As Jesus draws his first Galilean tour to a close we find him again in Capernaum, most likely in Simon Peter’s house (Mk 1:29). The healing of the leper (the only incident we are given from his first tour), and the healing of this paralytic, are representative of Jesus’ work and have several things in common: (1) Jesus shows concern for more than their physical well-being. (2) These healings are unprecedented. Nothing like it had ever been done (cf. Mk 2:12). (3) The healing demonstrates divine power. (4) Jesus acts in ways quite contrary to contemporary rabbis.

In our present narrative, we will see, for the first time, official opposition to Jesus from the religious hierarchy. Soon they will object to Jesus at four levels (McGarvey, p. 183): (1) Blasphemy, (2) interaction with tax collectors and sinners, (3) neglect of ascetic duties (washings, fasting, etc.), and (4) Sabbath violations.

Mt 9:1-2 ¹A few days later, when Jesus again entered Capernaum, the people heard that he had come home. ²So many gathered that there was no room left, not even outside the door, and he preached the word to them.

Lk 5:17-21 with Mk 2:3-4, Mt 9:2 ¹⁷Pharisees and teachers of the law, who had come from every village of Galilee and from Judea and Jerusalem, were sitting there. And the power of the Lord was present for him to heal the sick. ¹⁸Some [four^MK] men came carrying a paralytic on a mat and tried to take him into the house to lay him before Jesus. ¹⁹When they could not find a way to do this because of the crowd, they went up on the roof and [made an opening in the roof above Jesus and, after digging through it^MK] lowered him on his mat through the tiles into the middle of the crowd, right in front of Jesus.

²⁰When Jesus saw their faith, he said, “Friend [take heart, son^MT], your sins are forgiven.”

²¹The Pharisees and the teachers of the law began thinking to themselves, “Who is this fellow who speaks blasphemy? Who can forgive sins but God alone?”

Jesus somehow manages to enter the city unnoticed and takes the opportunity to lay low for a few days. As soon as the rumor spread that Jesus is back, the crowds again assemble at Peter’s front door. Jesus begins to teach the crowds day after day. The Pharisees and teachers of the law hear that his classes are in session and stream to him from the villages scattered across Galilee, Judea and Jerusalem. The house is soon packed.^6-24

As near as we can tell, Peter lived in an upper-middle-class home. It would have consisted of a square courtyard with rooms all around it. At one corner of the court would be a door leading to the street. It likely could have been two story with an open rooftop surrounded by a parapet for safety. All around the courtyard would have been an awning which allowed the occupants of the house to move from room to room outside, but still sheltered from the sun and rain. We picture Jesus standing outside his quarters teaching the thronging crowd that pressed into the courtyard. There is a line outside the front gate trying to press their way in.

Luke (5:17) notices what will soon be evident to the entire crowd, that “the power of the Lord was present for him to perform healing.” Four men carry in this paralytic on a “bed” which we would call a “cot” or a “stretcher.” It was probably nothing more than some animal skin and some supporting boards. This poor fellow is used to being carried around. We would like to know a bit more about his condition. Is he paralyzed from birth? Is it a neck injury later in life? Is he married with a family to support? We are simply not told. But this much we can ascertain from Jewish culture—the only job he could hold was to get some friends to lay him by a busy gate where he might beg for alms. It is likely that these same four men carried him everyday to a public place so that he could lay there, looking pathetic, and be gawked at all day, hoping that someone would throw a few pennies at him.

We don’t know whose idea it is to carry the paralytic to Jesus. But it is a cumbersome process. The crowd outside the door won’t budge. A child, perhaps, could squeeze between their legs, but not four grown men with a stretcher. Thus, they climb up on the roof. It is possible that there was an outdoor staircase to the roof, but this is unlikely since it would only invite robbers. It is more likely that they get in the neighbor’s house, go up on their roof and then hop over to Peter’s. The houses were often close enough together to make this possible, but it could not have been done without attracting attention. But then, they have only begun to do that! Why are they so intense about getting this fellow to Jesus TODAY? Answer: Jesus is unpredictable—here today, gone tomorrow. This may, in fact, be their only chance.

