A Question of Need

Today's passage of scripture is one of those that I would have loved to be there and seen first hand. Luke 5:17-26 relays the story of a time when Jesus was teaching and healing at the height of his popularity. The place where he was teaching was so packed that some people bringing a paralyzed man to be healed couldn't even get through the crowd. So they went up to the roof, dug through the clay / tile roof and lowered him into the midst of this crowd.

Can you imagine being in the crowd as the dust and dirt started falling into the crowd as this man's friends dug through the roof!! That would get some attention. Then to see this man lowered on his bed through the hole in the roof - what a sight. I can only imagine that the man must have been scared and holding on to the edge of his mat for all he was worth - maybe yelling at his friends to not drop him.

This man came to Jesus thinking he knew what he needed - he thought that he needed to be healed. But when he finally got to Jesus - Jesus looked at him and said - "Your sins are forgiven". Again, I'm just speculating here - but my guess is that isn't quite what this young man had in mind. My guess is that he may have been a little disappointed in Jesus' response to his effort to get to him. He may have been visibly disappointed.

Jesus surely knew what this man wanted - and yet he didn't respond by giving the man what he wanted - he gave him what he needed. What he needed is the same thing that we all need - forgiveness of our sins and the ability to enter into a personal relationship with our loving Heavenly Father.

God can meet all of our wants - Jesus proved this by healing the man as well - but He is more interested in meeting our NEEDS. God is more interested in our character and our eternal soul than He is in our physical desires and comfort. But I praise God for giving us good blessings and allowing us to live a life of comfort and for meeting so many of my desires - Thank you Lord. Amen.