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Sermon Transcript January 31, 2016

Baptism Service

He Is Able! Luke 5:17-26

&is message from the Bible was addressed originally to the people of Wethers-eld Evangelical Free Church on January 31, 2016 at 511 Maple Street, Wethers-eld, CT, 06109 by Dr. Scott W. Solberg. &is is a transcription that bears the strength and weaknesses of oral delivery. It is not meant to be a polished essay. An audio copy of the sermon on CD is available by request at (860) 563-8286. An audio version of this sermon may also be found on the church website at www.wethefc.com.

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Luke 5:17-26

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 -nding 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 glori-ed God and were -lled with awe, saying, “We have seen extraordinary things today.”

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Introduction

“Who is this . . .?” &is is the question asked of Jesus by the Jewish religious leaders in

our passage this morning. We -nd them gathered in a crowded room, listening to Jesus

teach. &e Gospel of Mark also records this story and from Mark’s account we learn

that the house was so full of people that there were people standing in the doorway. You

couldn’t get another person into that house. If the -re marshal happened upon this

scene, a citation would have been written. &e fact that the text tells us that the

Pharisees “were sitting there” indicates that they weren’t the ones standing in the

doorway. &ey had prime seats. &ey were front and center, listening to Jesus as he was

teaching. It is in this house that they ask of Jesus, “Who is this . . .?”

&e question posed by these religious leaders is a critical question, one that you must ask

and one that calls you to formulate a response. It is one of the most critical questions to

answer in all of life. Who is this Jesus? How do you answer that question? &e -ve

people getting baptized this morning have made the same confession that Peter made

when Jesus asked the disciples, “Who do you say that I am?” With Peter, the -ve people

standing before us this morning have responded with the following answer, “You are the

Christ, the Son of the Living God.” At the heart of this answer is the understanding that

Jesus is more than just a man. He is God in the Hesh. And this question is not just a

question to be pondered by theologians and philosophers. It is not just a question

reserved for the classroom or for academia. Actually, this is a central question for life

because it shapes who we are and all that we do. It is a question that de-nes how we live

and it shapes how we treat people and it even informs how we die. “Who is this . . .”

Setting The Scene

Lets come back to the crowded house in Luke 5. I want you to see what precipitated this

critical question in the minds of these religious leaders. &ere they were, in their

prominent seats, most likely in Peter’s house, listening to Jesus as he taught. As I

mentioned earlier, there was standing room only. As oIen was the case, whenever Jesus

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was around, news spread rather quickly and people began bringing the sick to Him for

healing. &is day was no diJerent.

Luke tells us that on this day some men carried a friend who was a paralytic to meet

Jesus. Mark tells us that there happened to be four men carrying their paralytic friend to

meet Jesus. It was their intention to place their friend right in front of Jesus so that Jesus

would heal him. &ey got to the doorway and soon found out that the house was too full

for them to make their way to Jesus. And furthermore, no one was giving up their spot.

You can only imagine how disappointed and perhaps perturbed these men were with the

crowd. No one would even make room for this poor crippled man to see Jesus.

But these men were determined. &ey didn’t carry their friend all that way for nothing.

Did you ever carry “dead weight?” It can get heavy pretty fast. &e last thing they

wanted to do was carry him back home. So these determined men took their needy

friend up the steps on the side of the house and onto the roof. &ere they took apart a

portion of the roof and “let him down with his bed through the tiles into the midst before

Jesus.” I can just picture this scene in my mind. Debris is falling on the crowd as these

four men remove the tiles. Perhaps people in the room thought these four men just

wanted to listen like the rest of them, so they made a hole in the roof. But the next thing

you know, there is this body coming down from the ceiling and it is gently laid before

Christ. No doubt, some of the people inside helped to steady the body and gently placed

the body at the feet of Jesus. &e sense of anticipation began to build. What was Jesus

going to do?

