The Son of Man Forgives and Heals
1When he entered Capernaum again after some days, it was reported that he was at home. 2So many people gathered together that there was no more room, not even in the doorway, and he was speaking the word to them. 3They came to him bringing a paralytic, carried by four of them. 4Since they were not able to bring him to Jesus because of the crowd, they removed the roof above him, and after digging through it, they lowered the mat on which the paralytic was lying. 5Seeing their faith, Jesus told the paralytic, “Son, your sins are forgiven.”
6But some of the scribes were sitting there, questioning in their hearts: 7“Why does he speak like this? He’s blaspheming! Who can forgive sins but God alone?”
8Right away Jesus perceived in his spirit that they were thinking like this within themselves and said to them, “Why are you thinking these things in your hearts? 9Which is easier: to say to the paralytic, ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or to say, ‘Get up, take your mat, and walk’? 10But so that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins” — he told the paralytic — 11“I tell you: get up, take your mat, and go home.”
12Immediately he got up, took the mat, and went out in front of everyone. As a result, they were all astounded and gave glory to God, saying, “We have never seen anything like this!”
The Call of Levi
13Jesus went out again beside the sea. The whole crowd was coming to him, and he was teaching them. 14Then, passing by, he saw Levi the son of Alphaeus sitting at the tax office, and he said to him, “Follow me,” and he got up and followed him.
15While he was reclining at the table in Levi’s house, many tax collectors and sinners were eating with Jesus and his disciples, for there were many who were following him. 16When the scribes who were Pharisees saw that he was eating with sinners and tax collectors, they asked his disciples, “Why does he eat with tax collectors and sinners?”
17When Jesus heard this, he told them, “It is not those who are well who need a doctor, but those who are sick. I didn’t come to call the righteous, but sinners.”
A Question about Fasting
18Now John’s disciples and the Pharisees were fasting. People came and asked him, “Why do John’s disciples and the Pharisees’ disciples fast, but your disciples do not fast?”
19Jesus said to them, “The wedding guests cannot fast while the groom is with them, can they? As long as they have the groom with them, they cannot fast. 20But the time will come when the groom will be taken away from them, and then they will fast on that day. 21No one sews a patch of unshrunk cloth on an old garment. Otherwise, the new patch pulls away from the old cloth, and a worse tear is made. 22And no one puts new wine into old wineskins. Otherwise, the wine will burst the skins, and the wine is lost as well as the skins. No, new wine is put into fresh wineskins.”
Lord of the Sabbath
23On the Sabbath he was going through the grainfields, and his disciples began to make their way, picking some heads of grain. 24The Pharisees said to him, “Look, why are they doing what is not lawful on the Sabbath?”
25He said to them, “Have you never read what David and those who were with him did when he was in need and hungry — 26how he entered the house of God in the time of Abiathar the high priest and ate the bread of the Presence — which is not lawful for anyone to eat except the priests — and also gave some to his companions?” 27Then he told them, “The Sabbath was made for man and not man for the Sabbath. 28So then, the Son of Man is Lord even of the Sabbath.”