The comment that forms a prelude to the account of the healing of the paralytic in Luke appears mysterious, if not redundant. Literally the text says: the power of the Lord was with Him for working healings. Both Matthew and Mark do not include this remark. And one might question its necessity. Did not the Lord Jesus always have the power to heal? Indeed, He was true God. And the proclamation of forgiveness of sins as communicated to the paralytic serves precisely to point this out.

Still this is an important addition to the account in that it shows for us the Lord's way of working. Indeed, He was true God, and this miracle contributes to the strengthening of faith in this truth. But in the way that Luke refers to the presence of the power of the Lord, we learn that the Lord Jesus never used His power arbitrarily. In fact, He had emptied Himself of divine power! And as an obedient Son, He waited upon the Father in regard to the exercise of His healing power.

Indeed, the power of God radiated from the Lord Jesus at all times. Perhaps because of the special focus of his gospel as directed to the Gentiles, Luke takes special notice of this. Christ was born out of the power of God, Luke 1:35; with authority and power, He commanded the unclean spirits to come out, Luke 4:36. He went forth in the power of the Spirit, 4:14. Christ is not just a prophet endowed with power; rather, His whole existence is determined by the power of God. He bears God's power in such a way that all His works are demonstrations of divine power.

On the other hand, this text makes clear that the origin of this power lies with God. And the phrasing suggests a dependence of the Lord upon the will of His Father. The Father sets before Him the times and occasions to heal and to demonstrate His power in the Son. This line of dependence upon God returns in the account of the healing of the woman with the flow of blood, Luke 8:46, and in other healings where the Lord Jesus perceives that power has gone forth from Him, Luke 6:19. In these instances, the Lord Jesus is as much Servant as He is Lord. He is as much an instrument of God as He is representative of God.

And how would the Lord Jesus know when the Father had called Him to reveal divine power? Was there a special telepathy between the Father and the Son? Rather, we must think of the normal channels of prayer. Just before this decisive miracle which showed God's power, the Lord Jesus had withdrawn and prayed, Luke 5:16. This miracle is proof that Christ's prayer was answered.

Here we find a line in which we see the Lord Jesus fulfilling the Old Testament prophecies. Indeed, He was filled with the power of the Spirit. And by His own authority He cast out demons and forgave sins. Yet the power which came forth from Him and which was demonstrated by Him was not just His own; it is also described as the power of the Father, and that first of all! So the Lord Jesus fulfilled the words of David: “the LORD was my stay” and “the LORD girded me with strength.” Psalm 18:18, 32. Christ fought His battle in the power of His God. By trusting in the God who promises, He won our salvation.

So we must see the Saviour as Servant as much as we see Him as our Lord. And in this passage the greatness of His divine power is complemented with the humble obedience of His true humanity. He is here revealed as Son of God and Son of man. For the heart of this miracle concerns the forgiveness of sins – something which was always God's prerogative alone. But the miracle is set within the context of the controversy with the Pharisees. Precisely this miracle served as a catalyst to that controversy. The Lord Jesus did not willingly choose the controversy, but it was laid upon Him by the Father. It was the Father who wanted His power demonstrated before the Pharisees in the person of the Son. Yet this would instill in them the hatred by which Jesus would be put to death.

Here we must praise the majesty of the Son. He is able to forgive sins! Here we must also praise the obedience of the Son! He did not shrink back from the duties assigned to Him by the Father. Indeed, He also willed to bring the forgiveness of sins! He willed to work our salvation! Therefore, we witness Him humbling Himself daily during His life on earth for the sake of the elect.

Here we find a great comfort: for as Christ willingly served then, so He serves His Church today in His exaltation. The power of God rests with Him in fullness. And all who trust in Him may be sure that He will provide all that is needed to lead His children to salvation. For He paid the price for our sins! And He provides the healing through which we may complete our course, and inherit life eternal!