Mark 2:10
But so that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins..." He said to the paralytic,
But so that you may know
This phrase introduces the purpose of Jesus' forthcoming action. The Greek word for "know" is "γινώσκω" (ginōskō), which implies a deep, experiential understanding rather than mere intellectual acknowledgment. Jesus desires that His audience not only hears His claim but also witnesses a demonstration of His divine authority. This sets the stage for a revelation of His identity and mission, emphasizing the importance of experiential faith in the Christian life.

the Son of Man
This title, "ὁ υἱὸς τοῦ ἀνθρώπου" (ho huios tou anthrōpou), is one of Jesus' favorite self-designations, appearing frequently in the Gospels. It has roots in Daniel 7:13-14, where "one like a son of man" is given authority and an everlasting kingdom. By using this title, Jesus connects His earthly ministry with the divine authority and eschatological role prophesied in the Old Testament. It underscores both His humanity and His divine mission, bridging the gap between heaven and earth.

has authority
The Greek word "ἐξουσία" (exousia) denotes power, right, and jurisdiction. In the context of first-century Judaism, authority was a significant concept, often associated with religious leaders and the Roman government. Jesus' claim to have authority, especially in the realm of spiritual matters, challenges the existing religious structures and asserts His divine prerogative. This authority is not self-assumed but divinely bestowed, affirming His identity as the Messiah.

on earth
This phrase emphasizes the realm of Jesus' authority. While His divine nature encompasses all creation, His mission is particularly focused on the earthly realm, where humanity resides. It highlights the incarnation—God becoming flesh and dwelling among us (John 1:14). Jesus' authority on earth signifies His active engagement in human history and His power to transform lives in the here and now.

to forgive sins
The ability to forgive sins is a divine prerogative, as sin is ultimately an offense against God. The Greek word for "forgive" is "ἀφίημι" (aphiēmi), meaning to send away or release. In the Jewish context, forgiveness was closely tied to the sacrificial system and the Day of Atonement. Jesus' claim to forgive sins directly challenges the religious authorities and points to His role as the ultimate sacrificial Lamb. It underscores the heart of the Gospel message: reconciliation with God through Christ. This authority to forgive is a profound expression of God's grace and love, offering hope and restoration to all who believe.

Persons / Places / Events
1. Jesus (Son of Man)
Central figure in this passage, Jesus refers to Himself as the "Son of Man," a title that emphasizes both His humanity and His divine authority. This title is rooted in Daniel 7:13-14, where it is associated with a figure who has everlasting dominion.

2. Paralytic Man
The individual who is brought to Jesus for healing. His physical condition symbolizes the spiritual paralysis of sin, which Jesus addresses by forgiving his sins.

3. Scribes
Religious leaders present during this event. They question Jesus' authority to forgive sins, which sets the stage for Jesus to demonstrate His divine authority.

4. Capernaum
The town where this event takes place. It serves as a backdrop for many of Jesus' teachings and miracles, highlighting His ministry in Galilee.

5. Crowd
The people gathered to hear Jesus teach. Their presence underscores the widespread interest in Jesus' teachings and miracles.
Teaching Points
Authority of Jesus
Jesus' authority to forgive sins is a central theme. This authority is not just a claim but is demonstrated through His actions and teachings. Believers are called to recognize and submit to Jesus' authority in their lives.

Faith and Forgiveness
The faith of the paralytic and his friends is instrumental in this account. It serves as a reminder that faith is a key component in receiving forgiveness and healing from Jesus.

Challenge of Legalism
The scribes' skepticism highlights the danger of legalism and the importance of understanding the heart of God's law, which is mercy and forgiveness.

Divine Compassion
Jesus' willingness to forgive and heal reflects His compassion. Believers are encouraged to emulate this compassion in their interactions with others.

