AUTHORITY TO FORGIVE SINS ON EARTH

LUKE 5:17–25

Within a short period of time Jesus became a very popular rabbi. Pharisees and teachers of the law walked to Capernaum from Galilee, Judea, and even Jerusalem to determine if Jesus’s authority was legitimate (Luke 5:17, 21). While Jesus was in a home discussing Scripture with these religious leaders, a paralyzed man was carried there by his friends. The disabled man was brought for healing; the Jewish teachers had come to determine if Jesus was teaching with legitimate authority. Here we will see why both groups traveled to meet Jesus and why this setting was used to reveal his authority to forgive sins.

Because the crowd blocked the entrance, the paralytic man was lowered through the roof in order to get to Jesus. Jesus said to the man, “Friend, your sins are forgiven” (Luke 5:20). For the Jewish teachers, this pronouncement raised the question of the extent of Jesus’s authority because this declaration was one only God could make (Luke 5:21). According to their understanding, rabbis not only taught with authority, but some were even seen as having authority to do miracles.22 But no rabbi before or after Jesus thought it within their authority to forgive sins. Thus in this situation Jesus was clearly stating that his authority to forgive sins was directly from God and part of his messianic mission.

Saying, “But that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins,” Jesus directed the man to pick up his mat and go home (Luke 5:25).23 Thus in word and deed Jesus demonstrated that he carried a level of authority that far exceeded that of any rabbi (Matt. 23:8–10).

While in Capernaum, Jesus was teaching, preaching, and healing many, including Simon Peter’s mother-in-law (Mark 1:29–34; 2:2–12; Luke 4:38–41).24 This in turn explains why both the disabled man and the Jewish teachers had gone to Capernaum, because it was there Jesus was teaching and doing miracles.25 The question was, did the ability to do miracles prove the miracle worker was from God? Jesus answered the question not only by doing miracles but by forgiving sins, which was for God alone to do.

Illustration of Jesus healing the paralytic at Capernaum.
© Dr. James C. Martin. Illustration by Timothy Ladwig.

Later, while meeting with his eleven apostles, the resurrected Jesus declared, “All authority in heaven and earth has been given to me” (Matt. 28:18). The demons had recognized Jesus. At Capernaum an intrusive evil spirit said, “I know who you are—the Holy One of God!” (Mark 1:24).

With the miracle in Capernaum, Jesus revealed the far-reaching nature of his authority by healing the paralytic and declaring the forgiveness of sins. It is important to observe that the location for this event was not the Temple in Jerusalem or even a synagogue—both traditional Jewish strongholds of religious authority. Instead Jesus demonstrated that the authority of the Messiah to heal and to forgive sins extends into every public and private sphere on earth—even a private home. So it was that the Pharisees and the disabled man had come to this home, and so it was that Jesus used this home to make known his authority on earth.

Sarcophagus relief (fourth century) of the healing of the woman subject to bleeding.

Sarcophagus relief (fourth century) of Jesus healing the paralytic at the Bethesda Pools.