After they had accused him of committing blasphemy, by telling a paralyzed man that his sins had been forgiven him, Jesus posed the following riddle to the Pharisees and teachers of the law: Which is easier, to say, ‘Your sins are forgiven you,’ or to say, ‘Rise and walk’? For Jesus both things were possible, of course, but in some sense it was easiest for him to say, “Rise and walk.” This was less controversial and required no sacrifice on his part. For everyone else, it was impossible to accomplish either, however it was easier to pretend to forgive sin and get away with it! Come to think of it, pretending to forgive sin, may be the blasphemy which is almost inevitably committed by religious persons. It is a charge of which perhaps only Jesus is completely innocent.
