New Testament in a Year
Jesus Heals a Paralyzed Man(A)
17 One day, as Jesus[a] was teaching, some Pharisees and teachers of the Law happened to be sitting nearby. The people[b] had come from every village in Galilee and Judea and from Jerusalem. The power of the Lord was present to heal them.[c] 18 Some men were bringing a paralyzed man on a stretcher. They were trying to take him into the house[d] and place him in front of Jesus.[e] 19 When they couldn’t find a way to get him in because of the crowd, they went up on the roof and let him down on his stretcher through the tiles into the middle of the room,[f] right in front of Jesus. 20 When Jesus[g] saw their faith, he said, “Mister,[h] your sins are forgiven.”
21 The scribes and the Pharisees began to argue among themselves, saying, “Who is this man who is uttering blasphemies? Who can forgive sins but God alone?”
22 Because Jesus knew that they were arguing, he asked them, “Why are you arguing about this among yourselves?[i] 23 Which is easier: to say, ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or to say, ‘Get up and walk’? 24 But so you’ll know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins….” he told the paralyzed man, “I say to you: Get up, pick up your stretcher, and go home!” 25 So the man[j] immediately stood up in front of them and picked up what he had been lying on. Then he went home, praising God.
26 Amazement seized all the people, and they began to praise God. They were filled with fear[k] and declared, “We have seen wonderful things today!”
Jesus Calls Levi(B)
27 After that, Jesus[l] went out and saw a tax collector named Levi sitting at the tax collector’s desk. He told him, “Follow me!” 28 So Levi[m] left everything behind, got up, and followed him.
29 Later, Levi gave a large banquet at his home for Jesus.[n] A large crowd of tax collectors and others were eating with them. 30 The Pharisees and their scribes started complaining to Jesus’[o] disciples, “Why do you eat and drink with tax collectors and sinners?”
31 But Jesus answered them, “Healthy people don’t need a physician, but sick people do. 32 I have not come to call righteous people, but sinners, to repentance.”
A Question about Fasting(C)
33 Then they told him, “John’s disciples frequently fast and pray, and so do those of the Pharisees. But your disciples[p] keep right on eating and drinking.”
34 But Jesus told them, “You can’t force the wedding guests[q] to fast while the groom is still with them, can you? 35 But the time will come when the groom will be taken away from them, and at that time they will fast.”
The Unshrunk Cloth(D)
36 Then he told them a parable: “No one tears a piece of cloth from a new garment and sews it on an old garment. If he does, the new cloth will tear, and the piece from the new won’t match the old. 37 And no one pours new wine into old wineskins. If he does, the new wine will make the skins burst, the wine[r] will be spilled, and the skins will be ruined. 38 Instead, new wine is to be poured into fresh wineskins. 39 No one who has been drinking old wine wants new wine, because he says, ‘The old wine is good enough!’”[s]
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