Luke chapter 5

vs 21

Luke says here that this is what the Pharisees and teachers of Law were thinking, not that they said it. Perhaps they mumbled it under their breath. It really doesn't matter, because I think most Jews would have been pretty aware what a Pharisee or teacher of Law would think if you went around forgiving sins.

Of course, they are right, too. Sin is primarily an action against God, and so forgiveness of sin (in the pardoning sense of forgiveness) is really God's domain only.

vs 22

You know, the Pharisees really are given the tough job of being enemies in this story. Their thought was going to be correct 99.99999% of the time, and so they made an assumption about Jesus. Ok, they were wrong. But how many of the non-Pharisee Jews thought Jesus was God? I'll bet that didn't occur to anyone at this point in time. I guess the point is that they let their rigidness get in the way of faith.

vs 23

Obviously saying "your sins are forgiven" is easy because you don't see it happen. It's a little harder, though, if after you've said it the Pharisees drag you away and stone you to death.

vs 24

Now, does this really show that Jesus has the authority to forgive sins? Does it mean anyone who can heal a paralytic can also forgive sins? No. But the assumption is that God is granting the power for this healing. If Jesus lied and said he could forgive sins but really couldn't, why would God suffer such blasphemy and bless his healing efforts?

Now, how far do we follow this pattern? Do we believe that God is more likely to bless the work of a righteous man instead of a sinner? If we don't feel like God is working through us, does that mean our discipleship isn't radical enough?

vs 25

It worked for Jesus, anyway. And for the paralysed guy too.

vs 26

They certainly had seen remarkable things. A paralysed man received the ability to walk. Someone read people's minds. Someone possibly got their sins forgiven! And the new hero on the street has had his first meeting with the human enemies.

The thing is, of course, that the Pharisees aren't the real enemy. They're the dumb flunky mooks who just get in Jesus' way and get kung fu'd and fall over bannisters. Satan was the real big boss, and he's still waiting for the final showdown. I can see a good Kung Fu gospel analogy here.

vs 27-28

Wow, what a story! It does go on in the next few verses, but there is actually a bit of a shock value here, especially if you're non-Roman. Jesus is meant to be the goody-white-robe kung fu master. And yet, as one of his students, he picks a tax collector.

Now obviously we don't have tax collectors anymore. And we're also not controlled by an oppressive foreign government seeking to lessen the tax burden on its own citizens by taxing foreign vassal nations. But imagine if we were... ha! Hard to do. Just accept that this is the situation, and we will then begin to understand why tax collectors weren't really all that liked.

vs 29

Of course, everyone else hates them, so they necessarily get together and become mates. "Others" is probably family, and other friends from similarly despised occupations.

In other words, not the place you'd expect your pastor to be having dinner. Let alone your Messiah.

vs 30

The wording of this strikes me. The Pharisees ask his disciples, not him. Is that because some of the disciples were perhaps waiting outside(they might not have been keen on the idea of eating in there either, you know), and so the Pharisees asked the question of them? Of course, that's heresay, but it is reasonable heresay. I mean, they might have asked one of the disciples who went outside to take a leak. Just as reasonable, although somewhat more embarrassing.