⁹When Jesus was leaving that place, he saw a man sitting in a tax office. The man’s name was Matthew. Jesus said to him, “Follow me!” So Matthew got up and followed him.

¹⁰Later Jesus was having dinner at Matthew’s house. Many tax collectors and sinners came to eat with Jesus and his disciples. ¹¹The Pharisees saw this and asked his disciples, “Why does your teacher eat with tax collectors and sinners?”

¹²When Jesus heard that, he said, “Healthy people don’t need a doctor; those who are sick do. ¹³Learn what this means: ‘I want mercy, not sacrifices.’ I’ve come to call sinners, not people who think they have God’s approval.”

Jesus Is Questioned about Fasting—Mark 2:18–22; Luke 5:33–39

¹⁴Then John’s disciples came to Jesus. They said, “Why do we and the Pharisees fast often but your disciples never do?”

¹⁵Jesus replied, “Can wedding guests be sad while the groom is still with them? The time will come when the groom will be taken away from them. Then they will fast.

¹⁶“No one patches an old coat with a new piece of cloth that will shrink. When the patch shrinks, it will rip away from the coat, and the tear will become worse. ¹⁷Nor do people pour new wine into old wineskins. If they do, the skins burst, the wine runs out, and the skins are ruined. Rather, people pour new wine into fresh skins, and both are saved.”

Read in Logos

Matthew 9:13: “Go and learn what this means, ‛I desire mercy, and not sacrifice.’ For I came not to call the righteous, but sinners.”