Luke 5-C "A Hindrance or a Help"

Because Pastor Randy is using today's text to go back and address this miracle of healing, I am also including this SOAP from chapter 5.

S = Luke 5:17-20 “On one of those days, as he was teaching, Pharisees and teachers of the law were sitting there, who had come from every village of Galilee and Judea and from Jerusalem. And the power of the Lord was with him to heal. And behold, some men were bringing on a bed a man who was paralyzed, and they were seeking to bring him in and lay him before Jesus, but finding no way to bring him in, because of the crowd, they went up on the roof and let him down with his bed through the tiles into the midst before Jesus. And when he saw their faith, he said, “Man, your sins are forgiven you.”

O = A question I would have to ask is, “Why were the Pharisees sitting while Jesus was teaching?” Perhaps it was a very informal occasion and all were sitting or perhaps the Pharisees were denying the teaching authority of Jesus. Secondly, why would they not make way for the paralytic? Did they think they were more valuable and deserving than he (since in their view he must be a terrible sinner to be paralyzed), or were they just oblivious to the presence of one so needy? Either way it is shameful. Thankfully his friends made a way to get to Jesus through the flat roof of the house! What a mess and what an effort to do it! Jesus saw their faith and the man was forgiven and healed.

A = Am I like the Pharisees in this story…a conscious hindrance to Jesus’ forgiving and healing work…or am I merely oblivious to the great needs around me? Maybe I would like to think of myself as one of the friends…but to what length and what effort am I willing to go to get my friend to Jesus? Am I easily talked out of my act of compassion or do I press on with what I know God has called me to do for others?

P = O Lord, may I be willing to dig through whatever clay roof is keeping people from being in your loving, forgiving, healing, presence. May I see myself represented in all the characters in this narrative and act accordingly either in repentance like the Pharisees should have, in loving perseverance like the friends did, or in the helpless awe of the paralytic that at your word breaks forth into obedient praise. Amen.