Jesus Forgives and Heals a Paralyzed Man^(A)

9 Jesus stepped into a boat, crossed over and came to his own town.^{(B) 2} Some men brought to him a paralyzed man,^(C) lying on a mat. When Jesus saw their faith,^(D) he said to the man, “Take heart,^(E) son; your sins are forgiven.”^(F)

³ At this, some of the teachers of the law said to themselves, “This fellow is blaspheming!”^(G)

⁴ Knowing their thoughts,^(H) Jesus said, “Why do you entertain evil thoughts in your hearts? ⁵ Which is easier: to say, ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or to say, ‘Get up and walk’? ⁶ But I want you to know that the Son of Man^(I) has authority on earth to forgive sins.” So he said to the paralyzed man, “Get up, take your mat and go home.” ⁷ Then the man got up and went home. ⁸ When the crowd saw this, they were filled with awe; and they praised God,^(J) who had given such authority to man.

Jesus Forgives and Heals a Paralyzed Man^(A)

2 A few days later, when Jesus again entered Capernaum, the people heard that he had come home. ² They gathered in such large numbers^(B) that there was no room left, not even outside the door, and he preached the word to them. ³ Some men came, bringing to him a paralyzed man,^(C) carried by four of them. ⁴ Since they could not get him to Jesus because of the crowd, they made an opening in the roof above Jesus by digging through it and then lowered the mat the man was lying on. ⁵ When Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralyzed man, “Son, your sins are forgiven.”^(D)

⁶ Now some teachers of the law were sitting there, thinking to themselves, ⁷ “Why does this fellow talk like that? He’s blaspheming! Who can forgive sins but God alone?”^(E)

⁸ Immediately Jesus knew in his spirit that this was what they were thinking in their hearts, and he said to them, “Why are you thinking these things? ⁹ Which is easier: to say to this paralyzed man, ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or to say, ‘Get up, take your mat and walk’? ¹⁰ But I want you to know that the Son of Man^(F) has authority on earth to forgive sins.” So he said to the man, ¹¹ “I tell you, get up, take your mat and go home.” ¹² He got up, took his mat and walked out in full view of them all. This amazed everyone and they praised God,^(G) saying, “We have never seen anything like this!”^(H)

Jesus Forgives and Heals a Paralyzed Man^(A)

¹⁷ One day Jesus was teaching, and Pharisees and teachers of the law^(B) were sitting there. They had come from every village of Galilee and from Judea and Jerusalem. And the power of the Lord was with Jesus to heal the sick.^{(C) 18} Some men came carrying a paralyzed man on a mat and tried to take him into the house to lay him before Jesus. ¹⁹ When they could not find a way to do this because of the crowd, they went up on the roof and lowered him on his mat through the tiles into the middle of the crowd, right in front of Jesus.

²⁰ When Jesus saw their faith, he said, “Friend, your sins are forgiven.”^(D)

²¹ The Pharisees and the teachers of the law began thinking to themselves, “Who is this fellow who speaks blasphemy? Who can forgive sins but God alone?”^(E)

²² Jesus knew what they were thinking and asked, “Why are you thinking these things in your hearts? ²³ Which is easier: to say, ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or to say, ‘Get up and walk’? ²⁴ But I want you to know that the Son of Man^(F) has authority on earth to forgive sins.” So he said to the paralyzed man, “I tell you, get up, take your mat and go home.” ²⁵ Immediately he stood up in front of them, took what he had been lying on and went home praising God. ²⁶ Everyone was amazed and gave praise to God.^(G) They were filled with awe and said, “We have seen remarkable things today.”

Jesus Calls Levi and Eats With Sinners^(H)

²⁷ After this, Jesus went out and saw a tax collector by the name of Levi sitting at his tax booth. “Follow me,”^(I) Jesus said to him, ²⁸ and Levi got up, left everything and followed him.^(J)

²⁹ Then Levi held a great banquet for Jesus at his house, and a large crowd of tax collectors^(K) and others were eating with them. ³⁰ But the Pharisees and the teachers of the law who belonged to their sect^(L) complained to his disciples, “Why do you eat and drink with tax collectors and sinners?”^(M)

³¹ Jesus answered them, “It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. ³² I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.”^(N)

The Calling of Matthew^(A)

⁹ As Jesus went on from there, he saw a man named Matthew sitting at the tax collector’s booth. “Follow me,”^(B) he told him, and Matthew got up and followed him.

¹⁰ While Jesus was having dinner at Matthew’s house, many tax collectors and sinners came and ate with him and his disciples. ¹¹ When the Pharisees saw this, they asked his disciples, “Why does your teacher eat with tax collectors and sinners?”^(C)

¹² On hearing this, Jesus said, “It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. ¹³ But go and learn what this means: ‘I desire mercy, not sacrifice.’^[a](D) For I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners.”^(E)

Jesus Questioned About Fasting^(F)

¹⁴ Then John’s^(G) disciples came and asked him, “How is it that we and the Pharisees fast often,^(H) but your disciples do not fast?”

¹⁵ Jesus answered, “How can the guests of the bridegroom mourn while he is with them?^(I) The time will come when the bridegroom will be taken from them; then they will fast.^(J)

¹⁶ “No 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.”

¹⁴ As he walked along, he saw Levi son of Alphaeus sitting at the tax collector’s booth. “Follow me,”^(A) Jesus told him, and Levi got up and followed him.

²³ Then he said to them all: “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow me.^(A)

²⁷ And whoever does not carry their cross and follow me cannot be my disciple.^(A)

² By no means! We are those who have died to sin;^(A) how can we live in it any longer? ³ Or don’t you know that all of us who were baptized^(B) into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? ⁴ We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death^(C) in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead^(D) through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life.^(E)

⁵ For if we have been united with him in a death like his, we will certainly also be united with him in a resurrection like his.^{(F) 6} For we know that our old self^(G) was crucified with him^(H) so that the body ruled by sin^(I) might be done away with,^[a] that we should no longer be slaves to sin^(J)— ⁷ because anyone who has died has been set free from sin.^(K)

⁸ Now if we died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with him.^{(L) 9} For we know that since Christ was raised from the dead,^(M) he cannot die again; death no longer has mastery over him.^{(N) 10} The death he died, he died to sin^(O) once for all;^(P) but the life he lives, he lives to God.

¹¹ In the same way, count yourselves dead to sin^(Q) but alive to God in Christ Jesus. ¹² Therefore do not let sin reign^(R) in your mortal body so that you obey its evil desires. ¹³ Do not offer any part of yourself to sin as an instrument of wickedness,^(S) but rather offer yourselves to God as those who have been brought from death to life; and offer every part of yourself to him as an instrument of righteousness.^{(T) 14} For sin shall no longer be your master,^(U) because you are not under the law,^(V) but under grace.^(W)

Slaves to Righteousness

¹⁵ What then? Shall we sin because we are not under the law but under grace?^(X) By no means! ¹⁶ Don’t you know that when you offer yourselves to someone as obedient slaves, you are slaves of the one you obey^(Y)—whether you are slaves to sin,^(Z) which leads to death,^(AA) or to obedience, which leads to righteousness? ¹⁷ But thanks be to God^(AB) that, though you used to be slaves to sin,^(AC) you have come to obey from your heart the pattern of teaching^(AD) that has now claimed your allegiance. ¹⁸ You have been set free from sin^(AE) and have become slaves to righteousness.^(AF)

⁹ for they themselves report what kind of reception you gave us. They tell how you turned^(A) to God from idols^(B) to serve the living and true God,^(C)