Homily XXIX. -St. John the Golden-mouth
On the Healing of the Paralytic in Capernaum
“Then He entered into a ship, and passed over, and came into His own city. And, behold, they brought to Him a man sick of the palsy, lying on a bed: and Jesus seeing their faith said unto the sick of the palsy; Son, be of good cheer; thy sins be forgiven thee” (Matt. 9:1–2).
Exposition of Matthew 9:1–8
The Evangelist calls Capernaum the “own city” of Jesus. Bethlehem is the city where Christ was born, Nazareth where He was raised, but Capernaum is where He dwelt continually. The paralytic mentioned here is not the same as the one in John’s Gospel. That one lay by the pool, while this one was in Capernaum. That one suffered for thirty-eight years, but no such detail is given about this one. No one cared for that paralytic, whereas this one had people who cared for him and brought him to Christ. To this one, the Savior said, “Son, be of good cheer; thy sins be forgiven thee” (Matt. 9:2), but to the other, “Wilt thou be made whole?” (John 5:6). The one was healed on the Sabbath, but this one was not, for otherwise, the Jews would not have missed the chance to accuse Him. At this healing, they said nothing, but for the first, they relentlessly persecuted Him. I note these differences not idly but to prevent anyone from mistaking both paralytics for one and thinking the Evangelists contradict each other.
Consider the humility and meekness of the Lord. Before, He withdrew from the crowd, and when the people of the Gadarene region refused to receive Him, He did not resist but departed, though not far. Entering a ship again, He crossed to the other side, though He could have done so without a ship. He did not always perform miracles, lest He disrupt the order of His divine economy. Matthew says only that they brought the paralytic, but other Evangelists add that those who brought him opened the roof, lowered the sick man, and set him before Christ without saying anything, leaving all to the Savior’s will. Earlier, the Lord Himself went about the regions and did not require such faith from those who came to Him. But now, they came to Him and showed their faith, as the Evangelist says: “Jesus seeing their faith” (Matt. 9:2), meaning the faith of those who lowered the paralytic. The Savior did not always require faith from the afflicted themselves, such as those suffering from madness or deprived of reason due to illness. But here, the sick man also showed faith, for without it, he would not have allowed himself to be lowered. Thus, because both the paralytic and those who brought him displayed great faith, the Lord revealed His power, forgiving the sick man’s sins as One with full authority. In all things, He showed His equality with God the Father: in His teaching, when He taught with authority; with the leper, when He said, “I will; be thou clean” (Matt. 8:3); with the centurion, when He marveled at his words, “Speak the word only, and my servant shall be healed” (Matt. 8:8), and exalted him before all; over the sea, when He stilled it with a word; over demons, when they confessed Him as Judge and He cast them out with great authority. Now, in a higher way, He compels His enemies to acknowledge His equality with God the Father, proclaiming it through their own mouths.
Though a great crowd pressed around Him, even blocking the entrance so that the paralytic was lowered from above, the Savior, free from vainglory, did not immediately heal the man’s body. Instead, He awaited an opportunity from His enemies, first healing the invisible—the soul—by forgiving sins, which brought healing to the paralytic but little glory to the Healer. The scribes, consumed by malice and seeking to accuse Him of blasphemy, unwittingly aided the glorification of the miracle. By His foresight, the Savior used their blasphemy to display a sign. When they inwardly said, “This man blasphemeth. Who can forgive sins but God only?” (Matt. 9:3; Mark 2:7), what did the Lord reply? Did He refute their opinion? If He were not equal to the Father, He might have said, “Why do you hold a false opinion of Me? I have no such power.” But He said nothing of the sort, instead confirming and proving the opposite with His words and the miracle. Since His own testimony might seem displeasing to His hearers, He shows who He is through others—not only friends but also enemies, revealing His supreme wisdom. Through friends, He showed it when He said to the le.ray leper, “I will; be thou clean” (Matt. 8:3), and to the centurion, “I have not found so great faith, no, not in Israel” (Matt. 8:10). Through enemies, He does so here, saying to the paralytic, “Son, be of good cheer; thy sins be forgiven thee” (Matt. 9:2), and then, to convince the scribes, “But that ye may know that the Son of man hath power on earth to forgive sins, (then saith He to the sick of the palsy,) Arise, take up thy bed, and go unto thine house” (Matt. 9:6).
