Jesus Heals a Man Who Could Not Walk

(Mark 2.1-12; Luke 5.17-26)

9 Jesus got into a boat and crossed back over to the town where he lived.^{[a] 2} Some people soon brought to him a man lying on a mat because he could not walk. When Jesus saw how much faith they had, he said to the man, “My friend, don't worry! Your sins are forgiven.”

³ Some teachers of the Law of Moses said to themselves, “Jesus must think he is God!”

⁴ But Jesus knew what was in their minds, and he said, “Why are you thinking such evil things? ⁵ Is it easier for me to tell this man his sins are forgiven or to tell him to get up and walk? ⁶ But I will show you that the Son of Man has the right to forgive sins here on earth.” So Jesus said to the man, “Get up! Pick up your mat and go on home.” ⁷ The man got up and went home. ⁸ When the crowds saw this, they were afraid^[b] and praised God for giving such authority to people.

Jesus Chooses Matthew

(Mark 2.13-17; Luke 5.27-32)

⁹ As Jesus was leaving, he saw a tax collector^[c] named Matthew sitting at the place for paying taxes. Jesus said to him, “Follow me.” Matthew got up and went with him.

^10 (A) Later, Jesus and his disciples were having dinner at Matthew's house.^[d] Many tax collectors and other sinners were also there. ¹¹ Some Pharisees asked Jesus' disciples, “Why does your teacher eat with tax collectors and other sinners?”

¹² Jesus heard them and answered, “Healthy people don't need a doctor, but sick people do. ^13 (B) Go and learn what the Scriptures mean when they say, ‘Instead of offering sacrifices to me, I want you to be merciful to others.’ I didn't come to invite good people to be my followers. I came to invite sinners.”

People Ask about Going without Eating

(Mark 2.18-22; Luke 5.33-39)

¹⁴ Some followers of John the Baptist came and asked Jesus, “Why do we and the Pharisees often go without eating,^[e] while your disciples never do?”

¹⁵ Jesus answered:

The friends of a bridegroom aren't sad while he is still with them. But the time will come when he will be taken from them. Then they will go without eating.

¹⁶ No one uses a new piece of cloth to patch old clothes. The patch would shrink and tear a bigger hole.

¹⁷ No one pours new wine into old wineskins. The wine would swell and burst the old skins.^[f] Then the wine would be lost, and the skins would be ruined. New wine must be put into new wineskins. Both the skins and the wine will then be safe.

Sacrifices To Ask the Lord's Blessing

The Lord said:

3 When you offer sacrifices to ask my blessing,^[a] you may offer either a bull or a cow, but there must be nothing wrong with the animal. ² Lead it to the entrance of the sacred tent, lay your hand on its head, and have it killed there. A priest from Aaron's family will splatter its blood against the four sides of the altar.

³ Offer all of the fat on the animal's insides, ⁴ as well as the lower part of the liver and the two kidneys with their fat. ⁵ Some of the priests will lay these pieces on the altar and send them up in smoke with a smell that pleases me, together with the sacrifice that is offered to please me.^[b]

⁶ Instead of a bull or a cow, you may offer any sheep or goat that has nothing wrong with it. ⁷ If you offer a sheep, you must present it to me at the entrance to the sacred tent. ⁸ Lay your hand on its head and have it killed there. A priest will then splatter its blood against the four sides of the altar.

⁹ Offer the fat on the tail, the tailbone, and the insides, ¹⁰ as well as the lower part of the liver and the two kidneys with their fat. ¹¹ One of the priests will lay these pieces on the altar and send them up in smoke as a food offering for me.

¹² If you offer a goat, you must also present it to me ¹³ at the entrance to the sacred tent. Lay your hand on its head and have it killed there. A priest will then splatter its blood against the four sides of the altar.

¹⁴ Offer all of the fat on the animal's insides, ¹⁵ as well as the lower part of the liver and the two kidneys with their fat. ¹⁶ One of the priests will put these pieces on the altar and send them up in smoke as a food offering with a smell that pleases me.

All fat belongs to me. ¹⁷ So you and your descendants must never eat any fat or any blood, not even in the privacy of your own homes.^[c] This law will never change.

