Luke 5:19-21
New American Bible (Revised Edition)
19 But not finding a way to bring him in because of the crowd, they went up on the roof and lowered him on the stretcher through the tiles[a] into the middle in front of Jesus. 20 When he saw their faith, he said, “As for you, your sins are forgiven.”[b] 21 Then the scribes[c] and Pharisees began to ask themselves, “Who is this who speaks blasphemies? Who but God alone can forgive sins?”(A)
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- 5:19 Through the tiles: Luke has adapted the story found in Mark to his non-Palestinian audience by changing “opened up the roof” (Mk 2:4, a reference to Palestinian straw and clay roofs) to through the tiles, a detail that reflects the Hellenistic Greco-Roman house with tiled roof.
- 5:20 As for you, your sins are forgiven: literally, “O man, your sins are forgiven you.” The connection between the forgiveness of sins and the cure of the paralytic reflects the belief of first-century Palestine (based on the Old Testament: Ex 20:5; Dt 5:9) that sickness and infirmity are the result of sin, one’s own or that of one’s ancestors (see also Lk 13:2; Jn 5:14; 9:2).
- 5:21 The scribes: see note on Mk 2:6.
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