“One day Jesus was teaching, and Pharisees and teachers of the law were sitting
there. They had come from every village of Galilee and from Judea and
Jerusalem, and the power of the Lord was with Jesus to heal the sick. Some men
came carrying a paralyzed man on a mat and tried to take him into the house
to lay him before Jesus. When they could not find a way to do this because of the
crowd, they went up on the roof and lowered him on his mat through the tiles into
the middle of the crowd, right in front of Jesus. When Jesus saw their faith, he
said, ‘Friend, your sins are forgiven.’ The Pharisees and the teachers of the law
began thinking to themselves, ‘Who is this fellow who speaks blasphemy? Who can
forgive sins but God alone?’ Jesus knew what they were thinking and asked, ‘Why
are you thinking these things in your hearts? Which is easier: to say, ‘Your sins
are forgiven,’ or to say, ‘Get up and walk’? But I want you to know that the Son
of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins.’ So he said to the paralyzed man,
‘I tell you, get up, take your mat and go home.’ Immediately he stood up in front
of them, took what he had been lying on and went home, praising God. Everyone
was amazed and gave praise to God. They were filled with awe and said, ‘We
have seen remarkable things today.’” - Luke 5: 17 - 26