1996 issue 1 - the establishment of the sovereignty of jesus part 2 - counsel of chalcedon
TRANSCRIPT
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Luke
5:12-6:16
(5:16-26) The Sovereignty
ofjesus
in the
FO
,rgiveness of Sins
Once again Luke does not
tell 'us
t e
tiine'and place
of
this
healing of the paralytic man.
All he tells us is. hat it
happened
one day.
Mark puts
this incident
early in the
ministry of
Jesus,
2:1-3:6,
and
:
Matthew
places it in
Capernaum
after the
healing. of the
Gadarene '
demoniac,
8:28. Luke
places this healing incident here
to give us another example,
along with Peter and the healed
leper, of a humble.person
receiving help from Jesus.
.The Withdrawal
ofjesus
Into the
Wilderness
to Pray
But He Himself would often
slip
away to
the wilderness and
pray,
The Prayer Life ofjesus
So, again
and
again, Jesus
would withdraw Himself and
steal away to lonely places.
This withdrawal also had a
positive purpose, namely, to
pour out
His hean in prayer in
order that the reservoirs of
His
body
and soul might be
replenished from His Father's
inexhaustible resources.
Hendriksen. We catch a
glimpse of the soul life ofjesus,
his frequent communing with
God in lonely places while men
were clamoring for him.
Lenski.
The Meaning
of
His Returning to the
wilderness to Pray
'Jesus deliberately
withdraws from the people to
return to
an area which has the
character of the wilderness
where He ericountered Satan
and sustained temptation. The
nature of the temptation in
each instance may be related to
the clamor of the crowds, who
are willing to find in Jesus a
divine-man who meets their
needs and so wins their
follOwing. The people,
however, have no conception of
what
t means to go out to the
wilderness to bear the burden
of judgment,
as
Jesus has done,
He turns from their acclaim,
. 24 Tlff:COUNSEL of Chalcedon
January
February, 1996
returning
to
a place which
recalls
His
determination to
fulfill the mission for which He
has come into the world. - Lane
on MARK
Jesus going to the
wilderness to pray, again
recalls the wilderness when
Jesus confronts the temptation
of Satan, and
is
sustained by
help from God. His strength is
in prayer through Which He
affirms His intention to fulfill
the will of God, whtch means
His submission to the judgment
of God .... - Lane
The
Gathering
of Christ's
Enemies
and the
Power
of
God to Heal
The
Identity
of
the Enemies
. The
Pharisees
Their
Character
In the Gospel of Luke, this is
the first reference to the
Pharisees. They were a
relatively small sect of
separatists, always making the
effort
to
separate themselVes
from ceremonial impurity, from
the heathen, from
tax-co
lle
ctors, and from
sinners in general. Josephus
tells us that there were a little
more than 6000 Pharisees, but
they were very influential
as
the
uno
fficia
l religious leaders of
the day who spearheaded the
opposition to Jesus, They were
a self-righteous group who
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cultivated a hollow formalism
that was ostentatious to a
degree, especially
in
observing
ceremonies, fastings,
almsgiving, long prayers, tithes,
etc. - Lenski
Their History
After the return of the Jews
from the Babylonian Captivity,
we see the development in the
Jewish national life of the
tendency that eventually leads
to the definite formation of the
Pharisaic party. - Geldenhuys.
The Pharisees
led
the nation
in
the conscientious fulfillment of
Mosaic
Law and
guarded it
against
all
foreign
masses of the people, so that in
the time of Christ they were the
recognized leaders to
whom
the
people looked up for guidance
in
almost every sphere oflife.
Geldenhuys
Their Doctrine
Several doctrines
characterize Pharisee theology.
(a). The Jews must live by the
Law of God, (which included
the
Mosaic: Law AND
the oral
interpretations
and
regulations
handed down by tradition); (b).
The Jews must remain free from
all foreign influences
and
maintain a separated existence;
real spirit of God's laws in
many instances
and
fell into
hypocrisy. - Geldenhuys. (e).
Being legalists, they believed in
salvation
by
observing the Law
of God, .
