Christ Heals a Man Sick of the Palsy.
1 And he entered into a ship, and passed over, and came into his
own city. 2 And, behold, they brought to him a man sick of the palsy, lying
on a bed: and Jesus seeing their faith said unto the sick of the palsy;
Son, be of good cheer; thy sins be forgiven thee. 3 And, behold, certain
of the scribes said within themselves, This man blasphemeth. 4 And Jesus
knowing their thoughts said, Wherefore think ye evil in your hearts? 5
For whether is easier, to say, Thy sins be forgiven thee; or to say, Arise,
and walk? 6 But that ye may know that the Son of man hath power on earth
to forgive sins, (then saith he to the sick of the palsy,) Arise, take
up thy bed, and go unto thine house. 7 And he arose, and departed to his
house. 8 But when the multitudes saw it, they marvelled, and glorified
God, which had given such power unto men.
The first words of this chapter oblige us to look back to the close
of that which precedes it, where we find the Gadarenes so resenting the
loss of their swine, that they were disgusted with Christ's company, and
besought him to depart out of their coasts. Now here it follows, He entered
into a ship, and passed over. They bid him begone, and he took them at
their word, and we never read that he came into their coasts again. Now
here observe, 1. His justice--that he left them. Note, Christ will not
tarry long where he is not welcome. In righteous judgment, he forsakes
those places and persons that are weary of him, but abides with those that
covet and court his stay. If the unbeliever will depart from Christ, let
him depart; it is at his peril, 1 Cor. vii. 15. 2. His patience--that he
did not leave some destroying judgment behind him, to punish them, as they
deserved, for their contempt and contumacy. How easily, how justly, might
he have sent them after their swine, who were already so much under the
devil's power. The provocation, indeed, was very great: but he put it up,
and passed it by; and, without any angry resentments or upbraidings, he
entered into a ship, and passed over. This was the day of his patience;
he came not to destroy men's lives, but to save them; not to kill, but
to cure. Spiritual judgments agree more with the constitution of gospel
times; yet some observe, that in those bloody wars which the Romans made
upon the Jews, which began not many years after this, they first besieged
the town of Gadara, where these Gadarenes dwelt. Note, Those that drive
Christ from them, draw all miseries upon them. Woe unto us, if God depart
from us.
He came into his own city, Capernaum, the principal place of his residence
at present (Mark ii. 1), and therefore called his own city. He had himself
testified, that a prophet it least honoured in his own country and city,
yet thither he came; for he sought not his own honour; but, being in a
state of humiliation, he was content to be despised of the people. At Capernaum
all the circumstances recorded in this chapter happened, and are, therefore,
put together here, though, in the harmony of the evangelists, other events
intervened. When the Gadarenes desired Christ to depart, they of Capernaum
received him. If Christ be affronted by some, there are others in whom
he will be glorious; if one will not, another will.
Now the first occurrence, after Christ's return to Capernaum, as recorded
in these verses, was the cure of the man sick of the palsy. In which we
may observe,
I. The faith of his friends in bringing him to Christ. His distemper
was such, that he could not come to Christ himself, but as he was carried.
Note, Even the halt and the lame may be brought to Christ, and they shall
not be rejected by him. If we do as well as we can, he will accept of us.
Christ had an eye to their faith. Little children cannot go to Christ themselves,
but he will have an eye to the faith of those that bring them, and it shall
not be in vain. Jesus saw their faith, the faith of the paralytic himself,
as well as of them that brought him; Jesus saw the habit of faith, though
his distemper, perhaps, impaired his intellect, and obstructed the actings
of it. Now their faith was, 1. A strong faith; they firmly believed that
Jesus Christ both could and would heal him; else they would not have brought
the sick man to him so publicly, and through so much difficulty. 2. A humble
faith; though the sick man was unable to stir a step, they would not ask
Christ to make him a visit, but brought him to attend on Christ. It is
fitter than we should wait on Christ, than he on us. 3. An active faith:
in the belief of Christ's power and goodness, they brought the sick man
to him, lying on a bed, which could not be done without a deal of pains.
Note, A strong faith regards no obstacles in pressing after Christ.
II. The favour of Christ, in what he said to him; Son, be of good cheer,
thy sins be forgiven thee. This was a sovereign cordial to a sick man,
and was enough to make all his bed in his sickness; and to make it easy
to him. We read not of any thing said to Christ; probably the poor sick
man could not speak for himself, and they that brought him chose rather
to speak by actions than words; they set him before Christ; that was enough.
Note, It is not in vain to present ourselves and our friends to Christ,
as the objects of his pity. Misery cries as well as sin, and mercy is no
less quick of hearing than justice. Here is, in what Christ said, 1. A
kind compellation; Son. Note, Exhortations and consolations to the afflicted
speak to them as to sons, for afflictions are fatherly discipline, Heb.
