EXCERPTS FROM THE MINISTRY

C. To Forgive Sins

In 9:1-8 we see the King’s authority to forgive sins. After the Lord had come to His own city, Capernaum, where He now dwelt (4:13), a paralytic was brought to Him. Verse 2 says, “And Jesus, seeing their faith, said to the paralytic, Have courage, child, your sins are forgiven.” The men who had brought the paralytic to the Lord Jesus had uncovered the roof where the Lord was and had broken it up (Mark 2:4). By this the Lord saw their faith. The mention of sins in verse 2 indicates that the paralytic was sick because of his sins.

Verse 3 says, “And behold, some of the scribes said within themselves, This man blasphemes.” The scribes, assuming that they knew the Scriptures, thought that only God had authority to forgive sins, and that Jesus, who in their eyes was only a man, blasphemed God when He said, “Your sins are forgiven.” This indicates that they did not realize that the Lord was God. By uttering such a word, they rejected the King of the heavenly kingdom. This was the first rejection by the leaders of the Jewish religion. According to the scribes, the Lord Jesus was assuming to be God and was blaspheming Him. But the Lord Jesus, of course, did not blaspheme at all, for He is God. As God, He not only has authority over the natural environment and over demons; He also has the full authority to forgive people of their sins.

The Lord perceived in His spirit (Mark 2:8) the reasoning of the scribes. Verses 4 and 5 say, “And Jesus, knowing their inward reasonings, said, Why are you thinking evil things in your hearts? For which is easier, to say, Your sins are forgiven; or to say, Rise and walk?” The Greek word rendered “inward reasonings” also means cogitations, thoughts, evil surmisings with strong feeling or passion. The scribes did not have to give utterance to their reasonings because the Lord Jesus through the perception of His spirit was able to discern the reasonings within their hearts, and He asked them concerning them. The Lord’s perceiving of the reasonings of the scribes indicates that He is truly God. If He were not God, how could He have known these things? Notice that the Lord did not say, “Which is more difficult?” because to Him nothing is difficult. For Him to say, “Your sins are forgiven,” was easier than to say, “Rise and walk,” because no one knows whether or not one’s sins are forgiven. Hence, it is easy to say this. But everyone can tell if a person rises and walks.

The Lord’s salvation not only forgives our sins, but also causes us to rise and walk. It is not to rise and walk first and then be forgiven of our sins; that would be by works. Rather, it is to be forgiven of our sins first and then to rise and walk; this is by grace.

Verse 6 says, “But that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins—then He says to the paralytic, Rise, pick up your bed and go to your house.” To forgive sins is a matter of authority on earth. Only this kingly Savior, who had been authorized by God and who would die to redeem sinners, had such authority (Acts 5:31; 10:43; 13:38). This authority was for the establishment of the kingdom of the heavens (Matt. 16:19).

The Lord enabled the paralytic not only to walk, but also to pick up his bed and walk. Formerly the bed bore him; now he bears it. This is the power of the Lord’s salvation. This paralytic was brought to the Lord by others, but he went home by himself. This indicates that it is not that the sinner can go to the Lord, but that the sinner can go from the Lord by the Lord’s salvation.

Verse 7 says, “And he rose and went away to his house.” The paralytic’s rising and going proved that he was healed, and his being healed proved that his sins were forgiven. This was a strong proof that the Lord Jesus had the authority to forgive people’s sins.

What these cases reveal to us is not the power of Christ, but the authority of the heavenly King. The authority, of course, is backed by the power. However, authority is higher than power. Some may have power, but without authority. For Jesus, the Lord, to be vindicated as the heavenly King, there is the need for Him to show His followers His authority. This authority is to deal with the negative things, the opposing environment instigated by the evil spirits, the demons and the corrupting sins. Christ as the heavenly King has the full authority to deal with all of these, and all of these are subdued under His authority. This brings in the establishment of His heavenly kingdom on earth.

If we put together all the cases recorded in 8:1—9:8, we see a clear picture of who this heavenly King is. He is the Savior of the Jews and also of the Gentiles. He will be the Savior of the repentant Jews, and He will also be the One who will restore the entire earth in the millennium. He has authority over the wind, the sea, and the demons. He also has authority to forgive people of their sins, and to cause these people to rise and walk. If we would follow this heavenly King, we must not expect any material enjoyment, and we also need to ignore the dead obligations and duties. This bird’s-eye view of this portion of the Word affords us a vivid portrait of who the heavenly King is.