The Healing of the Paralytic

Comparison of the Healing of the Paralytic (Mark 2:1-12 & Luke 5:17-26)

1. Common Elements in the Accounts

Setting: Jesus is teaching in a house, and a large crowd is present.
A paralytic man is brought by friends who lower him through the roof because the crowd blocks access.
Jesus forgives the man’s sins before healing him.
The scribes and Pharisees object, considering Jesus’ statement blasphemous.
Jesus perceives their thoughts and asks whether it is easier to say, “Your sins are forgiven,” or “Rise and walk.”
Jesus heals the man as proof that He has the authority to forgive sins.
The crowd reacts with amazement and glorifies God.

2. Differences Between Mark and Luke

Feature	Mark 2:1-12	Luke 5:17-26
Setting	House in Capernaum	House with Pharisees and teachers present
Audience	Crowd, some scribes present	Pharisees & teachers of the Law from various regions (Judea, Jerusalem, Galilee)
How the Man Arrives	Lowered through the roof by four friends	Same, but Luke adds more detail on the crowd’s obstruction
Jesus’ Initial Words	“Son, your sins are forgiven.”	“Man, your sins are forgiven.”
Scribes’ Reaction [1]	“Who can forgive sins but God alone?”	Same, but Luke emphasizes their internal reasoning rather than spoken words
Healing Demonstration	“Get up, take your mat, and walk.”	Same, but Luke adds that the man left glorifying God
Response of the Crowd	Amazed and glorifies God	Amazed, filled with fear, and says, “We have seen strange things today.”

3. How the Gaps in Authorship Explain the Differences

Mark (Written First – Emphasis on Action and Authority)
- Focuses on the dramatic entry of the paralytic and Jesus' immediate authority to forgive sins.
- Less emphasis on Pharisaic opposition—Jesus’ authority is simply demonstrated.
- Highlights the physical actions (roof removal, rising, walking).
Luke (Expansion – Emphasizing Jesus vs. Religious Leaders)
- Adds more Pharisees and teachers of the Law, suggesting that opposition to Jesus is growing. He sows mistrust of the Rabbis.
- Emphasizes the fear of the crowd, reflecting Luke’s theme of divine revelation challenging human expectations.
- Uses more internal dialogue (the Pharisees “reasoned” within themselves) rather than direct accusations.
- Stresses that the man glorifies God after healing, reinforcing Jesus as fulfilling divine prophecy.

The differences suggest that by the time Luke wrote, he saw the pattern of growing opposition to Jesus and highlighted it more explicitly.

4. Old Testament Scriptures That May Have Inspired Each Author

Mark (Jesus’ Authority & Healing as Proof of Forgiveness)
- Isaiah 35:5-6 – “The lame will leap like a deer.” Jesus is the fulfillment of messianic healing.
Luke (Confronting Religious Leaders, God’s Power Revealed)
1. Adam’s Fall and Christ’s Bearing of Sin
  - Genesis 3:17-19 – Adam’s sin brought toil, suffering, and death, which left humanity in a spiritually paralyzed state.
  - The paralytic’s inability to move reflects the consequence of sin, and Christ’s healing mirrors the reversal of the curse (Romans 5:12-19).
2. The Four Who Carried the Paralytic = Four Rivers of Eden (Prophet, Judge, Priest, King)
  - Genesis 2:10-14 – The four rivers flowing from Eden may symbolize the four 'voices' of God as the means of restoring life.
  - The four friends lowering the paralytic could symbolize the the word leading men, as they bring him back to the presence of Christ, the true source of life.
3. Jacob’s Ladder (Genesis 28:12-13) and the Roof Opening
  - Genesis 28:12 – Jacob sees a ladder reaching from earth to heaven, where angels ascend and descend.
  - The paralytic lowered through the roof mirrors this image: a man is brought down so that he might be raised up, just as Christ came down from heaven to raise us up to the Father (John 1:51).
4. Joseph’s Descent and Rise (Genesis 37-41)
  - Joseph was betrayed and cast down into a pit (Genesis 37:24), just as the paralytic is lowered down.
  - Later, Joseph rose to power and saved many lives (Genesis 41:39-57), just as the paralytic rises at Christ’s command, symbolizing resurrection and redemption.
5. God’s Promise to Abraham (Genesis 15:6)
  - Abraham believed God, and it was counted to him as righteousness (Genesis 15:6).
  - The faith of the paralytic’s friends leads to Jesus forgiving sins, showing that faith precedes healing, just as Abraham’s faith preceded the fulfillment of God’s promises.

5. Unique Ideas of Each Gospel Author

Mark (Focus on Jesus’ Authority & Faith in Action)

Jesus’ power is immediate and unquestionable.
The faith of the friends is emphasized—they break through a roof to get to Jesus.
The healing is proof that Jesus has divine authority to forgive sins.
The crowd is amazed but not necessarily afraid—Jesus is still widely accepted at this stage.