They climb down onto the awning above where Jesus stood. They cannot see him, but they can tell where he is by the direction the crowd faces. These awnings were made out of thatched tile pieces. Thus, Mark (2:4) says that these four “dug” through the roof. They pull out some of the grass, mud and sticks until they could finally dismantle a large tile section and lower their friend down.^6-25 The people standing in front of Jesus in the open courtyard can see what was going on. Jesus, no doubt, notices that the crowd is somewhat distracted. Soon bits of grass and dirt and twigs begin to fall around him as he preaches. Suddenly the sunlight streams through the awning and a shadowy figure on a pallet is lowered down. Now don’t you wonder if the fellow on the pallet had an impish little grin on his face as he lay there in front of Jesus? Surely he is just a little embarrassed about breaking up the sermon?

Jesus, respecting the faith of the four men, declares this paralytic forgiven of his sins (cf. Lk 7:48; 23:43). They come to Jesus for a healing (perhaps so that they won’t have to carry their friend around anymore). But what they get is an absolution. That has to be mildly disappointing for the four. But it was extremely infuriating to the Pharisees. You see, Jesus is acting like God!

The Pharisees sit piously in their seats of honor listening to Jesus’ sermon. But when they hear this, they come unglued. They huddle together in a brief conference and unanimously conclude that Jesus had just blasphemed. “Who can forgive sins,” they asked, “but God alone?” Their basic logic is correct: Only God has the moral authority to forgive sins (cf. Isa 43:25). Their theology is correct, but they are badly mistaken in their evaluation of Jesus.

Blasphemy is essentially “reviling” or “insulting” (cf. Titus 3:2; 2 Pet 2:2; Jude 8). One could blaspheme God by (1) insulting him, (2) by refusing to give him due praise, or (3) by raising yourself to the level of God with the result that you bring God down to your level. It was this third form of “blasphemy” that caused the Pharisees to balk at Jesus’ claim. The fact that blasphemy was punishable by death in Jewish law explains their ferocity against Jesus.

Mk 2:8-12 with Mt 9:4 ⁸Immediately Jesus knew in his spirit that this was what they were thinking in their hearts, and he said to them, “Why are you thinking these [evil^MT] things? ⁹Which is easier: to say to the paralytic, ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or to say, ‘Get up, take your mat and walk’? ¹⁰But that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins…” He said to the paralytic, ¹¹”I tell you, get up, take your mat and go home.”

Lk 5:25-26 with Mt 9:8  ²⁵Immediately he stood up in front of them, took what he had been lying on and went home praising God. ²⁶Everyone was amazed and gave praise to God [who had given such authority to men^MT]. They were filled with awe and said, “We have seen remarkable things today.”

Jesus again perceives their thoughts “in his spirit” and even evaluates them as “evil.” Jesus responds, not with mere argumentation, but with undeniable evidence. He asks, “Which is easier to say, ‘Your sins are forgiven’ or to say, ‘Rise, take up your pallet and walk?’” The fact is, they are both easy to say but quite impossible to do. Furthermore, anyone could say your sins are forgiven and there is no way to prove whether they are or not. But if someone should say, “Rise, take up your bed and walk,” that is immediately verifiable.

And so we come to the center of the text: “But that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins….”^6-26 Jesus breaks off his sentence midstream (Mk 2:10), turns to the paralytic and says, “Take up your bed and go home.” It is as if Jesus says, “Just watch this!”

By proving he could heal the paralytic, he also proves that he has forgiven the man’s sin. The Jews, of course, would believe the physical problem is caused by the spiritual problem (cf. Jn 9:2). Thus, Jesus not only releases the man from paralysis but also the social stigma of being a sinner.

Immediately the man obeys Jesus, taking up his stretcher and going home. The crowd that would not let him in, now easily parts to let him through. Wouldn’t you? The paralytic exits, praising God. The crowd is flabbergasted. The Pharisees are silent. What could they say in the face of the people’s assessment? “We have seen remarkable things today. We have never seen anything like this.” The crowd is not responding primarily to the healing. They have seen this kind of thing before in this very house. What they have never seen before is a man with divine authority to forgive sins. Thus, Jesus’ miracle has three parts: (1) Forgiveness of sins, (2) reading minds, (3) healing paralysis. All three are stunning.

