Luke 5:20 - Printer Friendly

ESV: And when he saw their faith, he said, "Man, your sins are forgiven you."

NIV: When Jesus saw their faith, he said, "Friend, your sins are forgiven."

NASB: And seeing their faith, He said, 'Friend, your sins are forgiven you.'

CSB: Seeing their faith he said, "Friend, your sins are forgiven."

NLT: Seeing their faith, Jesus said to the man, 'Young man, your sins are forgiven.'

KJV: And when he saw their faith, he said unto him, Man, thy sins are forgiven thee.

NKJV: When He saw their faith, He said to him, “Man, your sins are forgiven you.”

At least four men (Mark 2:3) have ripped a hole of the roof of a house, and through it they have lowered their paralyzed friend. This drastic act is done in faith: knowing Jesus can heal him and trusting that He will. Jesus' immediate response to their faith is not what they expect: He forgives the man's sins. "Man" sounds formal in English but in the original Greek context it would have come across more like "friend." Matthew and Mark use "son" (Matthew 9:2; Mark 2:5); Luke is likely identifying him as an adult.

The "faith" these men exhibit is not saving faith, but it's in the right frame of mind. No one yet understands that Jesus is God the Son who will be crucified and rise again as atonement for sin. This is the same faith as the centurion, the sinful woman, and the woman with the issue of blood—three people Jesus highly praised (Luke 7:9, 50; 8:48).

Jesus' reaction is confusing for another reason. The four friends demonstrate faith, and presumably the paralyzed man does, too, but Jesus only declares the forgiveness of the paralyzed man. Translation from Greek removes some of the nuances. The tense is passive: leaving room to identify God as He who forgives. It's also in the grammar tense known as "perfect." That implies forgiveness as a state which the man now inhabits, not a one-time grace, even as specific sins are forgiven. The Greek term for "sins" here includes all transgressions: from a minor, unintentional offenses to sacrilege against God.

A person looking to parse Jesus' words down to that level might think all the man's sins would be forgiven. However, that's not the point of Jesus' statement, or of this passage. Jesus' goal is to show the Pharisees and scribes that He has the power to forgive sins. He verifies this power by healing the man. Questions about precisely what kind of faith the man has, what he understands, and what happens with the friends are irrelevant to Luke's point: Jesus has the authority and power to redeem the effects of the Fall, both spiritual and physical.

A side theme is that God honors the faith of those who seek to bring others to Christ. When we pray, we orient our attention toward the issue and watch for God to work. God performs mighty deeds that no one realizes. When are paying attention, however, we have the opportunity to be seized with amazement, filled with awe, and glorify God, declaring, "We have seen extraordinary things today" (Luke 5:26).

Luke 5:17–26 records Jesus' second miracle after the first call of His disciples. He has already touched a man with leprosy (Luke 5:12–16). Now, He declares a paralytic's sins are forgiven. The scribes and Pharisees question Jesus' authority; even after Jesus heals the man, separation between His followers and His detractors continues to grow. Luke follows the pattern of connecting Jesus' provocative actions with His calls to His disciples until all twelve are chosen (Luke 5:27—6:16). The healing of the paralyzed man is also in Matthew 9:1–8 and Mark 2:1–12.

Luke 5 continues Jesus' Galilean Ministry (Luke 4:14—9:50). The passage alternates calls to discipleship with miracles and teachings which demonstrate what discipleship entails. Jesus calls Peter, Andrew, and their business partners, James and John, to follow Him and make more disciples. Then Jesus makes a man with leprosy ceremonially clean. He forgives the sins of a paralytic. After He calls Levi to follow Him, Jesus celebrates instead of fasting. This draws critical questions from the crowd. The religious leaders consider Jesus' actions blasphemous. His message of forgiveness, faith, and repentance cannot be contained by their tradition.

Jesus has already proved He can expel demons, heal ailments, and reveal the kingdom of God (Luke 4:31–44). In this chapter, He begins to separate His followers from His detractors. This begins with calling the first five disciples and emphasizing faith and repentance over religious tradition. He will drive home the point by treating the Sabbath as a blessing rather than a burden (Luke 6:1–11). After formally inviting the Twelve to follow Him, Jesus will explain to a crowd what discipleship looks like and invite them to build their lives on Him (Luke 6:12–49). In chapter 7, Jesus champions Gentiles and the marginalized.

Luke was a traveling companion of Paul (Acts 16:10) and a physician (Colossians 4:14). Unlike Matthew, Mark, and John, Luke writes his gospel as an historian, rather than as a first-hand eyewitness. His extensive writings also include the book of Acts (Acts 1:1–3). These are deliberately organized, carefully researched accounts of those events. The gospel of Luke focuses on the earthly ministry of Jesus Christ. Luke's Gentile perspective presents Christ as a Savior for all people, offering both forgiveness and direction to those who follow Him.