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Spring Quarter: Examining Our Faith
Unit 2: The Measure of Faith
Lesson 6: Week of April 7, 2024
By Dr. Hal Brady
Lesson Scripture: Luke 5:17-26
Key Verse: Luke 5:18-19
Lesson Aims
- Identify the correct and incorrect conclusions of the teachers of the law and the Pharisees.
- Explain the connection between the plural “their” and the singular “you” in verse 20.
- Brainstorm modern helping situations analogous to that of the text.
It has been suggested that intimate friends are rare in life. Often, we have only one, occasionally two…usually not more than three in our entire lives. There’s something about an intimate friendship that causes our souls to be knit together. We are “kindred spirits.”
On the other hand, there are our numerous so-called “friends” on social media. Is it really possible to be friends with someone you have never met in person?
The writer of this lesson says that he has found a simple way to identify one’s genuine friends. Announce that you are moving and see who volunteers to help. At any rate, today’s lesson allows us a first-century look at the results of authentic Christ-honoring friendship.
Lesson Context
The third Gospel and the book of Acts were written by a man name Luke. He was a traveling companion of the apostle Paul and a physician by profession (see Colossians 4:14; 2 Timothy 4:11; Philemon 24). Because Luke was not an eyewitness to the ministry of Jesus, he gathered his information from those who had been so he could write a detailed account (Luke 1:1-4). Most students believe that the Gospel of Mark was written first and, therefore, could have been one of the sources used by Luke. The scene in today’s lesson is worded quite similarly to Mark 2:1-12 (see Luke 5:17 and compare Matthew 4:1-8).
Today’s lesson locates Jesus in Galilee, early in his three-and-a-half-year ministry. His popularity was rising, and he was drawing crowds. The news of Jesus’ teaching and miracles was spreading rapidly (Luke 4:37), and attempts to keep things under control in that regard didn’t work (Mark 5:14-15).
As a result, Jesus had to make a conscious effort to carve out some “alone time” for prayer with his heavenly father (Luke 4:42; 5:16).
Luke 5:12 states that the healing miracle just prior to the one in today’s text occurred “in one of the towns” of Galilee. Mark 2:1 is more specific in indicating that the events of today’s lesson took place in Capernaum. This town located on the northwestern bank of the Sea of Galilee became something of a headquarters for Jesus during his town of Galilee (Matthew 4:13).
Faith that Seeks
(Luke 5:17-20a)
The phrase “one day” indicates that the events that follow probably occur on a day other than a Sabbath. Recognizing that this supposition is an argument from silence, we note that there are no complaints from Jesus’ opponents concerning a Sabbath violation, as we see in Luke 6:1-11 and 13:10-16.
This verse includes the first of 26 mentions of Pharisee or Pharisees in the Gospel of Luke. Two factors indicate their presence to have been an ominous turn of events. The first is that they were accompanied by “teachers of the law.” This rare designation (a Greek word of 14 letters) is found only here, in Acts 5:34 (applied to the renowned Gamaliel), and in 1 Timothy 1:7 (regarding misguided aspirations). On the other hand, the NIV lists other times when “teachers of the law” accompanied Pharisees (example: Luke 5:30), but the English translation obscure the fact that a different Greek word is being translated in both cases.
Pharisees opposed Jesus (example: Luke 1:53-54) with a few exceptions (example Luke 19:39). On the destructive beliefs and practices of the Pharisees, see Mathew 23:1-36; Mark 7:3-5; Luke 18:10-12; Acts 23:88.
The second ominous factor is that these religious leaders are not merely “local yokels” from every village Galilee. Instead, they include individuals “from Judah and Jerusalem.” It’s a long walk from Jerusalem and its temple to Capernaum—approximately 80 miles. For these religious leaders to commit to such a trip points out that they wanted to check for themselves the truth of the stories circulating about this teacher, preacher, healer, and exorcists. In other words, they wanted to investigate for themselves the person and work of Jesus.
Verse 17b says, “And the power of the Lord was with Jesus to heal the sick.” With this phrase, Luke writes this event with Isaiah 61:1-2, which Jesus had read concerning himself when he was in Nazareth a short time before (Luke 4:16-21). The healings - both physical and spiritual - fulfill Messianic prophecy. The references to healing “the sick” raise a question of antecedent: Who were these people? In any case, the focus is on the source of the power: “the Lord” (compare Micah 3:8). And the use of the “Lord” to refer to God rather than Jesus is consistent with Luke’s use of the term through the infancy narratives (where the term occurs 27 times).
Moving on, the helping action of the friends of a “paralyzed man” is selfless and authentic. In their effort, the friends show what Jesus called the second greatest commandment: love your neighbors as yourself” (Matthew 22:39; Mark 12:31). Luke’s account does not indicate how many men were carrying the bed; but Mark does: four. This makes sense when we imagine something like a medical stretcher with one person at each corner.
