January 18th

Opening Question: Have you ever been unable to walk for any reason? How did it affect you?

Read Luke 5:17-26 as a group, and then again individually.

17 One day Jesus was teaching. Pharisees and teachers of the law were sitting there. They had come from every village of Galilee and from Judea and Jerusalem. They heard that the Lord had given Jesus the power to heal the sick. 18 Some men came carrying a man who could not walk. He was lying on a mat. They tried to take him into the house to place him in front of Jesus. 19 They could not find a way to do this because of the crowd. So they went up on the roof. Then they lowered the man on his mat through the opening in the roof tiles. They lowered him into the middle of the crowd, right in front of Jesus. 20 When Jesus saw that they had faith, he said, "Friend, your sins are forgiven." 21 The Pharisees and the teachers of the law began to think, "Who is this fellow who says such an evil thing? Who can forgive sins but God alone?" 22 Jesus knew what they were thinking. So he asked, "Why are you thinking these things in your hearts? 23 Is it easier to say, 'Your sins are forgiven'? Or to say, 'Get up and walk'? 24 I want you to know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins." So he spoke to the man who could not walk. "I tell you," he said, "get up. Take your mat and go home." 25 Right away, the man stood up in front of them. He took his mat and went home praising God. 26 Everyone was amazed and gave praise to God. They were filled with wonder. They said, "We have seen unusual things today."

Difficult Words:

Pharisees – the religious leaders of Israel 2000 years ago.
teachers of the law – experts in what the Old Testament part of the Bible had to say.
Galilee & Judea – the northern and central parts of today’s Israel.
Jerusalem – the capital of today’s Israel.
sins – all the selfish things that we think, say or do.

Discussion Questions:
1. How did Jesus “see” the men’s faith?
2. Why did Jesus call the man “Friend”?
3. How did Jesus know what the Pharisees were thinking?
4. What was so evil about what Jesus said in verse 20, according to the Pharisees?
5. How would you answer Jesus’ question in verse 23?
6. What do you learn about Jesus from Luke?
7. Do you ever give praise to God? If so, when and why?