Luke 5:19, commentary and pictures

Blocked by the dense crowd filling Peter's house at Capernaum, the bearers carry the helpless paralytic to the roof, break open the tiling, and lower him on his couch into the midst directly before Jesus. The man is wasted by incurable palsy as the penalty of a sinful life and sunk in despair under condemnation, yet his great longing is for forgiveness and peace with God even more than bodily healing. Their determined persistence in overcoming every obstacle to lay him before Christ gives visible evidence of faith that at once moves His heart of love and pity. Jesus first relieves his mind by forgiving his sins, then restores his body to full vigor so that he who was carried in walks home carrying his bed with joy and thanksgiving. The complete healing proves Christ has power on earth to forgive sins as well as to heal the sick, joining preaching of forgiveness with healing as the model for labor for soul and body without delay.

Setting and Action

Jesus was teaching as a guest in Peter's house at Capernaum, and men, women, and children were flocking from every direction to hear Him teach. The crowd that filled the house and surrounded it was so dense it could not be pushed through. The desperate effort to bring the dying paralytic to Him there belonged to that crowded teaching in Capernaum.

Because of the multitude the bearers could not find by what way they might bring him in directly to Christ. They carried him toward the house but were blocked from reaching Jesus by the usual way and had to stop before they could hear Him. Again and again they tried in vain to push through, and the sick man and his friends could not reach Jesus or even come within hearing of His voice.

As the only way he could reach the great Physician, at the sufferer's own suggestion his friends bore him on his bed to the rear and to the top of the house and upon the housetop. There they broke up and opened the roof and tiling, at once tearing it open. They let him down with his couch and bed and litter through it into the midst directly before Jesus at His feet, placing the helpless man in His presence. Their determined, persistent effort overcame the crowd and brought him to the help he sought when the ordinary way was blocked.

The case was so urgent it admitted no delay. The man was reduced to utter helplessness by incurable palsy and had lost all hope of recovery. Dissolution was already doing its work upon his body, and his wasted flesh already bore signs of death, so there was no time to lose.

The verse belongs to the Gospel account that joins the cleansing of the leper with the healing of the paralytic. It was given when leprosy was the most dreaded of all diseases known in the East, incurable and contagious and horrible in its effect. It was regarded as a judgment on account of sin and called the stroke and the finger of God, deep-rooted, ineradicable and deadly as a symbol of sin. By ritual law the leper was pronounced unclean and shut out like one already dead from home and family and from the habitations of men and the congregation of Israel, to associate only with those similarly afflicted. Even kings and rulers were not exempt but were forced to yield the scepter and flee society, whatever he touched was made unclean and the air was polluted by his breath, he was obliged to publish his own calamity, rend his garments and sound the alarm with the mournful cry Unclean, unclean, and he was subject to examination and decision by the priests.

Paralytic's Plight and Longing

The man let down before Jesus is sick of the palsy, helpless and reduced to utter helplessness by incurable palsy, having lost all hope of recovery and given up all hope of recovery. His suffering is embittered by remorse because his paralysis is the result of a sinful life and the penalty of his wrongdoing. His bodily affliction is the penalty of wrongdoing, and his wasted condition leaves him longing to see Jesus and be healed.

The Pharisees and doctors have pronounced him incurable, denounced him as a sinner, and declared that he will die under the wrath of God, so that he has sunk into despair. Those religious leaders have deepened his despair by calling his illness God's punishment. His despair is thus both medical and spiritual, with no human hope left and condemnation added to disease.

He fears that his past sin, his life of sin and his past dissipation make him unworthy and unwelcome to come before Jesus and into His presence. He fears that his past sins make him unworthy of help. Yet hope revives when he hears of Jesus' mercy and power to heal and forgive, and hearing of Jesus' mercy and healing power revives his hope. That hope rests on the fact that He turns none away, that even loathsome lepers find access to His presence and are healed, and that others as sinful and helpless as he have been healed. Reports that He had healed others who were sinful and helpless strengthen that expectation, and the report of His merciful healing of others renews his hope.

His friends and relatives, having heard the gracious instruction of Jesus and witnessed His wonderful miracles, encourage him to believe he too may be cured and relieved if he can be carried to the Saviour and brought under the notice of Jesus. Their hope rests on Jesus' power to heal and His willingness to receive sufferers. They encourage him to seek Jesus and to believe that Jesus will hear his request, believing he too could receive help. They hope to bring him to Jesus so he can be relieved of his helpless condition.

