"Get up... and walk!"

“Get up … and walk!”

Scripture: Luke 5:17-26, especially vv. 24-26

Devotion

At the start of this story, Jesus is teaching in a house in Capernaum and in the crowd listening to him teach is a group of Pharisees and religious leaders.  After the friends of the paralyzed man lower him to the center of the room from the roof, Jesus first tells the paralyzed man on the mat that his sins are forgiven, and then he heals the man of his disease.  The order of the miraculous works here is important.  In first forgiving the man and second healing the man, Jesus demonstrates his authority to forgive sins, which would have been a blasphemous claim if found to be untrue.  If Jesus was not who he claimed to be, the man should not have walked away healed. 

When Jesus told the paralytic to get up and walk, the man obeyed him immediately despite living his entire life to that point as a stationary and totally helpless person.  Years of atrophied muscles may have been good reason for him to first want to stretch out his legs, test his ability to balance himself standing upright, or practice taking baby steps at first.  Yet he stood up right away and started walking forward.  As a result, both the man who was healed and the crowd listening to Jesus teach and perform this miracle starting praising God. 

Sometimes, we can be like the man on the mat when we have been paralyzed by our own sin.  When come face to face with Jesus, he forgives us and then commands us to ‘get up and walk.’  This is a commandment to walk in the freedom that he offers us.  He makes us free from our sickness (sin).  Yet, how often do we choose to stay on the mat, keeping it as a crutch because we believe that walking freely will be scary and hard?  When we choose to walk in the freedom that God gives us, we choose to glorify the Father and we also serve as a witness to His power to others, who in turn praise Him.  Today, I encourage you to ask yourself two questions.

• First, is there anything for which you need to ask God forgiveness?  If yes, go to the Father and ask Him for it.  Because His character is merciful, He will grant it, and when your heart is truly in a position to receive this forgiveness, take comfort in knowing that you are completely free to stand up with a bold confidence to go forward in any direction that points to the Father.
• Second, is there anything for which you have already asked forgiveness, but have yet to fully receive?  If so, remember that you don’t have to stay stuck on the mat.  Like the paralyzed man who immediately stood up and walked freely with his newfound strength, you, too, are free to shake off your old infirmity (sins) for the sake of glorifying the Father.

Questions for Reflection

1. When Jesus told the paralyzed man, “I tell you, get up, take your mat and go home,” what choices did the man have?
2. What does this story say about the character and nature of Jesus?
3. This story of Jesus’ healing is not just a parable.  Jesus actually healed the man of his paralysis.  As followers of Jesus who have been baptized with the Holy Spirit, we, too, have the ability to heal in the name of Jesus.  Look around you – who needs healing?  Pray in bold faith for the healing of that person for the glorification of the Father.