Healing the paralytic
Matthew:9:1-8 1: And he entered into a ship, and passed over, and came into his own city. 2: And, behold, they brought to him a man sick of the palsy, lying on a bed: and Jesus seeing their faith said unto the sick of the palsy; Son, be of good cheer; thy sins be forgiven you. 3: And, behold, certain of the scribes said within themselves, This man blasphemes. 4: And Jesus knowing their thoughts said, Wherefore think you evil in your hearts? 5: For whether is easier, to say, Your sins be forgiven you; or to say, Arise, and walk? :6: But that you may know that the Son of man has power on earth to forgive sins, (then said he to the sick of the palsy,) Arise, take up your bed, and go unto your house. 7: And he arose, and departed to his house. 8: But when the multitudes saw it, they marveled, and glorified God, which had given such power unto men.
Mark:2:1-12 1: And again he entered into Capernaum after some days; and it was noised that he was in the house. 2: And straightway many were gathered together, insomuch that there was no room to receive them, no, not so much as about the door: and he preached the word unto them. 3: And they come unto him, bringing one sick of the palsy, which was borne of four. 4: And when they could not come nigh unto him for the press, they uncovered the roof where he was: and when they had broken it up, they let down the bed wherein the sick of the palsy lay. 5: When Jesus saw their faith, he said unto the sick of the palsy, Son, your sins be forgiven you. 6: But there were certain of the scribes sitting there, and reasoning in their hearts, 7: Why does this man thus speak blasphemies? who can forgive sins but God only? 8: And immediately when Jesus perceived in his spirit that they so reasoned within themselves, he said unto them, Why reason you these things in your hearts? 9: Whether is it easier to say to the sick of the palsy, Your sins be forgiven thee; or to say, Arise, and take up your bed, and walk? 10: But that you may know that the Son of man has power on earth to forgive sins, (he said to the sick of the palsy,) :11: I say unto you, Arise, and take up your bed, and go your way into your house. 12: And immediately he arose, took up the bed, and went forth before them all; insomuch that they were all amazed, and glorified God, saying, We never saw it on this fashion.
Luke:5:17-26 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. 18: And, behold, men brought in a bed a man which was taken with a palsy: and they sought means to bring him in, and to lay him before him. 19: And when they could not find by what way they might bring him in because of the multitude, they went upon the housetop, and let him down through the tiling with his couch into the midst before Jesus. 20: And when he saw their faith, he said unto him, Man, your sins are forgiven you. 21: And the scribes and the Pharisees began to reason, saying, Who is this which speaks blasphemies? Who can forgive sins, but God alone? 22: But when Jesus perceived their thoughts, he answering said unto them, What reason you in your hearts? 23: Whether is easier, to say, Thy sins be forgiven thee; or to say, Rise up and walk? 24: But that you may know that the Son of man has power upon earth to forgive sins, (he said unto the sick of the palsy,) I say unto you, Arise, and take up your couch, and go into your house.25: And immediately he rose up before them, and took up that whereon he lay, and departed to his own house, glorifying God. 26: And they were all amazed, and they glorified God, and were filled with fear, saying, We have seen strange things to day.
Palsy is a medical term which refers to various types of paralysis, often accompanied by weakness and the loss of feeling and uncontrolled body movements such as shaking. It is the loss of sensation or the power of motion, or both, in any part of the body. The infirmities included under this name in the New Testament were various:– 1
1. The paralytic shock affecting the whole body, or apoplexy.
2. That affecting only one side.
3. Affecting the whole system below the neck.
4. Catalepsy, caused by the contraction of the muscles in the whole or a part of the body. This was very dangerous and often fatal. The part affected remains immovable and diminishes in size and dries up. A hand thus affected was called “a withered hand.” (Matthew 12:10-13)
5. Cramp. This was a most dreadful disease caused by the chills of the nights. The limbs remain immovably fixed in the same position as when seized as it, and the person seems like one suffering torture. It is frequently followed in a few days by death. Several paralytics were cured by Jesus. ( Matthew:4:24: And his fame went throughout all Syria: and they brought unto him all sick people that were taken with divers diseases and torments, and those which were possessed with devils, and those which were lunatick, and those that had the palsy; and he healed them.; Matthew 8 the story of the centurion’s servant) etc.
One other story about palsy is mentioned in Acts.
Acts:9:32-35 32 : And it came to pass, as Peter passed throughout all quarters, he came down also to the saints which dwelt at Lydda. 33: And there he found a certain man named Aeneas, which had kept his bed eight years, and was sick of the palsy. 34: And Peter said unto him, Aeneas, Jesus Christ maketh thee whole: arise, and make thy bed. And he arose immediately. 35: And all that dwelt at Lydda and Saron saw him, and turned to the Lord.
CONSTRUCTION OF THE ROOF The roof of the New Testament house is made by laying beams across from wall to wall, then putting on a mat of reeds, or perhaps thorn bushes, and over it a coating of clay or earth; sand and pebbles are scattered over this, and a stone roller is used to make it smooth and able to shed rain. This roller is usually left on the house top and the roof is rolled again several times, especially after the first rain in order to keep it from leaking. A low parapet or wall, with spaces to allow the rain water to flow off, was expected to be built on these houses in Bible times, in order to prevent people from falling off. The law of Moses says: “When thou buildest a new house, then thou shalt make a battlement for thy roof, that thou bring not blood upon thine house, if any man fall from thence” (Deuteronomy 22:8). The Greek word for “tiling” means, “pottery ware,” and such a word could describe a dirt roof when rolled and allowed to harden into clay.
Jesus did not commend the man’s faith alone, but the faith of those who brought him as well. This shows the importance of agreeing in faith when you have something great that you are standing for. Jesus may have been thinking of these five men when he said this.
Matthew:18:18-20 18: Verily I say unto you, Whatsoever ye shall bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever ye shall loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven. 19: Again I say unto you, That if two of you shall agree on earth as touching any thing that they shall ask, it shall be done for them of my Father which is in heaven. 20: For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them.
Jesus did not say that he was healed though, he said that his sins were forgiven. When we pray, God not only heals but He also forgives sin.
James:5:14-16 14: Is any sick among you? let him call for the elders of the church; and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord: 15: And the prayer of faith shall save the sick, and the Lord shall raise him up; and if he have committed sins, they shall be forgiven him. 16: Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much.
At the time of Jesus people thought it was harder to forgive sins than to be healed. Today it seems that the church feels that it is harder to heal than forgive sins. But Jesus said both are the same. It takes no more faith to be saved, and forgiven of sins, than it does to be healed of a sickness, disease, or even paralysis.
The withered hand.
Matthew:12:9-16 9: And when he was departed thence, he went into their synagogue: 10: And, behold, there was a man which had his hand withered. And they asked him, saying, Is it lawful to heal on the sabbath days? that they might accuse him. 11: And he said unto them, What man shall there be among you, that shall have one sheep, and if it fall into a pit on the sabbath day, will he not lay hold on it, and lift it out? 12: How much then is a man better than a sheep? Wherefore it is lawful to do well on the sabbath days. 13: Then saith he to the man, Stretch forth thine hand. And he stretched it forth; and it was restored whole, like as the other. 14: Then the Pharisees went out, and held a council against him, how they might destroy him. 15: But when Jesus knew it, he withdrew himself from thence: and great multitudes followed him, and he healed them all; 16: And charged them that they should not make him known:
Mark:3:1-6 1: And he entered again into the synagogue; and there was a man there which had a withered hand. 2: And they watched him, whether he would heal him on the sabbath day; that they might accuse him. 3: And he saith unto the man which had the withered hand, Stand forth. 4: And he saith unto them, Is it lawful to do good on the sabbath days, or to do evil? to save life, or to kill? But they held their peace. 5: And when he had looked round about on them with anger, being grieved for the hardness of their hearts, he saith unto the man, Stretch forth thine hand. And he stretched it out: and his hand was restored whole as the other. 6: And the Pharisees went forth, and straightway took counsel with the Herodians against him, how they might destroy him.
