But that ye may know that the Son of man hath power on earth to forgive sins, (he saith to the sick of the palsy,)
Jesus declared that as the Son of man He holds on earth the divine right to forgive sins, a power belonging to God alone. He spoke this over the helpless paralytic let down through the roof at Capernaum, healing him so all would know that authority was real. The visible restoration of the body was given as proof of the unseen pardon, answering those who inwardly charged Him with blasphemy for claiming what only God can do. Seeing soul-sickness as far worse than bodily suffering, He forgave first as the most precious gift, lifting guilt, despair and gloom before commanding the man to rise in youth-like strength, take up his bed and go home. His pardon is real and certain through Him alone as Mediator, vindicated by His death and unlimited toward every sinner who comes to God through Him.
Setting of the Declaration
The declaration belongs to the healing of the helpless paralytic at Capernaum while Jesus was teaching as a guest in Peter's house. Men, women and children flocked from every direction to hear Him, and a dense crowd gathered in and about the house. His disciples sat near Him to hear His words and understand the truths they were to proclaim by word or pen over all lands and through all ages. Outside the Pharisees, doctors and scribes gathered near, thronged beyond them by a promiscuous multitude of all grades of society and many nationalities, some eager to hear and some moved by curiosity or love of excitement.
The sick man lived nearby, reduced to utter helplessness by incurable palsy and without hope of recovery. Hope that he could be relieved if brought to Jesus came from what friends and relatives had heard of gracious instruction and had seen of miracles, that He turned no one away and that even loathsome lepers found access to His presence and were healed. His friends carried him on his bed to Jesus, but the crowd blocked their way. Fearing he would die in the confusion, he had them bear him to the rear of the house, break open the roof, and let him down into the immediate presence of Jesus at His very feet, interrupting the discourse.
Beside the lake Jesus taught with power on earth over disease. There the leper standing afar off saw Him lay hands on the sick, and saw the lame, the blind, the paralytic and those dying of various maladies rise up in health praising God for deliverance. That sight strengthened faith that Jesus would notice and cleanse even one shut out from men as under the judgment of God.
The verse stands in a chapter in which Jesus, the Lord who made the Sabbath, is charged by the scribes and Pharisees with breaking it. Their accusation shows how blindly they judged Him.
Authority to Forgive Sins
The Son of man has authority on earth to forgive sins, and Jesus healed the paralytic so that people would know this authority was real. The visible restoration was given to make the unseen authority known, confirming that the declaration of forgiveness was true. That forgiveness answered the man's deepest need, for his guilt and despair were relieved and then his body was healed. In this way divine pardon is joined to power to heal, answering the inward charge of scribes, Pharisees and doctors that pronouncing pardon was blasphemy because only God can forgive sins.
That authority is Christ's own divine and incommunicable prerogative, the infinite power belonging to God alone. He exercised it on earth among all classes with no regard to caste or nationality as the compassionate, sin-pardoning Saviour. When the paralytic was let down through the roof at His feet, He saw the sufferer's trouble at a glance and first forgave his sins, changing the sinner's relation toward God by taking guilt from the inmost soul and curing the diseased mind. He read the unspoken reasoning of those who silently seized His word as an assumption of infinite power and a crime worthy of death, and met them with a reproving glance and look. He answered by asking whether it is easier to pronounce pardon or to command healing, and then proved that His word of pardon carries divine authority to make whole by commanding the helpless man to arise with youth-like strength, take up his bed and go home.
The act lifted Him in serene majesty and gentle dignity above the dignitaries who had refused the sufferer help, declared him under God's curse, and feared losing their influence over the multitude. Confronted by the miracle, the people were filled with awe as heaven opened to them and their minds were turned from the leading Jews for the time, while the accusers were left dumb with amazement, overwhelmed with defeat, disconcerted and abashed, recognizing but not confessing a superior being, with no room to inflame the multitude. The account teaches Christ's power to restore people both spiritually and physically, presenting Him as the great Restorer whose work meets the needs of those who seek His help. The helpless sinner brought to Christ in belief that Christ could heal him is not disappointed.