VERSE-BY-VERSE STUDY

(9:1-8) Introduction—Jesus Christ—Compassion—Faith, Persistent: Jesus was deeply touched by men who diligently sought Him and persevered in that diligence. These men could not reach Jesus because of the throng of people, but the friends would not give up. They removed the roof and lowered the sick man down to Christ (Mark 2:1-12).

This persistent act gave Christ the opportunity to show His love and power to forgive sins, and to demonstrate that He was beyond question the Messiah.

1. Jesus left Gadara and entered His own city—Capernaum (v.1).
2. Jesus’ power to forgive sins was demonstrated (v.2).
3. Jesus’ power to forgive sins was questioned: He was silently accused of blasphemy (v.3).
4. Jesus’ power to forgive sins was proven (v.4-7).
5. Jesus’ power to forgive sins brought glory to God (v.8).

DEEPER STUDY

(9:1-8) Jesus Christ, Deity—Forgiveness: note several things about this experience.

1. The experience must have embarrassed the sick man. His friends had not waited their turn, and the sick man was unable to stop his friends. He was probably expecting a rebuke. The wording of Jesus’ response indicates embarrassment and fear: “Son, be of good cheer.”
2. The experience touched the heart of Jesus in a very special way. It revealed a persistent faith that would not be stopped until it had experienced its end. The friends had a faith that would not quit, no matter what.
3. The experience caused Jesus to reveal and speak the thoughts that are ever on His mind: “Son, be of good cheer; thy sins are forgiven thee.” His words are words of compassion, affection, endearment, sympathy, encouragement, assurance, and forgiveness.
4. The experience gave Jesus the unique opportunity to prove His Messiahship: that He is the Son of Man. Note that Jesus did not say “I,” but “the Son of Man has power [authority] on earth to forgive sins.” The people were familiar with the title “the Son of Man” (cp. Daniel 7:13-14). Every phrase is important.
5. The Son of Man is given “authority,” that is, dominion and power over a kingdom, a kingdom that is open to all people.
6. The Son of Man is “given power [authority] over earth” now as well as in the future.
7. The Son of Man’s power includes the power to forgive as well as the power to rule and reign.

(9:1) Jesus Christ, Rejected: Jesus left Gadara and entered His own city, Capernaum. The Gadarenes had asked Him to leave (cp. Matthew 8:34). There is no record of his ever entering their coasts again. He obeyed their wish. Jesus’ experience with the Gadarenes is a warning to every man, city, and nation. He will not force Himself upon any person or society. What a contrast with the people of Capernaum and the paralyzed man of this story.

(9:2) Jesus Christ, Power—Forgiveness: Jesus’ power to forgive sins was demonstrated.

1. There was the friends’ deep care. They brought their disabled friend to Christ. Note four facts.
2. The man was disabled. He was helpless; therefore, he was without hope. But his friends cared and cared deeply for him.
3. The friends had a a very special care, a care that was deeper than the care of mere friendship (Mark and Luke show this). They were obsessed with the mission to get this disabled friend to Jesus. They not only went to him and made his bed as an act of ministry and service, but they went to him, made a pallet, and then brought him to Jesus.
4. The friends acknowledged Jesus’ power to help. They knew He could help and they did not question His power. It was not a spirit of maybe He could, but He could and would help.
5. The friends persisted even to the point of rudeness (Luke 11:5-10; Luke 18:1-8). They would not be stopped (cp. Mark and Luke).

All men are disabled and sick spiritually. Therefore, we must possess the same three qualities as the friends of the disabled did:

1)   We must be obsessed with the mission of getting the disabled to Christ. We must cling to the helpless and hopeless until we can get them to Christ.

2)   We must acknowledge Christ’s power to help—beyond any question.

3)   We must persist and persevere until we get the disabled to Christ.

We cannot save our friends. No man can forgive another man’s sins or heal a man, but we can bring a man to Christ for salvation and deliverance.

