The Man On The Mat

But that ye may know that the Son of Man hath power on earth to forgive sins, (he saith unto the sick of the palsy,) I say unto thee, Arise, and take up thy couch, and go into thine house. And immediately he rose up before them, and took up that whereon he lay, and departed to his own house, glorifying God Luke 5: 24-25

Jesus performed many miracles of all kinds. This particular one involved many people. It involved Jesus, a paralytic, and four men who brought him to Jesus. There were also the teachers of the law whose applied opposition to Jesus.

Not only are there many people, but there is a lot of activity. For example, we see four different men so determined and persistent in their pursuit of Jesus, that they end up lowering the paralyzed man through the roof. Then we see Jesus, surrounded by hypocrisy and resistance, yet taking time to respond to an individual need.

This happened generations ago, but in many ways the situation is still the same. There will always be people with pure love and violent faith who will overcome every obstacle to reach Jesus. There will always be individuals who have their own rules for serving God, and who will oppose every move of genuine faith. And there will always be Jesus, who rewards our faith in ways beyond our wildest imagination.

The story is about a man lying on a mat. He suffered from paralysis. He was unable to stand or walk. Even though he had obvious limitations, he lived in such a way that he was loved. He had friends that wanted to see him healed, and they were more than willing to take risks in order to help him.

Mankind is much like the paralytic; we are helpless and hopeless. We cannot move forward in life without Jesus.

We are living in an age of man’s greatest prosperity. We have a wealth of resources at our disposal, yet crime, drugs, misery and abuse are commonplace. We take two steps forward and three backwards, but never seem to notice that we aren’t really progressing. Like the man on the mat, we cannot move or help ourselves. We cannot lift ourselves out of the condition we are in if Jesus doesn’t help us.

No matter what changes around us, our soul will remain the same unless Jesus helps us. No matter who you are or what you possess, until you come to Jesus, you’re like the man on the mat.

The four men tried to bring their friend to Jesus the conventional way, but it was too crowded. There were too many people in line. So they climbed on top of the house and lowered him through the roof. When we understand how important it is to get through to Jesus, we will do whatever it takes. No matter how many people are standing in the way, we won’t let them stop us.

At this point most people would have given up. They would have concluded that it wasn’t God’s will. But the will of God isn’t always quick and easy. Sometimes we have to think and creatively figure things out. These men figured out how to get an occupied stretcher up on the roof, find the exact spot where Jesus was sitting, tear the roof open and lower their friend down. And they did it all before the sermon was over.

Imagine a room packed with people. Some needed healing while others needed encouragement. But everybody needed something. Therefore they listened attentively as Jesus taught them. Suddenly there came an interruption; men tearing open the roof and lowering a man on a mat. Everyone waited to see how Jesus would respond.

And when he saw their faith, he said unto him, Man, thy sins be forgiven thee Luke 5:20. Jesus beheld the look of determination on the face of those men as they worked to open the roof. He saw the hope and belief on the face of the paralytic. Jesus responded to what he saw.

It’s true that the man was physically paralyzed, but he needed total healing of body and soul. Sin has a grip on this world; it is a deeper problem than paralysis, leprosy, cancer, heart disease, or any other physical, social or environmental problem. Sin has separated man from God, and man cannot walk away no matter how many churches he joins or how many times he is baptized. He has to come to Jesus so that Jesus can save him. Thou shall have a son, thou shalt call his name Jesus, for he shall save his people from their sin Matthew 1:21.

When Jesus takes away our sin, he has healed us. That is why he came. All those people had the same opportunity, but they were basically just standing around in the way. Jesus healed the soul and body, because ultimately, it does not profit us to get our body healed and not get our sins forgiven.

There were Pharisees and teachers of the law there from every village in Judea and Jerusalem. It was literally packed. But it wasn’t the Pharisee that received forgiveness of sin then, and it’s not people like them that receive forgiveness today. It’s the poor, the broken-hearted and the cast down; people like the man on the mat. It is the people that have no hope, and have nothing else to offer except their faith.

You and I must do like this man did. We must take our concerns to Jesus. In whom we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace Ephesians 1:7. We will hear Him say to us, "Take up the mat you’ve been lying on and walk in newness of life." Then we will leave praising God.

Edmund Brown