1 Jesus stepped into a boat, crossed over and came to his own town.
2
Some men brought to him a paralyzed man, lying on a mat. When Jesus saw their faith, he said to the man, âTake heart, son; your sins are forgiven.â
3
At this, some of the teachers of the law said to themselves, âThis fellow is blaspheming!â
4
Knowing their thoughts, Jesus said, âWhy do you entertain evil thoughts in your hearts?
5
Which is easier: to say, âYour sins are forgiven,â or to say, âGet up and walkâ?
6
But I want you to know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins.â So he said to the paralyzed man, âGet up, take your mat and go home.â
8
When the crowd saw this, they were filled with awe; and they praised God, who had given such authority to man.
The Calling of Matthew
9 As Jesus went on from there, he saw a man named Matthew sitting at the tax collectorâs booth. âFollow me,â he told him, and Matthew got up and followed him.
10
While Jesus was having dinner at Matthewâs house, many tax collectors and sinners came and ate with him and his disciples.
11
When the Pharisees saw this, they asked his disciples, âWhy does your teacher eat with tax collectors and sinners?â
12
On hearing this, Jesus said, âIt is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick.
13
But go and learn what this means: âI desire mercy, not sacrifice.â[a]For I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners.â
Jesus Questioned About Fasting
14 Then Johnâs disciples came and asked him, âHow is it that we and the Pharisees fast often, but your disciples do not fast?â
15
Jesus answered, âHow can the guests of the bridegroom mourn while he is with them? The time will come when the bridegroom will be taken from them; then they will fast.
16
âNo one sews a patch of unshrunk cloth on an old garment, for the patch will pull away from the garment, making the tear worse.
17
Neither do people pour new wine into old wineskins. If they do, the skins will burst; the wine will run out and the wineskins will be ruined. No, they pour new wine into new wineskins, and both are preserved.â