Church Fathers Commentary Mark 2:1-12

"And when he entered again into Capernaum after some days, it was noised that he was in the house. And many were gathered together, so that there was no longer room [for them], no, not even about the door: and he spake the word unto them. And they come, bringing unto him a man sick of the palsy, borne of four. And when they could not come nigh unto him for the crowd, they uncovered the roof where he was: and when they had broken it up, they let down the bed whereon the sick of the palsy lay. And Jesus seeing their faith saith unto the sick of the palsy, Son, thy sins are forgiven. But there were certain of the scribes sitting there, and reasoning in their hearts, Why doth this man thus speak? he blasphemeth: who can forgive sins but one, [even] God? And straightway Jesus, perceiving in his spirit that they so reasoned within themselves, saith unto them, Why reason ye these things in your hearts? Which is easier, to say to the sick of the palsy, Thy sins are forgiven; or to say, Arise, and take up thy bed, and walk? But that ye may know that the Son of man hath authority on earth to forgive sins (he saith to the sick of the palsy), I say unto thee, Arise, take up thy bed, and go unto thy house. And he arose, and straightway took up the bed, and went forth before them all; insomuch that they were all amazed, and glorified God, saying, We never saw it on this fashion." — Mark 2:1-12 (ASV)

The Venerable Bede: Because the compassion of God does not desert even worldly people, He grants them the grace of His presence, so that they too may be made spiritual. After the desert, the Lord returns to the city.¹

Therefore, it is said, And again He entered into Capernaum...

St. Augustine of Hippo: Matthew writes about this miracle as if it were done in the Lord's own city, while Mark places it in Capernaum. This would be more difficult to resolve if Matthew had also named Nazareth.²

But since Galilee itself might be called the city of the Lord, who can doubt that the Lord did these things in His own city, since He did them in Capernaum, a city of Galilee? This is especially true since Capernaum was so important in Galilee that it was called its capital.

Alternatively, Matthew may have passed over the things that were done after Jesus came into His own city until He arrived in Capernaum. He then adds the story of the healed paralytic, stating, And, behold, they presented to Him a man sick of the palsy, after he had already said that Jesus came into His own city.

Pseudo-Chrysostom: Or else, Matthew called Capernaum His city because He went there frequently and performed many miracles there.³

It continues: And it was noised that He was in the house...

For the desire to hear Him was stronger than the effort of approaching Him. After this, they introduce the paralytic, of whom Matthew and Luke speak; therefore it follows: And they came unto Him bearing one sick of the palsy, who was carried by four.

Finding the door blocked by the crowd, they could not enter that way. Those who carried him, however, hoping that he could receive the grace of being healed, lifted the bed with its burden, uncovered the roof, and laid him with his bed before the face of the Savior.

And this is what is added: And when they could not lay him before Him...

It follows: But when Jesus saw their faith, He said to the sick of the palsy, Son, thy sins be forgiven thee.

He did not mean the faith of the sick man, but of his bearers, for it sometimes happens that a person is healed by the faith of another.

The Venerable Bede: It may indeed be seen how much each person's own faith matters to God, when another's faith had such influence that the whole man at once rose up, healed in body and soul, and by one person's merit, another could have his sins forgiven.

Theophylact of Ohrid: He saw the faith of the sick man himself, since he would not have allowed himself to be carried unless he had faith to be healed.

The Venerable Bede: Moreover, the Lord, being about to cure the man of the palsy, first loosed the chains of his sins to show that the man was condemned to the loosening of his joints because of the bonds of his sins, and could not be healed in his limbs unless these were first loosed.

But Christ's wonderful humility calls this man—despised, weak, with all the joints of his limbs weakened—a son, when the priests did not deign to touch him. Or, at least, He calls him a son because his sins are forgiven him.

It continues: But there were certain of the scribes sitting there, and reasoning in their hearts, Why doth this man speak blasphemies?

St. Cyril of Alexandriaⁱ: Now they accuse Him of blasphemy, anticipating the sentence for His death, for there was a command in the Law that whoever blasphemed should be put to death. They brought this charge against Him because He claimed for Himself the divine power of remitting sins.

Therefore it is added, Who can forgive sin, save God only? For the Judge of all alone has power to forgive sin.

He also remits sin through those to whom He has assigned the power of remitting. Therefore, Christ is proved to be truly God, for He is able to remit sins as God.

The Jews, then, are in error, who, although they believe the Christ to be God and able to remit sins, do not, however, believe that Jesus is the Christ.

But the Arians err much more wildly. Although they are overwhelmed by the words of the Evangelist, so that they cannot deny that Jesus is the Christ and can remit sin, they nevertheless do not fear to deny that He is God.

But He Himself, desiring to shame His accusers both by His knowledge of hidden things and by the power of His works, reveals Himself to be God.

For it follows: And immediately when Jesus perceived in His spirit that they so reasoned, He said unto them, Why reason ye these things in your hearts?

In this He shows Himself to be God, since He can know the hidden things of the heart. And, though silent, He speaks in this way: "With the same power and majesty by which I see your thoughts, I can forgive the sins of men."

Theophylact of Ohrid: But though their thoughts were laid bare, they still remained insensible, refusing to believe that He who knew their hearts could forgive sins. Therefore, the Lord proves the healing of the soul to them by the healing of the body, showing the invisible by the visible, the more difficult by the easier, although they did not see it that way.

For the Pharisees thought it more difficult to heal the body, as it is more visible, but easier to heal the soul, because the healing is invisible. So they reasoned in this way: "Look, He does not heal the body now, but heals the unseen soul; if He had more power, He would have healed the body at once and not taken refuge in the unseen world."