I think once their friend was there, at the feet of Jesus, these four men were as excited as

could be. &ey carried their friend to the house. &ey carried him up to the roof. &ey

made a hole to lower their friend in front of Jesus. And now look at him. &ere he is!

He is right in front of Jesus. I can envision looking up at the hole from inside the house

and seeing four faces staring in at their friend. I can see one guy, there is always one guy

in the crowd, waving at his friend, giving him the thumbs up! &eir friend is going to be

walking at any moment. &ey can’t wait to hear the -rst words out of Jesus’ mouth to

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their friend. “I say to you, rise, pick up your bed and go home.” &ey have been

dreaming about this occasion ever since they heard about Jesus. &ey were no doubt

talking about it with great anticipation while bringing their friend to see Jesus. &ey

may have even joked with their friend, suggesting that he would be carrying them home.

And now the moment is at hand. &eir buddy is going to be healed. &ey didn’t want to

miss one second of this.

Jesus takes a look at this poor man lying before Him and He admired the faith of these

men. And He opened His mouth and out came words that I am convinced no one in

that room had expected to hear. He said to the man on the mat, “Man, your sins are

forgiven you.” Now I am not sure what the friends on the roof thought when they heard

Jesus make that statement. My inclination is that they were a little disappointed when

Jesus made this statement. “Yeah, that is -ne that you want to forgive his sins, but we

came to see him walk. What about his legs?” But Jesus knew the greatest need in this

man’s life. Jesus knew what really needed healing in this man’s life. Did not Jesus say in

Matthew 18, “It is better for you to enter life crippled of lame than with two hands or two

feet to be thrown into the eternal &re.” Jesus was actually addressing this man’s greater

need. I also wonder what was going through the mind of the paralytic when he heard

these words. Was he too asking “but what about my legs?”

We may not know what was going through the minds of the men on the roof or what

was going through the mind of the paralytic lying at the feet of Jesus, but we do know

what was going through the minds of the religious leaders when Jesus said, “Man, your

sins are forgiven you.” Do you know what was running through their minds when Jesus

made that statement? It is our question of the day. “Who is this . .? Let me give you the

complete thought that was running through their minds. We -nd it in verse 21. “Who

is this who speaks blasphemies? Who can forgive sins but God alone?” Do you catch what

is running through the minds of these prominent religious leaders? Darrell Bock

observes, “A chain reaction follows. &e Pharisees and scribes begin to think about the

theological implications of what Jesus just said. &ey know that only God forgives sin;

so to claim to do what God does is blasphemy, a slander against God”1 Unless. . . . .,

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Jesus is God. So here we are, right back to where we started this morning. “Who is

this. . . ? Is Jesus God? &at is the critical question upon which our faith hangs.

To determine the answer to this critical question, “Who is this . . .?” you must consider

two things. You must consider -rst the claims of Jesus and then the actions of Jesus.

What does Jesus say about himself and what does he do that backs up his claim? In

other words, if Jesus claims to be God, then what does he do to prove that he is God.

Anyone can say anything. But where is the proof? You will see in this story that Jesus

responds to the questions running through the minds of the Pharisees by -rst making a

statement about Himself and then he backs up his claim by what he does. He heals the

paralytic. &rough His statement about Himself, and through the action of healing the

paralytic, Jesus reveals who he is. He is God in the Hesh. And that changes everything.

In fact, it changes us because in this story we discover the one who has the authority to

forgive our sins.

e Claim of Jesus

Lets -rst consider the claim of Jesus in this passage. Knowing what they were thinking,

Jesus asked them, “Why do you question in your hearts? Which is easier, to say, ‘Your

sins are forgiven you,’ or to say, ‘Rise and walk’?” &at is a good question. Which is

easier to say? Is it easier to say, “your sins are forgiven you” or “rise and walk”? I think it

is easier to say, “Your sins are forgiven you.” You can’t see the evidence of that claim.

But if you say, “Rise and walk” ‘the proof is in the pudding.’ You can visibly verify it.