2. There was the friends’ great faith. Note the words, “Their faith”: it wastheir faith that saved this man, both the faith of the man and his friends. Their faith was great and persistent. What is a great faith?
3. A great faith is focusing one’s belief on Jesus Christ. It is centering one’s attention and conviction on Christ; that He alone is the answer to the needy and the helpless of the world, no matter who they are.
4. A great faith is acknowledging that a need does exist and must be met.
5. A great faith is doing all one can do to meet the need. These men did all they could do. They went to great effort. They went to the disabled friend’s house, made a pallet, and carried him to Jesus.
6. A great faith persists until the need is met.

Jesus will never fail to acknowledge persistent faith. He saw the faith of these men; He could not miss it. Their faith had caused them to persist—quitting was unthinkable. They persisted until they reached Him.

The faith of friends has a bearing and carries some weight upon the salvation of the hopeless and helpless. It was “their faith” that saved this man. We must go out of the walls of our churches and homes and bring the helpless and hopeless to Christ. Christ will honor our belief and trust in Him. He will save those whom we bring.

Note: the act of these men spoke much louder than words. These men said nothing as far as it is known. They just brought the man to Christ. When the act or behavior is present, there is no need for words. What a lesson in faith! Faith is not profession; it is possession. Faith is not words; it is action (James 2:20; cp. James 2:17-26).

3. There was Jesus’ compassion. The greatest need this crippled man had was to be forgiven his sins. This was the first thing Jesus did: He forgave the man’s sins. This was the most important thing. But note that these friends and the disabled man already had faith. Faith is necessary for one’s sins to be forgiven.

Jesus has compassion for all men—even the rude. Jesus has enormous compassion on a faith that genuinely seeks and believes in Him. What He looks for and sees in a man is faith, faith that causes a man to seek after Him with all his heart.

1) These men had been as rude as possible by breaking into line. They were probably thought selfish and self-centered by pushing ahead. But their heart was crying out in desperation for their friend.

2) The disabled man was probably as embarassed as he could be, but he was desperate, so he was willing to bear the embarrassment.

Jesus did not conduct His services by ceremony and ritual. These men interrupted whatever He was doing. Why? Because they had need and were desperately seeking His help. Ceremony and ritual can never replace compassion. The church needs to keep itself open to the message of compassion, and compassion should always supersede ceremony and ritual. Need should always be met before ceremony and ritual. This is a known fact but a revolutionary practice.

DEEPER STUDY

(26:28) Forgiveness (aphesin): to send off, to send away. The wrong is cut out, sent off, and sent away from the wrongdoer. The sin is separated from the sinner.

There are four main ideas in the Biblical concept of forgiveness.

1. There is the idea of why forgiveness is needed. Forgiveness is needed because of wrongdoing and guilt and the penalty arising from both (cp. Romans 3:23; Romans 6:23; Romans 8:1).
2. There is the idea of a once-for-all forgiveness, a total forgiveness. A man is once-for-all forgiven when he believes in Jesus Christ and is immersed for remission of sins. Belief in Jesus Christ is the only condition for being forgiven once-for-all (Acts 2:38; Ephes. 1:7; Romans 4:5-8).
3. There is the idea of forgiveness that maintains fellowship. Fellowship exists between God as Father and the believer as His child. When the child does wrong, the fellowship is disturbed and broken. The condition for restoring the fellowship is confessing and forsaking the sin (Psalm 66:18; Proverbs 28:13; 1 John 1:7).
4. There is the idea of a releasing from guilt. This is one of the differences between man forgiving a man and God forgiving a man. A man may forgive a person for wronging him, but he can never remove the guilt that his friend feels. And often he cannot remove the resentment he feels within his own heart. Only God can remove the guilt and assure the removal of resentment, and God does both. God forgives and erases the guilt and resentment (Psalm 51:2, 7-12; Psalm 103:12; 1 John 1:9).

(9:3) Jesus Christ, Power: Jesus’ power to forgive sins was questioned. He was silently accused of blasphemy. Note: it was the religionists who thought that Jesus could not forgive sins, and the thought was whispered among themselves. Many think this even today. In the inner recesses of their heart they do not think Jesus can really forgive sin. They have the thought and perhaps whisper to their spouses or close associates that He is not really the Son of God, the One who has the power to forgive sins.

The innermost belief of many today is a paradox.

1) Many do not believe that Jesus Christ is truly living, that He is the Son of God, God incarnate in human flesh, who arose from the dead and is seated at the right hand of God.