Healing Proves Forgiveness
The visible restoration of the paralytic was given as proof of the unseen pardon, so that people would know the authority to forgive sins on earth is real. The declaration of forgiveness was thus confirmed as true, joining divine pardon to power to heal. This answer met the inward charge of scribes, Pharisees, doctors and rabbis, who reasoned in their hearts that pronouncing pardon was blasphemy because only God can forgive sins. They watched with fear of losing their influence over the multitude, seized the declaration as an assumption of infinite power belonging to God alone, and sought to present it as a crime worthy of death. When those present murmured on this ground, the healing led the people, except for the faultfinders, to praise God.
Jesus read their unspoken reasoning and silent thoughts, fixed His glance upon them, and exposed their evil thoughts with a reproving glance and look. He answered by asking whether it is easier to pronounce pardon or to command healing, whether it is easier to say Thy sins be forgiven thee or to say Arise and walk. He stated His authority as the Son of man to forgive sins on earth so they might know He has it. He first gave the sufferer peace of mind by forgiveness, which filled him with peace and joy after he had been tortured in mind by the teaching that his sins meant God had cast him off.
To prove His word of pardon carries divine authority to make whole, He then commanded the helpless man to arise, take up his bed and go to his house and home. The man who had been borne on a litter immediately rose with strength and youth-like vigor, took up his bed, and went forth before them all. The invisible pardon was thereby proved by the visible miracle, demonstrating that the word of divine pardon carries divine power on earth to make whole. The visible cure was used as proof of the right to forgive, letting doubters know the authority claimed.
Paralytic's Need and Restoration
The palsy that had reduced the man to utter helplessness had been brought on mainly by dissipation and a life loving the pleasures of sin, which was transgression of God's law, and his bodily affliction was the penalty of his crime. Remembrance of that sin sank his hope and deepened his suffering with remorse, leaving him fearing he would not be tolerated in Jesus' presence and feeling unworthy to approach Him. His chief and greatest longing was not simply physical recovery but to be freed from the burden of sin and assured of forgiveness and peace with God and heaven. That possibility gave him hope even before he knew whether his body would be healed, so that he would accept life or death according to God's will.
His soul-sickness was far worse than bodily suffering, with months of guilt as his greatest burden, and his deepest need was known and met first because forgiveness was the most precious gift to him. That pardon took guilt from the inmost soul, cured the diseased mind, and lifted crushing oppression, despair, doubt and gloom, bringing instead cheer, hope, peace and joy and changing a pallid, leaden appearance. Only when the mind was restored to peace could the body be reached, so forgiveness came first and then, upon obedience, quickening followed with blood flowing, health returning and limbs obeying.
The forgiven man was fully restored to strength and health in the vigor of manhood, with lifeless arms made quick to obey his will, shrunken leaden-hued flesh made fresh and ruddy with health, and a firm free step able to carry with ease the couch on which he had been slowly borne. Signs of sin and suffering gave way to purity, peace, hope and strength, gloom disappeared, hopelessness became hope and weakness became strength, and God was glorified through the Son who brought hope to him and his family. His home was filled with rejoicing, glad thanksgiving and tears of joy, and he and his family responded with joyful, unwavering faith and perfect loyalty ready to lay down life for Jesus, which no doubt could dim and no unbelief could mar.
His story offers hope to the guilty, helpless, afflicted and burdened, for his simple faith accepted forgiveness as the gift of new life. His illness is distinguished from the mistaken belief of the Pharisees, taught also by the priests, that sickness and distress always prove God's anger and casting off, a teaching that had tortured his mind and led the leaders to refuse him help and judge him under God's curse. Affliction is therefore not to be treated as proof of God's displeasure, nor are sufferers to be condemned as worse than oneself.
Responses and Witness
The visible healing filled the people with awe as if heaven had opened to them, and for the time it turned their minds away from the leading Jews. All praised God except the faultfinders, whose opposition remained unmoved by what they witnessed. In the restored strength and health of the man, with signs of sin and suffering giving way to peace and purity, God was glorified through the Son who brought hope to him and his family.
That miracle of mercy was conclusive, convincing and unquestioned proof that Jesus is the Promised One of Israel and the promised Saviour, possessing power on earth both to forgive sins and to heal the sick. Honest minds set before such evidence should have yielded and accepted Him before God. Instead, the stronger the proof became the more the scribes and Pharisees armed themselves with hatred, malice and unbelief in haughty and determined opposition. They hardened themselves until God left them to forge chains binding them in hopeless darkness with no reserve power left to reach hearts so hardened. Many in these days take the same course by refusing given light, stumbling over reproof, and rejecting offered mercy and truth till they are left unrestrained to pursue their downward course.
