Healing. Complete healing. From the Healer Himself! Just imagine it! The paralyzed man had been lying on his mat for years. And what does Jesus say to him? “Get up. Take your bedroll and go home.” I think I would have wanted to leave that smelly bedroll behind, thinking, I’m healed! I’m free from the handicap that held me captive to it for so long.
But the Healer had spoken. So without a moment’s hesitation, the man got up, took his filthy blanket, and left for home. He’d entered this house being lowered through an opening in the roof, but now he would march right out the front door, giving glory to God all the way!
The remarkable healing was not the first miracle the man was given. That came when Jesus took one look at him and his buddies who dreamed up the hole-in-the-roof idea and said, “Friend, your sins are forgiven.” Never, ever could there be sweeter words.
Know that without a moment’s hesitation, Jesus looks at you—paralyzed in your sin and unable to do a thing about it—and immediately declares you forgiven!