Do you call someone you’ve never met friend?

Neither do I.

Jesus did.

The man He called friend was paralyzed. The man’s friends were so confident Jesus could heal the man that they carried him to the roof of the house where Jesus was inside teaching. There were so many people inside they could not get in. So… They opened a hole in the roof and lowered him before Jesus!

But this is not the amazing part.

“One day Jesus was teaching, and Pharisees and teachers of the law were sitting there. They had come from every village of 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.””

Luke 5:17-20

Think about what Jesus said. The first words Jesus spoke to him were-“Friend, your sins are forgiven.”

What did the man’s roofing crew think?

Their friend was paralyzed! They brought him to Jesus in order that he would heal him! (And…Jesus did heal him…)

What have we here in this account?

Jesus had never met the man-yet He called the paralytic “friend.” And the first thing Jesus did for the man was forgive his sins! We could stop there…(there is more…Luke records it.) This is an astonishing event. A paralytic lowered on ropes before Jesus while on his bed. They expected healing. Jesus begins with the man’s sins.

Can we see?

Jesus knew the man-before he was lowered-Jesus even knew the man when he was formed in his mother’s womb. He knew his name. He knew his life history! He knew every sorrow and joy the man had known. He loved the paralytic-Jesus truly could call him friend. Yet-the first thing Jesus did for the man was what he most needed-forgiveness of his sins.

Today-Jesus calls us friend. He knows everything about us. And He loves us! The first thing He does for us when we come to Him is forgive our sins.

Jesus never changes. He loves us. What a Friend we have in Jesus!