“JESUS’ POWER OVER SIN”
LUKE 5:12-26
I. Introduction
First question: How do you feel about other peoples’ sin? Do you take a stand against it or do you tolerate it? What if the sin is homosexuality? How do you feel about homo-
sexuals with AIDS? Do you have compassion for them? Or do you think, somewhere deep down inside, that AIDS is a just reward for their engaging in such sin? After all, doesn’t God’s law clearly say that homosexual acts are abominations and detestable.
Leviticus 18:22
22 You shall not lie with a male as one lies with a female; it is an abomina- tion.
Leviticus 20:13
13 If there is a man who lies with a male as those who lie with a woman, both of them have committed a detestable act; they shall surely be put to death.
So are you convinced that the sin of homosexuality, or lesbianism, or bisexuality, or any other sexual aberration is so vile, so revolting, and so heinous, that God should withhold His compassion from anyone who lives such a lifestyle and is now dying of AIDS?
Second question: How do you feel about your own sin? Do you take a stand against it or do you tolerate it? Could it be that you have considered your own sin and have come to the conclusion that it’s not really all that serious?
Certainly you’ve entertained a thought that’s a bit less than, shall we say, “Christlike” – but everyone has. Or maybe, every now and then, you’ve had a little slip of the tongue – but not very often. Then there’s always the chance you may have done something ques-tionable – but no one saw you. Besides, it was just a little thing and only happened once. Right? You wouldn’t expect Jesus to withhold His compassion from you. Would you?
We like to think that God “ranks” sin. For example, most of us think that homosexuality is among the worst possible sins. Don’t most of us think that the worship of man-made idols a bigger sin than the worship of our bank accounts? Don’t most of us think that murder is infinitely worse than a “little white lie?” Don’t most of us think that lusting after your neighbor’s wife is worse than lusting after his new car? Well, don’t we?
And don’t we think that homosexuality is worse than those little things you and I may do or say, or even think? Don’t we? Even if we’re not clear on exactly how God ranks sin, we’re convinced He does. One thing is certain. We’re very clear on how we rank sins.
We Christians are experts at ranking sins. And don’t we tend to think that other peoples’ sins are far more heinous than our own? But even if they aren’t, even if we are willing to admit that our own sins are as bad as those of unbelievers, we’re Christians.
We’re children of God, and God has compassion on His children.
*Psalm 103:8-13 (David praising God for His compassion on His children.)
8 The LORD is compassionate and gracious, slow to anger and abounding in lovingkindness.
9 He will not always strive with us; nor will He keep His anger forever.
10 He has not dealt with us according to our sins, nor rewarded us according to our iniquities.
11 For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is His lovingkind-ness toward those who fear Him.
12 As far as the east is from the west, so far has He removed our transgres-sions from us.
13 Just as a father has compassion on his children, so the LORD has compas-sion on those who fear Him.
And we fear the Lord, don’t we? But the lost don’t fear Him. So why should He have compassion on them? But He does. We shouldn’t be surprised by that. We were lost and He had compassion on us. But somehow, in our self-righteousness, we often think we have a corner on God’s compassion and the lost do not. Their sins are terrible while ours are not so bad. Of course we are careful enough not to say that. We just think it.
Third question: Does it matter which one of the Ten Commandments you break? Before you answer you need to remember that God’s commandments are not ten separate and unrelated rules. Together they form a unified whole. Together they are one moral law.
Think of God’s moral law as the windshield on your car. Regardless of whether it has a small crack or is completely shattered, your windshield is still broken. Similarly, whether we break one commandment or all of them, God’s moral law is still broken. It’s still sin. And the wages of sin is death (Romans 3:23). So we need compassion, divine compassion.
Everyone needs the compassion of Jesus Christ bestowed upon them. This is especially true of those who have not yet come to Him for salvation, regardless of whether their sin is the worship of false gods, murder, lust, homosexuality, or just that “little white lie.”
*1 Timothy 1:9-10
9 (the) law is not made for a righteous man, but for those who are lawless and rebellious, for the ungodly and sinners, for the unholy and profane, for those who kill their fathers or mothers, for murderers
10 and immoral men and homosexuals and kidnappers and liars and per- jurers, and whatever else is contrary to sound teaching.
