Power to Forgive Sins

ENGAGE: When the Visible Problem Is Not the Deepest Problem

Most of us know what we would ask Jesus to fix.

We would ask him to heal the sickness, repair the marriage, relieve the financial pressure, remove the anxiety, restore the relationship, or open the door that has been closed.

Those are real needs. They matter. God cares about them.

But Matthew 9 introduces us to a man whose need seemed obvious. He could not walk. He had to be carried everywhere he went. When his friends brought him to Jesus, everyone in the room knew what they expected Jesus to do.

They brought Jesus a man who needed healing.

But Jesus began by talking about forgiveness.

The man came with a problem everyone could see, but Jesus first addressed a problem no one could see.

That is often how Jesus works. We ask him to deal with what hurts most immediately, while he looks deeper and addresses what matters eternally.

The man’s paralysis was serious, but it was not his deepest need.

Our pain matters. Our struggles matter. Our bodies matter. But beneath every visible problem is the universal human problem of sin. We do not merely need improved circumstances. We need reconciliation with God.

Bottom Line: Jesus alone has authority to forgive our deepest need.

TENSION: Can Jesus Really Forgive Sin?

The tension in this passage is not primarily whether Jesus can heal a paralyzed man.

By Matthew 9, Jesus has already demonstrated remarkable power. He has cleansed a leper, healed the sick, calmed a storm, and cast out demons.

The question now becomes much greater:

Does Jesus possess the authority to forgive sins?

A physician may treat the body.

A counselor may help carry emotional pain.

A friend may forgive an offense committed against that friend.

But sin is ultimately rebellion against God. Who has the authority to erase guilt before God?

The scribes believed the answer was obvious: only God can forgive sins.

Their premise was right.

Their conclusion about Jesus was wrong.

They thought Jesus was stealing authority that belonged to God. Matthew wants us to see that Jesus was exercising authority because he shares the identity and authority of God.

The passage forces every listener to answer:

Is Jesus merely a teacher?

Is he simply a miracle worker?

Is he only someone who makes difficult lives better?

Or is he the Son of Man with divine authority to forgive sins?

Matthew does not permit us to reduce Jesus to a helpful religious figure. The entire encounter turns on his identity.

TRUTH

1. Jesus Sees Faith and Addresses the Deepest Need

Matthew 9:1–2 ESV

1 And getting into a boat he crossed over and came to his own city. 2 And behold, some people brought to him a paralytic, lying on a bed. And when Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralytic, “Take heart, my son; your sins are forgiven.”

“And getting into a boat he crossed over and came to his own city. And behold, some people brought to him a paralytic, lying on a bed.”

Verse 1: Jesus Returns to His Own City

Jesus crosses back over the Sea of Galilee after his encounter with the demon-possessed men in the region of the Gadarenes.

Matthew calls the destination “his own city.” This most likely refers to Capernaum, which had become the center of Jesus’ Galilean ministry.

Matthew has been displaying the expanding authority of Jesus:

Authority over disease

Authority over nature

Authority over demons

Now, authority over sin

Jesus is not simply performing unrelated miracles. Matthew is progressively revealing who Jesus is.

Every miracle points beyond what Jesus can do and toward who Jesus is.

Verse 2a: The Paralytic Is Brought to Jesus

The man cannot bring himself to Jesus. Other people carry him on a bed.

Matthew does not emphasize all the details recorded in the parallel accounts. He moves quickly to the theological center of the encounter: the faith Jesus sees and the forgiveness Jesus announces.

The text says:

“When Jesus saw their faith…”

Faith was not merely something these people claimed to possess internally. Their faith became visible through action.

They believed Jesus could help, so they carried the man to Jesus.

Biblical faith is never merely agreeing that Jesus is powerful. Faith moves toward Jesus. Faith trusts him enough to act.

The phrase “their faith” likely includes the confidence of the men carrying the paralytic and the paralytic himself. Matthew’s point is not that one person can believe on behalf of an unwilling person. The point is that this group demonstrated a shared confidence in Jesus.

Application

Sometimes faith looks like carrying someone who cannot carry himself.

There are people who are too discouraged to seek help alone. They may be overwhelmed by grief, addiction, shame, fear, or spiritual confusion.

Faithful friends do not merely discuss their condition. They help bring them near to Jesus.

We cannot repent for someone else. We cannot believe for someone else. But we can pray, teach, encourage, serve, invite, and carry burdens until they are able to stand.

Ask yourself:

Who helped carry me toward Jesus?

Then ask:

Whom am I helping carry toward him now?

