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Jesus Heals a Paralytic

¹ And when He had come back to Capernaum several days afterward, it was heard that He was at home.² And ^(C1)many were gathered together, so that there was no longer room, not even near the door; and He was speaking the word to them.^3 (C1)And they ^(*)came, bringing to Him a ^(C2)paralytic, carried by four men.⁴ And being unable to bring him to ^(F1)Jesus because of the crowd, they ^(C1)removed the roof over where He was; and when they had dug an opening, they let down the mat where the ^(C2)paralytic was lying.⁵ And Jesus seeing their faith ^(*)said to the paralytic, "Child, ^(C1)your sins are forgiven."⁶ But some of the scribes were sitting there and reasoning in their hearts,⁷ "Why does this man speak that way? He is blaspheming; ^(C1)who can forgive sins ^(F1)but God alone?"⁸ Immediately Jesus, aware ^(F1)in His spirit that they were reasoning that way within themselves, ^(*)said to them, "Why are you reasoning about these things in your hearts?⁹ "Which is easier, to say to the ^(C1)paralytic, 'Your sins are forgiven'; or to say, 'Get up, and pick up your mat and walk'?¹⁰ "But 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."¹² And he got up and immediately picked up the mat and went out before everyone, so that they were all amazed and ^(C1)were glorifying God, saying, "^(C2)We have never seen anything like this."

¹³ And He went out again by the seashore; and ^(C1)the entire crowd was coming to Him, and He was teaching them.

Levi and Sinners Called

¹⁵ And it ^(*)(F1)happened that as He was reclining at the table in his house, many tax collectors and ^(F2)sinners ^(F3)were reclining with Jesus and His disciples. For there were many of them, and they were following Him.¹⁶ And when ^(C1)the scribes of the Pharisees saw that He was eating with the sinners and tax collectors, they were saying to His disciples, "^(C2)He is eating and drinking with tax collectors and ^(F1)sinners!"¹⁷ And hearing this, Jesus ^(*)said to them, "^(C1)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."

^18 (C1)And 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?"¹⁹ And Jesus said to them, "Can ^(F1)the attendants of the bridegroom fast when the bridegroom is with them? So long as they have the bridegroom with them, they cannot fast.²⁰ "But the ^(C1)days will come when the bridegroom is taken away from them, and then they will fast in that day.

²¹ "No one sews ^(F1)a piece of unshrunk cloth on an old garment; otherwise ^(F2)that patch pulls away from it, the new from the old, and a worse tear results.²² "And 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

^23 (C1)And it happened that He was passing through the grainfields on the Sabbath, and His disciples began to make their way along while ^(C2)picking the heads of grain.²⁴ And the Pharisees were saying to Him, "Look, ^(C1)why are they doing what is not lawful on the Sabbath?"²⁵ And He ^(*)said to them, "Have you never read what David did when he was in need and he and his companions became hungry;²⁶ how he entered the house of God around the time of ^(C1)Abiathar the high priest, and ate the ^(F1)consecrated bread, which ^(C2)is not lawful for anyone to eat except the priests, and he also gave it to those who were with him?"²⁷ And Jesus was saying to them, "^(C1)The Sabbath ^(F1)was made ^(F2)for man, and ^(C2)not man ^(F2)for the Sabbath.²⁸ "Consequently the Son of Man is Lord even of the Sabbath."