With the eyes of God, Jesus looked at the paralyzed man lying on a mat before Him. The man was hoping to be healed. But Jesus first addressed the man’s most urgent problem and said to him, “Your sins are forgiven.”


This angered some of the teachers of the law. They thought Jesus was guilty of blasphemy, knowing only God can forgive sins. But Jesus asked them why they were thinking evil in their hearts. He had the authority to forgive sins, and He was going to prove it.


I love the part in this passage where Jesus stops in mid-sentence. It’s as if He said to Himself, “Why talk anymore? I’ll just show them.” And He gave them proof positive of His authority to heal bodies and forgive sins.


We too, have proof positive of who Jesus really is. We have the empty tomb! Jesus truly is God, the conqueror of death. The teachers of the law in His day were more close to the truth than they realized. Once paralyzed in our deep sin and despair, we now stand on that truth, our sins completely washed away. Praise God!