Mark 2:10-20

10 But that you may know that ¹the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins"--he said to the paralytic--

11 "I say to you, rise, pick up your bed, and go home."

12 And he rose and immediately picked up his bed and went out before them all, so that they were all amazed and ²glorified God, saying, "We never saw anything like this!"

Jesus Calls Levi

13 He went out again beside the sea, and ³all the crowd was coming to him, and he was teaching them.

14 ⁴And as he passed by, he saw ⁵Levi the son of Alphaeus sitting at the tax booth, and he said to him, "Follow me." And he rose and followed him.

15 And as he reclined at table in his house, many ⁶tax collectors and sinners were reclining with Jesus and his disciples, for there were many who followed him.

16 And ⁷the scribes of^[a] the Pharisees, when they saw that he was eating with sinners and tax collectors, said to his disciples, ⁸"Why does he eat^[b] with tax collectors and sinners?"

17 And when Jesus heard it, he said to them, "Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. ⁹I came not to call the righteous, ¹⁰but sinners."

A Question About Fasting

18 Now ¹¹John's disciples and the Pharisees were fasting. And people came and said to him, ¹²"Why do John's disciples and ¹³the disciples of the Pharisees fast, but your disciples do not fast?"

19 And Jesus said to them, ¹⁴"Can the wedding guests fast while the bridegroom is with them? As long as they have the bridegroom with them, they cannot fast.

20 ¹⁵The days will come when the bridegroom is taken away from them, and ¹⁶then they will fast in that day.