Print Page Options

Ἐγένετο δὲ ἐν τῷ τὸν ὄχλον ἐπικεῖσθαι αὐτῷ [a]καὶ ἀκούειν τὸν λόγον τοῦ θεοῦ καὶ αὐτὸς ἦν ἑστὼς παρὰ τὴν λίμνην Γεννησαρὲτ, καὶ εἶδεν [b]δύο πλοῖα ἑστῶτα παρὰ τὴν λίμνην, οἱ δὲ ἁλιεῖς [c]ἀπ’ αὐτῶν ἀποβάντες [d]ἔπλυνον τὰ δίκτυα. ἐμβὰς δὲ εἰς ἓν τῶν πλοίων, ὃ [e]ἦν Σίμωνος, ἠρώτησεν αὐτὸν ἀπὸ τῆς γῆς ἐπαναγαγεῖν ὀλίγον, [f]καθίσας δὲ ἐκ τοῦ πλοίου ἐδίδασκεν τοὺς ὄχλους. ὡς δὲ ἐπαύσατο λαλῶν, εἶπεν πρὸς τὸν Σίμωνα· Ἐπανάγαγε εἰς τὸ βάθος καὶ χαλάσατε τὰ δίκτυα ὑμῶν εἰς ἄγραν. καὶ ἀποκριθεὶς [g]Σίμων [h]εἶπεν· Ἐπιστάτα, δι’ [i]ὅλης νυκτὸς κοπιάσαντες οὐδὲν ἐλάβομεν, ἐπὶ δὲ τῷ ῥήματί σου χαλάσω [j]τὰ δίκτυα. καὶ τοῦτο ποιήσαντες συνέκλεισαν πλῆθος ἰχθύων πολύ, [k]διερρήσσετο δὲ [l]τὰ δίκτυα αὐτῶν. καὶ κατένευσαν τοῖς [m]μετόχοις ἐν τῷ ἑτέρῳ πλοίῳ τοῦ ἐλθόντας συλλαβέσθαι αὐτοῖς· καὶ ἦλθον, καὶ ἔπλησαν ἀμφότερα τὰ πλοῖα ὥστε βυθίζεσθαι αὐτά. ἰδὼν δὲ Σίμων Πέτρος προσέπεσεν τοῖς γόνασιν Ἰησοῦ λέγων· Ἔξελθε ἀπ’ ἐμοῦ, ὅτι ἀνὴρ ἁμαρτωλός εἰμι, κύριε· θάμβος γὰρ περιέσχεν αὐτὸν καὶ πάντας τοὺς σὺν αὐτῷ ἐπὶ τῇ ἄγρᾳ τῶν ἰχθύων [n]ὧν συνέλαβον, 10 ὁμοίως δὲ καὶ Ἰάκωβον καὶ Ἰωάννην υἱοὺς Ζεβεδαίου, οἳ ἦσαν κοινωνοὶ τῷ Σίμωνι. καὶ εἶπεν πρὸς τὸν Σίμωνα [o]ὁ Ἰησοῦς· Μὴ φοβοῦ· ἀπὸ τοῦ νῦν ἀνθρώπους ἔσῃ ζωγρῶν. 11 καὶ καταγαγόντες τὰ πλοῖα ἐπὶ τὴν γῆν ἀφέντες [p]πάντα ἠκολούθησαν αὐτῷ.

12 Καὶ ἐγένετο ἐν τῷ εἶναι αὐτὸν ἐν μιᾷ τῶν πόλεων καὶ ἰδοὺ ἀνὴρ πλήρης λέπρας· [q]καὶ ἰδὼν τὸν Ἰησοῦν πεσὼν ἐπὶ πρόσωπον ἐδεήθη αὐτοῦ λέγων· Κύριε, ἐὰν θέλῃς δύνασαί με καθαρίσαι. 13 καὶ ἐκτείνας τὴν χεῖρα ἥψατο αὐτοῦ [r]εἰπών· Θέλω, καθαρίσθητι· καὶ εὐθέως ἡ λέπρα ἀπῆλθεν ἀπ’ αὐτοῦ. 14 καὶ αὐτὸς παρήγγειλεν αὐτῷ μηδενὶ εἰπεῖν, ἀλλὰ ἀπελθὼν δεῖξον σεαυτὸν τῷ ἱερεῖ, καὶ προσένεγκε περὶ τοῦ καθαρισμοῦ σου καθὼς προσέταξεν Μωϋσῆς εἰς μαρτύριον αὐτοῖς. 15 διήρχετο δὲ μᾶλλον ὁ λόγος περὶ αὐτοῦ, καὶ συνήρχοντο ὄχλοι πολλοὶ ἀκούειν καὶ [s]θεραπεύεσθαι ἀπὸ τῶν ἀσθενειῶν αὐτῶν· 16 αὐτὸς δὲ ἦν ὑποχωρῶν ἐν ταῖς ἐρήμοις καὶ προσευχόμενος.

