And it happened when He was in a certain city, that behold, a man who was full of leprosy saw Jesus; and he fell on his face and implored Him, saying, "Lord, if You are willing, You can make me clean."
Then He put out His hand and touched him, saying, "I am willing; be cleansed." And immediately the leprosy left him.
And He charged him to tell no one, "But go and show yourself to the priest, and make an offering for your cleansing, as a testimony to them, just as Moses commanded."
Then the report went around concerning Him all the more; and great multitudes came together to hear, and to be healed by Him of their infirmities.
So He Himself often withdrew into the wilderness and prayed.
Now it happened on a certain day, as He was teaching, that there were Pharisees and teachers of the law sitting by who had come out of every town of Galilee, Judea, and Jerusalem. And the power of the Lord was present to heal.
Then behold, men brought on a bed a man who was paralyzed. And they sought to bring him in and lay him before Him.
And when they could not find how they might bring him in, because of the crowd, they went up on the housetop and let him down with his bed through the tiling into the midst before Jesus.
So when He saw their faith, He said to him, "Man, your sins are forgiven you."
And the scribes and the Pharisees began to reason, saying, "Who is this who speaks blasphemies? Who can forgive sins but God alone?"
But when Jesus perceived their thoughts, He answered and said to them, "Why are you reasoning in your hearts?
Which is easier, to say, 'Your sins are forgiven you,' or to say, 'Rise up and walk?'
"But that you may know that the Son of Man has power on earth to forgive sins"--He said to the man who was paralyzed, "I say to you, arise, take up your bed, and go to your house."
Immediately he rose up before them, took up what he had been lying on, and departed to his own house, glorifying God.
And they were all amazed, and they glorified God and were filled with fear, saying, "We have seen strange things today!" Luke 5:12-26
It all starts with the one man with leprosy. He gets cleansed when he comes to Jesus who, 'was willing' and then he and those that witnessed his encounter blab up a storm about it. The result ... "Then the report went around concerning Him all the more; and great multitudes came together to hear, and to be healed by Him of their infirmities." Crowds came, not only to see Him, but to hear Him teach, and to receive their own healing as well. The paralytic and his friends were those included in that crowd. They too had heard the report about Him and they too came full of faith believing that they could receive; and of course, Jesus did not disappoint! They came because the truth is, one encounter with Jesus is never enough! One encounter will always spark another because the report of who He is and what He does will always spread. The question is ..."Will you be the one spreading the report? Will you be the reason that your loved one gets to hear and receive? Will you be the one blabbing, "He is willing. He will meet your need!"
Will you be the one to start a ripple of faith?
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