Luke
5:12-26
Lesson 114
5:12-26
Lesson 114
Luke 5:12-26
Miracles 12 And 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. 13 And he put forth his hand, and touched him, saying, I will: be thou clean. And immediately the leprosy departed from him. 14 And 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. 15 But 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. 16 And he withdrew himself into the wilderness, and prayed. 17 And 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. 18 And, 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. 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. 20 And when he saw their faith, he said unto him, Man, thy sins are forgiven thee. 21 And the scribes and the Pharisees began to reason, saying, Who is this which speaketh blasphemies? Who can forgive sins, but God alone? 22 But when Jesus perceived their thoughts, he answering said unto them, What reason ye in your hearts? 23 Whether is easier, to say, Thy sins be forgiven thee; or to say, Rise up and walk? 24 But that ye may know that the Son of man hath power upon earth to forgive sins, (he said unto the sick of the palsy,) I say unto thee, Arise, and take up thy couch, and go into thine house. 25 And immediately he rose up before them, and took up that whereon he lay, and departed to his own house, glorifying God. 26 And they were all amazed, and they glorified God, and were filled with fear, saying, We have seen strange things to day. |
Margin notes:
"A certain city." (5:12) - Jesus was in Capernaum (Mark 2:1). "Leprosy." (5:12) - A highly contagious skin and nerve disease that disfigures its victims. There are several forms of leprosy, some more contagious than others. With its open sores, leprosy is transmitted through personal contact and can incubate for up to thirty years. Few people recovered from leprosy, and it often lead to paralysis, gangrene, amputation, and death. In Jesus' day, Jews believed leprosy was a punishment from God and often treated lepers cruelly. Banished from society (Leviticus 13:46; Numbers 5:2-3), lepers were kept at a distance, and people would have been shocked to see Jesus touch one (Luke 5:13). Today, leprosy is commonly called Hansen's disease. "Besought him." (5:12) - "Begged Him." "Charged him." (5:14) - Means "instructed him." "Show thyself to the priest." (5:14) - According to the law of Moses, victims were not considered cured of leprosy until a priest verified that they were free of the disease (Leviticus 13:1-46; 14:2-32; 14:48; Luke 5:13-14). Jesus didn't want the leper to tell anyone he was healed until the priest had verified that he was cured. That way, the Pharisees couldn't say the miracle was a hoax. "But so much the more went there a fame abroad of him." (5:15) - By now, Jesus was famous, and people were flocking to see Him (Matthew 4:24). "Men brought in a bed a man which was taken with a palsy." (5:18) - "Men brought in a paralyzed man on a bed." "Let him down through the tiling." (5:19) - "Lowered him down through the roof." Many homes had outside staircases that led to flat roofs made with wooden cross beams and covered with brush and a mixture of clay. There, people could sit comfortably above the noise of the house to relax and catch a cool breeze. It would have been relatively easy for the men to carry their paralyzed friend up the outside stairs then make an opening in the rudimentary roof to lower him down to Jesus, bed and all. "Blasphemies." (5:21) - Insults to God. To blasphemy is to slander or speak irreverently of God, His authority, or grandeur. Jews considered blasphemy a horrible sin, punishable by death (Leviticus 24:16). The New Testament calls blasphemy the unforgivable sin (Matthew 12:31-32; Mark 3:28-29; Luke 12:10). Unforgiveable, because the sinner will never ask for forgiveness. "Jesus perceived their thoughts." (5:22) - Means Jesus read their minds, more proof of Jesus' divine nature. See also Matthew 9:4 and Luke 6:8. "Whether is easier." (5:23) - Jesus is asking, "what is easier, to say your sins are forgiven or to make a paralyzed man walk." Anyone can say, "your sins are forgiven." But who besides Christ can heal diseases? "That ye may know." (5:24) - The Pharisees saw with their own eyes Jesus' miraculous healings. This should have ended their hostility, instead, they plotted all the more against the Messiah. |