Back in Capernaum, Jesus attracted such crowds that the friends of a paralysed man smashed a hole through the plaster roof of the house (possibly Simon's) to bring him to Jesus. Their determination demonstrated great faith on their part. In giving assurance of forgiveness of sins (2 :5) Jesus acted with divine authority and this was noted with horror by the scribes of the Law, who condemned Jesus as a blasphemer.

They were right in saying that God alone can forgive sins but spiritually blind in not seeing the power of God in Jesus. Their words in 2:7 are very ominous; the penalty for blasphemy was death.

In the challenge which Jesus gave them (2 :9) there was no easier alternative. The man was put into a right relationship with God solely through God's loving forgiveness of his sins and was restored to new health and life solely by the power of God. This confrontation between Jesus and the teachers of the Law pointed already towards the climax of hostility between Jesus and the Sanhedrin which would result in his death (Mark II: 18). In the first of the references to the Son of Man (2: 10), Jesus clearly referred to himself.