Luke 5

I am quite humbled by my reading this morning. In this chapter, some faithful men bring their parlyzed friend to Jesus by lowering him on his mat through the roof of the house where Jesus was teaching. Jesus says in verse 20: "Friend, your sins are forgiven". The Pharisees who were present resented this greatly as one might expect & called it blasphemy. Jesus, alert to their whispers, asked in verse 23: "Which is easier: to say, 'Your sins are forgiven,' or to say, 'Get up and walk'?" Verse 24 goes on, "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."

In Sunday school class this past weekend, we discussed changing behavior versus changing the roots or beliefs that cause behavior. I think this passage is a great example of the distinction Jesus made between the two ideas. He desires us to know that our sins are forgiven, and to act like it. Out of pure gratefulness, we are to pick up our mats & walk as a result of our deeper inner healing that comes through God's grace.