Luke 5:12 says, And it came to pass, when he was in a certain city, behold a man full of leprosy: who seeing Jesus fell on his face, and besought him, saying, Lord, if thou wilt, thou canst make me clean. A man with leprosy, which made him unclean and who was supposed to avoid contact with people, saw Jesus and fell on his face before Jesus. The leper told Jesus that if He would, Jesus could make him clean. When we first encounter Jesus, we are sinners in need of being made clean, and if we put our faith in Jesus, He not only can but will make us clean of all sin. Verse thirteen adds, And he put forth his hand, and touched him, saying, I will: be thou clean. And immediately the leprosy departed from him. Touching a leper was supposed to make a person unclean and was avoided religiously, but Jesus did not let that stop Him. Jesus reached out, touched the man, and told Him that it was His will that the man be cleansed, and immediately the man was cleansed. It is Jesus's desire that we all be cleansed of sin, and He reachout to us offering us healing it we will only accept it by putting our faith in Him. Verse fourteen continues, And he charged him to tell no man: but go, and shew thyself to the priest, and offer for thy cleansing, according as Moses commanded, for a testimony unto them. Jesus told the man to go to the priest with an offering according to the law of Moses. The man was not to tell anyone that Jesus healed him. We have the opposite command today, and that is that once we accept Jesus Christ as our personal Savior and Lord, we are to tell everyone about it. Verse fifteen states, But so much the more went there a fame abroad of him: and great multitudes came together to hear, and to be healed by him of their infirmities. Still, the news of Jesus's healing power spread and multitudes came to Him for physical healing. Some people today still come to Jesus only for physical reasons, but He came to heal us spiritually, and it would be wonderful indeed if multitudes came to Him for spiritual healing today. Verse sixteen adds, And he withdrew himself into the wilderness, and prayed. Jesus withdrew from the crowds going into the wilderness to pray. We need to be careful that we don't get so caught up in the activities of the world that we forget to set aside time alone to pray. Verse seventeen declares, And it came to pass on a certain day, as he was teaching, that there were Pharisees and doctors of the law sitting by, which were come out of every town of Galilee, and Judaea, and Jerusalem: and the power of the Lord was present to heal them. While Jesus was teaching during a weekday, several religious leaders came to hear Him, not to learn from Him though. The power of God was present as Jesus healed the sick that came to Him. As Christians, it is not our responsibility to sit and look for reasons to judge other Christians, but to profess the gospel everyday. Verse eighteen adds, And, behold, men brought in a bed a man which was taken with a palsy: and they sought means to bring him in, and to lay him before him. A man with palsy was brought to be healed, but the crowds prevented his friends from getting the man to Jesus. We may encounter obstacles in getting to Jesus or in bringing others to Him, but we should not let that stop us. Verse nineteen continues, And when they could not find by what way they might bring him in because of the multitude, they went upon the housetop, and let him down through the tiling with his couch into the midst before Jesus. This man's friends found a way to get him to Jesus, letting him down through the roof. We need that same willingness to do whatever possible to bring people to Jesus so that they may be healed spiritually once and for all time. We must not allow the first problem we encounter to keep us from doing so. Verse twenty concludes, And when he saw their faith, he said unto him, Man, thy sins are forgiven thee. When Jesus saw the faith of these men, He did not say that the man was healed, but that his sins were forgiven, which is a much greater blessing. We may come to Jesus simply looking for physical healing, but if we put our faith in Him, we receive so much more. Ours sins are forgiven when we acknowledge Who Jesus is and accept Him as our personal Savior and Lord. Verse twenty-one says, And the scribes and the Pharisees began to reason, saying, Who is this which speaketh blasphemies? Who can forgive sins, but God alone? The scribes and Pharisees began to question how Jesus could say the man's sins were forgiven, since only God can forgive sins. They were right but didn't recognize it, because they did not recognize Jesus as the only begotten Son of God. We must recognize that Jesus is truly God and not just another man in order to receive forgiveness for our sins. Verse twenty-two adds, But when Jesus perceived their thoughts, he answering said unto them, What reason ye in your hearts? Jesus was aware of even the thoughts of the scribes and Pharisees and asked them what they were reasoning in their hearts. Jesus still knows our thoughts today. Verse twenty-three continues, Whether is easier, to say, Thy sins be forgiven thee; or to say, Rise up and walk? Jesus asked which would have been easier, to say the man's sins were forgiven or tell him to rise up and walk. The man walking would easily verify Jesus's power to heal, but forgiving sins wasn't as easily verifiable. Verse twenty-four declares, But that ye may know that the Son of man hath power upon earth to forgive sins, (he said unto the sick of the palsy,) I say unto thee, Arise, and take up thy couch, and go into thine house. Jesus said to offer proof that He could forgive sins, He told the man sick with palsy to take up his couch, or bed, and walk back to his own house. Jesus still had not said that He had physically healed the man, so his ability to get up and walk would be proof of Jesus's ability to forgive the man's sins. We may not have any physical proof that Jesus forgives our sins, but we do have the spiritual proof as God works through us. Verse twenty-five adds, And immediately he rose up before them, and took up that whereon he lay, and departed to his own house, glorifying God. The man immediately did as Jesus instructed him to do, and went to his house, glorifying God. When we accept Jesus Christ as our personal Savior and Lord, we are immediately healed of all sin or unrighteousness, and need to go on with our life, praising God as we do so. Verse twenty-six continues, And they were all amazed, and they glorified God, and were filled with fear, saying, We have seen strange things to day. When we encounter Jesus or even come into His presence after we are saved, we should glorify God, as did those around Jesus that day. I don't think they truly understood what had happened though, since they said they had seen strange things. God's work today will seem strange to those who have not accepted Jesus Christ as their Savior and Lord.
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