord was with him to heal. 18 And behold, some men were bringing on a bed a man who was paralyzed, and they were seeking to bring him in and lay him before Jesus, 19 but finding no way to bring him in, because of the crowd, they went up on the roof and let him down with his bed through the tiles into the midst before Jesus. 20 And when he saw their faith, he said, “Man, your sins are forgiven you.” 21 And the scribes and the Pharisees began to question, saying, “Who is this who speaks blasphemies? Who can forgive sins but God alone?” 22 When Jesus perceived their thoughts, he answered them, “Why do you question in your hearts? 23 Which is easier, to say, ‘Your sins are forgiven you,’ or to say, ‘Rise and walk’? 24 But 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, rise, pick up your bed and go home.” 25 And immediately he rose up before them and picked up what he had been lying on and went home, glorifying God. 26 And amazement seized them all, and they glorified God and were filled with awe, saying, “We have seen extraordinary things today.” Luke 5: 12-26 ESV
Luke 5: 12-26
There came a man full of leprosy - Luke was a doctor so he is writing from that sense, a way of saying it was well advanced. There are cures for leprosy now, but it is a sad disease when left untreated, progressing to the point where people lose feeling and eventually digits. There is a cure now and here is a foundation that does work in that area - keep in mind that I have not looked very deeply into it, but here is there url: American Leprosy Missions
“In Palestine there were two kinds of leprosy. There was one which was rather like a very bad skin disease, and it was the less serious of the two. There was the one in which the disease, starting from a small spot, ate away the flesh until the wretched sufferer was left with only the stump of a hand or a leg. It was literally a living death.” (Barclay)
ii. According to Jewish law and customs, one had to keep 6 feet (2 meters) from a leper. If the wind blew toward a person from a leper, they had to keep 150 feet (45 meters) away. The only thing more defiling than contact with a leper was contact with a dead body.
If you will - This man's faith was in the right place. He knew it was no question of ability, but rather the divine prerogative. He doesn't ask because he thinks it his right to receive this, that Jesus owes him, or that he has earned this, no, it is simply, "if You will". Like Jesus says on the way to the cross, "not My will, but Yours be done." We miss a huge thing with these miracles, and that is the transaction of faith, given and then received and then exercised. Another man put it well, "Lord, I believe, help me with my unbelief." There is an even more spectacular miracle which works out like this, "for it is by grace you are saved, through faith, and that not of yourself, for it is the gift of God and not of works lest any man should boast." Our salvation is no less a miracle than this man being cleaned or Lazarus being raised from the dead. It is almost the spiritual equivalent when someone is born again, yet so much more, for it is a change of position in eternity. It is far better to die a leper and be raised a saint, then to be healed of leprosy and die an unregenerate, only to spend an eternity separated from the grace of God and the subject of His just wrath. So when you distress over the spiritual state of a loved one, know that the God Who heals the leper is the same who cleanses us from our sin. Go to Him, beg of Him that they not receive what they are owed, but that they are forever changed, born again anew.
I will, be clean - Now such ability cannot be attributed to a lesser will, just like we should not worship angels, yet we worship Christ, and we do not attribute to men their being, we know that God has made all. When the disciples went about healing and casting out demons they came upon an instance where they could not cast one out, and Jesus told them that this kind only comes by much prayer and fasting, yet He cast it out directly. The same with the Apostle Paul, he willed that a thorn in his side be removed, and he sought God to heal it, but God chose to let it remain. We can will a lot of things that will not come to fruition, but when the Son of God wills it, it it must come to be. It is interesting that he touched him, which would make Jesus now ceremonially unclean, yet the one he touched was healed instantly. Jesus did not become a leper in this encounter, but He did what no one else there would do or could do.
Spurgeon on Jesus' wonderful words "Be cleansed" - Primeval darkness heard the Almighty fiat, "light be," (Genesis 1:3) and straightway light was, and the word of the Lord Jesus is equal in majesty to that ancient word of power. Redemption like Creation has its word of might. Jesus speaks and it is done. Leprosy yielded to no human remedies, but it fled at once at the Lord's "I will." The disease exhibited no hopeful signs or tokens of recovery, nature contributed nothing to its own healing, but the unaided word effected the entire work on the spot and forever. The sinner is in a plight more miserable than the leper; let him imitate his example and go to Jesus, "beseeching him and kneeling down to him." Let him exercise what little faith he has, even though it should go no further than "Lord, if thou wilt, thou canst make me clean"; and there need be no doubt as to the result of the application. Jesus heals all who come, and casts out none. In reading the narrative in which our morning's text occurs, it is worthy of devout notice that Jesus touched the leper. This unclean person had broken through the regulations of the ceremonial law and pressed into the house, but Jesus so far from chiding him broke through the law Himself in order to meet him. He made an interchange with the leper, for while He cleansed him, he contracted by that touch a Levitical defilement. Even so Jesus Christ was made sin for us, although in himself he knew no sin , that we might be made the righteousness of God in Him (2 Cor 5:21+, Heb 4:15+). O that poor sinners would go to Jesus, believing in the power of His blessed substitutionary work, and they would soon learn the power of His gracious touch. That HAND which multiplied the loaves, which saved sinking Peter, which upholds afflicted saints, which crowns believers, that same hand will touch every seeking sinner, and in a moment make him clean. The love of Jesus is the source of salvation. He loves, He looks, He touches us, WE LIVE. - Precept Austin
…25I will also sprinkle clean water on you, and you will be clean. I will cleanse you from all your impurities and all your idols. 26I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you; I will remove your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh. 27And I will put My Spirit within you and cause you to walk in My statutes and to carefully observe My ordinances.… Ezekiel 36: 25-27
As Moses commanded - He directs the man in accordance with their laws, and this is surely a powerful testimony to the religious rulers. It is also in keeping with fulfilling all righteousness.
