Luke 5:17-34

¹⁷It came about on one of those days that he was teaching, and there were Pharisees and teachers of the law sitting there who had come from many different villages in the regions of Galilee and Judea, and also from the town of Jerusalem. The power of the Lord was with him to heal.

¹⁸Now some men came, carrying on a mat a man that was paralyzed, and they looked for a way to bring him inside in order to lay him down in front of Jesus.

¹⁹They could not find a way to bring him in because of the crowd, so they went up to the housetop and let the man down through the tiles, on his mat, into the midst of the people, right in front of Jesus.

²⁰Seeing their faith, Jesus said, “Man, your sins are forgiven you.”

²¹The scribes and the Pharisees began to question this, saying, “Who is this who speaks blasphemies? Who can forgive sins but God alone?”

²²But Jesus, perceiving what they were thinking, answered and said to them, “Why are you questioning this in your hearts?

²³Which is easier to say, 'Your sins are forgiven you' or to say 'Get up and walk?'

²⁴But that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins,”—he said to the paralysed man—”I tell you, get up, pick up your mat and go to your house.”

²⁵Immediately he got up in front of them and picked up the mat on which he was lying. Then he went away to his house, glorifying God.

²⁶Everyone was amazed and they glorified God. They were filled with fear, saying, “We have seen extraordinary things today.”

²⁷After these things happened, Jesus went out from there and saw a tax collector named Levi sitting at the tax collector's tent. He said to him, “Follow me.”

²⁸So Levi got up and followed him, leaving everything behind.

²⁹Then Levi gave a big banquet in his house for Jesus. There were many tax collectors there and other people who were reclining at the table and eating with them.

³⁰But the Pharisees and their scribes were complaining to his disciples, saying, “Why do you eat and drink with tax collectors and other sinful people?”

³¹Jesus answered them, “People who are well do not need a physician; only those who are sick.

³²I did not come to call righteous people to repentance, but to call sinners to repentance.”

³³They said to him, “The disciples of John often fast and pray, and the disciples of the Pharisees do the same. But your disciples eat and drink.”

³⁴Jesus said to them, “Can anyone make the wedding attendants of the bridegroom fast while the bridegroom is still with them?