Jesus stepped into a boat, crossed over and came to his own town. Some men brought to him a paralytic, lying on a mat. When Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralytic, "Take heart, son; your sins are forgiven."
At this, some of the teachers of the law said to themselves, "This fellow is blaspheming!"
Knowing their thoughts, Jesus said, "Why do you entertain evil thoughts in your hearts? Which is easier: to say, 'Your sins are forgiven,' or to say, 'Get up and walk'? But so that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins...." Then he said to the paralytic, "Get up, take your mat and go home." And the man got up and went home. When the crowd saw this, they were filled with awe; and they praised God, who had given such authority to men.
Jesus saw this young man who was paralyzed. The people had already seen Jesus heal others with similar afflictions, so there was an expectancy that Jesus would heal. They were surprised, however, when instead of simply speaking words of healing, Jesus said, "Your sins are forgiven." I can imagine the gasp as the entire crowd thought what the Pharisees said, "Only God can forgive sins."
I have three immediate thoughts about this. First, Jesus is implying a connection between this man's condition and sin. While we are not supposed to look at others with judgment and condemnation in our hearts, I think that we would be wise when we are sick and suffering to look inside and allow God to search our hearts before we head to the doctors and try to medicate spiritual issues with pills and drugs. Not always, but at least sometimes, our medical issues have roots in spiritual issues.
My second thought about this is that this man had two problems, related, yet distinct. He had a spiritual problem and needed God's forgiveness, and he had a medical problem that needed healing. Jesus seems to be indicating that although the medical problem is the most apparent, the spiritual problem is the more important. Ultimately, Jesus resolved both problems: He restored spiritually and physically.
My third thought is how Jesus is setting up a claim that is the basis of our faith, and demonstrating in a tangible way the reality. "I and the Father are One; If you have seen Me, you have seen the Father; I only do what I see the Father doing and I only say what I hear the Father saying."
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