“When Jesus saw their faith, he said, ‘Friend, your sins are forgiven.’” (Luke 5:20, NIV84)
Jesus was doing some amazing things in this section of scripture. He was preaching powerful messages and healing the sick and demon-possessed. But even though those things are dramatic and amazing, we must note that Jesus’ first priority is a person’s spiritual health. This verse comes during the story of the paralyzed man who was dropped down a hole in a roof that his friends had cut so they could get him to Jesus. Jesus, recognizing strong faith in all of them, told the paralyzed man that his sins were forgiven — probably not what the paralytic was expecting, but certainly what he needed. It was certainly not what the religious leaders were expecting either. They immediately confronted Jesus, stating that no one can forgive sins except God. Then Jesus not only declared that He had the authority to forgive sins, He also healed the paralyzed man, and the crowd saw him walk out on healthy legs. He left physically and spiritually healthy and complete.
You and I are much like the paralytic. We need God’s touch upon our lives. We need solutions to problems. We need healing for diseases. We need repair for broken hearts and relationships. We scream for help. We pray continually. But at times we don’t see the Lord reacting to our need. Is it possible that like the paralytic, we have a need that is deeper and more important than the one we find to be our No. 1 priority? If there is something spiritual going on in your life that needs attention, I can guarantee that is more important than the problem you want fixed. Jesus will always work to deal with the issue that has eternal ramifications before He addresses the one with temporal ramifications. But the wonderful thing about our Savior is that it is not one or the other. He desires to bring His healing touch into our spiritual and physical worlds.
May you seek and experience the touch of Jesus in the physical and spiritual sides of your life.
Peace!
Pastor Tom
www.firmlyrooted.church
