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The authority to forgive sins (Mk 2:1-12; Mt 9:1-8; Lk 5:17-26)
In this healing miracle, different people have different responses. What are the responses of different kinds of people in the scene?
(The response of the paralyzed man and his helpers)
Jesus was preaching in a house which was fully packed. Four helpers carried a paralyzed man lying on a mat and desired to bring him to Jesus. How could they bring him in, for even they themselves could hardly squeeze in? The reason why the four helpers eventually dropped him from the roof of the house is just because they could not access Jesus in any other way.
The helpers must have tried many ways at the beginning. They must have asked the crowd to make way but were denied. They must have walked around the house to see if there were any other entrances to get into the house. Of course, they failed to find another entrance, as Luke 5:19 described, “they could not find by what way they might bring him in because of the multitude.” Normally, anybody in such case may have given up and chosen to wait outside for Jesus, or simply find another time to come back. But they have not given up. They have thought out a way that no one else would ever consider trying—dropping him from the roof of the house! How complicated? First of all, they needed to climb up the top of the house, examine the roof and the location of Jesus in the house, and find the way to break the roof. The tough part was to drop him right in front of Jesus. After making all the considerations, they thought it was feasible and then took action. Just think about it. Lifting the paralyzed man with the mat up to the roof was not an easy task. Then, breaking the roof and carefully dropping him to where Jesus was made the whole process more difficult. Finally, they “let him down through the tiling with his couch into the midst before Jesus.” (Luke 5:19) Imagine how much effort they have spent and how risky they were in so doing! They finally accomplished their ultimate goal of laying the paralyzed man before Jesus, plainly because they never thought of giving up.
We can easily give up on not coming to our Lord Jesus! When we get up late, we give up going to church for worship. When we have other matters, we give up serving our Lord. When the normal ways do not seem to work, we give up trying other strange methods to do God’s work. Where is our persistence on behalf of the Lord?
(The response of Jesus)
It was surprising to everyone that Jesus responded to the paralyzed man not by healing him at once but by saying “Son, thy sins be forgiven thee.” (v5) In many situations, when the sick people come to Jesus for healing, he only heals them. At best he would add that they are healed by their faith.(Mark 5:34, 10:52) Didn’t Jesus see “their faith” (v5)? However, before this man, he said only but not healed! He uttered words but without action. Would all the efforts that the helpers spent be wasted completely?
There is a question which deserves our thinking. Is it possible that the paralyzed man asked the helpers to bring him to Jesus not for the purpose of healing but only for his preaching? Indeed, the 3 Gospels never mentioned any request from the man for healing. Even if it is natural to guess that the paralyzed man hoped to recover, Jesus wouldn’t have to say that his sins were forgiven, unless there is one possibility--this is exactly what he desired in his heart at that moment. Just think about it: if the paralyzed man simply desired to get healed, he could have waited outside until Jesus finished his preaching and then requested his healing. Why spent so much effort getting into the crowded house? Later on, it was mentioned that Jesus ‘perceived in his spirit’ (v8) what the scribes were ‘reasoning in their hearts’ (v6) at that time (Luke 5:22--‘perceived their thoughts’). Therefore, it is reasonable to believe that Jesus also perceived the heart of the paralyzed man that he came to him as a sinner and desired to be freed from sins. His sincerity and faith in Jesus were proven by his determination to access Jesus followed by a series of actions. Hence, Jesus was so pleased to grant him what he desired right away: “Son, thy sins be forgiven thee.” (v5) If he had not had such a desire or demand in his heart, Jesus would not have forgiven his sins. We have seen other cases of healing without mentioning the forgiveness of the sins of the healed person. The person may be healed physically, but his sins may still remain and not be treated. The paralyzed man might just want to hear the message about forgiveness. Now that his sins are forgiven, he is already satisfied. But God gives us more than what we ask of Him. The man was healed completely in the end.
