M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan

Jesus heals the paralytic, calls Levi, the customs officer, eats with open sinners, and defends his disciples.

2 After a few days he entered into Capernaum again, and it was rumoured that he was in a house. ² And soon many gathered together, insomuch that now there was no room to receive them, no, not so much as about the door. And he preached the word to them. ³ And there came to him people bringing a paralytic, borne by four men. ⁴ And because they could not come near to him, for the press of people, they uncovered the roof of the house where he was. And when they had broken it open, they let down the bed that the paralytic lay in. ⁵ When Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralytic, Son, your sins are forgiven you.

⁶ And certain of the scribes were sitting there and thinking in their hearts, ⁷ How does this fellow so blaspheme? Who can forgive sins, but God only? ⁸ And immediately, when Jesus perceived in his spirit that they so questioned in themselves, he said to them, Why do you think such things in your hearts? ⁹ Which is easier to say to the paralytic: Your sins are forgiven you, or to say, Arise, take up your bed and walk? ¹⁰ But so that you may know that the Son of man has power in earth to forgive sins– He spoke to the paralytic: ¹¹ I say to you, arise, and take up your bed, and go your way into your own house. ¹² And at once he arose, took up the bed, and went out before them all, so that they were all amazed and glorified God, saying, We have never seen anything like this!

¹³ And he went again to the sea side. And all the people gathered to him, and he taught them. ¹⁴ And as Jesus was passing by, he saw Levi the son of Alphaeus sitting at the receipt of custom and said to him, Follow me. And he arose and followed him.

¹⁵ And it came to pass, as Jesus sat at food in Levi’s house, that many publicans and sinners sat at food also with Jesus and his disciples. For there were many who followed him. ¹⁶ And when the scribes and Pharisees saw him eat with publicans and sinners, they said to his disciples, How is it that he eats and drinks with publicans and sinners? ¹⁷ When Jesus heard that, he said to them, The whole have no need of the physician, but the sick do. I came not to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.

¹⁸ And the disciples of John and the Pharisees used to fast, and so they came and said to him, Why do the disciples of John and of the Pharisees fast, but your disciples do not fast? ¹⁹ And Jesus said to them, Can the children of a wedding fast while the bridegroom is with them? As long as they have the bridegroom with them, they cannot fast. ²⁰ But the days will come when the bridegroom will be taken from them, and then they will fast, in those days. ²¹ Also, no one sows a piece of new cloth onto an old garment, because then the new piece pulls away from the old, and the tear is worse. ²² Likewise, no one pours new wine into old wineskins, for if he does, the new wine bursts the skins, and the wine runs out and the vessels are marred. But new wine must be poured into new vessels.

²³ And it chanced that he was walking through the grain fields in the Sabbath days, and his disciples, as they went their way, began to pluck the ears of grain. ²⁴ And the Pharisees said to him, Look, why are they doing on the Sabbath days that which is not lawful?

²⁵ And he said to them, Have you never read what David did when he had need and was hungry, both he and those who were with him? ²⁶ How he went into the house of God in the days of Abiathar the high priest and did eat the hallowed loaves, which it is not lawful to eat but for the priests only, and gave also to those who were with him?

²⁷ And he said to them, The Sabbath was made for man, and not man for the Sabbath. ²⁸ Therefore the Son of man is Lord even of the Sabbath day.

Paul rebukes the Jews, who as concerning sin are like the heathen; yea, worse than they.

2 Therefore you are inexcusable, O man, whoever you are who judge. For in the same thing that you judge another, you condemn yourself. For you who judge do even the same things. ² But we are sure that the judgment of God is according to truth against those who commit such things.

³ Do you think, O man, you who judge others who do such things, and yet do even the very same, that you will escape the judgment of God? ⁴ Or do you think nothing of the riches of his goodness, patience, and longsuffering? And remember not how it is that the kindness of God leads you to repentance?

⁵ But you, after your hard heart that cannot repent, heap together against yourself the treasure of wrath for the day of vengeance, when the righteous judgment of God will be revealed. ⁶ He will reward every person according to his deeds; ⁷ that is to say, praise, honour, and immortality to those who continue in doing good and seek eternal life; ⁸ but to those who are rebellious, and reject the truth, and follow iniquity, will come indignation and wrath – ⁹ tribulation and anguish upon the soul of every person who does evil: of the Jew first, and also of the Gentile. ¹⁰ To everyone who does good will come praise, honour, and peace: to the Jew first, and also to the Gentile. ¹¹ For there is no partiality with God. ¹² But whoever has sinned without law will perish without law, and as many as have sinned under the law will be judged by the law.

¹³ For before God they are not righteous who hear the law, but the doers of the law will be justified. ¹⁴ For if the Gentiles who have no law do by nature the things contained in the law, then they, having no law, are a law unto themselves. ¹⁵ They show the deeds of the law written in their hearts, while their conscience bears witness to them, and also their thoughts, accusing one another or defending, ¹⁶ on the day when God will judge the secrets of men by Jesus Christ, as my gospel declares.

¹⁷ Behold, you are called a Jew, and trust in the law, and put confidence in God, ¹⁸ and know his will, and have confirmation of good and bad in that you are instructed by the law. ¹⁹ And you believe that you yourself are a guide to the blind, a light to those who are in darkness – ²⁰ an instructor of those who lack wisdom and a teacher of the unlearned, who has the example of that which ought to be known, and of the truth, in the law. ²¹ But you who teach another, do not teach yourself. You preach that a person should not steal, and yet you steal. ²² You say a person should not commit adultery, and you break wedlock. You abhor images, and rob God of his honour. ²³ You boast in the law, and through breaking the law dishonour God. ²⁴ For the name of God is ill spoken of among the Gentiles because of you, as it is written.

²⁵ Circumcision indeed avails, if you keep the law. But if you break the law, your circumcision is made uncircumcision. ²⁶ Therefore if the uncircumcised man keeps the righteous things contained in the law, shall his uncircumcision not be counted for circumcision? ²⁷ And shall not uncircumcision which is by nature, if it keeps the law, condemn you who, being under the letter and circumcision, do transgress the law? ²⁸ For he is not a Jew who is a Jew outwardly. Neither is that thing circumcision which is outward in the flesh. ²⁹ But he is a Jew who is hid within, and the circumcision of the heart is the true circumcision, which is in the Spirit, and not in the letter; whose praise is not from men, but from God.