From: Mark 2:1-12
The Curing of a Paralytic
[1] And when He (Jesus) returned to Capernaum after some days, it was
reported that He was at home. [2] And many were gathered together, so
that there was no longer room for them, not even about the door; and He
was preaching the word to them. [3] And they came, bringing to Him a
paralytic carried by four men. [4] And when they could not get near
Him because of the crowd, they removed the roof above Him; and when
they had made an opening, they let down the pallet on which the
paralytic lay. [5] And when Jesus saw their faith, He said to the
paralytic, "My son, your sins are forgiven." [6] Now some of the
scribes were sitting there, questioning in their hearts, [7] "Why does
this man speak thus? It is blasphemy! Who can forgive sins but God
alone?" [8] And immediately Jesus, perceiving in His spirit that they
thus questioned within themselves, said to them, "Why do you question
thus in your hearts? [9] Which is easier to say to the paralytic,
`Your sins are forgiven,' or to say, `Rise, take up your pallet and
walk?' [10] But that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on
earth to forgive sins"-- He said to the paralytic-- [11] "I say to you,
rise, take up your pallet and go home." [12] And he rose, and
immediately took up the pallet and went out before them all; so that
they were all amazed and glorified God, saying, "We never saw anything
like this!"
Commentary:
4. Many Jewish houses had a terraced roof accessible by steps at the
back. The same structure can be found even today.
5. Here Jesus emphasizes the connection between faith and the
forgiveness of sins. The boldness of the people who brought in the
paralytic shows their faith in Christ, and this faith moves Jesus to
forgive the man's sins. We should question how God views our faith:
the faith of these people leads to the instantaneous physical and
spiritual curing of this man. We should notice also that one person's
need can be helped by the merits of another.
In this man's physical paralysis, St. Jerome sees a type or figure of
spiritual paralysis: the cripple was unable to return to God by his own
efforts. Jesus, God and man, cured him of both kinds of paralysis
(cf. "Comm. in Marcum, in loc."). Cf. notes on Matthew 9:2-7.
Jesus' words to the paralytic--"Your sins are forgiven"--reflect the
fact that his pardon involves a personal encounter with Christ; the
same happens in the Sacrament of Penance: "In faithfully observing the
centuries-old practice of the Sacrament of Penance--the practice of
individual confession with a personal act of sorrow and an intention to
amend and make satisfaction--the Church is defending the human soul's
individual right, man's right to a more personal encounter with the
crucified forgiving Christ, with Christ saying, through the minister of
the Sacrament of Reconciliation: `Your sins are forgiven'; `Go, and do
not sin again' (John 8:11). As is evident, this is also a right on
Christ's part with regard to every human being in the soul's life
constituted by the moment of conversion and forgiveness" (John Paul II,
"Redemptor Hominis", 20).
7-12. Here we find a number of indicators of Jesus' divinity: He
forgives sins, He can read the human heart and has the power to
instantly cure physical illnesses. The scribes know that only God can
forgive sins. This is why they take issue with Our Lord's statement
and call it blasphemous. They require a sign to prove the truth of
what He says. And Jesus offers them a sign. Thus just as no one can
deny that the paralytic has been cured, so no one can reasonably deny
that he has been forgiven his sins. Christ, God and man, exercised
power to forgive sins and, in His infinite mercy, He chose to extend
this power to His Church. Cf. note on Matthew 9:3-7.
Source: "The Navarre Bible: Text and Commentaries". Biblical text
taken from the Revised Standard Version and New Vulgate. Commentaries
made by members of the Faculty of Theology of the University of
Navarre, Spain. Published by Four Courts Press, Kill Lane, Blackrock,
Co. Dublin, Ireland.