Jesus returned to Capernaum, and a few days later the news went out that He was at home. Matt 4:13 2 ^aSo many people gathered together that there was no longer room for them, not even near the door; and Jesus was discussing with them the word of God. 3 ^aThen they came, bringing to Him a ^bparalyzed man, who was being carried by four men. Matt 9:2-8; Luke 5:18-26 4 When they were unable to get to Him because of the crowd, they ^1aremoved the roof above Jesus; and when they had dug out an opening, they let down the mat on which the ^bparalyzed man was lying. 5 When Jesus saw their active faith springing from confidence in Him, He said to the paralyzed man, “Son, ^ayour sins are forgiven.” 6 But some of the ¹scribes were sitting there debating in their hearts the implication of what He had said, 7 “Why does this man talk that way? He is blaspheming; ^awho can forgive sins remove guilt, nullify sin’s penalty, and assign righteousness except God alone?” 8 Immediately Jesus, being fully aware of their hostility and knowing in His spirit that they were thinking this, said to them, “Why are you debating and arguing about these things in your hearts? 9 Which is easier, to say to the ^aparalyzed man, ‘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 ¹Son of Man has the authority and power on earth to forgive sins”—He said to the paralyzed man, 11 “I say to you, get up, pick up your mat and go home.” 12 And he got up and immediately picked up the mat and went out before them all, so that they all were astonished and they ^aglorified and praised God, saying, “^bWe have never seen anything like this!”

13 Jesus went out again along the Galilean seashore; and ^aall the people were coming to Him, and He was teaching them.

14 ^aAs He was passing by, He saw ^bLevi (Matthew) the son of Alphaeus sitting in the ¹tax collector’s booth, and He said to him, “^cFollow Me as My disciple, accepting Me as your Master and Teacher and walking the same path of life that I walk.” And he got up and followed Him becoming His disciple, believing and trusting in Him and following His example. Matt 9:9-17; Luke 5:27-39

15 And it happened that Jesus was ¹reclining at the table in Levi’s house, and many tax collectors and sinners including non-observant Jews were eating with Him and His disciples; for there were many of them and they were ²following Him. 16 When ^athe scribes belonging to the sect of the ¹Pharisees saw that Jesus was eating with the sinners including non-observant Jews and tax collectors, they asked His disciples, “^bWhy does He eat and drink with ²tax collectors and sinners?” 17 When Jesus heard this, He said to them, “^aThose who are healthy have no need of a physician, but only those who are sick; I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners who recognize their sin and humbly seek forgiveness.”

18 ^aNow John’s disciples and the Pharisees were fasting as a ritual; and they came and asked Jesus, “Why are John’s disciples and the disciples of the Pharisees fasting, but Your disciples are not doing so?” 19 Jesus answered, “The attendants of the bridegroom ¹cannot fast while the bridegroom is still with them, can they? As long as they have the bridegroom with them, they cannot fast. 20 But the ^adays will come when the bridegroom is forcefully ¹taken away from them, and they will fast at that time.

21 “No one sews a patch of unshrunk (new) cloth on an old garment; otherwise the patch pulls away from it, the new from the old, and the tear becomes worse. 22 No one puts new wine into old ¹wineskins; otherwise the fermenting wine will expand and burst the skins, and the wine is lost as well as the wineskins. But new wine must be put into new wineskins.”

23 ^aOne Sabbath He was walking along with His disciples through the grainfields, and as they went along, His disciples began ^bpicking the heads of grain. Deut 23:25; Matt 12:1-8; Luke 6:1-5 24 The Pharisees said to Him, “Look, ^awhy are they doing what ¹is unlawful on the Sabbath?” 25 Jesus said to them, “Have you never read in the Scriptures what David did when he was in need and was hungry, he and his companions; 1+@Sam 21:1-6 26 how he went into the house of God in the time of ^aAbiathar the high priest, and ate the sacred bread, which ^bis not lawful for anyone but the priests to eat, and how he also gave it to the men who were with him?” 1+@Sam 21:1-6 27 Jesus said to them, “^aThe Sabbath was made for man, ^bnot man for the Sabbath. Ex 23:12; Deut 5:14 28 So the Son of Man is Lord even of the Sabbath and He has authority over it.”

When Jesus came back to Capernaum a few days later, it was heard that He was at home. 2 And ^amany were gathered together, so that there was no longer space, not even near the door; and He was speaking the word to them. 3 ^aAnd some people *came, bringing to Him a man who was ^bparalyzed, carried by four men. 4 And when they were unable to ¹get to Him because of the crowd, they ^aremoved the roof ²above Him; and after digging an opening, they let down the pallet on which the ^bparalyzed man was lying. 5 And Jesus, seeing their faith, *said to the paralyzed man, “Son, ^ayour 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! ^aWho can forgive sins except God alone?” 8 Immediately Jesus, aware ¹in 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 ^aparalyzed 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 ^awere glorifying God, saying, “^bWe have never seen anything like this!”

13 And He went out again by the seashore; and ^aall the ¹people were coming to Him, and He was teaching them.

14 ^aAs He passed by, He saw ^1bLevi the son of Alphaeus sitting in the tax office, and He *said to him, “^cFollow Me!” And he got up and followed Him.