Spiritual Healing
The healing of the paralytic symbolizes the deeper spiritual healing that Jesus offers. Christians are reminded of the importance of seeking spiritual restoration through Christ.
Bible Study Questions
1. How does Jesus' use of the title "Son of Man" in Mark 2:10 connect to His divine authority, and what implications does this have for our understanding of His identity?

2. In what ways does the faith of the paralytic and his friends challenge us to approach Jesus with our own needs and the needs of others?

3. How can we guard against the legalistic attitudes displayed by the scribes, and instead focus on the heart of God's law?

4. What are some practical ways we can demonstrate the compassion of Jesus in our daily lives, especially towards those who are marginalized or in need?

5. How does the concept of spiritual healing in this passage encourage us to seek forgiveness and restoration in our own lives, and how can we support others in their spiritual journeys?
Connections to Other Scriptures
Daniel 7:13-14
The title "Son of Man" connects to this Old Testament prophecy, emphasizing Jesus' divine authority and eternal kingdom.

Matthew 9:6 and Luke 5:24
Parallel accounts of this event, reinforcing the message of Jesus' authority to forgive sins.

John 5:27
Jesus speaks of His authority to execute judgment, further affirming His divine role.

Psalm 103:3
Speaks of God as the one who forgives all iniquities, linking Jesus' actions to the divine nature of God.
Cure of the ParalyticA.F. Muir Mark 2:1-12
The Cure of the ParalyticJ.J. Given Mark 2:1-12
The ParalyticE. Johnson Mark 2:1-12
The Sick of the Palsy: the Spiritual and Physical HealingR. Green Mark 2:1-12
An Example of Christ's Supreme PowerD. C. Hughes, M. A.Mark 2:7-11
Christ and the Forgiveness of SinPreacher's MonthlyMark 2:7-11
Christ, the Forgiver of SinsMark 2:7-11
Christ's Power to ForgiveG. F. Wright.Mark 2:7-11
Christ's Prerogative to Forgive SinsH. Stowell, M. A.Mark 2:7-11
Pardon Develops ManhoodMonday Club SermonsMark 2:7-11
Power to Forgive SinsMonday Club SermonsMark 2:7-11
Sin a Deep Disease Beyond the Reach of Human RemediesMonday Club SermonsMark 2:7-11
The Divine Maker of Man the Only Repairer of ManMonday Club SermonsMark 2:7-11
The Ease of Divine PowerJ. Miller.Mark 2:7-11
People
Abiathar, Alphaeus, David, Jesus, John, Levi
Places
Capernaum, Galilee
Topics
Authority, Forgive, Forgiveness, Palsy, Paralytic, Paralytic-, Pardon, Power, Says, Sick, Sins, Sins-he
Dictionary of Bible Themes
Mark 2:10

     2012   Christ, authority
     2066   Christ, power of
     2078   Christ, sonship of
     2221   Christ, Son of Man
     6689   mercy, of Christ

Mark 2:1-12

     5162   lameness

Mark 2:3-12

     2012   Christ, authority
     5285   cures
     6040   sinners

Mark 2:5-10

     2018   Christ, divinity

Mark 2:5-12

     7464   teachers of the law

Mark 2:8-12

     5030   knowledge, of Christ

Mark 2:10-11

     2233   Son of Man

Mark 2:10-12

     1418   miracles, responses

Library
December 28 Morning
Thy sins be forgiven thee.--MARK 2:5. I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more.--Who can forgive sins but God only? I, even I, am he that blotteth out thy transgressions for mine own sake, and will not remember thy sins.--Blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered. Blessed is the man unto whom the Lord imputeth not iniquity.--Who is a God like unto thee, that pardoneth iniquity? God for Christ's sake hath forgiven you.--The blood of Jesus Christ
Anonymous—Daily Light on the Daily Path

June 8 Evening
Why reason ye these things in your hearts?--MARK 2:8. Being not weak in faith, [Abraham] considered not his own body now dead, when he was about an hundred years old, neither yet the deadness of Sarah's womb; he staggered not at the promise of God through unbelief; but was strong in faith, giving glory to God. Is it easier to say to the sick of the palsy, Thy sins be forgiven thee or to say, Arise, and take up thy bed, and walk?--If thou canst believe, all things are possible to him that believeth.
Anonymous—Daily Light on the Daily Path

