When Jesus returned to Capernaum after some days, it became known that he was at home. 2 Many gathered together so that there was no longer room for them, not even around the door, and he preached the word to them. 3 They came bringing to him a paralytic carried by four men. 4 Unable to get near Jesus because of the crowd, they opened up the roof above him. After they had broken through, they let down the mat on which the paralytic was lying. 5 When Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralytic, “Child, your sins are forgiven.” 6 Now some of the scribes were sitting there asking themselves, 7 “Why does this man speak that way? He is blaspheming. Who but God alone can forgive sins?” 8 Jesus immediately knew in his mind what they were thinking to themselves, so he said, “Why are you thinking such things in your hearts? 9 Which is easier, to say to the paralytic, ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or to say, ‘Rise, pick up your mat and walk’? 10 But that you may know that the Son of Man has authority to forgive sins on earth”— 11 he said to the paralytic, “I say to you, rise, pick up your mat, and go home.” 12 He rose, picked up his mat at once, and went away in the sight of everyone. They were all astounded and glorified God, saying, “We have never seen anything like this.”
Jesus, who is himself the Word (Jn. 1:1), preached the word, the Gospel or good news (Acts 8:4), to a crowd in Capernaum. As word about him spread crowds followed him and he was beginning to form a group of his own disciples. He was operating outside of the traditional religious leaders. He came under the scrutiny of the Scribes who were the interpreters of religious Law.
When the crowds learned that Jesus had returned to Capernaum they crowded around the house in which he was staying. A paralytic was brought to him on a mat but since the men carrying him could not get near to Jesus, they took the paralytic up the outer stairs to the flat roof of the house, made an opening, and lowered the man down to Jesus. The beams of the roof were covered with branches and a thick layer of mud plaster. Seeing the faith of the men, Jesus remitted the paralytic’s sins, and to demonstrate that he had the authority to remit sins, he healed the paralytic. That miracle sparked his first public conflict with the Scribes.
Forgiveness of sin was a sign of the Messianic times foretold in the OT (Jer. 33:7-8). The OT also states that only God can forgive sins (Is. 43:25; 44:22). No human can arrogate that divine prerogative. When Jesus said to the man, “Child, your sins are forgiven.” the scribes immediately thought in their hearts that Jesus was blaspheming. If Jesus can forgive sins, then there would be no need for the blood of animals to be offered in the Temple on the Day of Atonement for the expiation of sins (Lev. 17:11). God knows the secrets of the human heart (1 Sam. 16:7) and Jesus displayed that divine attribute by knowing what was in the hearts of the scribes.
Jesus referred to himself as the “Son of Man.” The title Son of Man has been used in three ways in the Bible. It can mean a human being (Ezek. 3:1-4; Ps. 8:5), It can be a title for the prophets (Dan. 8:17), or it can refer to a heavenly being who is given dominion, splendor, and kingship over all nations by God (Dan. 7:13-14). Jesus, the Son of Man, possessed all three attributes. He shared in our humanity through his suffering and humiliation (Mk. 9:12; 10:33-34), and humanity, through his death and resurrection, share in his divinity which gives it the power to forgive sins on earth (Jn. 20:22-23), and authority over the Sabbath (Mk. 2:28).
Jesus revealed his true identity to the scribes and the crowd even though they did not understand. Jesus healed the paralytic, and the healing was immediate and complete. The crowd was astounded and glorified God (v. 12).
Almighty God, grant us the faith to turn to you at all times, especially in times of our needs or the needs of others. In your mercy forgive our sins and heal our afflictions so that we may teach your Word as commanded by your Son. This we pray through Christ our Lord. Amen!
Chiu, José Enrique Aguilar, et al. The Paulist Biblical Commentary. Paulist Press, 2018.
Brown, Raymond Edward, et al. The New Jerome Biblical Commentary. Upper Saddle River, NJ, United States, Prentice Hall, 1990.
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