Luke 5:23

23 What is lighter to say, Sins be forgiven to thee, or to say, Rise up, and walk?

Luke 5:23 Meaning and Commentary

Luke 5:23

Whether is it easier to say
Mark adds, "to the sick of the palsy"; to whom Christ had said that his sins were forgiven him, which had given offence to the Scribes and Pharisees, imagining that he had assumed too much to himself: wherefore he proposes the following case to them, which they thought was most easy for man, or more proper and peculiar to God to say,

thy sins be forgiven thee, or to say, rise up and walk?
Neither of them could be said by a mere man, with effect, so as that sins would be really remitted on so saying; or that a man sick of a palsy, by such a word speaking, would be able to stand upon his feet and walk; but both of them were equally easy to him, that is truly God; and he that could say the one effectually, could also say the other: or in other words, he that could cure a man of a palsy with a word speaking, ought not to be charged with blasphemy, for taking upon him to forgive sin: our Lord meant, by putting this question, and acting upon it, to prove himself to be God, and to remove the imputation of blasphemy from him; (See Gill on Matthew 9:5). (See Gill on Mark 2:9).

Luke 5:23 In-Context

21 And the scribes and the Pharisees began to think, saying, Who is this, that speaketh blasphemies? who may forgive sins, but God alone?
22 And as Jesus knew the thoughts of them, he answered, and said to them [he answering said to them], What think ye evil things in your hearts?
23 What is lighter to say, Sins be forgiven to thee, or to say, Rise up, and walk?
24 But that ye know, that man's Son hath power in earth to forgive sins, he said to the sick man in palsy, I say to thee, rise up, take thy bed, and go into thine house.
25 And at once [And anon] he rose up before them, and took the bed in which he lay, and went into his house, and magnified God [magnifying God].
Copyright © 2001 by Terence P. Noble. For personal use only.