The Secret of Gladness
'And Jesus said unto them, Can the children of the bridechamber fast, while the bridegroom is with them?'--Mark ii. 19. This part of our Lord's answer to the question put by John's disciples as to the reason for the omission of the practice of fasting by His followers. The answer is very simple. It is--'My disciples do not fast because they are not sad.' And the principle which underlies the answer is a very important one. It is this: that all outward forms of religion, appointed by man, ought only
Alexander Maclaren—Expositions of Holy Scripture

Christ's Authority to Forgive
'And again He entered into Capernaum after some days; and it was noised that He was in the house. 2. And straightway many were gathered together, insomuch that there was no room to receive them, no, not so much as about the door; and He preached the word unto them. 3. And they come unto Him, bringing one sick of the palsy, which was borne of four. 4. And when they could not come nigh unto Him for the press, they uncovered the roof where He was: and when they had broken it up, they let down the bed
Alexander Maclaren—Expositions of Holy Scripture

The Publicans' Friend
'And He went forth again by the sea side; and all the multitude resorted unto Him, and He taught them. 14. And as He passed by, he saw Levi the son of Alphaus sitting at the receipt of custom, and said unto him, Follow me. And he arose and followed Him. 15. And it came to pass, that, as Jesus sat at meat in his house, many publicans and sinners sat also together with Jesus and His disciples: for there were many, and they followed Him. 16. And when the scribes and Pharisees saw Him eat with publicans
Alexander Maclaren—Expositions of Holy Scripture

Works which Hallow the Sabbath
'And it came to pass, that He went through the cornfields on the Sabbath day; and His disciples began, as they went, to pluck the ears of corn. 24. And the Pharisees said unto Him, Behold, why do they on the Sabbath day that which is not lawful? 25. And He said unto them, Have ye never read what David did, when he had need, and was an hungred, he, and they that were with him? 28. How he went into the house of God in the days of Abiathar the high priest, and did eat the shewbread, which is not lawful
Alexander Maclaren—Expositions of Holy Scripture

The Friend of Sinners
(Preached in London.) MARK ii. 15, 16. And it came to pass, that, as Jesus sat at meat in his house, many publicans and sinners sat also together with Jesus and his disciples: for there were many, and they followed him. And when the scribes and Pharisees saw him eat with publicans and sinners they said onto his disciples, How is it that he eateth and drinketh with publicans and sinners? We cannot wonder at the scribes and Pharisees asking this question. I think that we should most of us ask the
Charles Kingsley—The Good News of God

The Sick of the Palsy
"And when He entered again into Capernaum after some days, it was noised that He was in the house." MARK 2:1 (R.V.) [And when He had come back to Capernaum several day s afterward, it was heard that He was at home. And many were gathered together, so that there was no longer room, even near the door; and He was speaking the word to them. And they came, bringing to Him a paralytic, carried by four men. And being unable to get to Him on account of the crowd, they removed the roof above Him; and when
G. A. Chadwick—The Gospel of St. Mark

The Son of Man
"The Son of man hath power on earth to forgive sins." MARK 2:10 (R.V.) WHEN asserting His power to forgive sins, Jesus, for the first time in our Gospel, called Himself the Son of man. It is a remarkable phrase. The profound reverence which He from the first inspired, restrained all other lips from using it, save only when the first martyr felt such a rush of sympathy from above poured into his soul, that the thought of Christ's humanity was more moving than that of His deity. So too it is then alone
G. A. Chadwick—The Gospel of St. Mark

