We come to the conclusion of our series on WHEN JESUS SPEAKS, by looking at His greatest statement in this section, “Son, your sins are forgiven.” Here we see that although many others have proclaimed Him to be God, He now does so Himself. This is an important passage for all people who are Christians or who might be considering the Christian faith.
We come to a short, simple story about a man who is terribly unclean. However, in some ways, we will all be able to relate to this man. Leprosy had been a problem in Israel since the time of Moses, and it was a dreaded disease with no real cure. But Jesus brought hope to the lepers and to all who were unclean.
We consider how we will respond when God moves us into the ‘deep waters’ of following Jesus. Simon provides for us an exemplary example of obeying ‘when Jesus speaks’ and directs him to an action which did not match Simon’s life experience or natural sensibility. We too, like the first disciples, will be asked to obey Jesus through situations and circumstances we do not understand, but when we say ‘yes’ to His lead we too may see who God is and His ability to act for us in a whole new way.
We continue our series on the power of Jesus’ words, by looking at His commitment to His purpose. In this story, Jesus does amazing things that would get the attention of everyone and anyone. But as amazing as His healing power was, He would allow the attention, or the people to distract Him from His calling. There are only a few “red letters” in this passage, but they show Luke’s purpose in writing this text!
We return to our study of the Gospel of Luke, by starting a new series on the words of Jesus. In this five week study, we will see that when Jesus speaks, things happen! In this study, we see the power of Jesus over the demons. We are reminded of His power, and our amazement!