Mark 2:1–3:6
2 And again aHe entered Capernaum after some days, and it was heard that He was in the house. 2 1Immediately many gathered together, so that there was no longer room to receive them, not even near the door. And He preached the word to them. 3 Then they came to Him, bringing a bparalytic who was carried by four men. 4 And when they could not come near Him because of the crowd, they uncovered the roof where He was. So when they had broken through, they let down the bed on which the paralytic was lying.
5 When Jesus saw their faith, He said to the paralytic, “Son, your sins are forgiven you.”
6 And some of the scribes were sitting there and reasoning in their hearts, 7 “Why does this Man speak blasphemies like this? cWho can forgive sins but God alone?”
8 But immediately, when Jesus perceived in His spirit that they reasoned thus within themselves, He said to them, “Why do you reason about these things in your hearts? 9 dWhich is easier, to say to the paralytic, ‘Your sins are forgiven you,’ or to say, ‘Arise, take up your bed and walk’? 10 But that you may know that the Son of Man has 2power on earth to forgive sins”—He said to the paralytic, 11 “I say to you, arise, take up your bed, and go to your house.” 12 Immediately he arose, took up the bed, and went out in the presence of them all, so that all were amazed and eglorified God, saying, “We never saw anything like this!”
13 fThen He went out again by the sea; and all the multitude came to Him, and He taught them. 14 gAs He passed by, He saw Levi the son of Alphaeus sitting at the tax office. And He said to him, h “Follow Me.” So he arose and ifollowed Him.
15 jNow it happened, as He was dining in Levi’s house, that many tax collectors and sinners also sat together with Jesus and His disciples; for there were many, and they followed Him. 16 And when the scribes 3and Pharisees saw Him eating with the tax collectors and sinners, they said to His disciples, “How is it that He eats and drinks with tax collectors and sinners?”
17 When Jesus heard it, He said to them, k “Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners, 4to repentance.”
Parable of Cloth and Wineskins
18 lThe disciples of John and of the Pharisees were fasting. Then they came and said to Him, “Why do the disciples of John and of the Pharisees fast, but Your disciples do not fast?”
19 And Jesus said to them, “Can the 5friends of the bridegroom fast while the bridegroom is with them? As long as they have the bridegroom with them they cannot fast. 20 But the days will come when the bridegroom will be mtaken away from them, and then they will fast in those days. 21 No one sews a piece of unshrunk cloth on an old garment; or else the new piece pulls away from the old, and the tear is made worse. 22 And no one puts new wine into old wineskins; or else the new wine bursts the wineskins, the wine is spilled, and the wineskins are ruined. But new wine must be put into new wineskins.”
23 nNow it happened that He went through the grainfields on the Sabbath; and as they went His disciples began oto pluck the heads of grain. 24 And the Pharisees said to Him, “Look, why do they do what is pnot lawful on the Sabbath?”
25 But He said to them, “Have you never read qwhat David did when he was in need and hungry, he and those with him: 26 how he went into the house of God in the days of Abiathar the high priest, and ate the showbread, rwhich is not lawful to eat except for the priests, and also gave some to those who were with him?”
27 And He said to them, “The Sabbath was made for man, and not man for the sSabbath. 28 Therefore tthe Son of Man is also Lord of the Sabbath.”
Controversy Over Sabbath-Healing
3 And aHe entered the synagogue again, and a man was there who had a withered hand. 2 So they bwatched Him closely, whether He would cheal him on the Sabbath, so that they might 1accuse Him. 3 And He said to the man who had the withered hand, 2 “Step forward.” 4 Then He said to them, “Is it lawful on the Sabbath to do good or to do evil, to save life or to kill?” But they kept silent. 5 And when He had looked around at them with anger, being grieved by the dhardness of their hearts, He said to the man, “Stretch out your hand.” And he stretched it out, and his hand was restored 3as whole as the other.
Pharisees Counsel to Destroy Jesus
6 eThen the Pharisees went out and immediately plotted with fthe Herodians against Him, how they might destroy Him.