1After several days, when Jesus returned to Capernaum, the news spread that he was home.
2Immediately, many people gathered, so much so that there was no more room, not even at the door; and he preached the word to them.
3Four people came, carrying a paralyzed man to him.
4Because of the crowd, they couldn't get close to Jesus. So they removed the roof right above where he was. After they had made an opening, they lowered the mat the paralyzed man was lying on.
5When Jesus saw their faith, he told the paralyzed man, "Son, your sins are forgiven."
6But some of the religious scholars were sitting there, thinking to themselves,
7"Why is this man saying such blasphemous things? Who can forgive sins except God alone?"
8Jesus immediately knew in his spirit what they were thinking. He asked them, "Why are you thinking these things in your hearts?
9Which is easier: to tell the paralyzed man, ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or to say, ‘Get up, pick up your mat, and walk’?
10But so you know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins,"—he turned to the paralyzed man and said—
11"I tell you, get up, pick up your mat, and go home."
12The man immediately got up, picked up his mat, and walked out in front of everyone. Everyone was amazed and praised God, saying, "We have never seen anything like this!"
13Jesus went out again by the sea. A large crowd came to him, and he taught them.
14As Jesus walked by, he saw Levi, the son of Alphaeus, sitting at the tax collector's booth. Jesus told him, "Follow me." And Levi got up and followed him.
15Later, Jesus was eating at Levi's house, and many tax collectors and other sinners were eating with Jesus and his disciples, because there were many of these people who followed him.
16When the religious scholars and the Pharisees saw him eating with sinners and tax collectors, they asked his disciples, "Why does he eat and drink with tax collectors and sinners?"
17When Jesus heard this, he told them, "Healthy people don't need a doctor, but sick people do. I didn't come to call those who think they are righteous, but to call sinners to change their ways."
18John's disciples and the Pharisees were fasting. People came and asked Jesus, "Why do John's disciples and the Pharisees' disciples fast, but your disciples don't?"
19Jesus replied, "Can guests at a wedding fast while the groom is with them? As long as they have the groom with them, they can't fast.
20But the time will come when the groom will be taken away from them, and on that day, they will fast.
21No one sews a patch of new, unshrunk cloth onto an old garment. If they do, the new patch will shrink and pull away from the old cloth, making the tear worse.
22And no one puts new wine into old wineskins. If they do, the new wine will burst the skins, and both the wine and the wineskins will be ruined. Instead, new wine is put into new wineskins."
23As Jesus was walking through grain fields on the Sabbath, his disciples began to pick heads of grain.
24The Pharisees said to Jesus, “Look, why are they doing what is not allowed on the Sabbath?”
25Jesus asked them, “Haven’t you ever read what David did when he and his companions were hungry and in need?
26He went into God’s house when Abiathar was high priest and ate the bread offered to God, which only priests are allowed to eat. He also gave some to his companions.”
27Then Jesus told them, “The Sabbath was made for people, not people for the Sabbath.
28So the Son of Man is Lord even over the Sabbath.”