Brief Bible commentary on Matthew 9:1-8
Jesus got back into the boat, crossed the lake and returned to his own town. Then some people appeared, bringing a person who was paralyzed, stretched out on a pallet. Seeing their faith, Jesus said to the paralyzed person, “Courage, my child, your sins are forgiven.” At that, some of the religious scholars said to themselves, “This is blasphemy!” Jesus was aware of their thoughts and said, “Why do you harbor evil thoughts? Which is easier to say, ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or ‘stand up and walk’? But to prove to you that the Chosen One has authority on earth to forgive sins—” Jesus then turned to the paralyzed person—“Stand up! Take up your mat, and go home.” With that, the afflicted one got up and went home. The crowd was filled with awe when they saw this, and they praised God for giving such authority to mortals.
