Jesus Who Forgives Sins
Luke 5:17–26
Sunday, September 6, 2026

17 One day Jesus was teaching, and Pharisees and teachers of the law were sitting there. They had come from every village of Galilee and from Judea and Jerusalem. And the power of the Lord was with Jesus to heal the sick. 18 Some men came carrying a paralyzed man on a mat and tried to take him into the house to lay him before Jesus. 19 When they could not find a way to do this because of the crowd, they went up on the roof and lowered him on his mat through the tiles into the middle of the crowd, right in front of Jesus.

20 When Jesus saw their faith, he said, “Friend, your sins are forgiven.”

21 The Pharisees and the teachers of the law began thinking to themselves, “Who is this fellow who speaks blasphemy? Who can forgive sins but God alone?”

22 Jesus knew what they were thinking and asked, “Why are you thinking these things in your hearts? 23 Which is easier: to say, ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or to say, ‘Get up and walk’? 24 But I want you to know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins.” So he said to the paralyzed man, “I tell you, get up, take your mat and go home.” 25 Immediately he stood up in front of them, took what he had been lying on and went home praising God. 26 Everyone was amazed and gave praise to God. They were filled with awe and said, “We have seen remarkable things today.”

 

Our passage today tells us the story of a paralyzed man who was brought to Jesus and healed.
But when we look carefully at this passage, we notice something very important. Before Jesus healed this man’s physical condition, He made a remarkable declaration.
Look at verse 20: “Friend, your sins are forgiven.”
Isn’t that a little strange? When this paralyzed man was brought before Jesus, we naturally expect Jesus to say, “Get up and walk.” But instead, Jesus said, “Your sins are forgiven.”
Why did Jesus say that? Because the central message of this passage is not simply that Jesus is a great miracle worker who has the power to heal diseases. The central message is that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, who has the authority to forgive sins.
Today, I want to share three truths from this passage.
First, the deepest problem of humanity is sin. Therefore, the problem of sin must be dealt with first.
Second, Jesus alone has the authority to forgive our sins because He is God Himself.
Third, we must hold on to the grace of forgiveness that is found only in Christ. 
1. Our deepest misery is not physical sickness, but sin.
Look at verse 17.
“Jesus was teaching, and people had come from all over Galilee, from Judea, and even from Jerusalem. Among them were Pharisees and teachers of the law.”
Then something happened.
Four men brought a paralyzed man to Jesus on a mat. But they could not get him into the house because of the crowd. So they climbed onto the roof, removed some of the tiles, and lowered the man down, right in front of Jesus.
Think about what kind of faith that required. They were convinced that Jesus could help their friend. They were so determined to bring him to Jesus that they were willing to do whatever it took.
Verse 20 says, “When Jesus saw their faith…”
Notice that Luke says “their faith.” This includes the faith of the paralyzed man, but it also points to the faith of the people who carried him to Jesus. This man could not walk. He could not even bring himself to Jesus. But he had friends who believed. He had friends who carried him. He had friends who brought him into the presence of Jesus.
We also need people like that in our lives. When we are spiritually weak, discouraged, or going through a difficult season, we need brothers and sisters in Christ who will carry us to the Lord.
We need prayer partners. We need faithful friends who will encourage us. We need people who will say, “Let’s bring this problem to Jesus.”
The paralyzed man could not walk to Jesus on his own. But his friends carried him there. And when Jesus saw their faith, He did something unexpected. He did not say, “Get up and walk.” He said, “Friend, your sins are forgiven.”
Why did Jesus deal with his sin before his physical condition? Because Jesus knew that there was a deeper problem.
We often think that our greatest problems are our health, our finances, our family problems, or broken relationships. But these are not the deepest problem. The deepest problem is sin.
From a Reformed understanding of Scripture, we recognize that humanity is totally fallen. We are sinners who cannot save ourselves. We cannot make ourselves right with God. We are under the judgment of God because of our sin. Sin has separated humanity from God. Sin brought death and the curse into this world. That is why Jesus dealt first with the man’s sin. The physical healing was important. But forgiveness of sin was even more important.
Brothers and sisters, physical health is temporary. Our bodies are like a vapor that appears for a little while and then disappears. But the forgiveness of sins concerns our eternal destiny. Whether our sins are forgiven or not is the most important question of our lives. So Jesus went to the deepest problem first. He said, “Your sins are forgiven.”
2. Jesus has the authority to forgive sins because He is God.
When the Pharisees and teachers of the law heard Jesus say, “Your sins are forgiven,” they were deeply offended.
They thought, “Who is this man? He is speaking blasphemy! Who can forgive sins except God alone?”