In healing the paralytic, Jesus Christ offers another significant proof of His divinity and equality with God the Father. The scribes said that only God can forgive sins, but He not only forgives sins but also reveals another divine attribute: the knowledge of secret thoughts. The Evangelist says, “And, behold, certain of the scribes said within themselves, This man blasphemeth. And Jesus, knowing their thoughts, said, Wherefore think ye evil in your hearts?” (Matt. 9:3–4). That the knowledge of hearts belongs to God alone is clear from Solomon: “Thou only knowest the heart” (2 Chron. 6:30), David’s words, “Thou searchest the hearts and reins” (Ps. 7:10), Jeremiah’s question, “The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it?” (Jer. 17:9), and God’s declaration, “Man looketh on the outward appearance, but the Lord looketh on the heart” (1 Sam. 16:7). To show He is God, equal to the Father, Jesus revealed the scribes’ hidden thoughts, which they dared not voice publicly for fear of the crowd, displaying great meekness. “Wherefore think ye evil in your hearts?” He asked. The sick man might have complained, saying, “I came to be healed of paralysis, but You address something else; how can I be sure my sins are forgiven?” Yet he said nothing, entrusting himself to the Healer. Meanwhile, the scribes, in pride and envy, criticized His kindness to another. Thus, the Savior rebuked them with meekness. If they doubted His first proof of divinity and deemed His words vain, He added another: revealing their secrets. Then He offered a third proof by strengthening the paralytic’s body. When speaking to the paralytic, He did not explicitly claim authority, saying, “Thy sins be forgiven thee,” but to convince the scribes, He said clearly, “But that ye may know that the Son of man hath power on earth to forgive sins” (Matt. 9:6). See how He desired to be recognized as equal to the Father? He did not say the Son of man needed another’s help or received authority from another, but “hath power.” He spoke not from ambition but to convince His enemies that He was not blaspheming by equating Himself with God the Father. The Lord always provides clear, undeniable proofs: to the cleansed leper, He said, “Go, shew thyself unto the priest” (Matt. 8:4); He enabled Peter’s mother-in-law to serve Him; He permitted the swine to plunge into the sea. Here, to prove the forgiveness of sins, He strengthened the paralytic’s body and made him carry his bed, so the miracle would not be deemed a deception. He did not heal the paralytic until He asked the scribes, “Whether is easier, to say, Thy sins be forgiven thee; or to say, Arise, take up thy bed, and go unto thine house?” (Matt. 9:5). The meaning is this: which seems easier, to heal the body of paralysis or to free the soul from sins? Clearly, healing the body is easier. As the soul surpasses the body, so forgiving sins is greater than healing the body. But since soul-healing is invisible, while body-healing is evident, He added the latter, though lesser, to confirm the greater, invisible act. Thus, He demonstrated what John later said of Him: “Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world” (John 1:29).
Raising the paralytic, the Lord sent him home, showing His humility and proving the miracle was no illusion. Those who witnessed the man’s illness became witnesses of his health. It was as if He said, “I wished through your illness to heal those who think themselves healthy but are sick in soul; but since they refuse, go unto thine house and correct those there.” See how the Lord shows He is the Creator of both soul and body? He heals the paralytic’s spiritual and physical paralysis, revealing the invisible through the visible. Yet the witnesses remained earthbound. The Evangelist says, “When the multitude saw it, they marvelled, and glorified God, which had given such power unto men” (Matt. 9:8). Their flesh hindered them from looking upward. Yet the Savior did not rebuke them but continued through His deeds to rouse them from slumber and lift their minds to the heights. It was no small thing that they esteemed Him above all men and as sent from God. Had this thought taken root in their minds, they would gradually have recognized Him as the Son of God. But they did not know this clearly and so could not come to Him. Later, they said, “This man is not of God” (John 9:16), often clinging to this thought to justify their passions. Many do the same today, claiming zeal for God’s glory while serving their own passions. Instead, we must act with meekness in all things. The God of all, who could strike blasphemers with lightning, commands the sun to rise, sends rain, and grants all blessings generously. Imitating Him, we must entreat, exhort, and instruct with meekness, without anger or fury. Blasphemy does not diminish God’s greatness and should not provoke your anger. The blasphemer wounds himself. Thus, you should sigh and weep, for this illness merits tears, and such a person can only be healed with meekness. Meekness is stronger than any force. See how God, in both the Old and New Testaments, calls to those who offend Him with meekness. There He says, “O My people, what have I done unto thee?” (Mic. 6:3); here, “Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou Me?” (Acts 9:4). Paul commands us to instruct opponents with meekness. When the disciples asked to call down fire from heaven, Christ sharply rebuked them, saying, “Ye know not what manner of spirit ye are of” (Luke 9:55). Likewise, here He did not call the scribes wicked or enemies of salvation but said only, “Wherefore think ye evil in your hearts?” (Matt. 9:4). Thus, we must heal such illness with meekness. One who improves from fear of man will soon return to his former misery. Hence, the Lord forbade uprooting the tares, giving time for repentance. Many have thus turned to good, like Paul, the publican, and the thief, who, once tares, became ripe wheat. Though seeds cannot change, the human will, unbound by necessity and endowed with freedom, can easily do so. When you see an enemy of truth, heal him, care for him, guide him to virtue with your life’s example, blameless words, protection, and care, using every means to correct him, like the best physicians. Physicians do not always heal with one remedy; if one fails, they try another, then a third, sometimes cutting, sometimes binding. So, too, as a physician of souls, use every method of healing according to Christ’s commandments, that you may receive a reward for your salvation and the good you do for others. Do all for God’s glory, and you will be glorified. The Lord says, “Them that honour Me I will honour, and they that despise Me shall be lightly esteemed” (1 Sam. 2:30). Let us do all for God’s glory, that we may become heirs of that blessed portion, which may we all obtain by the grace and love for mankind of our Lord Jesus Christ, to whom be glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen.