NOTES for Luk 5:17-26
The Pharisees' indignation interrupts the Lord literally in mid-sentence, yet, strictly speaking, that indignation is entirely justified. Indeed, no one but God alone can forgive sins. In Jewish circles, even the suggestion that the Christ Himself would be given such authority aroused doubt and debate. Many Jews were inclined to think that, when the Christ came, He would put an authoritative end to people's lawlessness and sins, depriving them of the possibility of committing them. The revelation that the Christ would be the incarnate Only-begotten Son of God was far from clear and obvious. Perhaps the disciples of the Lord Jesus understood this only at the Last Supper. From the Pharisees' point of view, however, this teacher from Nazareth was taking too much upon Himself. In response to this murmuring, the Lord gives the Pharisees and scribes the opportunity to see the fullness of God's glory in Him. In addition to the words about forgiveness that have outraged them, He reveals the ability to see into human hearts. For believers in Christ this is almost obvious, but for those meeting Him for the first time, it was astonishing that He ‘Himself saw everything that was in the human heart’, as John the Evangelist put it. We need only recall how a few words understood by Nathanael alone moved him to confess Jesus as the Son of God, the King of Israel. And now the Pharisees, like Nathanael, hear the Lord say aloud what they have been whispering in secret. But more than that, He asks them which is easier to say: ‘Your sins are forgiven you’, or ‘Rise and walk’? We utter any words so readily that Christ's question itself sounds strange to us. The point is that, after revealing His authority to forgive sins and His ability to see the depths of the heart, the Lord now reveals to the Pharisees His authority to command the created world. Anyone can lay claim to this authority, but only the Creator Himself can exercise it. In essence, in this healing of the paralytic, the divine nature of the Teacher from Nazareth is revealed to us.