14. Then Jesus said, “Don’t tell anyone about what happened. But go show yourself to the priest. And offer a gift to God for your healing as Moses commanded. This will prove to everyone that you are healed.”
15. But the news about Jesus was spreading more and more. Many people came to hear Jesus and to be healed of their sicknesses.
16. But Jesus often slipped 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 there, too. They had come from every town in Galilee and from Judea and Jerusalem. The Lord was giving Jesus the power to heal people.
18. There was a man who was paralyzed. Some men were carrying him on a mat. They tried to bring him in and put him down before Jesus.
19. But because there were so many people there, they could not find a way to Jesus. So the men went up on the roof and made a hole in the ceiling. They lowered the mat so that the paralyzed man was lying right before Jesus.
20. Jesus saw that these men believed. So he 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? He is saying things that are against God! Only God can forgive sins.”
22. But Jesus knew what they were thinking. He said, “Why do you have thoughts like that in your hearts?
23. Which is easier: to tell this paralyzed man, ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or to tell him, ‘Stand up and walk’?
24. But I will prove to you that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins.” So Jesus said to the paralyzed man, “I tell you, stand up! Take your mat and go home.”
25. Then the man stood up before the people there. He picked up his mat and went home, praising God.
26. All the people were fully amazed and began to praise God. They were filled with much respect and said, “Today we have seen amazing things!”
27. After this, Jesus went out and saw a tax collector named Levi sitting in the tax office. Jesus said to him, “Follow me!”
28. Levi got up, left everything, and followed Jesus.
29. Then Levi gave a big dinner for Jesus. The dinner was at Levi’s house. At the table there were many tax collectors and other people, too.
30. But the Pharisees and the men who taught the law for the Pharisees began to complain to the followers of Jesus. They said, “Why do you eat and drink with tax collectors and ‘sinners’?”