And he entered into a ship, and passed over, and came into his own city.

And, behold, they brought to him a man sick of the palsy, lying on a bed: and Jesus seeing their faith said unto the sick of the palsy; Son, be of good cheer; thy sins be forgiven thee.

And, behold, certain of the scribes said within themselves, This man blasphemeth.

And Jesus knowing their thoughts said, Wherefore think ye evil in your hearts?

For whether is easier, to say, Thy sins be forgiven thee; or to say, Arise, and walk?

But that ye may know that the Son of man hath power on earth to forgive sins, (then saith he to the sick of the palsy,) Arise, take up thy bed, and go unto thine house.

And he arose, and departed to his house.

But when the multitudes saw it, they marvelled, and glorified God, which had given such power unto men.

Read full chapter

And Jesus, getting into a boat, crossed to the other side and came to His own town [Capernaum].

And behold, they brought to Him a man paralyzed and prostrated by illness, lying on a sleeping pad; and when Jesus saw their faith, He said to the paralyzed man, Take courage, son; your sins are forgiven and the [a]penalty remitted.

And behold, some of the scribes said to themselves, This man blasphemes [He claims the rights and prerogatives of God]!

But Jesus, knowing ([b]seeing) their thoughts, said, Why do you think evil and harbor [c]malice in your hearts?

For which is easier: to say, Your sins are forgiven and the [d]penalty remitted, or to say, Get up and walk?

But in order that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins and [e]remit the penalty, He then said to the paralyzed man, Get up! Pick up your sleeping pad and go to your own house.

And he got up and went away to his own house.

When the crowds saw it, they were struck with fear and awe; and they [f]recognized God and praised and thanked Him, Who had given such power and authority to men.

Read full chapter

Footnotes

  1. Matthew 9:2 Joseph Thayer, A Greek-English Lexicon.
  2. Matthew 9:4 Many manuscripts so read.
  3. Matthew 9:4 Joseph Thayer, A Greek-English Lexicon.
  4. Matthew 9:5 Joseph Thayer, A Greek-English Lexicon.
  5. Matthew 9:6 Joseph Thayer, A Greek-English Lexicon.
  6. Matthew 9:8 Hermann Cremer, Biblico-Theological Lexicon.

So Jesus climbed into a boat and went across the lake to Capernaum, his hometown.[a]

Soon some men brought him a paralyzed man on a mat. When Jesus saw their faith, he said to the sick man, “Cheer up, son! For I have forgiven your sins!”

“Blasphemy! This man is saying he is God!” exclaimed some of the religious leaders to themselves.

Jesus knew what they were thinking and asked them, “Why are you thinking such evil thoughts? 5-6 I, the Messiah,[b] have the authority on earth to forgive sins. But talk is cheap—anybody could say that. So I’ll prove it to you by healing this man.” Then, turning to the paralyzed man, he commanded, “Pick up your stretcher and go on home, for you are healed.”

And the man jumped up and left!

A chill of fear swept through the crowd as they saw this happen right before their eyes. How they praised God for giving such authority to a man!

Read full chapter

Footnotes

  1. Matthew 9:1 his hometown, literally, “his own city.”
  2. Matthew 9:5 the Messiah, literally, “the Son of Man.”