Luke shows great sensitivity in describing the patient as a “man who was paralyzed” rather than as “a paralytic.” The man’s affliction made it impossible for him to come to Jesus without assistance.
Question! How will you demonstrate the second greatest commandment (see Matthew 22:39; Mark 12:31) toward a friend in need in the upcoming week?
The crowd around Jesus has become a barrier separating him from the man in need. In an act of persistence and determination that will be interpreted as faith (v.20), the friends go up on the housetop and lower the paralyzed man down through the roof. Luke’s departure from Mark at this point suggests that Luke envisions a different style of house, and, apparently a different social setting. Mark says the men dug through the roof—that is, they dug through the reeds and baked mud that were used to cover a Palestinian peasant’s house. Yet, Luke says they removed the “tiles,” which would have covered more affluent Hellenistic homes.
At any rate, the rooftop was a place for household activities—drying laundry, getting fresh air, where people sometimes hid, conferred, mourned and prayed. Roofs were also places where bad things could happen (example 2 Samuel 11:2; 16:22).
Even with outside access readily available, for the four men to climb the stairs or ladder while transporting the man was undoubtedly quite difficult—another sign of their faith and commitment. And lowering the man “through the tiles into the middle of the crowd” could probably have required ropes, possibly an indication of advance preparation.
Verse 20a says, “when Jesus saw their faith, he said…” We are told that the four Gospels mention “faith” a total of 24 times (in Greek), and Luke features 11 of those instances. The verse before us is the first (earliest) of those 11. Faith, being a mental and spiritual state, cannot literally be seen in and of itself by us ordinary humans. However, that limitation does not apply to the Son of God. He knows people’s spiritual and mental states (see Luke 5:22). But even though we lack the divine ability to see the faith (or lack of faith) in someone’s heart, we can certainly see evidence of faith in one’s actions or inactions (James 2:17). What the crowd saw in the actions of the men (friends), Jesus saw in both heart and action.
We must not assume that the phrase “their faith” refers only to the man’s friends, to the exclusion of the paralyzed man. There is no indication that he opposed others carrying him to Jesus. It is likely that he was more than willing to seek out Jesus.
Question! In what ways do a believer’s actions reveal his or her faith in God?
Several years back I conducted a funeral for a first cousin in Decatur, Georgia. My friend, Bishop Bevel Jones, and I held the service. At one point in his meditation, Bishop Jones said, “It is by grace that we are saved, but we must be worthy of that grace.” The Bishop was talking about the importance of action as related to faith.
Faith that Finds
(Luke 5:20b-26
In verse 5:20b, the surprise comes! By underscoring Jesus’ power to heal (v.17) and the bringing of a crippled man to Jesus, the narrator had led the reader to expect that Jesus will heal the man—just as he has healed others. Instead, Jesus pronounces the man’s sins forgiven.
Until now, not finding anything in Jesus’ teaching to criticize, “the Pharisees and the teachers of the law” focus their attention on his actions and implied identity. They are not correct in an absolute sense when they say that “God alone” can forgive sins—people are encouraged to forgive sins committed against one another (Matthew 6:14; 18:21-22: Luke 11:4; Colossians 3:12-13). But the teachers of the law and the Pharisees are correct in the sense of a person sinning against God (Exodus 34:6-7; Psalm 103:2-3; Isaiah 43:25; 1 John 1:8-9). According to Jewish writing in the period between the Old and New Testaments, the Jews expected a righteous Messiah to overthrow foreign invaders. They did not expect a Messiah who would be God in-the-flesh, able to forgive sins.
This unspoken question of the religious experts goes to the heart of understanding the person and work of Jesus. The experts actually had a good grasp of what was happening: Jesus was speaking and acting in a manner reserved for God. For a mere human to forgive sins committed against God would indeed be blasphemy, which was punishable by death (Leviticus 24:16). Various forms of the word “blasphemy” occur dozens of times in the New Testament. Jesus eventually would be crucified on this very charge (Matthew 26:65-66; Mark 14:64). Compare John 5:16-18; 10:31-33).
The text establishes this instance as the first organized opposition to Jesus in the Gospel of Luke.
Question! How can you prepare yourself for others’ questions regarding the identity and authority of Jesus?
Every one present could see the evidence of the faith of the man and his friends in their actions. Jesus, however, was also able to see the doubt and lack of faith in the hearts of the religious leaders. The ability to know people’s hearts and innermost thoughts is one of the divine characteristics of Jesus that Luke emphasizes (example: Luke 6:8). With this ability, he was able to respond to their unspoken question with an audible question of his own. Although Jesus knew the thoughts of their hearts, he asked them a question, a method of teaching that he often used (example: Luke 2:49).
The question Jesus poses to the assembled authorities is nuanced with a fine ambiguity. On the one hand, it would be easier to say that a person’s sins are forgiven than pronounce him or her healed because the latter is subject to verification while the former is not. On the other hand, the claim to forgive sins was the higher claim because others had been known to have the power to heal. And added to the nuance of Jesus’ question was the lurking suspicion that the man’s sin and his paralysis were related.
