Who Can Forgive Sins But God Alone?
At that time, Jesus entered Capernaum and it was reported that he was at home. And many were gathered together, so that there was no longer room for them, not even about the door; and he was preaching the word to them.
And they came, bringing to him a paralytic carried by four men. And when they could not get near him because of the crowd, they removed the roof above him; and when they had made an opening, they let down the pallet on which the paralytic lay. And when Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralytic, "My son, your sins are forgiven."
Now some of the scribes were sitting there, questioning in their hearts, "Why does this man speak thus? It is a blasphemy! Who can forgive sins but God alone?" And immediately Jesus, perceiving in his spirit that they thus questioned within themselves, said to them, "Why do you question thus in your hearts? Which is easier, to say to the paralytic, 'Your sins are forgiven,' or to say, 'Rise, take up your pallet and walk? But that you may know that the Son of man has authority on earth to forgive sins"-he said to the paralytic-"I say to you, rise, take up your pallet and go home." And he rose, and immediately took up the pallet and went out before them all; so that they were all amazed and glorified God, saying, "We never saw anything like this!"
RSV Mark 2:1-12
This Sunday marks the beginning of our reading of St. Mark’s Gospel for our Sunday lectionary readings. We will continue with Mark—the oldest Gospel—through Pascha, when we will hear Mark 16:1–8 read during Orthros, proclaiming the Resurrection.
After the beginning of the Divine Liturgy on Pascha, the Church enters a period of reading from John through Pentecost. Once Pentecost has passed, we spend our summer with Matthew, until the ecclesiastical new year in September, when we begin again with Luke until we return to the readings from Mark during the Lenten season. This is the rough order of the lectionary throughout the year.
However, I must also note that the Gospels read each day change for feast days. Therefore, for those of you following the daily readings at home or in church, you will notice that there are always variations within the order of the lectionary, highlighting the organic nature of our living tradition.
Returning to Mark, Mark’s Gospel focuses on proclaiming who Jesus Christ, the Son of God, is. Yet the revelation of who this Jesus—the Christ or Savior—is does not fully unfold until He is risen and the empty tomb is proclaimed on Pascha.
There is a constant confusion on the part of humanity as to who Jesus is in Mark’s narrative. Some believe Him to be a military leader, anointed by God to free Israel from the Romans, while others see Him as a spiritual teacher. Yet it is not until He presents Himself in the upper room to the Apostles after His Resurrection that it is fully revealed who He is: God Himself, come to liberate us from our true captors—sin and death.
Throughout Mark’s narrative, however, we see that Christ continually shows the people that He is inviting them to a higher understanding of who He is through His acts of service. Today’s narrative, taken from the second chapter of Mark, is a prime example of this.
As Christ begins His ministry, we hear that He enters Capernaum, and it is reported that He is at home—likely Peter’s house, where He had healed Peter’s mother-in-law. As this report spreads, many gather to see Him, to the point that there is no room left in the house.
Remember, the people do not fully grasp who Jesus is, yet there is a pull within them to experience Him. This is the same pull that each of us has to meet Christ, our Lord and God. It is through approaching Him that we come to know who He truly is.
Knowing Christ cannot be studied in the same way that we cannot truly know our partners, family members, or friends merely by studying their characteristics. The only way we can know a person is by spending time with them, communing with them, and experiencing life alongside them. Even then, we can never say that we know a person completely, for we are always growing and revealing new aspects of ourselves.
In building a relationship with another, there is always a yearning to know them more deeply. We see this same yearning in those who approach Christ. The fullness of who He is is revealed to us as we live in communion with His presence.
In the Gospel narrative, we hear that others desire to approach Christ as well—these are the friends of a man who is paralyzed, who cannot approach Christ on his own. Thus, his friends aid him in this effort. They go so far as to take him up to the roof of the house, open it, and lower him down so that he may be brought into the presence of Christ.
Seeing their faith in action—the effort they take to bring their friend to Him—we hear that Christ saw their faith. Faith, as we have stated before, is a movement of the whole person toward Christ. We are also the Body of Christ, so by bringing their friend to Him, they both approach Christ themselves and help their fellow member of His body approach Him as well.
This is why Christ tells the man, on account of their faith:
“My son, your sins are forgiven.”
Sin is a missing of our mark or taget who is Christ. As we flee from Him, disorder enters our lives. Illness, natural disasters, and all evil are the result of our fallen world, separated from God. Yet when we approach Him again, we see that all sin and its effects are forgiven, and true restoration takes place in His presence.
By forgiving sins, Christ reveals Himself to be God. Some of the scribes begin questioning in their hearts: “Why does this man speak thus? It is blasphemy! Who can forgive sins but God alone?”
Once again, the confusion surrounding who Christ is comes to the surface. Yet He does not simply proclaim Himself to be God. Instead, perceiving what is in the hearts of the scribes, Christ asks: “Why do you question thus in your hearts? Which is easier, to say to the paralytic, ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or to say, ‘Rise, take up your pallet and walk’? But that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins…”
In this moment Christ uses the title “Son of Man” in reference to Himself. This title recalls the prophecy of Daniel, though at that time it was not commonly understood as a Messianic title. Yet through His actions Christ reveals who He truly is, and after His raising from the dead we see the fullness of who the Son of Man is. He then tells the paralytic:“I say to you, rise, take up your pallet and go home.” Immediately the man rises, and the crowd glorifies God, saying: “We never saw anything like this!”
Christ is not explicitly glorified as God in this moment, yet His actions lead those present to give glory to God. In everything, Christ raises us to a higher reality. We see this both in the healing of the paralytic and in how Christ directs all attention to the glory of God the Father.
This entire Gospel invites us to enter into relationship with God and be lifted into His presence through His Son. Christ, the Son of God, meets us in our fallen state, invites us into His presence, and leads us to the true freedom from sin and death that is found in the Kingdom of God, our Father.
It is important to note that Christ does not force us to know who He is or to receive the gifts He offers. The scribes still harden their hearts, closing themselves off from seeing the glory before them. Yet, as we see with the crowd, the friends of the paralytic, and the paralytic himself, glory is given to God through their open-hearted approach to Christ.
In the same way, we are called to approach Christ ourselves.
We do so by serving and relating to our fellow members of His body, as the friends of the paralytic did. We do so by allowing ourselves to be carried by our friends and loved ones into His presence when sin or weakness prevents us from approaching Him on our own.
In everything, it is through our approach to Christ in faith that sins are forgiven and we are freed from the grip sin once had on us.
Thus, we are always called to keep our eyes lifted upward, seeking Christ in every moment of our lives. As we humbly approach Him, we open the door for Him to reveal who He truly is. As God, He strengthens us in our weakness and gives us everything we need to live eternally in His loving and saving presence.
This is the great gift offered to us as Christians. Therefore, it is our calling to seek Him in every moment of our lives. We are all members of His body, and when we see others struggling, we are called to help them in whatever way God is calling us.
All of this leads toward the goal of humanity: to become fully who we are called to be, free from sin in the saving presence of our Lord.
We have the freedom to choose. Therefore, let us have the openness of heart to choose to approach Christ, for it is this choice that opens the door of our hearts and allows true life to begin in His loving and saving presence.