Who Can Forgive Sins?

“But there were certain of the scribes sitting there, and reasoning in their hearts, why doth this man thus speak blasphemies? Who can forgive sins but God only?” (Mark 2:6-7)

The scribes copied, studied and interpreted the Old Testament law and put in writing the old records which had been handed down orally.  It was their job to make sure that nothing was added nor deleted from the Old Testament writings and that everything was meticulously kept. They thus became the Jewish law.

When they questioned Jesus’ ability to forgive sins, they were right in saying that only God could forgive sins. Their error was that they did not know nor would they accept that Jesus was God.

Jesus had forgiven the palsied man’s sins in keeping with who He was. So for our Savior to declare the palsied man’s sins forgiven was not blasphemy at all. He was God, with all the powers of God and with all the authority of God. For the scribes to question Jesus was equal to questioning God.