But that you may know that the Son of Man has power on earth to forgive sins

 And again He entered Capernaum after some days, and it was heard that He was in the house.  Immediately many gathered together, so that there was no longer room to receive them, not even near the door.  And He preached the word to them.  Then they came to Him, bringing a paralytic who was carried by four men.  And when they could not come near Him because of the crowd, they uncovered the roof where He was.  So when they had broken through, they let down the bed on which the paralytic was lying.  When Jesus saw their faith, He said to the paralytic, "Son, your sins are forgiven you."  And some of the scribes were sitting there and reasoning in their hearts, "Why does this Man speak blasphemies like this?  Who can forgive sins but God alone?"  But immediately, when Jesus perceived in His spirit that they reasoned thus within themselves, He said to them, "Why do you reason about these things in your hearts?  Which is easier, to say to the paralytic, 'Your sins are forgiven you,' or to say, 'Arise, take up your bed and walk'?  But that you may know that the Son of Man has power on earth to forgive sins" -- He said to the paralytic, "I say to you, arise, take up your bed, and go to your house."  Immediately he arose, took up the bed, and went out in the presence of them all, so that all were amazed and glorified God, saying, "We never saw anything like this!"

- Mark 2:1-12

Yesterday we read that as soon as Jesus and others with Him had come out of the synagogue in Capernaum (where Jesus preached and cast out a demon), they entered the house of Simon and Andrew, with James and John.  But Simon's wife's mother lay sick with a fever, and they told Him about her at once.  So He came and took her by the hand and lifted her up, and immediately the fever left her.  And she served them.  At evening, when the sun had set, they brought to Him all who were sick and those who were demon-possessed.  And the whole city was gathered together at the door.  Then He healed many who were sick with various diseases, and cast out many demons; and He did not allow the demons to speak, because they knew Him.  Now in the morning, having risen a long while before daylight, He went out and departed to a solitary place; and there He prayed.  And Simon and those who were with Him searched for Him.  When they found Him, they said to Him, "Everyone is looking for You."  But He said to them, "Let us go into the next towns, that I may preach there also, because for this purpose I have come forth."  And He was preaching in their synagogues throughout all Galilee, and casting out demons.  Now a leper came to Him, imploring Him, kneeling down to Him and saying to Him, "If You are willing, You can make me clean."  Then Jesus, moved with compassion, stretched out His hand and touched him, and said to him, "I am willing; be cleansed."  As soon as He had spoken, immediately the leprosy left him, and he was cleansed.  And He strictly warned him and sent him away at once, and said to him, "See that you say nothing to anyone; but go your way, show yourself to the priest, and offer for your cleansing those things which Moses commanded, as a testimony to them."  However, he went out and began to proclaim it freely, and to spread the matter, so that Jesus could no longer openly enter the city, but was outside in deserted places; and they came to Him from every direction.

 And again He entered Capernaum after some days, and it was heard that He was in the house.  Immediately many gathered together, so that there was no longer room to receive them, not even near the door.  And He preached the word to them.  Then they came to Him, bringing a paralytic who was carried by four men.  And when they could not come near Him because of the crowd, they uncovered the roof where He was.  So when they had broken through, they let down the bed on which the paralytic was lying.  When Jesus saw their faith, He said to the paralytic, "Son, your sins are forgiven you."  And some of the scribes were sitting there and reasoning in their hearts, "Why does this Man speak blasphemies like this?  Who can forgive sins but God alone?"  But immediately, when Jesus perceived in His spirit that they reasoned thus within themselves, He said to them, "Why do you reason about these things in your hearts?  Which is easier, to say to the paralytic, 'Your sins are forgiven you,' or to say, 'Arise, take up your bed and walk'?  But that you may know that the Son of Man has power on earth to forgive sins" -- He said to the paralytic, "I say to you, arise, take up your bed, and go to your house."  Immediately he arose, took up the bed, and went out in the presence of them all, so that all were amazed and glorified God, saying, "We never saw anything like this!"  My study bible comments here that one purpose of Christ's coming into the world is to forgive sins, and thus to free humanity from its bondage (John 8:34).  To forgive sins is truly a greater power than physical healing.  As the scribes correctly note, God alone can forgive sins.  Therefore, the easier task is to grant physical healing.  Although Christ is fully God, and therefore holds the authority to forgive, my study bible says, He condescends to those who are gathered in the family home of Peter (which has become His ministry headquarters in Capernaum), by healing this man in order to draw people to God, whom they then glorified.