Their
Spiritual Blindness
In their pride
and
self-righteousness they exalted
themselves above the ordinary
people
and
labored
under
the
delusion that through their
outward observance of the Law
they would receive rich rewards
from God. Blinded through
their spiritual degeneration,
they rejected Jesus and, as
influences. They
opposed the tyrannical
efforts of Antiochus
Epiphanes in 168, B.C.,
who tried to make Is,ael
pagan by force, siding
with the Maccabees,
rather than with those
who cooperated with
: ''While op6erving u t w a r ~ pr.oyi$)one;
. t h ~ L ; : / ~ 'fery paine;taking y::
the
:
f h a ; ; 6 ; ; 8 6
~ i p l i l t 8 d t h e real spirit
of
d;d'edi:IV{e;i.n
rnanyinrstancee;
and
fell
, . . n;to
hypqcri5-Y:"
- Geldenhqye; . ,
Professor J.A.C. van
Leeuwen writes, 'the
wickedness
of
their
s e l f ~ r i g h t e o u s
hearts is
full-grown
when
in the
name of the Lord they
reject
Him
who is the
fulfiller of Law
and
the eriemy. They later opposed
the efforts
of ohn
Hyrcanus,
(135-105, B.C.), who tried to
lead Israel into alliances with
foreign (pagan) nations
so as
to
blur Israel's separated existence.
Later, the priest-rulers of the
Maccabean dynasty violently
opposed the Pharisaic party,
but
their influence continued to
grow to such
an
extent that
they dominated the whole
national life of Israel from the
reign of Alexander, (76-67,
B.C.). They maintained their
national influence even after the
Romans subjugated
Palestine
in
63, B.C. And owing to the
antipathy of the people against
the Herodian rulers, (from 37,
B.
C.) their influence grew at an
increasing pace among the
(c). The Pharisees fixed their
hopes
on
the coming Messiah
who would be an earthly ruler,
who would establish a great
Jewish state after overcoming
the political tyranny of Rome.
(d). They attached a special
value to the oral traditions and
expositions of the Law
and in
particular observed numerous
ceremonial laws in connection
with the distinction between
'pure'
and
'impure'
and in
connection with the observance
of the Sabbath. Through the
many subtle provisions of the
oral law their zeal for the Law
often degenerated into
superficiality
and
formality.
While observing outward
provisions of the Law very
painstakingly, they violated the
prophecy. '
Geldenhuys
The Teachers of
the
Law
These were the SCRIBES,
professionals students
and
teachers of the writ ten
and
oral
Law. Most Scribes were
members
of the Pharisee party,
but not
all Pharisees were
Scribes. 'The Doctors
of
the
Law among the Pharisees thus
had as
their vocation the study
of the provisions of the Law,
handing it
down and
expounding
what
they
themselves
and
all other
Pharisees
had
to observe with
practical precision. They were
subject to the same spiritual
blindness as the Pharisaic party
as
a whole,
and
consequently
the majority of them rejected
Jesus. - Geldenhuys. In fact,
Jannary
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often the real law of God was in
their teaching bUried beneath
tradition. - Hendriksen
. The Gathering and
Purpose
'ofJesus Enemies
On
the day Jesus had chosen'
to heal the paralytic, Pharisees
and Teachers
of
the
Law
were
sitting there watching Him, and
they
had
come from every
village of Galilee and
Judea
and
from]erusalem. The
most
influential religious leaders
from all bver Palestine,
including the capital city, were
greatly disturbed by the activity
ofjesus; and as by a concerted
movement many of these
important
men
traveled to
Capetnaum where they
knew that Jesus
had
His ,
home, and where. they
were sure tb encounter
Him. Their hostile
attitude is apparent from
the start, and Luke
presents his first narrative
that exhibits this hostility.
h e ~ e men listen with only
critiCal
ears
and
watch with
only ,critical eyes and are ready
to take '
up
anything they deem
contrary to the la Y and to make
a formal charge oiit. - Lenski
These men were anything
but bpen-mindedtowaJ;dJesus.