Now, notice something important. Their theological premise was correct. They were right about this: Only God can ultimately forgive sins. Sin is ultimately an offense against God. And because God is the Creator, only God has the authority to forgive sins against Him. So their theology was not wrong at this point. Their problem was that they failed to recognize who was standing right in front of them. They knew that only God could forgive sins. But they did not recognize that Jesus was God in the flesh. They had knowledge about God, but they did not recognize God when He stood before them. They knew the Scriptures. They knew theology. They knew that God alone could forgive sins. But their spiritual eyes were blind. They could not see the Messiah whom God had sent.
And this is a serious warning for us. It is possible to know a lot about God and yet fail to truly know God. It is possible to know theology, know the Bible, attend church, and even talk about God—and yet fail to recognize Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior.
Jesus knew what they were thinking. So He asked them in verse 23: “Which is easier: to say, ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or to say, ‘Get up and walk’?”
Think about the question. If Jesus simply said, “Your sins are forgiven,” no one could physically see whether the man’s sins had actually been forgiven. Someone could make that claim without any visible evidence. But if Jesus said, “Get up and walk,” everyone could see immediately whether He had the authority and power to do it. So Jesus continues in verse 24: “But I want you to know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins.” Then He turned to the paralyzed man and said, “I tell you, get up, take your mat and go home.” And immediately, the man got up. He picked up the mat he had been lying on, and he went home, praising God.
What was the purpose of this miracle? It was not simply to demonstrate that Jesus could heal a sick person. The miracle was a visible demonstration of an invisible reality.
Jesus was proving that He had authority to forgive sins. The physical healing demonstrated the authority that Jesus had already claimed.
In other words, Jesus was showing them: “If I have the authority to do what you can see, then you can know that I also have the authority to do what you cannot see.” Jesus is not merely a miracle worker. He is not merely a great teacher. He is not merely a prophet. He is the Son of God.He is the Messiah. He is God who came in the flesh. And He has the authority to forgive sins.
3. We must hold on to the grace of forgiveness found only in Christ.
Jesus healed the paralyzed man. And through that miracle, He clearly demonstrated that He had authority to forgive sins.
So how did the people respond? Verse 26 says, “Everyone was amazed and gave praise to God.” They were amazed. They praised God. They were filled with awe. And that is certainly a good response. But there is something missing. They saw the miracle. They praised God. But did they recognize that they themselves also needed forgiveness? Did they recognize that they were spiritually just as helpless as the paralyzed man? Did they come to Jesus and say, “Lord, forgive my sins”? Apparently not. They experienced amazement. They gave glory to God. But they did not necessarily come to Jesus in repentance and faith.
And that is a very important warning for us today. We can come to church and be moved by a sermon. We can enjoy beautiful worship. We can sing passionately. We can experience what feels like a miracle in our lives. We can see God answer our prayers. And yet we can still miss the most important thing: the forgiveness of our sins through Jesus Christ. We can be impressed by Jesus without surrendering our lives to Jesus. We can admire Jesus without trusting Jesus. We can praise God without truly repenting of our sins.
So let me ask you a question. What do you think makes a good sermon? I believe a good sermon is not simply a sermon that makes us feel good. A good sermon is one that reveals who God is and who Jesus Christ is through the Word of God. A good sermon helps us see ourselves honestly before the holiness of God. It helps us recognize how deeply sinful and helpless we are. But it does not leave us there. It leads us to the grace of God. It leads us to Jesus Christ. It helps us understand the forgiveness that God gives us through Christ. And most importantly, it calls us to respond with repentance and faith. That is where true grace is found. Not simply in being emotionally moved. Not simply in being impressed. But in coming to Jesus Christ with faith and receiving His forgiveness.
Conclusion
Brothers and sisters, Let us look honestly at our lives today. Our deepest problem is not the storms we face in this world. Our deepest problem is the sin that lives within us. And we cannot solve that problem by ourselves. 
But there is good news. Do not despair. Jesus Christ came into this world for us. He took our sins upon Himself. He went to the cross and bore the punishment that we deserved. He died in our place. And He rose again, defeating the power of sin and death.
And even today, Jesus speaks to those who come to Him in faith: “Your sins are forgiven.”
So I pray that this worship service will not simply be a place where we admire Jesus from a distance. Let us not simply come here looking for solutions to our earthly problems. Let us come before Jesus with our sin. If you are still carrying the heavy burden of sin, bring it to Christ today. Lay it down before Him. Repent. Trust Him. Believe in Him. Because Jesus Christ has already carried our sins to the cross. He is our Savior. He is the One who has authority to forgive sins. So let us come boldly to Jesus Christ in faith. And let us hear His gracious words: “Your sins are forgiven.”
Let us pray.