And astonishment seized them all and they began glorifying God; and they were filled with fear, saying, “We have seen remarkable things today.”
~Luke 5:26
In Luke 5:19-26 (as well as in Matthew 9:1-8 and Mark 2:1-12), the Bible details a single event that could be studied for weeks—it’s profoundly rich in truth, conviction, and calls-to-action. It’s the account of Jesus teaching and healing in an overcrowded home. And when some guys brought their paralyzed friend to be healed, they couldn’t get to Jesus. Not being deterred, they climbed up onto the roof, tore it off, and lowered their buddy into the middle of the crowd. Jesus saw the faith of these guys and proclaimed that the paralyzed man’s sins were forgiven. Well, this made the Pharisees who were there pretty ticked, and in their thoughts they called Him blasphemous. Of course, Jesus knew what they were thinking and responded, “But so that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins,” He said to the man who was paralyzed, “I say to you, get up and pick up your stretcher, and go home.” (Luke 5: 24) And so that’s what the paralyzed-no-more guy did.
Again, there’s so much here to meditate on—but here are just a few aspects:
- Do you believe that Jesus can—and will—forgive your sin, forever freeing you from condemnation (Romans 8:1)?
- Are you doubtful of the Lord’s Sovereignty (total authority) and what He can do in your life?
- Would you tear off a proverbial roof to get a friend to Jesus?
- Do you have your own mat-carriers to take you to the feet of Jesus when you’re paralyzed by some sin or overwhelming situation?
But what I really want to focus on here is the last verse in Luke’s account, which records the response of the crowd that day—and something that the Lord has been hammering me about lately: “And astonishment seized them all and they began glorifying God; and they were filled with fear, saying, “We have seen remarkable things today.” There’s a linear progression that we can learn from and apply to our lives each and every day.
First, the crowd saw what Jesus did, and they were astonished—that is, they were amazed and in awe of His person and power. So, the question here is…are we? From the sun rising over the horizon and the very breath in our lungs, to the mind-blowing miracles that make the angels look with wonder (like salvation itself)…do we perceive it all with the deserved astonishment? Without the hand of Jesus, literally every atom would fall apart (Colossians 1:16-17).
The second thing the crowd did is appropriately respond to this astonishment: They glorified God! Friend, with every breath we should be glorifying God—not just because of His unceasing miracles, but also because of who He is. And, complementary to glorifying God for what He does, everything we say and do should be to and for His glory (1 Corinthians 10:31; Psalm 115:1; Colossians 3:17, 23; 1 Corinthians 6:20).
What next? They were filled with fear—or reverence. Once God’s greatness is recognized and glorified, a healthy fear should settle in. The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom-living. It’s acknowledging His power over life and death, and then acting accordingly (Proverbs 1:7; Proverbs 8:13; Job 28:28; Psalm 111:10; Matthew 10:28…and there is so much more).
Finally (this so beautiful—and convicting), they testified to the remarkable things they saw. The astonishment, glory, and fear of the Lord was so immense that they couldn’t contain themselves. They had to share the news! They didn’t need to understand the theology behind it, and it wasn’t about making a defense to critics…they just told of what they experienced.
So, the multipart question for me and you is this: Do we see—really see—the big and small daily miracles of God? In that seeing, do we thank Him and give Him all the glory? Do we then recognize His vastness and Sovereignty with appropriate fear? And once all that has settled into our mind, heart, and soul, is the Truth of it beyond containment, such that we have to tell others what we’ve seen? Let’s learn from this group of Jesus-followers and do the same.
Lord, You are Sovereign, Holy, Awesome. May I always be in awe and respond by glorifying You and sharing the Good News with others.
encouraged by grace 