A Christian who ranks sins, who thinks one sin is more offensive to God’s holiness than another, needs to look closely at v. 10. If there are different laws for homosexuals and liars, I don’t see them there, do you? If there are different outcomes for those who com-mit homosexual acts and those who tell lies, I don’t see them either, do you?
There is only one moral law and there is one consequence for breaking it. God gave it to Moses on Mount Sinai when He handed down the Ten Commandments. There is only one outcome for breaking the moral law. It is eternal separation from God in hell. Any sin, regardless of whether we call it big or little, major or minor, or “mortal” or “venial” (for those with a Roman Catholic background), is sufficient to condemn us. Sin is sin.
But when it comes to eternal punishment for sin, God does “rank them,” if you will. In that sense, some sins are worse than others. But the key point for us is that God ranks them, you and I do not. He decides the degree of punishment, you and I do not.
In the end all sin is bad, and any sin, big or little is damnable. When we sin, we sin against an infinite God. Therefore, our sin will have an infinite consequence.
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II. Text
At first glance this morning’s text seems to be about Jesus’ healing of the sick and lame. But it goes much deeper than that. It’s really about Jesus’ compassion for any and all sinners. In that compassion we will see once again just who He is. When we see Him, we see the power and authority that He has over every aspect of His creation.
We’ve seen Jesus’ power and authority over evil, demons, illness, disease, nature, death, and the grave. Today, we’ll see His power and authority over sin itself.
*Luke 5:12-26
12 And it came about that while (Jesus) was in one of the cities, behold, there was a man full of leprosy; and when he saw Jesus, he fell on his face, and implored Him, saying, “Lord, if You are willing, You can make me clean.”
13 And He stretched out His hand, and touched him, saying, “I am willing; be cleansed.” And immediately the leprosy left him.
14 And He ordered him to tell no one, “But go and show yourself to the priest, and make an offering for your cleansing, just as Moses commanded, for a testimony to them.”
15 But the news about Him was spreading even farther, and great multitudes were gathering to hear Him and to be healed of their sicknesses.
16 But He Himself would often slip away to the wilderness and pray.
17 And it came about one day that He was teaching; and there were some Pharisees and teachers of the law sitting there, who had come from every village of Galilee and Judea and from Jerusalem; and the power of the Lord was present for Him to perform healing.
18 And behold, some men were carrying on a bed a man who was paralyzed; and they were trying to bring him in, and set him down in front of (Jesus).
19 And not finding any way to bring him in because of the crowd, they went up on the roof and let him down through the tiles with his stretcher, right in the center, in front of Jesus.
20 And seeing their faith, He said, “Friend, your sins are forgiven you.”
21 And the scribes and the Pharisees began to reason, saying, “Who is this man who speaks blasphemies? Who can forgive sins, but God alone?”
22 But Jesus, aware of their reasonings, answered and said to them, “Why are you reasoning in your hearts?
23 “Which is easier, to say, ‘Your sins are forgiven you,’ or to say, ‘Rise and walk’?
24 “But in order that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins,” – He said to the paralytic – “I say to you, rise, and take up your stretcher and go home.”
25 And at once he rose up before them, took up what he had been lying on, and went home, glorifying God.
26 And they were all seized with astonishment and began glorifying God; and they were filled with fear, saying, “We have seen remarkable things today.”
We need to acknowledge and understand that without Jesus’ compassion for lost sinners, such as each one of us was (or may still be), His power and authority over sin would be of no value to us. In other words, if He had compassion for our lost condition, but had no power or authority to deal with our sin, His compassion could not help us.
In this passage Luke presents us with two lost men, each one having a physical malady symbolic of the sin that destroys not just the mortal body, but the immortal soul as well.
First, we will see Jesus’ compassion for sinners. Second, we will see His power to for-give sin. In all of this Luke makes it clear that Jesus of Nazareth is not just a man, as unbelievers insist, but He is God’s Son, the Second Person of the Holy Trinity, the Lord of all, and the Savior of those who will trust Him and Him alone for their salvation.