Did the lame man walk or didn’t he? But in reality, the hardest thing to say is, “Your sins

are forgiven you.” Why? Only the one with the proper authority can forgive sins. &e

Pharisees knew that and so did Jesus. And so Jesus issues this claim: “But that you may

know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins.”

It is here where we encounter “the claim” of Jesus. It is here where we hear what Jesus

says about himself. &is is the claim of Jesus. Jesus claims to be “the Son of Man.” &e

Pharisees asked, “Who is this . .?” Jesus said, “I will tell you who I am, I am the Son of

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Man.” Did you know that this is the favorite title Jesus uses for himself. He refers to

himself by this title 29 times in Matthew, 14 times in Mark, 24 times in Luke and 11

times in John. What was Jesus saying about himself when he called himself “the Son of

Man?” What did the Pharisees hear in their minds when Jesus made claim to the title

“the Son of Man?”

&e meaning for this title “Son of Man” comes from the Old Testament prophet Daniel.

Listen to what Daniel wrote in Daniel 7:13-14. "“I saw in the night visions, and behold,

with the clouds of heaven there came one like a son of man, and he came to the Ancient of

Days and was presented before him. And to him was given dominion and glory and a

kingdom, that all peoples, nations, and languages should serve him; his dominion is an

everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, and his kingdom one that shall not be

destroyed.” When you read what Daniel has to say about this coming “son of man” you

discover it is not a title that simply speaks to the humanity of Christ. It is an exalted

title. It is a title given to the one who will reign over all things.

What does Daniel tell us about the “Son of Man?” We learn that this “Son of Man” is

“coming with the clouds.” In Psalm 104:3 we learn that it is God “who makes the clouds

his chariot.” In Isaiah 19:1 it is God who “rides on a swi/ cloud.” And furthermore, this

“Son of Man” is in the presence of the “Ancient of Days.” &at is a name for God. &is

“Son of Man” comes from the presence of God. And then notice what is said about this

“Son of Man.” “He was given authority, glory and sovereign power; all peoples, nations

and men of every language worshiped him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion that

will not pass away, and his kingdom is one that will never be destroyed.” What does that

sound like to you? &ose are terms for deity! &is passage is Messianic. &e Pharisees

knew what exactly Jesus was saying about Himself when He claimed to be the “Son of

Man.” At the least, they knew He was claiming to be the Messiah. And we know that

He was claiming to be God.

When Jesus stood before Caiaphas, the High Priest, the night of His trial, they were

trying to come up with all kinds of evidence to demonstrate that He was worthy of the

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death penalty. &ey could not come up with any evidence, even though there were

many false witnesses against Him. Finally, in frustration, we read in Matthew 26:63,

“1e high priest said to him, "I charge you under oath by the living God: Tell us if you are

the Christ, the Son of God.” In other words, “lets just cut to the chase!” Are you the Son

of God? "Yes, it is as you say," Jesus replied. "But I say to all of you: In the future you will

see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of the Mighty One and coming on the clouds of

heaven." You can hear Daniel 7 all over this statement. &e text then goes on to say,

“1en the high priest tore his clothes and said, "He has spoken blasphemy! Why do we

need any more witnesses? Look, now you have heard the blasphemy.”

“Who is this . . .?” is the question posed by the Pharisees. &e answer Jesus gives is that

He is the “Son of Man.” He comes from the very presence of God, and He is given all

authority, all power, all glory; and all people, nations and men of every language will

worship Him. His kingdom is forever. &is is the claim of Jesus Christ. And not only

does He have the authority to forgive sins, but He also has authority to judge. Jesus has

authority over all things. I used to play basketball when I lived in Philadelphia with a

few guys. When one of them found out I was a pastor, he began to talk to me about faith

and religion. Do you know what he said to me? He said, “Do you know what I can’t

stand about Christianity? It is the claim that Christians make that Jesus is the King of

kings and Lord of lords.” Actually, he needs to take his frustration one step back. &is is

the claim Jesus made of himself. &is is what he was saying about himself by using the

title “Son of Man.” You don’t have to like this title for Jesus. But it is the claim of Jesus

and it is this very claim of Jesus that assures us that he is able to forgive our sins.

