How could Jesus say, "Your sins are forgiven," before He died on the cross?

Then you get the reasonings of the rationalists of that day; and the scribes were the rationalists of the Lord's days, the most heartless of people, and they began to talk about blasphemies. And it is a wonderful thing to me — I cannot help saying it in passing — how quickly and readily people can use that word; there seems to be a marvellous acquaintance with it with some people. "This man speaks blasphemies." Ah! many a word of that kind is a revelation of the state of the person that utters it. How little people think of that! "Out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks." And mark the way the Lord meets this. He says, "Whether is it easier to say, Thy sins be forgiven thee; or to say, Arise, and take up to thy bed, and walk? But that ye may know that the Son of man" — now mark this, I beseech you; the title is used here for the first time — "that ye may know that the Son of man has power on earth." I suppose the Jews would own there was power in heaven; of course they recognised that God only could forgive sins, and so far they were right; but they were blind to the very last degree in not seeing that Jesus was God. The fact was that the blindness of their heart would not permit them to see it, and the obstinacy of their will, that awful tyrant of man, which you cannot put over on God's side and which you cannot subdue, and which will not resign nor abdicate — that fierce, unsubdued tyrant of man, his will, so blinded and deceived them that they could not see in that lowly Man who was before them the veiled glory of the Godhead. Hence they say, "Who can forgive sins but God only?" Perfectly true; but He was God. But mark what the Lord says further. "But that ye may know" — that ye may have the tangible, visible proof before you — "that the Son of man" that title, "Son of man" is connected with the place He was pleased to take as becoming a man here in this world — "that the Son of man has power on earth" — wonderful words these are — "to forgive sins (he saith to the sick of the palsy), I say unto thee, Arise, and take up thy bed, and go into thine house. And "immediately" — you get not merely forgiveness, but healing for his body, and power; you get forgiveness, healing, and power, all combined here, "Son, thy sins are forgiven," "take up thy bed" — healing; "go into thine house" — power; "that ye may know" — now that is an immense thing for our hearts to take in, and there is a peculiar blessedness in it — "that ye may know that the Son of man has power on earth to forgive sins." Thank God! That is the great truth, that there was power on earth. It is quite true that the great work of atonement had to be wrought; and the claims of God in holiness met in the atoning work of Calvary; but Jehovah Himself could administer that blessing, as He could administer every other blessing, in the Person of the One who was there, who was in after-time to do the work; and, beloved, it is an immense thing for our souls to get hold of this; "that ye may know that the Son of man has power on earth to forgive sins (he saith to the sick of the palsy) I say unto thee, Arise, and take up thy bed, and go thy way into thine house."

Such was the wider and fuller tide of blessing for man which was ensured by the death of Christ. But here was a sample of this function performed by the Person deputed to forgive, the blood-basis of the act having not yet been laid. The cleansing of the leprosy and the healing of the paralytic, coupled with the forgiveness of sins, were indisputable evidence that the Servant-Prophet of Jehovah was present in Galilee exercising divine prerogatives in His own right. Was not the Psalm familiar to their ears, "Bless the LORD, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits; who forgives all thine iniquities, who heals all thy diseases " (Ps. 103:2-3)? There was now an exemplification of this mercy before their eyes which could not be dissociated from Jesus of Nazareth as the One who was acting. In point of fact, Israel did not know nor consider, but this Servant of God patiently accumulated evidences of His mission which would leave the nation without excuse.

There is another thing we have to consider as to remission. It has been proclaimed, hence it is not in the Gospel when Messiah was come, only in the mind of the Forgiver; it was declared, proffered, present forgiveness, i.e., when so addressed to any one - applied, he was released; this might be governmental as heretofore in Israel, or from wrath. But Christ comes, saying, "Thy sins be forgiven thee" - "But that ye may know that the Son of Man hath power on earth to forgive sins" - and the man is healed; and now full forgiveness is preached, as between the soul and God, as Luke 7, Acts 13, so that the person is in a forgiven state, no sin judicially imputed to him - it is not merely "I have (God has) forgiven" the person, but the person is forgiven. That is his declared, manifested status. In John 20, the administration of this was committed to the twelve, it was nothing peculiar to Peter; it was their mission from a risen Christ in the world, who breathed on them in life-giving power. He had stood amongst them speaking peace, then repeats it, sends them as the Father had sent Him, breathes on them, and declares that those to whom they forgave sins, should be forgiven. It is not the Kingdom, but the message of the Gospel administered in application by the twelve. Nor has it to do here with merely governmental forgiveness; the power might reach that, as in Corinthians - but it was the present administration of forgiveness to men. Baptism may have been associated with it in its due place; but the passage is a general abstract, conferring the competency to administer forgiveness on their mission from Christ, as He had in the Father's name.

