The house in Capernaum was so full that no one could reach the door. Four men carried a paralysed man up onto the flat roof, dug through it, and let him down on his pallet in front of Jesus. Mark says that Jesus saw their faith, the faith of the carriers, and the first thing He said to the man on the mat was that his sins were forgiven.
The scribes objected silently that only God can forgive sins, which was exactly the point. Jesus healed the man’s body so that they would know He had authority over the deeper paralysis. The man walked out carrying the bed that had carried him. This is what intercession is: bringing someone who cannot bring himself, and refusing to be stopped by the crowd.
And when Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralytic, "My son, your sins are forgiven."
Mark 2:5, RSV-CE