In the Gospel of Mark, Jesus proves again and again his credentials as the Messiah. He has demonstrated his authority over knowledge, demonic spirits, healing, and the physical world. In this sermon, we learn about Jesus validating his Messianic authority in a way that helped spark the beginning of resentment and hostility in the Jewish religious leaders. He forgave the sin of a paralytic man who was lowered through the roof on his bed by four friends into the room where Jesus was teaching.
Upon hearing the man’s sin pronounced absolved, the stunned religious leaders exclaimed, “No one but God can forgive sin!” Yes! That was exactly the point! Jesus is the Son of God who came to this world for the very purpose of saving us from our sin. How did Jesus prove his authority and power to forgive sin? By commanding the paralyzed man to take up his bed and walk!
Read the full sermon transcript below!
We return this morning to our ongoing series of sermons from the New Testament Gospel of Mark. There is no question about Mark’s motivation for writing his Spirit-inspired record of the earthly ministry of our Lord Jesus. It was to demonstrate to the ancient world of his day, some two thousand years ago, and to all the world for all time, that Jesus of Nazareth was and is the Messiah—the Christ, the anointed one of God—who came to save his people from their sin, to build his church throughout the world, and to rule over all of earth and heaven till his blessed future return and forever.
Over and over in these early paragraphs of Mark’s gospel, he has proven the authority of Jesus, the Son of God, and his authenticity as the Messiah. Authority to teach, to heal, to cast out demons, to dominate the forces of nature, and more. In this morning’s passage of Scripture, Mark tells us about Jesus’ divine authority, which is, from the perspective of human need, greater than all others—the authority to forgive sin. The apex of the entire event outlined before us this morning is in verses 10 and 11, where Jesus declares: “But that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins” – he said to the paralytic – “I say to you, ‘rise, pick up your bed, and go home.”
This event occurred a few days after the miraculous work of Jesus that we discussed last Lord’s Day. If you were here, you will recall that one day, as Jesus was in town, a man full of leprosy approached him, pleading with our Lord to heal him. Jesus did something that in ancient Israel was unthinkable: he touched the untouchable. He reached out his hand and touched that contagious, disease-ridden man, and healed him, cleansing him from a hideous affliction.
A few days later, the time setting of this morning’s sermon text, Jesus, who by this time was becoming the most famous figure in all Israel, has arrived back in his hometown of Capernaum, a fishing village of about 1500 people, located on the remote shore of the Sea of Galilee. It is a pretty safe bet that just about everybody knew just about everybody in Capernaum—a lot of cousins there. There was hardly anyone who did not know about Capernaum’s celebrity citizen—Jesus, the son of Mary, stepson of the carpenter Joseph, and the begotten Son of God.
Had you been in Capernaum the day our Lord was ministering there, set in today’s sermon passage, what would you have seen? You would have seen, probably, a common house of the day made of clay mixed with straw, but overflowing with people. You would have seen such a crowd that many would have been unable to enter, so they were standing outside listening and trying to see Jesus. Men, women, and probably children would have crowded every doorway and peered through every window. There was no room to move, no way in, only the sound of the Teacher’s voice and the murmur of those who longed to see what he might do next.
Then, suddenly, a strange interruption. Dust begins to fall from the ceiling. Then bits of clay and straw scatter into the crowd. Hands appear above, pulling away the roof. Everyone standing beneath that growing hole in the roof probably moved away from the falling debris, at least as far as possible. Then slowly, with ropes and careful effort, four men begin lowering their paralyzed, bed-confined friend down through the roof opening until he lies there at Jesus’ feet.
It’s one of the most vivid and beloved scenes in the Gospels. But what unfolds next surprises everyone—including the man on the mat. Jesus does not begin with the obvious needs of the man’s body; he begins by caring for his soul (v. 5): “Son, your sins are forgiven.”
We presume that the room, for a brief moment, grew eerily quiet as the amazed crowd tried to process mentally what they had just witnessed. Soon some rejoice, others whisper in shock. The Jewish religious leaders bristle with jealousy and judgment — “Who can forgive sins but God alone?”
Exactly! That is the point. Jesus is revealing that He is not merely a healer, a teacher, a calmer of the storm, and an exorcist, but the divine Son of Man and Son of God who has heaven’s authority on earth to forgive sins. In this story, Mark shows us far more than a miracle of healing; he shows us the very heart of the gospel.
He shows us that man’s deepest need is not his physical wellness and comfortable situation in life, but his spiritual needs—those are the deepest, namely the forgiveness of sin and life everlasting in Christ. He shows us that Christ alone can fulfill this need, for he alone can forgive what no one else can – the sinful violations of God’s holy law. He shows that faith brings us to Christ’s saving presence and that grace raises the helpless to walk in new life.
As we open this passage together, let us draw near to the same Christ—the One who still speaks forgiveness, still restores the broken, and still calls sinners to rise and walk with him.
