10: Salvation by Forgiveness & They don’t want (Luke 5:17 – 39)

Jesus, purposefully, announced forgiveness of sins. He said He came to call sinners to repentance. This is a new wine: Salvation through forgiveness, but they don’t want it.

👉 Read Luke 5:17 - 39

Q1. When Jesus was teaching, Pharisees and teachers of the law who came from all villages. What was their purpose? (22)

‘Hostile’ attitude: They came to verify or judge Jesus’ teaching and ministry. 

They had already concluded that Jesus was not from God, and they sat there only to find something to accuse Him of. We, by contrast, are called to remain open-minded to God’s work and His intervention in our lives. Otherwise, we become judgmental and miss what God is accomplishing in our own day.

Q2. When they lowered a person with paralysis on a stretcher from the rooftop, what did Jesus say to them? Why did Jesus say that?

Your sins are forgiven. 

To let them know that Jesus had the authority to forgive sins on Earth. Surely, healing is easier than forgiving sins. Thus, Jesus’ declaration, “Your sins are forgiven,” was intentional. Notice that his sins were forgiven without any verbal confession. 

‘On earth’ before you stand before the judgment seat, while you are still alive.

Scripture tells us that Jesus saw their faith. What actions, then, revealed their faith? Although Jesus gave no promise that He would heal, they trusted both His power to heal and His goodness—not to rebuke them for interrupting His teaching and for bringing the paralytic in such an intrusive way. As the people later exclaimed, 

“We have seen incredible things today,” they had witnessed both the announcement of forgiveness of sins and the miracle of healing that confirmed that forgiveness.

Q3. When Jesus was eating in the house of Matthew, the tax collector, what was the Pharisees' accusation? 

ANS: Eating with sinners

Note that they called tax collectors sinners.

Q4. "I have not come to call (                       ), but (           ) to (                )."

ANS: The righteous, sinners, repentance

If we think yourselves sinners, this statement must have comforted and encouraged you. If not, you are in trouble.

Q5. The new wine refers to Jesus' teaching, especially of forgiveness of sins. The old wine implies the Jewish religious system, of which the core is the law of Moses. Why should you not put new wine into old wineskins? Why do people not want the new wine? (v39 is not found in Matthew 9:14-17)

ANS: Both would be ruined. The gospel of freedom and grace would break the rigid religious system of written code and rituals. Formality and legalism cannot coexist with the dynamic works of the Holy Spirit. 

The people were satisfied with the old wine. When Jesus came preaching the new wine of grace, they were unwilling to abandon the satisfaction of the old wine—the righteousness derived from the law and their religious reputation—saying, “The old is good enough.” 

If we think our lives are stable, we should examine whether we are truly living lives of self-denial or merely resting in that false security.