Author: Bill Hall

Luke 5:23 “”Which is easier, to say,`Your sins are forgiven you,’ or to say,`Rise up and walk ‘?”

   The Jewish leaders knew Jesus was about tho heal this man. They had no intention to quarrel with that. But Jesus purposely gave them something to mull over that He knew they would have a hard time swallowing. For Jesus, there was no difference in difficulty in the task of healing, or of forgiving. Both things He could do equally well, and He wanted the Jewish leaders to know this.

Heavenly Father, You know what we need. You give us the truth and help us to see what our lives mean. Thank you for being constantly at work in us. May we always give You the credit in every thing. You are worthy! In the Name of the Lord Jesus Christ I pray and praise You, Amen.

Luke 5:22 “But when Jesus perceived their thoughts, He answered and said to them, “Why are you reasoning in your hearts?”

   How often does the Lord find the thoughts of our hearts to be questionable? We tend to ‘reason’ out many things that are hardly reasonable. And why? Sin generally causes us to jump to conclusions. We include its influence in our thinking and it taints our reasoning and judgment. This is why the eye of faith is needed to trust in the Lord. The arm of flesh is unable to bring the mind to bear correctly on the facts.

Heavenly Father, You alone understand it all. Please guide our reasoning by Your Holy Spirit. Give us Your wisdom, and all so that we may praise You with a true heart. We are imperfect and need You working in us to produce anything good. We will seek to honor You all of our days. In the Name of the Lord Jesus Christ I pray and praise You, Amen.

Luke 5:21 “And the scribes and the Pharisees began to reason, saying, “Who is this who speaks blasphemies? Who can forgive sins but God alone?”

   In this case we see a religious sense with no common sense. These students of the law knew that only God has the right or ability to forgive sin. But, they lacked the common sense to put two and two together for the faith to see who Christ is.

Heavenly Father, thank You for the blessings You put into our lives. The people we get to know and love are just a part of Your blessings. Give us the blessing of Your graciousness as we fellowship with one another. You are able to do all we might expect and so much more. But, more significant than that is the fact that You ARE so much more than we might expect. You are worthy of our deepest devotion. In the Name of the Lord Jesus Christ I pray and praise You, Amen.

Luke 5:20 “When He saw their faith, He said to him, “Man, your sins are forgiven you.”

   Jesus saw that the paralyzed man and his companions all had faith. They didn’t need a lesson in faith. They just needed healing for their friend. But, there were many present who did indeed need help with their faith. They needed to know that Jesus was more than just a great prophet.

Heavenly Father, thank You for Your daily blessings. Just the little things You give us every day are amazing blessings. How can we ever thank You enough? We will praise You for all of our lives and through all eternity. You are wonderful! In the Name of the Lord Jesus Christ I pray and praise You, Amen.

Luke 5:19 “And 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.”

   In this case, as in many others in history, the Lord worked out the logistics to His glory. Imagine the scene. Many are pressing in, closer and closer to Christ. The discussion is intense. At first the noise above their heads distracts nobody. Then, as they begin to realize what is going on, a bed is lowered through he roof. What a testimony to the importance of reaching Christ!
   Dear one, if there is something keeping you from reaching Christ, tear up the roof and enter in. Let no person or thing stand between you and eternal salvation!

Heavenly Father, You are important. We can never find any goal so appropriate as the goal of finding the Christ. No matter what it takes, every man must rip through the roof of life’s distractions and humble himself before the power of Your Christ. We need Him above all else! Salvation through Him is the only way! We praise You for all that our lives may now be if we have been converted. We love You! In the Name of the Lord Jesus Christ I pray and praise You, Amen.

Luke 5:18 “Then behold, men brought on a bed a man who was paralyzed, whom they sought to bring in and lay before Him.”

   Sometimes in life logistics become the biggest challenge. These guys had faith. They had opportunity. They had compassion. They were just a bit lacking in the space department. Imagine if they had been unable to reach Christ? What good would the rest of that have done them? Well, it is still good to have faith, God’s blessings, and compassion. But things don’t always work out quite right logistically. Should we give up? Never. God knows, and He is the One Who works out the logistics to His liking.

Heavenly Father, though we often don’t understand Your purposes, we know we can trust Your ways. Thank You for making a way for us to live for You. And thank You for seeing, regardless of the logistical circumstances. You are truly wise, and You can handle our needs. We praise You for Your greatness! In the Name of the Lord Jesus Christ I pray and praise You, Amen.

Luke 5:17 “Now it happened on a certain day, as He was teaching, that there were Pharisees and teachers of the law sitting by, who had come out of every town of Galilee, Judea, and Jerusalem. And the power of the Lord was present to heal them.”

   What is this verse communicating to us? Jesus had drawn perhaps one of His largest and most diverse crowds of Jewish leaders. That part doesn’t seem too hard to understand. But, what about the rest? What does Luke mean to say here about the power of the Lord? Well, it could not go without our notice that miracles were not generally done for the Jewish elite. Was this due to a lack of power on Jesus’ part? No. And that is what is meant here. Jesus had the power, the authority, to heal even among these supposed elites. But, not much was done for this group due to their unbelief. The passage speaks of the incredulity of the Jewish leadership, and that is why this extra explanation is found here.

Heavenly Father, thank You for Your power! Regardless of our willingness, You are able to do so much. Thank You for all that You do in our lives if we will but yield to You. You are the One we should trust in all things. In the Name of the Lord Jesus Christ I pray and praise You, Amen.

Luke 5:16 “So He Himself often withdrew into the wilderness and prayed.”

   Ah what a lesson for us all! If the Lord Jesus needed to get alone and meet with the Father, need we do any less? Regardless of the hectic nature life often clothes itself in, we must withdraw if but for a brief moment to a place of spiritual respite.

Heavenly Father, we enjoy seeking You each day. It is our pleasure to desire Your comfort and devote ourselves to Your praise. You alone can calm our noisy souls and give us focus for all of the tasks ahead. Thank You! In the Name of the Lord Jesus Christ I pray and praise You, Amen.

Luke 5:15 “However, the report went around concerning Him all the more; and great multitudes came together to hear, and to be healed by Him of their infirmities.”

   This popularity was due to Christ’s teachings. But, more than that it was due to the healing miracles He performed. Jesus did not want people to come only for the miracles because His teaching was too important to miss. Surely some who came only for miracles heard the teaching and were changed as a result.

Heavenly Father, thank You for sending Christ, in spite of how often we misunderstand Him. You are gracious to us though we are so often confused by our own thoughts. Give us clarity as we seek to give You praise with our lives and our lips. You are worthy! In the Name of the Lord Jesus Christ I pray and praise You, Amen.

Luke 5:14 “And He charged him to tell no one, “But go and show yourself to the priest, and make an offering for your cleansing, as a testimony to them, just as Moses commanded.”

   Jesus is referring directly to Leviticus 14. There we find the rules for the purification of a leper. As here, this purification took place after the leper was cured of the disease. Upon reading this passage you will see that this process resulted in one clean bird being let loose into the wild with blood stains on it. Though we do not have to go through such rituals today, this is still a fitting picture of the forgiveness of sin. Just as the cross can be used as the symbol of Christ’s work, we could use the bird with blood on its head as a symbol of His willingness to relieve us of our sinful state.

Heavenly Father, we thank You for what You communicate to us in Scripture. The forgiveness full and free is absolutely amazing. You have accomplished it by Your precious Son. And, for it we are truly grateful. As we meditate upon Your goodness, we praise and extol Your glorious Name! In the Name of the Lord Jesus Christ I pray and praise You, Amen.