Question

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JESUS’ AUTHORITY TO FORGIVE SINS

Luke 5:12-26

Key Verse:5:24

1. Read verse 12a. How does Luke describe the man whom Jesus met? What is leprosy? What are its physical and social effects? (Lev 13:45-46) In what ways could leprosy be compared to sin? (Ps 51:1-2)

2. Read verse 12b. What did this leper do and say to Jesus when he saw Jesus? What did he believe about Jesus' power? What does his, "If you are willing" tell us about the leper?

3. Read verse 13. What did Jesus do? What did he say? What was the result? What does it show about Jesus that he is willing? That he touched the leper?

4. Read verse 14. Why did Jesus tell the cleansed leper not to tell anyone? What did Jesus tell him to do? Why? Why is this important? Read verses 15-16. What did Jesus do frequently after teaching and healing? Why was this necessary for Jesus and more necessary for you and me?

5. Read verse 17a. What was Jesus doing? Who appears on the scene for the first time in Jesus' ministry? Why do you think they came?

6. Read verses 17b-19. What happened? Describe the situation of the paralytic. What did his friends overcome in order to bring him to Jesus? Why were they so determined? What can we learn from them about friendship?

7. Read verse 20-21. How did Jesus see their actions? What did he say to the paralyzed man? Why were the religious leaders offended by Jesus' words? What did they not know about Jesus? How might this man's condition be representative of one kind of sin?

8. What did Jesus know? (22) How did he teach them who he is and demonstrate that he has the authority and power to forgive sins? (22-24) What do we learn from these 2 events about the nature of sin? About Jesus? About the testimony of changed lives?

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Attachment

• JESUS's authority to forgive sins-questions.doc

Message

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JESUS TOUCHED ME

Luke 5:12-26

Key Verse: 5:13 “Jesus reached out his hand and touched the man. “I am willing,” he said. “Be clean!” And immediately the leprosy left him.”

  Last week we learned how Jesus met Simon Peter and called him to be a fisher of men. Simon was a nameless and smelly fisherman. The previous night he met Jesus, Simon hadn’t caught any fish. He was despaired and tired. But, Jesus challenged him to put out into deep water and let down the nets for a catch. Even though Simon did not understand Jesus’ words, he simply obeyed.  When Simon simply trusted Jesus and obeyed him, he caught huge numbers of fish. Through this event, Simon Peter met God in Jesus personally. When Jesus asked him to follow him, he left everything and followed Jesus. Here we learned that Jesus is not only the Almighty God who controls the world, but also he is the good shepherd who restores Peter’s failure. There is no failure in Jesus. Jesus restores our failure and transforms our suffering to future glory. Amen.

  In today’s passage Jesus heals two persons. First, a man who is covered with leprosy, second a paralytic. Both of them are very sick who desperately needs God’s mercy. Today we learn how Jesus heals them and give them a new life. May Jesus’ messianic compassion move our hearts and his hand of touch heal us today. Amen.

Part 1. Jesus heals a man who was covered with leprosy. (12-16)

Look at verse 12a. “While Jesus was in one of the towns, a man came along who was covered with leprosy.” In Mark’s gospel, the author Mark described him simply as “a man with leprosy.” But, Luke the physician described him more carefully as a man “who was covered with leprosy.” It means that the leprosy covered this man from head to foot. What is leprosy? Leprosy is an infectious and incurable skin disease. It is not just simple skin diseases like rash or Atopic Dermatitis which damages our skin, but a fatal disease which affects every part of the constitution. It brings sores and decay upon the skin, corruption into the blood, rottenness into bones and even ruins nerve system. It is the most damaging disease which makes our body disfiguring and fatal. What makes us more frightening is lepers don’t feel any pain until their nose and fingers drop off like wooden stick.

  Leprosy is also a contagious disease. It spreads to others by direct contact. So, in time past and present lepers have been quarantined.  In the Old Testament, a leper should be examined by the priest according to Jewish law (Lev13,14) If he is diagnosed as a leper, the priest pronounces him ‘unclean’. The moment he is pronounced ‘unclean’, his social life is over. He is sent to a camp and completely isolated from the society. He can’t see his family or meet his friend because he is an ‘unclean’ leper. The strict Jewish law even forbids leper’s public appearance. Leviticus 13:45-46 says, “The person with such an infectious disease must wear torn clothes, let his hair unkempt, cover the lower part of his face and cry out, ‘Unclean!  Unclean!’ As long as he has the infection he remains unclean. He must live alone; he must live outside the camp.”