Verse 2b: Jesus’ Unexpected First Words

Jesus says:

“Take heart, my son; your sins are forgiven.”

This is not what the crowd expected.

They expected Jesus to say, “Stand up.”

Instead, Jesus first says, “Your sins are forgiven.”

Notice the tenderness of his words.

“Take heart” means to have courage. Jesus is not cold or clinical.

“My son” communicates compassion and personal care.

Jesus sees a suffering man, but he does not speak to him as a problem to be solved. He speaks to him as a person to be loved.

Then Jesus addresses his sins.

We should not conclude that this man’s paralysis was necessarily caused by some specific personal sin. Scripture does not teach that every physical illness is the direct result of a particular sin committed by the sufferer. Jesus rejected that simplistic assumption in John 9:1–3.

The point is that whether the man walked again or not, he still needed forgiveness.

A healed body without a reconciled soul would still leave him separated from God.

Jesus begins with forgiveness because Jesus understands the difference between our most obvious need and our deepest need.

Exegetical Insight

The words translated “your sins are forgiven” use a passive form. The statement carries the sense that the man’s sins have been released or sent away.

Jesus does not merely say, “I hope God will forgive you.”

He does not say, “Perhaps you will be forgiven someday.”

He announces forgiveness as a present reality.

That announcement creates the conflict because Jesus is speaking with an authority that belongs to God.

Application

Many people want Jesus to improve their lives without ruling their lives.

We want relief without repentance.

We want Jesus to remove consequences while leaving our rebellion untouched.

We want him to repair our circumstances, but Jesus came to reconcile us to God.

The greatest gift Jesus can give is not a pain-free life. It is a forgiven life.

Big Idea

Jesus sees beyond the need everyone notices to the need only he can meet.

2. Jesus Exposes the Unbelief Hidden in the Heart

Matthew 9:3–5 ESV

3 And behold, some of the scribes said to themselves, “This man is blaspheming.” 4 But Jesus, knowing their thoughts, said, “Why do you think evil in your hearts? 5 For which is easier, to say, ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or to say, ‘Rise and walk’?

“And behold, some of the scribes said to themselves, ‘This man is blaspheming.’”

Verse 3: The Scribes Accuse Jesus

The scribes were trained interpreters of the law. They understood the seriousness of Jesus’ statement.

Sin is ultimately committed against God. Therefore, God possesses the final authority to forgive it.

Their theological reasoning appears to be:

Only God can forgive sins.

Jesus has declared this man’s sins forgiven.

Therefore, Jesus is blaspheming.

Their first statement was correct.

Their mistake was assuming Jesus could not possess divine authority.

They saw Jesus clearly enough to hear his claim, but not clearly enough to recognize his identity.

This is the central issue of the passage.

Jesus is not merely claiming that the man is forgivable. He is personally exercising the authority to forgive him.

The scribes call this blasphemy because they believe Jesus is a mere man claiming God’s rights.

Matthew presents another possibility: God has come near in Jesus.

Application

It is possible to know Scripture and still resist the Lord of Scripture.

The scribes possessed biblical knowledge, but their knowledge did not lead them to humble faith. Instead of allowing the evidence to correct them, they used their knowledge to condemn Jesus.

Religious knowledge can produce humility, or it can produce pride.

We must never assume that familiarity with the Bible automatically means surrender to Jesus.

A person may know religious vocabulary, attend worship, defend correct doctrine, and still resist Christ’s authority in the heart.

The question is not merely, “Do I know what the Bible says?”

The deeper question is, “Will I submit to the Jesus the Bible reveals?”

Verse 4: Jesus Knows Their Thoughts

“But Jesus, knowing their thoughts, said, ‘Why do you think evil in your hearts?’”

The scribes do not speak their accusation aloud. They say it within themselves.

Yet Jesus knows their thoughts.

Matthew has moved from Jesus seeing faith in verse 2 to Jesus seeing unbelief in verse 4.

He sees the confidence of the friends.

He also sees the hostility of the scribes.

No one in this scene is hidden from Jesus.

He sees the faith that moves toward him, and he sees the resistance that hides behind religious reasoning.

Jesus identifies their thoughts as evil.

Their question was not evil merely because they were trying to understand. Scripture welcomes sincere questions.

Their thinking was evil because they had already reached a hostile verdict. They were confronted with the authority of Jesus, yet they chose to interpret him as a blasphemer.

They were looking at the work of God and calling it rebellion against God.

Application

We often evaluate ourselves by what we say publicly.

Jesus examines what we think privately.

The crowd could see the scribes sitting quietly. Jesus could see accusation, pride, and unbelief developing in their hearts.

