Luke 5:12-28

12One day Jesus was in a city where there was a man covered with a serious skin disease. When the man saw Jesus, he bowed with his face to the ground. He begged Jesus, “Sir, if you want to, you can make me clean.”

13Jesus reached out, touched him, and said, “I want to. So be clean!” Immediately, his skin disease went away.

14Jesus ordered him, “Don’t tell anyone. Instead, show yourself to the priest. Then offer the sacrifice as Moses commanded as proof to people that you are clean.”

15The news about Jesus spread even more. Large crowds gathered to hear him and have their diseases cured.

16But he would go away to places where he could be alone for prayer.

17One day when Jesus was teaching, some Pharisees and experts in Moses’ Teachings were present. They had come from every village in Galilee and Judea and from Jerusalem. Jesus had the power of the Lord to heal.

18Some men brought a paralyzed man on a stretcher. They tried to take him into the house and put him in front of Jesus.

19But they could not find a way to get him into the house because of the crowd. So they went up on the roof. They made an opening in the tiles and let the man down on his stretcher among the people. (They lowered him in front of Jesus.)

20When Jesus saw their faith, he said, “Sir, your sins are forgiven.”

21The experts in Moses’ Teachings and the Pharisees thought, “Who is this man? He’s dishonoring God! Who besides God can forgive sins?”

22Jesus knew what they were thinking. So he said to them, “What are you thinking?

23Is it easier to say, ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or to say, ‘Get up and walk’?

24I want you to know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins.” Then he said to the paralyzed man, “Get up, pick up your stretcher, and go home.”

25The man immediately stood up in front of them and picked up the stretcher he had been lying on. Praising God, he went home.

26Everyone was amazed and praised God. They were filled with awe and said, “We’ve seen things today we can hardly believe!”

27After that, Jesus left. He saw a tax collector named Levi sitting in a tax office. Jesus said to him, “Follow me!”

28So Levi got up, left everything, and followed him.