Mark 2

The Son of Man Forgives and Heals

2When ^zHe entered Capernaum ^aagain after some days, it was reported that He was at home. ²So many people gathered together that there was no more room, not even in the doorway, and He was speaking the message ^bto them. ³Then they came to Him bringing a paralytic, ^ccarried by four men. ⁴Since they were not able to bring him to ^dJesus because of the crowd, they removed the roof above where He was. And when they had broken through, they lowered the mat on which the paralytic was lying.

⁵Seeing their faith, ^eJesus told the paralytic, “Son, your sins ^fare forgiven.” ^g

⁶But some of the scribes ^hwere sitting there, thinking ⁱto themselves: ^j7“Why does He speak like this? He’s blaspheming! ^kWho can forgive ^lsins ^mbut God alone?” ⁿ

⁸Right away ^oJesus understood in His spirit ^pthat they were thinking like this within themselves and said to them, “Why are you thinking these things in your hearts? ^q9Which is easier: ^rto say to the paralytic, ^s‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or to say, ‘Get up, pick up your mat, and walk’? ^t10But so you may know that the ^•Son of Man ^uhas authority ^von earth to forgive sins,” ^wHe told the paralytic, ¹¹“I tell you: get up, ^xpick up your mat, and go home.”

¹²Immediately he got up, picked up the mat, and went out in front of everyone. As a result, they were all astounded ^yand gave glory ^zto God, ^asaying, “We have never seen anything like this!” ^b

The Call of Matthew

¹³Then ^cJesus went out again beside the sea. The whole crowd was coming to Him, and He taught ^dthem. ¹⁴Then, moving on, He saw Levi ^ethe son of Alphaeus sitting at the tax office, ^fand He said to him, “Follow Me!” ^gSo he got up and followed ^hHim.

Dining with Sinners

¹⁵While He was reclining at the table in Levi’s house, many tax collectors ⁱand sinners ^jwere also guests ^klwith Jesus and His disciples, because there were many who were following Him. ¹⁶When the scribes ^mof the Pharisees ^nosaw that He was eating ^pwith sinners ^qand tax collectors, ^rthey asked His disciples, “Why does He eat ^swith tax collectors and sinners?”

¹⁷When Jesus heard this, He told them, “Those who are well don’t need ^ta doctor, ^ubut the sick ^vdo need one. I didn’t come to call the righteous, ^wbut sinners.” ^x

A Question about Fasting

¹⁸Now ^yJohn’s ^zdisciples ^aand the Pharisees ^bcwere fasting. ^dPeople came and asked Him, “Why do John’s disciples and the Pharisees’ disciples fast, but Your disciples do not fast?”

¹⁹Jesus said to them, “The wedding guests ^ecannot fast while the groom ^fis with them, can they? As long as they have the groom with them, they cannot fast. ²⁰But the time ^gwill come ^hwhen the groom is taken away from them, ⁱand then they will fast ^jin that day. ²¹No one sews a patch of unshrunk cloth on an old garment. Otherwise, the new patch pulls away from the old cloth, ^kand a worse tear is made. ²²And no one puts new wine ^linto old wineskins. Otherwise, the wine will burst ^mthe skins, and the wine is lost as well as the skins. ⁿBut new wine is for fresh wineskins.”

Lord of the Sabbath

²³On ^othe Sabbath He was going through the grainfields, and His disciples ^pbegan to make their way picking some heads of grain. ²⁴The Pharisees ^qsaid to Him, “Look, why are they doing what is not lawful ^ron the Sabbath?”

²⁵He said to them, “Have you never read what David ^sand those who were with him did when he was in need ^tand hungry ^u— ²⁶how he entered the house of God in the time of Abiathar ^vthe high priest ^wand ate the ^•sacred bread ^x—which is not lawful for anyone to eat except the priests ^y—and also gave some to his companions?” ²⁷Then He told them, “The Sabbath was made for ^zman and not man for ^athe Sabbath. ^b28Therefore, the Son of Man ^cis Lord ^deven of the Sabbath.” ^e