Luke 5:20 - Coke's Commentary on the Holy Bible

And when he saw their faith,— That of the man, and of his friends,—though they themselves spake nothing; the miserable condition of the paralytic yet pleading with a voice far more eloquent than all language. St. Chrysostom, speaking of this act of the bearers, says, "So ingenious a thing is affection, and so fruitful in invention is love!" And upon the paralytic's patience in bearing all these difficulties,and not waiting for some other opportunity, he observes, he said nothing of all this to his bearers; but thought it became him to make such a number of persons as were present, witnesses of his cure. His faith, however, was not only visible from hence, but likewise from the very words used by Christ on this occasion; for which reason also Christ did not go out to him, but waited for the sick man to come to him, that he might have an opportunity of demonstrating the faith of the paralytic to all the company. For could not he have made the admission of the paralytic to him aneasy thing? But he did nothing of that nature, that he might exhibit to all the company the diligent and fervent faith of the paralytic and his friend