2) Many who disbelieve, however, do accept Jesus Christ to be one of the greatest teachers who ever lived. The paradox with this position is that it makes Christ the biggest fraud in all history, for He did claim to be the Son of God and to possess the power of God to forgive sins.

DEEPER STUDY

(6:2) Scribes—Scribal Law—Pharisees: these Pharisees were probably Scribes. The Scribes were a profession of men sometimes called lawyers. They were some of the most devoted and committed men to religion in all of history, and were of the sect known as the Pharisees. However, every Pharisee was not a Scribe. A Scribe was more of a scholar, more highly trained than the average Pharisee. They had two primary functions.

1. The Scribes copied the written law, the Old Testament Scriptures. In their copying function they were strict copiers, meticulously keeping count of every letter in every word. This exactness was necessary, for God Himself had given the written law to the Jewish nation. Therefore, the law was not only the very Word of God, it was the greatest thing in the life of the Jewish nation. It was considered the most precious possession in all the world; consequently, the Jewish nation was committed to the preservation of the law (Neh. 8:1-8). A young Jew could enter no greater profession than the profession of Scribes.
2. The Scribes  studied, classified, and taught the moral law. This function brought about the Oral or Scribal Law that was so common in Jesus’ day. It was the law of rules and regulations. There were, in fact, so many regulations that over fifty large volumes were required when they were finally put into writing. The great tragedy was that through the centuries, the Jews began to place the Oral law over the written law.

The Scribes felt that the law was God’s final word. Everything God wanted man to do could be deduced from it; therefore, they drew out of the law every possible rule they could and insisted that life was to be lived in conformity to these rules. Rules were to be a way of life, the preoccupation of a man’s thoughts. At first these rules and regulations were taught by word of mouth; however, in the third century after Christ they were put into certain writings.

     The Halachoth: rules that were to govern the ritual of worship.

     The Talmud: made up of two parts.

Þ The Mishnah: sixty-three discussions of various subjects of the law.

Þ Germara: the sacred legends of the people.

     Midrashim: the commentaries on the writings.

     Hagada: thoughts on the commentaries.

DEEPER STUDY

(23:8) Pharisees: the word means the separated ones. The Pharisees were strict religionists. Their religious sect arose about B.C. 175. A Syrian king, Antiochus Epiphanes, tried to stamp out the Jewish religion and replace it with Greek customs and practices. A number of Jewish men opposed this threat and determined among themselves to save the Jewish religion. They refused to practice Greek customs and dedicated themselves to practicing the Jewish law in the strictest sense. They felt that by carrying out every little detail of the Jewish law and by teaching others to do the same, they could save the Jewish religion and nation and keep it from dying out.

Several things should be noted.

1. They were the orthodox of their day—a sect or school of religious thought. They were organized solely for preserving the law and the Jewish religion. Thereby, they were to save the Jewish nation.
2. They were strict literalists. The Jewish law was expanded into thousands and thousands of little rules and regulations by the Scribes. These rules and regulations were known as the Scribal or Oral Law. More than fifty volumes or books were eventually needed to hold the regulations.
3. The Pharisees were a body of the most zealous religionists.
4. There were never many Pharisees—never more than 6,000. The strictness and demands of the sect were too hard for the common people.
5. They were in dead earnest—dedicated and zealous, self-denying, and moral. No man could give his life to so desperate and restrictive a task unless he was totally genuine.
6. They were self-righteous, heartless, and hypocritical (Luke 18:9). They lacked any sense of need or sin (Luke 7:39).
7. They were bitterly opposed to the Sadducees, hating and despising them, feeling that the Sadducees were traitors to the nation. However, the Pharisees were forced to quietly cooperate with the Sadducees because the Sadducees were the primary ruling party of the nation.
8. They were the main opponents of Jesus Christ and were unsparing in their denunciation of Him. Their savage attacks were primarily for two reasons. First, He was not a graduate of any of their rabbinical schools, nor a member of any of their religious sects. Second, He attacked their rules and regulations which had been added to God’s law.

(9:4-7) Jesus Christ, Power: Jesus’ power to forgive sins was proven. Note four steps.

