Who Forgives Sins but God? None, One, or Many?

What is it about?

In the story of the forgiveness of the paralyzed man, the Pharisees and teachers of the law accuse Jesus of blasphemy because they assume only God can say someone's sins are forgiven. Matthew's version (9:1-8) corrects this assumption by saying that "God has given authority to humans" (v. 8), a reference to the church's role in proclaiming forgiveness. Three connections to Luke's account (5:17-26) show he has a similar answer: the fulfillment of Isa 61:1-2 in Luke 4:18-19, the call of the fishermen in 5:1-11, and the parallel to Acts 3-4. Yet Jesus and the disciples pronounce forgiveness of sins in different ways. Jesus pronounces forgiveness because God is at work in him; the disciples pronounce forgiveness because Jesus is at work in them.

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