15. But the news about Jesus spread more and more. Many people came to hear him and to be healed of their sicknesses.
16. Jesus often went away to other places to be alone so that he could pray.
17. One day Jesus was teaching the people. The Pharisees and teachers of the law were sitting there too. They had come from every town in Galilee and Judea and from Jerusalem. The Lord was giving Jesus the power to heal people.
18. There was a man who was paralyzed, and some other men were carrying him on a mat. They tried to bring him and put him down before Jesus.
19. But there were so many people that they could not find a way to Jesus. So they went up on the roof and lowered the crippled man down through a hole in the ceiling. They lowered the mat into the room so that the crippled man was lying before Jesus.
20. Jesus saw how much faith they had and said to the sick man, “Friend, your sins are forgiven.”
21. The Jewish teachers of the law and the Pharisees thought to themselves, “Who is this man who dares to say such things? What an insult to God! No one but God can forgive sins.”
22. But Jesus knew what they were thinking and said, “Why do you have these questions in your minds?
23-24. The Son of Man has power on earth to forgive sins. But how can I prove this to you? Maybe you are thinking it was easy for me to say, ‘Your sins are forgiven.’ There’s no proof that it really happened. But what if I say to the man, ‘Stand up and walk’? Then you will be able to see that I really have this power.” So Jesus said to the paralyzed man, “I tell you, stand up! Take your mat and go home!”
25. The man immediately stood up in front of everyone. He picked up his mat and walked home, praising God.
26. Everyone was completely amazed and began to praise God. They were filled with great respect for God’s power. They said, “Today we saw amazing things!”
27. After this Jesus went out and saw a tax collector sitting at his place for collecting taxes. His name was Levi. Jesus said to him, “Follow me!”
28. Levi got up, left everything, and followed Jesus.
29. Then Levi gave a big dinner at his house for Jesus. At the table there were many tax collectors and some other people too.
30. But the Pharisees and those who taught the law for the Pharisees began to complain to the followers of Jesus, “Why do you eat and drink with tax collectors and other sinners?”
31. Jesus answered them, “It is the sick people who need a doctor, not those who are healthy.
32. I have not come to ask good people to change. I have come to ask sinners to change the way they live.”
33. They said to Jesus, “John’s followers often fast and pray, the same as the followers of the Pharisees. But your followers eat and drink all the time.”
34. Jesus said to them, “At a wedding you can’t ask the friends of the bridegroom to be sad and fast while he is still with them.
35. But the time will come when the groom will be taken away from them. Then his friends will fast.”