Luke. Diane G. Chen
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and in some cases, even perpetually. Imagine the tension that arises when, on the one hand, Jesus’ teaching and healing are attributed to divine empowerment, yet on the other hand, respected religious leaders disapprove of his words and actions. Who speaks for God and models the salvific will of God for Israel?
Cleansing a Leper (5:12–16)
This story features a leper in an unspecified town somewhere in Galilee (5:12). Leprosy in the Bible was not the same as what we moderns understand to be Hansen’s disease. It covered a spectrum of skin diseases from mild to severe, as identified by sores, lesions, discoloration, disfiguration, and other abnormalities of the skin. Some forms were more curable than others. More damaging than the physical impact of biblical leprosy were its social and spiritual implications. The leprous condition was thought to be a smiting from God for serious sin.126 Lepers had to announce their approach by crying out, “Unclean! Unclean!” (Lev 13:45–46). “Put out of the camp” of Israel (Num 5:2–3), they were shunned, ostracized, and forbidden to stay within the city boundaries, lest they spread their uncleanness to those whom they came into contact.
Given the stigma surrounding leprosy, the leper who approaches Jesus exhibits great faith. His condition is serious; he is “covered with leprosy” (5:12a). Yet knowingly crossing permissible social boundaries, he enters the city, seeks out Jesus, and pleads with him, “Lord, if you choose, you can make me clean” (5:12b). The use of cleansing language, as opposed to healing or restoring, signifies the connection between leprosy and impurity. Like Peter, the leper falls down before Jesus and calls him “Lord” (5:8). Like Peter, he recognizes the numinous in Jesus, yet dares not presume upon his generosity. In response, Jesus stretches out his hand, touches the leper, and speaks to both parts of his petition with the affirmative, “I do choose. Be made clean” (5:13). In the OT, God redeemed Israel “with an outstretched arm” (Exod 6:6). Now Jesus reaches out to touch a leper nobody dares to touch, and in doing so violates the law of purity and contracts the man’s uncleanness. While Jesus’ words immediately effect the physical healing, his touch communicates an invitation back into the community of God’s people. Even the untouchable has dignity in the sight of God.
Jesus instructs the leper not to tell anyone of his cleansing but to first show himself to the priest as required by the law of Moses (5:14). The priest would pronounce the ritual uncleanness of a person stricken with leprosy, as well as monitor the disease as it progressed. If the disease receded, the priest would examine the invalid and verify the completeness of the physical cleansing. He would then oversee the sacrificial offerings to render the person—clothes, house and all—ritually cleansed before an official clean bill of health could be issued (Lev 13:1—14:57).
The summative statement of this story echoes prior statements affirming much of the same, that Jesus’ fame continues to spread as people flock to him for his teaching and healing (5:15; cf. 4:37, 40). But Jesus is not taken by the attention. Instead, he withdraws to lonely places to pray to draw strength for his messianic mission (5:16; cf. 4:42).
Healing a Paralytic (5:17–26)
This episode takes place in an unnamed town.127 There is no mention of the Sabbath. Instead of the synagogue, Jesus is teaching at someone’s house, and the place is filled to capacity. The phrase, “the power of the Lord was with him to heal” (5:17; cf. 4:18–19), reminds the readers that Jesus’ teaching and healing ministries are inextricably related. Every healing is an object lesson; and every teaching has its restorative effect on his listeners.
Sitting in the audience are some Pharisees and teachers of the law who have come from all over, even as far as Jerusalem, to hear Jesus (5:17). Nothing is said of their motive. They may be drawn by curiosity or genuine interest in what Jesus has to say. But their attitudes will soon be revealed from their response to Jesus’ handling of an unexpected situation.
Jesus is interrupted by the arrival of a paralytic, carried by four men, coming not through the door of the house but from above, through the roof (5:19). The paralytic’s four friends refuse to let a crowd hinder his access to Jesus. Like the leper who had the audacity to enter the town to find Jesus (5:12), these four friends barge in, not only uninvited but also by creating their own “door.” It is unlikely that they have asked for permission. Luke’s description of a tiled roof may strike some as odd, for houses in Galilean villages were much more modest, with roofs made of reeds, branches, and dried mud.128 That aside, the focus is on the faith of the four friends, which does not escape Jesus’ notice (5:20a). Imagine the people in the house, hearing the sound from above, realizing what is going on, stepping back to avoid being hit by falling debris, and making way for the mat to be lowered right in front of Jesus.
Instead of asking what the five want or curing the paralytic right away, Jesus addresses the man on the mat, “Friend, your sins are forgiven you” (5:20b). This is not a strange thing to say, for in the ancient world sickness and disease were often thought to result from divine punishment.129 What is unacceptable to the Pharisees and the teachers of the law is Jesus’ perceived infringement on God’s unique right to forgive sins, and in doing so committing blasphemy (5:21).
The Pharisees and the legal experts are not incorrect. Only God can forgive sins, and there are proper channels in the cultic practices of Israel by which one can ask God for forgiveness. In their view, Jesus is usurping divine prerogative and is deserving of death by stoning (Lev 24:14–16). They refuse to believe that the Son of Man has been given the power from God to forgive sins (5:24). Even when Jesus has the authority, he does not flaunt it. Instead of telling the paralytic, “I forgive you,” Jesus says, “Your sins are forgiven you.” The passive voice insists that God is still the subject of the action as the one who forgives sinners.
The bottom line is that the man needs both physical and spiritual healing. The connection between the two forms of restoration is drawn in Jesus’ challenge to his opponents (5:22). At first glance, Jesus’ question is unanswerable: “Which is easier, to say, ‘Your sins are forgiven you,’ or to say, ‘Stand up and walk?’” (5:23). Being forgiven by God is more important than being healed, yet it seems easier to pronounce forgiveness than to make a lame man walk. Whether the man is truly forgiven or not cannot be proven, but the effectiveness of a miracle is immediately apparent. Ultimately, forgiveness and physical healing are two sides of the same coin. If the paralytic walks, it confirms that God has empowered Jesus’ healing and has also forgiven the man. If the man remains paralyzed, his sins remain and Jesus is exposed as a blasphemous charlatan. One does not happen without the other.
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