Now, let us learn some of the details of this amazing work of Jesus’ mercy. Luke gives us some added information, recording that there in Capernaum, Jesus’ fame had grown so much that not only the crowds of common citizens but also the religious authorities of the day—Pharisees and scribes—had come from all around, and were there watching and listening.
Then Luke makes an interesting statement when he writes, “And the power of the Lord was present to heal them.” The crowds who had gathered in that Capernaum home were not aware of this fact, but Luke, God’s Holy Spirit-inspired physician, was. What did Luke mean by his interesting statement? Probably that, because Jesus was there, the power of God was there. The power of God resided fully in Jesus.
God’s Son possessed divine authority and unlimited power to perform whatever mighty works God had for him to do that day. But would Jesus perform a mighty work that day? The Jewish religious leaders must have been hoping for it so they could witness and evaluate Jesus and judge for themselves whether he was legitimate or a fraud. They would have their opportunity.
There was such a huge crowd where Jesus was teaching that no more people could press inside. That had to be terribly frustrating to five distressed men who were outside, four men carrying a friend on a stretcher. The poor non-ambulatory man was paralyzed, and he desperately needed and hoped to get to Jesus for healing. He and his four friends were filled with faith in the authoritative healing power of the great Messiah inside the house.
But what could they do? How could these trusting men get their friend inside to Jesus? Someone apparently had a creative idea. Those faithful men carried their friend onto the housetop, cut a hole through the roof, and from above they lowered their paralyzed friend down inside to Jesus. Mark tells us in v. 5 that when Jesus saw the great faith of these five men, he said to the paralyzed man lying trustingly and hopefully before him, “Son, your sins are forgiven.”
There are two obvious dimensions to this event. First, there are the observable features that anyone could see. Then, secondly, were those things that mere humans cannot see. Regarding the things man can see, Phillip Ryken points out that the story of these men who helped their paralyzed friend is a powerful example of Christian compassion. Those men loved their friend. When they saw that something could be done about his disability, they did everything within their power to get him the help he needed.
This is a strong encouragement for people who provide care for someone with a disability, in fact, for all caretakers who help others with serious needs. In fact, caring for the needs of others is something all Christians are called to do—anyone of us.
God made human beings in his image. This means that, unlike animals, humans are rational beings capable of thought. But most importantly, humans are capable of thought about God, prayer to God, communion with God, obedience to God, and the love and worship of God.
In addition to the mind and spirit of man, God fashioned physical bodies as living vessels for the mental and spiritual faculties to motivate our bodies to be used in service to God. In some way we do not yet fully know—but one day will—the body, like the soul, bears the image of God. The body is the handiwork of God and bears the imprint of its maker.
Therefore, caring for the needs of the body is a holy obligation and a holy work for the people of God. People who are made in God’s image, who, because of respect for their divine maker and the dignity that being a creature of God assigns to all human image bearers of God—because of this truth, people in God’s image take care of other people in God’s image.
This story is also a wonderful example of Christian evangelism. Physical afflictions can be terrible indeed, but what people need more than anything else is for someone to bring them to Jesus through whom alone there can be forgiveness of sin and restoration of the soul.
That is what this man’s friend did: they brought him to Jesus. That forces a question upon us all, doesn’t it? Are you bringing your needy friends to Jesus? Pray for them, yes. But also speak with them about Christ. Be a holy model of Jesus before them. And, of course, bring them to church.
We certainly see a great example of faith in this event. These men obviously trusted in Jesus’ healing power. The great measures they took to get to Jesus are proof enough of their great faith. Indeed, we must have such faith in Jesus, mustn’t we? The apostle Peter writes that for the Christian there is an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you, who by God’s power are being guarded through faith…
Now, approaching this event from the second perspective, what is even more remarkable and interesting about Jesus’ mighty works that day are the humanly invisible things that only God can see. Everyone in the room saw the man’s body, but Jesus saw the man’s heart. Furthermore, he saw the hearts of all the others, too, including the Pharisees and scribes.
Notice, therefore, that Jesus did not immediately heal this man of his physical malady. Jesus first gave this man something even greater and more important. Jesus addressed the paralysis that is far, far worse than a physical disability. Jesus healed this man of his spiritual paralysis, that terrible moral disease that racks every person until he is touched by the great physician of the soul.
Jesus forgave the man’s sin. The problem of sin, the problem of moral guilt that separates people from God. That is the greatest problem of all humanity, far greater than any physical affliction. Calming the storm…casting out demons…healing physical ailments…those were all spectacular works of God’s power in Jesus.
But compared to those, the forgiveness of sin is by far the greater work of Jesus. By healing this man’s moral, spiritual problem, Jesus was meeting an even deeper need. He was bringing this man to a state of reconciliation with God through the forgiveness of his sins. And that is the condition in life we all must have if we will ever see the inside of heaven. You must be reconciled to God. And you can, by God’s grace received by faith.
