What does Luke 5:25 mean?
Jesus is teaching in a crowded house in Capernaum when the ceiling breaks open. A man on a cot is lowered to the floor. The man's friends have brought him in hopes Jesus will heal his paralysis. Finding it too crowded to get through, they climbed to the roof, tore a hole, and lowered him down. In response to their faith, Jesus declares the man's sins forgiven (Luke 5:17–20).The Pharisees and scribes in attendance silently (Mark 2:6–7) accuse Jesus of blasphemy. Jesus uses their own extra-scriptural Oral Law against them when He validates His right to forgive by healing the man (Luke 5:21–24).
The man's response is appropriate: he glorifies God. Numerous times in the psalms David either calls for God's help so that he can praise or responds to God's help with praise (Psalm 6:5; 18:3; 19:13–14; 28:6). The purpose of the praise is largely so that others will know the good that God has done. Psalm 40:3 says, "He put a new song in my mouth, a song of praise to our God. Many will see and fear, and put their trust in the LORD."
Luke's writing includes several examples of this reaction to miraculous healing. An afflicted woman "glorified God," and the people watching soon joined her (Luke 13:10–17). One of ten men praised God when he realized he was healed of leprosy (Luke 17:11–19). Blind Bartimaeus inspired the same reaction when he was healed (Luke 18:35–43). The lame man whom Peter healed started jumping and declaring praise, and those around him praised God as well (Acts 3:8–10).
Today, we frequently take God's blessings for granted. We need to remember that our recognition of God's goodness will draw others to want to praise Him, too.
