18. And behold, men were carrying a paralyzed man on a stretcher, trying to bring him in and place him before Yeshua.
19. But when they found no way to bring him in because of the crowd, they went up on the roof and let him down with his stretcher through the tiles, right in the middle before Yeshua.
20. When He saw their faith, He said, “Man, your sins are forgiven.”
21. Then the Torah scholars and the Pharisees began to question, saying, “Who is this fellow speaking blasphemies? Who can pardon sins but God alone?”
22. Yeshua, knowing their thoughts, replied to them, “Why are you raising questions in your hearts?
23. Which is easier, to say, ‘Your sins are forgiven you,’ or to say, ‘Get up and walk’?
24. But so you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to pardon sins….” He said to the paralyzed one, “I tell you, get up and take your cot, and go home!”
25. Immediately he got up before them, picked up what he had been lying on, and went home, glorifying God.
26. Astonishment took hold of them, and they glorified God and all were filled with awe, saying, “We’ve seen incredible things today!”
27. After these things, Yeshua went out and observed a tax collector named Levi, sitting at the tax booth. He said to him, “Follow Me.”
28. And leaving everything, he got up and followed Him.
29. Levi made a great banquet for Yeshua at his house, and there was a large crowd of tax collectors and others who were reclining with them.
30. The Pharisees and their Torah scholars began murmuring to His disciples, saying, “Why do you eat and drink with tax collectors and sinners?”
31. And Yeshua answered and said to them, “Those who are healthy have no need for a doctor, but those who are sick do.
32. I did not come to call the righteous, but the sinful to repentance.”
33. But they said to Him, “John’s disciples often fast and offer prayers, as do the disciples of the Pharisees. But Your disciples are eating and drinking.”
34. But Yeshua said to them, “You cannot make the guests of the bridegroom fast while the bridegroom is with them, can you?
35. But the days will come; and when the bridegroom is taken away from them, then they will fast in those days.”