This is about the paralyzed man who was let down through the roof to see Jesus. It's not about the roof. See https://estherspetition.wordpress.com/2023/10/06/breaking-up-the-roof/ This event is recorded in all three of the synoptic gospels. You can read about it in Matthew 9:2-8, Mark 2:1-12, and Luke 5:17-26.
Jesus had come home to Capernaum, news got around and a crowd gathered at the house. Who was in that crowd, actually? People from in town and out of town! Some of those people included the paralyzed man and the friends who had brought him. It also included many religious leaders:
"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." (Luke 5:17 KJV)
Jesus didn't do anything to heal the paralyzed man; he merely said something. He told the man to do three things he couldn't do, and he did them! But why did Jesus tell the man to "go home"?
"But so that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins"--then He said to the paralyzed man, "Get up, pick up your stretcher and go home." And he got up and went home. (Matthew 9:6-7 NASB20)
"But so that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins"--He said to the paralyzed man, "I say to you, get up, pick up your pallet, and go home." And he got up and immediately picked up the pallet and went out in the sight of everyone, so that they were all amazed and were glorifying God, saying, "We have never seen [anything] like this!" (Mark 2:10-12)
"But so that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins," He said to the man who was paralyzed, "I say to you, get up, and pick up your stretcher, and go home." And immediately he got up before them, and picked up what he had been lying on, and went home glorifying God. And they were all struck with astonishment and [began] glorifying God. They were also filled with fear, saying, "We have seen remarkable things today!" (Luke 5:24-26)
Before that, however, Jesus had looked at the man and his friends. He saw their faith, then made a simple statement to the paralyzed man: Your sins are forgiven.
"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 thee." (Matthew 9:2 KJV)
And he was. He was forgiven, and then he was healed. (Note, in between those two things, some "religious" people in the crowd began to criticize Jesus.) "And, behold, certain of the scribes said within themselves, This man blasphemeth." (Matthew 9:3)
But why tell him to go home? Why not let him stay and learn the wonderful good news that Jesus was teaching? Here are a few more questions about that:
- Did his friends go home with him, too?
- How far did he have to go, carrying his stretcher? (This took place in Capernaum, a town of about 1500 people stretched out along the western shore of the Sea of Galilee. (See https://www.padfield.com/acrobat/history/Capernaum.pdf)
- Was there anyone back at home, or had all his family gone with them to see Jesus?
- Was he well known in town? If so and people now saw him walking and carrying his stretcher, would they stop him and ask how this had happened? What a testimony that would be!
Understandably, the crowd at the house were amazed and began glorifying God. According to Luke, some were afraid. (Probably particularly fearful were the Pharisees, scribes and doctors of the law.)
Well, what happened next? Other miracles? Did people rush out to get their own sick friends and relatives?
We're not told, just that Jesus left. He had an agenda and an itinerary, and he stuck to it. But I've been wondering, why did he tell the healed man to "Go home?
I have some ideas, but what do YOU think?
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