“Which is easier, to say, ‘Your sins are forgiven you,’ or to say, ‘Rise up and walk’? 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.” Immediately he rose up before them, took up what he had been lying on, and departed to his own house, glorifying God.”
—Luke 5:23-25
The healing Jesus performed in Luke 5:17-26 was designed to authenticate Jesus’ message and to point people back to the Old Testament prophecy concerning the coming Messiah. When John the baptizer was in prison, he sent two of his disciples to Jesus to ask if He was the coming One or should they look for another. Jesus responded by saying, “Go and tell John the things you have seen and heard: that the blind see, the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, the poor have the gospel preached to them” (Luke 7:22). Jesus simply quotes from the Old Testament book of Isaiah.
In other words, Jesus is saying that His works demonstrate exactly who He is –God come in the flesh to save His people from their sins. Only God can heal a paralytic man and only God can declare people to be forgiven of all their sins, and Jesus demonstrates He is God incarnate when He heals the paralytic man, and by so doing demonstrates He has power on earth to forgive sins.
Are you trusting Jesus? Have you come to Jesus that you might be forgiven and cleansed of all your sins? Christ is the only hope of forgiveness and reconciliation with God. Trust Christ and you will be saved (Acts 16:31).
Tuesday Encouragement: April 21, 2026
In Christ,
Pastor S. Henry
