Luke 5:17-26 Glorifying God for Sins Forgiven.

For Jesus, physical healing was an occasion to show that He was able to provide a much more important form of healing-the forgiveness of sins (vv 22-24 Cf. Mt. 9:1-8; Mk. 2:3-12). The scribes and teachers of the law knew full well that such a claim on Jesus’ part was a claim to deity (vv. 20-21 Cf. Pss. 32:5; 130:4; Is. 43:25). Note well, Jesus knew men’s hearts and the reasoning which takes place there (Cf. Jn. 2:25). News had spread about Jesus’ ability or power to heal, so for the paralytic and his friends it was more a matter of getting to Jesus, not whether He could heal him (vv. 17-19 Cf. Mt. 15:30). Upon being healed, the paralytic could not help but glorify God, not just that he could walk, but more importantly that he stood forgiven (v. 25 Cf. Lk. 17:15, 18). The people were amazed, and also glorified God (v. 26). It does not mean that all physical illness is as a result of some specific sin on the part of an individual. Jesus, as God, certainly had knowledge that no other human would have. However, it was an occasion to show that He also had authority to forgive sins. Of course, all suffering and sickness in general is as a result of the sinful condition of the human race, but Jesus is able to heal from both.