Jesus heals the paralytic, calls Levi, the customs officer, eats with open sinners, and defends his disciples.

2 After a few days he entered into Capernaum again, and it was rumoured that he was in a house. ² And soon many gathered together, insomuch that now there was no room to receive them, no, not so much as about the door. And he preached the word to them. ³ And there came to him people bringing a paralytic, borne by four men. ⁴ And because they could not come near to him, for the press of people, they uncovered the roof of the house where he was. And when they had broken it open, they let down the bed that the paralytic lay in. ⁵ When Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralytic, Son, your sins are forgiven you.

⁶ And certain of the scribes were sitting there and thinking in their hearts, ⁷ How does this fellow so blaspheme? Who can forgive sins, but God only? ⁸ And immediately, when Jesus perceived in his spirit that they so questioned in themselves, he said to them, Why do you think such things in your hearts? ⁹ Which is easier to say to the paralytic: Your sins are forgiven you, or to say, Arise, take up your bed and walk? ¹⁰ But so that you may know that the Son of man has power in earth to forgive sins– He spoke to the paralytic: ¹¹ I say to you, arise, and take up your bed, and go your way into your own house. ¹² And at once he arose, took up the bed, and went out before them all, so that they were all amazed and glorified God, saying, We have never seen anything like this!

¹³ And he went again to the sea side. And all the people gathered to him, and he taught them. ¹⁴ And as Jesus was passing by, he saw Levi the son of Alphaeus sitting at the receipt of custom and said to him, Follow me. And he arose and followed him.

¹⁵ And it came to pass, as Jesus sat at food in Levi’s house, that many publicans and sinners sat at food also with Jesus and his disciples. For there were many who followed him. ¹⁶ And when the scribes and Pharisees saw him eat with publicans and sinners, they said to his disciples, How is it that he eats and drinks with publicans and sinners? ¹⁷ When Jesus heard that, he said to them, The whole have no need of the physician, but the sick do. I came not to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.

¹⁸ And the disciples of John and the Pharisees used to fast, and so they came and said to him, Why do the disciples of John and of the Pharisees fast, but your disciples do not fast? ¹⁹ And Jesus said to them, Can the children of a wedding fast while the bridegroom is with them? As long as they have the bridegroom with them, they cannot fast. ²⁰ But the days will come when the bridegroom will be taken from them, and then they will fast, in those days. ²¹ Also, no one sows a piece of new cloth onto an old garment, because then the new piece pulls away from the old, and the tear is worse. ²² Likewise, no one pours new wine into old wineskins, for if he does, the new wine bursts the skins, and the wine runs out and the vessels are marred. But new wine must be poured into new vessels.

²³ And it chanced that he was walking through the grain fields in the Sabbath days, and his disciples, as they went their way, began to pluck the ears of grain. ²⁴ And the Pharisees said to him, Look, why are they doing on the Sabbath days that which is not lawful?

²⁵ And he said to them, Have you never read what David did when he had need and was hungry, both he and those who were with him? ²⁶ How he went into the house of God in the days of Abiathar the high priest and did eat the hallowed loaves, which it is not lawful to eat but for the priests only, and gave also to those who were with him?

²⁷ And he said to them, The Sabbath was made for man, and not man for the Sabbath. ²⁸ Therefore the Son of man is Lord even of the Sabbath day.