Hello friends,
Today, let’s continue looking at the incident at the house in Capernaum, where Jesus healed a paralytic in the presence of the Pharisees and the teachers who had gathered from all the nearby towns.
And Jesus, seeing their faith, said to the paralytic, “Child, your sins are forgiven.”
— Mark 2:5
In the previous verse, we saw how it was impossible for these men to get through the crowd and bring their friend into the presence of Jesus. As a result, they were forced to dig a hole in the roof to lower him to the place where Jesus was. This is the faith that Mark records for us. Mark tells us that Jesus saw their faith.
When you think about it, this is quite a commendation—Jesus sees faith in the act of these men stopping at nothing to bring their friend to Him for healing. Jesus sees this as a good thing. These men believed that Jesus could heal their friend if they could just bring him into His presence.
Following this, Jesus makes a very perplexing statement to the paralytic. Instead of going straight to the healing, Jesus tells him that his sins are forgiven. This is a confusing statement, not only for us as readers but also for those gathered around, especially the teachers of the law.
But some of the scribes were sitting there and reasoning in their hearts,
— Mark 2:6
Mark tells us that these scribes were reasoning in their hearts. This suggests that they had not made their thoughts audible. This is important because it shows that Jesus knew what was going on in their hearts. Here we see another portrayal of Jesus’ supernatural ability to know the hearts of men:
then hear in heaven, Your dwelling place, and forgive and act and render to each according to all his ways, whose heart You know, for You alone know the hearts of all the sons of men,
— 1 Kings 8:39
Before the scribes could even speak their thoughts, Jesus already knew what they were reasoning in their hearts. Mark goes on to tell us what they were thinking:
“Why does this man speak that way? He is blaspheming; who can forgive sins but God alone?”
— Mark 2:7
The word “blasphemy” here means “to speak lightly or profanely of sacred things.” The scribes thought that Jesus, a mere mortal in their eyes, was taking on God’s role by forgiving sins.
Their statement, “Who can forgive sins but God alone?” is significant. It is true that all sin is ultimately against God. Sin is an act of rebellion against God Himself, regardless of who it affects. Every act of sin is an affront to a holy God. King David understood this when he wrote in his repentance psalm:
Against You, You only, I have sinned
And done what is evil in Your sight,
So that You are justified when You speak
And pure when You judge.
— Psalm 51:4
Since all sin is directed toward God, true forgiveness can only come from God Himself. No one else can truly forgive sin because God is the ultimate recipient of every transgression.
The scribes were correct in thinking that only God can forgive sin, but they were completely wrong in their assumption that Jesus was not God. By this point, many events had already taken place to prove that Jesus was indeed God: His virgin birth, the heavens opening up with God the Father declaring Him as His beloved Son, the Holy Spirit descending on Him like a dove, His numerous healing miracles, His authority over unclean spirits, and the proclamations He made. The scribes had more than enough evidence to conclude that Jesus is God. However, their hearts were hardened, and they were unwilling to accept this truth.
This is also the case for many people who have not yet accepted Jesus as their Lord and Savior. It is not a lack of evidence that keeps them from believing the truth—it is the hardness of their hearts, an unwillingness to accept their depravity and the true source of their salvation. For such people, no amount of evidence will be enough to convince them that Jesus is God and the author of their salvation.
Furthermore, this emphasizes the true source of revelation concerning salvation: God Himself. Jesus later says this to Simon Peter:
And Jesus answered and said to him, “Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah, because flesh and blood did not reveal this to you, but My Father who is in heaven.
— Matthew 16:17
It is God the Holy Spirit who convicts a person, regenerates them, and draws them to God. This is why Jesus says in the Gospel of John:
No one can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me draws him; and I will raise him up on the last day.
— John 6:44
Jesus understands their confusion, so He makes another statement to solidify His authority to forgive sins on earth:
Immediately Jesus, aware in His spirit that they were reasoning that way within themselves, said to them, “Why are you reasoning about these things in your hearts?
— Mark 2:8
First, we see Jesus’ divine ability to discern what is in the hearts of men. Before the scribes could voice their thoughts, Jesus perceived what they were thinking and called them out on it, asking why they were reasoning in their hearts.
Which is easier, to say to the paralytic, ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or to say, ‘Get up, pick up your mat, and walk’?
— Mark 2:9
Jesus makes a comparison between a miraculous act and the divine act of forgiving sins. By doing this, He indicates that it is harder to forgive sins than to make a person walk. Only God can forgive sins, so the act of forgiveness is greater than the act of healing.
To make this point, Jesus tells the paralytic to stand up and walk, showing that He has the authority to forgive sins (the greater act) and is also able to perform the lesser act of healing:
But so that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins”—He said to the paralytic, “I say to you, get up, pick up your mat, and go home.”
— Mark 2:10-11
This was Jesus exercising His divine authority and showing the scribes that He was indeed sent from God and that He Himself is God. The evidence of this is seen in the next verse when the paralytic gets up and walks away:
And he got up and immediately picked up the mat and went out before everyone, so that they were all amazed and were glorifying God, saying, “We have never seen anything like this.” And He went out again by the seashore; and the entire crowd was coming to Him, and He was teaching them.
— Mark 2:12-13
I pray that this word reminds you that Jesus is not just a mere mortal man but was sent from God and is Himself God the Son, who has the authority to forgive the sins of men. This is the truth in which we rejoice, knowing that by placing our faith in Jesus Christ, He forgives our sins and gives us new life.
On the next day, he saw Jesus coming to him and said, “Behold, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!”
— John 1:29
Peace be unto you.
Leave a Reply