Answer to the famous query of Jesus, which is easier, to heal the sick or forgive the sins?

 

One of those days, Jesus was preaching. A great crowd surrounded the house where he preached from. The pharisees and teachers of the law came from far and wide to hear him, even from Jerusalem. The power of the Lord was with him to heal (Luke 5:17).

Suddenly four men lowered a paralyzed man through the roof and landed him in front of Jesus. Seeing their faith, Jesus said, "Man, your sins are forgiven."

The scribes and the teachers of the law were shocked to the core. According to them, sins could only be forgiven by God and one could obtain it only by sacrificing an animal as a sin offering in the temple. The paralyzed man had not even moved a finger to secure his forgiveness. So they declared this act of Jesus as sheer blasphemy. To them Jesus forgiving his sins was nothing more than a baseless claim. After all, what was the proof that his sins were really forgiven? 

At this instance, Jesus posed them a historical query. "Which is easier, to say your sins are forgiven or to ask him to pick up the mat and walk?"

Jesus immediately asked the person to get up from the mat and walk and he did. He shocked the Jewish world by showing them that his forgiving sins was effective for the Jews always believed that sickness was always a consequence of sins. 

The Scribes and the Pharisees stood in stunned silence while the paralyzed man rolled up his mat and walked away for Jesus forgave his sins as well as healed him from paralysis.

So which is easier, to forgive sins or heal the sick? For mankind healing appears to be a difficult task and forgiving sins appears to be an easy task. 

But for God to forgive the sins of mankind, he had to make a master plan. It was never an easy task for him. He sent forth his son on the earth. He took the form of man. He lived a full life on earth in flesh.  He was sinless, yet had to be butchered and slaughtered in place of the lamb on the cross to wipe away the sins of mankind. This is the salvation plan of God through Jesus. At the time when Jesus forgave the sins of the paralyzed man, the Pharisees and the teachers of the law had no realization that Jesus was going to be the lamb that God will sacrifice on the cross to take away the sins of the world.  

As regards healing, many received healing from his word and even by touching the fringe of his garment. God sent forth his word and healed them (Ps 107:20).

So which is easier, to forgiven sins or heal the sick?

Prakash T John