Matthew 9:1
And getting into a boat he crossed over and came to his own city.
Matthew 9:1-8
Matthew 9:2
And behold, some people brought to him a paralytic, lying on a bed. And when Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralytic, "Take heart, my son; your sins are forgiven."
Jesus saw their faith
Faith can be seen through actions.
Compare James:
James 2:14, 21, 25
What good is it, my brothers, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can that faith save him...?
Was not Abraham our father justified by works when he offered up his son Isaac on the altar...?
And in the same way was not also Rahab the prostitute justified by works when she received the messengers and sent them out by another way?
your sins are forgiven
Jesus intentionally places the emphasis on the spiritual need over the obvious physical ones.
We must understand this important principle!
Matthew 9:3
And behold, some of the scribes said to themselves, "This man is blaspheming."
blaspheming
The scribes rightly believe only God can forgive sins (compare Mark 2:7). They go wrong by thinking Jesus is not divine.
Matthew 9:4
But Jesus, knowing their thoughts, said, "Why do you think evil in your hearts?
knowing their thoughts
Jesus reading their hearts is an interesting sign. Only the people who were thinking evil in their hearts would recognize this sign.
Matthew 9:5
For which is easier, to say, 'Your sins are forgiven,' or to say, 'Rise and walk'?
which is easier?
This is the heart of the matter. Forgiveness of sins is a very difficult thing to get because it requires sacrifice--including the sacrifice of God's own dear Son.
Healing the paralytic is of course too difficult for man to accomplish, but it is relatively easy for God. Compare:
Mark 7:25-29
A woman whose little daughter had an unclean spirit heard of him and came and fell down at his feet. Now the woman was a Gentile, a Syrophoenician by birth. And she begged him to cast the demon out of her daughter. And he said to her, "Let the children be fed first, for it is not right to take the children's bread and throw it to the dogs." But she answered him, "Yes, Lord; yet even the dogs under the table eat the children's crumbs." And he said to her, "For this statement you may go your way; the demon has left your daughter."
Accepting Jesus's spiritual teaching, the friends brought the paralytic to Jesus to be healed. The miracle of the healing, on the other hand, compels the scribes to reckon with his spiritual message.
Matthew 9:6
But that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins"--he then said to the paralytic--"Rise, pick up your bed and go home."
Son of Man
The next verse neatly makes sense of this phrase: "They were afraid, and glorified God, who had given such authority to men."
Jesus uses this phrase to call attention to the scribes's need for physical things to point them to spiritual. They can see that he walks among them, and eats and drinks, et cetera, and yet he can heal the paralytic. There has to be more to this one.
This phrase typically differentiates human from divine.
(Ezekiel has 93 of the 193 times this phrase is used in the Bible.)Numbers 23:19
God is not man, that he should lie,
or a son of man, that he should change his mind.
Has he said, and will he not do it?
Or has he spoken, and will he not fulfill it?Ezekiel 2:1
And he said to me, "Son of man, stand on your feet, and I will speak with you."
However, we do see Job using the phrase to describe a would-be mediator between him and God.
Job 16:16-21
My face is red with weeping,
and on my eyelids is deep darkness,
although there is no violence in my hands,
and my prayer is pure.
O earth, cover not my blood,
and let my cry find no resting place.
Even now, behold, my witness is in heaven,
and he who testifies for me is on high.
My friends scorn me;
my eye pours out tears to God,
that he would argue the case of a man with God,
as a son of man does with his neighbor.
Matthew 9:7
And he rose and went home.
Matthew 9:8
When the crowds saw it, they were afraid, and they glorified God, who had given such authority to men.
the crowds
Note the scribes are not among those who are glorifying God for this miracle.
Mark 2:1-12
Mark 2:1
And when he returned to Capernaum after some days, it was reported that he was at home.
Mark 2:2
And many were gathered together, so that there was no more room, not even at the door. And he was preaching the word to them.
there was no more room
None of this setting is mentioned in Matthew's account. It prepares us for what will become necessary if they are to get to Jesus.