The Savior, therefore, showing that He can do both, says, Which is easier? as if to say, "I will indeed prove to you the health of the soul—which is really more difficult—by healing the body, which is in reality easier but appears more difficult to you."

Pseudo-Chrysostom: And because it is easier to say than to do, there was still clearly something to say in opposition, for the work was not yet manifested.⁴

Therefore, He adds, But that ye may know, etc. as if He said, "Since you doubt My word, I will perform a work that will confirm what was unseen."

But He says pointedly, On earth to forgive sins, to show that He has joined the power of the divinity to human nature by an inseparable union. For although He was made man, He remained the Word of God. And although by a divine plan He lived on earth with men, He was nevertheless not prevented from working miracles and from giving remission of sins.

For His human nature did not in any way take away from those things that essentially belonged to His Divinity, nor did the Divinity prevent the Word of God from becoming the Son of Man on earth—according to the flesh, without change and in truth.

Theophylact of Ohrid: Again, He says, Take up thy bed, to prove the miracle with greater certainty, showing that it is not a mere illusion. At the same time, it shows that He not only healed but also gave strength. Thus, He not only turns souls away from sin but also gives them the power to carry out the commandments.

The Venerable Bede: A physical sign is therefore given so that the spiritual sign may be proved, although it belongs to the same power to do away with the afflictions of both soul and body.

From this it follows: And immediately he arose, took up the bed, and went forth before them all.

St. John Chrysostom: Further, He first healed that which He had come to seek—that is, a soul—by the remission of sins. Then, when they faithlessly doubted, He could present a work before them. In this way, His word could be confirmed by the work, and a hidden sign could be proved by a visible one: the health of the soul by the healing of the body.

The Venerable Bede: We are also informed that many sicknesses of the body arise from sins. Therefore, perhaps sins are remitted first, so that with the causes of sickness removed, health may be restored. For people are afflicted by physical troubles for five reasons: to increase their merits, like Job and the Martyrs; to preserve their humility, like Paul with the messenger of Satan; so that they may perceive and correct their sins, like Miriam, the sister of Moses, and this paralytic; for the glory of God, like the man born blind and Lazarus; or as the beginnings of the pains of damnation, like Herod and Antiochus.

But the power of the Divine is wonderful, where, without the slightest delay, by the Savior's command, swift healing accompanies His words.

Therefore, it follows: Insomuch that they were all amazed. Leaving the greater thing (the remission of sins), they only wonder at what is apparent (the health of the body).

Theophylact of Ohrid: This is not, however, the paralytic whose healing is related by John (John 5), for he had no one with him, while this one had four. He is healed at the pool of the sheep market, but this one in a house. It is the same man, however, whose healing is related by Matthew (Matthew 9) and Mark.

But mystically, Christ is still in Capernaum, in the house of consolation.

The Venerable Bede: Moreover, while the Lord is preaching in the house, there is no room for them, not even at the door. This is because while Christ is preaching in Judea, the Gentiles are not yet able to enter to hear Him. To them, however, though they were outside, He directed the words of His doctrine through His preachers.

Pseudo-Jerome: Again, the palsy is a type of the lethargy in which a person lies slothful in the softness of the flesh, though desiring health.

Theophylact of Ohrid: Therefore, if I, with the powers of my mind weakened, remain without strength whenever I attempt anything good, like a paralyzed man, and if I am raised on high by the four Evangelists, brought to Christ, and there hear myself called a son, then my sins are also forgiven. For a person is called a son of God because he carries out the commandments.

The Venerable Bede: Or else, there are four virtues by which a person is exalted through a confident heart so that he merits salvation; some call these virtues prudence, fortitude, temperance, and justice. Again, they desire to bring the paralyzed man to Christ, but they are blocked on every side by the crowd. This is because the soul often desires to be renewed by the medicine of divine grace but, through the sluggishness of the groveling body, is held back by the hindrance of old habit.

Often, in the midst of the very sweetness of secret prayer and, so to speak, the pleasant conversation with God, a crowd of thoughts cuts off the mind's clear vision and shuts Christ out from its sight.

Let us not, then, remain on the lowest ground where the crowds are bustling, but let us aim for the roof of the house—that is, the sublimity of Holy Scripture—and meditate on the law of the Lord.

Theophylact of Ohrid: But how can I be brought to Christ if the roof is not opened? For the roof is the intellect, which is set above all things within us. Here it has much earth around it in the clay tiles—I mean, earthly things. But if these are taken away, the power of the intellect within us is freed from its load. After this, let it be let down—that is, humbled. For this does not teach us to be puffed up because our intellect has its load cleared away, but to be humbled even more.

The Venerable Bede: Or else, the sick man is let down after the roof is opened because when the Scriptures are opened to us, we arrive at the knowledge of Christ; that is, we descend to His humility by the obedience of faith. But the sick man being let down with his bed means that Christ should be known by a person while still in the flesh.

Rising from the bed means the soul's rousing itself from sinful desires, in which it was lying sick. To take up the bed is to restrain the flesh itself with the bonds of continence and to separate it from earthly pleasures through the hope of heavenly rewards.

To take up the bed and go home is to return to paradise. Or else, the man, now healed, who had been sick carries his bed back home, when the soul, after receiving remission of sins, returns to its internal watch over itself, even while still encompassed by the body.

Theophylact of Ohrid: It is also necessary to take up one's bed—that is, the body—for the working of good. For then we will be able to arrive at contemplation, so that our thoughts should say within us, "We have never seen anything like this before." That is, we have never understood as we have since we were healed of the palsy, for he who is cleansed from sin sees more purely.

1. in Marc., 1, 10
2. de Con. Evan., ii, 25
3. Vict. Ant. e Cat. in Marc.
4. Vict. Ant. e Cat. in Marc.