Jesus Heals a Paralytic

1And when He had come back to Capernaum several days afterward, it was heard that He was at home. 2And many were gathered together, so that there was no longer room, not even near the door; and He was speaking the word to them. 3And they came, bringing to Him a paralytic, carried by four men. 4And being unable to bring him to [†]Jesus because of the crowd, they removed the roof over where He was; and when they had dug an opening, they let down the mat where the paralytic was lying. 5And Jesus seeing their faith said to the paralytic, “Child, your sins are forgiven.” 6But some of the scribes were sitting there and reasoning in their hearts, 7“Why does this man speak that way? He is blaspheming; who can forgive sins [†]but God alone?” 8Immediately Jesus, aware [†]in His spirit that they were reasoning that way within themselves, said to them, “Why are you reasoning about these things in your hearts? 9Which is easier, to say to the paralytic, ‘Your sins are forgiven’; or to say, ‘Get up, and pick up your mat and walk’? 10But so that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins”—He said to the paralytic, 11“I say to you, get up, pick up your mat, and go to your home.” 12And he got up and immediately picked up the mat and went out before everyone, so that they were all amazed and were glorifying God, saying, “We have never seen anything like this.”

13And He went out again by the seashore; and the entire crowd was coming to Him, and He was teaching them.

Levi and Sinners Called

14And as He passed by, He saw [†]Levi the son of Alphaeus sitting in the tax office, and He said to him, “Follow Me!” And he stood up and followed Him.

15And it [†]happened that as He was reclining at the table in his house, many tax collectors and [†]sinners [†]were reclining with Jesus and His disciples. For there were many of them, and they were following Him. 16And when the scribes of the Pharisees saw that He was eating with the sinners and tax collectors, they were saying to His disciples, “He is eating and drinking with tax collectors and [†]sinners!” 17And hearing this, Jesus said to them, “Those who are healthy do not have need for a physician, but only those who are sick; I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners.”

18And John’s disciples and the Pharisees were fasting; and they came and said to Him, “Why do John’s disciples and the disciples of the Pharisees fast, but Your disciples do not fast?” 19And Jesus said to them, “Can [†]the attendants of the bridegroom fast when the bridegroom is with them? So long as they have the bridegroom with them, they cannot fast. 20But the days will come when the bridegroom is taken away from them, and then they will fast in that day.

21“No one sews [†]a piece of unshrunk cloth on an old garment; otherwise [†]that patch pulls away from it, the new from the old, and a worse tear results. 22And no one puts new wine into old wineskins; otherwise the wine will burst the skins, and the wine is lost and the skins as well; but one puts new wine into fresh wineskins.”

Lord of the Sabbath

23And it happened that He was passing through the grainfields on the Sabbath, and His disciples began to make their way along while picking the heads of grain. 24And the Pharisees were saying to Him, “Look, why are they doing what is not lawful on the Sabbath?” 25And He said to them, “Have you never read what David did when he was in need and he and his companions became hungry; 26how he entered the house of God around the time of Abiathar the high priest, and ate the [†]consecrated bread, which is not lawful for anyone to eat except the priests, and he also gave it to those who were with him?” 27And Jesus was saying to them, “The Sabbath [†]was made [†]for man, and not man [†]for the Sabbath. 28Consequently the Son of Man is Lord even of the Sabbath.”