Repeating, Jesus’ responds to the paralyzed man by saying, “your sins are forgiven,” which causes the objection of the teachers of the law and the Pharisees. This objection introduces conflict, heightens response, and focuses attention on the issue of Jesus’ authority to forgive. Jesus’ statement in verse 20 assumes that forgiveness of sins is the key to healing for this paralyzed man. The story need not imply that every health problem is caused by sin, only that the man’s sins are a significant factor in this case.
This verse (v. 24)—worded almost the same as Matthew 9:6 and Mark 2:10-11—stresses that Jesus healed the paralyzed man as evidence of Jesus’ “authority on earth” to forgive sins (compare John 5:8). Luke again connects what has happened here to Jesus’ reading of the prophet Isaiah in the synagogue. When John the Baptist wavered in his faith while imprisoned, Jesus confirmed his messiahship by mentioning signs such as this (Luke 7:22-23). Faith in Jesus is based on evidence.
This verse is also the first of 25 occasions that Luke records Jesus using the self-designation “Son of Man.” Overall, this expression occurs across all four Gospels more than 80 times. In almost every case, it comes from the life of Jesus and not as a description of Jesus by the Gospel writers (Luke 24:7 and John 12:34 are the only two exceptions, both quoting Jesus).
The background for this designation comes from the Old Testament. The book of Ezekiel applies the title to that prophet more than 80 times but without suggesting that he was divine (examples: Ezekiel 5:1; 6:2; 7:2). The two uses of the designation in the book of Daniel, however, recognize the Son of Man as having divine attributes (Daniel 7:13-14; 8:17).
Earlier, Luke established Jesus’ authority and power to heal and drive out demons (Luke 4:33-36). And we remember that “authority” is “the right to do something,” and “power” is the “ability to do something.” Luke is the only writer of the four Gospels to use both words together (examples: Luke 4:36; 9:1). Although the text now under consideration does not explicitly use those words, both concepts are present in this verse (v.25).
The adverb “immediately” establishes that the healing happened instantly at the mere spoken words of Jesus. And there is no indication that Jesus’ touch was involved as healing miracles featured in other contexts (compare Mark 8:22-25; John 9:6-7).
The man’s sudden ability to walk was (or should have been) evidence that Christ had both authority and power to forgive sins (see Luke 20:2-8). The statement “in front of them” is essential to this proof—everyone present saw the result. In biblical times two or three witnesses were required to prove the veracity of an event (example: Matthew 18:16). Thus, Luke confirms that a sufficient number of witnesses were present to verify the miracle.
Question! How do you maintain an attitude of worship even when it seems God has not worked in the way you desired?
Verse 2b is the only verse in the New Testament where amazement, praising God, and fear occur together as reactions of a crowd. We assume that the word “everyone” includes the religious leaders who were present. This was their first encounter with Jesus, as recorded in the Gospel of Luke, and it’s not unreasonable to conclude that they shared in everyone’s reactions. Like everyone else, those leaders needed time to process the evidence for Jesus’ deity just seen. Soon enough, some people will reach the wrong conclusion (see Luke 11:14-16).
But not this day! The crowd praises God and recognizes that they have seen wonderful and remarkable things through Jesus.
This event reveals one further picture. The ability of the paralyzed man to resume his walk of life is a picture of what Jesus does when he saves. His message is a liberating one.
Conclusion
The friends in today’s lesson remind us of the nature of authentic friendship. We are unsure how long they had been carrying their friend around on this bed. We know that when Jesus came into the city, they believed he could help their friend. However, they did not stop at simply believing They put their faith into action and brought their friend to Jesus, overcoming every obstacle on the way.
To be sure, it was not an easy task to get their friend onto the roof, tear it apart, and lower him into the room. Undoubtedly, they could have spent their time on other matters that day. So how can we dedicate our time and resources to assisting a friend in need?
The English poet, Samuel Taylor Coleridge, once described friendship as “a sheltering tree.” He went on to say, “a friend is like a leafy tree that provides shade from the sun and protection against the cold blasts of winter’s loneliness.” A friend is indeed “a sheltering tree.”
Charles Kinglsey, British clergyman, was once asked the secret of his success. He answered, “I had a friend.” That is to say, “I had someone who was always there for me.”
Resources For This Lesson
- “2023-2024 NIV Standard Lesson Commentary, International Sunday School Lessons,” pages 273-280.
- “The New Interpreter’s Bible, Volume XI Luke, John,” by R. Alan Culpepper, pages 121-125.
- “The NIV Application Commentary Luke” by Darrell Bock, pages 154-158.
- “Abingdon New Testament Commentaries Luke” by Robert C. Tannehill, pages 104-106.
Dr. Hal Brady is a retired pastor who continues to present the Good News of Jesus Christ and offer encouragement in a fresh and vital way though Hal Brady Ministries (halbradyministries.com).
