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Lifesaving
Faith
Luke
5:17-26
Vs.24, 25 But so that you may know that the Son of Man
has authority on earth to forgive sins”—he said to the one who was
paralyzed—“I say to you, stand up and take your bed and go to your
home.” Immediately he stood up before them, took what he had been
lying on, and went to his home, glorifying God.
In this passage,
we see a group of men, trying to carry a paralyzed man on a bed to
Jesus. Seeing that there was no way of getting around the people to
Jesus, they went to the rooftop and let the paralyzed man down, from
the top. The friends did not give up, and were willing to go to the
maximum extent of enabling their friend to be healed no matter what
physical obstacles or Pharisaic criticism was present. But in the
end, the paralyzed man received healing and was restored to
wholeness.
The
blessings and experiences of healing in our life are all part of our
salvation journey, and meant to enable us to grow in the saving
knowledge of God, and to help bring others into this experience.
Paul, in his first letter to Timothy (2:4) says, “…God our Savior,
who desires everyone to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the
truth.” Christian life is the experience of life getting and life
giving. The greatest thing was in seeing a paralyzed man being saved
by Christ, through the faith of his friends.
Many
times, as Christians, we experience, but fail to share these
experiences with others. When it comes to matters of faith, or
blessings we receive, or healing we experience, we tend to keep it to
ourselves. But this passage challenges us in our understanding, and
reminds us that faith is shared. At the end of the read passage, all
were able to glorify good. The experiences of salvation we have in
our life are fulfilling when others are also able to share in that
experience. “Behold, how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to
dwell together in unity!” (Psalm 133:1, NRSV).
The story
of Jesus healing a paralytic is the archetype of what it means to
have lifesaving faith. It is not simply about receiving life, but
bringing others into the experience of eternal life, through Christ
Jesus. That is what true Christian friends do. Our faith is a
life-saving faith.
A
lifesaver helps us in our difficulty. Why not be a Christ-like
lifesaver for others?
PRAYER
Lord, help us to understand that our faith is
life-getting, but also life-giving. Help us to experience the
blessings of abundant life through you, and share it with others.
Amen.
THOUGHT
FOR THE DAY
We are saved to save others.
What is your contribution to the history of salvation?
Rev.
Dennis Abraham, Youth Chaplain, South East Region
Christian Education Forum, Diocese of NAE of the Mar
Thoma Church
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