 One day the man with leprosy heard that Jesus was coming to the town. “Jesus”, “Jesus of the Nazareth”. The leper remembered the name of Jesus who healed the sick and preached the kingdom of God. He heard that Jesus opened the eyes of blind, raised the crippled, and drove out demons. The leper’s heart began to beat fast with the glimpse of hope for healing. But, soon he sighed with self-sentiment saying, “Well, I am a leper. Who cares? Even Jesus? Will he accept an unclean and smelly leper like me?” “Even though he accepts me, how can I reach him?” He despaired before mountain-like obstacles. However, he couldn’t deny the strong desire for healing. He remembered again Jesus who accepted anybody and everybody. He believed that Jesus has power to heal him. So he strengthened his feeble knees and set out from his camp to see Jesus covering his face with fingerless hands.

The journey from the camp to Jesus was the way of humiliation and contempt. As soon as he appeared in the town, people recognized him and ran away from him while he was saying, “Unclean. Unclean!” Some spit on him. Others pelted dirt, and still others threw stones. His rugged clothes were not good enough to protect his disfigured body. His deformed body became more bruised and wounded. But, the leper did not stop his journey to Jesus. He did not want to lose this once lifetime chance. By faith he continued his journey to Jesus by moving his one step after another toward Jesus.

What did the leper do when he came to Jesus? Look at verse 12b again. “…When he saw Jesus, he fell with his face to the ground and begged him, “Lord, if you are willing, you can make me clean.” When the leper came to Jesus, he could not look at Jesus eye to eye. He thought that he did not even deserve to look at Jesus directly. So he fell with his face to the ground and begged Jesus’ mercy. “Lord, if you are willing, you can make me clean.” “It you are willing” means “If you want,” ‘If you desire,” “If you show just a little bit of your mercy upon me, you can heal me.” The leper begged the Messiah’s mercy and closed his eyes.

He heard the jeers of people and the noise of disgust. His heart fell again with doubt and despair. He thought that Jesus might have gone like other people did. But he did not regret what he had done because it was from his faith in Jesus. At that time, suddenly he felt that his whole body became electrified. His body became inflamed. It is the hand of Jesus. Jesus touched him. Unimaginable thing happened. He never expected that Jesus could touch him. Since he was sent to the camp, no one dared to touch him. For a long time, he forgot the warmth of people’s hand. But, Jesus touched him. When Jesus touched him, the warmth of Jesus’ hand healed him from deep sorrow and loneliness.

When Jesus touched him, Jesus did not mind to contract the disease. Jesus was ready to take over his disease. Jesus said, “I am willing”. He meant that he is willing to carry our sorrows. He is willing to die for us. He is willing to give his life as ransom for many (Mk 10:45).The prophet Isaiah tells about this Jesus, “Surely he took up our infirmities and carried our sorrows, yet we considered him stricken by God, smitten by him, afflicted.” (Isa 53:4)  Simon Peter said about Jesus in his letter, “He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, so that we might die to sins and live for righteousness; by his wounds you have been healed.” (1 Pe 2:24).  

Look at verse 13. “Jesus reached out his hand and touched the man. “I am willing,” he said. “Be clean!” And immediately the leprosy left him.” The moment Jesus said to him “Be clean”, something happened to this man. He found that all sores were gone from his body. His two lost fingers returned. His skin became as soft as like a baby’s.  The man realized that Jesus made him whole. He learned that he received a new body from Jesus. This reminds of what Paul said in 2 Corinthians 5:17 which says, “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!” Amen.

Mark’s gospel said, “Filled with compassion, Jesus reached out his hand and touched the man.” (Mk 1:41) Jesus is the God of compassion. He showed his messianic compassion to this man with leprosy. Filled with compassion Jesus is willing to show us his mercy when we come to him for healing. Jesus is willing to heal us from any kinds of sin-sickness and diseases. Amen.

