²⁵ And immediately, as everyone watched, the man jumped to his feet, picked up his mat and went home praising God! ²⁶ Everyone present was gripped with awe and fear. And they praised God, remarking over and over again, “We have seen strange things today.”

²⁷ Later on as Jesus left the town he saw a tax collector—with the usual reputation for cheating—sitting at a tax collection booth. The man’s name was Levi. Jesus said to him, “Come and be one of my disciples!”