15. But so much the more the news spread abroad concerning Him, and great crowds kept coming together to hear [Him] and to be healed by Him of their infirmities.
16. But He Himself withdrew [in retirement] to the wilderness (desert) and prayed.
17. One of those days, as He was teaching, there were Pharisees and teachers of the Law sitting by, who had come from every village and town of Galilee and Judea and from Jerusalem. And the power of the Lord was [present] with Him to heal them.
18. And behold, some men were bringing on a stretcher a man who was paralyzed, and they tried to carry him in and lay him before [Jesus].
19. But finding no way to bring him in because of the crowd, they went up on the roof and lowered him with his stretcher through the tiles into the midst, in front of Jesus.
20. And when He saw [their confidence in Him, springing from] their faith, He said, Man, your sins are forgiven you!
21. And the scribes and the Pharisees began to reason and question and argue, saying, Who is this [Man] Who speaks blasphemies? Who can forgive sins but God alone?
22. But Jesus, knowing their thoughts and questionings, answered them, Why do you question in your hearts?
23. Which is easier: to say, Your sins are forgiven you, or to say, Arise and walk [about]?
24. But that you may know that the Son of Man has the [power of] authority and right on earth to forgive sins, He said to the paralyzed man, I say to you, arise, pick up your litter (stretcher), and go to your own house!
25. And instantly [the man] stood up before them and picked up what he had been lying on and went away to his house, recognizing and praising and thanking God.
26. And overwhelming astonishment and ecstasy seized them all, and they recognized and praised and thanked God; and they were filled with and controlled by reverential fear and kept saying, We have seen wonderful and strange and incredible and unthinkable things today!
27. And after this, Jesus went out and looked [attentively] at a tax collector named Levi sitting at the tax office; and He said to him, Join Me as a disciple and side with My party and accompany Me.
28. And he forsook everything and got up and followed Him [becoming His disciple and siding with His party].
29. And Levi (Matthew) made a great banquet for Him in his own house, and there was a large company of tax collectors and others who were reclining [at the table] with them.
30. Now the Pharisees and their scribes were grumbling against Jesus' disciples, saying, Why are you eating and drinking with tax collectors and [preeminently] sinful people?
31. And Jesus replied to them, It is not those who are healthy who need a physician, but those who are sick.