Jesus Butts Heads With Fundamentalists

Jesus Forgives Sins

At one house so many people pressed in, four men made an opening in the roof to lower a paralyzed man to Jesus. When he saw their faith, he said, “Be encouraged, friend. Your sins are forgiven.”

Some Pharisees and teachers of the law considered this blasphemy, for only God could forgive sins. Knowing their thoughts, Jesus said, “Is it easier to say your sins are forgiven or get up and walk? So you may know the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins—get up and go home,” he said to the paralytic.

The man did to everyone’s amazement, and they praised God.

Jesus Heals a Paralyzed Man on the Sabbath {John}

In Jerusalem for the feast of the Jews, Jesus went to the Sheep Gate, a pool where disabled people gathered—the blind, the lame, and the paralyzed. One man had been an invalid for thirty-eight years.

Being so long, Jesus asked him, “Do you want to get well?”  

“I’ve no one to help me into the pool when the water stirs. Someone always gets in before me.”

“Get up, pick up your mat, and walk.” He did and was at once cured.

Being the Sabbath (the seventh day of rest when no work should be done), the Jews told the man it was unlawful to carry his mat. “A man healed me and told me to carry it home.” They asked, but the man didn’t know who had done this.

Later, Jesus found the man in the temple. “You are well now. Stop sinning or something worse may happen to you.” The man left and told the Jews that Jesus had cured him.

Personal Thought: I find a lot of superstition in religion—if you do this bad thing or more benignly don’t do what you’re supposed to (a minor duty rather than a sin), this other bad thing will happen to you. I doubt that’s what Jesus meant. Something worse than being paralyzed for thirty-eight years would have to be pretty major, like losing your place in the kingdom of God.