Luke:6:6-11 6: And it came to pass also on another sabbath, that he entered into the synagogue and taught: and there was a man whose right hand was withered.7: And the scribes and Pharisees watched him, whether he would heal on the sabbath day; that they might find an accusation against him. :8: But he knew their thoughts, and said to the man which had the withered hand, Rise up, and stand forth in the midst. And he arose and stood forth. 9: Then said Jesus unto them, I will ask you one thing; Is it lawful on the sabbath days to do good, or to do evil? to save life, or to destroy it? 10: And looking round about upon them all, he said unto the man, Stretch forth thy hand. And he did so: and his hand was restored whole as the other. 11: And they were filled with madness; and communed one with another what they might do to Jesus.
This man had a withered hand, or was just paralyzed in his hand. The hand can be either deformed and therefore the fingers be unable to open, or the hand can be just paralyzed and look just like the other hand. We cannot tell which from this description, but either would make it very difficult to find work.
All three gospels show that Jesus did this healing on the Sabbath in the synagogue. But Luke tells us that it was his right hand. Since most people are right handed, this would have been difficult for him.
There were certain people there that were watching to see if Jesus would heal on the Sabbath, so they could accuse him. All three gospels say the Pharisees were there, but Luke also includes scribes.
Jesus knew their hearts, and he asked them a question. Was it evil to do good on the Sabbath?
Jewish law prohibits doing any form of melachah (“work”, plural “melachot”) on Shabbat. Melachah does not closely correspond to the English definition of the term “work”, nor does it correspond to the definition of the term.
Rather, it refers to the 39 categories of activity that the Talmud prohibits Jews from engaging in on Shabbat; are exegetically derived or based on juxtaposition of corresponding Biblical passages, from the kinds of work that were necessary for the construction of the Tabernacle.
Many religious scholars have pointed out that these labors have something in common — they prohibit any activity that “creates” or that exercises control or dominion over one’s environment.
Jesus says in Matthew that the Jews would rescue an animal that fell into a pit on the Sabbath even though they were not to work.
Matthew 12;11: And he said unto them, What man shall there be among you, that shall have one sheep, and if it fall into a pit on the sabbath day, will he not lay hold on it, and lift it out? 12: How much then is a man better than a sheep?
The 39 Prohibited Activities
As based on the Mishnah Tractate Shabbat 7:2, the 39 activities are:
Sowing
Plowing
Reaping
Binding sheaves
Threshing
Winnowing
Selecting
Grinding
Sifting
Kneading
Baking
Shearing wool
Washing wool
Beating wool
Dyeing wool
Spinning
Weaving
Making two loops
Weaving two threads
Separating two threads
Tying
Untying
Sewing stitches
Tearing
Trapping
Slaughtering
Flaying
Tanning
Scraping hide
Marking hides
Cutting hide to shape
Writing two or more letters
Erasing two or more letters
Building
Demolishing
Extinguishing a fire
Kindling a fire
Putting the finishing touch on an object
Transporting an object between a private domain and the public domain, or for a distance of 4 cubits within the public domain.
Groups
The 39 categories of activity prohibited on Shabbat can be divided into four groups.
The first 11 categories are activities required to bake bread.
The next 13 categories are activities required to make a garment.
The next 9 categories are activities required to make leather.
The final 6 categories are activities required to build a structure or building.
Here we find that these Pharisees and scribes were more interested in keeping the law than in helping people. Jesus tells us to not be that way.
