Luke 5:17-25 records the story of Jesus healing the paralytic man who was brought to Jesus by his friends. It is very tempting to apply the narrative with something like: win the lost at any cost. Most of us naturally see the story as designed to teach through the example of the friends. The repetition of “forgiven” and “forgive” in verses 20, 21, 23, and 24 helps guide our search for dominant meaning. The narrative highlights Jesus’ authority and power to heal and forgive, not the actions of the friends. This doesn’t mean there is no value in applying along the lines of the exemplar of the friends’ action. It just means that the narrative is structured to feature another, primary meaning. Of course, the rest of Luke’s Story will explain how Jesus could heal physically and spiritually.