In Matthew 9:1-8, a paralyzed man is brought before Jesus expecting one kind of help, and Jesus offers something far greater: 'Take heart... your sins are forgiven.' This miracle confronts each of us because it declares that we all need the forgiveness that only Jesus can give. So that the scribes and crowds would see his authority, Jesus heals the man's body, proving that he is the Christ, the one who can heal and forgive.