They seem to have been filled
with envy ofjesus, probably
deeply disturbed about the
large crowds Jesus was
attracting
and
about the content
of His teaching. - Hendriksen
The Power of God to Heal
Knowing the eVil in the
hearts of the Pharisees and
Scribes, and fully in control of
the situation, Jesus boldly
positions Himself over against
these men, and the power o
the Lord was present for Him
to perform healing, 'Though
the house was filled
to
such an
extent by unbelievers, the
power ofjehovah, in which
Jesus wrought to heal and thus
to help men, was ready
to
manifest itself miraculously to
the confounding of these
hostile merl. - Lenski.
The title Lord refers to
Jehovah as the early chapters of
Luke have shoWJ:l. To say that
this power to heal is of the
Lord,
is to say that there is only
one Lord:s Power , that is,
omnipotence.
Power
belongs to
God, Psa. 62:H.
The
LORD is
gracious
and
merciful.... -- They
shall
speak
of
the glory
of
Thy
Kingdom, and
talk
of Thy
power;
to make known to the sons ofmen
Thy
mighty acts, and
the glory
of
the
majesty of
Thy Kingdom. Thy
.
Kingdom is
an
everlasting
Kingdom, and Thy dominion
endures throughout all
generations,
Psa. 145:8-13,
The
Power of
the
Lord
in
the Old Testament
In
the O.T., the Exodus
is
the supreme display of God's
power, Exod. 15:6, 13; 32:11;
Dt. 9:26. This display of power
is at the heart of O.T. faith and
worship. t is to be declared to
the nations. In time of need,
God's people can confidently
seek a further manifestation of
26
THE COUNSEL
of
Chalcedon January/ February, 1996
God's power; Neh. 1:10; Isa.
10:33. As the Lord of hosts,
( powers
is
sometimes used for
hosts in the Septuagint), '
Jehovah is the Lord of all
powers. God manifests
Himself in the volcano or the
storm,
Psa.
29,
but
He does so
as the God of history; nature is
the theater of His acts and has
its origin ihHis will, ls'a. 40:26.
The same power as fashions
histbry creates anihustains the
world,Jer. 27:5; 32:17.
t
also
affects 'individual destiny.
God's superior power,
Job
12:13,16, effects and controls
all things,
so
that
in
individual
needs one lPust look to
Him for heIp and draw
t r ~ n t h from Him, Psa.
46:1;.86:16; D'
t.
8:17f; ,
Isa.41:1O. The power of
God is not capricious, for
. it expresses His will and
is thps determined by Bis
righteousness, Isa. 5:16.
THEOLOGICAL
DICTIONARY
OF THE NEW
TESTAMENT
The
Power
of
the Lotd
in
the New,
Testament
Like atl N.T. cbncepts, the
N.
T.
concept of power receives
its decisive impress from the
fact of Christ. 'This fact is
obviously linked with the O.T.
view of the Messiah, who is
consistently related to the
strength of God, ISa. 9:5; 11:2;
Psa.llO:2; Mic. 5:5.--- Christ
is the bearer of the special
power of the Spirit in His
ministry, il: 4:14, 36.
As
God's essence is power,
endowment with power is
linked to the gift of the Spirit,
and this gift confers upon
Christ His authority
(EXOUSIA)---an authority
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which He has the power
DYNAMIS)
to exercise in
expelling demons and healing
the sick,
Lk.
5:17; 6:19; 8:46.
For this reason the witness of
His disciples is that God
anointed Jesus with the Holy
Spirit and with power, Acts
10:38. The works He does can
also be called
DYNAMEIS
(powers), Mat. 11:lOf;
Mk.
6:2;
Lk.
19:37; Acts 2:22. These
works differ from similar acts of
power in the contemporalY
world
in
three
ways:
(a). they
have no connection with magic;
(b). they are done by the word,
which
is
the word of the
omnipotent God whose
kingdom here enters
history
and
overthrows
the rule of hostile forces;
(c). they presuppose
faith
in
Him who does
the work and
in
those
on whose behalf they
are done, so that a
personal relation is demanded,
Mat. 13:58;
Mk.
