The Difference Jesus Can Make to Your Life.
(Luke 5:12-39)
Observing a church from the outside, one would hope to see a group of people with their attention firmly fixed on Jesus Christ. Those on the outside, witnessing this focus, might then be inspired to wonder: What difference does He make? As Christians, our response is clear, the difference although very real in the everyday also extends beyond the present into eternity, a contrast exemplified as the difference between heaven and hell. But what difference does Jesus make right now for us. How should it impact our lives in the present, and if so, how?
Answering this question comprehensively would require exploring the entirety of the New Testament, a task beyond the scope of a single message. However, let's extract a single page from that book to address this query. With this goal in mind, please turn with me to Luke chapter 5.
I'll begin reading from verse 12 and proceed to the end of the chapter, acknowledging that it's a lengthy passage. To navigate through it effectively, I'll read and discuss it in parts, focusing on the three episodes within. Collectively, these episodes will shed light on the difference Jesus can make to a life.
Jesus Heals a Man With Leprosy
12: While Jesus was in one of the towns, a man came along who was covered with leprosy. When he saw Jesus, he fell with his face to the ground and begged him, “Lord, if you are willing, you can make me clean.”
13: Jesus reached out his hand and touched the man. “I am willing,” he said. “Be clean!” And immediately the leprosy left him.
14: Then Jesus ordered him, “Don’t tell anyone, but go, show yourself to the priest and offer the sacrifices that Moses commanded for your cleansing, as a testimony to them.”
15: Yet the news about him spread all the more, so that crowds of people came to hear him and to be healed of their sicknesses.
16: But Jesus often withdrew to lonely places and prayed.
(Luke 5: 12-39)
In the first episode, a man with leprosy encounters. Jesus, moved with compassion, heals the man. Despite Jesus instructing him to tell no one, the news spreads, and a large crowd gathers to hear what he is saying with many also seeking healing.
This initial episode emphasizes Jesus's transformative power in cleansing the untouchable. It illustrates how Christians, following His example, reach out to the unlovable and forgive the unforgivable. The act of touching the leper, was a powerful gesture, showcases the love and compassion inherent in Jesus and should be mirrored in the lives of Christians.
Several things technical things are going on in the background of this passage. In Leviticus chapter 14 it specifies that those healed of leprosy were to make a sacrifice. Additionally, it’s worth noting in the case of someone with leprosy, the priest served as a health inspector, granting approval for reintegration into society after being healed. Thus, Jesus instructs the cleansed leper to go to the priest as he was required to do but not disclose the healing widely. However, the leper disobeys, spreading the news.
Verse 15 tells that people do hear about it and they come from various places seeking healing, prompting Him to withdraw into the wilderness to pray. Before looking into the next episode of this passage, let me make a quick observation. Leprosy was a real and dreaded physical disease, but it also meant to serve as a metaphor for sin. Like leprosy, sin starts small, spreads, defiles, and destroys, not just physically but also socially by isolating individuals. The psychological consequences of leprosy were more serious than the physical ones.
Finally in verse 16, we see Jesus withdraw into the wilderness, setting the stage for the next episode. Beyond physical healing, Jesus now will cleanse individuals of their sin, removing defilement and shame. These healing are also described as cleansing as they address not only physical but also psychological aspects, making a profound difference in the lives of those who come to Him. The impact is immediate and tangible, addressing the shame and guilt associated with sin, showcasing the transformative power of Jesus in the present.
Having worked in the past a little amongst people with addictions speaking to them I came to understand that many of these people although homeless and even when strung out on drugs their real problem is shame.
Let me explain there's a difference between guilt and shame. In guilt you feel I did something wrong in shame you feel, I am the thing that is wrong So the best way to help these people is to try show them that God loves them and at the same time give them back their dignity.
Leprosy in this context extends beyond a physical disease; it encompasses psychological and social challenges. The difference Jesus makes is not only in cleansing individuals of sin but also in healing and cleansing them of shame and guilt.
Moving on to the second episode in this passage, we now find Jesus teaching in a house crowded with Pharisees and teachers of the law from various regions.
Jesus Forgives and Heals a Paralyzed Man.
17: One day Jesus was teaching, and Pharisees and teachers of the law were sitting there. They had come from every village of Galilee and from Judea and Jerusalem. And the power of the Lord was with Jesus to heal the sick. 18: Some men came carrying a paralyzed man on a mat and tried to take him into the house to lay him before Jesus. 19: When they could not find a way to do this because of the crowd, they went up on the roof and lowered him on his mat through the tiles into the middle of the crowd, right in front of Jesus.
20: When Jesus saw their faith, he said, “Friend, your sins are forgiven.”