At length the Lord appeared, and did what John could not. He announced forgiveness of sins (Mark 2:5; Luke 7:48), but only, as far as we know, to a few individuals during the course of his ministry amongst men. To all baptised of John He did not proclaim it. We know not that He did so to any of them. We do know that to the woman in the Pharisee's house He declared it, and that in His public ministry He kept alive the hope of it. But that woman He assured of it, and that apart from any offering to be taken by her to God's altar to procure it. No sacrifice which she could have taken to Jerusalem could by any possibility have met her need. Presumptuous sin was not provided for by the law; hence the favour that was bestowed on her is of such interest to all of us. It was the earnest of the gospel of the grace of God, which can now be freely and fully proclaimed to every one upon earth. As yet, however, but a few individuals could know it, and they heard it from the Lord's own mouth. The joy was His, and rightly so, of first telling a wretched, guilty creature of the forgiveness of sins, really based on God's acceptance of the true Sacrifice, the Lamb of His own providing — His well-beloved Son. New, indeed, to those acquainted with the letter of Old Testament revelation was such an announcement. The reasonings of their hearts laid bare to us attest this (Mark 2:6-7; Luke 7:49).

Yes! this was the root of the evil, deeper than either leprosy or paralysis — sin — which man accounts so small a matter, a mere moral scar on the surface! What was sin not to Him who on the cross was made sin? Who put away sin by the sacrifice of Himself? Filled with love, and in view of the faith which has there sought Him out, He acts in the sovereignty of grace and pronounces the wondrous words, "Son, thy sins are forgiven [thee]." He who knew all men, and did not commit Himself to them; He who knew God and His handiwork, commits Himself to faith. It may be weak faith, but it is of God, and His eye was quick to see it, and to bless it according to all the love of His heart. "Son, thy sins are forgiven [thee]."

(V. 5). The Lord recognises their faith, and, as ever in His dealings with us, looks beyond the mere outward need that may bring us to Himself and deals first with the root of the trouble. Beyond the disease of the palsied man, as of all disease, there is the question of sin that has brought disease and death into the world. It may be that the man, and those who brought him, were little exercised as to the sins, nevertheless they had faith in the Lord and at once the Lord responds to this faith and can begin to unfold the blessings of those that believe; thus, He can say "Thy sins be forgiven thee."

(Vv. 6, 7). The moment the Lord uses His power to forgive sins the opposition commences. Men did not object to demons being cast out and diseases being healed, and lepers being cleansed, for these things relieved man of bodily trials without necessarily disturbing his conscience. Directly He speaks of sins, the conscience is touched, and men begin to oppose. They say, "Who can forgive sins but God only?" Their argument was true in principle, for God alone can forgive sins: it was wrong in application, for they failed to see the glory of the Person who was present — God manifest in flesh.

And yet forthwith He gave them evidence of what and who He was; for He perceived in His spirit that they so reasoned in their hearts, taxed them with their hidden thoughts, and appealed to themselves whether it was easier by a word to convey forgiveness or a bodily cure. Which claim was readiest? Who but a Divine person, or the wielder of Divine power, could say either the one or the other? They were equally easy to God, alike impossible to man. "But that ye may know," says He in evident reference to [Ps. 103:3], "that the Son of man30 hath power [ἐξουσίαν, the right as well as the ability] on earth to forgive sins (He says to the sick of the palsy), Arise, and take up thy couch, and go to thine house. And immediately he arose, took up his couch, and went out before them all, so that all were amazed, and glorified God, saying, We never saw it thus." The outward sign of power guaranteed the gift of grace and both betokened that He who spoke was the Son of man on earth.