e Actions of Jesus

To claim the title the Son of Man was no small thing for Jesus to say of himself. Perhaps

you are not ready to acknowledge that Jesus is worthy of such a title. Perhaps, like many

others, you are willing to acknowledge that Jesus was a good moral teacher, but not God

in the Hesh. C. S. Lewis challenges anyone who would say that Jesus was just a good

moral teacher. He writes, “I am trying here to prevent anyone saying the really foolish

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thing that people oIen say about Him: "I'm ready to accept Jesus as a great moral

teacher, but I don't accept His claim to be God." &at is the one thing we must not say.”2

Why? C. S, Lewis argues that if Jesus is not the exalted Son of Man he clearly claims to

be then he is either delusional—on the par of someone who goes around claiming to be a

poached egg. Or, he is evil and the devil himself. And so Lewis says, “You can shut Him

up for a fool, you can spit at Him and kill Him as a demon; or you can fall at His feet and

call Him Lord and God. But let us not come with any patronizing nonsense about His

being a great human teacher. He has not leI that open to us. He did not intend to.”3

So what does Jesus do to back up his claim to be “the Son of Man”? It is true that the

paralytic’s greatest need in life was the forgiveness of his sins. It is true that only God

has the authority to forgive sins. &e religious leaders were right, as you are to ask, “who

is this . . .” who makes claims like this? And so, Jesus says to them, “But that you may

know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins . . . I tell you, rise, pick up

your bed and go home.” Immediately, that man stood up and went home praising God.

It was the miracle of healing the paralytic that Jesus used to verify His claim on being the

“Son of Man.” Who else can heal this man but God? Who did they praise when this

man walked out of that house? &ey praised God because they just witnessed the work

of God.

Matthew, Mark, Luke and John are -lled with story aIer story of miracles Jesus

performed. Take the Gospel of Matthew, for example. From Matthew 8-10 we have

recorded 9 of the miracles Jesus performed. &ey are grouped into three groups of three.

First you have the story of the healing of the leper, the centurion’s servant and then the

sick mother. &en you have grouped together the calming of the storm, the healing of

the demon possessed man and the paralytic. &en the -nal grouping includes the story

of the dead girl and the sick woman, two blind men and then a man who was mute. Do

you what you -nd between the groupings of these miracle? Between the -rst three and

the second three and between the second three and the third three you -nd the

invitation of Jesus to follow him. Why? Because the miracles prove that he is the Son of

Man and that in Jesus the kingdom of God has come. He is the one to follow.

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It is the same thing with the Gospel of John. John records only seven of the miracles

that Jesus performed. He called the miracles of Jesus “signs.” In fact he ends his account

of the life of Jesus by saying in John 20:30-31 that Jesus did many other miracles that

John never wrote about in the Gospel of John. But then he says, “but these are written

that you might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you

may have life in his name.” Do you see it? &e miracles authenticate the claim of Jesus

to have the authority to forgive sins. In our story this morning, to demonstrate that

Jesus has the authority to forgive sins, he turns to this man lying in front of him and he

says, “ I tell you, rise, pick up your bed and go home.”

Of course, the greatest miracle of all, the one on which our faith rests, is that three days

aIer Jesus was cruci-ed on the cross, he rose from the dead. What does that tell us

about Jesus? Paul tells us in Romans 1:4 that Jesus was declared to be the Son of God in

power according to the Spirit of holiness by his resurrection from the dead, Jesus Christ our

Lord.” Do you see it? It is the resurrection of Jesus from the dead that gives us the

assurance that Jesus has the authority to forgive our sins. It tells us that Jesus is the

exalted “Son of Man” and that through the cross Jesus atoned for our sin. So those who

respond in faith are forgiven. Why? Because Jesus is able!

