But that you may know that the Son of man hath the power on earth to forgive sins (he saith to the sick of the palsy), I say to thee to: Arise, take up thy bed and go into thy house.
ινα δε ειδητε οτι εξουσιαν εχει ο υιος του ανθρωπου επι της γης αφιεναι αμαρτιας ειπεν τω παραλελυμενω σοι λεγω εγειραι και αρας το κλινιδιον σου πορευου εις τον οικον σου
9 Church Fathers comment on this verse · 13 commentaries
I will accomplish both tasks, and by restoring the body, which may appear challenging to you, I will also ensure the restoration of the soul, which, although demanding, seems easier to you since it is unseen. Consider this: sins remain on earth. While we are still here, we have the opportunity to erase our sins, but once we depart from this world, we can no longer cleanse our sins through confession, for the door is closed.
In the phrase "Thy sins are forgiven thee," there remains potential for doubt, as humanity cannot perceive forgiveness with bodily sight. In contrast, the miraculous healing of the paralytic, along with his rising and walking, visibly showcases divine authority. Thus, Jesus further instructs, "Arise, take up thy bed, and go to thy house," which was fulfilled, for the man returned home liberated from the burdens he had endured for so long. This illustrates that "the Son of man has power on earth to forgive sins." But to whom does He refer? Is He speaking of Himself, or of us? Both interpretations hold true. As God incarnate and the Lord of the Law, He extends forgiveness; simultaneously, we have also been granted this extraordinary and gracious gift from Him.
He has elevated human nature with this profound privilege, declaring to the holy apostles, "Verily I say unto you, Whatsoever ye shall bind on earth shall be bound in heaven; and whatsoever ye shall loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven." Furthermore, He states, "What sins ye forgive, such shall be forgiven them; and what ye bind, such shall be bound." In what context does He address them? It is after He has conquered death and risen from the tomb that He breathed upon them and said, "Receive the Holy Ghost." By sharing His divine nature and bestowing the Holy Spirit upon them, He also granted them a share in His glory by empowering them to forgive and bind sins. If we are commanded to undertake this sacred duty, how much more should He, in an even greater capacity, forgive sins, especially as He imparts this authority to others?
Therefore, Jesus, as it is written, possessing divine authority, promised the remission of sins, and this statement once again confounds the ignorance and jealousy of the Pharisees. For they questioned among themselves, "Who is this who speaks blasphemies?" (Luke 5:21). Yet, if you truly understood the Scriptures, remembered the prophetic words, and grasped the profound mystery of the Incarnation, you would not speak this way about Him, Pharisee. They accuse Him of blasphemy, demanding the utmost penalty and condemning Him to die, for the Law of Moses decrees that anyone who blasphemes against God must face death. Having already committed this offense, Jesus promptly demonstrates that He is God, in order to rebuke their flagrant wickedness once more.
"What are you pondering in your hearts?" He asks (Luke 5:22). When you assert, Pharisee, "Who can forgive sins but God alone?" (Luke 5:21), I pose this question to you: who, but God alone, can discern the hearts and understand the innermost thoughts of the mind? For the Lord declares through the prophets, "I am the Lord, who searches the heart and examines the mind" (Jer 17:10). And David, speaking of Him and ourselves, has said, "He forms their hearts individually" (Ps 33:15, LXX). Therefore, knowing the hearts and inner beings as God does, Jesus also forgives sins as God.
In order to offer forgiveness and healing, the declaration “your sins are forgiven you” (Luke 5:20) presents a challenge for disbelief, as humanity cannot perceive the act of forgiveness with physical sight. However, the healing of the paralytic, culminating in his command to "Arise, take up thy bed, and go to thy house" (Luke 5:24), serves as undeniable evidence of divine authority. The paralytic obeyed and returned home, freed from a long-standing affliction. This incident illustrates the authority of the Son of Man to absolve sins on earth. To whom does He refer? To Himself, and to us as well. Indeed, as God incarnate and Lord of the law, He possesses the power to forgive sins, a remarkable grace that we have received through Him.