The Controversy Concerning Fasting
"And John's disciples and the Pharisees were fasting: and they come and say unto Him, Why do John's disciples and the disciples of the Pharisees fast, but Thy disciples fast not?" MARK 2:18 (R.V.) THE Pharisees had just complained to the disciples that Jesus ate and drank in questionable company. Now they join with the followers of the ascetic Baptist in complaining to Jesus that His disciples eat and drink at improper seasons, when others fast. And as Jesus had then replied, that being a Physician,
G. A. Chadwick—The Gospel of St. Mark

The Call and Feast of Levi
"And He went forth again by the seaside; and all the multitude resorted unto Him, and He taught them. And as He passed by, He saw Levi the son of Alphaeus sitting at the place of toll, and He saith unto him, Follow Me. And he arose and followed Him. And it came to pass, that He was sitting at meat in his house, and many publicans and sinners sat down with Jesus and His disciples: for there were many, and they followed Him. And the scribes of the Pharisees, when they saw that He was eating with the
G. A. Chadwick—The Gospel of St. Mark

The Sabbath
"And it came to pass, that He was going on the sabbath day through the cornfields; and His disciples began, as they went, to pluck the ears of corn. And the Pharisees said unto Him, Behold, why do they on the sabbath day that which is not lawful? And He said unto them, Did ye never read what David did, when he had need, and was an hungered, he, and they that were with him? How he entered into the house of God when Abiathar was high priest, and did eat the shewbread, which it is not lawful to eat
G. A. Chadwick—The Gospel of St. Mark

Wesley's Living Arguments
Sunday, 20.--Seeing many of the rich at Clifton Church, my heart was much pained for them and I was earnestly desirous that some even of them might "enter into the kingdom of heaven." But full as I was, I knew not where to begin in warning them to flee from the wrath to come till my Testament opened on these words: "I came not to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance" [Mark 2:17]; in applying which my soul was so enlarged that methought I could have cried out (in another sense than poor vain
John Wesley—The Journal of John Wesley

Of the Words Themselves in General.
We come now to the words themselves, wherein Christ asserts that he is, 1, "the way;" 2, "the truth;" 3, "the life;" and, 4, "that no man cometh to the Father but by him." In them we learn these two things in general. First, The misery of wretched man by nature. This cannot be in a few words expressed. These words will point out those particulars thereof, which we will but mention. 1. That he is born an enemy to, and living at a distance from God, by virtue of the curse of the broken covenant of
John Brown (of Wamphray)—Christ The Way, The Truth, and The Life

Combination Illustrated.
To illustrate our method of combination, let us take Section 36, which is a fitting together of the following passages, namely: 9 And as Jesus passed by from thence, he saw a man, called Matthew, sitting at the place of toll: and he saith unto him, Follow me. And he arose, and followed him.--Matt. ix. 9. 13 And he went forth again by the sea side; and all the multitude resorted unto him, and he taught them. 14 And as he passed by, he saw Levi the son of Alphæus sitting at the place of toll,
J. W. McGarvey—The Four-Fold Gospel

The Call of Matthew.
(at or Near Capernaum.) ^A Matt. IX. 9; ^B Mark II. 13, 14; ^C Luke V. 27, 28. ^c 27 And after these thingsa [after the healing of the paralytic] he went forth, ^a again by the seaside [i. e., he left Capernaum, and sought the shore of the sea, which formed a convenient auditorium for him, and which was hence a favorite scene for his teaching]; and all the multitude resorted unto him, and he taught them. 14 And as he ^a Jesus passed by from thence, he saw ^c and beheld ^a a man, ^c a publican, named
J. W. McGarvey—The Four-Fold Gospel

Jesus Defends Disciples who Pluck Grain on the Sabbath.
(Probably While on the Way from Jerusalem to Galilee.) ^A Matt. XII. 1-8; ^B Mark II. 23-28; ^C Luke VI. 1-5. ^b 23 And ^c 1 Now it came to pass ^a 1 At that season ^b that he ^a Jesus went { ^b was going} on the { ^c a} ^b sabbath day through the grainfields; ^a and his disciples were hungry and began ^b as they went, to pluck the ears. ^a and to eat, ^c and his disciples plucked the ears, and did eat, rubbing them in their hands. [This lesson fits in chronological order with the last, if the Bethesda
J. W. McGarvey—The Four-Fold Gospel

