‏ Luke 5

The First Disciples

1 On one occasion, while [Jesus] was standing by the Lake of Gennesaret
That is, the Sea of Galilee
[with] the crowd pressing in on Him to hear the word of God,
2 He saw two boats at the edge of the lake. The fishermen had left them and were washing [their] nets. 3 [Jesus] got into the boat belonging to Simon [and] asked him to put out a little from shore. And sitting down, He taught the people from the boat. 4 When [Jesus] had finished speaking, He said to Simon, “Put out into deep [water] and let down your nets for a catch.” 5 “Master,” Simon replied, “we have worked through [the] night [without] catching [anything] . But because You say so, I will let down the nets.” 6 When they had done so, they caught [such] a large number of fish [that] their nets began to tear. 7 So they signaled to [their] partners in the other boat to come [and] help them, and they came and filled both boats so [full] that they began to sink. 8 When Simon Peter saw [this] , he fell at Jesus’ knees. “Go away from me, Lord,” he said, “for I am a sinful man.” 9 For he and his companions were astonished at the catch of fish they had taken, 10 and so [were] [his] partners James and John, [the] sons of Zebedee. “ {Do} not be afraid,” Jesus said to Simon, “from now on you will catch men.” 11 And when they had brought [their] boats ashore, they left everything [and] followed Him.

The Leper's Prayer

12 While [Jesus] was in one of the towns, a man [came along] [who was] covered with leprosy.
Leprosy was a term used for various skin diseases. See Leviticus 13.
When he saw Jesus, he fell facedown [and] begged Him, “Lord, if You are willing, You can make me clean.”
13 [Jesus] reached out [His] hand [and] touched [the man] . “I am willing,” He said. “Be clean!” And immediately the leprosy left him. 14 “ {Do not} tell [anyone] ,” [Jesus] instructed him. “But go, show yourself to the priest and present the offering Moses prescribed for your cleansing, as a testimony to them.” 15 But the news about [Jesus] spread all the more, and great crowds came to hear [Him] and to be healed of their sicknesses. 16 Yet He frequently withdrew to the wilderness to pray.

Jesus Heals a Paralytic

17 One day [Jesus] was teaching, and [the] Pharisees and teachers of the law were sitting [there] . [People] had come from Jerusalem and from every village of Galilee and Judea, and [the] power of [the] Lord was [present] for Him to heal [the sick] . 18 Just then, [some] men [came] carrying a paralyzed man on a mat. They tried to bring him inside to set him before [Jesus] , 19 but they could not find a way through the crowd. So they went up on the roof and lowered him on [his] mat through the tiles into the middle [of the crowd] , right in front of Jesus. 20 When [Jesus] saw their faith, He said, “Friend, your sins are forgiven.” 21 But the scribes and Pharisees began to contemplate [this] [and] ask, “Who is this [man] who speaks blasphemy? Who can forgive sins but God alone?” 22 Knowing what they were thinking, Jesus replied, “Why are you thinking [these things] in your hearts? 23 Which is easier: to say, ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or to say, ‘Get up and walk?’ 24 But so that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on the earth to forgive sins...” He said to the paralytic, “I tell you, get up, pick up your mat, [and] go home.” 25 And immediately [the man] stood up before them, took what he had been lying on, and went home glorifying God. 26 Everyone was taken with amazement and glorified God. They were filled with awe [and] said, “We have seen remarkable things today.”

The Calling of Levi

27 After [this] , [Jesus] went out and saw a tax collector named Levi sitting at the tax booth. “Follow Me,” He told him, 28 and [Levi] got up, left everything, [and] followed Him. 29 Then Levi hosted a great banquet for [Jesus] at his house. A large crowd of tax collectors was there, along with others who were eating with them. 30 But the Pharisees and their scribes complained to [Jesus’] disciples, “Why do you eat and drink with tax collectors and sinners?” 31 Jesus answered, “ [It is] not the healthy [who] need a doctor, but the sick. 32 I have not come to call [the] righteous, but sinners, to repentance.”

Questions about Fasting

33 Then they said to Him, “John’s disciples and those of the Pharisees frequently fast and pray, but Yours keep on eating and drinking.” 34 Jesus replied, “vvv Can you make the guests of the bridegroom fast while [He] is with them? 35 But [the] time will come when the bridegroom will be taken from them; then they will fast.”

The Patches and the Wineskins

36 He also told them a parable: “No one tears a piece of cloth from a new garment [and] sews [it] on an old [one] . If he does, he will tear the new [garment] as well, and [the] patch from the new will not match the old. 37 And no one pours new wine into old wineskins. If he does, the new wine will burst the skins, [the wine] will spill, and the wineskins will be ruined. 38 Instead, new wine is poured into new wineskins. 39 And no one after drinking old [wine ] wants new, for he says, ‘The old is better.’”
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