And, behold, they brought to him a man sick of the palsy, lying on a bed: and Jesus seeing their faith said to the sick of the palsy; Son, be of good cheer; your sins be forgiven you.
they brought.
Matthew 4:24 And his fame went throughout all Syria: and they brought unto him all sick people that were taken with divers diseases and torments, and those which were possessed with devils, and those which were lunatick, and those that had the palsy; and he healed them.
Matthew 8:16 When the even was come, they brought unto him many that were possessed with devils: and he cast out the spirits with his word, and healed all that were sick:
Mark 1:32 And at even, when the sun did set, they brought unto him all that were diseased, and them that were possessed with devils.
seeing.
Matthew 8:10 When Jesus heard it, he marvelled, and said to them that followed, Verily I say unto you, I have not found so great faith, no, not in Israel.
Mark 2:4,5 And when they could not come nigh unto him for the press, they uncovered the roof where he was: and when they had broken it up, they let down the bed wherein the sick of the palsy lay…
Luke 5:19,20 And when they could not find by what way they might bring him in because of the multitude, they went upon the housetop, and let him down through the tiling with his couch into the midst before Jesus…
Son.
Matthew 9:22 But Jesus turned him about, and when he saw her, he said, Daughter, be of good comfort; thy faith hath made thee whole. And the woman was made whole from that hour.
Mark 5:34 And he said unto her, Daughter, thy faith hath made thee whole; go in peace, and be whole of thy plague.
John 21:5 Then Jesus saith unto them, Children, have ye any meat? They answered him, No.
be.
Psalm 32:1,2 A Psalm of David, Maschil. Blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered…
Ecclesiastes 9:7 Go thy way, eat thy bread with joy, and drink thy wine with a merry heart; for God now accepteth thy works.
Isaiah 40:1,2 Comfort ye, comfort ye my people, saith your God…
thy sins.
When Jesus saw their faith,
The faith of the men is a crucial element in this narrative. It is not merely the faith of the paralytic but the collective faith of his friends that prompts Jesus to act. This highlights the biblical principle that faith can be communal and intercessory, as seen in James 5:15, where the prayer of faith can heal the sick. Jesus' recognition of their faith underscores the importance of belief and trust in God's power, a recurring theme throughout the Gospels.
He said to the paralytic, “Take courage, son; your sins are forgiven.”
Jesus addresses the paralytic with compassion and authority. The term "son" conveys a sense of care and belonging, indicating Jesus' role as a spiritual father and healer. The command to "take courage" reassures the man, preparing him for the transformative act that follows. The declaration "your sins are forgiven" is significant, as it prioritizes spiritual healing over physical healing. This statement challenges the prevailing Jewish belief that physical ailments were directly linked to personal sin, as seen in John 9:2-3. By forgiving sins, Jesus asserts His divine authority, fulfilling prophecies such as Isaiah 53:5, which speaks of the Messiah bearing the iniquities of many. This act foreshadows the ultimate forgiveness of sins through Jesus' sacrificial death and resurrection, central to Christian theology.
• Matthew places the scene immediately after Jesus has crossed the lake and calmed a storm (Matthew 8:23-27) and delivered two demoniacs (Matthew 8:28-34).
• The timing stresses that Jesus’ power over nature and demons is now turned toward human brokenness—“just then,” the next moment of need.
• Mark 2:1-2 and Luke 5:17-18 record the same event, showing a packed house and urgency. Together they underscore that no delay is too small for Christ to act.
• The paralytic can do nothing for himself; friends carry him.
– Galatians 6:2 urges believers to “carry one another’s burdens.”
– Ecclesiastes 4:9-10 reminds us two are better than one when one falls.
• Love is practical: lifting, walking, navigating a crowd. Faith often wears work boots (James 2:18).
• Faith is visible through action (James 2:17).
• Jesus responds not only to the sufferer’s need but to the collective faith of the group, highlighting the power of intercession (Job 42:10; Acts 12:5).
• Mark 2:4 pictures the friends digging through a roof—faith that won’t be stopped.
• The Lord speaks directly, proving He is personal and attentive (John 10:3).
• No detour through a priest or ritual; the Savior meets the sinner-sufferer face-to-face (Hebrews 4:15-16).
• The crowd listens, but the words target one heart, demonstrating individual worth (Luke 19:5).
• “Take courage” (sometimes “take heart”) appears when God dispels fear (John 16:33; Acts 23:11).
• Calling him “son” signals acceptance into the family of faith (Romans 8:15-16).
• Jesus addresses fear before fixing legs, showing that inner turmoil often outweighs outer paralysis (Psalm 34:4).
• Forgiveness is Jesus’ first move, placing spiritual restoration above physical relief (Psalm 103:3; Isaiah 53:5).
• Only God can forgive sins (Isaiah 43:25). By declaring pardon, Jesus openly claims divine authority, provoking the scribes in the next verses (Matthew 9:3).
• Colossians 2:13 teaches that Christ’s word cancels the record of debt—here He models it in real time.
• Healing follows (Matthew 9:6-7), proving that the invisible miracle (forgiveness) is as real as the visible one (walking).