*Luke 5:12-13
12 And it came about that while (Jesus) was in one of the cities, behold, there was a man full of leprosy; and when he saw Jesus, he fell on his face, and implored Him, saying, “Lord, if You are willing, You can make me clean.”
13 And He stretched out His hand, and touched him, saying, “I am willing; be cleansed.” And immediately the leprosy left him.
Leprosy (known as Hansen’s disease) is a disorder of the skin and peripheral nerves. It causes massive lesions and leads to terrible disfigurement. It was greatly feared by the people. Since it was spread by the victim’s breath or touch anyone who contracted it was literally banished from any human contact.
In Israel it went even further than that. Based on Levitical law the rabbis taught that a leper was not only physically unclean but ceremonially unclean as well. Therefore, any person touching, or even going near a leper, was in danger of becoming defiled in the eyes of the Jews. The fact that this man would approach Jesus in such a bold manner reveals the level of his desperation.
Exactly what this man understood about who Jesus was is unclear. What is not unclear is that the leper believed Jesus had been sent by God. In falling prostrate before Him and calling Him “Lord,” it’s obvious that he had heard of Jesus’ miraculous healings. The point is that he knew Jesus could heal him. He just wasn’t sure Jesus would heal him. “Lord, if You are willing, You can make me clean.”
In the parallel passage in Mark it says Jesus had compassion on the man. What a marve-lous picture! This leper approaches Jesus in precisely the same manner that a repentant sinner should approach Jesus. “Lord, I’m a sinner. I’m unclean in the sight of God, but you can wash away my sin. Just say the word and I’ll be clean. Are you willing, Jesus?”
Have you Him asked that question? If you have you know what Jesus’ answer will be. Look again at v. 13. “And (Jesus) stretched out His hand, and touched him, saying, ‘I am willing; be cleansed.’ And immediately the leprosy left him.” This poor leper asked for a word. But in God’s matchless grace he received more than he asked for. Jesus touched him! This was shocking to all who witnessed it. No one in Israel would touch a leper.
Do you see the point? Your sin is vile in God’s sight. It is repulsive to His very nature. It is incurable and it leads to certain death…unless Jesus steps in, has compassion on you, and by the power and authority He has over sin, touches you and makes you clean. Two weeks ago we saw Jesus heal Peter’s mother-in-law in Capernaum. On that day Trisha sang, “He Touched Me.” Here are just a few of the words. “Then the hand of Jesus touched me, and now I am no longer the same…”
Don’t miss the last part of v. 13 either. “And immediately the leprosy left him.” It was instantaneous and complete healing. There was no recovery time. There was no, “take two aspirin and call me in the morning.” The damage to the leper’s body was gone. Jesus recreated that which had been worn away. There was no surgery, no medication, and no physical therapy. The leper was a new man.
When Jesus heals a body there is no trace of the disease. Likewise, when Jesus saves a soul there is no trace of sin. Therefore when you are justified (made righteous) by faith there is no trace of spiritual death left to defile you. It’s as if you were “born again.”
*John 3:3-7 (Jesus’ meeting with Nicodemus)
3 “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the king-dom of God.”
4 Nicodemus said to Him, “How can a man be born when he is old? He can-not enter a second time into his mother’s womb and be born, can he?”
5 “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God.
6 “That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.
7 “Do not marvel that I said to you, ‘You must be born again.’”
The unsaved may not have leprosy affecting their bodies. They have sin affecting their souls. Only Jesus Christ, the Great Physician, can heal souls. And while the body cannot be born again, the soul must be. It’s the only way we can enter into God’s kingdom.
*Luke 5:14-16
14 And He ordered him to tell no one, “But go and show yourself to the priest, and make an offering for your cleansing, just as Moses commanded, for a testimony to them.”
15 But the news about Him was spreading even farther, and great multitudes were gathering to hear Him and to be healed of their sicknesses.
16 But He Himself would often slip away to the wilderness and pray.
Jesus told the leper to go to the priest and obey the Mosaic Law regarding the washings and sacrifices for his healing, a process that would take eight days. But Mark’s gospel tells us the man did not do what Jesus had commanded him to do.
