A paralytic—the evaluation

1Well a few days later, He again entered Capernaum, and it was heard that He was at home.

2Without delay so many were gathered together that there was no more room, not even around the door, and He was speaking the Word to them.

3Then four men came, carrying a paralytic to Him.

4And not being able to get near Him because of the crowd, they removed the roof where He was; ³⁶upon breaking through they lowered the pallet on which the paralytic was lying.

5So seeing their faith Jesus says to the paralytic, “Son, your sins are forgiven you.”

6Now some of the scribes were sitting there, and reasoning in their hearts:

7“Why does this guy speak blasphemies like that? Who can forgive sins but God alone?”

8Immediately Jesus perceived in His spirit what they were reasoning within themselves ³⁷and said to them: “Why are you reasoning these things in your hearts?

9Which is easier: ³⁸to say to the paralytic, ‘Your sins have been forgiven’, or to say, ‘Get up, pick up your pallet and start walking!’?

10But so that you may know that the Son of the Man ³⁹has authority on the earth to forgive sins”—He says to the paralytic:

11“To you I say, get up, pick up your pallet and go to your house!”

12So forthwith he got up, picked up his pallet and went out in front of them all; so that all were amazed and glorified God, saying, “We never saw anything like this!” ⁴⁰

Matthew called

13Then He went out again by the sea; and the whole crowd came to Him, and He began to teach them.

14As He passed by, ⁴¹He saw Levi the son of Alphaeus sitting at the tax office, and He said to him, “Follow me!” So he got up and followed Him.

15Now it happened, as He was reclining at the table in his house, ⁴²that many tax collectors and sinners ⁴³joined Jesus and His disciples at the table; for there were many and they followed Him.

16The scribes and the Pharisees, seeing Him eating with the tax collectors and sinners, said to His disciples, “Why is it that He is eating and drinking with the tax collectors and sinners?”

17Upon hearing it Jesus said to them: “It is not the healthy who have need of a doctor, but those who are sick. I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.” ⁴⁴

Fasting

18Now John's disciples and those of the Pharisees were fasting; and they came and said to Him, “Why do John's disciples and those of the Pharisees fast, but your disciples do not?”

19So Jesus said to them: “Can the groomsmen fast while the bridegroom is with them? As long as they have the bridegroom to themselves they cannot fast.

20But the time will come when the bridegroom will be taken away from them, and then they will fast, in those days. ⁴⁵

Cloth and wineskins

21“Further, no one sews a patch of unshrunk cloth on an old garment, or else the new tears away some of the old, and a worse hole results.

22And no one puts new wine into old wineskins, or else the new wine bursts the wineskins, the wine spills out and the skins will be ruined; rather, new wine must be put into new wineskins.” ⁴⁶

Jesus is Lord of the Sabbath2:23 Between verses 22 and 23 all of John chapter 5 takes place—that chapter revolves around the second Passover of His public ministry, in 28 ad A year and a half have passed since His baptism.

23Now it happened, on a Sabbath, that He was passing through some grain fields, and His disciples began to make a path, picking the heads of grain.

24So the Pharisees said to Him, “Just look, why are they doing on a Sabbath that which is not permitted?”

25And He said to them: “Did you never read what David did when he was in need and hungry, he and those with him?

26How he entered the house of God (making Abiathar high priest) ⁴⁷and ate the consecrated bread, which only priests are permitted to eat, and shared it with those who were with him?”

27Then He said to them: “The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath. ⁴⁸

28Therefore the Son of the Man is Lord even of the Sabbath.” ⁴⁹