That means we cannot hide behind outward religious behavior.

Jesus sees:

The resentment we never express

The lust we carefully conceal

The pride beneath our service

The unbelief beneath our questions

The bitterness beneath our politeness

The One who has authority to forgive sin also has authority to expose sin.

That exposure is not intended merely to shame us. Jesus reveals what is in the heart so that we will bring it to him.

Verse 5: Jesus Asks Which Is Easier

“For which is easier, to say, ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or to say, ‘Rise and walk’?”

At first, the answer seems obvious.

It is easier to say, “Your sins are forgiven,” because no one can immediately see whether forgiveness has occurred.

If someone says, “Rise and walk,” the claim becomes instantly testable.

Either the man gets up or he does not.

Jesus is not asking which action requires more divine power. Both forgiveness and miraculous healing are beyond ordinary human authority.

He is asking which statement is easier to make without visible proof.

Anyone can claim that an invisible spiritual transaction has occurred.

Jesus therefore connects his invisible claim to a visible miracle.

The healing will become evidence that his declaration of forgiveness is not empty speech.

Application

Jesus does not ask us to trust an unsupported claim.

His authority is displayed through his works, his teaching, his sinless life, his death, and ultimately his resurrection.

Christian faith is not pretending something is true without evidence. Faith is trusting the person of Jesus because of who he has shown himself to be.

The scribes are about to receive evidence.

Their problem will not be a lack of evidence. Their problem will be whether they are willing to follow where the evidence leads.

Big Idea

The real question is not whether Jesus can heal, but who Jesus is.

3. Jesus Proves His Authority Through a Visible Miracle

Matthew 9:6–8 ESV

6 But that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins”—he then said to the paralytic—“Rise, pick up your bed and go home.” 7 And he rose and went home. 8 When the crowds saw it, they were afraid, and they glorified God, who had given such authority to men.

“‘But that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins’—he then said to the paralytic—‘Rise, pick up your bed and go home.’”

Verse 6a: “That You May Know”

Jesus explains the purpose of the miracle.

The healing is not simply an act of compassion, though Jesus is compassionate.

The healing is also a sign.

It reveals that Jesus possesses authority to forgive sins.

Jesus makes an invisible claim and then supplies visible confirmation.

The logic is:

Jesus claims authority to forgive sins.

The scribes challenge that authority.

Jesus performs a miracle that only divine power can accomplish.

Therefore, the miracle validates his authority and his identity.

The healing is not the main point.

The authority of Jesus is the main point.

“The Son of Man”

Jesus refers to himself as “the Son of Man.”

This title emphasizes both his identification with humanity and his unique authority.

It recalls the figure in Daniel 7:13–14 who comes before the Ancient of Days and receives dominion, glory, and an everlasting kingdom.

The Son of Man appears in humility, standing inside a crowded home and speaking to a suffering man. Yet he possesses heavenly authority.

Jesus does not need to ask another authority for permission.

He does not say, “Perhaps God will forgive you.”

He declares forgiveness because the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins.

“Authority on Earth”

The word translated “authority” refers to the right, freedom, or jurisdiction to act.

Jesus possesses not only the power to heal but the right to forgive.

Power answers, “What is he able to do?”

Authority answers, “What does he have the right to do?”

A criminal may have the power to open a prison cell illegally. A governor may possess the authority to issue a pardon.

Jesus is not stealing the right to forgive. He possesses it.

And he possesses this authority “on earth.”

Forgiveness is not merely a distant possibility available after death. In Jesus, God’s forgiving authority has entered human history.

The man does not have to wonder whether God has heard him. The Son of Man stands before him and announces forgiveness.

Application

Some people live as though forgiveness is something they must earn.

They try to balance their bad actions with good actions.

They punish themselves through shame.

They replay their worst decisions.

They assume God might forgive other people but could never forgive them.

Matthew 9 does not tell us that forgiveness rests on our ability to repair our past.

Forgiveness rests on the authority of Jesus.

Your sin may be greater than your ability to correct, but it is not greater than Christ’s authority to forgive.

Forgiveness is not declaring that sin was unimportant. It is declaring that Jesus is sufficient.

Verse 6b: The Command

Jesus says:

“Rise, pick up your bed and go home.”

The command contains three actions:

Rise

Pick up

Go home

Jesus does not offer the man a gradual recovery plan.

He commands an immediate and complete response.

The man who had been carried is told to stand.

The man who had been lying on the bed is told to carry the bed.

The man who could not go anywhere on his own is told to walk home.

Every part of the command displays the completeness of the healing.

Verse 7: The Man Obeys

“And he rose and went home.”

