Jesus was in a place called Capernaum and all the people there had heard that Jesus had come home. Capernaum was Jesus' home base throughout His earthly ministry. Such a large crowd gathered that "there was no room left, not even outside the door." Jesus used this as an opportunity to preach the Word to this large gathering of people.
While Jesus was preaching to the masses, four men grabbed their paralyzed friend, who was lying on a mat, and tried to get him to Jesus. No doubt they believed that Jesus could heal their friend. Upon arriving at the house in Capernaum, the four men realized that they were NOT going to be able to get their friend to Jesus because the crowd was too large and too pressing. Many of us at this point would have an "Oh Well!" attitude. We would take the mindset, "We tried!" Thankfully, that is not what these four men thought.
These four men decided to take their paralyzed friend up to the roof of the house. Upon arriving at the pinnacle of the house, the men began tearing back the layers of the roof making a large enough hole for them to lower their paralyzed friend into the center of the house and at the feet of Jesus. This display of faith "impressed" Jesus. Verse 5 says, "When Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralyzed men, 'Son, your sins are forgiven.'"
This brings us to the point in the story that I believe needs to be highlighted. Among the crowd that was gathered in Capernaum that day were some "teachers of the law." They were sitting there and they witnessed what just took place. They were sitting there and after hearing Jesus forgive the sins of the paralyzed man, they began thinking to themselves. Notice that they, according to Mark, NEVER spoke a word out loud. This is what they were THINKING, "Why does this fellow talk like that? He's blaspheming! Who can forgive sins about God alone?" Here's where the rub come in: Jesus, being Jesus, had the ability to know what they were thinking. Jesus HAS the ability to know what we are thinking as well.
Immediately Jesus responded to their thoughts. He said, "Why are you thinking these things? Which is easier: to say to this paralyzed man, 'Your sins are forgiven,' or to say, 'Get up, take your mat and walk?'" To me, this is a very intriguing question that Jesus asked these "teachers of the law." Let's answer this question.
On surface, let's forget the fact that Jesus is God and all, the answer to this question is "your sins are forgiven." Let me explain. I could walk up to you and tell you "your sins are forgiven" and you would NOT feel different physically. However, if I walk up to you and you are suffering from some physical issue and I say "you are healed," you are going to immediately know whether I am telling the truth or not telling the truth. Proof of the latter statement will be evident, based on whether or not your physical issue is resolved. This makes the next statement by Jesus all the more meaningful.
Jesus said, "But I want you to know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins." Jesus wanted the "teachers of the law" to understand that He was "the Son of Man." He wanted them to know that He was the long awaited Messiah. Therefore, He was about to do something that would prove to them who He actually was. Jesus was about to do the more difficult of the two things. If, in fact, it’s easier to say "your sins are forgiven," then Jesus was about to heal this man to prove to them that He was the Son of God. Verses 10b-11 state: "So he said to the man, 'I tell you, get up, take your mat and go home.'"
Did Jesus prove that He was the Son of God? Did He perform the "harder" of the two tasks? Verse 12 says, "He got up, took his mat and walked out in full view of them all. This amazed everyone and they praised God, saying, 'We have never seen anything like this!'" Jesus just proved to everyone gathered in the house on that day in Capernaum that He was the Son of God. Jesus proved that He has the ability not only to heal physical issues, but that He has the ability to forgive sins. Jesus Christ "has the authority on earth to forgive sins." I wander what "the teachers of the law" were thinking now?
Have you asked Him to forgive your sins? Have you prayed that He would convict those in your circle of influence of their sins so that they might call on Him for forgiveness? Let's not miss the message of this passage. Jesus Christ has the ability to and He wants to forgive sins. It only requires faith.