It will be observed that, though the Lord does here appropriate to Himself the double character of mercy, which Israel are yet to attribute to Jehovah in Ps. 103, it is not as Christ or Messiah, properly speaking, but as "Son of man." So He was ever wont to speak. It is the title of His manhood, both in suffering rejection and in glory; as such He blesses faith here, as such He will judge unbelief by-and-by (John 5). Thus He vindicated on earth, by the powers of the world to come, that mercy which forgave the sinful soul before them. What a withering rebuke to cavilling scribes! What a triumphant testimony to the gospel of grace in the name of Jesus! And God does not now leave Himself without a witness, where His Spirit carries to the heart the power of that name, and a witness that fails not to tell on the consciences where there are eyes to see the holy strength and liberty of one previously degraded in sin, and shame, and folly. Sin withers the man, as well as covers him with guilt. He who pardons communicates life and power, to the glory of God; and this as Son of man, the name of mercy to the ruined that bow to Him.

But forgiveness on earth at once aroused the incredulous opposition of the scribes and Pharisees. They "began to reason, saying, Who is this who speaks blasphemies? Who is able to forgive sins, but God alone?" As God alone could heal a leper, so God alone could forgive sins; so far they were right. The great mistake was that they did not believe Jesus to be God. But then in both these miracles Jesus is man as well as God, and this comes out distinctly here. For, "Jesus, knowing their reasonings, answering, said to them, Why reason ye in your hearts? Which is easier, to say, Thy sins are forgiven thee; or to say, Rise up and walk?" One was as plain as the other. He could have said either. He had a true and a gracious spiritual motive for dealing with the real root of the evil first. The deepest necessity of man was not to rise and walk, but first of all to have his sins forgiven. "But that ye may know that the Son of man127 has power upon earth to forgive sins,128 (he said to the paralysed man,129) I say to thee, Arise and take up thy little couch, and go to thine house." He did not say, "That ye may know that God in heaven will by-and-by forgive sins"; but "that the Son of man has power on earth to forgive sins." Jesus is God; but here it is in His quality of the rejected Messiah, the Son of man, that He has power on earth to remit sins. He has authority from God, as indeed He is God; but still it is as Son of man, which adds immensely to the grace of His ways. The despised Messiah of Israel had authority on earth to forgive sins. Thus, the strength that is imparted by the Holy Ghost to the believer is not at all the ground of the remission of his sins, nor is to be the proof to himself that he is forgiven, but "that ye may know," etc. Others sought to know the reality of this forgiveness, and, above all, of the Son of man's authority to forgive man. This is God's great object. It is not merely doing good to man, but the display of the rejected Man, the Lord Jesus Christ. God is putting honour on Him, not only in heaven but upon earth. Now He is exalted in heaven; but even as the Son of man, the rejected Christ, He has authority on earth to forgive sins; and this the Gospel proclaims. Then the strength to rise up and walk imparted to the poor powerless sinner is just a witness to others of the forgiveness of his sins; but the great thing for such an one is not merely what others see and judge of, but what pertains to himself alone, that none can absolutely know outside, that which is a word from the Lord to his own soul — "Thy sins are forgiven thee."

In the prophetic communications to Ezekiel, the title, "Son of man," is frequently employed by Jehovah when addressing the prophet. It is also used once in addressing Daniel (Dan. 8:7), but they never apply it to themselves. Both Ezekiel and Daniel were prophets of the exile, and ministered away from Judah, which was under the power of the Gentiles. The Lord too, as the despised Servant-Prophet, ministering in "Galilee of the Gentiles," assumed this title, proving His authority to forgive sins, not as Jehovah of Psalm 103, or as the Messiah of Israel, but as the Son of man.

Our Lord also preached the precious doctrine of present forgiveness of sins; to be known too, not on a death-bed merely, but now, to-day. Did He not say to a palsied man, "Be of good cheer; thy sins ARE forgiven thee"? And did He not so insist upon it, that the people might know that the Son of man hath power on earth to forgive sins? Did not the blessed Lord also pronounce present forgiveness of sins to another who was brokenhearted and distressed about her sins, and had fallen at His feet behind Him for relief? Were not His sweet, soul-comforting words to this sin-stricken soul, "Thy sins ARE forgiven"? not shall be when you come to die, but are forgiven. (Luke 7:48.) No further proof surely can be required by any right mind, that there is such a blessing to be known as the present enjoyment of God having given the believer remission of sins. In fact, the gospel is preached to make this known. It is God's present proclamation. "Be it known unto you therefore, men and brethren, that through this man (the Lord Jesus) is preached unto you the forgiveness (or remission) of sins" (Acts 13:38); so that to deny the present knowledge and enjoyment of sins blotted out is to deny the true character of the gospel of the grace of God.