1 And again he entered into Capernaum after some days; and it was noised that he was in the house. 2 And straightway many were gathered together, insomuch that there was no room to receive them, no, not so much as about the door: and he preached the word unto them. 3 And they come unto him, bringing one sick of the palsy, which was borne of four. 4 And when they could not come nigh unto him for the press, they uncovered the roof where he was: and when they had broken it up, they let down the bed wherein the sick of the palsy lay. 5 When Jesus saw their faith, he said unto the sick of the palsy, Son, thy sins be forgiven thee. 6 But there were certain of the scribes sitting there, and reasoning in their hearts, 7 Why doth this man thus speak blasphemies? who can forgive sins but God only? 8 And immediately when Jesus perceived in his spirit that they so reasoned within themselves, he said unto them, Why reason ye these things in your hearts? 9 Whether is it easier to say to the sick of the palsy, Thy sins be forgiven thee; or to say, Arise, and take up thy bed, and walk? 10 But that ye may know that the Son of man hath power on earth to forgive sins, (he saith to the sick of the palsy,) 11 I say unto thee, Arise, and take up thy bed, and go thy way into thine house. 12 And immediately he arose, took up the bed, and went forth before them all; insomuch that they were all amazed, and glorified God, saying, We never saw it on this fashion. (Mark 2:1-12)
Jesus Forgives and Heals a Paralyzed Man
Christ, having been preaching for some time in the country, now returns to Capernaum, his headquarters, hoping that by this time the talk and crowd would be somewhat reduced.
The crowd quickly gathered around him. Though he was in a house—either Peter’s or a place he had rented—people came as soon as they heard he was in town. They didn’t wait for him to appear in the synagogue on the Sabbath, but immediately many gathered around him. Where the king is, there is the court; where Shiloh is, there the people will gather. We must be quick to take spiritual opportunities. One invited another (“Come, let’s go see Jesus”), and his house couldn’t contain them. There was no room to receive them, not even around the door—a blessed sight, to see people rushing like clouds to Christ’s house, even though it was a humble one (Mark 2:2).
Christ gave them the best he had to offer: he preached the word to them. Many may have come for healing or out of curiosity, but he still preached. Though he had access to the synagogue at appropriate times, he didn’t hesitate to preach in a house on a weekday, even if some thought it inappropriate. “Blessed are those who sow beside all waters” (Isaiah 32:20).
They brought him a paralyzed man. He was not, as in Matthew 8:6, grievously tormented, but completely disabled and had to be carried on a bed by four people. His condition reflected the frailty of human life; their effort reflected compassion—something we should all have, since we never know when we might need the same. They believed that if they could get him to Jesus once, they wouldn’t have to carry him again. When they couldn’t reach Jesus because of the crowd, they uncovered the roof above him (Mark 2:4).
This doesn’t necessarily mean Jesus was in an upper room; more likely, the house was small and simple. So they got to the roof, removed some tiles, and lowered their friend down on his bed in front of Jesus. This showed both their faith and determination. They were serious, and wouldn’t leave without a blessing (Genesis 32:26).
Jesus saw their faith, not only the sick man’s, whose illness may have limited his ability to express faith, but especially the faith of those who brought him. In contrast to the centurion’s servant, who was healed from a distance (Matthew 8:8-10), here Jesus commended their effort to bring their friend to him. Faith can look different in different situations, but Christ accepts it however it’s expressed.
Jesus said, “Son, your sins are forgiven.” The term “son” is tender, showing Christ’s care and recognition of true believers as his children. A son, yet afflicted—“God deals with you as with sons” (Hebrews 12:7). The comfort he gives is rich: “Your sins are forgiven.” Sin is the cause of suffering. Christ’s words redirected the man’s focus from his physical ailment to his spiritual need. God truly removes the sting of sickness when he forgives sin. Healing is a greater mercy when it comes through the pardon of sin (Isaiah 38:17; Psalm 103:3). The way to remove the effect is to take away the cause.
Some scribes, however, accused him of blasphemy for saying this. Their doctrine was right—that only God can forgive sins (Isaiah 43:25)—but their conclusion was wrong, because they didn’t recognize Christ’s divine authority. But Jesus, knowing their thoughts, proved his divinity—he knew what they were thinking (Revelation 2:23). Only God knows the heart, and so the one who could read their thoughts surely could forgive sins. That Christ knew the depth and details of human sin, and still was willing to forgive, shows the greatness of his grace.
To prove he had authority to forgive sins, he healed the man (Mark 2:9-11). He wouldn’t have claimed the power to forgive without the ability to heal, which was visible proof. Sin is the soul’s disease, and healing it demonstrates spiritual authority. Jesus asked that which is easier to say, “Your sins are forgiven,” or “Get up and walk”? For them, a physical sign was more convincing, so he gave one. By removing the effect, he showed he had the power to remove the cause (Isaiah 33:24).
The man was healed immediately—he got up, took his bed (so it wouldn’t be in the way), and walked out in front of them all (Mark 2:12). Everyone was amazed and glorified God, saying, “We’ve never seen anything like this.” Christ’s works had no precedent. When we see how he heals souls, we must admit—we’ve never seen anything like it.