1Passados vários dias, voltou a Cafarnaum e a notícia da sua chegada depressa se espalhou pela cidade.2Logo a casa onde estava ficou tão cheia de visitantes que não havia espaço para mais ninguém, nem sequer do lado de fora. E Jesus anunciava-lhes a mensagem de Deus.3Logo quatro homens lhe trouxeram, numa esteira, um rapaz paralítico.4Como não pudessem chegar junto de Jesus por causa da multidão, abriram o teto por cima do lugar onde se encontrava, e por ali baixaram o doente deitado na cama, bem na sua frente.5Vendo a fé de que davam provas, Jesus disse ao doente: “Filho, os teus pecados estão perdoados!”6Alguns dos especialistas na Lei que ali estavam sentados diziam no seu coração:7“Mas porque fala ele assim? Ele está a blasfemar! Só Deus pode perdoar os pecados!”8E Jesus, de imediato percebendo no seu espírito o que eles estavam a pensar consigo mesmos, disse-lhes: “Porque estão a pensar isso nos vossos corações?9O que é mais fácil dizer: ‘os teus pecados são perdoados’ ou ‘levanta-te, pega na tua enxerga e anda?’10Portanto, vou provar-vos que o Filho do Homem tem autoridade para perdoar os pecados.” E voltando-se para o paralítico, disse-lhe:11“A ti digo: Levanta-te, enrola a tua esteira e vai para casa!”12O homem pôs-se em pé. E apanhando a esteira, abriu caminho à vista de toda a gente que ali se encontrava, de forma que toda a gente ficou admirada e glorificava a Deus. “Nunca vimos nada assim!”, diziam.
A chamada de Levi
13Depois, foi de novo para a praia, ensinando o povo reunido à sua volta.14Ia Jesus a passar quando viu Levi, filho de Alfeu, sentado num balcão de cobrança, e disse-lhe: “Vem comigo e sê meu discípulo!” Levi levantou-se e seguiu-o.15Mais tarde, estava Jesus a comer em casa dele, veio também sentar-se à mesa com este e os seus discípulos um bom número de cobradores de impostos e outros pecadores. Aliás, havia muitos homens desta espécie entre o povo que seguia a Jesus.16Quando alguns especialistas na Lei que pertenciam ao grupo dos fariseus o viram comer com pecadores e cobradores de impostos, perguntaram aos discípulos: “Porque come o vosso mestre com cobradores de impostos e outros pecadores?”17Ao ouvi-los, Jesus respondeu-lhes: “Quem precisa de médico são os doentes, não os que têm saúde! Não vim chamar os justos, mas os pecadores.”
A questão de jejum
18Os discípulos de João e os fariseus jejuavam. Certo dia, foram ter com Jesus e perguntaram-lhe porque não faziam os seus discípulos o mesmo que eles.19Jesus replicou: “Podem os convidados do noivo jejuar, enquanto o noivo ainda está com eles? Enquanto tiverem o noivo com eles, não podem jejuar.20Lá virá o tempo em que lhes será tirado. Então, sim, jejuarão.21É como remendar roupa velha com um pedaço de pano que ainda não encolheu. De outro modo, o remendo novo repuxa o tecido velho e o buraco fica pior do que antes.22Sabem que não convém pôr vinho novo em odres velhos, se não estes rebentam, o vinho espalha-se e os odres ficam estragados. Para vinho novo, odres novos.”
O Senhor do sábado
23Noutra ocasião, num sábado, enquanto Jesus e os seus discípulos atravessavam umas searas, estes começaram a caminhar, a arrancar espigas de trigo e a comer o grão.24Alguns dos fariseus disseram então a Jesus: “Porque estão a fazer o que não é permitido no dia de sábado?”25“Nunca leram o que o rei David fez quando ele e os companheiros estavam necessitados e com fome,26como entrou na casa de Deus, no tempo do sumo sacerdote Abiatar, comeu os pães da Presença, que apenas aos sacerdotes era permitido comer, e os deu também aos seus companheiros?[1]27O sábado foi feito em benefício do homem e não o homem por causa do sábado.28Eu, o Filho do Homem, sou o Senhor do próprio sábado.”
