8
When the crowd saw this, they were filled with wonder. They praised God for giving that kind of authority to men.
Jesus Chooses Matthew
9 As Jesus went on from there, he saw a man named Matthew. He was sitting at the tax collector's booth. "Follow me," Jesus told him. Matthew got up and followed him.
10
Later Jesus was having dinner at Matthew's house. Many tax collectors and "sinners" came. They ate with Jesus and his disciples.
11
The Pharisees saw this. So they asked the disciples, "Why does your teacher eat with tax collectors and 'sinners'?"
12
Jesus heard that. So he said, "Those who are healthy don't need a doctor. Sick people do.
13
Go and learn what this means, 'I want mercy and not sacrifice.'(Hosea 6:6) I have not come to get those who think they are right with God to follow me. I have come to get sinners to follow me."
Jesus Is Asked About Fasting
14 One day John's disciples came. They said to Jesus, "We and the Pharisees go without eating. Why don't your disciples go without eating?"
15
Jesus answered, "How can the guests of the groom be sad while he is with them? The time will come when the groom will be taken away from them. Then they will fast.
16
"People don't sew a patch of new cloth on old clothes. The new piece will pull away from the old. That will make the tear worse.
17
"People don't pour new wine into old wineskins. If they do, the skins will burst. The wine will run out, and the wineskins will be destroyed. No, everyone pours new wine into new wineskins. Then both are saved."
A Dead Girl and a Suffering Woman
18 While Jesus was saying this, a ruler came. He got down on his knees in front of Jesus. He said, "My daughter has just died. But come and place your hand on her. Then she will live again."