So for those who were at Sports Plus Camp you’ll remember where we are now with the evening meeting talks – Tuesday Night ‘Encounter with the Paralytic man’

Luke 5 v17-26

Being injured is the worse thing in the world isn’t it?!

You have a big game coming up or it’s a time for selection when some top scouts are coming to watch your team and you feel so helpless – there is nothing that you can do!

I remember thinking ‘if only, my leg felt better’ or ‘if there was only one thing in the world that I would like now – for my back to stop aching’. We’ve all been injured at some point and we all think that it’s the worse news in the world!

But stop there!

For most of us injuries come and go. A few weeks injured is usually the maximum amount of time we have to undergo such pain. Can you imagine being unable to do what you love doing permanently because of injury. I know for some of you, that really is a reality but for most it won’t be. How would you feel – I imagine it would be utter despair!!

For the guy in this passage in Luke, he has been paralyzed all his life – unable to move his lower body.

Some of his pals had brought him to Jesus for one reason – of course it was to be healed! The story is magnificent isn’t it? Try and read it now and put yourself in the house where they lowered the man on a mat. Imagine the sight and the sounds and the faces and expressions of all those gathered around. Great scenes!!

The man and his friends knew what they wanted Jesus to do – to heal him so that he might be able to walk. Like us in our moments of injury we think that our greatest need at that moment in time is for our injury to be healed.

Have a look at v20. What is so striking about Jesus’ first response to the man?

He says ‘Friend, your sins are forgiven’ – really incredible. What Jesus is really saying is ‘Friend, I see that you can't walk, I know why you have come to seek me out, yet I am going to deal with something far greater than your legs – I’m going to deal with your heart – I am going to forgive you.’

Wow – Jesus is saying that far and above any physical need that we may have today, our need for his forgiveness is massively greater!

Do you understand this?

If you know you have been forgiven by Jesus' work on the cross – praise him for that is your greatest need dealt with!

If you don’t think you’ve been forgiven, ask him to today to forgive all your wrong and trust in him and his work on the cross. This is your greatest need!!

Get a right perspective today and understand that if that’s your greatest need, it must be your friends too!

Will you make a difference today with your pals and help them understand what their greatest need is??


Do it – for what a real friend you will be!

Go well this week

The Youth Department.