WHICH IS EASIER?
Mark 2: 5-12 ESV
5 And when Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralytic, “Son, your sins are forgiven.” 6 Now some of the scribes were sitting there, questioning in their hearts, 7 “Why does this man speak like that? He is blaspheming! Who can forgive sins but God alone?” 8 And immediately Jesus, perceiving in his spirit that they thus questioned within themselves, said to them, “Why do you question these things in your hearts? 9 Which is easier, to say to the paralytic, ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or to say, ‘Rise, take up your bed and walk’? 10 But that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins”—he said to the paralytic— 11 “I say to you, rise, pick up your bed, and go home.” 12 And he rose and immediately picked up his bed and went out before them all, so that they were all amazed and glorified God, saying, “We never saw anything like this!”
This is the story of the man who was paralyzed and was brought by four friends to Jesus. These guys had some faith because when they could not get their friend to Jesus due to the large crowds, they found another way. They went up to the roof with their friend and made a hole large enough to let the paralyzed man down in front of Jesus. I have heard people debate on the difficulty of making a hole in the roof, but regardless of the roof construction, it took some moxie to make a hole and let their friend down while Jesus was speaking to a packed house.
Jesus saw the faith of the five men; the paralyzed man had faith to go through with this unusual scheme but said something that caught everyone by surprise, “Son, your sins are forgiven.” Many scribes and leaders of the Pharisees were present when Jesus spoke these words, and they did not speak out loud, but inwardly, they were indignant. The scriptures say they were questioning or reasoning in their hearts. And the reasoning was that only God could forgive sins. So basically, they were accusing Jesus of blasphemy.
And Jesus perceived in His spirit that the scribes were reasoning along these lines. Here is a side note. Jesus did not walk in omniscience, the state of knowing everything. He perceived in His spirit, so while on earth, Jesus was dependent on the Holy Spirit to help Him. Remember, He laid aside His heavenly privilege and position to become a man. Sinless, yes, but still subject to feelings and temptations, just as we are. This, according to Hebrews 4:15, is why Jesus can sympathize with our weaknesses; He was tempted as we are yet without sin.
So Jesus asked a question of the scribes. Which is easier to say, someone is forgiven, or to say, rise, take up your bed, and walk? If we think about it for a moment, it’s easier to say your sins are forgiven because there is no way to tell if that really happened. To someone being forgiven, there is no corresponding action to verify that forgiveness has taken place.
But if you say rise, take up your bed, and walk, everyone can see if healing happens. So Jesus then proved He had the authority to forgive sins by saying, rise, take up your bed, and walk, and the paralyzed man was immediately healed. Jesus proved the invisibility of sins being forgiven by the visibility of a physical healing. This had to rock the world of the Pharisees. How could they refute what had happened? The man gets up, picks up his bed, and heads for home. Of course, the real winners of this interchange were the four friends who carried their friend to Jesus and the man who was healed. Jesus proved He could forgive sins, and a man was no longer paralyzed, so everyone wins.
APPLICATION
The good news for us today is that Jesus is still the same. According to Hebrews 13:8, He is the same yesterday, today, and forever. He still forgives sins and heals bodies, minds, and emotional distress. Jesus brought healing, peace, and relief during His time on earth, and He is still bringing healing, peace, and relief today.
PRAYER
Lord, thank You for forgiving my sins and making me whole spirit, soul, and body.