1. Jesus revealed something: He knew the rejection of the religionists. The Scribes’evil was their thinking that Jesus, the Son of God, was not of God, and that He did not have the power to forgive sins (Matthew 9:4). The crowd at least recognized His power as being the power of God, but not the Scribes and religionists. In their pride and hardness of heart, they rejected Him and refused to ascribe any authority to Him. He knew exactly what they were thinking.

Christ knows all our thoughts. No thought and no imagination are hid from Him (cp. Matthew 12:25; Luke 6:8; Luke 9:47; John 2:25). Thoughts that deny Jesus’ deity are evil. Jesus has but one question for the unbeliever: “Wherefore think ye evil in your hearts?” (Matthew 9:4).

2. Jesus something: a test. It is much easier to say something than to do something. Therefore, Jesus suggested that He be put to the test, that He prove His deity by act and not just by word. Note two things.
3. Jesus was acknowledging that profession only was inadequate evidence for a claim. Action is also needed.
4. Jesus’ purpose was to demonstrate that the Son of Man has power to forgive sins. God has committed all judgment into the hands of Jesus, a judgment that either forgives or condemns a person.

It is much easier to say something than to do something. Jesus proved that He was not just speaking words, not just professing to have the power of God to forgive sins. He forcefully spoke and the man arose.

3. Christ did something: He healed the man. Christ proved His deity and Messiahship. This miracle and all others miracles prove two things.
4. His miracles prove exactly what He was claiming: that He is truly the Messiah, the Son of Man, the Son of the living God. He has the power to forgive sins.
5. His miracles prove that God does care: He cared enough to send His only Son into the world to heal and to save the needy and the hopeless.

Note that Christ did not argue. His purpose was to heal and save the needy, not to argue who He is and by whose authority He possesses the power of God.

1) He revealed His Divine knowledge, His omniscience: “Why think ye?”

2) He revealed His Divine power, His omnipotence: “Arise, take up thy bed, and go….”  How we need to cease arguing and begin carrying out the real mission God has called us to do.

4. Christ commanded something: go to thy house. Why did Christ send the man to his house? Our homes are to be the first recipients of our witness. But the very opposite is too often true; our homes are often overlooked and neglected. Note two facts about the saved man that can teach us a clear lesson.
5. He had been a burden to his loved ones.
6. He could now be a servant who could minister to his loved ones.

DEEPER STUDY

(8:20) The Son of Man: Jesus is not only what an ordinary man is, a son of man; Jesus is what every man ought to be, the Son of Man Himself. He is the Ideal Man, the Representative Man, the Perfect Man, the Pattern, the Embodiment of everything a man ought to be. Jesus Christ is the perfect picture of a man. Everything God wants a man to be is seen perfectly in Jesus Christ (cp. John 1:14; Col. 2:9-10; Hebrews 1:3.

The title also means the Ideal Servant of man. It stresses His sympathy for the poor, the broken-hearted, the captives, the blind, the bruised, the outcasts, the bereaved (cp. Luke 4:18). Jesus is the Pattern, the Model, the Perfect Example of concern and caring. He served and set a perfect example of how every man ought to serve other men.

Jesus calls Himself “the Son of Man” about eighty times. It is His favorite term. The title Son of Man is probably based upon the Son of Man in Daniel (Daniel 7:13-14). Scripture also gives a picture of Jesus as the heavenly Son of Man contrasted with Adam as the earthly Man (1 Cor. 15:45-47). Each serves as a Representative Man for the human race in God’s plan for world history.

(9:8) Jesus Christ, Power: Jesus’ power to forgive sins brought glory to God.

1) The fact that the Messiah has really come: “God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish but have everlasting life” (John 3:16).

2) The fact that unbelievers can be forgiven their sins, that is, saved: “He is able to save them to the uttermost that come unto God by Him, seeing He ever liveth to make intercession for them” (Hebrews 7:25).

Note several warnings.

1) A person can glorify God and still not be saved. The multitudes glorified God, yet they did not receive forgiveness of sins.

2) A person can marvel at Christ, but he may fail to believe that Christ is truly the Son of Man.

3) A person can believe that Jesus Christ was only a man who was given the power of God while on earth, but this person will never be saved as long as he denies that Jesus is the Son of God (John 3:16; cp. Matthew 10:33).