Mark 1:45
45 But (the leper) went out and began to proclaim it freely and to spread the news around to such an extent that Jesus could no longer publicly enter a city, but stayed out in unpopulated areas; and they were coming to Him from everywhere.
Had the leper obeyed Jesus it would have been a powerful testimony as to who Jesus really was. The religious leaders would have no excuse for doubting Jesus after seeing this leper healed and completely well.
So the news about Jesus spread even faster and the crowds, which were already huge, grew ever larger. It became more and more difficult for Jesus to find a time or a place for the refuge He needed to rest, to pray, and to be rejuvenated.
*Luke 5:17-19
17 And it came about one day that He was teaching; and there were some Pharisees and teachers of the law sitting there, who had come from every village of Galilee and Judea and from Jerusalem; and the power of the Lord was present for Him to perform healing.
18 And behold, some men were carrying on a bed a man who was paralyzed; and they were trying to bring him in, and set him down in front of (Jesus).
19 And not finding any way to bring him in because of the crowd, they went up on the roof and let him down through the tiles with his stretcher, right in the center, in front of Jesus.
Jesus’ fame was growing. It was no longer only the masses who were coming to see and hear Him, now He was getting the attention of the religious leaders as well. Now Jesus, His words and His works, were being scrutinized by those whom we might think of today as high-ranking seminary professors, high-powered clergymen, and high-priced lawyers. Jesus was “stirring things up.” After all, He had already claimed to be God.
They had to find some way to discredit Him and put a stop to all of it before things got out of hand. That’s why I really like the rest of v. 17. “…the power of the Lord was present…” Isn’t that a fascinating statement? Remember that Jesus had set aside the independent use of His own power. He was in complete submission to His Father.
John 6:38
38 “For I have come down from heaven, not to do My own will, but the will of Him who sent Me.”
So in Luke 5:17 I think we need to understand “…the power of the Lord was present…” to mean that God the Father was there. This is because the word “Lord” is “Jehovah,” or “Yahweh,” God’s personal name. Do you see the clash that is about to come; the spiritual warfare that is about to erupt? On the one side are the religious leaders, whose father, Jesus said, was Satan. (“You are of your father the devil” – John 8:44.) On the other side is Jesus, whose Father is God. And a poor paralytic will set it off.
This man’s friends tried to get him close to Jesus but the crowds around Him made it impossible. But they were not about to give up. Mark describes it this way.
Mark 2:4
4 And being unable to get to (Jesus) because of the crowd, they removed the roof above Him; and when they had dug an opening, they let down the pallet on which the paralytic was lying.
What does Jesus do? How does He respond to the faith of both the paralytic and his friends who have gone to such lengths to get to Jesus?
*Luke 5:20
20 And seeing their faith, He said, “Friend, your sins are forgiven you.”
Many theologians believe that by saying this Jesus’ effectively threw down the gauntlet before the religious leaders. Not only had He claimed to be God – now He claimed to have the power to forgive sins. Jesus could say, “…your sins are forgiven…” because He knew this was the genuine faith of a repentant sinner. So He responded the way He always responds to such faith. But how does unbelief respond? The immediate reaction of those who lack such faith is entirely predictable, isn’t it?
*Luke 5:21-23
21 And the scribes and the Pharisees began to reason, saying, “Who is this man who speaks blasphemies? Who can forgive sins, but God alone?”
22 But Jesus, aware of their reasonings, answered and said to them, “Why are you reasoning in your hearts?
23 “Which is easier, to say, ‘Your sins are forgiven you,’ or to say, ‘Rise and walk’?
Now the scribes and Pharisees had what they wanted, a golden opportunity to discredit this Jesus and diminish or eliminate His influence among the people.
Of course, they didn’t say it out loud; they said it in their hearts. But is the sin any less serious because it is in the heart instead of on the tongue? Well, it will be on their tongues soon enough. Before long they will be plotting Jesus’ murder.
In vv. 22-23 Jesus knows what they are thinking and asks them a question. By the way, the very fact that Jesus “hears” their thoughts testifies to His deity, doesn’t it? The ques-tion Jesus asks is impossible for them to answer. “Which is easier, to say, ‘Your sins are forgiven you,’ or to say, ‘Rise and walk’? What can they say? How do they respond to that? In human terms neither miraculous healing nor forgiveness of sins is possible. But in divine terms they are both possible.
