1 Some days later he went back into Capernaum, and word got around that he was at home.
2 At once so many gathered that there was no more room, not even in front of the door; and he was speaking the word to them.
3 Then some people came to him bringing a paralyzed man, carried by four men.
4 Since they could not get near him because of the crowd, they took off the roof above where he was, and after digging through it, they lowered the mat on which the paralytic was lying.
5 Seeing their faith, Jesus said to the paralytic, "Child, your sins have been forgiven you."
6 Now some of the scribes were sitting there and turning it over in their hearts,
7 "Why does this fellow speak blasphemies like this? Who is able to forgive sins except God alone?"
8 Jesus, immediately knowing in his spirit that they were reasoning this way among themselves, said to them, "Why are you reasoning about these things in your hearts?
9 Which is easier: to say to the paralytic, 'Your sins have been forgiven you,' or to say, 'Get up, take up your mat, and walk'?
10 But so that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins"—he said to the paralytic—
11 "I say to you, get up, take up your mat, and go off to your house."
12 At once he got up, took up the mat, and went out in front of them all, so that they were all astonished and gave glory to God, saying, "We have never seen anything like this!"
13 Once more he went out beside the sea, and the whole crowd kept coming to him, and he was teaching them.
14 As he passed along, he saw Levi son of Alphaeus seated at the tax office, and he said to him, "Follow me." So he got up and followed him.
15 It happened that, as he sat at table in his house, many tax collectors and sinners were sitting at table with Jesus and his disciples; for there were many of them, and they followed him.
16 When the scribes and Pharisees saw him eating with the tax collectors and sinners, they said to his disciples, "How is it that he eats and drinks with the tax collectors and sinners?"
17 Jesus heard it and said to them, "The strong have no need of a doctor, but those who are ill. I did not come to call righteous people, but sinners, to repentance."
18 John's disciples and those of the Pharisees were fasting. People came and asked him, "Why do John's disciples and the Pharisees' disciples fast, but your disciples do not fast?"
19 Jesus answered them, "The sons of the bridechamber cannot fast while the bridegroom is with them, can they? As long as they have the bridegroom with them, they cannot fast.
20 But days will come when the bridegroom will be taken from them, and then they will fast in those days.
21 No one sews a patch of unshrunk cloth on an old garment; if he does, the new patch that fills it pulls away from the old, and the tear becomes worse.
22 And no one pours new wine into old wineskins; if he does, the new wine splits the skins, the wine pours out, and the skins are destroyed. Rather, new wine must be poured into fresh wineskins."
23 It happened that he was passing through the grainfields on the Sabbath, and as they made their way his disciples began to pick the heads of grain.
24 The Pharisees said to him, "See, why are they doing what is not lawful on the Sabbath?"
25 He replied, "Have you never read what David did when he was in need and he and those with him were hungry,
26 how he went into the house of God in the days of Abiathar the high priest and ate the showbread, which it is not lawful for anyone but the priests to eat, and also gave some to his companions?"
27 And he said to them, "The Sabbath came into being for the sake of man, not man for the sake of the Sabbath.
28 So the Son of Man is Lord of the Sabbath as well."