1 AND again he entered into Capernaum after some days; and it was noised that he was in the house.

2 And straightway many were gathered together, insomuch that there was no room to receive them, no, not so much as about the door: [ Meaning the yard or court before the house. ] and he preached the word unto them.

3 And they come unto him, bringing one sick of the palsy, [ Palsy is the paralysis of a body part, he cannot walk, often accompanied by loss of sensation and by uncontrolled body movements, such as shaking. Medical conditions involving palsy include cerebral palsy (caused by certain intracranial lesions), brachial palsy (the paralysis of an arm), and Bell's palsy (the paralysis of half the face due to inflammation of the facial nerves). ] which was borne of four. [ Four men, one at each corner of the sofa or couch on which he lay: this sick man appears to have been too feeble to come himself, and too weak to be carried in any other way. ]

4 And when they could not come nigh unto him for the press, they uncovered the roof where he was: [ The houses generally had flat-roofs so the inhabitants could go on top to get fresh/cool air; most had battlements as well protecting those who were on top from falling off, Deut. xxii. 8; Judg. xvi. 27; they also had a trap door by which they could descend into the house. This door, it appears, was too narrow to let down the sick man and his couch; so they uncovered the roof, removed a part of the tiles; and having broken it up, taken away the laths or timber, to which the tiles had been attached, they then had room to let down the afflicted man. They eliminated whatever was needed in order to get him to Jesus. ] and when they had broken it up, they let down the bed wherein the sick of the palsy lay.

5 When Jesus saw their faith, [ Whose faith is he referring to here when it says their faith? Both the inflicted and the four men who went to so much trouble as to take off the roof so that the Jesus could bless him. How do or can we use others to help us when we need spiritual blessings? ]he said unto the sick of the palsy, son, thy sins be forgiven thee. [ JST suggests that he is not worthy. So he does have sin. Are sins the cause of his palsy? How did the Savior usr this as a teaching moment by saying your sins are forgiven? Can you image the men that have brough this man here and all that Jesus says to him is "son your sins are forgiven". No wait that is not why we brought him here, we wanted you to heal him. ]

6 But there were certain of the scribes sitting there, [ They know what is written in the law, every jot an tittle. They are there to make sure that things are done according to Jewish law, that nothing is destroyed and are waiting to challenge anything that they feel is not correct doctrine. And Jesus is going to give them some really good things to challenge. A scribes responsibility was to write down or copy word for word what was said. It was not their duty or responsibility to change, altar or modify in any way what was written. However; it was the scribes who were the ones who modified the text of the old testament books to remove or alter what the Messiah would do and be. They changed him to become a political figure such that the people would not recognize the Savior when he did come. They removed the ordinances and covenants to their ways, ways in which they could control the people through "the Law". for this reason Jesus holds some of his strongest rebukes for the scribes because these were the very ones who were manipulating the text to have it read the way that they wanted - they were perverting that ways of God. ] and reasoning in their hearts, [ Notice they are not saying it out loud, it is what they are thinking. ]

7  Why doth this man thus speak blasphemies? [ Why is he doing this and who does he think that he is? What gives him the right to say such things? ] who can forgive sins but God only?

8 And immediately when Jesus perceived in his spirit that they so reasoned within themselves, he said unto them, Why reason ye these things in your hearts? [ Why do you think that it is evil that which I have done? What things were the scribes thinking? See vs 6-7. It was blasphemy to forgive sin. What question does the Savior use to challenge their thinking? See vs 9.Because they do not know who he really is. ]

9 Whether is it easier to say to the sick of the palsy, Thy sins be forgiven thee; or to say, Arise, and take up thy bed, and walk? [ What is the underlying message that the Savior is trying to protray here? JST "Does it require more power to forgive sin than to nake the sick rise up and walk?". How would you answer that question, which is harder to do? I can say this one does take more guts to say and that is to be healed immediately. Why? Because I can say to anyone that your sins are forgiven and no one can prove that the sins are not forgiven. You cannot see sin. However; if I say rise and walk and they don't then, well I do not have the power that I profess. ]

10  But that ye may know [ So they were questioning the Savior with the idea of him saying thy sins are forgiven. Jesus responds which is harder to do forgive sin or heal. Jesus has already told the man that his sins are forgiven, which many not be proven easily, so he adds no take up the bed and walk - he heals him immediately, suggesting that he has the power to heal him so he therefore also has the power to forgive his sin. This is proof to them. I will do the hard one in order to prove that I have the power to do the other one. If he were not so humble he would have dropped the mic. ] that the son of man [ A title for Christ - The "son of God" and the "son of Man" are synonymous... In the pure Adamic language, the name Elohim, the Father, is "Man of Holiness" (signifying that God is a Holy Man), and the name of Christ, the son, is short for "son of Man of Holiness" (Mormon Doctine p671; Moses 6:57. ] hath power on earth to forgive sins, (he saith to the sick of the palsy,)

11 I say unto thee, Arise, and take up thy bed, and go thy way into thine house.

12 And immediately he arose, [ Instantly, think of it he is not only healed of palsy but he has not walked for years so he also gave him the strength to do so. ] took up the bed, and went forth before them all; insomuch that they were all amazed, and glorified God, saying, We never saw it on this fashion.