(The response of the scribes)
During that time, “there was certain of the scribes sitting there.” (v6) Luke 5:21 said, “there were Pharisees and doctors of the law sitting by, which were come out of every town of Galilee, and Judea, and Jerusalem.” So, the house was crowded with different kinds of people, with different motives as well. On hearing Jesus’ word with the paralyzed man, “the scribes and the Pharisees” (Luke 5:21) reasoned “in their hearts”, ‘Why doth this man thus speak blasphemies? Who can forgive sins but God only?’ (v7) They were right; only God can forgive sins. Apparently, they did not believe that Jesus had the authority to forgive sins. To them what Jesus said is “speak blasphemies” (v7); blasphemy can lead to death sentence according to Jewish law. At the trial before the Jewish council, Jesus claimed before the high priest that he was the Christ, the Son of God. The high priest tore his priestly garment and said furiously, “Ye have heard the blasphemy, what think ye?’ And they all condemned him to be guilty of death.” (Mark 14:64) So blasphemy to the scribes and the Pharisees is a very serious religious crime that touches a raw nerve. Since they themselves dared not say such words as forgiving others’ sins, they therefore distrusted that Jesus had the authority to do so. They simply did not believe Jesus’ claim of himself as the Son of God. Jesus knew that they haboured evil in their hearts. (Mt 9:4)
Besides their distrust of Jesus, we can read more of their minds from Jesus’ response to them. Jesus said, ‘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?’ (v9) Probably, the scribes initially thought that Jesus would immediately heal the paralyzed man the moment he was dropped right before him, just as the other people might be anticipating Jesus to do. But Jesus did not perform any healing miracle. Instead, he said something that even the scribes and the Pharisees dared not utter from their mouths. They might simply think that Jesus was powerless to heal the paralyzed man. To conceal his powerlessness, he might then disguise himself as a man of God by saying something that only God is qualified to say. To the scribes, saying of course is much easier than performing any miracle.
But to the Son of God, performing a miracle is just as easy as lifting his hand or speaking by mouth (proven later by telling the paralyzed man to rise up and go). But why is telling someone that their sins are forgiven much more difficult than performing a miracle? First, as the scribes thought, only God can forgive sins. Jesus has the authority to forgive sins only because he is the Son of God. So, he followed by saying, “But that ye may know that the Son of man hath power on earth to forgive sins.” (v10) Second, the difficulty of forgiving sins does not lie on him but on the person to be forgiven. He can forgive sins but only on those who recognize their sins and are willing to seek forgiveness. Jesus has healed many people of their physical illness but not healed their spirits, because they did not sense the need to ask Jesus to forgive their sins. Jesus is willing but it all depends on us whether we are ready for it. Thus, the forgiveness of sins is a much harder but greater miracle to perform!
Jesus took the chance to declare to everyone that ‘the Son of man hath power on earth to forgive sins.’ (v10) He wanted everyone in the scene to reflect upon the issue of whether they sensed the same need to have their sins forgiven. Not only that, he indeed wanted them to realize the importance of ‘sins forgiven’ exceeding any physical healing. Then Jesus immediately proved to them that performing a miracle is as simple as saying, ‘Arise, and take up thy bed, and go thy way into thine house.’ (v11) The paralyzed man now showed his faith in Jesus’ power of healing: “And immediately he arose, took up the bed, and went forth before them all.” (v12) Together with the faith in Jesus’ power of forgiving sins, he had the kind of faith greater than many people who have been healed by Jesus before.
(The response of the crowd)
As the paralyzed man walked with full energy out of the house, the crowd were amazed and glorified God, saying, ‘We never saw it on this fashion.’ (v12) It is interesting to note the saying of Matt 9:8, “But when the multitudes saw it, they marvelled, and glorified God, which had given such power unto men.” Does the “power” here refer to the power to forgive sins as claimed by Jesus himself in Mark 2:10, or the power of the healing miracle? If we take a further look at Luke’s recording, we will understand what the “power” in Matthew points to. Luke 5:26 says, “And they were all amazed, and they glorified God, and were filled with fear, saying, ‘We have seen strange things to day.’ ” Luke described the feeling of the crowd—“filled with fear”. And both Luke and Mark stressed that the crowd saw an extraordinary thing with their naked eyes and made them feel amazed. Doubtlessly, they glorified God for the healing miracle done on the paralyzed man. Hence, the “power” in Matthew points to the power that Jesus exercised to make the paralyzed man rise and walk just by giving him an oral charge. This is something that they have never seen in their lives.
The crowd glorified God only after seeing Jesus heal the man physically. They had no response at all when Jesus announced to the man that his sins were forgiven, except for the negative response of the scribes and the Pharisees. People only see miracles done before their naked eyes powerful and amazing. They don’t see that sins forgiven in a penitent heart is a far more amazing miracle! Jesus has publicly announced that he has the power to forgive sins. How many of the audience in the scene responded to him with faith? I am afraid the response is similar to that of the audience when a pastor offers a calling for accepting Christ before the pulpit (maybe even worse).
People (including believers) nowadays, like Jesus’ times, usually see only the importance of physical healing but have little desire of spiritual healing. We have to readjust our minds on the priority of soul healing far more critical than recovery of illness.