Sacrifices for Sin

(Leviticus 6.24-30)

4 The Lord told Moses ² to say to the community of Israel:

Offer a sacrifice to ask forgiveness when you sin by accidentally doing something I have told you not to do.

When the High Priest Sins

The Lord said:

³ When the high priest sins, he makes everyone else guilty too. And so, he must sacrifice a young bull that has nothing wrong with it. ⁴ The priest will lead the bull to the entrance of the sacred tent, lay his hand on its head, and kill it there. ⁵ He will take a bowl of the blood inside the tent, ⁶ dip a finger in the blood, and sprinkle some of it seven times toward the sacred chest behind the curtain. ⁷ Then, in my presence, he will smear some of the blood on each of the four corners of the incense altar, before pouring out the rest at the foot of the bronze altar^[d] near the entrance to the tent.

^8-10 The priest will remove the fat from the bull, just as he does when he sacrifices a bull to ask my blessing.^[e] This includes the fat on the insides, as well as the lower part of the liver and the two kidneys with their fat. He will then send it all up in smoke.

^11-12 The skin and flesh of the bull, together with its legs, insides, and the food still in its stomach, are to be taken outside the camp and burned on a wood fire near the ash heap.^[f]

When the Whole Nation Sins

The Lord said:

¹³ When the nation of Israel disobeys me without meaning to, the whole nation is still guilty. ¹⁴ Once you realize what has happened, you must sacrifice a young bull to ask my forgiveness. Lead the bull to the entrance of the sacred tent, ¹⁵ where your tribal leaders will lay their hands on its head, before having it killed in my presence.

¹⁶ The priest will take a bowl of the animal's blood inside the sacred tent, ¹⁷ dip a finger in the blood, and sprinkle some of it seven times toward the sacred chest behind the curtain. ¹⁸ Then, in my presence, he must smear some of the blood on each of the four corners of the incense altar, before pouring out the rest at the foot of the bronze altar^[g] near the entrance to the tent. ^19-21 After this, the priest will remove the fat from the bull and send it up in smoke on the altar. Finally, he will burn its remains outside the camp, just as he did with the other bull. By this sacrifice the sin of the whole nation will be forgiven.

When a Tribal Leader Sins

The Lord God said:

²² Any tribal leader who disobeys me without knowing it is still guilty. ²³ As soon as the leader realizes what has happened, he must sacrifice a goat^[h] that has nothing wrong with it. ²⁴ This is a sacrifice for sin. So he will lay his hand on the animal's head, before having it killed in my presence at the north side of the bronze altar. ²⁵ The priest will dip a finger in the blood, smear some of it on each of the four corners of the altar, and pour out the rest at the foot of the altar. ²⁶ Then he must send all of the fat up in smoke, just as he does when a sacrifice is offered to ask my blessing.^[i] By this sacrifice the leader's sin will be forgiven.

When Ordinary People Sin

The Lord said:

^27 (A) When any of you ordinary people disobey me without meaning to, you are still guilty. ²⁸ As soon as you realize what you have done, you must sacrifice a female goat that has nothing wrong with it. ²⁹ Lead the goat to the north side of the bronze altar and lay your hand on its head, before having it killed. ³⁰ Then a priest will dip a finger in the blood; he will smear some of it on each of the four corners of the altar and pour out the rest at the foot of the altar. ³¹ After this, the priest will remove all of the fat, just as he does when an animal is sacrificed to ask my blessing.^[j] The priest will then send the fat up in smoke with a smell that pleases me. This animal is sacrificed so that I will forgive you ordinary people when you sin.

³² If you offer a lamb instead of a goat as a sacrifice for sin, it must be a female that has nothing wrong with it. ³³ Lead the lamb to the altar and lay your hand on its head, before having it killed. ³⁴ The priest will dip a finger in the blood, smear some of it on each of the four corners of the altar, and pour out the rest at the foot of the altar. ³⁵ After this, all of the fat must be removed, just as when an animal is sacrificed to ask my blessing. Then the priest will send it up in smoke to me, together with a food offering, and your sin will be forgiven.

Words of Wisdom Are Better than Gold