One day Jesus was teaching, and the Pharisees and the teachers of the law were sitting there. They had come from every village in Galilee and from Judea and Jerusalem. And the power of the Lord was with Jesus to heal the sick. Some men came carrying a paralyzed man on a mat and tried to take him into the house to lay him before Jesus. When they could not find a way to do this because of the crowd, they went up on the roof and lowered him on his mat through the tiles into the middle of the crowd, right in front of Jesus.
When Jesus saw their faith, He said, “Friend, your sins are forgiven.”
The Pharisees and the teachers of the law began thinking to themselves, “Who is this fellow that speaks blasphemy? Who can forgive sins but God alone?”
Jesus knee what they were thinking and asked, “Why are you thinking these things in your hearts? Which is easier: to say, ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or to say, ‘Get up and walk’? But I want you to know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins.” So He said to the paralyzed man, “I tell you, get up, take your mat and go home.” Immediately he stood up in front of them, took what he had been lying on and went home praising God. Everyone was amazed and gave praise to God. They were filled with awe and said, “We have seen remarkable things today.”
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It was their faith that healed them. I want to take it in another direction though. Paul would later say that you could have so much faith that you could move mountains, and it would be worthless without love. The love that these men had for their friend was evident in their efforts to bring Him to Jesus. They weren’t planning on helping their friend find forgiveness…just healing. But something beautiful happens in the life of an individual when they find Jesus…they’re often changed on the inside which then directly affects the outside actions. When we love people enough to get them to Jesus…even when it’s not easy…beautiful things can happen in their life. Yes, it was their faith that brought him forgiveness and healing…but that faith was accompanied by a love that reflects Jesus. Is your faith bathed in love?
A Journey With Jesus 