Matthew's Feast. Discourse on Fasting.
(Capernaum.) ^A Matt. IX. 10-17; ^B Mark II. 15-22; ^C Luke V. 29-39. ^c 29 And Levi [another name for the apostle Matthew] made him a great feast in his house: ^b 15 And it came to pass, that he was sitting { ^a as he sat} at meat in the { ^b his} ^a house, ^c and there was a great multitude of publicans [Matthew had invited his old friends] and of others ^b and ^a behold, many publicans and sinners came and sat down with Jesus and his disciples. ^b for there were many, ^c that were sitting at meat
J. W. McGarvey—The Four-Fold Gospel

Jesus Heals a Paralytic at Capernaum.
^A Matt. IX. 2-8; ^B Mark II. 1-12; ^C Luke V. 17-26. ^c 17 And it came to pass on one of those days, ^b when he entered again into Capernaum after some days, ^c that he was teaching; ^b it was noised that he was in the house. [Luke uses the general expression "those days," referring to the early portion of our Lord's ministry in Galilee. Mark says, "some days," which implies the lapse of a considerable interval. The healing of the leper created such excitement that for some time, several weeks,
J. W. McGarvey—The Four-Fold Gospel

The Two Sabbath-Controversies - the Plucking of the Ears of Corn by the Disciples, and the Healing of the Man with the Withered Hand
IN grouping together the three miracles of healing described in the last chapter, we do not wish to convey that it is certain they had taken place in precisely that order. Nor do we feel sure, that they preceded what is about to be related. In the absence of exact data, the succession of events and their location must be matter of combination. From their position in the Evangelic narratives, and the manner in which all concerned speak and act, we inferred, that they took place at that particular
Alfred Edersheim—The Life and Times of Jesus the Messiah

The Return to Capernaum - Concerning the Forgiveness of Sins - the Healing of the Paralysed
It is a remarkable instance of the reserve of the Gospel-narratives, that of the second journey of Jesus in Galilee no other special event is recorded than the healing of the leper. And it seems also to indicate, that this one miracle had been so selected for a special purpose. But if, as we have suggested, after the Unknown Feast,' the activity of Jesus assumed a new and what, for want of a better name, may be called an anti-Judaic character, we can perceive the reason of it. The healing of leprosy
Alfred Edersheim—The Life and Times of Jesus the Messiah

The Call of Matthew - the Saviour's Welcome to Sinners - Rabbinic Theology as Regards the Doctrine of Forgiveness in Contrast to the Gospel of Christ
In two things chiefly does the fundamental difference appear between Christianity and all other religious systems, notably Rabbinism. And in these two things, therefore, lies the main characteristic of Christ's work; or, taking a wider view, the fundamental idea of all religions. Subjectively, they concern sin and the sinner; or, to put it objectively, the forgiveness of sin and the welcome to the sinner. But Rabbinism, and every other system down to modern humanitarianism - if it rises so high in
Alfred Edersheim—The Life and Times of Jesus the Messiah

The Kingdom of God: Its Values
The Right Social Order is the Highest Good for All The first three chapters dealt with simple human principles which are common and instinctive with all real men. Jesus simply expanded the range of their application, clarified our comprehension of them, placed them in the very center of religious duty, and so lifted them to the high level of great social and religious principles. In the next three chapters we shall take up a conception which is not universally human, but which Jesus derived from
Walter Rauschenbusch—The Social Principles of Jesus

Links
Mark 2:10 NIV
Mark 2:10 NLT
Mark 2:10 ESV
Mark 2:10 NASB
Mark 2:10 KJV

Mark 2:10 Commentaries

Bible Hub
Mark 2:9
Top of Page
Top of Page