Matthew 9:2 reveals friends’ determined faith, Jesus’ compassionate focus, and His divine authority. The Lord meets a helpless man, calms his heart, adopts him as family, cancels his sin, and later heals his body—demonstrating that the greatest miracle is forgiveness, and every other miracle flows from His sovereign grace.
(2) Behold, they brought to him.--From the other Gospels we learn:--(1) That He was teaching (Luke 5:17) in a house (apparently, from what follows, from the upper room of a house), while the people stood listening in the courtyard. (2) That the court-yard was crowded, so that even the gateway leading into the street was filled (Mark 2:2). (3) That among the hearers were Pharisees and Doctors of the Law, who had come, not only from "every village of Galilee and Judaea," but also "from Jerusalem." The last fact is important as one of the few traces in the first three Gospels of an unrecorded ministry in Jerusalem, and, as will be seen, throws light on much that follows. They had apparently come to see how the new Teacher, who had so startled them at Jerusalem, was carrying on His work in Galilee, and, as far as they could, to hinder it. (4) That "the power of the Lord was present to heal them" (Luke 5:17), i.e., that as He taught, the sick were brought to Him, and, either by word or touch, were cured.A man sick of the palsy.--St. Matthew and St. Mark use the popular term "paralytic;" St. Luke, with perhaps more technical precision, the participle of the verb, "who was paralysed." The man was borne on a couch (St. Mark uses the Greek form of the Latin grabatum, the bed or mattress of the poor) carried by four bearers (Mark 2:3). They sought to bring him through the door, but were hindered by the crowd; and then going outside the house, they got upon the roof, removed part of the roof (the light structure of Eastern houses made the work comparatively easy), let him down with ropes through the opening into the midst of the crowd, just in front of the Teacher (Mark 2:4; Luke 5:19). This persistency implied faith in His power to heal on the part both of the sick man and the bearers. . . .
Verse 2. - And, behold, they brought to him (προσέφερον αὐτῷ). Bengel's remark, "Offerebant - Tales oblationes factae sunt Salvatori plurimae, gratae," though very beautiful, is, from its undue insistence on the sacrificial use of προσφέρω, hardly exegesis. Matthew omits the difficulty that was experienced in bringing him to our Lord (see parallel passages), yet this alone accounts for the special commendation of their faith. A man sick of the palsy, lying on a bed. Probably a mat or quilt (ver. 6). Professor Marshall, in the Expositor for March, 1891, p. 215, has a most interesting note showing that the differences between "lying on a bed" (Matthew)and "carried by four" (Mark), and even "they sought to bring him in, and to place him before him" (Luke, who has already mentioned "on a bed" ), may be explained by being different translations of an original Aramaic sentence. And Jesus seeing their faith. Including that of the paralytic, who, as we may gather from the obedience he afterwards shows, had agreed to and had encouraged the special efforts of his bearers. Said unto the sick of the palsy; Son, be of good cheer (Θάρσει τέκνον). Son. So Mark, but Luke has "man" (ἄνθρωπε), which, though more usual in Greek (though still Hebraic, for ἀνέρ would have been in accordance with classical usage), is much more colourless. Τέκνον, as a term of address, is elsewhere in the New Testament used only where there is relationship physical (Matthew 21:28; Luke 2:48; Luke 15:31; even Luke 16:25) or moral, especially that of pupil and teacher (Mark 10:24; cf 1 Timothy 1:18; 2 Timothy 2:1). It therefore implies that there is both sympathy and much common ground between the speaker and him whom he addresses. It is the antithesis of Matthew 8:29 (cf. further, infra, ver. 22). Thus it here served affectionately to encourage the sufferer in soul and body, preparing him to receive the announcement following. Matthew emphasizes its purpose by prefixing θάρσει. Thy sins be; Revised Version, are; expressing clearly that the words are the statement of a fact, not merely the expression of a command. Forgiven thee; Revised Version omits "thee" (genuine in Luke), with manuscripts (ἀφίενταί σου αἱ ἁμαρτίαι). Matthew and Mark use the present of general statement, Luke the perfect (ἀφέωνται, Doric; Winer, 14:3. a), to express a past fact of permanent significance. Observe the order of the Lord's assurance, as recorded in the true text. Courage, sympathy, forgiveness, and, only after all else, recalling individual sins. As the assurance of forgiveness is delightful to the soul, so is it often helpful to the body. Hence possibly our Lord's method in this case, for the man "inter spem metumque dubius pendebat" (Wetstein). Compare for the conjunction of the two, James 5:15, and, as a still closer parallel to our passage, Talm. Bab., 'Nedarim,' 41a. "R. Hija bar Abba said, The sick doth not recover from his sickness until all his sins be forgiven him, for it is said, 'Who pardoneth all thy iniquities, who healeth all thy diseases.'" So also Qimbi (on Psalm 41:5, "Heal my soul, for I have sinned against thee" ): "He does not say, Heal my body," for it is his sins that are the cause of his sickness, but if God heal his soul from its sickness, viz. by making atonement for his sins, then his body is healed."