By this act, Jesus dignified human nature and entrusted the holy apostles with a profound responsibility, proclaiming, “Truly I say to you, whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven” (Matthew 18:18). Moreover, He stated, “Whosoever your sins are forgiven, to him they shall be forgiven; on whom you remit, on him they shall remain” (John 20:23). At what moment does He utter these words? It is when He, having triumphed over death and resurrected, breathed on them, saying, “Receive the Holy Spirit” (John 20:22). In doing so, He affirmed their unity with His divine nature, imparted the Holy Spirit to them, and shared with them in His glory, granting them the authority to forgive and bind sins. If we are instructed to carry out this task, how much more does He, who empowers others with such authority, forgive our sins?
Having restored both soul and body, forgiven sins, and alleviated human frailty, the Lord reveals the complete picture of resurrection, illustrating that the entirety of humanity is renewed. It is indeed a momentous occasion to absolve people's sins! Who but God alone can forgive sins (Luke 5:21)? Yet, through those He empowers, He extends mercy to remit sins. The most extraordinary act is the granting of resurrection to our physical forms, as the Lord Himself embodies resurrection (cf. Jn. 11:25).
The command for the healed individual to take up his bed symbolizes the call to elevate the human body. This bed has been washed nightly with the tears of David (cf. Ps. 6:7), representing the illness upon which our souls suffered from the heavy burdens of conscience. However, for one who lives according to Christ’s teachings, the bed transforms from one of sickness to one of repose. By God’s grace, death has become a state of rest; He has transformed the sleep of death into a joyful grant. Not only does He instruct us to take up our beds, but He also commands us to return to our true home, that paradise originally given to humanity but lost through deception and violation of the law. Through divine justice, our rightful dwelling has been restored to us, for the One who broke the chains of deceit and fulfilled the law has come to us. The healing did not linger: His word went forth, and the healing occurred instantaneously.
Homecoming What does He mean when He instructs to take up that bed (Luke 5:24) other than the call for the human body to embrace its purpose? It represents that which was renewed nightly by David, the platform of grief upon which our souls are burdened with the heavy anguish of conscience. Yet, for those who follow Christ's teachings, it turns from a burden of sorrow into a refuge of peace. Through the grace of the Lord, who transforms the relentless slumber of death into a gentle sweetness, what was once perceived as death can now be understood as rest. Jesus not only instructs to lift the couch but also beckons us to return to our true home (Luke 5:24), which is paradise—the original abode that welcomed humanity and was abandoned through deception. Thus, by virtue, the home is reclaimed, for the one who has vanquished deceit has now arrived.
The following is a passage that emphasizes God's promise to bolster those who suffer from illness: "And the Lord will strengthen him on the bed of his sickness. Thou hast turned his whole bed into his sickness" (Psalms 40:4). This "bed of sickness" represents our mortal flesh, aptly referred to as a “bier of sickness,” given that the body is subject to death. The Apostle encourages us to shed this body of death, so that we may be resurrected as if emerging from a tomb where the afflicted soul lies, akin to one lying on a bed.