Many commentators on this healing in today's reading also note the indispensable condition of faith for salvation.  As seen in the story, faith is collective as well as personal.  It was the faith of the paralytic's friends that helped bring about his healing.   It is not told to us that the man confessed his sins, but Christ is the one who knows the secrets of hearts.  The efforts of the paralytic's friends are like prayers for salvation, that may draw a person closer to God's love, and help to bring them to their own salvation.  Traditionally, in the eyes of the Church, sin is seen as something akin to paralysis.  We get "stuck" in our sins.  We tend to get lost in thinking about sin, and forget that the word in Greek means simply "missing the mark."  That is, we are off the pathway Christ would have us be on toward Him.  Sin can be a habitual way of thinking, a kind of shortcut in our minds for the ways in which we do things or treat one another -- or even how we treat ourselves.  We may get used to glossing over habitual patterns of abusive behavior to ourselves or to others.  Perhaps we decide that forgetting about God isn't really a problem, that God is not really necessary to a modern life.  Sin occurs in all kinds of ways, but as Jesus notes in John's Gospel, "Most assuredly, I say to you, whoever commits sin is a slave of sin" (John 8:34).  That which snares us into easy habit can be so hard to break, long after we have realized the bad effects of the habit.  Addiction, of course, is a clear kind of microcosm for this truth.  We know that addiction works on many levels, making it seem as if truly we are slaves to a bad habit, a drug we use, or any other kind of substance which has bad effects upon us, our lives, and the lives of those around us.  Even long after the physical addiction is combated, the mental and emotional pulls remain strong.  It takes great resolution, faith, and much support to stay on the right track.  So it is, also, with bad habits that we don't see as physically addictive.  Perhaps we are used to a pattern of anger which we easily take out on others, or specifically upon one person.  This becomes a habitual way to interact, to let off steam -- rather than doing the work of true healing from Christ the Physician, to help us to break a pattern and change.  Perhaps we cheat just a little bit at work, embezzling small amounts that so easily lead to larger ones.   A gambling addiction has no physical attachment like a drug, but we know how devastating it can be to people's lives, homes, futures, and truly make a slave of someone.  Sin can be a habit of greed, a deepening practice of selfishness in our affairs -- and sin has a progression.  Once we are on a particular path, we continue until we "turn around" and "change our minds" in repentance.  In today's reading, it is the efforts of friends that help to bring this paralytic to Christ, and Christ's forgiveness that sets the paralytic free.  To "forgive" in the Greek is literally to "let go" of the sin -- deepening our understanding of the freedom that comes with forgiveness.  We may see ourselves as helpless victims, but the real truth is that there is choice involved in all the things that we do -- regardless of how hard those choices are.  It is not a question of simply making up one's mind to change.  We all need help, and when we ignore that we are spiritual beings with souls to care for, that is when we fall into a snare of the habit of sin in the first place.  We simply don't take seriously that we have a choice to make not simply for our physical well-being on some level, but for the care of soul and spirit -- and that what we do also affects others in the same level of soul and spirit, positively or negatively.  Let us look carefully at the help given by friends to the paralytic.  We may not all have the friends that he had, but the Church is always present for us with her prayers.  The communion of saints await our prayerful request for help and support in any circumstance, any situation.  The saint of all, the Virgin Mary, is known as the one who never turns anyone away, and never turns away from our prayers.  When we forget that we are also spiritual beings, that we have a soul, we lose all of this, and we lose sight of the fullness and wholeness of what it means to be human, and also what it means to be healed.  Let us not forget where our true help comes from when there is no one else who understands or knows us as deeply.