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

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