9:14'''
THEOLOGICAL
DICTIONARY
OF THE NEW TESTAMENT.
God's power in Christ
is
preeminently displayed
in
the
resurrection of Christ from the
dead, Mat. 22:29; Acts 2:24;
Rom. 1:4. If Christ
is
called
God's power
in
the absolute, it
is not because He personifies
power,
but
because in Him the
power of God works
victoriously
in
history
and
brings it to its goal.
In
Hebrews
this power is called the power
of an indestructible life; it is
beyond the reach of morality.
With this power the Son
is
set
at God's right hand where He
rules the world, 1:3.
THEOLOGICAL DICTIONARY
OF THE NEW
TESTAMENT.
The second physical coming of
Christ also will be accompanied
with the display of
omnipotence,
II
Thess. 1:7.
The
Power of Christ in
the
Disciple
of Christ
Through faithful preaching
of the gospel, as the power
of
God unto salvation, Christ
continues His ministry of
salvation. Jesus equips His
disciples with His own power,
Lk.
9:1; Lk. 10:19. They
receive it by faith,
Mk. 9:
14f.
The power He gives them is
THE POWER OF CHRIST'S
OWN PRESENCE
BY
THE
HOLY
SPIRIT,
Lk.
24:48f; Acts
1:8. Preaching and
witness-bearing are powerful
because the goal of preaching
is the exhibition of Christ's
presence
by
the Spirit and
therefore the exhibition of
God's saving power in Christ.
TDNT.
In
the disciple'S life, the
power of Christ means
.continual strengthening, PhiL
4:13; I Tim. 1:12;
II
Tim. 4:17.
This strengthening is
encouraging, motivating,
enabling and supporting, and is
experienced
in
terms of one's
personal relation with Christ.
The
Power
of Christ in the
Christian Community
Church)
A community of families
resting
in
God's saving power is
the goal of the display
of
His
power
in
Christ, I Cor.
2: 1
Having
been
set free from the
power of sin and Satan,
but
still
beset with dangers, the
Christian community knows
that the
power
of Christ will
protect
and
preserve. They are
guarded
by
God's power
through faith, I Pet. 1:5.
Christians continually pray that
they may enjoy the greatness of
God's power
in
their lives
and
that they may always be
strengthened
by
it, Eph. 1:19;
Col. 1: 11. t is God's power
in
their lives that enables
them
to patiently
endure trials
and
to be
persevering
in
.
righteousness
in
the
face of temptations.
Strengthened with
might
by
the Spirit in
the inner man, they
grow in fellowship with
Christ, in comprehension
and
in
love of Christ, Eph. 3:14f.
TDNT, Paul is willing to give
up
everything
just
to
know
Christ
and
the power of His
resurrection---the mighty act of
God which creates
and
sustains
new
and
etemallife in His
people.
The
Power
of
Christ
and
Human Weakness
God's power operates in the
weak
and
corruptible sphere of
human
existence. It is thus
visible only to faith ....
Concealment in apparent
weakness is the law of the
cross,
II
Cor. 13:4. But God's
weakness is stronger than men,
I Cor. 1:25.... The
transcendent power belongs to
God, II Cor. 4:7, who gives a
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spirit, not of timidity, but of
power and love and
self-control, II Tim.
:
7.
Weakness is the presup.position
of
the working of the divine
power. It is the pledge of
. Christ's p r ~ s e n e in which Paul
finds freedom from self and
reliance
upon
God. By the law
of strength in weakness, the
resurrectioll power of God is
more abundantly exerted,
whether in ministers of the
gospel or
in
the Christian
community as a whole."- TDNT
The Healing of the Paralytic
, The Incident
,
,
The
Actual Situation ,
One day in
Capemaum as Jesus was
teaching, His
sehnon
was
interrUpted by the arrival
of a small party of men
carrying a paralyzed man
on a cot. These men
were determined to get
the
mail to Jesus, presumably
because his condition was so
critical.
