The Paralytic

Introduction: Which is more difficult? Healing or forgiving? When Jesus again entered the town of Capernaum, the people heard that he had come home. So many

people gathered that there was no room remaining in the house, not even outside the door, and he preached the word to the people. Some men came, bringing to him a paralytic, carried by four of them. Since they could not get the paralyzed man to Jesus because of the crowd, they made an opening in the roof above Jesus and after digging through it, lowered the mat with the paralyzed man lying on it. When Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralytic, "Son, your sins are forgiven." Now some teachers of the law were sitting there, thinking to themselves, "Why does this fellow talk like

that? He's blaspheming! Who can forgive sins but God alone?" Immediately Jesus knew in his spirit that this was what they were thinking in their hearts, and he said to

them, "Why are you thinking these things? Which is easier: to say to the paralytic, `Your sins are forgiven,' or to say, `Get up, take your mat and walk'? But that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins," Jesus turned to the paralytic and said, "I tell you, get up, take your mat and go home." Then the man who had been paralyzed got up, took up his mat and walked out in full view of them all. Everyone was amazed and they praised God, saying, "We have never seen anything like this!"