Kingdom Disciples

Forgiveness links the call of the tax collector to the healing of the paralytic – Christ’s authority to discharge sins and restore men – Mark 2:13-17. When Jesus pronounced the paralytic’s sins “ forgiven ,” he offended the Scribes and Pharisees, and he alienated them by showing mercy to “ sinners ” considered unacceptable by more scrupulously religious Jews. Seeing Jesus eating with “ tax collectors ” and “ sinners ,” the Scribes and Pharisees insinuated that Christ also was a notorious sinner – (Mark 2:1-17).

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.