17 Καὶ ἐγένετο ἐν μιᾷ τῶν ἡμερῶν καὶ αὐτὸς ἦν διδάσκων, καὶ ἦσαν καθήμενοι Φαρισαῖοι καὶ νομοδιδάσκαλοι οἳ ἦσαν ἐληλυθότες ἐκ πάσης κώμης τῆς Γαλιλαίας καὶ Ἰουδαίας καὶ Ἰερουσαλήμ· καὶ δύναμις κυρίου ἦν εἰς τὸ ἰᾶσθαι [t]αὐτόν. 18 καὶ ἰδοὺ ἄνδρες φέροντες ἐπὶ κλίνης ἄνθρωπον ὃς ἦν παραλελυμένος, καὶ ἐζήτουν αὐτὸν εἰσενεγκεῖν καὶ [u]θεῖναι ἐνώπιον αὐτοῦ. 19 καὶ μὴ εὑρόντες ποίας εἰσενέγκωσιν αὐτὸν διὰ τὸν ὄχλον ἀναβάντες ἐπὶ τὸ δῶμα διὰ τῶν κεράμων καθῆκαν αὐτὸν σὺν τῷ κλινιδίῳ εἰς τὸ μέσον ἔμπροσθεν τοῦ Ἰησοῦ. 20 καὶ ἰδὼν τὴν πίστιν αὐτῶν [v]εἶπεν· Ἄνθρωπε, ἀφέωνταί σοι αἱ ἁμαρτίαι σου. 21 καὶ ἤρξαντο διαλογίζεσθαι οἱ γραμματεῖς καὶ οἱ Φαρισαῖοι λέγοντες· Τίς ἐστιν οὗτος ὃς λαλεῖ βλασφημίας; τίς δύναται [w]ἁμαρτίας ἀφεῖναι εἰ μὴ μόνος ὁ θεός; 22 ἐπιγνοὺς δὲ ὁ Ἰησοῦς τοὺς διαλογισμοὺς αὐτῶν ἀποκριθεὶς εἶπεν πρὸς αὐτούς· Τί διαλογίζεσθε ἐν ταῖς καρδίαις ὑμῶν; 23 τί ἐστιν εὐκοπώτερον, εἰπεῖν· Ἀφέωνταί σοι αἱ ἁμαρτίαι σου, ἢ εἰπεῖν· [x]Ἔγειρε καὶ περιπάτει; 24 ἵνα δὲ εἰδῆτε ὅτι [y]ὁ υἱὸς τοῦ ἀνθρώπου ἐξουσίαν ἔχει ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς ἀφιέναι ἁμαρτίας— εἶπεν τῷ παραλελυμένῳ· Σοὶ λέγω, [z]ἔγειρε καὶ ἄρας τὸ κλινίδιόν σου πορεύου εἰς τὸν οἶκόν σου. 25 καὶ παραχρῆμα ἀναστὰς ἐνώπιον αὐτῶν, ἄρας ἐφ’ ὃ κατέκειτο, ἀπῆλθεν εἰς τὸν οἶκον αὐτοῦ δοξάζων τὸν θεόν. 26 καὶ ἔκστασις ἔλαβεν ἅπαντας καὶ ἐδόξαζον τὸν θεόν, καὶ ἐπλήσθησαν φόβου λέγοντες ὅτι Εἴδομεν παράδοξα σήμερον.

27 Καὶ μετὰ ταῦτα ἐξῆλθεν καὶ ἐθεάσατο τελώνην ὀνόματι Λευὶν καθήμενον ἐπὶ τὸ τελώνιον, καὶ εἶπεν αὐτῷ· Ἀκολούθει μοι. 28 καὶ καταλιπὼν [aa]πάντα ἀναστὰς [ab]ἠκολούθει αὐτῷ.

