18 Some men arrived carrying a paralyzed man on a mat. They tried to take him in and lay him in front of Jesus. 19 But they couldn’t find any way through the crowd, so they went up on the roof and made a hole in the roof tiles. Then they lowered the man down on the mat, right into the crowd in front of Jesus.

20 When Jesus saw the trust they had in him, he said to the man, "Your sins are forgiven."

21 The religious teachers and the Pharisees began to argue with that. "Who is this who’s speaking blasphemies?" they asked. "Who can forgive sins? Only God can do that!"

22 Jesus knew what they were arguing about, so he asked them, "Why are you thinking to question this? 23 What is easier? To say your sins are forgiven, or to say get up and walk? 24 However, I will prove to you that the Son of man has the authority here on earth to forgive sins." Then he said to the paralyzed man, "I tell you: Get up, pick up your mat, and go home."

25 Immediately the man stood up in front of them. He picked up the mat he’d been lying on, and went home, praising God as he went.