“Shhhh, listen ... I want to hear you think!” The children all laughed, because nobody can hear you think. That’s one thing you can do all by yourself and nobody knows.
But God knows. He not only knows what you think, but He understands. And more than that, He knows your thoughts before you think them, and that’s more than you know yourself! Psalm 139:22Thou knowest my downsitting and mine uprising, thou understandest my thought afar off. (Psalm 139:2) makes us sure about that: “Thou understandest my thought afar off.” Can Jesus know and understand people’s thoughts too? Yes, because Jesus is God. Here is a story in Luke 5 about that.
There were a great many religious men sitting in the house that day. It was such a big crowd that the doorway was blocked. But if you really want to bring your sick friend to Jesus, you aren’t going to be stopped by a little thing like a crowded doorway. We MUST take this man to Jesus, they said, and if he is too sick to walk, we’ll carry him inside right in his bed!
It took four men to carry the sick man’s bed, one at each corner, but they found the doorway blocked. Now what could they do? Well, let’s try the roof! one of them suggested. So they carried him up the outside stairs, broke open a hole in the roof by removing the roof tiles and then let the bed down by ropes right in front of Jesus!
Now that was a surprise ... a surprise to everybody except Jesus. He knew that the sick man’s problem was sin, and He also knows that your problem and mine is the very same — SIN. Boys and girls, don’t let anything stop you from coming to Jesus, because He is the only One who can say what Jesus said that day to the sick man. He told him, Thy sins are forgiven thee (vs. 20).
There were frowns on the faces of those religious people around Jesus, but He knew their thoughts. They were thinking, Who can forgive sins, but God alone? (vs. 21). They were right in thinking that question, but the problem was that they didn’t believe that Jesus is God.
Is that your problem too? If you don’t believe that Jesus is God, your sins are not forgiven. You believe that Jesus is not telling the truth.
Jesus answered what they were thinking, even though they did not say anything out loud to Him. He asked those frowning people, [Which] is easier, to say, Thy sins be forgiven thee; or to say, Rise up and walk? (vs. 23). They probably didn’t answer Him, but if you and I really know what Jesus has done for us, we can answer His question.
It was very, very hard for Jesus to say, Thy sins be forgiven thee, because He could never say this if He did not take the punishment for those sins Himself. We can never measure that punishment! It took the three hours of darkness on the cross to put away our sins. Do you know and understand that it required Jesus’ death on Calvary’s cross to say those words to you? The religious people in that house did not know, but you can know, and you can thank Him now and forever for His love that made Him willing to do this for sinners who deserve nothing but hell.
Jesus said to the sick man, Rise up and walk, and there was no question about it. The man stood up, picked up his bed and walked. That was a big change in his life, wasn’t it? The crowd was amazed and glorified God, and being filled with fear they said, We have seen strange things today (vs. 26).
We hope that after reading this story you will say more than what the unbelieving crowd said. Will you believe and confess that Jesus is God and that He died on the cross and took the punishment for your sins?
Think About God’s Word!
1. What did Jesus tell the sick man who was brought to Him through a hole in the roof?
2. Why do we need the Lord Jesus to pay for our sins? Why can’t we just help Him out by doing our little part and letting Him do the rest?
Project: Write a simple gospel tract that clearly explains God’s way of salvation.