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Matthew 9:3-5
New Catholic Bible
Matthew 9:3-5
New Catholic Bible
3 On hearing this, some of the scribes said to themselves, “This man is blaspheming.”[a] 4 Jesus perceived what they were thinking, and he said, “Why do you harbor evil thoughts in your hearts? 5 [b]Which is easier, to say: ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or to say: ‘Stand up and walk’?
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- Matthew 9:3 Blaspheming: i.e., usurping God’s prerogative to forgive sins.
- Matthew 9:5 Christ indicates that it is easier to heal a person physically than to heal him spiritually. It is easier to heal a broken leg than a broken heart. As Son of Man, in his human nature, Christ has the power to forgive sins. Therefore, he could also bestow it on his apostles (see Mt 18:18; Jn 20:22); and just as they worked miracles only in his name (see Acts 3:6), they and their successors can forgive sins only in his name and by his authority.
