What Jesus Did

One day while Jesus was teaching, some Pharisees and teachers of religious law were sitting nearby. (It seemed that these men showed up from every village in all Galilee and Judea, as well as from Jerusalem.) And the Lord's healing power was strongly with Jesus.
Some men came carrying a paralyzed man on a sleeping mat. They tried to take him inside to Jesus, but they couldn't reach him because of the crowd. So they went up to the roof and took off some tiles. Then they lowered the sick man...

 

But the Pharisees and teachers of religious law said to themselves, "Who does he think he is? That's blasphemy! Only God can forgive sins!" Jesus knew what they were thinking, so he asked them, "Why do you question this in your hearts? Is it easier to say 'Your sins are forgiven,' or 'Stand up and walk'? So I will prove to you that the Son of Man has the authority on earth to forgive sins." Then Jesus turned to the paralyzed man and said, "Stand up, pick up your mat, and go home!" And...

 

Then Jesus instructed [the man who was healed of leprosy] not to tell anyone what had happened. He said, "Go to the priest and let him examine you. Take along the offering required in the law of Moses for those who have been healed of leprosy. This will be a public testimony that you have been cleansed."
But despite Jesus' instructions, the report of his power spread even faster, and vast crowds came to hear him preach and to be healed of their diseases. But Jesus often withdrew to the...

 

In one of the villages, Jesus met a man with an advanced case of leprosy. When the man saw Jesus, he bowed with his face to the ground, begging to be healed. "Lord," he said, "if you are willing, you can heal me and make me clean."
Jesus reached out and touched him. "I am willing," he said. "Be healed!" And instantly the leprosy disappeared.

—Luke 5:12-13 NLT

Key Thought​

We see two powerful facets of this healing in a simple, yet astounding, story.

1. We see an awesome...

 

When Simon Peter realized what had happened, he fell to his knees before Jesus and said, "Oh, Lord, please leave me — I'm such a sinful man." For he was awestruck by the number of fish they had caught, as were the others with him. His partners, ### and ###, the sons of ###, were also amazed.

Jesus replied to Simon, "Don't be afraid! From now on you'll be fishing for people!" And as soon as they landed, they left everything and followed Jesus.

—Luke 5:8-11 NLT

Key Thought​

A...

 

[Jesus] noticed two empty boats at the water's edge, for the fishermen had left them and were washing their nets. Stepping into one of the boats, Jesus asked ###, its owner, to push it out into the water. So he sat in the boat and taught the crowds from there.
When he had finished speaking, he said to ###, "Now go out where it is deeper, and let down your nets to catch some fish."

"Master," ### replied, "we worked hard all last night and didn't catch a thing. But if you say so, I'll let the...

 

One day as Jesus was preaching on the shore of the Sea of Galilee, great crowds pressed in on him to listen to the word of God.

—Luke 5:1 NLT

Key Thought​

Even though we are living in a skeptical age with a cultural environment in which some people reject standards of any kind, there is still great hunger in the hearts of many people for an authentic message from God. Jesus spoke that authentic message and people came to hear it. The authority of his words was unparalleled. The...

 

Early the next morning [after healing many people and casting out many demons,] Jesus went out to an isolated place. The crowds searched everywhere for him, and when they finally found him, they begged him not to leave them. But he replied, "I must preach the Good News of the Kingdom of God in other towns, too, because that is why I was sent." So he continued to travel around, preaching in synagogues throughout Judea.

—Luke 4:42-44 NLT

Key Thought​

Jesus sometimes went to...

 

After [casting a demon out of a man and then] leaving the synagogue that day, Jesus went to ###' home, where he found ###' mother-in-law very sick with a high fever. "Please heal her," everyone begged. Standing at her bedside, he rebuked the fever, and it left her. And she got up at once and prepared a meal for them.

—Luke 4:38-39 NLT

Key Thought​

One way that Jesus showed the authority of his words was by his power over illness. Here, Jesus rebuked the fever and it left. His...

 

As the sun went down that evening [after Jesus healed ###'s mother-in-law], people throughout the village brought sick family members to Jesus. No matter what their diseases were, the touch of his hand healed every one. Many were possessed by demons; and the demons came out at his command, shouting, "You are the Son of God!" But because they knew he was the Messiah, he rebuked them and refused to let them speak.

—Luke 4:40-41 NLT

Key Thought​

If you've ever had a loved one who...