21: The Pharisees and the teachers of the law began thinking to themselves, “Who is this fellow who speaks blasphemy? Who can forgive sins but God alone?”
22 :Jesus knew what they were thinking and asked, “Why are you thinking these things in your hearts? 23: Which is easier: to say, ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or to say, ‘Get up and walk’? 24: But I want you to know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins.” So, he said to the paralyzed man, “I tell you, get up, take your mat and go home.” 25: Immediately he stood up in front of them, took what he had been lying on and went home praising God. 26: Everyone was amazed and gave praise to God. They were filled with awe and said, “We have seen remarkable things today.”
(Luke 5: 17-26)
In this story, a paralytic man is brought to Jesus by four individuals. Unable to approach due to the crowd, they creatively go up on the roof, create an opening, and lower the man down to Jesus. This demonstrates their faith and determination to bring the paralyzed man to Jesus for healing.
The Pharisees and teachers of the law present who witness this extraordinary event start to critically scrutinize Jesus, Instead of focusing on the amazing healing, the focus on Jesus’ surprising remark where addressing the man's sins, he declares, "Your sins are forgiven." This sparks controversy among the religious leaders who question Jesus' authority to forgive sins, which is seen as blasphemous.
Jesus responds by asking whether it is easier to say, "Your sins are forgiven," or "Rise up and walk." He then demonstrates his authority by telling the paralytic to rise, take up his bed, and go home, which he promptly does. The crowd is amazed, it seems the general crowd glorifies God, with some expressing fear, recognizing the extraordinary nature of what they have witnessed.
This story underscores the importance of faith not only on the part of the one seeking healing but also on the part of those bringing others to Christ. The faith of the four individuals who brought the paralyzed man is specifically highlighted for us emphasizing the collaborative role faith often plays in bringing people to Christ.
Jesus doesn't just say to him, ‘rise up and walk, notice it also says, ‘when he saw their faith, he said your sins are forgiven’.
The Pharisees think to themselves he speaks blasphemy because only God can forgive, only God can do that, so he is a blasphemer. Now of course Jesus knows what they are thinking and says to them, ‘which is easier to say your sins are forgiven or rise up and walk’.
Well, if you're God, one is just as easy to say one as the other.
Notice Jesus' strategic use of language. By asserting, "Your sins are forgiven," Jesus offers a statement that cannot be externally proven. However, when he then commands the paralyzed man to rise and walk, he provides a tangible demonstration of his authority and identity. This also allows Jesus to identify himself as the "son of man," a Messianic term rooted in Daniel Chapter 7, signalling his role as the promised Messiah, something that would have immediately been understood by the watching religious leadership. So he in effects proves he has done something internal by demonstrating it through something external, a physical healing.
The response from the wide crowd is a mix of awe, amazement, and fear. Witnessing the miraculous healing and the fact he pronounces forgiveness; they are filled with wonder and the ordinary people immediately attribute the event to the divine power of God.
Verse 25 shows us the man's immediate response; he takes up his bed and glorifies God. He experiences it and excepts it and it raised to action.
This emotional spectrum highlights the potential impact of Jesus' actions, showcasing different reactions among those who witnessed the miraculous events.
Before I go to the third and last episode of this passage let me pause and say what difference Jesus make in both these cases. Jesus forgives sin, and leprosy is a picture of sin in that it defiles, and so is paralysis also a metaphor for sin as one get stuck in a wrong lifestyle and become unable to walk the way of God.
So, Jesus makes a difference in that he cleanses, and he forgives and when he does that that's something that benefits us immediately and into the future.
I think a major problem is that many people just need to know they're unconditionally loved and forgiven by God, right now. I think a lot of things we identify as mental and emotional problems ultimately come down to the fact they' just need to experience the unconditional love and forgiveness of God, either for the first time or reminded of it again.
Jesus Calls Levi and Eats with Sinners
27: After this, Jesus went out and saw a tax collector by the name of Levi sitting at his tax booth. “Follow me,” Jesus said to him, 28: and Levi got up, left everything and followed him.
29: Then Levi held a great banquet for Jesus at his house, and a large crowd of tax collectors and others were eating with them. 30: But the Pharisees and the teachers of the law who belonged to their sect complained to his disciples, “Why do you eat and drink with tax collectors and sinners?”
31: Jesus answered them, “It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick.
32: I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.”
(Luke 5: 27-32)
So, another very familiar episode in the life of Christ. The Pharisees and scribes were questioning why Jesus associated with those considered socially undesirable and morally questionable.
In response to their criticism, Jesus delivers a profound statement. He expresses that it's not the healthy who need a physician, but the sick. By using this analogy, he emphasizes his role as a healer and the one who can be the source of spiritual restoration.
