Jesus Heals a Paralytic

ONE DAY WHILE JESUS was teaching a large group of people gathered at a home, a paralyzed man was brought to the house, carried on a mat by four of his friends, to see and hear Jesus. However, they could not enter the home because there were so many people. The man’s friends carried him up on the roof of the house, made an opening in the roof, and let down the man using the mat on which he was lying, placing him directly in front of Jesus. (Mark 2:1-4; Luke 5:18,19) What persevering faith the man and his four friends had, desiring to see Jesus and hear his teachings!

When Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralyzed man, “Your sins are forgiven.” (Luke 5:20, ISV) Although the ransom price had not yet been actually provided, Jesus had already been presented as “the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world.” He had been baptized and accepted by God, and he was on the altar of sacrifice. (John 1:29; Matt. 3:16,17) Therefore, in view of the acceptableness to God of his sacrifice, which was even now being consumed, Jesus could properly say to the man that his sins were forgiven.

When the scribes and Pharisees who were present heard these words, they began to say among themselves, “Who is this man who is uttering blasphemies? Who can forgive sins but God alone?”—Luke 5:21, ISV

Jesus perceived their thoughts and said to them, “Which is easier: to say Your sins are forgiven, or to say Get up and walk? But I want you to know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins.” Then Jesus told the paralyzed man, “Get up, pick up your stretcher, and go home!” The man immediately was able to stand up, did exactly as Jesus had instructed, and “went home, praising God.” All the people who saw this praised God and declared, “We have seen wonderful things today!”—vss. 22-26, ISV

Jesus called attention to his miracles of healing as being the divine testimony that he was indeed the Son of God and the long-promised Messiah of Israel. He was the one to whom God entrusted the great work of taking away Adamic sin, and subsequently healing all mankind from their infirmities, which were part of the “wages of sin.” (Rom. 6:23) John the Baptist had already proclaimed Jesus as the “Lamb of God” who would take away the sin of the world. Our Heavenly Father showed his endorsement of John’s proclamation by granting Jesus the power to forgive, and to do many wonderful miracles in sight of the people.—John 2:11; 3:2

The forgiveness of sins, miraculous healings, and setting at liberty from the prison-house of death of just a few individuals during Jesus’ earthly ministry were merely a foretaste of the grander work during the future kingdom on earth. At that glorious time, under Messiah’s reign of righteousness, “God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away. And he that sat upon the throne said, Behold, I make all things new.”—Rev. 21:1-5