Mark 2:3
And they came, bringing to him a paralytic carried by four men.
Mark 2:4
And when they could not get near him because of the crowd, they removed the roof above him, and when they had made an opening, they let down the bed on which the paralytic lay.
they could not get near him
This is the faith that Jesus could see here and in Matthew 9:2. This is faith because they believed Jesus could heal their friend, and because they let nothing stop them from getting to him.
There could be no more fitting companion verse than Hebrews 11:6,
Without faith it is impossible to please him, for whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him.
Mark 2:5
And when Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralytic, "Son, your sins are forgiven."
Mark 2:6
Now some of the scribes were sitting there, questioning in their hearts,
Mark 2:7
"Why does this man speak like that? He is blaspheming! Who can forgive sins but God alone?"
Mark 2:8
And immediately Jesus, perceiving in his spirit that they thus questioned within themselves, said to them, "Why do you question these things in your hearts?
Mark 2:9
Which is easier, to say to the paralytic, 'Your sins are forgiven,' or to say, 'Rise, take up your bed and walk'?
Mark 2:10
But that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins"--he said to the paralytic--
Mark 2:11
"I say to you, rise, pick up your bed, and go home."
Mark 2:12
And he rose and immediately picked up his bed and went out before them all, so that they were all amazed and glorified God, saying, "We never saw anything like this!"
Luke 5:17-26
Luke 5:17
On one of those days, as he was teaching, Pharisees and teachers of the law were sitting there, who had come from every village of Galilee and Judea and from Jerusalem. And the power of the Lord was with him to heal.
Luke 5:18
And behold, some men were bringing on a bed a man who was paralyzed, and they were seeking to bring him in and lay him before Jesus,
Luke 5:19
but finding no way to bring him in, because of the crowd, they went up on the roof and let him down with his bed through the tiles into the midst before Jesus.
Luke 5:20
And when he saw their faith, he said, "Man, your sins are forgiven you."
Luke 5:21
And the scribes and the Pharisees began to question, saying, "Who is this who speaks blasphemies? Who can forgive sins but God alone?"
Luke 5:22
When Jesus perceived their thoughts, he answered them, "Why do you question in your hearts?
Luke 5:23
Which is easier, to say, 'Your sins are forgiven you,' or to say, 'Rise and walk'?
Luke 5:24
But that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins"--he said to the man who was paralyzed--"I say to you, rise, pick up your bed and go home."
Luke 5:25
And immediately he rose up before them and picked up what he had been lying on and went home, glorifying God.
Luke 5:26
And amazement seized them all, and they glorified God and were filled with awe, saying, "We have seen extraordinary things today."
Remembering how Luke began his gospel ("it seemed good to me also...to write an orderly account for you...", 1:3), we note he incorporates both Matthew 9:8 and Mark 2:12 into his own account here.
John 5:8-9
A Note on John's Reading
John's account is in fact not a parallel to Matthew, Mark, and Luke; it's a different event. But it does contain many similarities.
- This man is unable to walk.
- This man needs friends to carry him to be healed.
- Jesus heals him with a word.
John 5:7
The sick man answered him, "Sir, I have no one to put me into the pool when the water is stirred up, and while I am going another steps down before me."
John 5:8
Jesus said to him, "Get up, take up your bed, and walk."
"Get up, take up your bed, and walk."
This is almost a verbatim quote.
Mark 2:9
"Rise, take up your bed and walk."
John 5:9
And at once the man was healed, and he took up his bed and walked. Now that day was the Sabbath.
Now that day was the Sabbath.
The Gospel of John intends to establish the divinity of Christ.
John 1:1, 14
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God....
And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.
Therefore, John takes another angle here by introducing the conflict over whether it breaks the Sabbath for Jesus to perform miracles.
John 5:16-18
This was why the Jews were persecuting Jesus, because he was doing these things on the Sabbath. But Jesus answered them, "My Father is working until now, and I am working." This was why the Jews were seeking all the more to kill him, because not only was he breaking the Sabbath, but he was even calling God his own Father, making himself equal with God.