1And when he returned to Capernaum after some days, it was reported that he was at home. (Mt 9:1)2And many were gathered together, so that there was no more room, not even at the door. And he was preaching the word to them.3And they came, bringing to him a paralytic carried by four men. (Mt 9:2; Lc 5:18)4And when they could not get near him because of the crowd, they removed the roof above him, and when they had made an opening, they let down the bed on which the paralytic lay. (Lc 5:19)5And when Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralytic, “Son, your sins are forgiven.” (Mt 8:10; Mt 8:13; Mt 9:22; Mt 9:29; Mt 15:28; Mc 10:52; Lc 7:9; Lc 7:48; Lc 7:50; Lc 17:19; Lc 18:42; Jo 5:14; At 3:16; At 14:9; Tg 5:15)6Now some of the scribes were sitting there, questioning in their hearts,7“Why does this man speak like that? He is blaspheming! Who can forgive sins but God alone?” (Sl 32:5; Is 43:25; Mc 14:64; Jo 10:36)8And immediately Jesus, perceiving in his spirit that they thus questioned within themselves, said to them, “Why do you question these things in your hearts? (Jo 2:25)9Which is easier, to say to the paralytic, ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or to say, ‘Rise, take up your bed and walk’?10But that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins”—he said to the paralytic— (Mc 2:28)11“I say to you, rise, pick up your bed, and go home.”12And he rose and immediately picked up his bed and went out before them all, so that they were all amazed and glorified God, saying, “We never saw anything like this!” (Lc 7:16)
Jesus Calls Levi
13He went out again beside the sea, and all the crowd was coming to him, and he was teaching them. (Mc 1:45)14And as he passed by, he saw Levi the son of Alphaeus sitting at the tax booth, and he said to him, “Follow me.” And he rose and followed him. (Mt 9:9; Lc 5:27)15And as he reclined at table in his house, many tax collectors and sinners were reclining with Jesus and his disciples, for there were many who followed him. (Mt 11:19; Lc 15:2)16And the scribes of[1] the Pharisees, when they saw that he was eating with sinners and tax collectors, said to his disciples, “Why does he eat[2] with tax collectors and sinners?” (Mc 2:15; At 4:5; At 23:9)17And when Jesus heard it, he said to them, “Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. I came not to call the righteous, but sinners.” (Lc 15:7; Jo 9:39; 1 Tm 1:15)
A Question About Fasting
18Now John’s disciples and the Pharisees were fasting. And people came and said to him, “Why do John’s disciples and the disciples of the Pharisees fast, but your disciples do not fast?” (Mt 11:2; Mt 14:12; Mc 7:5; Lc 11:1; Lc 18:12; Jo 1:35; Jo 3:25; Jo 4:1; At 18:25; At 19:3)19And Jesus said to them, “Can the wedding guests fast while the bridegroom is with them? As long as they have the bridegroom with them, they cannot fast. (Jo 3:29)20The days will come when the bridegroom is taken away from them, and then they will fast in that day. (Lc 17:22; Jo 16:20)21No one sews a piece of unshrunk cloth on an old garment. If he does, the patch tears away from it, the new from the old, and a worse tear is made.22And no one puts new wine into old wineskins. If he does, the wine will burst the skins—and the wine is destroyed, and so are the skins. But new wine is for fresh wineskins.”[3] (Js 9:4)
Jesus Is Lord of the Sabbath
23One Sabbath he was going through the grainfields, and as they made their way, his disciples began to pluck heads of grain. (Dt 23:25; Mt 12:1; Lc 6:1)24And the Pharisees were saying to him, “Look, why are they doing what is not lawful on the Sabbath?” (Ex 20:9; Mt 9:11)25And he said to them, “Have you never read what David did, when he was in need and was hungry, he and those who were with him: (1 Sm 21:1; Mt 21:16)26how he entered the house of God, in the time of[4] Abiathar the high priest, and ate the bread of the Presence, which it is not lawful for any but the priests to eat, and also gave it to those who were with him?” (Ex 25:30; Lv 24:5; 1 Sm 21:1; 2 Sm 8:17; 1 Cr 24:6)27And he said to them, “The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath. (Ex 23:12; Dt 5:14; Cl 2:16)28So the Son of Man is lord even of the Sabbath.” (Mc 2:10)