No one, not even critically religious people, are irredeemable.
Luke 5:17 – And it came to pass on a certain day, as he was teaching, that there were Pharisees and doctors of the law sitting by, which were come out of every town of Galilee, and Judaea, and Jerusalem: and the power of the Lord was present to heal them.
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Today we’re still considering the story of the palsied man carried by four other men who lowered him through the roof to get him before Jesus. As this story is related, even before the palsied man is introduced into the story, we read the words of our Text for Today. we know according to our Manna for Today that the house where Jesus was teaching was full, that there was no more room inside, and apparently, the crowd outside was so pressing that those carrying the palsied man could not even get near the door. Look again at our Text for Today. It appears likely that a large part of the crowd that filled the house were “Pharisees and doctors of the law.” And more than that, they weren’t just from one location. They were from “every town of Galilee, and Judaea, and Jerusalem.” That’s a lot of towns! Most of the maps I’ve examined of that region in the time of Jesus indicate there were at least 40 towns or cities. If there were one (1) Pharisee and one (1) doctor of the law from each of those, that would put at least 80 people in the house that were there to hear what Jesus said. And when you consider his disciples and the many others who followed Jesus closely, the house was surely packed with people inside, and quite a crowd outside. It is there quite understandable why men on a mission would go up on the roof to complete their mission.
Now take a moment and examine the final phrase of our Text for Today. We read “the power of the Lord was present to heal them.” The power of God was not there just for the palsied man. Nor was it there just for those who supported Jesus and His ministry. It was there for those who opposed Jesus, for those who were looking for anything they could find to accuse Jesus, for those were spoke harshly to, of, and about Jesus. This statement verifies John 3:16-17 completely. It clearly verifies the truth that “God is love.” It makes no difference what relationship a person has with Jesus, He loves them, He wants them to be redeemed, and a major part of that redemption it their healing. That is why it is so necessary for us to know that God is a faith God. Faith moves God, NOT need. Faith moves God, NOT His desire. And in this situation, Jesus “saw their (the men who carried the palsied man) faith.”
Manna for Today – Mark 2:1-12; Mark 11:22-24; Matthew 18:19-20; Deuteronomy 32:30; John 14:12-14; John 17:18; John 20:21; Luke 5:17-26
My Second Miler by Dr. Beechard Moorefield 