TUESDAY, 9 JANUARY 2024
TEXT:
Luke 5:12-26
12:
While Jesus was in one of the towns, a man came along who was covered with
leprosy. When he saw Jesus, he fell with his face to the ground and begged him,
“Lord, if you are willing, you can make me clean.”
13:
Jesus reached out his hand and touched the man. “I am willing,” he said. “Be
clean!” And immediately the leprosy left him.
14:
Then Jesus ordered him, “Don’t tell anyone, but go, show yourself to the priest
and offer the sacrifices that Moses commanded for your cleansing, as a
testimony to them.”
15:
Yet the news about him spread all the more, so that crowds of people came to hear
him and to be healed of their sicknesses.
16:
But Jesus often withdrew to lonely places and prayed.
17:
One day Jesus was teaching, and Pharisees and teachers of the law were sitting
there. They had come from every village of Galilee and from Judea and
Jerusalem. And the power of the Lord was with Jesus to heal the sick.
18:
Some men came carrying a paralyzed man on a mat and tried to take him into the
house to lay him before Jesus.
19:
When they could not find a way to do this because of the crowd, they went up on
the roof and lowered him on his mat through the tiles into the middle of the
crowd, right in front of Jesus.
20:
When Jesus saw their faith, he said, “Friend, your sins are forgiven.”
21:
The Pharisees and the teachers of the law began thinking to themselves, “Who is
this fellow who speaks blasphemy? Who can forgive sins but God alone?”
22:
Jesus knew what they were thinking and asked, “Why are you thinking these
things in your hearts?
23:
Which is easier: to say, ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or to say, ‘Get up and
walk’?
24:
But I want you to know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive
sins.” So he said to the paralyzed man, “I tell you, get up, take your mat and
go home.”
25:
Immediately he stood up in front of them, took what he had been lying on and
went home praising God.
26:
Everyone was amazed and gave praise to God. They were filled with awe and said,
“We have seen remarkable things today.”
(New
International Version Holy Bible)
TOPIC:
GOD HEALS SPIRITUALLY AND, OR, PHYSICALLY
The
Lord Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today and forever. He still heals both
spiritually and physically today. The man was healed of leprosy, but a more
deadly leprosy is sin.
Like
leprosy, sin defiles the entire body. Lepers had to be separated from people as
sinners are separated from God and eternally separated from God when they die.
However,
the Lord Jesus touched the leper, making Himself unclean. So also 2 Cor. 5:21
says He became sin for us so that we might become God's righteousness.
The
Lord Jesus knew that the greater need of the man was forgiveness of sins for
salvation. The healing of the paralytic was for a purpose - to authenticate His
divinity. And Christ proved that he had authority both to forgive sins and to
heal the sick and so He is God.
Sin
paralyses, rendering us helpless and often people who love us would make all
efforts, like the four friends, to take us to the Lord Jesus who only can
forgive sins and save.
QUESTION:
Are you in need of Spiritual or physical healing? Or both?
PRAYER:
O God, I pray for Spiritual and, or, physical healing for me and my family, in
Jesus name. Amen.
Remain
Blessed
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