Forgiving Sins

Jesus healed a paralytic. By doing so, he demonstrated the authority of the Son of Man to discharge the stain of sin – Mark 2:1-12.

The literary unit in chapters 1 and 2 of the Gospel of Mark includes five stories highlighting the authority of Jesus as the “Son of Man.” It also shows the growing conflicts between him and the religious authorities from the Jerusalem Temple, especially regarding ritual purity and Sabbath keeping. There are parallels between the present story and the preceding passage about the cleansing of the man afflicted with leprosy.

In both stories, Jesus deals with the heart of the problem. Rather than heal, he cleanses the leper; and rather than proclaim the paralytic healed, he declared his sins forgiven.

[Clean Hands - Photo by Nathan Dumlao (Los Angeles) on Unsplash]

In the relevant passages, the cleansing of ritual impurities and the forgiveness of sins occur apart from the Temple and its rituals, which explains the objections of the Scribes to the words and deeds of Jesus. He “cleansed” impurities and “discharged” sins without resorting to the rituals of the Levitical code.

• (Mark 2:1-5) – “And entering again into Capernaum, after some days it was heard say he is in a house. And many were gathered so that no longer was there room even in the approaches to the door, and he began speaking to them the word. And they come, bearing to him a paralytic carried by four men. And not being able to get near him by reason of the multitude, they uncovered the roof where he was, and having broken it up, they began letting down the couch on which the paralytic man was lying. And Jesus, seeing their faith, said to the paralytic: Child! Your sins are forgiven!” – (Parallel passages: Matthew 9:2-8, Luke 5:18-26).

The roof of the typical Judean house was flat and accessible by an outside staircase. It was constructed of thatch and mud that could easily be disassembled. The passage attributes the actions of these men to their “faith.” Genuine faith is not abstract knowledge or emotions. It produces concrete actions and decisions.

Jesus told the paralytic that his sins were forgiven, or more accurately, they were “discharged.” The Greek verb commonly translated as “forgive” in English translations is the same word used elsewhere for “divorce” and the “discharging” of debts. The point of contention in the story is not the miraculous healing, but the presumed authority of Jesus to discharge the stain and penalty of sins without the mandatory Temple rituals.

Jesus does not attribute all diseases to sin, and he does not blame the paralytic’s condition on any offense that he may have committed. He links this physical healing to forgiveness because, in doing so, the man is made whole, physically and spiritually - (Mark 2:6-12).

The Scribes were offended because God alone could declare sins forgiven and the associated penalties discharged, and because Jesus did this without the participation of the priests and the required sacrifices.

While the chief priest performed an act of national absolution on the annual Day of Atonement, not even he was authorized to proclaim an individual’s sins forgiven. Christ’s words appeared presumptuous and blasphemous to these men from Jerusalem.

RISE AND WALK!

Jesus asked, which is easier? To say, “Your sins are forgiven,” or “Rise and walk?” Both statements are easy to say, and both are impossible to do without the authority of God. He did not ask which was easier to do, but which was easier “to say.”

It was easier to proclaim the forgiveness of sins since no one could evaluate the validity of the claim from observable evidence. To say the paralytic was healed was more difficult since verification would be immediate and obvious. If Jesus demonstrated his authority to heal, it would validate his authority to proclaim the forgiveness of sins.

The Greek verb translated as “arise” is the same one used later for the “rising” of Jesus from the dead. The restoration of the paralytic’s body and the forgiveness of sin were related acts, for the “Son of Man” came to make the entire man whole so that the people of God could rise and walk in newness of life - (Mark 16:6, Romans 8:11, 2 Corinthians 5:16-17).

This is the first instance of the term “Son of Man” in the Gospel of Mark. Jesus did not say, “I have authority,” but that the Son of Man has authority to forgive sins.

The term ‘Son of Man’ is the self-designation used most often by Jesus in the gospel accounts of Matthew, Mark, and Luke. In his capacity as the Son of Man,' he was authorized to “discharge” the debt of sins. The term is from the Book of Daniel:

• (Daniel 7:13-14) - “I kept looking in the night visions, and behold, with the clouds of heaven one like a Son of Man was coming. And he approached the Ancient of Days and was presented before Him. And to him was given dominion, glory, and a kingdom that all the peoples, nations, and men of every language might serve him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion, which will not pass away, and his kingdom will never be destroyed.”

By identifying himself as this ‘Son of Man, Jesus indicated the source of his authority, namely, the “Ancient of Days,” and his healings and exorcisms validated that identification. Later, Jesus appealed to the same authority when he ignored certain Sabbath regulations.

By standing up and carrying his litter, the healed paralytic proved Christ’s authority and the power of his “word.” By this healing, God authenticated Christ’s status as the Messiah and the ‘Son of Man’ before the religious leaders of Israel.

Yet the priestly authorities would continue to reject Jesus of Nazareth. This incident marked the start of the conflicts between Jesus and the Temple authorities that led inevitably to his death on a Roman cross.

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SEE ALSO:

• Mercy, not Sacrifice - (Forgiveness links the call of the tax collector to the healing of the paralytic – Christ’s authority to discharge sin and restore men – Mark 2:13-17)

• Overflowing Righteousness - (Mercy and love are the defining characteristics of the followers of Jesus, and they reflect the nature of his Father – Matthew 5:43-48)

• The Son's Authority - (Jesus is the ‘Son of Man’ foreseen by Daniel, the Messiah with absolute authority over the peoples and nations of the Earth)

• Pardonner les Péchés - (Jésus a guéri un paralytique. Ce faisant, il a démontré l'autorité du Fils de l'Homme pour se débarrasser de la tache du péché-Marc 2: 1-12)