Luke 5, 12-26
Jesus Cleanses a Leper
12 While he was in one of the cities, there came a man full of leprosy. And when he saw Jesus, he fell on his face and begged him, “Lord, if you will, you can make me clean.”
13 And Jesus stretched out his hand and touched him, saying, “I will; be clean.” And immediately the leprosy left him.
14 And he charged him to tell no one, but said, “Go and show yourself to the priest, and make an offering for your cleansing, as Moses commanded, for a proof to them.”
15 But now even more the report about him went abroad, and great crowds gathered to hear him and to be healed of their infirmities.
16 But he would withdraw to desolate places and pray.
Jesus Heals a Paralytic
17 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.
18 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.
19 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.
20 And when he saw their faith, he said, “Man, your sins are forgiven you.”
21 And the scribes and the Pharisees began to question, saying, “Who is this who speaks blasphemies? Who can forgive sins but God alone?”
22 When Jesus perceived their thoughts, he answered them, “Why do you question in your hearts?
23 Which is easier, to say, ‘Your sins are forgiven you,’ or to say, ‘Rise and walk’?
24 But that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins”—he said to the man who was paralyzed—“I say to you, rise, pick up your bed, and go home.”
25 And immediately he rose up before them and picked up what he had been lying on and went home, glorifying God.
26 And amazement seized them all, and they glorified God and were filled with awe, saying, “We have seen extraordinary things today.”
Introduction
Hello everyone, I am Kiki. The Chinese name of our second phase of the program is “读经大讲堂”. The English name is “Bible Study”.
We will adopt a relaxed and enjoyable learning mode to take you into a new learning world. Each time, I will make a personal summary and analysis from the perspective of a learner, and then Sister Ingrid will help me conduct in-depth learning and problem discussions with everybody.
I hope that such an interesting and interactive process can bring new knowledge and experience to you all. The following is my interview with Sister Ingrid on related issues. Today is the eighth lecture on the Gospel of Luke.
Everyone is welcome to leave a message in the comment area for discussion!
2. My summary of Luke, eighth-time study
Well, everybody! Firstly, here is my personal study summary for today.
In this passage, we see two miracles performed by Jesus, showing his power to heal and forgive.
First, a man with leprosy came to Jesus. Leprosy was a very serious disease that made people outcasts, but the man had faith in Jesus.
He fell at Jesus’ feet and begged, saying, “Lord, if you want, you can make me clean.” Jesus, full of compassion, touched him and said, “I will; be clean.” Immediately, the man was healed.
Jesus told him not to tell anyone but to show himself to the priest, as Moses had commanded, to prove his healing to others.
However, despite Jesus’ request, word spread quickly, and many people came to hear him and be healed.
Next, Jesus healed a paralyzed man. Some men brought their paralyzed friend to Jesus, but because there were so many people around, they couldn’t get to him.
So, they climbed up to the roof, made a hole in the tiles, and lowered their friend down to Jesus.
Jesus saw their strong faith and forgave the man’s sins. The Pharisees were shocked, thinking only God could forgive sins.
Jesus responded by asking them which was easier: to forgive sins or to tell the man to get up and walk?
To prove his authority, Jesus told the paralyzed man to get up, take his bed, and go home.
The man immediately stood up and walked, praising God. Everyone who saw this was amazed and filled with awe.
Now let Sister Ingrid give a further summary.
3. Sister’s comment from my study summary
Hello, sister. In the first text about the man with leprosy, we learn how to pray when we are sick: We should pray, “If you will, heal me.” Jesus always knows what is best for us, and sometimes there is a meaning in our suffering, as it is written in Romans. Maybe God wants us to learn patience, or he wants to carry us to heaven, and we are on our last path.
In James we learn that a sick person should call the elders of his church to pray for him and that he will be saved. It is not written that he will be healed, but that he will be saved. In which form, only God knows.
In general, we can say that Jesus carried our sins and sicknesses on the cross, but here we still live our life in the flesh, which is not perfect. When Jesus comes and transforms our bodies, then in paradise and in heaven we will never be sick again.
When the man with leprosy was cleansed, he had to go to the high priests and bring an offering for his cleansing, because at the time of Jesus there were very few doctors. Luke, who wrote the gospel, was one of them. So the high priest watched over sanctity and health issues among the people and declared someone to be sick or healed.
In the story of the paralyzed man, we see another pattern of healing: It seems that this man was sick because of sin or a problem with God. So Jesus forgave the sin before he healed him.
When we are sick, we have to be honest before God and before ourselves and confess where we fail and do things that are not pleasing to God. Maybe there are no outward works, but a heart full of envy is considered idolatry before God, too, for example.
4. Q&A List (based on Luke 5)
1. What was the man with leprosy asking Jesus to do?
He asked Jesus to heal him, if it was his will.
2. How did Jesus respond to the man with leprosy?
He said, “I will,” and healed him.
3. Why did Jesus ask the man not to tell anyone about his healing?
He did not want the people to come expecting him to drive out the Romans from Israel.
4. What did the people do when they heard about Jesus’ healing powers?
They came and brought all the sick people to be healed.
5. What problem did the paralyzed man and his friends face when trying to reach Jesus?
There were so many people that they could not enter the house through the door.
6. What did the paralyzed man’s friends do to get him to Jesus?
They opened the roof and let him down through it.
7. What did Jesus first say to the paralyzed man when he saw his faith?
He said, “Your sins are forgiven.”
8. What was the reaction of the Pharisees when Jesus forgave the man’s sins?
They said, “He is speaking blasphemies, because only God can forgive sins.”
9. How did Jesus prove he had the authority to forgive sins?
He healed the man as a sign of his authority.
10. What was the reaction of the people who witnessed the healing of the paralyzed man?
Everyone who saw this was amazed and filled with awe.
