Revised Common Lectionary (Complementary)

¹⁷ And it happened on a certain day that he was teaching, and there sat the Pharisees and doctors of the law, who had come out of all the towns of Galilee, Judea, and Jerusalem. And the power of the Lord was to heal the people. ¹⁸ And behold, some men brought a man lying in his bed, who was taken with paralysis, and were trying to find a way to bring him in and to lay him before Jesus. ¹⁹ And when they could not find a way to bring him in, because of the press of people, they went up on the top of the house and let him down through the tiling, bed and all, in the midst before Jesus. ²⁰ When he saw their faith, he said to him, Man, your sins are forgiven you. ²¹ And the scribes and the Pharisees began to think, saying, What fellow is this, who speaks blasphemy? Who can forgive sins, but God only?

²² When Jesus perceived their thoughts, he answered and said to them, What are you thinking in your hearts? ²³ Which is easier to say: Your sins are forgiven you, or to say, Rise and walk?  ²⁴ But so that you may know that the Son of man has power to forgive sins on earth – He said to the paralytic, I say to you, arise; take up your bed and go home to your house.

²⁵ And immediately he rose up before them, took up the bed he laid on, and departed to his own house, praising God.

²⁶ And they were all amazed, and they lauded God and were filled with fear, saying, We have seen strange things today.