Matthew:23:23-29 23: Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye pay tithe of mint and anise and cummin, and have omitted the weightier matters of the law, judgment, mercy, and faith: these ought ye to have done, and not to leave the other undone. 24: Ye blind guides, which strain at a gnat, and swallow a camel. 25: Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye make clean the outside of the cup and of the platter, but within they are full of extortion and excess. 26: Thou blind Pharisee, cleanse first that which is within the cup and platter, that the outside of them may be clean also. 27: Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye are like unto whited sepulchres, which indeed appear beautiful outward, but are within full of dead men’s bones, and of all uncleanness. 28: Even so ye also outwardly appear righteous unto men, but within ye are full of hypocrisy and iniquity. 29: Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! because ye build the tombs of the prophets, and garnish the sepulchres of the righteous,
The pool of Bethesda
John:5:1-16 1: After this there was a feast of the Jews; and Jesus went up to Jerusalem. 2: Now there is at Jerusalem by the sheep market a pool, which is called in the Hebrew tongue Bethesda, having five porches. 3: In these lay a great multitude of impotent folk, of blind, halt, withered, waiting for the moving of the water. 4: For an angel went down at a certain season into the pool, and troubled the water: whosoever then first after the troubling of the water stepped in was made whole of whatsoever disease he had. :5: And a certain man was there, which had an infirmity thirty and eight years. 6: When Jesus saw him lie, and knew that he had been now a long time in that case, he saith unto him, Wilt thou be made whole? 7: The impotent man answered him, Sir, I have no man, when the water is troubled, to put me into the pool: but while I am coming, another steppeth down before me. 8: Jesus saith unto him, Rise, take up thy bed, and walk. :9: And immediately the man was made whole, and took up his bed, and walked: and on the same day was the sabbath. 10: The Jews therefore said unto him that was cured, It is the sabbath day: it is not lawful for thee to carry thy bed. 11: He answered them, He that made me whole, the same said unto me, Take up thy bed, and walk. 12: Then asked they him, What man is that which said unto thee, Take up thy bed, and walk? 13: And he that was healed wist not who it was: for Jesus had conveyed himself away, a multitude being in that place. 14: Afterward Jesus findeth him in the temple, and said unto him, Behold, thou art made whole: sin no more, lest a worse thing come unto thee. 15: The man departed, and told the Jews that it was Jesus, which had made him whole. 16: And therefore did the Jews persecute Jesus, and sought to slay him, because he had done these things on the sabbath day.
Here again it says Jesus healed a lame man on the sabbath day. But let’s look at the pool of Bethesda first. This is a photo of what it looks like today. Notice the many porches for the sick people to sit in.
John tells us that there was an angel of the Lord that came down at certain times to stir the water, and heal the first person in. This man had been brought to the porches every day for many years, but was not fast enough to crawl into the pool before another got in. The people who got healed, had God’s promise in the Old Testament for that healing.
Isaiah:35:6: Then shall the lame man leap as an hart, and the tongue of the dumb sing: for in the wilderness shall waters break out, and streams in the desert.
Jesus told him to do three things, first get up, second take up his bed and third walk. The man did so, and walked away, without even knowing who Jesus was. It was not until later he knew that it was Jesus. Jesus again connects sin to healing. He tells him to sin no more in order to keep his healing. This is one thing that will keep you from receiving healing. If you have been asking God for something, and have not received it yet, check whether you need to ask forgiveness.
Jesus tells us to do this whenever we pray.
Mark:11:24-26 24: Therefore I say unto you, What things soever ye desire, when ye pray, believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have them. 25: And when ye stand praying, forgive, if ye have ought against any: that your Father also which is in heaven may forgive you your trespasses. 26: But if ye do not forgive, neither will your Father which is in heaven forgive your trespasses.
So in conclusion, we learned in these miracles of healing paralyzed persons that if we need help standing in faith, others can help our faith, that God’s compassion reaches out to us no matter where we are or what day it is, and that it is very important to get rid of sin, especially unforgiveness because it can hinder our healing.
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Goode Christian: learning how to be a good Christian in today's world. 