The act lifted Jesus in serene majesty and gentle dignity above the dignitaries who had refused the sufferer help and declared him under God's curse. Those leaders feared losing their influence over the multitude, concealed hatred while watching for heresy, and sought to present His claim to pardon as blasphemy and a crime worthy of death. Confronted by miraculous works joined to gentle dignity, in marked contrast to their proud and self-righteous bearing, they were left dumb with amazement and overwhelmed with defeat. They were disconcerted and abashed, recognizing but not confessing the presence of a superior being, with no room left to inflame the multitude against Him.
Doctrinal Grounds and Scope
The right to pardon transgression was vindicated by death, for the one who spoke the words of authority on earth to forgive sins gave His own life in sacrifice to establish that right. He was the Creator who had proclaimed the eternal law at Sinai, and He bore human flesh and met temptation without sin before offering Himself. That power to forgive cannot be taken away by human violence or even by death itself. On the cross He exercises His royal right to save all who come to God through Him, and in doing so bears witness to His divinity and to the Father's glory. Jesus alone holds authority to forgive sins as the one Mediator between people and God. His pardon is real and certain, and no priest, image, or religious ceremony can take His place, while His forgiveness brings the warmth of His love and calls the forgiven to become more like Him in character.
His power to forgive is unlimited, and He stands before fallen humanity as the sinner's hope and mighty Saviour. The cross lifts up this sin-pardoning Saviour, and preaching Christ crucified and risen gives new power and efficiency to the message of truth. As the pure Physician on earth He has miraculous power to cure every malady, to speak mercy to the despairing, and to heal the sick as well as to forgive. By a word of sublime authority He sets free those held by Satan's power. His wondrous love is seen in stooping to heal the guilty and the afflicted, with divinity sorrowing over suffering humanity and soothing its ills. The power thus displayed is marvelous and proves the message of salvation, revealing the mercies of a compassionate Redeemer that leave no room for doubt or neglect.
Pattern for Ministry Today
Christ joined proclaiming truth with healing the sick, and in healing the paralytic He first gave peace of mind by forgiving sins, then used the visible cure as proof of His right to forgive, and this union is the pattern His workers are to follow. The man had heard of Jesus through his friends and asked to be brought to Him, tortured in mind by the teaching of the priests that his sins meant God had cast him off, so forgiveness filled him with peace and joy before healing came. When those present murmured that only God can forgive sins, He commanded the sick man to rise, take up his bed and go home, letting doubters know by the cure that the Son of man has power on earth to forgive sins. He is thus both the sin-pardoning Saviour and the Restorer, healer of soul and of body, and His followers are to do His work by seeking to save the souls and bodies of the afflicted, including through building hospitals and caring for the sick.
The case teaches physicians to join bodily healing with forgiveness of sins, meeting people in the trouble weighing on their minds, forgiving in Christ's spirit, trusting God, and directing them to the hope of a home above. When the suffering paralytic was let down through the roof in urgent and dying condition, his soul-sickness was seen as far worse than bodily suffering, with months of guilt as his greatest burden and oppression bringing despair, doubt, gloom and a pallid leaden appearance. Forgiveness was therefore the most precious gift to him, lifting oppression and bringing cheer, hope, peace and joy, and only when the mind was restored to peace could the body be reached, so that upon obedience blood flowed, health returned, limbs obeyed, and the healed man carried his bed home glorifying God. Physicians are thus to minister to the diseased mind, relieve bodily pain so that conscience and heart can then be reached by truth, and point patients to the great Physician who can heal both soul and body.
Patients are to be offered spiritual healing as well as bodily care, to repent, receive forgiveness, and turn from sin, since the healing of the paralyzed man illustrates the authority of the Son of man on earth to forgive sins. Jesus did not refuse help to those who had brought disease upon themselves, and when His power reached them they were convicted of sin, with many receiving healing of both spiritual and physical disease, illustrating His power to heal the soul and restore spiritually. The man needed relief from sin before he could fully appreciate bodily health, for the burden of sin with its unrest and unsatisfied desires is a foundation of physical illness. Christ's power to restore the body demonstrated His power to cleanse the soul, and His forgiveness brings peace that restores vigor to the mind and health to the body while cleansing the soul and restoring the body.
