“Which is easier: to say to a paralytic, ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or to say, ‘Get up, pick up your mat, and walk’?Which is easier, to tell the paralytic, ‘Your sins are forgiven;’ or to say, ‘Arise, and take up your bed, and walk’?Whether is it easier to say to the sick of the palsy, Thy sins be forgiven thee; or to say, Arise, and take up thy bed, and walk?Which is easier, to say to the sick of the palsy, Thy sins are forgiven; or to say, Arise, and take up thy bed, and walk?
3 sermons cite this verse
… we pray these things in Jesus holy name amen this evening we're going to be in Mark chapter 2 verses 1 through 12 but and you can start flipping there right now. But before we read through the text, I want to briefly give some context of where we are at in Mark's gospel. So once you flip to chapter 2, if you can flip back one page to chapter 1, we'll situate ourselves and then get going. You see there in chapter 1, verse 1, that Mark starts right away by telling you what he is doing. He says, The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God, And he shows that Jesus is the fulfillment of this prophecy in Isaiah, specifically as John the Baptist is the forerunner to the Messiah. You see there in verse 9 through 12 that Jesus is baptized. He's tempted by Satan. And then in verse 14, Jesus begins his public ministry in the region of Galilee by proclaiming the gospel of God. …
… and when they had dug an opening, they let down the pallet on which the paralytic was lying. And Jesus, seeing their faith, said to the paralytic, "'Son, your sins are forgiven.'" But some of the scribes were sitting there and reasoning in their hearts, "'Why does this man speak this way? He is blaspheming. Who can forgive sins but God alone?' Immediately, Jesus, aware in His Spirit that they were reasoning that way within themselves, said to them, "'Why are you reasoning about these things in your hearts?' Which is easier to say to the paralytic, "'Your sins are forgiven?' or to say, "'Get up and pick up your pallet and walk.' But so that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins," He said to the paralytic, I say to you, get up, pick up your pallet, and go home. And he got up and immediately picked up the pallet and went out in the sight of everyone, so that they were all amazed and were glorifying God, saying, We have never seen anything like this. …
We're going to the book of Mark. Familiar text, but hoping that God can speak a fresh word with something that is familiar that we know well. Mark chapter 2, verses 1 through 12. I'm reading for your hearing from the God's word version. Yours may be a little different, but we believe God's going to bring it all together. Is that all right? the bible says several days later jesus came back to capernaum the report went out that he was home many people had gathered there was no room left even in the front of the door jesus was speaking god's word to them and four men came to him carrying a paralyzed man since they could not bring him to jesus because of the crowd they made an opening in the roof over the place where jesus was. Then they lowered the cot on which the paralyzed man was lying and when Jesus saw their faith he said to the man friend your sins are forgiven. Some experts in Moses's teaching were sitting there and they thought why does he talk this way? He's dishonoring God. Who besides God can forgive sins? And at once Jesus knew inwardly what they were thinking and he asked them why do you have these thoughts? Is it easier to say to this paralyzed man your sins are forgiven or to say get up pick up your cot and walk I want you to know that the son of man has authority on earth to forgive sins then he said to the paralyzed man I'm telling you to get up pick up your cot and go …