Foundations of Religion - Christianity SECTION B Example 2: The Healing of the Paralysed man Read: Luke 5:17–26
Jesus was teaching to a large crowd gathered at a disciple’s house. The numbers present were so great that some men who had brought their friend to ask Jesus to heal him could not get through. The man had been unable to walk since birth and had to be carried everywhere on a stretcher. They showed some initiative by getting up on the roof of the house, making an opening in it and lowering their friend’s stretcher right down in front of Jesus. To the amazement of all present, Jesus removed this man’s disability and enabled him to walk for the first time in his life.
Jesus worked this miracle in response to the faith the paralysed man and his friends had in him. He did not do it to win over his most vocal opponents – the Pharisees.
Before Jesus healed this paralysed man, he told him that his sins were forgiven.
The Pharisees present were horrified by what Jesus had said. They would not accept that he had the power to forgive sins. They said that only God can forgive sins. They said that Jesus was claiming to be as important as God. So, they accused Jesus of blasphemy.
REMEMBER! Blasphemy means showing great disrespect to God by what you say or do.
Jesus responded directly to their accusation. He insisted that he truly did have the power to forgive sins. He had not only healed the paralysed man out of compassion but also to show that he spoke only the truth.
To understand the full significance of what Jesus did in this miracle, you need to understand how people at that time understood illness and sin. ò Most Jews at that time tended to link illness and sin. So much so that many of them had little faith in doctors. Since God is the source of all life and well-being, most Jews believed that people only became ill or disabled because God had punished them for their sins.
ò A first-century Jew suffering a long-term illness or disability was considered impure, i.e. not fit to worship in the Temple. Your illness or disability was taken as proof that God had rejected you.
ò So, the Jews would only believe that the paralysed man’s sins had been forgiven if they saw that his paralysis had been cured and that he had been restored to full health and mobility. Only then would they accept him back into society. Only then would he be allowed to worship in the Temple, as his relationship with God would be restored.
ò Without such clear, solid evidence of Jesus’s power over sin, suffering and death, his preaching about the Kingdom of God would have held little credibility with his Jewish audience. Christians believe that by healing the paralysed man Jesus showed that: (a) He had the power to forgive sins; and (b) this power came from God. Above all, it means that what Jesus claimed about himself was true. He was indeed the promised messiah.
Exploring the Other Types of Miracles
The Gadarene Demoniac Read: Mark 5:1–20 (Example of an Exorcism) To modern ears, this is a strange tale. It tells of what happened when Jesus travelled to Gadara, a town on the southern shore of the Sea of Galilee, in an area known as the Decapolis. There Jesus encountered a man who was possessed.
REMEMBER! Possessed means that you have freely chosen to put yourself under the control of a demon (i.e. an evil spirit).
This possessed man lived in one of the tombs at the local cemetery. He ran around naked, ranting and raving at people; threatening them with violence at the top of his voice. All the locals were terrified of him. His condition left him totally isolated from everyone.
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