Mark 2
2
Jesus Heals a Paralyzed Man
1A few days later, Jesus came back to Capernaum. The news spread that he was home. 2So many people gathered to hear him preach that the house was full. There was no place to stand, not even outside the door. Jesus was teaching them. 3Some people came, bringing a paralyzed man to Jesus. Four of them were carrying the paralyzed man. 4But they could not get to Jesus because of the crowd. So they went to the roof above Jesus and made a hole in the roof. Then they lowered the mat with the paralyzed man on it. 5Jesus saw that these men had great faith. So he said to the paralyzed man, “Young man, your sins are forgiven.”
6Some of the teachers of the law were sitting there. They saw what Jesus did, and they said to themselves, 7“Why does this man say things like that? He is saying things that are against God. Only God can forgive sins.”
8At once Jesus knew what these teachers of the law were thinking. So he said to them, “Why are you thinking these things? 9Which is easier: to tell this paralyzed man, ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or to tell him, ‘Stand up. Take your mat and walk’? 10But I will prove to you that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins.” So Jesus said to the paralyzed man, 11“I tell you, stand up. Take your mat and go home.” 12Immediately the paralyzed man stood up. He took his mat and walked out while everyone was watching him.
The people were amazed and praised God. They said, “We have never seen anything like this!”
13Jesus went to the lake again. A crowd followed him there, and he taught them. 14While he was walking beside the lake, he saw a tax collector named Levi son of Alphaeus. Levi was sitting in the tax office. Jesus said to him, “Follow me.” And Levi stood up and followed Jesus.
15Later that day, Jesus ate at Levi’s house. There were many tax collectors and “sinners” eating there with Jesus and his followers. Many people like this followed Jesus. 16The teachers of the law who were Pharisees saw Jesus eating with the tax collectors and “sinners.” They asked his followers, “Why does he eat with tax collectors and sinners?”
17Jesus heard this and said to them, “Healthy people don’t need a doctor. It is the sick who need a doctor. I did not come to invite good people. I came to invite sinners.”
Jesus’ Followers Are Criticized
18One day the followers of John# John the Baptist who preached to the Jews about Christ’s coming (Mark 1:4–8). and the Pharisees were giving up eating.# This is called “fasting.” The people would give up eating for a special time of prayer and worship to God. It was also done to show sadness. Some people came to Jesus and said, “John’s followers and the followers of the Pharisees give up eating. But your followers don’t. Why?”
19Jesus answered, “When there is a wedding, the friends of the bridegroom are not sad while he is with them. They do not give up eating while the bridegroom is still there. 20But the time will come when the bridegroom will leave them. Then the friends will be sad and will give up eating.
21“When a person sews a patch over a hole on an old coat, he never uses a piece of cloth that is not yet shrunk. If he does, the patch will shrink and pull away from the coat. Then the hole will be worse. 22Also, no one ever pours new wine into old leather bags for holding wine. If he does, the new wine will break the bags, and the wine will be ruined along with the bags for the wine. People always put new wine into new leather bags.”
Jesus Is Lord of the Sabbath
23On the Sabbath day, Jesus was walking through some grainfields. His followers were with him and picked some grain to eat. 24The Pharisees saw this and said to Jesus, “Why are your followers doing what is not lawful on the Sabbath?”
25Jesus answered, “You have read what David did when he and those with him were hungry and needed food. 26It was during the time of Abiathar the high priest. David went into God’s house and ate the bread that was made holy for God. The law of Moses says that only priests may eat that bread. But David also gave some of the bread to those who were with him.”
27Then Jesus said to the Pharisees, “The Sabbath day was made to help people. They were not made to be ruled by the Sabbath day. 28The Son of Man is Lord even of the Sabbath.”
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Mark 2: ICB
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Copyright © 2015 by Tommy Nelson™, a Division of Thomas Nelson, Inc. All rights reserved. Used by permission.
Mark 2
2
Healing and forgiveness
1After a few days, Jesus went back to Capernaum, and people heard that he was at home. 2So many gathered that there was no longer space, not even near the door. Jesus was speaking the word to them. 3Some people arrived, and four of them were bringing to him a man who was paralyzed. 4They couldn’t carry him through the crowd, so they tore off part of the roof above where Jesus was. When they had made an opening, they lowered the mat on which the paralyzed man was lying. 5When Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralytic, “Child, your sins are forgiven!”
6Some legal experts were sitting there, muttering among themselves, 7“Why does he speak this way? He’s insulting God. Only the one God can forgive sins.”
8Jesus immediately recognized what they were discussing, and he said to them, “Why do you fill your minds with these questions? 9Which is easier—to say to a paralyzed person, ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or to say, ‘Get up, take up your bed, and walk’? 10But so you will know that the Human One#2.10 Or Son of Man has authority on the earth to forgive sins”—he said to the man who was paralyzed, 11“Get up, take your mat, and go home.”
12Jesus raised him up, and right away he picked up his mat and walked out in front of everybody. They were all amazed and praised God, saying, “We’ve never seen anything like this!”
Eating with sinners
13Jesus went out beside the lake again. The whole crowd came to him, and he began to teach them. 14As he continued along, he saw Levi, Alphaeus’ son, sitting at a kiosk for collecting taxes. Jesus said to him, “Follow me.” Levi got up and followed him.
15Jesus sat down to eat at Levi’s house. Many tax collectors and sinners were eating with Jesus and his disciples. Indeed, many of them had become his followers. 16When some of the legal experts from among the Pharisees saw that he was eating with sinners and tax collectors, they asked his disciples, “Why is he eating with sinners and tax collectors?”
17When Jesus heard it, he said to them, “Healthy people don’t need a doctor, but sick people do. I didn’t come to call righteous people, but sinners.”
When to fast
18John’s disciples and the Pharisees had a habit of fasting. Some people asked Jesus, “Why do John’s disciples and the Pharisees’ disciples fast, but yours don’t?”
19Jesus said, “The wedding guests can’t fast while the groom is with them, can they? As long as they have the groom with them, they can’t fast. 20But the days will come when the groom will be taken away from them, and then they will fast.
21“No one sews a piece of new, unshrunk cloth on old clothes; otherwise, the patch tears away from it, the new from the old, and makes a worse tear. 22No one pours new wine into old leather wineskins; otherwise, the wine would burst the wineskins and the wine would be lost and the wineskins destroyed. But new wine is for new wineskins.”
Scripture and the Sabbath
23Jesus went through the wheat fields on the Sabbath. As the disciples made their way, they were picking the heads of wheat. 24The Pharisees said to Jesus, “Look! Why are they breaking the Sabbath law?”
25He said to them, “Haven’t you ever read what David did when he was in need, when he and those with him were hungry? 26During the time when Abiathar was high priest, David went into God’s house and ate the bread of the presence, which only the priests were allowed to eat. He also gave bread to those who were with him.” 27Then he said, “The Sabbath was created for humans; humans weren’t created for the Sabbath. 28This is why the Human One#2.28 Or Son of Man is Lord even over the Sabbath.”
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2011 Common English Bible. All rights reserved.