15 And it *happened that He was reclining at the table in his house, and many tax collectors and ¹sinners were ²dining with Jesus and His disciples; for there were many of them, and they were following Him. 16 When ^athe scribes of the Pharisees saw that He was eating with the ¹sinners and tax collectors, they said to His disciples, “^bWhy is He eating with tax collectors and ²sinners?” 17 And hearing this, Jesus *said to them, “^aIt 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 ^aJohn’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, ¹the attendants of the groom cannot fast, can they? As long as they have the groom with them, they cannot fast. 20 But the ^adays 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, ¹the 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.”

23 ^aAnd it happened that He was passing through the grainfields on the Sabbath, and His disciples began to make their way along while ^bpicking the heads of grain. 24 The Pharisees were saying to Him, “Look, ^awhy 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 ¹time of ^aAbiathar the high priest, and ate the ²consecrated bread, which ^bis 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, “^aThe Sabbath ¹was made ²for man, and ^bnot man ³for the Sabbath. 28 So the Son of Man is Lord, even of the Sabbath.”

When He had come back to Capernaum several days afterward, it was heard that He was at home. 2 And ^amany were gathered together, so that there was no longer room, not even near the door; and He was speaking the word to them. 3 ^aAnd they *came, bringing to Him a ^bparalytic, carried by four men. 4 Being unable to ¹get to Him because of the crowd, they ^aremoved the roof ²above Him; and when they had dug an opening, they let down the pallet on which the ^bparalytic was lying. 5 And Jesus seeing their faith *said to the paralytic, “¹Son, ^ayour 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; ^awho can forgive sins ¹but God alone?” 8 Immediately Jesus, aware ¹in 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 ^aparalytic, ‘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 paralytic, 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 ^awere glorifying God, saying, “^bWe have never seen anything like this.”

13 And He went out again by the seashore; and ^aall the ¹people were coming to Him, and He was teaching them.

14 ^aAs He passed by, He saw ^1bLevi the son of Alphaeus sitting in the tax booth, and He *said to him, “^cFollow Me!” And he got up and followed Him.

15 And it *¹happened that He was reclining at the table in his house, and many tax collectors and ²sinners ³were dining with Jesus and His disciples; for there were many of them, and they were following Him. 16 When ^athe scribes of the Pharisees saw that He was eating with the sinners and tax collectors, they said to His disciples, “^bWhy is He eating and drinking with tax collectors and ¹sinners?” 17 And hearing this, Jesus *said to them, “^aIt 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 ^aJohn’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 bridegroom is with them, ¹the attendants of the bridegroom cannot fast, can they? So long as they have the bridegroom with them, they cannot fast. 20 But the ^adays will come when the bridegroom is taken away from them, and then they will fast in that day.

21 “No one sews ¹a patch of unshrunk cloth on an old garment; otherwise ²the patch pulls away from it, the new from the old, and a worse tear results. 22 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.”

23 ^aAnd it happened that He was passing through the grainfields on the Sabbath, and His disciples began to make their way along while ^bpicking the heads of grain. 24 The Pharisees were saying to Him, “Look, ^awhy 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 time of ^aAbiathar the high priest, and ate the ¹consecrated bread, which ^bis 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, “^aThe Sabbath ¹was made ²for man, and ^bnot man ³for the Sabbath. 28 So the Son of Man is Lord even of the Sabbath.”

And when He had come back to Capernaum several days afterward, it was heard that He was at home. 2 And ^amany were gathered together, so that there was no longer room, not even near the door; and He was speaking the word to them. 3 ^aAnd they *came, bringing to Him a ^bparalytic, carried by four men. 4 And being unable to bring him to ¹Jesus because of the crowd, they ^aremoved the roof over where He was; and when they had dug an opening, they let down the mat where the ^bparalytic was lying. 5 And Jesus seeing their faith *said to the paralytic, “Child, ^ayour 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; ^awho can forgive sins ¹but God alone?” 8 Immediately Jesus, aware ¹in 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 ^aparalytic, ‘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 ^awere glorifying God, saying, “^bWe have never seen anything like this.”

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

14 ^aAnd as He passed by, He saw ^1bLevi the son of Alphaeus sitting in the tax office, and He *said to him, “^cFollow Me!” And he stood up and followed Him.

15 And it *¹happened that as He was reclining at the table in his house, many tax collectors and ²sinners ³were reclining with Jesus and His disciples. For there were many of them, and they were following Him. 16 And when ^athe scribes of the Pharisees saw that He was eating with the sinners and tax collectors, they were saying to His disciples, “^bHe is eating and drinking with tax collectors and ¹sinners!” 17 And hearing this, Jesus *said to them, “^aThose 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 ^aAnd 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 ¹the 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 ^adays will come when the bridegroom is taken away from them, and then they will fast in that day.

21 “No one sews ¹a piece of unshrunk cloth on an old garment; otherwise ²that 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.”

23 ^aAnd it happened that He was passing through the grainfields on the Sabbath, and His disciples began to make their way along while ^bpicking the heads of grain. 24 And the Pharisees were saying to Him, “Look, ^awhy 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 ^aAbiathar the high priest, and ate the ¹consecrated bread, which ^bis 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, “^aThe Sabbath ¹was made ²for man, and ^bnot man ³for the Sabbath. 28 Consequently the Son of Man is Lord even of the Sabbath.”