Luke 5:21

My Notes

What Does Luke 5:21 Mean?

"And the scribes and the Pharisees began to reason, saying, Who is this which speaketh blasphemies? Who can forgive sins, but God alone?" The religious leaders' reasoning is THEOLOGICALLY CORRECT and PRACTICALLY wrong: they're RIGHT that only God can forgive sins. They're WRONG that Jesus is blaspheming. Their premise (God alone forgives) is true. Their conclusion (therefore Jesus blasphemes) is false — because the unexamined possibility is that Jesus IS God. The correct theology produces the wrong verdict because one option isn't considered.

The phrase "who is this which speaketh blasphemies?" (tis estin houtos hos lalei blasphēmias — who is this who speaks blasphemies?) is a QUESTION that contains the answer if they'd follow it: WHO is this? The question they ask contains the investigation they won't pursue. If they actually investigated WHO Jesus is, the blasphemy charge would dissolve. The question is asked rhetorically. It should be asked earnestly.

The "who can forgive sins, but God alone?" (tis dynatai aphienai hamartias ei mē monos ho theos — who is able to release/forgive sins except God alone?) states the PREMISE that should lead to a DIFFERENT conclusion: premise — only God forgives sins. Observation — Jesus forgives sins. Correct conclusion — Jesus might be God. Actual conclusion — Jesus blasphemes. The syllogism is broken at the conclusion because the possibility of incarnation isn't considered.

Reflection Questions

• 1.What correct theology are you using to reach a wrong conclusion?
• 2.What does 'who can forgive sins but God alone' being TRUE yet producing a FALSE conclusion teach?
• 3.What 'unexamined option' — what possibility you refuse to consider — would resolve the contradiction?
• 4.How does the scribes' question ('who is this?') contain the answer they won't pursue?

Devotional

Who IS this who speaks blasphemies? Who can forgive sins but God ALONE? The scribes ask the RIGHT questions and reach the WRONG conclusion. Their theology is correct: only God forgives sins. Their application is wrong: therefore Jesus blasphemes. The missing step: what if Jesus IS God?

The 'who is this' is the question that CONTAINS its own answer: WHO is this? If they pursued the question honestly — really investigated WHO this person is — the answer would resolve the blasphemy charge. The one who forgives sins is the one who IS God. The question asked as accusation should be asked as investigation. The 'who' is the right question. The 'blasphemy' is the wrong conclusion.

The 'who can forgive sins but God alone' is PERFECT THEOLOGY producing WRONG APPLICATION: the premise is unassailable. Only God forgives sins. This is true. It's Scriptural. It's foundational. And the scribes use this perfect premise to reach an imperfect conclusion: therefore Jesus blasphemes. The logic WORKS — if Jesus isn't God. The logic BREAKS — if Jesus is. The scribes refuse to consider the option that would validate both the premise AND the observation.

The reasoning failure is in the UNEXAMINED OPTION: the scribes see two possibilities: (1) Jesus is a man who claims to forgive sins = blasphemy, or (2) the man is wrong about being able to forgive = delusion. The THIRD option — Jesus IS God and therefore CAN forgive — isn't examined. The possibility that their theology and Jesus' action are BOTH true isn't considered. The incarnation is the unexamined option.

What correct theology are you using to reach a wrong conclusion — because you won't examine the option that resolves both?

Commentary

Trusted original commentary from respected historical Bible scholars and theologians.

Cross References

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