Mark 2

Jesus Heals a Paralyzed Man

2When Jesus returned to Capernaum several days later, the news spread quickly that he was back home.G2532G3825G1525G1519G2584G1223G2250G2532G191G3754G2076G1519G36242Soon the house where he was staying was so packed with visitors that there was no more room, even outside the door. While he was preaching God's word to them,G2532G2112G4183G4863G5620G5562G3371G5562G3366G4314G2374G2532G2980G3056G8463four men arrived carrying a paralyzed man on a mat.G2532G2064G4314G846G5342G3885G142G5259G50644They couldn't bring him to Jesus because of the crowd, so they dug a hole through the roof above his head. Then they lowered the man on his mat, right down in front of Jesus.G2532G1410G3361G4331G846G1223G3793G648G4721G3699G2258G2532G1846G5465G2895G1909G3739G3885G26215Seeing their faith, Jesus said to the paralyzed man, "My child, your sins are forgiven."G1161G2424G1492G846G4102G3004G3885G5043G4675G266G863G46716But some of the teachers of religious law who were sitting there thought to themselves,G1161G2258G5100G1122G2521G1563G2532G1260G1722G846G25887"What is he saying? This is blasphemy! Only God can forgive sins!"G5101G2980G3778G3779G2980G988G5101G1410G863G266G1508G2316G15208Jesus knew immediately what they were thinking, so he asked them, "Why do you question this in your hearts?G2532G2112G2424G1921G846G4151G3754G3779G1260G1722G1438G2036G846G5101G1260G5023G1722G5216G25889Is it easier to say to the paralyzed man 'Your sins are forgiven,' or 'Stand up, pick up your mat, and walk'?G5101G2076G2123G2036G3885G266G863G4671G2228G2036G1453G2532G142G4675G2895G2532G404310So I will prove to you that the Son of Man

has the authority on earth to forgive sins." Then Jesus turned to the paralyzed man and said,G1161G2443G1492G3754G5207G444G2192G1849G1909G1093G863G266G3004G388511"Stand up, pick up your mat, and go home!"G3004G4671G1453G2532G142G4675G2895G2532G5217G1519G4675G362412And the man jumped up, grabbed his mat, and walked out through the stunned onlookers. They were all amazed and praised God, exclaiming, "We've never seen anything like this before!"G2532G2112G1453G142G2895G2532G1831G1726G3956G5620G1839G3956G1839G2532G1392G2316G3004G3754G1492G3763G1492G3779

Jesus Calls Levi (Matthew)

13Then Jesus went out to the lakeshore again and taught the crowds that were coming to him.G2532G1831G3825G3844G2281G2532G3956G3793G2064G4314G846G2532G1321G84614As he walked along, he saw Levi son of Alphaeus sitting at his tax collector's booth. "Follow me and be my disciple," Jesus said to him. So Levi got up and followed him.G2532G3855G1492G3018G256G2521G1909G5058G2532G3004G846G190G3427G2532G450G190G84615Later, Levi invited Jesus and his disciples to his home as dinner guests, along with many tax collectors and other disreputable sinners.

G2532G1096G1722G846G2621G1722G846G3614G4183G5057G2532G268G4873G2532G4873G2424G2532G846G3101G1063G2258G4183G2532G190G84616But when the teachers of religious law who were Pharisees

saw him eating with tax collectors and other sinners, they asked his disciples, "Why does he eat with such scum?"G2532G1122G2532G5330G1492G846G2068G3326G5057G2532G268G3004G846G3101G5101G3754G2068G2532G4095G3326G5057G2532G26817When Jesus heard this, he told them, "Healthy people don't need a doctor—sick people do. I have come to call not those who think they are righteous, but those who know they are sinners."G2532G2424G191G3004G846G2480G2192G3756G5532G2395G235G2192G2560G2064G3756G2564G1342G235G268G1519G3341

A Discussion about Fasting

18Once when John's disciples and the Pharisees were fasting, some people came to Jesus and asked, "Why don't your disciples fast like John's disciples and the Pharisees do?"G2532G3101G2491G2532G5330G2258G3522G2532G2064G2532G3004G846G1302G3522G3101G2491G2532G5330G3522G1161G4674G3101G3522G375619Jesus replied, "Do wedding guests fast while celebrating with the groom? Of course not. They can't fast while the groom is with them.G2532G2424G2036G846G3361G1410G5207G3567G3522G1722G3739G3566G2076G3326G846G3745G5550G2192G3566G3326G1438G3756G1410G352220But someday the groom will be taken away from them, and then they will fast.G1161G2250G2064G3752G3566G522G575G846G2532G5119G3522G1722G1565G225021"Besides, who would patch old clothing with new cloth? For the new patch would shrink and rip away from the old cloth, leaving an even bigger tear than before.G3762G2532G1976G1915G46G4470G1909G3820G2440G1490G2537G4138G142G846G3820G2532G4978G1096G550122"And no one puts new wine into old wineskins. For the wine would burst the wineskins, and the wine and the skins would both be lost. New wine calls for new wineskins."G2532G3762G906G3501G3631G1519G3820G779G1490G3501G3631G4486G779G2532G3631G1632G2532G779G622G235G3501G3631G992G1519G2537G779

A Discussion about the Sabbath

23One Sabbath day as Jesus was walking through some grainfields, his disciples began breaking off heads of grain to eat.G2532G1096G846G3899G1223G4702G1722G4521G2532G846G3101G756G3598G4160G5089G471924But the Pharisees said to Jesus, "Look, why are they breaking the law by harvesting grain on the Sabbath?"G2532G5330G3004G846G2396G5101G4160G1722G4521G3739G1832G3756G183225Jesus said to them, "Haven't you ever read in the Scriptures what David did when he and his companions were hungry?G2532G846G3004G846G3763G314G5101G1138G4160G3753G2192G5532G2532G3983G846G2532G3326G84626He went into the house of God

and broke the law by eating the sacred loaves of bread that only the priests are allowed to eat. He also gave some to his companions."G4459G1525G1519G3624G2316G1909G8G749G2532G5315G740G4286G3739G1832G3756G1832G5315G1508G2409G2532G1325G2532G5607G4862G84627Then Jesus said to them, "The Sabbath was made to meet the needs of people, and not people to meet the requirements of the Sabbath.G2532G3004G846G4521G1096G1223G444G3756G444G1223G452128So the Son of Man is Lord, even over the Sabbath!"G5620G5207G444G2076G2962G2532G4521