Leading up to this section, we see Jesus has already begun what he set out to do. In chapter 4 he read out a piece of the scroll from the prophet Isaiah, declaring that he has been anointed to proclaim good news to the poor, bring liberty to the captives, recovery of sight to the blind, liberty to those who are oppressed and proclaim the year of the lords favour.
As Jesus continues to fulfil this prophecy, word about him is spreading and people from far and wide are travelling to see him and find out who he is. Indeed, this will be a key question throughout the gospel of Luke and we see it asked and answered in magnificent fashion in the passages 5:17-26.
In the beginning of chapter 5, Jesus is calling his first disciples, but also has a great crowd of followers. Perhaps his growing fame is why the Pharisees and teachers of the law, who were the religious leaders at the time, chose to travel from Judea and Jerusalem to find out who this Jesus was. Jesus is challenging the 'old way' and presenting a 'new way', a 'better way', and it seems the religious leaders felt threatened by Jesus.
In v17, before being introduced to the paralysed man, or his friends, Luke makes a very interesting statement about Jesus and how he has been operating in this 'new way'. He writes, 'the power of the Lord was with him to heal'. We see since Jesus' baptism and temptations that he has been operating in the Holy Spirit, although a reasonable argument could be made for him doing so before then. However, this statement should remind us of other times where this 'power' is mentioned.
We may be reminded of the passage in Acts that says 'you will receive power from on high when the spirit comes upon you'. This power released on Jesus' disciples is the same power that came upon Jesus at his baptism.
We may also be reminded of the woman in Luke 8, who touched jesus and immediately was healed. In this story, Jesus perceived that power had gone out of him.
There are similarities in the story from Luke 8 and the story of the Paralytic. There are large crowds surrounding Jesus in both but perhaps the more striking similarity is found in the answer Jesus gives.
Faith seems to be the key component. Interestingly, the woman is healed because of her faith, whereas the man is told his sins are forgiven because of the faith of his friends. Subsequently he also receives a physical healing.
Faith is not the same as believing, and in both stories their faith required action. This is wonderfully demonstrated by the effort made from the mans friends to get him to Jesus.
The question of who Jesus is, has and will continue to be asked throughout Luke and once again the pharisees question his authority to forgive sins. The last time Jesus' authority was questioned, was during the temptation narrative, when being questioned by the devil. In that instance, Jesus did not take the easy way out by giving in to temptation, but rather chose the more difficult route. When speaking to the man, it would have been easy for Jesus to just say 'your sins are forgiven', but he proved that he actually has the authority by immediately healing the man. This was undoubtedly the more difficult route. Luke uses the word Parachrma (immediately), to show the ease at which Jesus heals, in the power of the Holy Spirit.
If this demonstration wasn't enough clear evidence of who Jesus is, he also refers to himself as the 'Son of man'. Son of man is used by Jesus over 80 times throughout the gospels, and with such frequency, that its meaning lies in something far greater than just Jesus humanity. It is in fact a title of divinity seen in Daniel 7, where it says, 'one like a Son of man'. By referring to himself as 'Son of man', Jesus is directly answering the question of who he is.
The chapter ends with Jesus answering a question about fasting and again Luke is emphasising the 'new way' introduced by and through Jesus. This theme of Jesus versus religious leader of the time, is continued throughout the gospel. The very next chapter begins in verse 5 with Jesus saying the Son of man is lord of the Sabbath again showing that he is greater.
The story of the paralytic is not just a random story included by Luke but a wonderful demonstration of who Jesus is and why his way is far greater. The fact that this story is nicely positioned between two stories of Jesus calling disciples, perhaps suggests that this story has implications and importance for his followers too. As followers of Christ, this story helps us to know that this 'new way' through Jesus is the best way. The same Holy Spirit which was upon Jesus to proclaim good news to the poor, bring liberty to the captives, recovery of sight to the blind, liberty to those who are oppressed and proclaim the year of the lords favour, can come upon all those who put their faith in him.
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