When
they were
unable to make,their way
through the crowds gathered in
and around the place where
jesus was teaching, they found
a stairway on the sideofthe
house to the flat roof
which
'
they brpkeopenin order to
lower theII)aIJ.
befor,e
jesus.
1
The,Purposj
of
This Incident
" The reason Luke records this
incident.in his Gospel is
because it raises the question of
jesus' aWhority to forgive sins.
The healing
and
forgiving of the '
paralytic clearly manifest
Christ's divine,sovereignty in
the forgiveness of sins, This
incident "sheds light on the
,relation of sin and sickness to
healing and forgiveness and
affirms that the authority to
forgive sins on earth is the
unique prerogative of the Son
of Man, Lane, Because God
alone has the authOrity and
power to forgive sins, Jesus by
His actions clearly reveals that
He is God
in
carnate,
The Revelation of
Jesus as God
Several things in this
incident reveal to us thatJesus
Christ
is
fully and truly God
incarnate.
The Perception
of
Their Faith
And seeing their
faith, He
said ,,
Ortly God can seefaith
in the heart And Jesus saw
that these four
men
and the '
paralytic had faith in Him that
He
could and would do for
them what they could not do,
The paralytic needed to be
"saved," Le., phYSically healed
and spiritually forgiven, and
they were confident
that
jesus
was willing and able to do
it.
It
is often said that Jesus is
referring only to the four
carriers of the paralytic
as
men
of faith, and yet, the paralytic
himself cannot in ariy way be
excluded because, WHERE IN
ALL THE BIBLE IS
FORGIVE N
ESS
OF SINS
OBTAINED WITHOUT
FAITH?
"Instead of ruling out
28 f THE,COUNSEL of
Chalcedonf January february, 1996
the faith of the paralytic, we
must place his faith ahead of
that of his friends. They may
have had faith only in the
power of]esus to heal
miraculously because they had
seen Him do this, But this
paralytic felt that he suffered
from a greater ailment than
paralysis; he carne to jesus with
the burden of his sins."- Lenski
The
Forgiveness of Sins
Friend,
your
sins are
forgiven
you,
The Pharisees were
correct in theii reasoning, Who
can
forgive sins, but God alone?
Jesus forgave the man
his
sins
b
t;ca
use' He is God
incarnate,
The Knowledge of
Their Thoughts
And the scribes and
Pharisees
began
to
reason
BtltJesus,
aware of their
reasonings,
answered and
said
to
them,
Why
are you
reasoning
in
your hearts?' Jesus knew what
, the Pharisees were thinking,
, not because He saw it
in
their
faces , bU,t because He with
divine insight saw the thoughts
in their evil hearts and minds,
john 2:24,25. "With stunning
directness Jesus confronts these
jews with their own
t h o u g h ~ : -
Lenski. Here again Jesus proves
His Deity by bringing to light
the secret thoughts of these
Pharisees
2
Man looks on the
outward appearance, but God
looks on the heart.
The
Power of God to Heal
In verses 23-25,
we
learn
that just
as
God alone can
forgive sins, so only He can
heal a paralytic immediately,
fully and instantly, Jesus
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healed the paralytic; therefore,
Jesus
is
God incarnate.
The Shock of
the
Enemies ofJesus
When Jesus said to the
paralytic that had been lowered
down before Him,
Fliend,
your
sins
are forgiven
you,
it shocked
the onlooking scribes and
Pharisees. They
began
to
reason, saying, 'Who
is this
n;an
who speaks blasphemies? Who
can forgive
sins,
but God alone? ,
These religious leaders were
offended to say the least?
At
this point, they understood the
Old Testament correctly, that
only Jehovah can forgive sins,
Exod. 34:6f; Psa. 103:3; 130:4;
Isa. 43:25; 44:22; 48:11; Dan.
9:9; and that it would be
blasphemy for a mere
man
to
claim this ability for himself, in
fact, as blasphemy,
it
would be
a capital crime,
Lev.
24: 10-16;
Num.15:30f. They saw Jesus'
words
as
a direct affront on the
majesty and authority of God,
since
they
refused to recognize
His
Deity.
