Today's Reading
September 27, 2026
Mark Chapter 2
Daily readings posted here at midnight ET
Mark 2:1-28, KJV:
1 And again he entered into Capernaum after some days; and it was noised that he was in the house.
2 And straightway many were gathered together, insomuch that there was no room to receive them, no, not so much as about the door: and he preached the word unto them.
3 And they come unto him, bringing one sick of the palsy, which was borne of four.
4 And when they could not come nigh unto him for the press, they uncovered the roof where he was: and when they had broken it up, they let down the bed wherein the sick of the palsy lay.
5 When Jesus saw their faith, he said unto the sick of the palsy, Son, thy sins be forgiven thee.
6 But there were certain of the scribes sitting there, and reasoning in their hearts,
7 Why doth this man thus speak blasphemies? who can forgive sins but God only?
8 And immediately when Jesus perceived in his spirit that they so reasoned within themselves, he said unto them, Why reason ye these things in your hearts?
9 Whether is it easier to say to the sick of the palsy, Thy sins be forgiven thee; or to say, Arise, and take up thy bed, and walk?
10 But that ye may know that the Son of man hath power on earth to forgive sins, (he saith to the sick of the palsy,)
11 I say unto thee, Arise, and take up thy bed, and go thy way into thine house.
12 And immediately he arose, took up the bed, and went forth before them all; insomuch that they were all amazed, and glorified God, saying, We never saw it on this fashion.
13 And he went forth again by the sea side; and all the multitude resorted unto him, and he taught them.
14 And as he passed by, he saw Levi the son of Alphaeus sitting at the receipt of custom, and said unto him, Follow me. And he arose and followed him.
15 And it came to pass, that, as Jesus sat at meat in his house, many publicans and sinners sat also together with Jesus and his disciples: for there were many, and they followed him.
16 And when the scribes and Pharisees saw him eat with publicans and sinners, they said unto his disciples, How is it that he eateth and drinketh with publicans and sinners?
17 When Jesus heard it, he saith unto them, They that are whole have no need of the physician, but they that are sick: I came not to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.
18 And the disciples of John and of the Pharisees used to fast: and they come and say unto him, Why do the disciples of John and of the Pharisees fast, but thy disciples fast not?
19 And Jesus said unto them, Can the children of the bridechamber fast, while the bridegroom is with them? as long as they have the bridegroom with them, they cannot fast.
20 But the days will come, when the bridegroom shall be taken away from them, and then shall they fast in those days.
21 No man also seweth a piece of new cloth on an old garment: else the new piece that filled it up taketh away from the old, and the rent is made worse.
22 And no man putteth new wine into old bottles: else the new wine doth burst the bottles, and the wine is spilled, and the bottles will be marred: but new wine must be put into new bottles.
23 And it came to pass, that he went through the corn fields on the sabbath day; and his disciples began, as they went, to pluck the ears of corn.
24 And the Pharisees said unto him, Behold, why do they on the sabbath day that which is not lawful?
25 And he said unto them, Have ye never read what David did, when he had need, and was an hungred, he, and they that were with him?
26 How he went into the house of God in the days of Abiathar the high priest, and did eat the shewbread, which is not lawful to eat but for the priests, and gave also to them which were with him?
27 And he said unto them, The sabbath was made for man, and not man for the sabbath:
28 Therefore the Son of man is Lord also of the sabbath.
Reflection Questions
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What stands out to you about the faith and determination of the friends who brought the paralyzed man to Jesus?
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Why do you think Jesus forgave the man’s sins before healing him physically?
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What does Jesus calling Levi, and then eating with tax collectors and sinners, teach us about who He welcomes and calls to follow Him?
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When Jesus is questioned about fasting, what do you think He is teaching about the difference between simply following religious customs and recognizing what God is doing in the present moment?
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What does Jesus mean when He says, “The sabbath was made for man, and not man for the sabbath,” and what does this reveal about the purpose of God’s commands?
Answer one, a few, or all of the reflection questions in the comments below, or simply share any thoughts, insights, or questions you’re left with after today’s reading. You’ll need to be logged in to comment.
Want to dig a little deeper? Use the optional 90 Days with Jesus Printable Study Companion alongside today’s reading.
Vs. 24 stood out to me where the disciples were harvesting grain to eat on the Sabbath and the religious leaders were all in an uproar about it. This reminds me that Jesus is more interested in our hearts. Relationship > Religion
I’m sorry everyone, a little bit of beginning growing pains over here! When I moved yesterday’s reading from the “Today’s Reading” page to its permanent Mark 2 page, the comments didn’t move with it.
The good news is that I was able to recover them, so I’m copying the missing comments back below so we don’t lose any of the conversation.
I now know exactly what caused it and how to avoid it going forward, so this shouldn’t happen again. Thank you for your patience while I work out these little behind-the-scenes details as we get started. ❤️
Jessica Schoenly:
What stands out about the faith and determination of the friends who brought the paralyzed man to Jesus?
Their faith and determination was strong. They ran the risk of bringing their friend to a complete stranger for healing and nothing happening. But, they truly believed in what Jesus was doing and would stop at nothing to help their friend. They banded together in a bond of true friendship.
Pat:
When Jesus is questioned about fasting, what do you think He is teaching about the difference between simply following religious customs and recognizing what God is doing in the present moment? I believe Jesus is trying to show the people that God is present in every moment of our lives and religious customs have possible put blinders on us…we should look for Gods presence in the simplest things…a breeze across our face, a hug, a smile from a stranger😊🙏
Robin:
I believe what Jesus meant when He said “The sabbath was made for man, and not man for the sabbath" was that the meaning behind it was given by God, not man, and that since Jesus is God then the people should trust it.
Jesus also forgave the lepor before healing him to demonstrate to the people who He is. He is God in the flesh, has the authority to forgive and heal.
What a beautiful example of Jesus' life in this world, His ministry and how believing and faith are absolutely essential to see who He is. Any doubt and we miss the Savior.
abhearne:
What stood out was the faith of the paralytic's friends who helped him to be healed. Their faith and perseverance was noticed by Jesus. I can only imagine the time and strength it took to maneuver through the crowd to get him onto the roof, remove it, and then lower him and his bed down to Christ. That was a picture of true friendship.
Jesus forgave the man's sins before he was healed physically so that those who questioned Him in their hearts would know that "... the Son of Man has the power on earth to forgive sins...."
Geneva Schueler:
Why do you think Jesus forgave the man’s sins before healing him physically?
I think to give him a whole new start. Now that his sins are forgiven, he can be healed and walk a whole new different life than before. I think jesus also tells us that we don’t have to be “physically well” to be forgiven and worthy.
What does Jesus calling Levi, and then eating with tax collectors and sinners, teach us about who He welcomes and calls to follow Him?
This teaches us that sinners and people who are “sick” Jesus wants to reach most of all to change their lives. We don’t have to be perfect or even prove ourselves to be worthy and forgiven.
sweetpeahome:
I noticed that Jesus has such authority that he called people to come to him and follow him, that they did. They just dropped everything, no questions asked, no explanation needed. They left the jobs that feed their familes, left their families to follow Jesus. Was he a complete stranger to them?
Crystal B: That stood out to me too. It’s easy to read that they left everything and followed Jesus and move right past it, but when I really think about what that meant, it feels huge. James and John even left their father there in the boat. They weren’t just changing jobs or rearranging their schedules; following Jesus was going to change the entire direction of their lives and affect the people closest to them too. I keep wondering what it must have been about that encounter with Jesus that made them willing to respond so completely.