Mark 2:1-12
Chapter 2
Heals a Paralytic
After several days, Jesus returned to Capernaum. As word spread that he was in the house,so many people gathered that there was no room left, not even outside the door. While Jesus was preaching to them,
some people brought a paralyzed man to him.
The four men who carried him couldn’t get close to Jesus because of the crowd, so they opened the roof above the room where Jesus was and lowered the man on his mat through the hole.
When Jesus saw the faith of those people, he told the paralytic:
“My son, your sins are forgiven.”
Now, some teachers of the law, who were sitting there, wondered to themselves:
“How can he speak like this, insulting God? Who else can forgive sins but God?”
Jesus immediately knew in his spirit what they were thinking and asked: “Why do you wonder?
Is it easier to say to this paralyzed man, ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or to say, ‘Rise, take up your mat and walk?’
But now, you will know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins.
And he said to the paralytic:
‘Stand up, pick up your mat, and go home.’”
The man rose and in front of everyone, he picked up his mat and left. They were all amazed and praised God, saying:
‘Never have we seen anything like this!’
Commentaries
Heals a Paralytic.
This passage emphasizes the faith and unity of four friends of a paralytic, who willingly go to great lengths to be close to Jesus so that he can heal their friend. Jesus, noticing their faith (5), heals the paralytic completely. During that time, illnesses were often seen as consequences of sin, and those who were sick were considered sinners; as a result, they were pushed away from social and religious life. Therefore, Jesus first forgives the paralytic’s sins (religious aspect), then heals him (physical aspect), and finally tells him to go home to his family (social aspect).