The significance of
this suspicion of blasphemy so
early
in
the Galilean Ministry is
tha t it becomes the basis of a
formal accusation
and
condegmatio
n
before the
Sanhedrin at the close of the
ministry, Mk. 14:61-64. - Lane
The Refutation
of
These Enemies
ofJesus
Seeing the reasoning
in
their
hearts,
Jesus
does
not
wait for
them
to verbally express what is
on their minds, He offends
them
even more
by
answering
the
very questions that were on
the tip
of
their tongues before
they could speak them.
But
Jesus,
aware
of their reasonings,
answered
and
said to
them,
'Why
are
you
reasoning
in your
hearts?
Which
is easier, to
say,
'Your
sins
have been forgiven you,'
or
to say,
Rise
and walk? But
in
order that
you
may
know that the Son of
Man has authority
on
earth
to
forgives
sins'---He said to the
paralytic,
'I
say
to
you,
lise,
and
take up your stretcher and go
home.' And at once he
rose
up
before
them, and
took
up what
he
had been lying
on,
and went
home, glO1ifying
God.
The
Irrefutable
Point
Jesus is
Making to
the Pharisees
The point Jesus made to the
reasoning of the Pharisees is
irrefutable and incontrovertible:
if a person can truly forgive
sins,
he
can also instantly and
completely heal a paralytic;
and
if a person can so heal a
paralytiC, then he can also truly
forgive sins. Both actions would
be
divine.
The scribes might think
that a declaration of forgiveness
is easier than one of healing,
the efficacy of which would be
open to immediate Verification.
This judgment seems to lie
behind
their contemptuous
question, 'Why does this fellow
speak like this?' (Mk. 2:
7).
By
use of a counter-question Jesus
challenges their facile, (simple),
assumption that He has acted
irresponsibly as a dispenser of
cheap grace. It also prepares
for the word of healing which
demonstrates that forgiveness
has actually been realized
in
the
experience of the afflicted man.
It is the declaration of
forgiveness which is more
essential---and more
difficult---ofthe two actions.
Lane
The Actual Miracle of
Healing
: its
Effect
on
the
Paralytic
He
said
to the paralytic, I
say
to you,
rise,
and tahe up your
stretcher
and
go home.' And at
once he rose up
before
them, and
tooh up what
he
had
been
lying
on,
and went
home,
glorifying
God.
The Visible Miracle
Proving
the
Invisible
Forgiveness
Jesus has done the one act,
forgiven the paralytic's sins.
The effect of this act is
invisible---no one saw the sins
piled
upon
the man's soul,
and
no
man
saw that mass of sin
vanish into nothingness from
his soul. Jesus
now
follows
with a second act, He heals the
paralytic
with
a word. The
effect is this time instantly
visible to all: they see the man
rise up, take
up
his pallet,
and
walk away, not only free from
paralysis,
but
restored to full
health
and
strength, all
in an
instant, all
by
one word. The
act which the eyes are able to
see proves the reality of the
other act which
no
eyes can see.
As
the one is wrought
by
the
EXOUSIA, 'the authority,' 'the
right and might' of
Him
who is
God, so is the other. For both
are not done in the name of
another but by JeSllS in His
own
person, by the EXOUSIA that
resides in Himself. --- Three
short, sharp commands,
and
a
terrible disease is
blown
away
and
the body made
sound and
whole. - Lenski
The
Relation of Sin, Sickness,
Physical Healing
:
Forgiveness
of
Sins
The
Relation of
Healing and Forgiveness
January
February, 1996
t
THE COUNSEL
of
Chalcedon
29
-
8/12/2019 1996 Issue 1 - The Establishment of the Sovereignty of Jesus Part 2 - Counsel of Chalcedon
7/7
Jesus initial response to the
paralytic who had been brought
to Jesus for healing was
unexpected: Friends, y ursins
are
forgiven
.