This free gift of God’s grace is for all who will come to Jesus with faith. Be aware that you cannot produce this saving faith yourself; Paul tells us clearly that it is the gift of God. We must look unto Jesus with the faith that he alone can heal us of our sinful condition as breakers and violators of God’s law…
We must look unto Jesus with faith that he alone has the perfect righteousness (we do not) that we need as God’s ordained covering for our unrighteousness. We speak of faith that Jesus’ death on the cross put to death the guilt and condemnation of sin that were against us, and faith to receive for ourselves those words which Jesus spoke to the pitiable man that lay helplessly before him, “Your sins are forgiven.”
The Pharisees and scribes, the teachers of the law, were known in their day as the certified experts on all things religious. They savored that recognition and believed it to be true. They certainly did not want any newcomers on the scene stealing their thunder or threatening their powerful positions.
It is a fact that, apart from God’s grace, once people gain power, their sinful hearts jealously guard it. Those outwardly religious men had probably come that day with suspicion and prejudice in their minds, presuming that they would find the flaws in this “Jesus fellow” that everyone was lately running after.
Hearing Jesus pronounce this man’s sins forgiven was an immediate red flag to the Jewish religious leaders. It was, so they thought, just what they were hoping to find, something to use against Jesus. Though they apparently didn’t speak up, Jesus knew what was in their hearts. Silently, they began reasoning in their minds that no one could forgive sin but God. This Jesus fellow, they reason, is a fraud. He’s a blasphemer. He is claiming for himself an authority that belongs to God alone.
Jesus certainly was no fraud, but there was one part of their conclusion that was right. No one can forgive sin but God. Sin is an offense against God, an affront to his holiness, rebellion against his authority, and only the offended party can forgive the offender.
Not that we as people can’t forgive someone who offends us. Certainly, we can and must. But every moral offense, including offenses against another person, is ultimately an offense against God. Regarding that level of sin, yes, only God can divinely remit it.
The religious leaders were right in recognizing that only God can forgive sin. Their terrible mistake was in failing to recognize that the one pronouncing this man forgiven of sin was and is God. Jesus is God the Son, the eternal Son of God the Father, come into the world in human flesh and nature to redeem fallen humans from sin. That part, the most important element of the equation, the Pharisees and scribes did not perceive.
Proof was needed—hard, undeniable evidence—that Jesus did indeed have God’s authority to forgive sin. How could Jesus’ divine authority be displayed for others to see? To say that someone is forgiven of sin by us doesn’t prove that he is forgiven by God, not as far as human eyes can see. But what if something could be done by Jesus to prove his claim that he has power from God to do what only God can do? Jesus supplied the evidence needed to substantiate his authenticity.
He asked the religious leaders, “Which is easier, to say, ‘Your sins are forgiven you,’ or to say, ‘Rise up and walk’?” Then Jesus authoritatively declared, “But that you may know that the Son of Man has power on earth to forgive sins.” – He said to the man who was paralyzed, “I say to you, arise, take up your bed, and go home.”
The paralyzed man was instantaneously healed. He immediately rose from his stretcher, picked it up, and carried it out with him and, undoubtedly, returned home praising and glorifying the Almighty God. The people were awestruck and filled with fear at this great display of divine power in Jesus. They altogether glorified God, whom they had seen do amazingly remarkable things that day, right before their eyes.
That miraculous work of Jesus was proof positive that, indeed, he is the Son of God. Through him, an atonement for our sin was made on the cross, where he bore the penalty of our sin in our place. By his suffering in our place, he paid the moral debt that everyone owes to God because of sinfully violating his law, but no one is capable himself of paying.
When we come to Jesus like that poor man on the stretcher—utterly hopeless and helpless of saving ourselves, but with the true faith that Jesus can save us—then God sees us, heals us, forgives us, and has us forever as his dear sons and daughters. We are those who believe in Jesus for the free pardon of sin.
Like the leprous man in last week’s sermon, that humble paralytic was filled with a deep sense of need. Their deplorable conditions were easily discernible to the eyes of the beholders—one man consumed by a dreadful disease and another man consigned to immobility. Their needs were quite palpable.
The deeper need of man, however, is not always so recognizable. People can deceive others and themselves about their moral and spiritual condition. The enemy of souls makes use of and further activates the human tendency to deny the truth about ourselves. He blinds the minds of those who do not believe, so that the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ remains unseen by them.
Do you, like the leper and the paralytic, see your deep and desperate need of a savior? Do you recognize…have you discerned your need for forgiveness of sin? Then know and trust in the one and only Savior—Jesus Christ, God’s own Son—who truly has authority to forgive sin and readily confers his healing mercy upon all who look to him with faith. Amen.