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The Paralyzed Man Healed

¹ When Jesus came back to Capernaum a few days later, it was heard that He was at home.² And ^(C1)many were gathered together, so that there was no longer space, not even near the door; and He was speaking the word to them.^3 (C1)And some people ^(*)came, bringing to Him a man who was ^(C2)paralyzed, carried by four men.⁴ And when they were unable to ^(F1)get to Him because of the crowd, they ^(C1)removed the roof ^(F2)above Him; and after digging an opening, they let down the pallet on which the ^(C2)paralyzed man was lying.⁵ And Jesus, seeing their faith, ^(*)said to the paralyzed man, "Son, ^(C1)your sins are forgiven."⁶ But some of the scribes were sitting there and thinking it over in their hearts,⁷ "Why does this man speak that way? He is blaspheming! ^(C1)Who can forgive sins except God alone?"⁸ Immediately Jesus, aware ^(F1)in His spirit that they were thinking that way within themselves, ^(*)said to them, "Why are you thinking about these things in your hearts?⁹ "Which is easier, to say to the ^(C1)paralyzed man, 'Your sins are forgiven'; or to say, 'Get up, and pick up your pallet 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 paralyzed man,¹¹ "I say to you, get up, pick up your pallet, and go home."¹² And he got up and immediately picked up the pallet and went out in the sight of 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)all the ^(F1)people were coming to Him, and He was teaching them.

Levi (Matthew) Called

¹⁵ And it ^(*)happened that He was reclining at the table in his house, and many tax collectors and ^(F1)sinners were ^(F2)dining with Jesus and His disciples; for there were many of them, and they were following Him.¹⁶ When ^(C1)the scribes of the Pharisees saw that He was eating with the ^(F1)sinners and tax collectors, they said to His disciples, "^(C2)Why is He eating with tax collectors and ^(F1)sinners?"¹⁷ And hearing this, Jesus ^(*)said to them, "^(C1)It is not those who are healthy who need a physician, but those who are sick; I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners."

^18 (C1)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, "While the groom is with them, ^(F1)the attendants of the groom cannot fast, can they? As long as they have the groom with them, they cannot fast.²⁰ "But the ^(C1)days will come when the groom is taken away from them, and then they will fast, on that day.

²¹ "No one sews a patch of unshrunk cloth on an old garment; otherwise, ^(F1)the 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."

Question 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 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 in the ^(F1)time of ^(C1)Abiathar the high priest, and ate the ^(F2)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 Jesus said to them, "^(C1)The Sabbath ^(F1)was made ^(F2)for man, and ^(C2)not man ^(F2)for the Sabbath.²⁸ "So the Son of Man is Lord, even of the Sabbath."