HEAL - God's Heart for Healing in LukeSample

Your Mat May Be A Part Of Your Message

In this passage, we hear Luke’s rendition of Jesus miraculously healing the paralytic who had been brought to Jesus by his friends by lowering him through a roof. Luke tell us that the man had been lying on a mat and that Jesus specifically mentioned the mat when healing the man. Was the mat important to the story, and if so, why? The mat was likely soiled in many ways and may have had an odor. It may have been heavily worn, maybe even threadbare. Perhaps the mat represented many days, months, or years that the man had placed himself, since he had lain on that mat for quite some time. Jesus told him, "now that you are healed, take that mat with you in your arms as you walk away". Jesus didn’t ignore the mat or instruct him to throw away the mat. Maybe, the mat had further use in the future. The healed man could show those he encountered the very mat that he had depended on for a long time and that it was no longer needed!

QUESTIONS:

1. Do I have a “mat” as I travel through this healing journey?
2. Am I relying on my mat too heavily?
3. Do I believe that I will someday use that mat as the trophy to my testimony?