When He saw their faith, He said to him, “Man, your sins are forgiven you.”
Parallel translations
- WEB Seeing their faith, he said to him, “Man, your sins are forgiven you.”
- KJV And when he saw their faith, he said unto him, Man, thy sins are forgiven thee.
- BSB When Jesus saw their faith, He said, “Friend, your sins are forgiven.”
- NASB And seeing their faith, He said, “Friend, your sins are forgiven you.”
- NLT Seeing their faith, Jesus said to the man, “Young man, your sins are forgiven.”
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Quick answer
Seeing their faith, Jesus first forgives the man's sins. He addresses the deepest human need before the physical one.
Overview
Jesus responds to the faith of the man and his friends not by healing first but by pronouncing forgiveness, revealing that sin is humanity's root problem. His authority to forgive, which belongs to God alone, is implicitly claimed. This sets up the controversy and points to Christ as the one who deals decisively with sin, which he will accomplish at the cross.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 15
- Acts 14:9He was listening to Paul speaking, who, fastening eyes on him, and seeing that he had faith to be made whole,
- Matt 9:2Behold, they brought to him a man who was paralyzed, lying on a bed. Jesus, seeing their faith, said to the paralytic, “Son, cheer up! Your sins are forgiven you.”
- Mark 2:5Jesus, seeing their faith, said to the paralytic, “Son, your sins are forgiven you.”
- Luke 7:48He said to her, “Your sins are forgiven.”
- Jas 2:18Yes, a man will say, “You have faith, and I have works.” Show me your faith without works, and I by my works will show you my faith.
- John 2:25and because he didn’t need for anyone to testify concerning man; for he himself knew what was in man.
- Col 3:13bearing with one another, and forgiving each other, if any man has a complaint against any; even as Christ forgave you, so you also do.
- Gen 22:12He said, “Don’t lay your hand on the boy or do anything to him. For now I know that you fear God, since you have not withheld your son, your only son, from me.”
- 2 Cor 2:10Now I also forgive whomever you forgive anything. For if indeed I have forgiven anything, I have forgiven that one for your sakes in the presence of Christ,
- Acts 11:23who, when he had come, and had seen the grace of God, was glad. He exhorted them all, that with purpose of heart they should remain near to the Lord.
- Ps 90:7–8For we are consumed in your anger. We are troubled in your wrath.
- John 5:14Afterward Jesus found him in the temple, and said to him, “Behold, you are made well. Sin no more, so that nothing worse happens to you.”
- Isa 38:17Behold, for peace I had great anguish, but you have in love for my soul delivered it from the pit of corruption; for you have cast all my sins behind your back.
- Ps 107:17–18Fools are afflicted because of their disobedience, and because of their iniquities.
- Jas 5:14–15Is any among you sick? Let him call for the elders of the assembly, and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord,
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Hebrew/Greek interlinear, word definitions, and cross-references for this verse.
Christ at the center
Luke shows Jesus the Savior for all — outsiders, the poor, the nations — the one who, on the Emmaus road, opened all the Scriptures to show they were about himself.
How Luke 5:20 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.
Original language
Each word below is tagged with its Strong’s number — tap one to see the underlying Greek word, its meaning, and every verse that uses it.