Mark 2–3

2ND CHAPTER

Jesus Forgives Sins—Matthew 9:1–8; Luke 5:17–26

¹Several days later Jesus came back to Capernaum. The report went out that he was home. ²Many people had gathered. There was no room left, even in front of the door. Jesus was speaking ⸤God’s⸥ word to them. 

³Four men came to him carrying a paralyzed man. ⁴Since they could not bring him to Jesus because of the crowd, they made an opening in the roof over the place where Jesus was. Then they lowered the cot on which the paralyzed man was lying. 

⁵When Jesus saw their faith, he said to the man, “Friend, your sins are forgiven.” 

⁶Some experts in Moses’ Teachings were sitting there. They thought, ⁷“Why does he talk this way? He’s dishonoring God. Who besides God can forgive sins?” 

⁸At once, Jesus knew inwardly what they were thinking. He asked them, “Why do you have these thoughts? ⁹Is it easier to say to this paralyzed man, ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or to say, ‘Get up, pick up your cot, and walk’? ¹⁰I want you to know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins.” Then he said to the paralyzed man, ¹¹“I’m telling you to get up, pick up your cot, and go home!” 

¹²The man got up, immediately picked up his cot, and walked away while everyone watched. Everyone was amazed and praised God, saying, “We have never seen anything like this.” 

Jesus Chooses Levi ^[Matthew^[ to Be a Disciple—Matthew 9:9–13; Luke 5:27–32

¹³Jesus went to the seashore again. Large crowds came to him, and he taught them. 

¹⁴When Jesus was leaving, he saw Levi, son of Alphaeus, sitting in a tax office. Jesus said to him, “Follow me!” So Levi got up and followed him. 

¹⁵Later Jesus was having dinner at Levi’s house. Many tax collectors and sinners who were followers of Jesus were eating with him and his disciples. ¹⁶When the experts in Moses’ Teachings who were Pharisees saw him eating with sinners and tax collectors, they asked his disciples, “Why does he eat with tax collectors and sinners?” 

¹⁷When Jesus heard that, he said to them, “Healthy people don’t need a doctor; those who are sick do. I’ve come to call sinners, not people who think they have God’s approval.” 

Jesus Is Questioned about Fasting—Matthew 9:14–17; Luke 5:33–39

¹⁸John’s disciples and the Pharisees were fasting. Some people came to Jesus and said to him, “Why do John’s disciples and the Pharisees’ disciples fast, but your disciples don’t?” 

¹⁹Jesus replied, “Can wedding guests fast while the groom is still with them? 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. Then they will fast. 

²¹“No one patches an old coat with a new piece of cloth that will shrink. Otherwise, the new patch will shrink and rip away some of the old cloth, and the tear will become worse. ²²People don’t pour new wine into old wineskins. If they do, the wine will make the skins burst, and both the wine and the skins will be ruined. Rather, new wine is to be poured into fresh skins.” 

Jesus Has Authority over the Day of Rest—a Holy Day—Matthew 12:1–8; Luke 6:1–5

²³Once on a day of rest—a holy day, Jesus was going through the grainfields. As the disciples walked along, they began to pick the heads of grain. 

²⁴The Pharisees asked him, “Look! Why are your disciples doing something that is not permitted on the day of rest—a holy day?” 

²⁵Jesus asked them, “Haven’t you ever read what David did when he and his men were in need and were hungry? ²⁶Haven’t you ever read how he went into the house of God when Abiathar was chief priest and ate the bread of the presence? He had no right to eat those loaves. Only the priests have that right. Haven’t you ever read how he also gave some of it to his men?” 

²⁷Then he added, “The day of rest—a holy day, was made for people, not people for the day of rest. ²⁸For this reason the Son of Man has authority over the day of rest—a holy day.” 

3RD CHAPTER

Jesus Heals on the Day of Rest—a Holy Day—Matthew 12:9–15a; Luke 6:6–11

¹Jesus went into a synagogue again. A man who had a paralyzed hand was there. ²The people were watching Jesus closely. They wanted to see whether he would heal the man on the day of rest—a holy day, so that they could accuse him of doing something wrong. 

³So he told the man with the paralyzed hand, “Stand in the center ⸤of the synagogue⸥.” ⁴Then he asked them, “Is it right to do good or to do evil on the day of rest—a holy day, to give a person back his health or to let him die?” 

But they were silent. ⁵Jesus was angry as he looked around at them. He was deeply hurt because their minds were closed. Then he told the man, “Hold out your hand.” The man held it out, and his hand became normal again. 

⁶The Pharisees left, and with Herod’s followers they immediately plotted to kill Jesus. 

Many People Are Cured—Luke 6:17–19

⁷Jesus left with his disciples for the Sea of Galilee. A large crowd from Galilee, Judea, ⁸Jerusalem, Idumea, and from across the Jordan River, and from around Tyre and Sidon followed him. They came to him because they had heard about everything he was doing. ⁹Jesus told his disciples to have a boat ready so that the crowd would not crush him. ¹⁰He had cured so many that everyone with a disease rushed up to him in order to touch him. ¹¹Whenever people with evil spirits saw him, they would fall down in front of him and shout, “You are the Son of God!” ¹²He gave them orders not to tell people who he was. 

Jesus Appoints Twelve Apostles—Matthew 10:1–4; Luke 6:13–16

¹³Jesus went up a mountain, called those whom he wanted, and they came to him. ¹⁴He appointed twelve whom he called apostles.^aThey were to accompany him and to be sent out by him to spread ⸤the Good News⸥. ¹⁵They also had the authority to force demons out of people. 

¹⁶He appointed these twelve: Simon (whom Jesus named Peter), ¹⁷James and his brother John (Zebedee’s sons whom Jesus named Boanerges, which means “Thunderbolts”), ¹⁸Andrew, Philip, Bartholomew, Matthew, Thomas, James (son of Alphaeus), Thaddaeus, Simon the Zealot, ¹⁹and Judas Iscariot (who later betrayed Jesus). 

Jesus Is Accused of Working with Beelzebul—Matthew 12:22–32; Luke 11:14–23

²⁰Then Jesus went home. Another crowd gathered so that Jesus and his disciples could not even eat. ²¹When his family heard about it, they went to get him. They said, “He’s out of his mind!” 

²²The experts in Moses’ Teachings who had come from Jerusalem said, “Beelzebul is in him,” and “He forces demons out of people with the help of the ruler of demons.” 

²³Jesus called them together and used this illustration: “How can Satan force out Satan? ²⁴If a kingdom is divided against itself, that kingdom cannot last. ²⁵And if a household is divided against itself, that household will not last. ²⁶So if Satan rebels against himself and is divided, he cannot last. That will be the end of him. 

²⁷“No one can go into a strong man’s house and steal his property. First he must tie up the strong man. Then he can go through the strong man’s house and steal his property. 

²⁸“I can guarantee this truth: People will be forgiven for any sin or curse. ²⁹But whoever curses the Holy Spirit will never be forgiven. He is guilty of an everlasting sin.” ³⁰Jesus said this because the experts in Moses’ Teachings had said that he had an evil spirit. 

The True Family of Jesus—Matthew 12:46–50; Luke 8:19–21

³¹Then his mother and his brothers arrived. They stood outside and sent someone to ask him to come out. ³²The crowd sitting around Jesus told him, “Your mother and your brothers are outside looking for you.” 

³³He replied to them, “Who is my mother, and who are my brothers?” ³⁴Then looking at those who sat in a circle around him, he said, “Look, here are my mother and my brothers. ³⁵Whoever does what God wants is my brother and sister and mother.”