Luke 5:26, commentary and pictures

Luke 5:26 closes the healing at Capernaum where Jesus first forgave the helpless paralytic's sins to give him peace of soul, then commanded him to rise, take up his couch and go home, and the man at once stood, walked out carrying his bed and glorifying God. All who watched were amazed, glorified God and were filled with fear at the extraordinary sight, feeling as if heaven had opened before them. The wonder was evidence that the Son of man has power on earth to forgive sins, displaying His divine authority, compassionate love and life-giving power as the promised Saviour. For a time the amazement silenced and defeated the Pharisees and teachers of the law who had come as spies, leaving them abashed before a Superior Being whose gentle dignity and miraculous power contrasted with their proud self-righteousness. Yet that same mercy only exasperated those whose hearts were not open to conviction, and the stronger the evidence the more they armed themselves with hatred and unbelief until left in hopeless darkness. The joining of forgiveness with bodily healing shows Christ meeting spiritual and physical need together, that He does not refuse even those who brought disease on themselves by sin, and that the right response to plainly seeing His power is to glorify God rather than to condemn the sufferer as under God's wrath.

Setting and Healing

Luke 5:26 closes a healing at Capernaum where crowds gathered at Peter's house to hear Jesus, and where friends hoped to bring a helpless paralytic because they had seen that even lepers could come and be healed. The house was crowded with people from every level of society and different nationalities, the Lord's power was present to heal, and Pharisees and teachers of the law had come as spies without recognizing their own need. The healing was for those who came to Jesus in need.

The paralytic was helpless and feared he would not be welcomed because a sinful life had contributed to his illness. His paralysis was the result of a sinful life and left him in remorse, despair and hopelessness of recovery, his sufferings embittered by remorse after long carrying the burden of sin. Like the leper he had lost all hope of recovery and had sunk into despair. Jesus' mercy gave hope to a man who feared his sins made him unworthy.

He had appealed to priests, Pharisees and doctors for relief in vain, with no hope from them. They pronounced him incurable, denounced him as a sinner, told him his sins caused his sickness, declared he would die under the wrath of God, and withheld sympathy. The claim that sickness always proves God's anger was false, and their own hearts and lives could be more corrupt than those of the sufferers they condemned.

He sought Jesus because he heard that others as sinful and helpless as he had been healed and was encouraged to believe he too might be cured if carried to the Saviour. Hope fell as he remembered the cause of his malady, yet he could not cast away the possibility of healing. His great desire was relief from the burden of sin with assurance of forgiveness and peace with heaven, so that he would be content to live or to die according to God's will.

Jesus first gave him peace and health of soul by forgiving his sinsick soul, then healed his body so those present would know that the Son of man has power on earth to forgive sins. When commanded to arise, take up his couch and go to his house, the man immediately rose before them, took up what he lay on and departed to his own house glorifying God. He was healed every whit of the leprosy of sin and of bodily disease.

Amazement Fear and Praise

All who watched were amazed, and glorified God, and were filled with fear, saying they had seen strange and extraordinary things that day. They were awed by the extraordinary sight of a man who had been carried in helpless now standing, walking freely, and going out carrying the couch that had borne him. The healing displayed Jesus’ power to heal and release from affliction, His authority to forgive sins and power as the Son of God, and His compassionate love in healing the afflicted and forgiving sin.

The effect upon the people was as if heaven had opened and revealed the glories of the better world. As the cured man passed through the throng blessing God at every step, with bounding steps, carrying his couch easily as if it were a feather’s weight and as if weightless, the people fell back to give him room and gazed on him with awestricken faces, whispering softly among themselves about the strange things they had seen that day. The healed man accepted Jesus’ words with simple faith as new life, made no further request and no noisy demonstration, but remained in blissful silence too happy for words, with the light of heaven irradiating his countenance. Jesus stood in the scene with a serene majesty that lifted Him above the scribes, Pharisees and doctors of the law, who looked on with anxious waiting to see what disposition He would make of the case they themselves had refused to help.

The glorifying of God continued in his home, where his return carrying his couch with ease brought great rejoicing, tears of joy and glad thanksgiving. The family gathered round scarcely daring to believe their eyes at him standing before them in the full vigor of manhood, his lifeless arms quick to obey his will, his shrunken leaden-hued flesh fresh and ruddy with health, walking with a firm free step, hope written in every line of his face, all gloom gone and peace and purity in place of sin and suffering. God was glorified through His Son who restored hope to the hopeless and strength to the stricken and brought light into the darkened home, and the restored vigor, purity, peace, hope and strength produced unshaken faith and loyalty ready to lay down life for Jesus in perfect fealty to Christ, a faith that no doubt could dim and no unbelief could mar.