Jon Meacham wrote an article about Jesus in Newsweek a few years ago. He wrote,

“From the beginning, critics of Christianity have dismissed the resurrection as a

theological invention. As a matter of history, however, scholars agree that the two oldest

pieces of New Testament tradition speak to Jesus rising from the dead.” He goes on to

state, “&at the apostles would have created such words and ideas out of thin air seems

unlikely, for their story and their message strained credulity even then. . . &is is not

something that the PR committee of the disciples would have put out, says Dr. R. Albert

Mohler Jr., president of the Southern Baptist Seminary in Louisville, Kentucky. &e very

fact of the salvation message’s complexity and uniqueness, I think, speaks to the

credibility of the Gospels and of the entire New Testament.”4

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Conclusion

“Who is this . . . ?” Jesus is the Son of Man to whom all authority is given. &erefore,

you should know, he is able to forgive your sins. &at is the testimony of those who

being baptized this morning. As you witness their baptism, my prayer is that you would

be reminded that in Jesus there is the assurance that he is able to forgive us our sins

because of who he is. As we repent of our sin and turn in faith to Jesus, we are forgiven.

&e Heidelberg Catechism puts it this way. “ How does holy baptism signify and seal to

you that the one sacri-ce of Christ on the cross bene-ts you?” Here is the answer. “In

this way: Christ instituted this outward washing and with it gave the promise that, as

surely as water washes away the dirt from the body, so certainly his blood and Spirit

wash away the impurity of my soul, that is, all my sins.

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1Darrell Bock, Luke: 1e NIV Application Commentary (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1996) 157-8.

2C. S. Lewis Mere Christianity revised edition (New York: MacMillian/Collier, 1952) 55

3Ibid

4Jon Meacham, “From Jesus to Christ” Newsweek www.msnbc.msn.com/id/7244999/site/

newsweek/

© by Dr. Scott Solberg - All rights reserved

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Sermon Title: He is Able! Sermon Text: Luke 5:17-26 Sermon Date: January 31, 2016

1. Who do you think is going to win the Super Bowl? Do you have a favorite Super Bowl memory? If you don’t care about the Super Bowl, feel free to say so or just pretend and go along with the crowd and make your prediction.

2. ReHecting on Sunday’s baptism service, share with the group when you -rst began to realize that

Jesus was able to forgive you of your sins and that he was Lord of all. What were some of the circumstances that led you to that point of faith? Was it a diTcult journey for you? How did you see the hand of God in your story?

3. Share with each other something you took from the sermon this past Sunday.

4. Read Luke 5:17-26 - Share what you see in this passage. What does the healing of the paralytic tell us about Jesus? (See also John 20:30-31; Romans 1:4)

5. What does Jesus claim about himself in Luke 5:24? Discuss how Daniel 7:13-14 helps you understand the title “Son of Man.” Discuss how the “authority” of the Son of Man is described in Daniel 7:13-14. Why is the “authority” of Jesus important to our story in Luke 5?

6. Read Matthew 16:13-16 - &e critical question Jesus asked his disciples was “Who do you say that I am?” What are the various answers we hear in our culture to this important question? Why would C. S. Lewis suggest that it is foolish to conclude that Jesus is just a good teacher? (see pg. 7-8) 7. Read the invitations of Jesus in Matthew 8:18-22 and 9:9. What is the invitation of Jesus? What does this invitation suggest? What role does this invitation play when we call people to faith and belief? Remember from the sermon, these invitations are found in the middle of 9 miracle stories of Jesus. What do you think is the connection between the miracle stories and the invitation?

8. What did you learn from this study that can help you share your faith? 9. Have each person oJer a “thank you prayer” and a “help me prayer.” Based on what you talked

about, what do you want to thank God for? Based on what you talked about, complete this prayer, “God help me ___________.”

Getting To Know Me Questions

Diving Into The Word

Taking It Home