The man on the mattress was paralysed... - All The Good Seed Daily Devotionals for 2026

When Jesus saw their faith, he said unto the sick of the palsy, Son, thy sins be forgiven thee.
Mark 2:5

Thieves usually break into a house when the owners are away. It once happened that four men broke into a house that was crammed full with people. They climbed on to the roof and started uncovering it. When they had made a gap big enough, they let a fifth man lying on a mattress down into the room beneath them.
The man on the mattress was paralysed. His friends had to choose the that way to get him to Jesus Christ. They knew that He was the only One who could heal their friend. Their greatest wish was to hear the Son of God say, "You are healed." However, He said something quite different: "Your sins are forgiven.".
Wasn't that a strange thing to say to someone seriously handicapped? If the men had broken in to steal, sin might have been a more suitable subject to speak about. But here lay a man who was hardly in a position to commit serious sins, and his friends held him in esteem. So why begin with the subject of sin to such a person? Wasn't his suffering enough without making him feel worse?
A little later Jesus did in fact order the man to stand up and walk, and he was healed immediately. But first the Lord dealt with the man's greater problem, which had not been settled through his illness. What Jesus told the paralytic is the message for us today. He came here to save sinners. We do not need to break into a house or undertake anything else to get to Him. We simply have to confess the guilt of our life and believe His promise.
Today's reading: 1 Samuel 1