13 And he went forth again by the sea side; and all the multitude resorted unto him, and he taught them.

14 And as he passed by, he saw Levi the son of Alphaeus [ Levi is a Jewish name. The same as Matthew; see Matt 9:9 he appears to have been a Jew working for the Romans. ] sitting at the receipt of custom, [ Working in his little booth, working for the IRS the Israelite Revenue Service. ] and said unto him, Follow me. And he arose and followed him.

15 And it came to pass, that, as Jesus sat at meat in his house, many publicans and sinners sat also together with Jesus and his disciples: for there were many, and they followed him.

16 And when the scribes and Pharisees saw him eat with publicans and sinners, they said unto his disciples, How is it that he eateth and drinketh with publicans and sinners? [ This is meant to be a cut to Jesus and the kind of person that he is - The idea that he would be mingling with the "low-life" the publicans and sinners means that he is like them - a low-life. ]

17 When Jesus heard it, he saith unto them, They that are whole have no need of the physician, but they that are sick: I came not to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance. [ Jesus could have easily turned to them and said including you who do not think that you are so righteous. ]

18 And the disciples of John and of the Pharisees used to fast: and they come and say unto him, Why do the disciples of John and of the Pharisees fast, but thy disciples fast not?

19 And Jesus said unto them, Can the children of the bridechamber fast, while the bridegroom is with them? [ This has reference to the Rabbinic ruling that stated that during the days of a wedding feast marriage guests were relieved from all religious obligations including fasting during this period. ] as long as they have the bridegroom with them, they cannot fast.

20 But the days will come, when the bridegroom shall be taken away from them, and then shall they fast in those days.

21 No man also seweth a piece of new cloth on an old garment: else the new piece that filled it up taketh away from the old, and the rent is made worse.

22 And no man putteth new wine into old bottles: else the new wine doth burst the bottles, and the wine is spilled, and the bottles will be marred: but new wine must be put into new bottles.

23 And it came to pass, that he went through the corn fields on the sabbath day; and his disciples began, as they went, to pluck the ears of corn.

24 And the Pharisees said unto him, Behold, why do they on the sabbath day that which is not lawful? [Pharisees accuse Jesus of violating the law of the sabbath]

25 And he said unto them, Have ye never read what David did, when he had need, and was an hungred, he, and they that were with him?

26 How he went into the house of God in the days of Abiathar the high priest, and did eat the shewbread, which is not lawful to eat but for the priests, and gave also to them which were with him? [Matthews account continues as Matt 12:1-7 "Or have ye not read in the law, how that on the sabbath days the priests in the temple profane [ If you look up the entomology of the word "profane", you’re gonna find that the word comes from the Latin word "pro", which means "before or outside". And the Latin word "phantom", which means "temple". And when you put pro and phantom together, you get the Latin word "profanus", from which our English word profane is derived, which literally means "outside the temple". The word profane literally means one who is not sacred, one who is not allowed to enter sacred temple space. ] the sabbath, and are blameless? But if ye had known what this meaneth, I will have mercy, and not sacrifice, ye would not have condemned the guiltless."]

27 And he said unto them, The sabbath was made for man, [ Sabbath was created as a blessing for man, and so the sabbath as a blessing is held in lesser degree of nobility to "Man" himself. Man is more important than the blessing given for man, it was created for his benefit - so to speak. If we then understand that man is of more importance than the law and that there are even certain laws which are more important than the law of the sabbath - which are circumcision, and obviously maintaining life by eating. The accusation of harvesting on the Sabbath, which is prohibited by the Law, is simply overinflated nonsense. Had the Pharisees understood what the phrase "I will have mercy, and not sacrifice" (cf. Hosea 6:6) means they would not have accused Jesus and his disciples of violating the Sabbath. Jesus' quotation of Hosea 6:6 at the Pharisees is a scathing attack on their hypocrisy as the context of Hosea 6 is the condemnation of those who focus on the physical act of sacrificing while all the while violating the Law. Thus, using imagery of Hosea 6, Jesus is casting himself in the role of the prophet who is slaying with the word of God, and the Pharisees are the hypocritical Israelite (i.e., Northern Ten Tribes) sacrificers who are about to be smitten. They are nit-picking him on the unscriptural Sabbath rules only in an effort to detect flaws and accuse him, and in so doing they violate the Law.] and not man for the sabbath: [Jesus make statement on the purpose of the Sabbath and makes it and makes it clear they do not understand it. There are really two messages in play here first is keeping the Sabbath holy, the second is that of fault-finding. The Pharisees are looking for any excuse possible to fault Jesus, and in so doing indict themselves.]

28 Therefore the son of man is Lord also of the sabbath. [ Or the Law of the Gospel. This is made clear in Matt. 12:6 when Jesus states there is one among them who is greater than the Temple, also cp. John 1:51. What is the purpose of the temple any way? To point men toward the Savior. Such statements emphasize the ignorance of the Pharisees in perceiving what these physical acts and edifices represent, they do not grasp the spiritual meaning because they are not spiritual. They are carnal men who focus on physical worship because they do not spiritually worship. Being Lord of the Sabbath also has larger theological implications as well. Jesus is the Creator and therefore Lord of the first Sabbath day wherein all mankind was created and is thereby Lord over all mankind, cf. D&C 77:12. so, if the Lord is greater than man, and man is greater than the Sabbath, then the Lord is greater than the Sabbath. ]