2:1 A few days later, when Jesus again entered Capernaum, the people heard that he had come home.
2:2 So many gathered that there was no room left, not even outside the door, and he preached the word to them.
2:3 Some men came, bringing to him a paralytic, carried by four of them.
2:4 Since they could not get him to Jesus because of the crowd, they made an opening in the roof above Jesus and, after digging through it, lowered the mat the paralyzed man was lying on.
2:5 When Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralytic, “Son, your sins are forgiven.”
2:6 Now some teachers of the law were sitting there, thinking to themselves,
2:7 “Why does this fellow talk like that? He’s blaspheming! Who can forgive sins but God alone?”
2:8 Immediately Jesus knew in his spirit that this was what they were thinking in their hearts, and he said to them, “Why are you thinking these things?
2:9 Which is easier: to say to the paralytic, ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or to say, ‘Get up, take your mat and walk’?
2:10 But that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins. . . .” He said to the paralytic,
2:11 “I tell you, get up, take your mat and go home.”
2:12 He got up, took his mat and walked out in full view of them all. This amazed everyone and they praised God, saying, “We have never seen anything like this!”
2:13 Once again Jesus went out beside the lake. A large crowd came to him, and he began to teach them.
2:14 As he walked along, he saw Levi son of Alphaeus sitting at the tax collector’s booth. “Follow me,” Jesus told him, and Levi got up and followed him.
2:15 While Jesus was having dinner at Levi’s house, many tax collectors and “sinners” were eating with him and his disciples, for there were many who followed him.
2:16 When the teachers of the law who were Pharisees saw him eating with the “sinners” and tax collectors, they asked his disciples: “Why does he eat with tax collectors and ‘sinners’?”
2:17 On hearing this, Jesus said to them, “It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners.”
2:18 Now John’s disciples and the Pharisees were fasting. Some people came and asked Jesus, “How is it that John’s disciples and the disciples of the Pharisees are fasting, but yours are not?”
2:19 Jesus answered, “How can the guests of the bridegroom fast while he is with them? They cannot, so long as they have him with them.
2:20 But the time will come when the bridegroom will be taken from them, and on that day they will fast.
2:21 “No one sews a patch of unshrunk cloth on an old garment. If he does, the new piece will pull away from the old, making the tear worse.
2:22 And no one pours new wine into old wineskins. If he does, the wine will burst the skins, and both the wine and the wineskins will be ruined. No, he pours new wine into new wineskins.”
2:23 One Sabbath Jesus was going through the grainfields, and as his disciples walked along, they began to pick some heads of grain.
2:24 The Pharisees said to him, “Look, why are they doing what is unlawful on the Sabbath?”
2:25 He answered, “Have you never read what David did when he and his companions were hungry and in need?
2:26 In the days of Abiathar the high priest, he entered the house of God and ate the consecrated bread, which is lawful only for priests to eat. And he also gave some to his companions.”
2:27 Then he said to them, “The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath.
2:28 So the Son of Man is Lord even of the Sabbath.”
2:1 And He entered again into Capernaum after a few days, and it was heard that He was at home.
2:2 And many were gathered together, so that there was no longer room, not even at the door. And He spoke to them the word.
2:3 And they came, bringing to Him a paralytic carried by four men.
2:4 And being unable to bring him to Him because of the crowd, they removed the roof where He was. And when they had dug through, they lowered the mat on which the paralytic was lying.
2:5 And Jesus, seeing their faith, said to the paralytic, Child, your sins are forgiven.
2:6 But some of the scribes were sitting there and reasoning in their hearts,
2:7 Why is this man speaking this way? He is blaspheming! Who can forgive sins except One, God?
2:8 And immediately Jesus, knowing fully in His spirit that they were reasoning this way within themselves, said to them, Why are you reasoning about these things in your hearts?
2:9 Which is easier: to say to the paralytic, Your sins are forgiven, or to say, Rise and take up your mat and walk?
2:10 But that you may know that the Son of Man has authority to forgive sins on earth ? He said to the paralytic,
2:11 To you I say, Rise, take up your mat and go to your house.
2:12 And he rose and immediately took up the mat and went out before them all, so that they were all amazed and glorified God, saying, We have never seen anything like this!
2:13 And He went out again beside the sea. And all the crowd came to Him, and He taught them.
2:14 And as He passed by, He saw Levi the son of Alphaeus sitting at the tax office, and He said to him, Follow Me. And he rose and followed Him.
2:15 And as He reclined at table in his house, many tax collectors and sinners were reclining together with Jesus and His disciples, for there were many, and they were following Him.
2:16 And the scribes of the Pharisees, seeing that He ate with sinners and tax collectors, said to His disciples, Why does He eat with tax collectors and sinners?
2:17 And when Jesus heard this, He said to them, Those who are strong have no need of a physician, but those who are ill; I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners.
2:18 And the disciples of John and the Pharisees were fasting. And they came and said to Him, Why do the disciples of John and the disciples of the Pharisees fast, but Your disciples do not fast?
2:19 And Jesus said to them, The sons of the bridechamber cannot fast while the bridegroom is with them, can they? For as long a time as they have the bridegroom with them they cannot fast.
2:20 But days will come when the bridegroom will be taken away from them, and then they will fast in that day.
2:21 No one sews a patch of unfulled cloth on an old garment; otherwise, that which fills it up pulls away from it, the new from the old, and a worse tear is made.
2:22 And no one puts new wine into old wineskins; otherwise, the wine will burst the wineskins, and the wine is ruined as well as the wineskins; but new wine is put into fresh wineskins.
2:23 And He passed through the grainfields on the Sabbath, and His disciples began to go along, picking the ears of grain.
2:24 And the Pharisees said to Him, Look! Why are they doing on the Sabbath what is not lawful?
2:25 And He said to them, Have you never read what David did when he had need and became hungry, he and those with him;
2:26 How he entered into the house of God during 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 he gave also to those who were with him?
2:27 And He said to them, The Sabbath came into being for man, and not man for the Sabbath.
2:28 So then the Son of Man is Lord even of the Sabbath.