xii. 5. 2. A gracious encouragement; "Be of good cheer. Have a good heart
on it; cheer up thy spirits." Probably the poor man, when let down among
them all in his bed, was put out of countenance, was afraid of a rebuke
for being brought in so rudely: but Christ does not stand upon ceremony;
he bids him be of good cheer; all would be well, he should not be laid
before Christ in vain. Christ bids him be of good cheer; and then cures
him. He would have those to whom he deals his gifts, to be cheerful in
seeking him, and in trusting in him; to be of good courage. 3. A good reason
for that encouragement; Thy sins are forgiven thee. Now this may be considered,
(1.) as an introduction to the cure of his bodily distemper; "Thy sins
are pardoned, and therefore thou shalt be healed." Note, As sin is the
cause of sickness, so the remission of sin is the comfort of recovery from
sickness; not but that sin may be pardoned, and yet the sickness not removed;
not but that the sickness may be removed, and yet the sin not pardoned:
but if we have the comfort of our reconciliation to God, with the comfort
of our recovery from sickness, this makes it a mercy indeed to us, as to
Hezekiah, Isa. xxxviii. 17. Or, (2.) As a reason of the command to be of
good cheer, whether he were cured of his disease or not; "Though I should
not heal thee, wilt thou not say thou hast not sought in vain, if I assure
thee that thy sins are pardoned; and wilt thou not look upon that as a
sufficient ground of comfort, though thou shouldst continue sick of the
palsy?" Note, They who, through grace, have some evidence of the forgiveness
of their sins, have reasons to be of good cheer, whatever outward troubles
or afflictions they are under; see Isa. xxxiii. 24.
III. The cavil of the scribes at that which Christ said (v. 3); They
said within themselves, in their hearts, among themselves, in their secret
whisperings, This man blasphemeth. See how the greatest instance of heaven's
power and grace is branded with the blackest note of hell's enmity; Christ's
pardoning sin is termed blasphemy; nor had it been less, if he had not
had commission from God for it. They, therefore, are guilty of blasphemy,
that have no such commission, and yet pretend to pardon sin.
IV. The conviction which Christ gave them of the unreasonableness of
this cavil, before he proceeded.
1. He charged them with it. Though they did but say it within themselves,
he knew their thoughts. Note, Our Lord Jesus has the perfect knowledge
of all that we say within ourselves. Thoughts are secret and sudden, yet
naked and open before Christ, the eternal Word (Heb. iv. 12, 13), and he
understands them afar off, Ps. cxxxix. 2. He could say to them (which no
mere man could), Wherefore think ye evil in your hearts? Note, There is
a great deal of evil in sinful thoughts, which is very offensive to the
Lord Jesus. He being the Sovereign of the heart, sinful thoughts invade
his right, and disturb his possession; therefore he takes notice of them,
and is much displeased with them. In them lies the root of bitterness,
Gen. vi. 5. The sins that begin and end in the heart, and go no further,
are as dangerous as any other.
2. He argued them out of it, v. 5, 6. Where observe,
(1.) How he asserts his authority in the kingdom of grace. He undertakes
to make out, that the Son of man, the Mediator, has power on earth to forgive
sins; for therefore the Father has committed all judgment to the Son, and
has given him this authority, because he is the Son of man, John v. 22,
27. If he has power to give eternal life, as he certainly has (John xvii.
2), he must have power to forgive sin; for guilt is a bar that must be
removed, or we can never get to heaven. What an encouragement is this to
poor sinners to repent, that the power of pardoning sin is put into the
hands of the Son of man, who is bone of our bone! And if he had this power
on earth, much more now that he is exalted to the Father's right hand,
to give repentance and remission of sins, and so to be both a Prince and
a Saviour, Acts v. 31.
(2.) How he proves it, by his power in the kingdom of nature; his power
to cure diseases. Is it not as easy to say, Thy sins are forgiven thee,
as to say, Arise and walk? He that can cure the disease, whether declaratively
as a Prophet, or authoritatively as God, can, in like manner, forgive the
sin. Now, [1.] This is a general argument to prove that Christ had a divine
mission. His miracles, especially his miraculous cures, confirm what he
said of himself, that he was the Son of God; the power that appeared in
his cures proved him sent of God; and the pity that appeared in them proved
him sent of God to heal and save. The God of truth would not set his seal
to a lie. [2.] It had a particular cogency in this case. The palsy was
but a symptom of the disease of sin; now he made it to appear, that he
could effectually cure the original disease, by the immediate removal of
that symptom; so close a connection was there between the sin and the sickness.
He that had power to remove the punishment, no doubt, had power to remit
the sin. The scribes stood much upon a legal righteousness, and placed
their confidence in that, and made no great matter of the forgiveness of
sin, the doctrine upon which Christ hereby designed to put honour, and
to show that his great errand to the world was to save his people from
their sins.
V. The immediate cure of the sick man. Christ turned from disputing
with them, and spake healing to him. The most necessary arguings must not
divert us from doing the good that our hand finds to do. He saith to the
sick of the palsy, Arise, take up thy bed, and go to thine house; and a
healing, quickening, strengthening power accompanied this word (v. 7):
he arose and departed to his house. Now, 1. Christ bid him take up his
bed, to show that he was perfectly cured, and that not only he had no more
occasion to be carried upon his bed, but that he had strength to carry
it. 2. He sent him to his house, to be a blessing to his family, where
he had been so long a burden; and did not take him along with him for a
show, which those would do in such a case who seek the honour that comes
from men.
VI. The impression which this made upon the multitude (v. 8); they marvelled,
and glorified God. Note, All our wonder should help to enlarge our hearts
in glorifying God, who alone does marvellous things. They glorified God
for what he had done for this poor man. Note, Others' mercies should be
our praises, and we should give him thanks for them, for we are members
one of another. Though few of this multitude were so convinced, as to be
brought to believe in Christ, and to follow him, yet they admired him,
not as God, or the Son of God, but as a man to whom God had given such
power. Note, God must be glorified in all the power that is given to men
to do good. For all power is originally his; it is in him, as the Fountain,
in men, as the cisterns.
