Luke 5:17-26
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. 18 Then behold, men brought on a bed a man who was paralyzed, whom they sought to bring in and lay before Him. 19 And when they could not find how they might bring him in, because of the crowd, they went up on the housetop and let him down with his bed through the tiling into the midst before Jesus. 20 When He saw their faith, He said to him, “Man, your sins are forgiven you.” 21 And the scribes and the Pharisees began to reason, saying, “Who is this who speaks blasphemies? Who can forgive sins but God alone?”
22 But when Jesus perceived their thoughts, He answered and said to them, “Why are you reasoning in your hearts? 23 Which is easier, to say, ‘Your sins are forgiven you,’ or to say, ‘Rise up and walk’? 24 But that you may know that the Son of Man has power on earth to forgive sins”—He said to the man who was paralyzed, “I say to you, arise, take up your bed, and go to your house.” 25 Immediately he rose up before them, took up what he had been lying on, 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 today!”
The story we just read is one of the most exciting in all the Bible. Jesus has just set up his headquarters at Capernaum. Every Sabbath day He was found preaching somewhere. At times He preached in the Synagogue or on the hillside. But today He is in a house and the house is packed. May God give us a day when that is true for our churches.
Jesus is preaching, the service is going great, and 4 men walk up carrying a friend of theirs who is paralyzed. They try to get in the house, but no one would make room for them. No one in the house was willing to get out of the house so the man’s friends could get him to Jesus.
So, these men did a very ingenious thing. They carried their friend on top of the roof. Jesus is preaching. Everyone is listening, and suddenly there is a noise on the roof. The plaster starts to fall on the congregation because the men are taking off the roof.
Can you imagine the distraction? People shouting. “Tell those men to be quiet. Don’t they know that this is a worship service?” This is not your everyday baby crying or a choir member falling asleep. They are taking off the roof.
And when they are finished, the man is lowered down and laid at the feet of Jesus. I don’t know about you, but I’ve never been in a worship service like that. WOW!
One of the greatest needs we have as Christians and as the Church is to begin seeing things the way God sees them. To have God’s view of our lives, the world, and people. When Jesus stood to preach that day, He saw three things that I want to share with you today.
I. THE CROWD IN THE HOUSE
The crowd was mixed. Some were believers and some were not. The believers were there to hear Jesus. May God help us to come to church with an expectancy that the Lord is here and that He has something to share with us.
Others were also in the crowd. The religious leaders were there to gather evidence against Jesus. Some were just curious. Others were yearning for something more in their lives. Jesus was glad to have them all there. He had come to seek and to save those who were lost.
Perhaps as the men were climbing the ladder to the roof, Jesus was telling those in the crowd about the great love of God. Maybe He was telling them about God’s wonderful mercy or his amazing forgiveness and grace.
Let me ask you a question. Where are you in the crowd today? Maybe you’ve been coming here for a while. You’re searching for something that’s real. You’ve made some poor decisions. You’ve messed up. Your lifestyle isn’t as satisfying as you thought it was going to be. The relationships haven’t met your expectations and you’ve come here for answers. Jesus Is Glad That You Are Here because He has another chance to speak to your heart.
But there were believers in the crowd that day and there is one thing that concerns me. There were believers in the house who would not go outside the house so the paralytic could get in the house to Jesus. Think About It. A man is at the door. He is paralyzed. He wants to see Jesus because he has heard of how Jesus is a friend to those in need. But I don’t move. And worse than that, I am not moved by what I see. Do You See the Application? Sometimes those who need Jesus can’t get to Him because of Christians in the way.
The Bible teaches that personal sin separates people from God. I can’t answer for you, and you can’t be responsible for me. But there are times when our poor living keeps people from seeing their need for Jesus. That is when they say, “Well, if that’s what it means to be a Christian, I guess that I really don’t need Jesus.”
The Question is Do We Really Care. Or are we satisfied with Going to Church rather than Being the Church? You see, compassion to Jesus was not a being verb. It was an action verb. The Bible tells us that Jesus was moved with compassion, and He fed them. He was moved with compassion, and He healed them. He was moved with compassion, and He taught them.
Compassion moves people to action. That brings us to the second thing that Jesus saw that day, the Crew on the Roof.
II. THE CREW ON THE ROOF
I think that Jesus was thrilled when He saw the crew on the roof. I don’t know how thrilled the owner of the house was, but Jesus was excited, and I’ll tell you why. He saw four men who were beginning to get God’s view of things. This is it. This is the most important thing I will share with you today. People are more important to God than anything in this world.
People are more important than my convenience and leisure. People are more important than social or economic divisions. People are more important than my reputation, what people say about me. People are important to God whether they are paralyzed physically, emotionally, socially, or spiritually. People are important to God, and they must become important to us.
That is the work of the church. We are supposed to be the crew on the roof, bringing people to Jesus. That’s what someone did for you and me one day, isn’t it? Perhaps it was your parents or a pastor or a Sunday school teacher. But they picked you up, so to speak, and brought you to Jesus.
These men didn’t care about their reputations. They did not calculate what it would cost them to take this action. They simply loved their friend enough to put themselves on the line.
Friends, the church has been called to a lifesaving crew. I thought about the old lighthouses. What would you think about a lifesaving crew that just sat around the lighthouse and didn’t look out on the water for someone in trouble? Oh, they kept the lighthouse looking nice. They enjoyed each other’s company. But they never watched to see if someone was in trouble. If they did see someone in trouble, they’d say, “Well, if they can make it to the lighthouse, we’ll see about them.”
Friends, the church has been called by the principles of God’s Word, the practice of Jesus, and the predicament of sinful men to rescue the perishing.
III. THE CRIPPLE ON THE FLOOR
Here we see the results of what happens when we bring people to Jesus. The message is simple. Jesus takes the burdens away. Jesus heals broken bodies. Jesus mends broken hearts. Jesus restores broken lives.
Everywhere I go I meet people who are facing the trials of life. They walk in church wearing a smile but deep inside their hearts are breaking. Maybe someone disappointed them. Someone abandoned them. Someone told them that they would never amount to anything. Some have financial burdens. Some are dealing with personal struggles, things they need to get out of their lives. Some need to accept Jesus as Savior.
Friends, Jesus Can Lift Your Burden Away. That’s why He brought you here today. To see this story and apply it to your life and your heart.
CONCLUSION
Everyone Eventually Left the House that Day. The Religious Leaders left with another reason to get rid of Jesus. Others left just as they came, unwilling to change and trust Jesus with their lives. The four men left to look for someone else they could bring to Jesus. One left changed forever. But perhaps some left determined to get busy bringing people to Jesus like the crew on the roof.
How will you leave church today? The same as you came in or never the same again. Let’s decide to be like the crew on the roof.
