1 When he entered Capharnahum again after some days it was reported that he was at home, 2 and a large number at once gathered, till there was no more room for them, not even at the door. He was speaking the word to them, 3 when a paralytic was brought to him; four men carried him, 4 and as they could not get near Jesus on account of the crowd they tore up the roof under which he stood and through the opening they lowered the pallet on which the paralytic lay.
5 When Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralytic, "My son, your sins are forgiven."
6 Now there were some scribes sitting there who argued in their hearts, 7 "What does the man mean by talking like this? It is blasphemy! Who can forgive sins, who but God alone?"
8 Conscious at once that they were arguing to themselves in this way, Jesus asked them, "Why do you argue thus in your hearts? 9 Which is the easier thing, to tell the paralytic, 'Your sins are forgiven,' or to tell him, 'Rise, lift your pallet, and go away'? 10 But to let you see the Son of man has power on earth to forgive sins" ??he said to the paralytic, 11 "Rise, I tell you, lift your pallet, and go home."
12 And he rose, lifted his pallet at once, and went off before them all; at this they were all amazed and glorified God saying, "We never saw the like of it!"
13 Then he went out again by the seaside, and all the crowd came to him and he taught them. 14 As he passed along he saw Levi the son of Alphaeus sitting at the tax-office; he said to him, "Follow me," and he rose and followed him.
15 Now Levi was at table in his own house, and he had many taxgatherers and sinners as guests along with Jesus and his disciples ??for there were many of them among his followers. 16 So when some scribes of the Pharisees saw he was eating with sinners and taxgatherers they said to his disciples, "Why does he eat and drink with taxgatherers and sinners?"
17 On hearing this, Jesus said to them, "Those who are strong have no need of a doctor, but those who are ill: I have not come to call just men but sinners."
18 As the disciples of John and of the Pharisees were observing a fast, people came and asked him, "Why do John's disciples and the disciples of the Pharisees fast, and your disciples do not fast?"
19 Jesus said to them, "Can friends at a wedding fast while the bridegroom is beside them? As long as they have the bridegroom beside them they cannot fast. 20 A time will come when the bridegroom is taken from them; then they will fast, on that day. 21 No one stitches a piece of undressed cloth on an old coat, otherwise the patch breaks away, the new from the old, and the tear is made worse: 22 no one pours fresh wine into old wineskins, otherwise the wine will burst the wineskins, and both wine and wineskins are ruined."
23 Now it happened that he was passing through the cornfields on the sabbath, and as the disciples made their way through they began to pull the ears of corn. 24 The Pharisees said to him, "Look at what they are doing on the sabbath! That is not allowed."
25 He said to them, "Have you never read what David did when he was in need and hungry, he and his men? 26 He went into the house of God (Abiathar was high priest then) and ate the loaves of the Presence which no one except the priests is allowed to eat, and also shared them with his followers." 27 And he said to them, "The sabbath was made for man, not man for the sabbath: 28 so that the Son of man is Lord even over the sabbath."