In the Bible, sin is frequently compared to the symptom of leprosy. As leprosy eats into the body, so sin eats into the very constitution of the soul.  It corrupts man’s mind and heart. It decays man’s conscience and will. It makes a man dirty. It wounds, bruises, and forms puss in one’s inner man. But strangely, while leprosy disfigures man’s body, it does not cause any pain. We call this ‘numbness.” The more leprosy spreads in and corrupts one’s body, the more he feels no pain. Leprosy and sin are the same in the symptom of numbness.

Many young men and women sin at random. After committing sins, they said, “I am okay.” However, they ignore the thorn of conscience. Even though they forget what they had done, sin makes their conscience numb. They become as dirty as lepers spiritually. Sin corrupts their soul. If any of us have the same symptom of these, remember that our conscience is already ruined. It is a red signal of God’s divine judgment.  

Look at verse 14. “Then Jesus ordered him, “Don’t tell anyone, but go, show yourself to the priest and offer the sacrifices that Moses commanded for your cleansing, as a testimony to them.” According to the Jewish law, those whose skin disease is cured should visit the priest to be examined. Once the priest pronounces him ‘clean’, the person should offer the sacrifices as a testimony to them. Then, he can live normal life like others. Here we learn that Jesus not only healed the man from leprosy, but also he helped the leper to restore his social life. Jesus was mindful of this man’s future life. Praise Jesus who is our father like shepherd who cares us and saves us. Amen.

What happened when Jesus healed the man with leprosy? Look at verse 15. “Yet the news about him spread all the more, so that crowds of people came to hear him and to be healed of their sicknesses.” When people knew that Jesus had healed the man with leprosy, they believed that Jesus came to save them from their sins. However, Jesus often withdrew to lonely places and prayed. (16) In the midst of busy Messianic work, Jesus did not ignore his personal time with God the Father. Through regular prayer life, Jesus talked with God the Father and received necessary strength and direction.

Part 2. Jesus heals a paralytic (17-26)

In this part Jesus heals a paralytic. One day as Jesus was teaching in a house, some men came carrying a paralytic on mat. They tried to bring the paralytic to Jesus, but they could not because of the crowd. Did they give up or delay to another day? No! Look at verse 19. “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.” Wow! What a rude and offensive way to come to Jesus!  To the eyes of the crowd they were arrogant and out of common sense. But Jesus did not think so. Look at verse 20. “When Jesus saw their faith, he said, “Friend, your sins are forgiven.” Jesus saw their behavior as an act of faith. He was also moved by their genuine friendship. So he called the man, “Friend.” 

Paralysis is the loss or interruption of function and sensation of the body. It makes people completely powerless, dependant and burdensome. Paralysis is also an incurable disease like leprosy. As paralysis makes us powerless, sin also makes us powerless. (Ro 5:6,8)  Jesus didn’t say to the paralytic, “Be clean” But, he said “your sins are forgiven.” Jesus saw the man’s root problem as spiritual problem, sin problem rather than physical problem. Jesus knew that forgiveness of sin should be prior to physical healing.

When the Pharisees and the teachers of law heard this, they began thinking to themselves, “Who is this fellow who speaks blasphemy?” Who can forgive sins but God alone.” (21) The religious leaders did not know who Jesus really is. They did not why Jesus came to this world. Jesus came to this world to save us from our sins through the forgiveness of sin. In order to forgive our sins, Jesus himself became a man of sorrow and familiar with sufferings. Finally he took up the cross and shed his precious blood to cleanse us from all our sins. The prophet Isaiah continued to say about Jesus, “But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon him, and by hid wounds we are healed.” (Isa 53:5)

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.” (22-24) What happened to the paralytic? Look at verse 25. “Immediately he stood up in front of them, took what he had been lying on and went home praising God.” Another miracle happened with the word of Jesus. The paralyzed man received new body and started a new life with songs and praise. Look at verse 26. “Everyone was amazed and gave praise to God. They were filled with awe and said, “We have seen remarkable things today.” (26) We, Christians, will see remarkable things that day. When we meet our Lord Jesus Christ again, we no longer keep this disfigured and deformed body. We will receive new body, the glorious  resurrection body and see the Lord Jesus face to face. Our Lord Jesus is willing to do so. He is willing to meet us face to face that day. May God heal each of us and heal this country to become a kingdom of priests and a holy nation. Amen.

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Attachment

• JESUS TOUCHED ME-message-3.doc