Luke 5:20
And when he saw their faith, he said unto him, Man, thy sins are forgiven thee.

Sometimes our biggest disappointments come when our expectations are not met. Surely these men would have had everything planned out. They’d go to the house and set their friend on his bed before Jesus. Jesus would have compassion on them and heal him, and they would go home rejoicing that he could walk with them. But it didn’t work out quite that way. They ran into a few snags, but they’d overcome those. The crowd prevented them from going in the door, so onto the roof they went, breaking through and lowering him down. Now finally he was at Jesus’ feet. Now surely he would be healed. But that’s not exactly how things worked out, either.

Were these men just the slightest bit disappointed at this moment? After all their effort, after all they’d gone through to get to Jesus, he had said something different at first, something about sins and forgiveness and nothing about healing. Were they puzzled by his words, perhaps wondering which sins Jesus was referring to? Was He implying that some sin had caused this man to be sick? Did Jesus misunderstand why they’d brought him here, almost like an offering to set before Him? All kinds of questions could have gone through their minds.   Imagine the man lying on his bed, still unable to move, looking up at Jesus and wondering what all of this meant. Would he really go away the same as he came?

Don’t we do this, too, sometimes? We have everything planned out how we think God should work in our lives. We build up our own expectations of what will happen. And sometimes God does give us exactly what we desire. But other times, in His wisdom, He gives us something much greater, something we would have never even thought to ask for. Maybe this man had never thought about being a sinner or needing forgiveness. Maybe he got too caught up in his physical condition and never considered his spiritual wellness.

Jesus had seen their faith on display and offered this man something much greater than what he had sought. Perhaps at the time, they didn’t quite understand the magnitude of Jesus’ words. Sometimes it’s hard to understand an intangible thing, like forgiveness of sin, compared to something more tangible, like a visible healing of this man who couldn’t walk. Ultimately, Jesus was able to demonstrate His power over not only sickness and disease, but over sin, as well. He has authority to heal and to forgive, and He has the ability to heal and to forgive.

This man had come seeking healing, and he eventually received that gift. But he also experienced the joy of forgiveness, those sweet words from his Savior. When we come before the Lord with a need, great or small, we don’t get to choose how He will answer. But we can be assured that He knows exactly what we need, and if we are trusting in Him, He can work in our lives in amazing ways.