In essence, Jesus is highlighting that he has primarily come to call those who recognise themselves as sinners to repentance, acknowledging their need for spiritual healing and transformation.
This episode further illustrates the revolutionary nature of Jesus' ministry. He challenges societal norms and religious expectations by reaching out to those on the margins, demonstrating God's mercy and grace is for all, regardless of their social standing or perceived righteousness.
In choosing to dine with tax collectors and sinners, Jesus sends a powerful message of inclusion, compassion, and the availability of God's love to everyone, regardless of their past or position in society. It underscores his mission to seek and save the lost, offering a glimpse into the heart of God for all people.
But that's a further explanation he offers to the accusation that he is socialising with sinners and this answer begins in verse 31 and goes all the way to the end of the chapter in verse 39.
31: Jesus answered them, “It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. 32: I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.”
33: They said to him, “John’s disciples often fast and pray, and so do the disciples of the Pharisees, but yours go on eating and drinking.”
34: Jesus answered, “Can you make the friends of the bridegroom fast while he is with them? 35: But the time will come when the bridegroom will be taken from them; in those days they will fast.”
36: He told them this parable: “No one tears a piece out of a new garment to patch an old one. Otherwise, they will have torn the new garment, and the patch from the new will not match the old. 37: And no one pours new wine into old wineskins. Otherwise, the new wine will burst the skins; the wine will run out and the wineskins will be ruined. 38: No, new wine must be poured into new wineskins. 39: And no one after drinking old wine wants the new, for they say, ‘The old is better.’”
(Luke 5 31-39)
"In the midst of witnessing this miraculous healing, the Pharisees complain, they were the killjoys. So, Jesus answers, using four analogies.
The first is in verse 31, where he quotes an old saying: 'Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick, do .' Essentially, Jesus likens himself to a doctor who spends time with sick people, emphasizing that he associates with those in need of spiritual healing, and that is the sinners.
The second analogy comes in verse 33 when the Pharisees question him about the disciples' fasting habits compared to John the Baptist's followers. Jesus responds with a bridegroom analogy, stating that while the bridegroom is present, there's a celebration. He implies that, while he's with them, fasting is unnecessary, likening his presence and ministry to a wedding party.
In verse 36, a third analogy involves patching an old garment with a piece from a new one. Jesus argues against this practice, emphasizing that he didn't come to patch up the old ways but to bring something entirely new. This hints at Jesus fulfilling the law and introducing a new covenant.
The final analogy involving the wineskins emphasises not only the replacement of the old with the new but the danger of putting new wine into old wineskins because it would cause them to burst, ruining both the wine and the skins. This illustrates the incompatibility of the old and new ways, emphasizing Jesus' mission to bring a new covenant that cannot be contained within the confines of the Old Testament legalist attitudes.
Each of these analogies serves to underscore different aspects of Jesus' mission and the transformative nature of the message he brings. These illustrations help to clarify the profound changes Jesus introduces and highlight the inadequacy of trying to fit the new within the old structures."
This is an intriguing illustration, because by putting new wine into an old skin, when it starts to ferment expanding, which would lead to the bursting of the wineskin. The same principle applies when patching an old piece of cloth, it tends to split apart again from the new. Jesus emphasizes that he didn't come to introduce something new only to see people try and fit it into the old structures.
In His use of the analogy of wineskins Jesus underscores the incompatibility of the old and new ways. Jesus clarifies that he came to do something entirely new, which is why he associates with sinners.
The key takeaway is that Jesus introduces a new covenant, and trying to force it into the old legalistic structures would be counterproductive.
He concludes with a pointed observation. This truth extends beyond wineskins and spiritual contexts; it reflects a universal resistance to embrace something radically new when accustomed to the old.
Something new will always replace the old. Galileo was branded a heretic when he held that the earth moving around the sun. Lister had to fight for an aseptic technique in surgery operations. Simpson had to battle against the opposition in his advocation of the use of chloroform during surgery.
Let us today also be careful that we are not simply clinging to the old.
Jeus effectively said your holding on to the old, and for no good reason. The main point is that Jesus introduces a new covenant, and attempting to force it into old legalistic structures would be counterproductive.
These truths extends beyond wineskins, doctors and bridegrooms; it reflects a universal spiritual resistance to embrace something radically new especially when trapped in old way of thinking about ourselves and about God.
The difference Jesus makes is not confined to the spiritual realm alone; it permeates every aspect of our lives, offering immediate and lasting transformation. May we, like those in Luke chapter 5, experience the profound impact of encountering Jesus and respond with faith, openness, and a willingness to embrace the newness He brings into our lives.