Scripture: St. Luke 5:12-39 (NKJV)
12 And it happened when He was in a certain city, that behold, a man who was
full of leprosy saw Jesus; and he fell on his face and implored Him, saying,
“Lord, if You are willing, You can make me clean.” 13 Then He put out His hand
and touched him, saying, “I am willing; be cleansed.” Immediately the leprosy
left him. 14 And He charged him to tell no one, “But go and show yourself to
the priest, and make an offering for your cleansing, as a testimony to them,
just as Moses commanded.” 15 However, the report went around concerning Him all
the more; and great multitudes came together to hear, and to be healed by Him
of their infirmities. 16 So He Himself often withdrew into the wilderness and
prayed.
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!”
27 After these things He went out and saw a tax collector named Levi, sitting
at the tax office. And He said to him, “Follow Me.” 28 So he left all, rose up,
and followed Him. 29 Then Levi gave Him a great feast in his own house. And
there were a great number of tax collectors and others who sat down with them.
30 And their scribes and the Pharisees complained against His disciples,
saying, “Why do You eat and drink with tax collectors and sinners?” 31 Jesus
answered and said to them, “Those who are well have no need of a physician, but
those who are sick. 32 I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners, to
repentance.” 33 Then they said to Him, “Why do the disciples of John fast often
and make prayers, and likewise those of the Pharisees, but Yours eat and
drink?” 34 And He said to them, “Can you make the friends of the bridegroom
fast while the bridegroom is with them? 35 But the days will come when the
bridegroom will be taken away from them; then they will fast in those days.”
36 Then He spoke a parable to them: “No one puts a piece from a new garment on
an old one; otherwise the new makes a tear, and also the piece that was taken
out of the new does not match the old. 37 And no one puts new wine into old
wineskins; or else the new wine will burst the wineskins and be spilled, and
the wineskins will be ruined. 38 But new wine must be put into new wineskins,
and both are preserved. 39 And no one, having drunk old wine, immediately
desires new; for he says, ‘The old is better.’”
Devotion
“‘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.’”
Our Lord’s ability to perform miracles and heal infirmities is truly amazing,
but His ability to forgive the sins of man is far, far more amazing! According
to the perception of man, the words “Your sins are forgiven you” are far less
impressive than instantly healing severe paralysis. But the Holy Spirit gives
the faithful the ability to see that the forgiveness of sins is greater than
the healing of any physical problem.
Christ’s forgiveness heals our souls, and if our souls are not healed then the
weaknesses of our bodies are irrelevant. Our bodies and souls will be thrown
into the darkness if we are without forgiveness and life in Jesus. But if our
souls are made well by the Word of God, then we can endure any bodily trouble,
and even look forward to our bodies being made completely new in the
resurrection and life everlasting!
We pray: Lord God, heavenly Father, forgive our sins according to Your mercy in
Jesus Christ, our crucified Lord, and bless our present physical life according
to Your good will. And keep us steadfast in Your Son so that we may look
forward to the life of the world to come, when all things are made new in Him!
Amen.
The Lutheran Herald is a publication of the Evangelical Lutheran Diocese of
North America. These daily devotions are authored by the bishop, pastors, and
deacons of the diocese. Daily posts are provided by The Reverend Jeffrey A.
Ahonen.
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