6. But I will prove to you that the Son of Man has power on earth to forgive sins.” Then Jesus said to the paralyzed man, “Stand up. Take your mat and go home.”
7. And the man stood up and went home.
8. The people saw this and were amazed. They praised God for giving power like this to men.
9. When Jesus was leaving, he saw a man named Matthew. Matthew was sitting in the tax office. Jesus said to him, “Follow me.” And Matthew stood up and followed Jesus.
10. Jesus had dinner at Matthew’s house. Many tax collectors and “sinners” came and ate with Jesus and his followers.
11. The Pharisees saw this and asked Jesus’ followers, “Why does your teacher eat with tax collectors and ‘sinners’?”
12. Jesus heard the Pharisees ask this. So he said, “Healthy people don’t need a doctor. Only the sick need a doctor.
13. Go and learn what this means: ‘I want faithful love more than I want animal sacrifices.’ I did not come to invite good people. I came to invite sinners.”
14. Then the followers of John came to Jesus. They said to Jesus, “We and the Pharisees often give up eating. But your followers don’t. Why?”
15. Jesus answered, “The friends of the bridegroom are not sad while he is with them. But the time will come when the bridegroom will leave them. Then his friends are sad, and they will give up eating.
16. “When someone sews a patch over a hole in 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.
17. Also, people never pour new wine into old leather bags for holding wine. If they do, the old bags will break. The wine will spill, and the wine bags will be ruined. But people always pour new wine into new wine bags. Then the wine and the wine bags will continue to be good.”
18. While Jesus was saying these things, a ruler of the synagogue came to him. The ruler bowed down before Jesus and said, “My daughter has just died. But come and touch her with your hand, and she will live again.”
19. So Jesus stood up and went with the ruler. Jesus’ followers went too.
20. Then a woman who had been bleeding for 12 years came behind Jesus and touched the edge of his coat.
21. She was thinking, “If I can touch his coat, then I will be healed.”
22. Jesus turned and saw the woman. He said, “Be happy, dear woman. You are made well because you believed.” And the woman was healed at once.
23. Jesus continued along with the ruler and went into the ruler’s house. Jesus saw people there who play music for funerals. And he saw many people there crying.
24. Jesus said, “Go away. The girl is not dead. She is only asleep.” But the people laughed at Jesus.
25. After the crowd had been put outside, Jesus went into the girl’s room. He took her hand, and she stood up.