16In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven. 17Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets. I have not come to abolish them, but to fulfill them. 18For I tell you truly, until heaven and earth pass away, not a single jot, not a stroke of a pen, will disappear from the Law until everything is accomplished.… Matthew 5: 16-18
1Then the LORD said to Moses and Aaron, 2“When someone has a swelling or rash or bright spot on his skin that could become an infectious skin disease, he must be brought to Aaron the priest or to one of his sons who is a priest. 3The priest is to examine the infection on his skin, and if the hair in the infection has turned white and the sore appears to be deeper than the skin, it is a skin disease. After the priest examines him, he must pronounce him unclean.… Leviticus 13: 1-3
…3The priest is to go outside the camp to examine him, and if the skin disease of the afflicted person has healed, 4the priest shall order that two live clean birds, cedar wood, scarlet yarn, and hyssop be brought for the one to be cleansed. 5Then the priest shall command that one of the birds be slaughtered over fresh water in a clay pot.… Leviticus 14: 3-5
He would withdraw to desolate places and pray - Very important, that time alone with God in prayer, and He is the new Adam, our role model and Savior. Where does one end up physically when they don't eat, sleep, drink or breathe? I am certain the prescription for spiritual anemia is always the same, get alone and pray.
Bringing on a bed a man who was paralyzed - What a rescue mission, and what great faith.
Your sins are forgiven you - Now to the worldling eye this doesn't seem like much, but Jesus is actually addressing the greater need. Whether you think you are a sinner or not doesn't change your situation. Wanting something to be true doesn't make it so, and forgiveness is the ultimate mission here. Christ came into the world to save sinners. We all need forgiveness because we all are sinners and God being the eternal Holy being is infinitely opposed to our sin, especially that of self righteousness and unbelief. From the eternal perspective this is what the man needed most. At the reading of this, his body will have long passed some 2,000 years ago.
Who is this Who speaks blasphemies - And they clarify their reasoning in the next sentence: "Who can forgive sins but God alone?" They are in that statement 100% right. Every sin is ultimately against God, and I may offer forgiveness to someone for what they did to me, but I have no power or authority to tell them they are right with God. He gives One Way, and Jesus says it, "I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life, no one comes to the Father but by Me." This is His mission here, it is one of forgiveness, men are fallen out of fellowship with God because He is holy and we are not. His forgiveness is not flippant and so tossed about, but rather costly, coming at great personal sacrifice.
…31Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, outcry and slander, along with every form of malice. 32 Be kind and tenderhearted to one another, forgiving each other just as in Christ God forgave you. Ephesians 4: 31-32
But God alone - If Jesus isn't God then He is a blasphemer. There are a lot of so called Christians today who do blaspheme, telling men they have nothing to fear of God's wrath because they want you to fill a seat at their church and more importantly their bank accounts. Some do it for other reasons, mainly because they like the applause of men, fear the rage of the mob, can't handle seeing the disappointment on your face, never realizing that your face is for them their narcissist mirror. They want you to smile warmly on them, to praise them as inclusive, hold them up as people of wisdom and understanding, and you will as long as they reflect back to you what you want to see and hear. The Pharisees aren't wrong in their theology here, but they are wrong about Who Christ is, and that is a horrifying mistake. When Jesus forgives sin He does it as God and He also pays the penalty for the sin. When men say you are good before God they can't stand before God on your behalf, can't die for your sins on the cross. They instead make light of Christ's redemptive work, and offer you a solace that isn't real. It is wrong for us to falsely accuse the innocent, but it is also wrong for us to knowingly pronounce the guilty clean. God is not going to ask your pastor, your friends, your wife or your kids whether you are justified; He is going to look at you and see Christ in your place or see you without Christ.
1Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, 2through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we stand. And we rejoice in the hope of the glory of God.… Romans 5: 1-2
But so that you may know - He has healed a leper, turned water into wine, has demonstrated His power over nature, and to show that He is not just talking, He demonstrates His authority by telling the paralytic to get up. The man is immediately healed, Jesus words and actions demonstrate Who He is.
We have seen extraordinary things today - What a strange statement. They complimented Him, recognized that great and rare, impossible things keep happening in relation to this Man. But what an understatement, like feeding the 5,000, who can do that? Healing people at a word, who can do this? It's like a down play, thanks for dinner and a show, you're a good speaker, cool miracles. Peter rightly fell at His feet and asked Him to depart because he realized His otherliness. This is God, and they act like they just saw a magic show, this is salvation, and they are either indifferent or want to kill Him.
