Matt 9:6;
Luke 5:24
12. The man stretched out his bent limbs and eased himself off the pallet. He then picked it up and walked away, as Jesus had commanded.
13. The silent crowd stood aside to allow the healed man to walk out of the Synagogue and return to his home.
14. As he departed, Jesus said to the astonished onlookers: It is easier to say your sins are forgiven, but God has given me authority to heal and forgive.
see
Mark 2:10;
Matt 9:5;
Luke 5:23
15. Most people who had witnessed the miracle were amazed and remained silent, but several of the Elders walked out of the Synagogue in disgust. They had been angered by Jesus’ words, because what he had done went against their traditional beliefs.
[xiii]
16. After Jesus and his disciples had left the Synagogue, they started out on the road to Bethesda.
17. When they entered that town, they came across a man seated in the tax office.
18. He was gathering revenues on behalf of the Romans from those who had come from the Decapolis
[xiv]
19. Judas watched the man carefully and observed that he was not only taxing the visitors but also exacting an extra levy for himself.
20. Judas lost his temper with the man and shouted: ‘How can you take with one hand from your fellow citizens and then pass it on to the Romans with the other?’
21. The man made no attempt to defend himself and Judas walked away in disgust.
22. Jesus stopped and smiled at the tax collector, who lowered his head, embarrassed by his presence.
Matt 9:9;
Mark 2:14
23. Jesus walked towards him and said: Follow me.
24. Matthew immediately departed from the custom house and joined the other disciples.
25. Many ordinary citizens, seeing that Jesus was willing to include among his number fishermen, craftsmen in leather and iron, workers from the fields and now a tax collector, began to believe that they too could become followers of Jesus.
26. Judas could not understand and certainly did not approve of his Master mixing with such people. After all, it was not the way for a traditional holy man to conduct himself.
27. It was about that time that Judas was approached by a group of Pharisees, who observed that he was distressed by Jesus’ actions.
see
Matt 9:11;
Mark 2:16;
Luke 5:30