Yesterday (March 6, 2023), I was asleep most of the day with the stomach crud going around. For ease of reading, I will repost the scripture I posted yesterday. After each passage, I’ll include my thoughts for you to compare with what came to mind as you read them yesterday. To change it up a little, I’m going to post the King James Version, which is what I study in, versus the NASB, which is what I post from.
12And 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.
13And he put forth his hand, and touched him, saying, I will: be thou clean. And immediately the leprosy departed from him.
14And 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.
Luke 5:12–14 (KJV 1900)
The man didn’t show up because he’d heard about Jesus. He took one look at Him and “…fell on his face….” The man clearly identified Jesus as who He was just by sight. That makes me wonder why everyone didn’t recognize Jesus as God? The man had hope and faith that Jesus could cure him as well, which Jesus does, but the last part in verse fourteen is the interesting part to me. Jesus instructs the man to give an offering in line with the Law of Moses to give thanks for his cleansing “…for a testimony unto them.”
Halley’s Bible Handbook explains Jesus did this to fulfill the law accordingly for the man to be pronounced publicly clean. This allowed the man to return to society in full. Note here Jesus keeps the Old Testament Law in full. Christ doesn’t just tell the man he’s good and can ignore the old ways. Not at all. Jesus, completely God and in full knowledge of all creation, follows the rules set up in the Old Testament.
We may not like those Old Testament rules. We may disagree with them, but if we claim the title Christian, a follower of Jesus Christ, we are saying we want to emulate our Lord and Savior. How do we do that if we fail to do as He did?
15But 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.
16And he withdrew himself into the wilderness, and prayed.
Luke 5:15–16 (KJV 1900)
I wonder if Jesus was an introvert? Very often, Jesus “…withdrew Himself into the wilderness and prayed.” The wilderness means a good distance outside a populated area. Essentially, He went camping. Sometimes we are told He goes out alone. Other times, like this one, we aren’t told at all. Still others we are told about His disciples with Him. The point of who was with Him isn’t the point. The interesting point here is that He prayed at all.
Jesus was God made flesh.
5Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus:
6Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God:
7But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men:
8And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross.
Philippians 2:5–8 (KJV 1900)
Jesus knew what God knew.
1In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
John 1:1 (KJV 1900)
If Jesus knows all these things and is God made flesh, why does He pray to the Father while He is on Earth in the embodiment of the Son? The only answer is that the Father is still in Heaven while the Son is on Earth and that the latter can pray to the former. It is from things like this that we get the doctrine of the Trinity.
Critics of Christianity who study the Bible for the purpose of trapping us in what they perceive as a “contradiction” say the doctrine of the Trinity is flawed because “That word doesn’t appear in your scripture.” They’re right. The word “trinity” does not appear in the Bible. However, the triune nature of God is routinely there, as it is whenever Jesus prays to the Father.
This is not a contradiction. This is a method to discover that you are talking to someone who has no interest in learning about you, your faith, or your opinion. This is someone who looks to trap you in your words and “win an argument.” Nothing more. If you identify this type of theological discussion taking place, you should politely find a way out of the conversation. There are two scriptural reasons for this, which I will list back to back without further embellishment and then move on.
14Of these things put them in remembrance, charging them before the Lord that they strive not about words to no profit, but to the subverting of the hearers.
15Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.
16But shun profane and vain babblings: for they will increase unto more ungodliness.
2 Timothy 2:14–16 (KJV 1900)
6Give not that which is holy unto the dogs, neither cast ye your pearls before swine, lest they trample them under their feet, and turn again and rend you.
Matthew 7:6 (KJV 1900)
I will say this about those two passages. We should never refuse to discuss scripture with other believers. That’s different. That’s iron sharpening iron, meaning we become stronger in our faith one to the other as we discuss God’s word, but only when we are willing to listen and shift our opinion when given scriptural evidence.
17Iron sharpeneth iron; So a man sharpeneth the countenance of his friend.
Proverbs 27:17 (KJV 1900)
Here’s the last passage from yesterday.
17And 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.
18And, 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.
19And 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.
