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Observe, 1. The patient, One sick of the palsy; which being a resolution of the nerves, weakens the joints, and confines the person to his bed or couch. As a demonstration of Christ's devine power, he was pleased to single out some incurable diseases (as the world accounts them) to work a cure upon, as the leprosy and palsy.
2. The physician, Jesus Christ; he alone is that wise, faithful, and compassionate physician, that can and doth cure both soul and body.
Observe, 3. The moving and impulsive cause of this cure, Jesus seeing their faith: that is, their firm persuasion that he was clothed with a divine power, and able to help; together with their confidence in his goodness, that he was as willing as he was able; and no sooner did they exercise their faith in believing, but Christ did exert his divine power in healing. It was not the sick man's faith, but the faith of his friends: the faith of others may prevail for obtaining corporal benefits and temporal blessings for us; thus the centurion's faith healed his servant, and Jairus's faith raised his daughter.
Observe, 4. The marvellous afficacy and power of faith: it obtained not only what was desired, but more than was expected; they desired only the healing of the body, but Jesus seeing their faith, heals body and soul too, saying, Be of good cheer, thy sins are forgiven thee; intimating, that diseases proceed from sin, because Christ first speaks of forgiving them; yet it is conceived that Christ rather speaketh here of the temporal remission of the punishment, than of the eternal; because that depends on our own faith, and not on others.