Jesus wills to heal. I don’t think He had to ask His Father about each person. I think He knew His ministry was to the people of Israel and that healing was part of that. We’re told often that He healed because He had compassion. He loved them. Healing was an expression of God’s love. Jesus loved people. That’s why He healed people.
Jesus withdrew and prayed all the time. He needed to be alone with the Father. He was perfectly one with the Father. There was no sin, self, or love of the world in there mucking up the connection. He was in perfect unity with the Father, and He still needed to go be alone with Him and pray.
Relationships are kept up. They aren’t ignored and taken for granted. He also was humble and knew He relied on the Father for all things.
One example of that is Luke pointing out that “the power of the Lord was with [Jesus] to heal.” Jesus the human had no power. Jesus relied on His Father for all things. His wisdom and understanding and insight came from His Father through the Holy Spirit. Jesus said that He could do nothing of Himself. He relied on His Father and the moving of the Holy Spirit in and through Him.
Jesus also freely offers forgiveness. In the story of the paralytic, he offers forgiveness and proves his authority to do so. He is also proving He is God, pointing out how they are questioning Him since only God can forgive sins.
Jesus is blowing their minds. One minute forgiving sins and the next eating with sinners. Why did Jesus eat with sinners? Matthew had become a disciple. He had a new identity. Others might have had the identity of seeker. Those kind of sinners He will welcome to come to Him.
The chapter ends with the old and new wine skins. I certainly have prayed for my church to receive new wine skins. I expect worldwide revival. I want them to be able to receive it, savor it, and be able to pour it out to others. If they cling to the old saying, “The old is good,” the revival will bust the church and be ruined.
We don’t seek the new. We seek Jesus, the truth. He is coming!