His great desire is relief from the burden of sin, forgiveness and peace with God and with heaven, pardon and relief of mind, even more than bodily healing and physical healing. He longs to see Jesus and receive the assurance of forgiveness and peace, coming to seek pardon and help for both bodily suffering and the burden of sin. He chiefly longs for pardon and relief of mind, with his longing driven chiefly by desire for forgiveness as well as hope of physical healing. Then he would be content to live or to die according to God's will and according to Jesus' will, accepting that Jesus might will him to live or die.

Faith That Overcomes Obstacles

The friends of the man sick of the palsy were seeking means to bring him directly to Christ that they might lay him before Him. A crowd was about the house, and because of the multitude they could not find by what way they might bring him in by the ordinary way. As the only way he could reach the great Physician when ordinary access was impossible, in urgency and desperate need they carried him to the rear and to the top of the house, went upon the housetop, opened and broke up the roof and tiling, and let him down through it with his couch and bed and litter into the midst directly before Jesus into His presence.

When the ordinary way was blocked by the crowd that filled and surrounded the house, their determined and persistent effort overcame the crowd and every obstacle. They carried the helpless paralyzed man up onto the roof and lowered him on his couch and bed through the roof covering into the room. Their persistence brought the man into Jesus' presence and within reach of the Saviour and the help he sought, placing the sufferer where He could heal and forgive.

The paralytic's own faith grew stronger with each attempt to reach Jesus, so that before he was brought in he had repented and believed that Jesus could make him whole. Their determined effort to bring him to Jesus when the crowd blocked their way gave visible evidence of the sick man's faith, which had grown stronger with each effort to reach Christ. That persistence in opening the roof and lowering him showed his determination and his trust in Jesus as his only helper.

Christ was not unmindful of the efforts made to bring the man to Him, and when He saw their faith His heart of love and pity was at once moved. With simple faith the paralytic accepted Christ's words as new life. After receiving them he made no further request but remained silently joyful.

Forgiveness Then Full Healing

Lowered through the roof into the midst before Jesus, the paralytic is placed where his deeper need can be met first, for his burden of sin weighs heavier on his mind than his bodily suffering, and Christ gives him peace by forgiving his sins, bringing hope and peace by lifting that burden, and then heals his body so that he can rise and walk. In this order forgiveness relieves the mind before healing restores the body, joining preaching of forgiveness with healing of the sick. Sent home well, the healed man becomes a living lesson in laboring at once for soul and body without delay.

The healing is complete restoration to full strength and health, so that the man carried in on his couch returns home carrying it himself with ease, walking with a firm, free step. His arms that had been lifeless become quick to obey his will, his flesh that had been shrunken and leaden-hued becomes fresh and ruddy with health, and he stands in the full vigor of manhood with hope written on his face. Peace and purity take the place of gloom and the marks of sin and suffering. Christ's power thus restores the guilty and afflicted to health and strength, meeting both spiritual and physical needs and giving evidence of His message of salvation and compassionate mercy. His heart of love and pity is moved by the faith that brought the sufferer to Him, and He is not unmindful of the effort made to lay him before Him.

Coming into the midst of his family brings great rejoicing, tears of joy, glad thanksgiving, and light into the darkened home, with hope and joy to him and his household. Glory is given to God through His Son who restores hope to the hopeless and strength to the stricken. The man and his family are left with perfect faith and loyalty ready even to lay down life for Jesus. Moving through the crowd blessing God, the healed man leaves the people amazed.

His complete recovery shows that Jesus possesses power the Pharisees believed belonged to God alone, and His gentle dignity reveals His superiority to their proud, self-righteous bearing. The miracle of mercy is the most convincing and unquestioned proof that Jesus is the promised Saviour, showing He has power on earth to forgive sins as well as to heal the sick. The stronger this evidence is presented, the more those who meet it with hatred, malice, skepticism, and unbelief arm themselves against it, till God leaves them to forge chains binding them in hopeless darkness with no reserve power left to reach hearts so hardened.

Pattern for Healing Ministry

Christ's healing work in letting down the paralytic through the roof to the place before Jesus meets both spiritual and physical need in those who seek His help. That work stands as the model for medical missionaries. It teaches lessons about His ministry as the great Restorer.

The account shows the friends overcoming the crowd to bring the man where Jesus could first give him peace by forgiving his sins and then heal his body. In this Jesus joined preaching forgiveness with healing the sick and sent the man home well. He lived in that healing and forgiveness as a medical missionary, and His example teaches others how to labor for soul and body. The need is urgent and admits no delay, for the sufferer is poor and afflicted, carried on his bed while dissolution is already doing its work upon his body, and when the multitude blocks direct access to Christ the bearers at once tear open the roof and let down the bed with the sick of the palsy into the midst before Jesus.