Jesus declared that as the Son of man He holds on earth the divine right to forgive sins, a power belonging to God alone. He spoke this over the helpless paralytic let down through the roof at Capernaum, healing him so all would know that authority was real. The visible restoration of the body was given as proof of the unseen pardon, answering those who inwardly charged Him with blasphemy for claiming what only God can do. Seeing soul-sickness as far worse than bodily suffering, He forgave first as the most precious gift, lifting guilt, despair and gloom before commanding the man to rise in youth-like strength, take up his bed and go home. His pardon is real and certain through Him alone as Mediator, vindicated by His death and unlimited toward every sinner who comes to God through Him.
Setting of the Declaration
The declaration belongs to the healing of the helpless paralytic at Capernaum while Jesus was teaching as a guest in Peter's house. Men, women and children flocked from every direction to hear Him, and a dense crowd gathered in and about the house. His disciples sat near Him to hear His words and understand the truths they were to proclaim by word or pen over all lands and through all ages. Outside the Pharisees, doctors and scribes gathered near, thronged beyond them by a promiscuous multitude of all grades of society and many nationalities, some eager to hear and some moved by curiosity or love of excitement.
The sick man lived nearby, reduced to utter helplessness by incurable palsy and without hope of recovery. Hope that he could be relieved if brought to Jesus came from what friends and relatives had heard of gracious instruction and had seen of miracles, that He turned no one away and that even loathsome lepers found access to His presence and were healed. His friends carried him on his bed to Jesus, but the crowd blocked their way. Fearing he would die in the confusion, he had them bear him to the rear of the house, break open the roof, and let him down into the immediate presence of Jesus at His very feet, interrupting the discourse.
Beside the lake Jesus taught with power on earth over disease. There the leper standing afar off saw Him lay hands on the sick, and saw the lame, the blind, the paralytic and those dying of various maladies rise up in health praising God for deliverance. That sight strengthened faith that Jesus would notice and cleanse even one shut out from men as under the judgment of God.
The verse stands in a chapter in which Jesus, the Lord who made the Sabbath, is charged by the scribes and Pharisees with breaking it. Their accusation shows how blindly they judged Him.
Authority to Forgive Sins
The Son of man has authority on earth to forgive sins, and Jesus healed the paralytic so that people would know this authority was real. The visible restoration was given to make the unseen authority known, confirming that the declaration of forgiveness was true. That forgiveness answered the man's deepest need, for his guilt and despair were relieved and then his body was healed. In this way divine pardon is joined to power to heal, answering the inward charge of scribes, Pharisees and doctors that pronouncing pardon was blasphemy because only God can forgive sins.
That authority is Christ's own divine and incommunicable prerogative, the infinite power belonging to God alone. He exercised it on earth among all classes with no regard to caste or nationality as the compassionate, sin-pardoning Saviour. When the paralytic was let down through the roof at His feet, He saw the sufferer's trouble at a glance and first forgave his sins, changing the sinner's relation toward God by taking guilt from the inmost soul and curing the diseased mind. He read the unspoken reasoning of those who silently seized His word as an assumption of infinite power and a crime worthy of death, and met them with a reproving glance and look. He answered by asking whether it is easier to pronounce pardon or to command healing, and then proved that His word of pardon carries divine authority to make whole by commanding the helpless man to arise with youth-like strength, take up his bed and go home.
The act lifted Him in serene majesty and gentle dignity above the dignitaries who had refused the sufferer help, declared him under God's curse, and feared losing their influence over the multitude. Confronted by the miracle, the people were filled with awe as heaven opened to them and their minds were turned from the leading Jews for the time, while the accusers were left dumb with amazement, overwhelmed with defeat, disconcerted and abashed, recognizing but not confessing a superior being, with no room to inflame the multitude. The account teaches Christ's power to restore people both spiritually and physically, presenting Him as the great Restorer whose work meets the needs of those who seek His help. The helpless sinner brought to Christ in belief that Christ could heal him is not disappointed.
