When Jesus saw their faith, he said, ‘Friend, your sins are forgiven.’ (Luke 5:20, NIV)
Jesus has been preaching and teaching in various towns and villages. He has healed the sick, and cast out demons. Here we see something new - Jesus forgives sins. Why is this so important, and why is it so amazing?
When Simon Peter saw this, he fell at Jesus’ knees and said, ‘Go away from me, Lord; I am a sinful man!’ For he and all his companions were astonished at the catch of fish they had taken, and so were James and John, the sons of Zebedee, Simon’s partners. (Luke 5:8-10, NIV)
What amazes you about Jesus? Peter, James and John were all astonished by the miraculous catch of fish that Jesus provided for them. So much so, that they left everything and followed him. Does anything amaze you that much about Jesus?
… Jesus said, ‘I must proclaim the good news of the kingdom of God to the other towns also, because that is why I was sent. (Luke 4:43, NIV)
What does the kingdom of God look like? If you had to decide the rules of the kingdom of God, what would they be? Would it look like anything Jesus said or did?
All the people were amazed and said to each other, ‘What words these are! With authority and power he gives orders to impure spirits and they come out!’ (Luke 4:36, NIV)
Does Jesus amaze you? It’s very easy to read and hear familiar parts of the Bible, and not be amazed by what we read. For those who were there, Jesus’ power and authority would have been unlike anything they had ever seen before. Are you amazed by Jesus?
He was teaching in their synagogues, and everyone praised him. … All spoke well of him and were amazed at the gracious words that came from his lips. “Isn’t this Joseph’s son?” they asked. (Luke 4:15,22, NIV)
Who do you think Jesus is? It’s very easy for us to ‘tame’ Jesus, and to think we know who he is. We might not be right! As we continue to look at Luke’s Gospel on Sunday mornings, we’re going to see some people who thought they knew who Jesus was — they were right and they were very wrong.