Mark 2

Healing and forgiveness

1 After a few days, Jesus went back to Capernaum, and people heard that he was at home.2 So many gathered that there was no longer space, not even near the door. Jesus was speaking the word to them.3 Some people arrived, and four of them were bringing to him a man who was paralyzed.4 They couldn’t carry him through the crowd, so they tore off part of the roof above where Jesus was. When they had made an opening, they lowered the mat on which the paralyzed man was lying.

5 When Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralytic, "Child, your sins are forgiven!"
6 Some legal experts were sitting there, muttering among themselves,

7 "Why does he speak this way? He’s insulting God. Only the one God can forgive sins."
8 Jesus immediately recognized what they were discussing, and he said to them, "Why do you fill your minds with these questions?9 Which is easier—to say to a paralyzed person, ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or to say, ‘Get up, take up your bed, and walk’?10 But so you will know that the Human Onet has authority on the earth to forgive sins" —he said to the man who was paralyzed,

11 "Get up, take your mat, and go home."

12 Jesus raised him up, and right away he picked up his mat and walked out in front of everybody. They were all amazed and praised God, saying, "We’ve never seen anything like this!"

Eating with sinners

13 Jesus went out beside the lake again. The whole crowd came to him, and he began to teach them.

14 As he continued along, he saw Levi, Alphaeus’ son, sitting at a kiosk for collecting taxes. Jesus said to him, "Follow me." Levi got up and followed him.
15 Jesus sat down to eat at Levi’s house. Many tax collectors and sinners were eating with Jesus and his disciples. Indeed, many of them had become his followers.

16 When some of the legal experts from among the Pharisees saw that he was eating with sinners and tax collectors, they asked his disciples, "Why is he eating with sinners and tax collectors?"

17 When Jesus heard it, he said to them, "Healthy people don’t need a doctor, but sick people do. I didn’t come to call righteous people, but sinners."

When to fast

18 John’s disciples and the Pharisees had a habit of fasting. Some people asked Jesus, "Why do John’s disciples and the Pharisees’ disciples fast, but yours don’t?"
19 Jesus said, “The wedding guests can’t fast while the groom is with them, can they? As long as they have the groom with them, they can’t fast.

20 But the days will come when the groom will be taken away from them, and then they will fast.
21 "No one sews a piece of new, unshrunk cloth on old clothes; otherwise, the patch tears away from it, the new from the old, and makes a worse tear.

22 No one pours new wine into old leather wineskins; otherwise, the wine would burst the wineskins and the wine would be lost and the wineskins destroyed. But new wine is for new wineskins."

Scripture and the Sabbath

23 Jesus went through the wheat fields on the Sabbath. As the disciples made their way, they were picking the heads of wheat.

24 The Pharisees said to Jesus, "Look! Why are they breaking the Sabbath law?"
25 He said to them, "Haven’t you ever read what David did when he was in need, when he and those with him were hungry?26 During the time when Abiathar was high priest, David went into God’s house and ate the bread of the presence, which only the priests were allowed to eat. He also gave bread to those who were with him."27 Then he said, "The Sabbath was created for humans; humans weren’t created for the Sabbath.

28 This is why the Human Onet is Lord even over the Sabbath."

Mark 2

Healing and Forgiving a Paralytic

1 Nowt after some days, when he returned to Capernaum,ss the news spreadt that he was at home.2 So many gathered that there was no longer any room, not even byt the door, and he preached the word to them.3 Some peoplet came bringing to him a paralytic, carried by four of them.t4 When they were not able to bring him in because of the crowd, they removed the roofs above Jesus.t Then,t after tearing it out, they lowered the stretcher the paralytic was lying on.5 When Jesus saw theirs faith, he said to the paralytic, “Son, your sins are forgiven.”s6 Now some of the experts in the lawt were sitting there, turning these things over in their minds:t7 “Why does this man speak this way? He is blaspheming!s Who can forgive sins but God alone?”8 Nowt immediately, when Jesus realized in his spirit that they were contemplating such thoughts,t he said to them, “Why are you thinking such things in your hearts?t9 Which is easier,s to say to the paralytic, ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or to say, ‘Stand up, take your stretcher, and walk’?10 But so that you may knows that the Son of Mans has authority on earth to forgive sins,” – he said to the paralytics –11 “I tell you, stand up, take your stretcher, and go home.”t

12 And immediately the mant stood up, took his stretcher, and went out in front of them all. They were all amazed and glorified God, saying, “We have never seen anything like this!”

The Call of Levi; Eating with Sinners

13 Jesust went out again by the sea. The whole crowd came to him, and he taught them.14 As he went along, he saw Levi, the son of Alphaeus, sitting at the tax booth.ts “Follow me,” he said to him. And he got up and followed him.15 As Jesust was having a mealts in Levi’st home, many tax collectorss and sinners were eating with Jesus and his disciples, for there were many who followed him.16 When the experts in the lawt and the Phariseess saw that he was eating with sinners and tax collectors, they said to his disciples, “Why does he eat with tax collectors and sinners?”s

17 When Jesus heard this he said to them, “Those who are healthy don’t need a physician, but those who are sick do.s I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners.”

The Superiority of the New

18 Nowt John’ss disciples and the Phariseess were fasting.s Sot they came to Jesust and said, “Why do the disciples of John and the disciples of the Pharisees fast, but your disciples don’t fast?”19 Jesust said to them, “The wedding guestst cannot fast while the bridegrooms is with them, can they?t As long as they have the bridegroom with them they do not fast.20 But the days are coming when the bridegroom will be taken from them,s and at that timet they will fast.21 No one sews a patch of unshrunk cloth on an old garment; otherwise, the patch pulls away from it, the new from the old, and the tear becomes worse.

22 And no one pours new wine into old wineskins;s otherwise, the wine will burst the skins, and both the wine and the skins will be destroyed. Instead new wine is poured into new wineskins.”s

Lord of the Sabbath

23 Jesust was going through the grain fields on a Sabbath, and his disciples began to pick some heads of wheatt as they made their way.24 Sot the Phariseess said to him, “Look, why are they doing what is against the law on the Sabbath?”25 He said to them, “Have you never read what David did when he was in need and he and his companions were hungry –26 how he entered the house of God when Abiathar was high priestt and ate the sacred bread,ts which is against the laws for any but the priests to eat, and also gave it to his companions?”s27 Thent he said to them, “The Sabbath was made for people,t not people for the Sabbath.

28 For this reason the Son of Man is lordts even of the Sabbath.”