The amazement stands as evidence that the Son of man has the same divine power on earth to forgive sins that He has in heaven. It displayed His authority to forgive, His power as the Son of God, His wondrous power and compassionate love, and the life-giving power of the message of salvation. It was a miracle of mercy giving the most convincing and unquestioned proof yet that Jesus is the promised Saviour, a sign they could not set aside, giving hope and encouragement. When Jesus told the sick of the palsy his sins were forgiven, the scribes and Pharisees reasoned in their hearts that He spoke blasphemy because only God can forgive sins, and Jesus knew their unspoken thoughts and asked whether it is easier to say sins are forgiven or to say rise up and walk, then commanded the paralytic to arise, take up his couch and go to his house so they would know His forgiving power, which the man immediately did before them and departed glorifying God, healed every whit of the leprosy of sin and of bodily disease after Christ first forgave his sinsick soul to give him health of soul before health of body.

The amazement briefly overwhelmed the Pharisees’ influence so that their authority was forgotten for a time and they were silenced and defeated, able to find no opening to turn the crowd with prejudice and jealousy. They recognized that Jesus displayed by His own right a power to forgive and heal they regarded as belonging to God alone, and His gentle dignity joined with miraculous power contrasted with their proud self-righteousness so they were disconcerted and abashed, recognizing without confessing that a Superior Being was present, though they would not acknowledge His superior authority. The healing of a man they had abandoned to death and the wrath of God so impressed the people that the authority of the Jewish leaders was forgotten for a time, leaving the people deeply impressed.

That demonstration of mercy and wonderful restoration did not cause the scribes and Pharisees to believe He was the great Teacher sent from God but only exasperated them. With hearts not open to conviction and filled with intense hatred, bitter prejudice, bitterness and wrath, they judged Him a deceiver rather than the Son of God, and the stronger the evidence the more they armed themselves with hatred and unbelief until God left them to forge chains binding them in hopeless darkness, with no reserve power left to reach hearts so hardened by malice and skepticism. Because they did not want evidence He was sent from God but wanted evidence He was a deceiver, they kept on His track watching and distorting every word and action, hiring false witnesses, receiving greedy testimony, and bringing scandal, reproach and falsehood to make Him appear criminal. The same spirit is acted out toward God’s commandment-keeping people now.

Lessons From the Amazement

The joining of forgiveness with bodily healing shows how preaching truth was united with healing the sick, for the amazement and praise followed Jesus first giving the paralytic peace by forgiving his sins and then healing his body so all present would know He has power to forgive sins. That ministry met both spiritual and physical needs, and it stands as the work of a medical missionary for all who serve others to study and follow. Christ does not refuse to heal even those who brought disease upon themselves by a sinful life, but virtue goes out from Him to convict of sin so that many are healed of spiritual disease as well as physical malady. The paralytic had been left in remorse, despair and hopelessness of recovery after Pharisees and doctors pronounced him incurable, denounced him as a sinner, and declared he would die under God's wrath, yet he sought Jesus because he heard that others as sinful and helpless as he had been healed. His great desire was relief from the burden of sin with assurance of forgiveness and peace with heaven, so that he would be content to live or to die according to God's will.

That restoration of body and soul displayed divine power and brought hope, peace and joy where sin and suffering had weighed heavily, restoring hope and strength to the family and giving reason to glorify God. It reveals wondrous power and compassionate love toward the guilty and afflicted, displaying the life-giving power of the message of salvation. The miracle was given to show power to forgive sins, and so it brings hope and encouragement while the opposition of the Pharisees makes it a warning against condemning sufferers and failing to recognize Christ's work. The sufferer believed his affliction followed his sinful life and feared his sins made him unworthy, yet Jesus showed him mercy and hope, exposing as false the claim that sickness always proves God's anger. Those who so judged withheld sympathy from sufferers, though their own hearts and lives could be more corrupt than those they condemned.

Glorifying God is the right response to plainly seeing His power at work, and thankfulness and praise are due when He unexpectedly interposes His providence. Such praise belongs when He answers prayer for guidance, makes His hand plain, and turns uncertainty under depressing circumstances into certainty and the peace of God, including in leading His people to the place He has selected for them to live and work. The same response becomes a pattern for converted sinners and for all who witness Christ's works and hear His teaching, for when the word of truth touches them they respond with wonder and testify that they have seen and heard wonderful things.