This declaration
was startling because it seemed
inappropriate and even
irrelevant to the immediate
situation. - Lane. However, it
is fully understandable in the
light
of
the Old Testament's
teaching on the relation of
sickriess a
nd
sin. Forgiveness
of sins
and physical healing are
frequently interrelated
concepts. Healing is
conditioned by the forgiveness
of God and is often the
demonstration of that
forgiveness, Chron.
7:
14; Psa.
103:3; 147:3; Isa..19:22; 38:17;
57 :18f.
In a
umber oftexts
'healing ' and 'forgiveness' are
interchangeable terms, Psa.
41:4;
..
.jer. 3:22and Hos.
14:4:... lane
The Sign of
the
Nearness of
God
's Saving,
Jubilant
Kingdom: The Complete .
Healing
of
the Whoie Person
. .
The relationship o physical
healing and forgiveness of sins
is seen in this: having received
forgiveness of sins by God, the
paralytic now receives physical
healingfrom God in Christ.
This
is
thetiature of the
salVation which Jesus b'rihgs.
The healing of the paralytic was
more than a display of mercy to
a wretched man. The
announcement imd
presentation of radical healing
to a man in his entire person
was a sign of the Kingdom of
God drawn near. The paralytic
experienced the fulfillment of
God's promise that the lame
would share in the joy of the
corning salvation, Isa. 35:6;]er.
31:8. The demonstration that
God had come near. to His
people was startling.
All
present glorified .God because
He redeemed men from every
distress. - Lane
The Nature of
Healing as the
Driving Back
Of
Death and a
ViCtorious Invasion.of
the Province of Sin
Healing is a gracious
movement of God into the
sphere of withemig and'decay
which are the
tokeiLs
of death at
work in a man's life. It was not
God's intention that man
should li
ve
with the pressure of
death upon him. Sickness,
disease and death are the
consequence
of
the sinful
condition of all men.
Consequently every healing is a
driving back of death and an
invasion of the province of sin; '
That is why it is appropriate for
Jesus to proclaim the remission
of sins. It is unneceSsary to
think of a corresponding sin for
each instance of sickness; there
is no suggestion
in
the narrative
that the paralytic's physical
suffering was related to a
specific sin or was due to
hysteria induced by guilt. .
Jesus' pronouncement of
pardon is the recognition that.
.man can be genuinely whole
only when the breach
occasioned by sin has been
healed. through God's
forgi
ve
ness of sins. -
lane
'Believe it or not, critics of
the Bible use the fact that luke
speaks of tiles on the roof
above Jesus' head, which the
four men removed in order to
lower the paralytic man to
30
TH COUNSEL of Chalcedon January/ February, 1996
Jesus, 5:19,
as
proof that the
Bible is nol infallible and does .
contain erro.rs, Their argument
is that Palestinian homes did
not have tile roofs, and that
such astatement by Luke
Introduces Roman, not
Palestinian, architecture into
this passage. However,
as
many Bible scholars have
pointed.out, ' With all the
Gentile Influence in Paiestine at
that time, why could not some
Jewish homes have tiled roofs?
Recent discoveries have .
confirmed the fact that the tiled
roof came into use before New
Testament times and
that
Palestine
was
by'no means
excluded. - Hendriksen.
Moreover, the entire
proceeding i so unique in
every way that aflY invention of
the facts and even any
e m b e l l i s h m e n ~ of lesser facts
are .certainly excluded.
- lenski
,
2The
Greek word for
reasonings in verse 22 is
DIAlOGISMOUS; which in the
N.T. has the predominant sense
of evil thoughtS, Lk. 2:35;
Mk. 7 : 2
LK.
9:47; Rom. 1:21.
In this word, we see how deep
is the
N. T.
conviction that our
sinful nature extends to our
thinking and our very heart.
THEOLOGICAL DICTIONARY
OF THE
NEW TESTAMENT
.
3These
scribes and Pharisees
assume that Jesus has claimed
to have pardoned the man on
is own auUlority, not merely
to have said that He knew that
his
sins
have been forgiven by
God. AndJesus does
not
say
that they
are
mistaken in this.
He acts on His own
authority
...
- Plummer