20And when he saw their faith, he said unto him, Man, thy sins are forgiven thee.
21And the scribes and the Pharisees began to reason, saying, Who is this which speaketh blasphemies? Who can forgive sins, but God alone?
Luke 5:17–21 (KJV 1900)
These Pharisees and “doctors of the law” came out for one reason for the most part: to catch Jesus in an inaccuracy. They were not unlike the militant atheists of our day in that respect. There are internet “trolls” whose sole purpose is to cause grief and heartache among Christians. It is sport to them to poke at us because they believe we hold faith in a thing that doesn’t exist. To them, we are deluded, holding faith in something no more real to them than the Easter Bunny being real. Engaging them in conversation means falling into their trap. It is what they want and what gives them pleasure. However, in this instance, the Pharisees and “doctors of the law” held their peace because they weren’t sure who Jesus was yet. They came out at the beginning of His public ministry to see if the stories and rumors they were hearing were true. They were.
The other really neat aspect of this section of scripture isn’t the healing miracle performed. It is the faith of the man’s friends. This man was injured to the point of being bedridden. Either the injured man himself or his friends believed Jesus could heal him. Regardless of who came up with the idea, the man’s friends were willing to put enormous effort into getting their friend to see Jesus. It is a testament to their friendship that when they encountered several seemingly insurmountable roadblocks, they not only kept trying but tried harder. They tried so hard that they opened up the roof of the house Jesus sat in and concocted a contraption to not only get the man lowered through the roof, but they had to get him up onto the roof too. This was not just one friend either. This was a group of friends willing to go to any lengths to get this injured man into not even a for-certain cure, just the possibility of healing. Who has friends like this today?
Lastly, the final two verses, twenty and twenty-one, don’t say the man was healed. They say, “…thy sins are forgiven thee.” This is not the healing the man or his friends sought. However, it is what Jesus first attended to. Forgiving his sins first, I take to mean the thing that held the man back from being healed was something the man had in his life that was against God’s Law. He might have had a real and actual cause paralyzing him, but it might have come about due to something sinful the man did, like drinking too much, falling, and becoming injured. Jesus healed the sinful addiction first so the man wouldn’t fall back into that habit and become lame again. I am not saying the lame man was a drunk or addicted to something. I’m offering that as an explanation for why sin might have been the cause of his lameness.
The Pharisees held this in disregard and a high offense. Only God can forgive sin, but here’s this man Jesus claiming to be able to do that. It is a tasset claim to divinity being made, and everyone of the day knows it. Jesus doesn’t care because He knows He is, in fact, God.
I’m going to include a little more scripture today that was not included in yesterday’s post. It is germane to the healing of the lame man and the Pharisee’s reaction. Note also contained within this scripture is a demonstration of Jesus knowing other people's thoughts. Some might contend this is just being able to read their faces or overhear their mumblings. What you look for, you will find. I contend this is a demonstration of Jesus being God, all-knowing.
22But Jesus, aware of their reasonings, answered and said to them, “Why are you reasoning in your hearts?
23“Which is easier, to say, ‘Your sins have been forgiven you,’ or to say, ‘Get up and walk’?
24“But, so that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins,”—He said to the paralytic—“I say to you, get up, and pick up your stretcher and go home.”
25Immediately he got up before them, and picked up what he had been lying on, and went home glorifying God.
26They were all struck with astonishment and began glorifying God; and they were filled with fear, saying, “We have seen remarkable things today.”
Luke 5:22–26 (NASB95)
The people glorified God. The Pharisees and “doctors of the Law” were filled with fear. Why? Because Jesus was a threat to their system of power. Why do people fear Christians today? Because contrary to the media’s portrayal, we love everyone and want everyone to experience the joy and salvation offered by faith in Jesus Christ. Jesus came to Earth for everyone, not a select few. Salvation is offered to all. The church’s doors are open to all. Everyone is welcome. However, only the Holy Spirit can change a heart. To those whom the Spirit moves, come, join us, and welcome. To those who see only the negative side, what you look for, you will find. He who has ears, let him hear.