Luke 5:24 But that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins”—he said to the man who was paralyzed—“I say to you, rise, pick up your bed and go home.” (ESV)
Why would this man want to see Jesus? My assumption was the obvious state of his physical body. He couldn’t walk, his friends had to bring him. I would usually teach this story to focus on friendship and Jesus’ ability to heal and forgive. Two things that I missed were the fact that Jesus could see the hearts and intentions of people. I would only focus on the intentions of the Pharisees and forget to look at the intentions of the man on the pallet.
Jesus, knowing the heart of the man on the pallet, tells him that his sins have been forgiven. Although this man knew he was paralytic, he knew how hard it was that everyday someone had to take care of him. His main concern was his soul, and Jesus knew that! That is why the first thing Jesus said to him is your sins are forgiven! This man wanted to see Jesus to have his sins forgiven, not necessarily to heal his physical condition. Why do we look for Jesus? Do we look for him to take care of our physical needs only? Or do we look for him to resolve our situation with sin?