Healing Proves Forgiveness
The visible restoration of the paralytic was given as proof of the unseen pardon, so that people would know the authority to forgive sins on earth is real. The declaration of forgiveness was thus confirmed as true, joining divine pardon to power to heal. This answer met the inward charge of scribes, Pharisees, doctors and rabbis, who reasoned in their hearts that pronouncing pardon was blasphemy because only God can forgive sins. They watched with fear of losing their influence over the multitude, seized the declaration as an assumption of infinite power belonging to God alone, and sought to present it as a crime worthy of death. When those present murmured on this ground, the healing led the people, except for the faultfinders, to praise God.
Jesus read their unspoken reasoning and silent thoughts, fixed His glance upon them, and exposed their evil thoughts with a reproving glance and look. He answered by asking whether it is easier to pronounce pardon or to command healing, whether it is easier to say Thy sins be forgiven thee or to say Arise and walk. He stated His authority as the Son of man to forgive sins on earth so they might know He has it. He first gave the sufferer peace of mind by forgiveness, which filled him with peace and joy after he had been tortured in mind by the teaching that his sins meant God had cast him off.
To prove His word of pardon carries divine authority to make whole, He then commanded the helpless man to arise, take up his bed and go to his house and home. The man who had been borne on a litter immediately rose with strength and youth-like vigor, took up his bed, and went forth before them all. The invisible pardon was thereby proved by the visible miracle, demonstrating that the word of divine pardon carries divine power on earth to make whole. The visible cure was used as proof of the right to forgive, letting doubters know the authority claimed.
Paralytic's Need and Restoration
The palsy that had reduced the man to utter helplessness had been brought on mainly by dissipation and a life loving the pleasures of sin, which was transgression of God's law, and his bodily affliction was the penalty of his crime. Remembrance of that sin sank his hope and deepened his suffering with remorse, leaving him fearing he would not be tolerated in Jesus' presence and feeling unworthy to approach Him. His chief and greatest longing was not simply physical recovery but to be freed from the burden of sin and assured of forgiveness and peace with God and heaven. That possibility gave him hope even before he knew whether his body would be healed, so that he would accept life or death according to God's will.
His soul-sickness was far worse than bodily suffering, with months of guilt as his greatest burden, and his deepest need was known and met first because forgiveness was the most precious gift to him. That pardon took guilt from the inmost soul, cured the diseased mind, and lifted crushing oppression, despair, doubt and gloom, bringing instead cheer, hope, peace and joy and changing a pallid, leaden appearance. Only when the mind was restored to peace could the body be reached, so forgiveness came first and then, upon obedience, quickening followed with blood flowing, health returning and limbs obeying.
The forgiven man was fully restored to strength and health in the vigor of manhood, with lifeless arms made quick to obey his will, shrunken leaden-hued flesh made fresh and ruddy with health, and a firm free step able to carry with ease the couch on which he had been slowly borne. Signs of sin and suffering gave way to purity, peace, hope and strength, gloom disappeared, hopelessness became hope and weakness became strength, and God was glorified through the Son who brought hope to him and his family. His home was filled with rejoicing, glad thanksgiving and tears of joy, and he and his family responded with joyful, unwavering faith and perfect loyalty ready to lay down life for Jesus, which no doubt could dim and no unbelief could mar.
His story offers hope to the guilty, helpless, afflicted and burdened, for his simple faith accepted forgiveness as the gift of new life. His illness is distinguished from the mistaken belief of the Pharisees, taught also by the priests, that sickness and distress always prove God's anger and casting off, a teaching that had tortured his mind and led the leaders to refuse him help and judge him under God's curse. Affliction is therefore not to be treated as proof of God's displeasure, nor are sufferers to be condemned as worse than oneself.
Responses and Witness
The visible healing filled the people with awe as if heaven had opened to them, and for the time it turned their minds away from the leading Jews. All praised God except the faultfinders, whose opposition remained unmoved by what they witnessed. In the restored strength and health of the man, with signs of sin and suffering giving way to peace and purity, God was glorified through the Son who brought hope to him and his family.
That miracle of mercy was conclusive, convincing and unquestioned proof that Jesus is the Promised One of Israel and the promised Saviour, possessing power on earth both to forgive sins and to heal the sick. Honest minds set before such evidence should have yielded and accepted Him before God. Instead, the stronger the proof became the more the scribes and Pharisees armed themselves with hatred, malice and unbelief in haughty and determined opposition. They hardened themselves until God left them to forge chains binding them in hopeless darkness with no reserve power left to reach hearts so hardened. Many in these days take the same course by refusing given light, stumbling over reproof, and rejecting offered mercy and truth till they are left unrestrained to pursue their downward course.
