Luke 5:17-39

One day as Jesus was teaching the people, the Pharisees and teachers of the law from every town in Galilee and Judea and from Jerusalem were there. The Lord was giving Jesus the power to heal people. Just then, some men were carrying on a mat a man who was paralyzed. They tried to bring him in and put him down before Jesus. But because there were so many people there, they could not find a way in. So they went up on the roof and lowered the man on his mat through the ceiling into the middle of the crowd right before Jesus. Seeing their faith, Jesus said, “Friend, your sins are forgiven.” The Jewish teachers of the law and the Pharisees thought to themselves, “Who is this man who is speaking as if he were God? Only God can forgive sins.” But Jesus knew what they were thinking and said, “Why are you thinking these things? Which is easier: to say, ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or to say, ‘Stand up and walk’? 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.” At once the man stood up before them, picked up his mat, and went home, praising God. 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!” After this, Jesus went out and saw a tax collector named Levi sitting in the tax collector’s booth. Jesus said to him, “Follow me!” So Levi got up, left everything, and followed him. Then Levi gave a big dinner for Jesus at his house. Many tax collectors and other people were eating there, too. But the Pharisees and the men who taught the law for the Pharisees began to complain to Jesus’ followers, “Why do you eat and drink with tax collectors and sinners?” Jesus answered them, “It is not the healthy people who need a doctor, but the sick. I have not come to invite good people but sinners to change their hearts and lives.” They said to Jesus, “John’s followers often fast for a certain time and pray, just as the Pharisees do. But your followers eat and drink all the time.” Jesus said to them, “You cannot make the friends of the bridegroom fast while he is still with them. But the time will come when the bridegroom will be taken away from them, and then they will fast.” Jesus told them this story: “No one takes cloth off a new coat to cover a hole in an old coat. Otherwise, he ruins the new coat, and the cloth from the new coat will not be the same as the old cloth. Also, no one ever pours new wine into old leather bags. Otherwise, the new wine will break the bags, the wine will spill out, and the leather bags will be ruined. New wine must be put into new leather bags. No one after drinking old wine wants new wine, because he says, ‘The old wine is better.’ ”