Simmachus described it as a “bier of misery,” while Aquila called it the “bed of misery.” The translators of the Septuagint chose to express this more vividly as the “bier of sickness.” Thus, this imagery should be invoked when addressing those who endure long-term physical ailments, inviting them to seek God's healing and thereby gain recovery. The bier of the soul is our fragile flesh, which evokes compassion from our spirit. When the soul has the Lord as its aid, it instructs the body, "Arise, take up thy bier, and go to thy house" (Luke 5:24). Empowered by this divine command, the afflicted individual rises, gathers his bier, and returns to a state of health. This symbolizes a return 'home,' a restoration to a state of well-being. Those who reside in this state of health govern themselves; those who govern benefit from the sustaining grace of virtue that upholds them. Furthermore, the Lord transforms the entire condition of one who is ill by gracing them with His presence. “Changing the bed” signifies altering a person's state from health to illness or from illness to health. The sick individual must turn towards the source of healing. Even as the Lord Jesus was wounded for our transgressions (Isaiah 53:5), He did not succumb to decay but instead transformed His own condition for the salvation of all. Through His suffering, He vanquished corruption, and through His resurrection, He conquered death. Just as He turned His attention to redeem the nations without experiencing the bitterness of death or the lingering effects of a wound, He liberates those who place their faith in Him, even the gravely ill, from death and restores them to life. In this way, the Lord converted the entirety of human frailty into His own frailty. Christ embraced the weaknesses of humanity within His flesh, ascended the cross, and transformed our vulnerabilities into the frailty of His own body. Isaiah asserts, “By His wound we are healed” (Isaiah 53:5).
In the realm of struggle, wrestlers often appear to falter against their opponents, seeming pinned and defeated. However, at the moment of perceived defeat, they skillfully reverse the situation and bring their adversary down. In the spiritual conflict, the Lord Jesus, by taking on our burdens and assuming a form of vulnerability, engaged in this battle during His suffering, appearing to His adversary as an ordinary man who could be easily subdued. The Lord relinquished the defense of His divine nature and embraced humanity. Anticipating triumph, the tempter approached to strike, presuming that like Adam, Jesus could be vanquished by a blow to the side. Yet, when the Lord was pierced in His side, He brought forth life from that very wound, erased the sin of the world, and overcame the enemy, retrieving the robber's loss of life. In this death and burial of His body, when He seemed to be laid low, He exercised His might, leading to the enemy's downfall while He Himself rose again.
In that context, these matters are examined in great depth.
*See Matthew 9:6-8.
The forgiveness of sins represents a profound internal miracle, while the healing of the paralytic signifies an external miracle, a tangible manifestation of God’s action in the world, also of a physical nature. This event validates and affirms the infusion of divine power within the moral realm and within the phenomena of the physical realm, where the latter is encompassed within the former, as both ultimately converge on the purpose of all creation. The Lord does not impose freedom but instead nurtures, inspires, and astonishes. An external miracle serves as the most effective means for this. It was established at the moment designated for rational beings governed by free will.
This relationship is so fundamental that those who dismiss God's supernatural involvement in the world simultaneously dismiss true human freedom, understanding that the latter inherently necessitates the former. Conversely, those who acknowledge God’s influence over the natural order can confidently declare: we experience our freedom. The awareness of freedom is as compelling and inescapable as the awareness of existence itself. Furthermore, freedom demands the active providential engagement of God, thus affirming their recognition is as solid as the understanding of freedom itself.
The typical arrangement of Jewish homes featured a central courtyard surrounded by residential buildings. While the courtyard was usually exposed to the elements, in bad weather it could be sheltered with wooden boards, leather, or fabric. The rooftops were flat and accessible via stairs from either the courtyard or the street. Often, the roofs of neighboring houses were connected and divided only by a permitted railing (Deuteronomy 22:8). In constructing these roofs, a significant layer of reeds was laid over the ceiling boards, followed by a covering of brushwood, and a substantial layer of earth, which occasionally was topped with tiles.
This architectural setup made it possible for the scenarios described by the Evangelists to take place easily, regardless of whether Christ was in the courtyard or inside the house.
In Mark 2:4, the narrative illustrates that those carrying the paralyzed man went to considerable lengths to dismantle the roof (ἐξορυξαντες). This suggests they targeted a section of the house's roof, requiring them to remove the binding cement from the tiles, excavate the earth, and ultimately dismantle the ceiling. The bed upon which the paralytic was transported is presumed to have been light enough for him to carry post-healing, resembling a felt mat that could be utilized for resting wherever they stopped, fitting the situation at hand.
