Which is easier: to say, “Your sins are forgiven,” or to say, “Get up and walk”?
In this passage Jesus asks a question to those present in order to show the depth of his divine power. To say, “Your sins are forgiven,” is a declaration on a spiritual level, which is invisible to human eyes, whereas after saying, “Get up and walk,” the verifiable reality of a physical miracle is obvious to everyone. Jesus shows that he has authority both in the physical realm, to heal the body, and in the spiritual realm, to grant forgiveness of sins. In fact, both are important, but Jesus’ question aims to reveal that no realm limits him, and that he can perform both spiritual and physical miracles.