I’ve always liked the story of Jesus healing the paralytic. As a child my imagination ran wild with the idea of a man being lowered through the roof of a house. As an adult, however, I’m drawn to verse five.

I’ve always liked the story of Jesus healing the paralytic. As a child my imagination ran wild with the idea of a man being lowered through the roof of a house. As an adult, however, I’m drawn to verse five.
How did fishermen catch fish? They would drop the nets several hundred yards from shore. The net had cork or wood floats on one edge, keeping that edge out of the water. Stone sinkers were on the other edge, which pulled the net down into the water. The fishermen would pull the net toward the shore, catching anything they came across. We may not drag around huge physical nets today, but we do have nets that we use to “catch” people for Jesus. They’re our talents and gifts.
It is daunting to think about the healing ministry of Jesus. As we read the words of Luke, a physician, I confess it has been hard to watch two women in my life plead for ‘full’ healing.
The miracles are one of the ways that Jesus’ knowledge, authority, and power start to be revealed as he begins his ministry. And by the end of his ministry Jesus is offering these same ministry tools to his various followers.
If we truly believe in God's providence through his continual action of creation, we have no choice but to be continually in awe. We should be so in awe that we can hardly stand it. The study of this ongoing activity of God is an opportunity to experience God.