Mark 2:10

That ye may know. Jesus offered a miracle that all could see as evidence of the reality of a far greater miracle that they could not see (cf. Rom. 1:20).

The Son of man. Here, for the first time, all three synoptic writers use this distinctive title (Matt. 9:6; Mark 2:10; Luke 5:24). It was Christ’s favorite designation for Himself, and appears in the Gospels some 80 times. No one, however, addressed Him by this title, nor do any of the gospel writers refer to Him by it. This title was understood at least among some Jews as a name for the Messianic ruler of the new kingdom to be established. Except under oath (Matt. 26:63, 64; Mark 14:61, 62), and in private to those ready to believe in Him as the Christ (Matt. 16:16, 17; John 3:13–16; 4:25, 26; 16:30, 31), Jesus made no direct Messianic claims. It was His purpose that men should recognize in His life, His words, and His works, evidence that the prophecies of the Messiah had met their fulfillment in Him. See p. 209.

Jesus was literally “the Son of man,” both in a purely historic sense (see Luke 1:31–35; Rom. 1:3, 4; Gal. 4:4) and in a higher sense. The title, Son of man, designates Him as the incarnate Christ (see John 1:14; Phil. 2:6–8). It points to the miracle whereby Creator and creature were united in one divine-human person. It testifies to the truth that sons of men may indeed become sons of God (John 1:12; Gal. 4:3–7; 1 John 3:1, 2). Deity was identified with humanity in order that humanity might be made over again into the image of divinity. Concerning Jesus as the Son of God, see on Luke 1:35; John 1:1–3; and as Son of man, on Luke 2:49, 52; John 1:14; see Additional Note on John 1.

Power. Gr. exousia, “authority.” The usual Greek word for “power,” in the sense of “might” or “strength,” is dunamis. To work a miracle required power, but the forgiveness of sin was a matter of authority. In the present passage, exousia stands at the beginning of the clause, and so emphasizes Christ’s authority to forgive sin. The Jewish leaders repeatedly challenged this authority (see ch. 11:28).

Forgive sins. The cause of the disease must be removed before the sufferer could be relieved of the disease from which he suffered (see on v. 5). Healing of the body without healing of the soul could result only in a repetition of the course the young man had taken that brought on the disease. Therefore Christ, who gave the man a new body, first provided him with a new heart.

He saith. The parenthetical statement introduced by these words is inserted in the middle of Jesus’ pronouncement to indicate that at this point He turned from the scribes and addressed Himself to the paralytic. It appears at the same place in all three accounts of the narrative (see Matt. 9:6; Luke 5:24). Similar examples of identical language may be found in Mark 1:16 and Matt. 4:18; Mark 5:28 and Matt. 9:21; Mark 14:2 and Matt. 26:5; Mark 15:10 and Matt. 27:18. See pp. 177, 178; cf. pp. 306, 307.