Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)

The healing of the paralytic lowered through the roof

¹⁷ One day, as Jesus was teaching, there were Pharisees and legal experts sitting there who had come from every village of Galilee, and from Judaea and Jerusalem. The power of the Lord was with Jesus, enabling him to heal. ¹⁸ Just then some men appeared, carrying a paralyzed man on a mattress; they were trying to bring him in and lay him before Jesus. ¹⁹ The crowd made it impossible for them to get through, so they went up on the roof and let him down through the tiles, mattress and all, so that he landed right in the middle, in front of Jesus.

²⁰ Jesus saw what trust they had.

“My friend,” he said, “your sins are forgiven.”

²¹ The legal experts and Pharisees began to argue. “Who does he think he is?” they said. “He’s blaspheming! Nobody can forgive sins—only God can do that!”

²² Jesus knew their line of thought.

“Why are you complaining in your hearts?” he replied. ²³ “Which is easier, to say, ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or to say, ‘Get up and walk’? ²⁴ But if you want to be convinced that the son of man has authority on earth to forgive sins—” (here he turned to the paralyzed man) “—I say to you, get up, pick up your mattress, and go home.”

²⁵ At once he got up in front of them all, picked up what he’d been lying on, and went off home, praising God.

²⁶ A sense of awe came over everyone. They praised God, and were filled with fear. “We’ve seen extraordinary things today,” they said.