It is not just our spiritual well-being that Jesus deems important. Our physical well-being is also important. This was the reason why Jesus healed the sick as evident in the Gospels. Jesus did not just heal the sick during His time here on Earth but also continues to heal our sickness up to this day.
In Luke 5:17-26, Jesus showed that He both healed the physical sickness as well as the spiritual sickness.
What can we learn from this story?
First, our sins has a way of affecting our physical health.
When we sin against God, there is guilt inside us. This guilt will eventually affect our mind and will spread in our whole body. This is why we need to confess our sins and ask God for forgiveness. In this way, there is healing in our spiritual life and that wholeness will eventually make us physically healthier.
In the story of the healing of the paralyzed man, Luke 5:20 says, “When Jesus saw their faith, he said, “Friend, your sins are forgiven.”
So, before physical healing comes, we need to have faith in Jesus Christ and ask for the forgiveness of our sins.
Second, we need to help those who are sick.
The friends of the paralyzed man found a way to bring him to Jesus. Luke 5:19 says, “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.”
Jesus honored the faith of the friends of the paralyzed man. This is why we pray to God for our friends, our family members and for anyone who is requesting a prayer. We must continue to pray for our sick brothers and sisters because God hears our prayers.
Moreover, we can also see that the friends of the paralyzed man invested their time, effort and resources. They intentionally found the time to bring him to Jesus. They also got a mat to transport him. This tells us that if we are able, we have to financially help those who are sick.
So, let us bring our sickness to Jesus for He heals both our spiritual and physical ailments.
May God bless us all!
Sincerely,
Rev. Francis Neil G. Jalando-on
Director, Office of Communications