The Paralyzed Man and the Call of Levi (Luke 5:17-39)
The house is packed. Pharisees and teachers of the law have come from every town in Galilee and Judea and even from Jerusalem, and they are all watching Jesus. Four men arrive carrying a friend on a mat. He cannot walk. They cannot get through the crowd. So they climb to the roof, pull back the tiles, and lower their friend down on his mat right in front of Jesus.
Jesus looks at the paralyzed man and sees his friends' faith. He says to the man, "Friend, your sins are forgiven." The Pharisees immediately begin questioning in their hearts: who does this man think he is? Only God can forgive sins. Jesus knows exactly what they are thinking. He asks them which is easier to say: "Your sins are forgiven" or "Get up and walk." Then He says something that stops the room: "But so that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins," He turns to the paralyzed man and says, "Get up, take your mat, and go home." The man stands up, picks up his mat, and walks out, praising God. The crowd is stunned and begins praising God too, saying they have never seen anything like this.
After that, Jesus walks past a tax booth and sees a man named Levi sitting there. Tax collectors were despised. They worked for the Roman government and routinely overcharged people to pocket the difference. Jesus looks at Levi and says two words: "Follow me." Levi leaves everything, stands up, and follows. He throws a great feast at his house for Jesus, and the room fills with tax collectors and other people considered sinners. The Pharisees and their scribes complain to the disciples: why does Jesus eat with these people? Jesus hears them and answers: "It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance."
A Curious Question
The paralyzed man's friends worked really hard, climbed to the roof, and tore it open just to get their friend to Jesus. But when Jesus looked at that man, He did not say "I can see how much your friends love you." He said "Your sins are forgiven." The man had not asked for forgiveness. He came to be healed. Why do you think Jesus said that first, before He did anything about the man's legs?
Old Testament Connection
When Jesus said "Your sins are forgiven," the Pharisees were right about one thing: only God can forgive sins. The entire Old Testament sacrificial system was built around the truth that sin creates a debt that has to be paid. The elaborate system of offerings in Leviticus, the annual Day of Atonement in Leviticus 16, the role of the high priest, all of it existed because sin requires a remedy that human beings cannot provide for themselves. The forgiveness Jesus pronounced that day was not a workaround. It was the real thing, spoken by the One who had the authority to speak it.
The healing of the paralyzed man also echoes the theme that the Messiah would bring physical restoration. Isaiah 35:6 promised that when the Lord came, the lame would leap like a deer. Jesus was not just performing a miracle to prove a theological point to the Pharisees. He was fulfilling a prophecy. The man who was carried in on a mat walked out on his own feet because the One Isaiah described had arrived. And Jesus' declaration that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins is one of the clearest claims to divinity in the entire Gospel of Luke. The Pharisees understood what He was saying. That is why they were so disturbed.
Discussion Questions
- The four friends could not get through the door, so they went through the roof. They did not give up when it was hard to reach Jesus. What is something you have had to work really hard at to keep going toward God? What helped you keep trying?
- Jesus said He came for sick people, not healthy ones. He meant people who know they need help, not people who think they have everything figured out. What does it look like to come to Jesus knowing you need help, rather than pretending you are fine?
- Levi was considered one of the worst kinds of people in that culture. When Jesus called him, Levi left everything and followed. He did not argue or make excuses. Why do you think Jesus' invitation was so hard to say no to? What do you think Levi saw in Jesus that made him walk away from his whole career?
"So What?" What Can I Do?
The four friends did not carry their paralyzed friend to a doctor or a religious leader. They carried him specifically to Jesus. This week, think of one person in your life who is going through something hard, maybe a friend who is sad, a family member who is sick, or someone who seems lonely. Write that person's name down. Then do two things: pray for them by name every day this week, and do one practical thing to show them you care, like writing them a note, sitting with them at lunch, or helping with something they cannot do easily.
Memorize God's Word
Luke 5:32: "I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance."
Hand Motions:
- I have not come: Shake your head slowly and cross both arms in front of your chest in an X.
- to call the righteous: Straighten up tall and cross your arms with a proud expression, like someone who thinks they are perfect.
- but sinners: Drop your shoulders and bow your head slightly, hands open at your sides in a humble posture.
- to repentance: Turn your whole body 180 degrees in place, like making a complete U-turn, then look up and smile.
Praying with Kids
Lord Jesus, thank You that You did not come only for people who already have everything together. Thank You that You came for the sick, the broken, and the ones everyone else gave up on. Thank You that when You looked at the paralyzed man, You saw his greatest need, not just the one he could see himself. Help us to come to You like that man came: trusting that You have what we really need. And help us to be like the four friends, the kind of people who carry others to You. In Your name, Amen.
Craft: A Four-Friend Faith Mat
Children will create a simple woven paper mat like the one the paralyzed man was carried on, and attach four small paper figures representing the friends who did not give up on him.
Materials Checklist
Instructions
- Give each child a piece of cardstock as the base.
- Glue or tape horizontal paper strips across the base to form the mat, leaving a small gap between each strip.
- Weave vertical strips over and under the horizontal ones to create a simple woven pattern.
- Trim any overhanging edges and glue the ends down.
- Draw or decorate four small paper people figures and place one at each corner of the mat.
- On the mat itself, write the memory verse: "I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance." Luke 5:32
Effective Teaching Techniques
This story has two distinct halves, the paralyzed man and the call of Levi, and it is worth slowing down on the first half more than the second. The most important moment is when Jesus says "your sins are forgiven" before anything visible happens. Before you tell the story, set it up by asking children what they think the man was hoping Jesus would do. They will say "heal him." When Jesus forgives him instead, the gap between expectation and reality creates a productive confusion you can lean into. Ask: why do you think Jesus did that first? Let children wrestle with it. The theological payoff, that the man's greatest need was not his legs but his standing before God, is one of the richest truths in all of Luke. For the Levi scene, the dramatic beat is how fast and completely Levi responds. He leaves everything. A good question to ask children: "What do you think Levi left behind?" Let them use their imaginations. The specificity of what was given up makes the cost of following Jesus feel real.