Noticing the faith of those who brought the paralytic, Jesus addressed him, saying, "Child, your sins are forgiven you." The Pharisees present viewed this statement as blasphemy, insisting that only God has the authority to forgive sins. In response, Christ emphasized that healing the sick is no more challenging than granting forgiveness; thus, if they acknowledged His ability to heal—which was undeniable—they should also recognize His authority to forgive sins. To preempt any doubt about the authenticity of His words, Jesus instructed the healed man, "Arise, take up your bed, and go into your house." The immediate fulfillment of these commands prompted the Pharisees to infer that His declaration, "your sins are forgiven you," was equally effective. The phrase "Son of man on earth" highlights a contrast with God, who is in heaven, underscoring the Pharisees' perspective.
Jesus Christ did not anticipate a response from those present, but in order to demonstrate that He, the Son of Man, possessed authority on earth to forgive sins, He addressed the paralytic: "I say to you, get up, take up your bed, and go to your house." Instantly, the strength that had long been absent returned to him; he rose before them all and, not only did he walk unaided, but he also carried the mat upon which he had been lying, thereby showcasing his total restoration.
His passionate request for restoration, evident in the gaze of the afflicted man, was graciously answered by Christ, who proclaimed, “Be of good cheer, son; your sins are forgiven” (Matt. 9:2). Due to his bold faith, the man received not only physical healing but also the remission of his sins (Matt. 9:2-8, Mk. 2:2-12, Lk. 5:18-26). The scribes present, however, held a different perspective. Upon hearing this declaration, they thought among themselves, “This man is blaspheming.” But their thoughts did not escape the awareness of the Lord, who, knowing their hearts, asked, “Why do you entertain evil thoughts in your hearts? For which is easier to say, ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or to say, ‘Get up and walk’?
But so that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins”—then He said to the paralyzed man, “Get up, take your mat and go home.” The man got up, took his mat, and departed in complete health. The crowd witnessed this and were filled with amazement, praising God for granting such authority to humans. The news of this extraordinary miracle spread throughout Galilee and Perea, extending even to the distant borders of Syria (Matthew 4:24), and one can imagine how greatly the weary Savior desired a period of rest afterward. Yet, among the most satisfying and refreshing moments for Him was time spent in solitude and silence, cherishing the company of His heavenly Father, free from any disturbances. Early one morning, while the plain of Genesaret was still enveloped in darkness, Christ rose quietly and retreated to an uninhabited place, dedicating that time to nurturing His spirit through silent prayer.
The Pharisees and scribes, attentive to the words and actions of Christ, contemplated silently among themselves, questioning, ‘Why does He utter such blasphemies? Who can forgive sins but God alone?’ However, the One who bears the hearts discerned their thoughts and inquired, ‘Why do you harbor these thoughts in your hearts? Which is easier to say to a paralyzed man, ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or to say, ‘Get up, take your bed, and walk’? The forgiveness of sins is an invisible act of God’s grace, while bodily healing provides a visible demonstration of the Creator’s omnipotent will.
Thus, let it be known that the Son of Man has the authority on earth to forgive sins.’ He then addressed the paralytic: ‘I tell you, rise, take up your bed, and go home.’ He instructed him to carry his bed so that this event would not be perceived as a mere illusion and for those who saw Him merely as an ordinary man, though exalted above all, to witness the miracle for themselves (Blessed Theophylact). The paralyzed man instantly stood up before everyone, took his bed, and praising God, returned home. This miraculous event left a profound impression on the witnesses, and although as noted by St. John Chrysostom, they did not fully acknowledge the divinity of Christ, they were filled with awe and marveled, proclaiming to one another that they had witnessed something extraordinary, declaring: ‘We have seen wonderful things today; never have we seen anything like this!’ The scribes and Pharisees could also glean from this occurrence insight into the true significance of the face of Jesus Christ.
Passages read together with this verse.
Greek text, 31 words with lemma, transliteration and Strong’s number. Tap to expand.
THEOSIS