Discovery BoxMatthew 3:6 
Context3:6 and he was baptizing them 1 in the Jordan River as they confessed their sins.
Matthew 6:14-15
Context6:14 “For if you forgive others 2 their sins, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. 6:15 But if you do not forgive others, your Father will not forgive you your sins.
Matthew 9:5
Context9:5 Which is easier, 3 to say, ‘Your sins are forgiven’ or to say, ‘Stand up and walk’?
1 tn Grk “they were being baptized by him.” The passive construction has been rendered as active in the translation for the sake of English style.
2 tn Here ἄνθρωπος (anqrwpo") is used in a generic sense: “people, others.”
3 sn Which is easier is a reflective kind of question. On the one hand to declare sins are forgiven is easier, since one does not need to see it, unlike telling a paralyzed person to walk. On the other hand, it is harder, because for it to be true one must possess the authority to forgive the sin.