Luke (Focus on Jesus’ Growing Conflict with Religious Leaders & Divine Revelation)

Adds more Pharisees and teachers of the Law, making the confrontation stronger.
Emphasizes internal thoughts rather than spoken objections—Jesus exposes their hearts.
Adds fear as a response, showing that people are beginning to realize something greater is at work.
The healed man actively glorifies God, reinforcing Luke’s theme of divine reversal and restoration.

6. Unique Ideas in Your Interpretation (Sensus Plenior Insights)

A. The Paralytic as a Picture of Humanity Before Christ

The paralyzed man represents fallen humanity, unable to move toward God.
The friends symbolize the prophets, the Law, or even the Gospels, carrying humanity to Christ.
The crowd blocking the way represents barriers like the flesh: sin, legalism, and unbelief that must be overcome.

B. The Roof as the Veil Being Torn

The breaking of the roof mirrors the tearing of the temple veil at Jesus’ death.
Just as healing proves forgiveness, Jesus’ resurrection proves His victory over sin.

C. The Pharisees as Those Who Cannot Accept Grace

They are offended by Jesus’ authority, just as they would later reject the cross.
Their reasoning in their hearts mirrors how people internally resist the idea of grace, preferring works.

D. The Man’s Healing as Resurrection Life

Jesus tells the man to rise and walk—a picture of life in spiritual resurrection.
The man glorifying God foreshadows the new life of believers after salvation.
In Luke, the added fear suggests the world’s shock at the revelation of grace.

7. Conclusion: A Unified Gospel Pattern

Mark (Faith & Jesus’ Power) – The persistence of faith and Jesus’ immediate authority over sin and sickness.
Luke (Jesus vs. Religious Leaders) – The challenge of grace to religious tradition, and the fearful realization of God’s presence.

Your unique insight ties these together by showing:

The paralytic as a symbol of fallen man.
The roof as a foreshadowing of the veil torn at Jesus’ death.
The Pharisees as a picture of human resistance to grace.
The healing as a sign of resurrection and new life in Christ.
His immobility represents Christ’s submission to the cross.
His lowering and rising are a miniature picture of Christ’s descent and resurrection.
The reaction of the scribes foreshadows Christ’s own trial.

In the sensus plenior, the paralytic in Mark 2:1-12 and Luke 5:17-26 represents Christ in several key ways:

1. The Paralytic as Christ Bearing Sin

The paralytic is incapable of movement, just as Christ became weak in the flesh (2 Cor. 13:4) and bore the weight of sin on behalf of humanity (Isa. 53:4).
Sin is often depicted as something that binds and cripples (John 8:34). Christ, though sinless, took on our sins, making Himself as one unable to move under the burden of the world's transgression (2 Cor. 5:21).

2. Lowered from Above = Christ Descending from Heaven

The paralytic is lowered through the roof, a picture of Christ descending from heaven to take on human flesh (Phil. 2:6-8).
Just as his friends break through to bring him down, Christ was sent by the Father, piercing through the barrier of sin to reach humanity.

3. Jesus Declaring Forgiveness = Christ on the Cross

Before healing, Jesus declares the man’s sins forgiven—a foreshadowing of His own work on the cross.
The scribes object: "Who can forgive sins but God alone?" (Mark 2:7), just as they later accuse Christ of blasphemy leading to His crucifixion.
The forgiveness happens before the visible healing, just as Christ’s atonement occurs before His resurrection (Rom. 4:25).

4. The Paralytic Rising = Christ’s Resurrection

After being healed, the paralytic rises, takes up his mat, and walks—a picture of Christ’s resurrection (Mark 2:12, Luke 5:25).
The same word "rise" (ἐγείρω, egeiró) is used for both the paralytic’s healing and Jesus’ resurrection (Mark 16:6).
Taking up his mat represents conquering death and walking is Christ taking up His life again (John 10:17-18).

5. Glorifying God = The Ascension

The people glorify God after seeing the miracle, just as Christ’s resurrection and ascension bring glory to the Father (John 17:1).

Old Testament Connections

Isaiah 35:6: “Then shall the lame man leap like a deer” — a prophecy of the Messianic age when healing would come.
Psalm 103:2-3: “Bless the Lord… who forgives all your iniquity, who heals all your diseases.”
Daniel 7:13-14: The "Son of Man" comes with authority—mirrored in Jesus' authority to forgive sins.

[1]

Luke’s emphasis on internal reasoning rather than spoken words could be inspired by passages in Genesis that highlight the thoughts of the heart and God’s ability to discern them. Here are some key possibilities:

1. Genesis 6:5 – The Thoughts of Man’s Heart Are Evil

"And God saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually."

