In which Gospel is there a paralytic healing that demonstrates forgiveness of sins before healing?

• A. Luke
• B. John
• C. Mark
• D. Matthew

Answer: (C)

The key idea is that this miracle presents forgiveness of sins as the basis and preview for the healing that follows. In Mark’s account, Jesus addresses the paralytic first with the statement that his sins are forgiven. That declaration signals a authority beyond merely healing—Jesus is claiming the power to forgive sins, which, in Jewish thought, is a divine prerogative. To demonstrate that this forgiveness is real and that his authority is genuine, Jesus then commands the man to rise, take up his mat, and go home, and the healing completes the sign.

This explicit sequence—forgiveness announced before healing—comes clearly and prominently in Mark, making it the best answer. (Luke contains a parallel version with a similar order, but Mark’s presentation is the classic and most direct exemplar often used in discussions of this miracle.)