The Doctor for the Sick
But so that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins...” Then He said to the paralytic, “Get up, pick up your mat, and go home.” Matthew 9:6 · Berean Standard Bible
Then Jesus said, 'To prove I have authority to forgive sins,' and told the paralyzed man, 'Get up, pick up your mat, and go home.'
Jesus did the visible miracle to prove the invisible one. The healing was the evidence that the forgiveness was real.
Jesus, proving His authority.
This is one of Jesus' most powerful demonstrations: He heals the body to prove He can heal the soul.
Jesus heals the paralytic explicitly to demonstrate (hina eidete, 'so that you may know') that the Son of Man has exousia (authority) on earth to forgive sins.
The healing serves as visible proof of invisible authority: the observable miracle validates the unobservable forgiveness.
Jesus, healing as proof of His authority to forgive.
This is a pivotal Christological moment: physical healing is subordinated to the greater claim of divine authority to forgive sins.
4But Jesus knew what they were thinking and said, “Why do you harbor evil in your hearts?
5Which is easier: to say, ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or to say, ‘Get up and walk’?
6But so that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins...” Then He said to the paralytic, “Get up, pick up your mat, and go home.”
7And the man got up and went home.
8When the crowds saw this, they were filled with awe and glorified God, who had given such authority to men.
Read all of Matthew 9 — Jesus eats with sinners, forgives the paralyzed, and raises the dead. The religious leaders are horrified; the broken are set free.
This page covers one. BibleKey does all 31,102 — tap any verse for its meaning, any word for its Hebrew or Greek root, and keep reading without leaving the chapter.
NIV, NLT, NKJV, KJV and the Berean — plus the Catholic NLT-CE and Douay-Rheims, with the full deuterocanon in the reading order.
Tap any of the 31,102 for what it means, and any word for its Hebrew or Greek root, without leaving the chapter.
Start recording at church and put your phone away. You get the transcript, the key moments, and every verse referenced.
Say what's sitting on your heart and hear it back as a real prayer, in a warm voice. Keep the ones that land.
The whole Bible in a year — five chapters a day, five days a week, weekends off. Built to be finished.
A verse each morning with its meaning, how it lands today, something to sit with, and a prayer to close it.
Not just the famous ones. BibleKey is free on iPhone and iPad.
Download on the App StoreFree on iPhone & iPad