Matthew 9:1–17

The Paralytic is Forgiven

Mark 2:1–12; Luke 5:17–26

9So He got into a boat, crossed over, ^aand came to His own city. ^2bThen behold, they brought to Him a paralytic lying on a bed. ^cWhen Jesus saw their faith, He said to the paralytic, “Son, be of good cheer; your sins are forgiven you.”

³And at once some of the scribes said within themselves, “This Man blasphemes!”

⁴But Jesus, ^dknowing their thoughts, said, “Why do you think evil in your hearts? ⁵For which is easier, to say, ‘Your sins are forgiven you,’ or to say, ‘Arise and walk’? ⁶But that you may know that the Son of Man has power on earth to forgive sins”—then He said to the paralytic, “Arise, take up your bed, and go to your house.” ⁷And he arose and departed to his house.

⁸Now when the multitudes saw it, they ^emarveled ¹and glorified God, who had given such power to men.

Matthew is Called

Mark 2:14; Luke 5:27, 28

^9fAs Jesus passed on from there, He saw a man named Matthew sitting at the tax office. And He said to him, “Follow Me.” So he arose and followed Him.

The Disciples Eat with Sinners

Mark 2:15–17; Luke 5:29–32

^10gNow it happened, as Jesus sat at the table in the house, that behold, many tax collectors and sinners came and sat down with Him and His disciples. ¹¹And when the Pharisees saw it, they said to His disciples, “Why does your Teacher eat with ^htax collectors and ⁱsinners?”

¹²When Jesus heard that, He said to them, “Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. ¹³But go and learn what this means: ^j‘I desire mercy and not sacrifice.’ For I did not come to call the righteous, ^kbut sinners, ²to repentance.”

The Disciples Do Not Fast

Mark 2:18–22; Luke 5:33–39

¹⁴Then the disciples of John came to Him, saying, ^l“Why do we and the Pharisees fast ³often, but Your disciples do not fast?”

¹⁵And Jesus said to them, “Can ^mthe ⁴friends of the bridegroom mourn as long as the bridegroom is with them? But the days will come when the bridegroom will be taken away from them, and ⁿthen they will fast. ¹⁶No one puts a piece of unshrunk cloth on an old garment; for ⁵the patch pulls away from the garment, and the tear is made worse. ¹⁷Nor do they put new wine into old wineskins, or else the wineskins ⁶break, the wine is spilled, and the wineskins are ruined. But they put new wine into new wineskins, and both are preserved.”