The act lifted Jesus in serene majesty and gentle dignity above the dignitaries who had refused the sufferer help and declared him under God's curse. Those leaders feared losing their influence over the multitude, concealed hatred while watching for heresy, and sought to present His claim to pardon as blasphemy and a crime worthy of death. Confronted by miraculous works joined to gentle dignity, in marked contrast to their proud and self-righteous bearing, they were left dumb with amazement and overwhelmed with defeat. They were disconcerted and abashed, recognizing but not confessing the presence of a superior being, with no room left to inflame the multitude against Him.
Doctrinal Grounds and Scope
The right to pardon transgression was vindicated by death, for the one who spoke the words of authority on earth to forgive sins gave His own life in sacrifice to establish that right. He was the Creator who had proclaimed the eternal law at Sinai, and He bore human flesh and met temptation without sin before offering Himself. That power to forgive cannot be taken away by human violence or even by death itself. On the cross He exercises His royal right to save all who come to God through Him, and in doing so bears witness to His divinity and to the Father's glory. Jesus alone holds authority to forgive sins as the one Mediator between people and God. His pardon is real and certain, and no priest, image, or religious ceremony can take His place, while His forgiveness brings the warmth of His love and calls the forgiven to become more like Him in character.
His power to forgive is unlimited, and He stands before fallen humanity as the sinner's hope and mighty Saviour. The cross lifts up this sin-pardoning Saviour, and preaching Christ crucified and risen gives new power and efficiency to the message of truth. As the pure Physician on earth He has miraculous power to cure every malady, to speak mercy to the despairing, and to heal the sick as well as to forgive. By a word of sublime authority He sets free those held by Satan's power. His wondrous love is seen in stooping to heal the guilty and the afflicted, with divinity sorrowing over suffering humanity and soothing its ills. The power thus displayed is marvelous and proves the message of salvation, revealing the mercies of a compassionate Redeemer that leave no room for doubt or neglect.
Pattern for Ministry Today
Christ joined proclaiming truth with healing the sick, and in healing the paralytic He first gave peace of mind by forgiving sins, then used the visible cure as proof of His right to forgive, and this union is the pattern His workers are to follow. The man had heard of Jesus through his friends and asked to be brought to Him, tortured in mind by the teaching of the priests that his sins meant God had cast him off, so forgiveness filled him with peace and joy before healing came. When those present murmured that only God can forgive sins, He commanded the sick man to rise, take up his bed and go home, letting doubters know by the cure that the Son of man has power on earth to forgive sins. He is thus both the sin-pardoning Saviour and the Restorer, healer of soul and of body, and His followers are to do His work by seeking to save the souls and bodies of the afflicted, including through building hospitals and caring for the sick.
The case teaches physicians to join bodily healing with forgiveness of sins, meeting people in the trouble weighing on their minds, forgiving in Christ's spirit, trusting God, and directing them to the hope of a home above. When the suffering paralytic was let down through the roof in urgent and dying condition, his soul-sickness was seen as far worse than bodily suffering, with months of guilt as his greatest burden and oppression bringing despair, doubt, gloom and a pallid leaden appearance. Forgiveness was therefore the most precious gift to him, lifting oppression and bringing cheer, hope, peace and joy, and only when the mind was restored to peace could the body be reached, so that upon obedience blood flowed, health returned, limbs obeyed, and the healed man carried his bed home glorifying God. Physicians are thus to minister to the diseased mind, relieve bodily pain so that conscience and heart can then be reached by truth, and point patients to the great Physician who can heal both soul and body.
Patients are to be offered spiritual healing as well as bodily care, to repent, receive forgiveness, and turn from sin, since the healing of the paralyzed man illustrates the authority of the Son of man on earth to forgive sins. Jesus did not refuse help to those who had brought disease upon themselves, and when His power reached them they were convicted of sin, with many receiving healing of both spiritual and physical disease, illustrating His power to heal the soul and restore spiritually. The man needed relief from sin before he could fully appreciate bodily health, for the burden of sin with its unrest and unsatisfied desires is a foundation of physical illness. Christ's power to restore the body demonstrated His power to cleanse the soul, and His forgiveness brings peace that restores vigor to the mind and health to the body while cleansing the soul and restoring the body.