20. Jesus saw how much faith they had and said to the sick man, “Friend, your sins are forgiven.”
21. The Jewish teachers of the law and the Pharisees thought to themselves, “Who is this man who dares to say such things? What an insult to God! No one but God can forgive sins.”
22. But Jesus knew what they were thinking and said, “Why do you have these questions in your minds?
23-24. The Son of Man has power on earth to forgive sins. But how can I prove this to you? Maybe you are thinking it was easy for me to say, ‘Your sins are forgiven.’ There’s no proof that it really happened. But what if I say to the man, ‘Stand up and walk’? Then you will be able to see that I really have this power.” So Jesus said to the paralyzed man, “I tell you, stand up! Take your mat and go home!”
25. The man immediately stood up in front of everyone. He picked up his mat and walked home, praising God.