So Jesus’ answers the question Himself. It’s easier to say to someone, “Your sins are forgiven.” Why? Because, in this life at least, no one can prove they aren’t. But on the other hand, if Jesus were to say to a paralytic, “Get up and walk,” and he got up and walked, no one could deny that.
Jesus has asked them a question, but He doesn’t give them time to answer. He drives home His point, and if the gauntlet had not been thrown down before, it is now.
*Luke 5:24-25
24 “But in order that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins,” – He said to the paralytic – “I say to you, rise, and take up your stretcher and go home.”
25 And at once he rose up before them, took up what he had been lying on, and went home, glorifying God.
The paralytic rises, completely and totally healed and completely and totally forgiven. Jesus has had compassion on him, forgiven his sin, and saved his soul. And even those who want Jesus out of way and gone must admit the truth. Isn’t it ironic that they already have? Look back to v. 23. “Who can forgive sins, but God alone?” Who indeed!
God, in the Person of Jesus Christ, is working in their midst, before their very eyes, but they are so spiritually blind they cannot see Him. All they want is a way to discredit, indict, condemn, and destroy Him. If you ever wanted a definition of unbelief, that’s it!
In v. 25 the physical healing of the paralyzed man’s body validates the spiritual healing of his soul. The healed body is a picture of the healed soul. Which of the two is the more important? I would have to say it’s the one Jesus did first. First, He healed the man’s soul. First, He forgave the man’s sin.
The healing of the man’s body was secondary. Remember, the paralytic’s healed body died one day and returned to the earth from which it came. But the paralytic’s healed soul is eternal and will never die. The last words of v. 25 show us the proper response to the power and authority displayed by Jesus. The man went home glorifying God!
Ask yourself this: Does it matter which sins the paralytic had committed before he was brought to Jesus? Did Jesus say, “Your sins are worse than the last fellow I healed. So I can’t help you.”? Or did He say, “Fortunately you aren’t as big a sinner as that woman who will be coming to Me tomorrow. Your sins aren’t so bad. Hers are worse. So I’ll forgive you, but I won’t forgive her.” That’s ludicrous, isn’t it? It doesn’t matter if your windshield has a small crack in it or if it’s lying completely shattered on the front seat.
*Luke 5:26
26 And they were all seized with astonishment and began glorifying God; and they were filled with fear, saying, “We have seen remarkable things today.”
Right there between the religious leaders, with their unbelief and hostility, and Jesus, with His awesome and miraculous works, stood the crowds of people who had witnessed the healing. One can imagine there were many different reactions to what they had seen.
The words “seized with astonishment” mean that their minds were taken out of their nor-mal state. In today’s vernacular we might say what they had seen “blew their minds.” As a result, some of them are glorifying God, some of them are afraid out of ignorance, and some of them are filled with the fear that comes from knowing they were in the presence of deity. In any case, they all had “seen remarkable things.”
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III. Conclusion
Most people see Jesus and turn away unchanged, but some people see Jesus, repent, put their faith in Him, and glorify God. Few of us came to Christ the first time we heard about Him. We heard the gospel but still turned away. We were still in our sins. For years that’s exactly what I did. I know it’s what some of you did as well. God had already chosen us in His Son. He had done so before time began. We just didn’t know it.
Ephesians 1:4-5
4 …He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should holy and blameless before Him. In love
5 He predestined us to adoption as sons through Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the kind intention of His will.
You see? We think we choose Him but He chooses us. We think we will our own salva-tion but our salvation is “…according to the kind intention of His will.” Jesus has com-passion for us. He draws us to Himself, forgives our sin and makes us whole. He is able to forgive our sin because of who He is and because of His power and authority over sin.
Remember the leper? Remember what he did when he saw Jesus? “…and when he saw Jesus, he fell on his face, and implored Him, saying, “Lord, if You are willing, You can make me clean.” And (Jesus) stretched out His hand, and touched him, saying, “I am willing; be cleansed.” If you haven’t asked the Lord Jesus to cleanse you from sin, I implore you to do it today.