Matthew reports the response with remarkable simplicity.

Jesus spoke.

The man rose.

The authority of Jesus produced exactly what Jesus commanded.

Notice the reversal:

He came in being carried on the bed. He left carrying the bed.

The bed that had been evidence of his helplessness became evidence of Christ’s authority.

His walk home was a public testimony that Jesus’ word could be trusted.

The man did not argue with Jesus.

He did not remain on the bed until he felt stronger.

He acted on the word of Christ.

Application

Faith responds to the authority of Jesus with obedience.

When Jesus commands repentance, faith turns.

When Jesus commands confession, faith speaks.

When Jesus commands baptism, faith submits.

When Jesus commands a changed life, faith gets up and walks.

Obedience does not earn Christ’s power. Obedience responds to Christ’s authority.

Many people say they trust Jesus while refusing to do what Jesus says.

This man demonstrates a better response.

Jesus said, “Rise,” and he rose.

Jesus said, “Go,” and he went.

Where is Jesus presently calling you to get up and obey?

Big Idea

The word of Jesus accomplishes what no human power can accomplish.

Verse 8: The Crowd Responds

“When the crowds saw it, they were afraid, and they glorified God, who had given such authority to men.”

The crowd responds with fear and worship.

Their fear is not merely terror. It is awe in the presence of divine power.

They understand that they have witnessed something beyond ordinary human ability.

They glorify God.

That is the proper direction of every work of Jesus. His authority should not merely leave us impressed. It should lead us to worship.

Matthew says the people glorified God “who had given such authority to men.”

The crowd may not yet understand the full identity of Jesus. They recognize that extraordinary divine authority has appeared in the human realm.

As Matthew’s Gospel continues, the reader is led beyond the crowd’s incomplete understanding.

Jesus is not merely one man among others who has received unusual power. He is Emmanuel, “God with us.” He is the Son of Man. He is the Son of God.

In Matthew 9:6, Jesus declares that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins.

Near the conclusion of Matthew, the risen Jesus will say:

“All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me” —Matthew 28:18

The authority displayed in this house points forward to the authority revealed through the resurrection.

Application

The crowd saw the miracle and glorified God.

The scribes saw the same miracle after thinking evil in their hearts.

The paralytic heard the command and obeyed.

Everyone encountered the same Jesus, but they did not all respond in the same way.

The same remains true today.

Some examine Jesus.

Some accuse Jesus.

Some admire Jesus.

Some obey Jesus.

The question is not whether Jesus possesses authority. Matthew has answered that.

The question is how we will respond to his authority.

Big Idea

When we recognize the authority of Jesus, awe should become obedience.

CLOSING: The Greatest Miracle in the Room

The most visible miracle in this story is that a paralyzed man walked home.

But the greatest miracle was announced before he ever stood up:

“Your sins are forgiven.”

The healed legs were evidence.

The forgiven soul was the greater gift.

The man eventually faced physical weakness again. His earthly life eventually ended. But forgiveness reconciled him to God.

We frequently come to Jesus asking him to change what is around us.

Jesus first wants to change what is within us and what stands between us and God.

He may change the circumstance.

He may remove the pain.

He may open the door.

But even when he does, those gifts are temporary.

Forgiveness is eternal.

Bottom Line: Jesus alone has authority to forgive our deepest need.

Call to Disciples

Some Christians continue carrying guilt that Jesus has already forgiven.

Repentance does not mean pretending sin never happened. It means turning from sin and trusting the authority of Jesus more than the accusations of your past.

Bring the hidden sin into the light.

Confess it.

Turn from it.

Stop allowing shame to claim an authority that belongs only to Jesus.

If Jesus says the debt has been released, your shame does not have the authority to put the debt back.

Then rise and walk in faithful obedience.

Call to Those Who Need Forgiveness

You do not simply need Jesus to make life easier.

You need Jesus to make you right with God.

The good news is that the One who exposed the scribes’ hearts also spoke tenderly to the paralytic.

“Take heart, my son.”

Jesus knows your sin completely and still calls you to come near.

The Son of Man who had authority to forgive sins in Capernaum went to the cross to bear sin, rose from the dead, and now possesses all authority in heaven and on earth.

Respond to that authority with faith.

Turn away from sin in repentance.

Confess Jesus as Lord.

Be baptized into Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, trusting not in the water as human power, but in the saving authority of the crucified and risen Jesus.

Then rise to walk in a new life under his lordship.

You may have entered carrying a burden.

Through Jesus, you do not have to leave beneath it.

Jesus alone has authority to forgive our deepest need.