Miracles of Jesus -14- Physical Healing

Miracles of Physical Healing— The Paralytic

Matthew 9:2-8; Mark 2:1-12; Luke 5:17-26

1. Who were your four closest friends in high school?

2. What was one memorable prank you pulled out together?

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Jesus Heals a Paralyzed Man

Luke 5 ¹⁷ One day while Jesus was teaching, some Pharisees and teachers of religious law were sitting nearby. (It seemed that these men showed up from every village in all Galilee and Judea, as well as from Jerusalem.) And the Lord’s healing power was strongly with Jesus. ¹⁸ Some men came carrying a paralyzed man on a sleeping mat. They tried to take him inside to Jesus, ¹⁹ but they couldn’t reach him because of the crowd. So they went up to the roof and took off some tiles. Then they lowered the sick man on his mat down into the crowd, right in front of Jesus. ²⁰ Seeing their faith, Jesus said to the man, “Young man, your sins are forgiven.”
 ²¹ But the Pharisees and teachers of religious law said to themselves, “Who does he think he is? That’s blasphemy! Only God can forgive sins!”
 ²² Jesus knew what they were thinking, so he asked them, “Why do you question this in your hearts? ²³ Is it easier to say ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or ‘Stand up and walk’? ²⁴ So I will prove to you that the Son of Man^[a] has the authority on earth to forgive sins.” Then Jesus turned to the paralyzed man and said, “Stand up, pick up your mat, and go home!”
 ²⁵ And immediately, as everyone watched, the man jumped up, picked up his mat, and went home praising God. ²⁶ Everyone was gripped with great wonder and awe, and they praised God, exclaiming, “We have seen amazing things today!”

Footnotes:

1. Luke 5:24 “Son of Man” is a title Jesus used for himself.

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Everyone was gripped with great wonder and awe, and they praised God, exclaiming, “We have seen amazing things today!”

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Questions of Discovery

Seeking God’s Message Then and Now

1. Who was present that day as Jesus was teaching? (Luke 5:17)

2. How might the Pharisees and teachers have felt in verses? (Luke 5:17-19, 20, 21-23, 24-26)

3. Who was brought to Jesus? (Luke 5:18)

4. The man came for healing, so why did Jesus raise the issue of forgiveness? How would the friends react to Jesus' words? (Luke 5:20) and to His actions? (Luke 5:24)

5. How was the man able to get into Jesus' presence? (Luke 5:19)

6. What did Jesus tell the man when He saw the faith of the men? (Luke 5:20)

7. Of what did the scribes and Pharisees accuse Jesus? (Luke 5:21)

8. When Jesus perceived their thoughts, what did He tell them? (Luke 5:22-23)

9. In order that those present would know that He had power to forgive sins, what did Jesus say to the paralyzed man? (Luke 5:24)

10. What did the man do? (Luke 5:25)

11. What was the reaction of the people? (Luke 5:26)

12. What new realm of Jesus' authority is demonstrated here?

13. What motivates the Pharisees to respond as they do to the situation?

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Questions for

Personal Reflection

1. Who are you most like in this lesson? Why?

2. Are you a little paralyzed now -- emotionally, spiritually, relationally?

3. What needs to happen for you to "take your mat and go home"?