Mark 2
2A few days later Jesus went back to Capernaum, and the news spread that he was at home.G2532G3825G1525G1519G2584G1223G2250G2532G191G3754G2076G1519G36242So many people came together that there was no room left, not even out in front of the door. Jesus was preaching the message to themG2532G2112G4183G4863G5620G5562G3371G5562G3366G4314G2374G2532G2980G3056G8463when four men arrived, carrying a paralyzed man to Jesus.G2532G2064G4314G846G5342G3885G142G5259G50644Because of the crowd, however, they could not get the man to him. So they made a hole in the roof right above the place where Jesus was. When they had made an opening, they let the man down, lying on his mat.G2532G1410G3361G4331G846G1223G3793G648G4721G3699G2258G2532G1846G5465G2895G1909G3739G3885G26215Seeing how much faith they had, Jesus said to the paralyzed man, "My son, your sins are forgiven."G1161G2424G1492G846G4102G3004G3885G5043G4675G266G863G46716Some teachers of the Law who were sitting there thought to themselves,G1161G2258G5100G1122G2521G1563G2532G1260G1722G846G25887"How does he dare talk like this? This is blasphemy! God is the only one who can forgive sins!"G5101G2980G3778G3779G2980G988G5101G1410G863G266G1508G2316G15208At once Jesus knew what they were thinking, so he said to them, "Why do you think such things?G2532G2112G2424G1921G846G4151G3754G3779G1260G1722G1438G2036G846G5101G1260G5023G1722G5216G25889Is it easier to say to this paralyzed man, 'Your sins are forgiven,' or to say, 'Get up, pick up your mat, and walk'?G5101G2076G2123G2036G3885G266G863G4671G2228G2036G1453G2532G142G4675G2895G2532G404310I will prove to you, then, that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins." So he said to the paralyzed man,G1161G2443G1492G3754G5207G444G2192G1849G1909G1093G863G266G3004G388511"I tell you, get up, pick up your mat, and go home!"G3004G4671G1453G2532G142G4675G2895G2532G5217G1519G4675G362412While they all watched, the man got up, picked up his mat, and hurried away. They were all completely amazed and praised God, saying, "We have never seen anything like this!"G2532G2112G1453G142G2895G2532G1831G1726G3956G5620G1839G3956G1839G2532G1392G2316G3004G3754G1492G3763G1492G377913Jesus went back again to the shore of Lake Galilee. A crowd came to him, and he started teaching them.G2532G1831G3825G3844G2281G2532G3956G3793G2064G4314G846G2532G1321G84614As he walked along, he saw a tax collector, Levi son of Alphaeus, sitting in his office. Jesus said to him, "Follow me." Levi got up and followed him.G2532G3855G1492G3018G256G2521G1909G5058G2532G3004G846G190G3427G2532G450G190G84615Later on Jesus was having a meal in Levi's house. A large number of tax collectors and other outcasts was following Jesus, and many of them joined him and his disciples at the table.G2532G1096G1722G846G2621G1722G846G3614G4183G5057G2532G268G4873G2532G4873G2424G2532G846G3101G1063G2258G4183G2532G190G84616Some teachers of the Law, who were Pharisees, saw that Jesus was eating with these outcasts and tax collectors, so they asked his disciples, "Why does he eat with such people?"G2532G1122G2532G5330G1492G846G2068G3326G5057G2532G268G3004G846G3101G5101G3754G2068G2532G4095G3326G5057G2532G26817Jesus heard them and answered, "People who are well do not need a doctor, but only those who are sick. I have not come to call respectable people, but outcasts."G2532G2424G191G3004G846G2480G2192G3756G5532G2395G235G2192G2560G2064G3756G2564G1342G235G268G1519G334118On one occasion the followers of John the Baptist and the Pharisees were fasting. Some people came to Jesus and asked him, "Why is it that the disciples of John the Baptist and the disciples of the Pharisees fast, but yours do not?"G2532G3101G2491G2532G5330G2258G3522G2532G2064G2532G3004G846G1302G3522G3101G2491G2532G5330G3522G1161G4674G3101G3522G375619Jesus answered, "Do you expect the guests at a wedding party to go without food? Of course not! As long as the bridegroom is with them, they will not do that.G2532G2424G2036G846G3361G1410G5207G3567G3522G1722G3739G3566G2076G3326G846G3745G5550G2192G3566G3326G1438G3756G1410G352220But the day will come when the bridegroom will be taken away from them, and then they will fast.G1161G2250G2064G3752G3566G522G575G846G2532G5119G3522G1722G1565G225021"No one uses a piece of new cloth to patch up an old coat, because the new patch will shrink and tear off some of the old cloth, making an even bigger hole.G3762G2532G1976G1915G46G4470G1909G3820G2440G1490G2537G4138G142G846G3820G2532G4978G1096G550122Nor does anyone pour new wine into used wineskins, because the wine will burst the skins, and both the wine and the skins will be ruined. Instead, new wine must be poured into fresh wineskins."G2532G3762G906G3501G3631G1519G3820G779G1490G3501G3631G4486G779G2532G3631G1632G2532G779G622G235G3501G3631G992G1519G2537G77923Jesus was walking through some wheat fields on a Sabbath. As his disciples walked along with him, they began to pick the heads of wheat.G2532G1096G846G3899G1223G4702G1722G4521G2532G846G3101G756G3598G4160G5089G471924So the Pharisees said to Jesus, "Look, it is against our Law for your disciples to do that on the Sabbath!"G2532G5330G3004G846G2396G5101G4160G1722G4521G3739G1832G3756G183225Jesus answered, "Have you never read what David did that time when he needed something to eat? He and his men were hungry,G2532G846G3004G846G3763G314G5101G1138G4160G3753G2192G5532G2532G3983G846G2532G3326G84626so he went into the house of God and ate the bread offered to God. This happened when Abiathar was the High Priest. According to our Law only the priests may eat this bread - -but David ate it and even gave it to his men."G4459G1525G1519G3624G2316G1909G8G749G2532G5315G740G4286G3739G1832G3756G1832G5315G1508G2409G2532G1325G2532G5607G4862G84627And Jesus concluded, "The Sabbath was made for the good of human beings; they were not made for the Sabbath.G2532G3004G846G4521G1096G1223G444G3756G444G1223G452128So the Son of Man is Lord even of the Sabbath."G5620G5207G444G2076G2962G2532G4521