I Prefer the Window Seat

The house that was all a buzz a few seconds earlier, I bet, is so silent now you could hear a pin drop. “What’s going on?” people must have been whispering to one another. And of course, the “religious” bunch in the room must have been beside themselves. Who does this paralyzed guy think he is interrupting our trying to hear Jesus say something so we can hate him more (vv. 6-7)? How dare he! Oh, but don’t miss verse 5. As the man with the palsy was being lowered, Jesus stopped preaching, the house became silent, and Jesus just stared up at those four men with, I bet the biggest smile on His face. That is what verse 5 says! “When Jesus saw their faith.” When Jesus looked up and knew why these guys were doing what they were doing. He saw in their faces the faith, the belief, that Jesus was the Son of God and could heal their friend. And, oh, did Jesus heal him! But, not quite how you might think. It says when Jesus saw the faith of the four men, He looked at the paralyzed man and said, “Son, thy sins be forgiven thee.” Whoa! Hold on a minute! Stop the presses! Jesus just healed this man spiritually! I thought the four guys brought him to be physically healed (we’ll see what happens there in a minute)? Well, they did bring him for that, but they knew that their friend needed more than just the physical healing. He was lost and needed saved. He was dead and now is alive. What a celebration that took place on that rooftop that day. Have you ever prayed for a friend or loved one to be saved and you brought them to church and they got saved? I believe God does that sometimes because He sees our faith. I believe God wants us to not just pray that a person will get saved, but to make whatever effort we need to, to get them to Jesus so He will save (heal) them. I love how Jesus called him “Son”, because he was now God’s child, before He even told him he was forgiven of his sins. That is how fast faith makes you a child of God. Before I cried out to God at the age of 19 to save me, He saw my faith and was already calling me His son. And, He did the same for you if you are His child and if you are not yet, He is patiently waiting for you to come to Him so He can utter those same words He said to the paralyzed man, “Son, thy sins be forgiven thee.”

You may be reading this book and God is beginning to reveal that to you, that you need to be healed spiritually, you’ve never truly came to Christ in faith. Would you please stop for a moment and allow me to lower you down in front of Jesus? Maybe you’re not even sure what it means or what to do. I want to help you. Consider these 4 S’s from the book of Romans:

Sin – “For all have sinned and come short of the glory of God.” Romans 3:23

Separation – “For the wages of sin is death;” Romans 6:23a

Solution – “But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.” Romans 5:8

Salvation – “That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. (10) For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. (13) For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.” Romans 10:9-10, 13

Praise the Lord, He makes it that simple. If that is where you are right now, stop and take a minute to pray to God. Confess your sin to Him. Believe that Jesus died for your sins, was buried and rose again the third day and while you cry out to God to save you, know that He is already calling you “son”. Welcome to the family brother! sister! Put your bookmark here and come back later. Right now, go celebrate what God has done in your life. Tell your family or your Pastor (if you have one). Call a friend and let them know the good news and, hey, if they don’t know Jesus, tell them you want to introduce them. All you need to remember are the 4 S’s. It’s that easy! I’ll be here, with a big smile on my face, waiting for you to get back.

Welcome back! I hope you had a good time celebrating with Jesus! So, how do things end with this house gathering in Capernaum? Well, as I mentioned earlier, the “religious” twits get all bothered by what has taken place and the fact that Jesus has essentially said He is God by forgiving the paralyzed man’s sins. Of course they don’t actually say anything which is standard practice, but Jesus, because He is God, knows what they are thinking and rebukes them for it (vv. 6-9. He did this so the man with the palsy would know and understand that Jesus is God, the only one who can forgive sins (v. 10). Jesus then proceeds to physically heal the paralyzed man (vv. 11-12). God healed his physical body and his spiritual body all in the same day. As soon as Jesus told the paralyzed man to “get up”, verse 12 says he immediately got up and like the red sea, the crowd parted as the once paralyzed man walked out of the house carrying his own bed. Hoe stinkin’ awesome is that? And, so the day ended just as it always should when we’ve been in the presence of God and seen Him work. The end of verse 12 says it this way, “insomuch that they were all amazed, and glorified God, saying, We never saw it on this fashion.” Translation: Eyes bugged and jaws dropped and God was glorified, He was praised, His name was lifted up when the people all said to each other, “I ain’t seen nothin’ like that!”