This passage shows that sin is not just in external actions but in the hidden thoughts of the heart.
Luke, emphasizing the scribes’ inner reasoning, may be showing how their rejection of Christ is like the corruption of the pre-flood world, where men refused to acknowledge God.

2. Genesis 18:12-13 – Sarah’s Internal Doubt

"Therefore Sarah laughed within herself, saying, ‘After I have grown old, shall I have pleasure, my lord being old also?’ And the Lord said to Abraham, ‘Why did Sarah laugh, saying, Shall I surely bear a child, which am old?’”

Sarah doubted in her heart but did not speak aloud.
Yet, God perceived her thoughts and exposed them.
This parallels how Jesus, in Luke’s account, perceives the scribes' silent doubts and calls them out.

3. Genesis 27:41-42 – Esau’s Hidden Hatred

"And Esau said in his heart, ‘The days of mourning for my father are at hand; then will I slay my brother Jacob.’ And these words of Esau her elder son were told to Rebekah."

Esau conceives hatred in his heart, but it is still made known—just as Jesus reveals the scribes’ silent objections.
This reflects how the scribes’ unspoken resistance to Jesus foreshadows the ultimate rejection leading to the cross.

Why Would These Passages Influence Luke?

Luke’s theme often focuses on the thoughts of the heart and how Christ reveals them (Luke 2:35, Luke 7:39).
These Genesis passages show that God has always judged thoughts, not just actions.
Luke’s choice to emphasize internal reasoning rather than spoken words fits with his pattern of showing Christ as the one who discerns hearts, just as God did in Genesis.

Group Study Guide: The Healing of the Paralytic (Mark 2:1-12 & Luke 5:17-26)

Scripture Passages:

Mark 2:1-12
Luke 5:17-26

Opening Discussion:

Have you ever faced obstacles in your faith journey? How did you overcome them?
What does it mean to be spiritually “paralyzed”?

Part 1: Observing the Passage

Read Mark 2:1-12 and Luke 5:17-26 aloud.

Common Elements in Both Accounts:

Setting – Jesus is teaching in a house filled with people.
The Paralytic is Brought to Jesus – His friends lower him through the roof due to the crowd.
Jesus’ Words of Forgiveness – Before healing, Jesus declares the man’s sins forgiven.
Religious Leaders Object – They accuse Jesus of blasphemy, thinking only God can forgive sins.
Jesus Challenges Their Thinking – He asks whether it is easier to say, “Your sins are forgiven” or “Rise and walk.”
Jesus Heals the Paralytic – The man rises and walks as proof of Jesus’ authority to forgive sins.
The Crowd Reacts – People glorify God, amazed at what they have witnessed.

Differences Between Mark and Luke:

Feature	Mark 2:1-12	Luke 5:17-26
Setting	House in Capernaum	House with Pharisees & teachers present
Audience	Crowd, some scribes present	Pharisees and teachers from various regions (Judea, Jerusalem, Galilee)
How the Man Arrives	Lowered through the roof by four friends	Same, but Luke adds more details on crowd obstruction
Jesus’ Initial Words	“Son, your sins are forgiven.”	“Man, your sins are forgiven.”
Scribes’ Reaction	“Who can forgive sins but God alone?”	Internal reasoning emphasized instead of spoken words
Healing Demonstration	“Get up, take your mat, and walk.”	Same, but Luke adds that the man left glorifying God.
Response of the Crowd	Amazed and glorifies God	Amazed, filled with fear, and says, “We have seen strange things today.”

Part 2: Understanding the Message

1. Jesus’ Authority to Forgive Sins

Why does Jesus forgive the paralytic before healing him?
How does this challenge the religious leaders’ understanding of God?

2. The Role of Faith

What does the persistence of the paralytic’s friends teach us about faith?
How does faith remove obstacles that block access to Jesus?

3. The Pharisees’ Internal Resistance

Why did they struggle to accept Jesus’ authority?
How does Luke’s emphasis on their internal reasoning relate to our own doubts and struggles?

4. The Reaction of the Crowd

How do amazement, fear, and glorifying God reveal different levels of understanding?
How should we respond when we witness God’s power in our lives?

Part 3: Applying the Message

What obstacles (personal or societal) prevent people from coming to Jesus today?
How can we be like the paralytic’s friends, bringing others to Christ?
What does this passage teach us about trusting Jesus for both spiritual and physical healing?

Challenge for the Week:

Identify one area in your life where you feel “paralyzed” and pray for Jesus to bring healing.
Reach out to someone who may feel distant from God and encourage them in faith.

Closing Prayer:

Thank God for His power to heal and forgive. Ask Him for faith like the friends of the paralytic, and for a heart that recognizes His authority in every area of life.

Memory Verse:

“It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.” – Luke 5:31-32