29 Καὶ ἐποίησεν δοχὴν μεγάλην Λευὶς αὐτῷ ἐν τῇ οἰκίᾳ αὐτοῦ· καὶ ἦν ὄχλος [ac]πολὺς τελωνῶν καὶ ἄλλων οἳ ἦσαν μετ’ αὐτῶν κατακείμενοι. 30 καὶ ἐγόγγυζον οἱ [ad]Φαρισαῖοι καὶ οἱ γραμματεῖς αὐτῶν πρὸς τοὺς μαθητὰς αὐτοῦ λέγοντες· Διὰ τί μετὰ τῶν τελωνῶν καὶ ἁμαρτωλῶν ἐσθίετε καὶ πίνετε; 31 καὶ ἀποκριθεὶς ὁ Ἰησοῦς εἶπεν πρὸς αὐτούς· Οὐ χρείαν ἔχουσιν οἱ ὑγιαίνοντες ἰατροῦ ἀλλὰ οἱ κακῶς ἔχοντες· 32 οὐκ ἐλήλυθα καλέσαι δικαίους ἀλλὰ ἁμαρτωλοὺς εἰς μετάνοιαν.

33 Οἱ δὲ εἶπαν πρὸς αὐτόν· [ae]Οἱ μαθηταὶ Ἰωάννου νηστεύουσιν πυκνὰ καὶ δεήσεις ποιοῦνται, ὁμοίως καὶ οἱ τῶν Φαρισαίων, οἱ δὲ σοὶ ἐσθίουσιν καὶ πίνουσιν. 34 [af]δὲ εἶπεν πρὸς αὐτούς· Μὴ δύνασθε τοὺς υἱοὺς τοῦ νυμφῶνος ἐν ᾧ ὁ νυμφίος μετ’ αὐτῶν ἐστιν ποιῆσαι [ag]νηστεῦσαι; 35 ἐλεύσονται δὲ ἡμέραι, καὶ ὅταν ἀπαρθῇ ἀπ’ αὐτῶν ὁ νυμφίος τότε νηστεύσουσιν ἐν ἐκείναις ταῖς ἡμέραις. 36 ἔλεγεν δὲ καὶ παραβολὴν πρὸς αὐτοὺς ὅτι Οὐδεὶς ἐπίβλημα [ah]ἀπὸ ἱματίου καινοῦ [ai]σχίσας ἐπιβάλλει ἐπὶ ἱμάτιον παλαιόν· εἰ δὲ μήγε, καὶ τὸ καινὸν [aj]σχίσει καὶ τῷ παλαιῷ οὐ [ak]συμφωνήσει τὸ ἐπίβλημα τὸ ἀπὸ τοῦ καινοῦ. 37 καὶ οὐδεὶς βάλλει οἶνον νέον εἰς ἀσκοὺς παλαιούς· εἰ δὲ μήγε, ῥήξει ὁ [al]οἶνος ὁ νέος τοὺς ἀσκούς, καὶ αὐτὸς ἐκχυθήσεται καὶ οἱ ἀσκοὶ ἀπολοῦνται· 38 ἀλλὰ οἶνον νέον εἰς ἀσκοὺς καινοὺς [am]βλητέον. 39 [an]καὶ οὐδεὶς πιὼν [ao]παλαιὸν θέλει νέον· λέγει γάρ· Ὁ παλαιὸς [ap]χρηστός ἐστιν.

Footnotes

  1. ΚΑΤΑ ΛΟΥΚΑΝ 5:1 καὶ WH Treg NIV ] τοῦ RP
  2. ΚΑΤΑ ΛΟΥΚΑΝ 5:2 δύο πλοῖα Treg NIV RP ] πλοῖα δύο WH
  3. ΚΑΤΑ ΛΟΥΚΑΝ 5:2 ἀπ᾽ αὐτῶν ἀποβάντες WH Treg NIV ] ἀποβάντες ἀπ᾽ αὐτῶν RP
  4. ΚΑΤΑ ΛΟΥΚΑΝ 5:2 ἔπλυνον WH Treg NIV ] ἀπέπλυναν RP
  5. ΚΑΤΑ ΛΟΥΚΑΝ 5:3 ἦν WH Treg NIV ] + τοῦ RP
  6. ΚΑΤΑ ΛΟΥΚΑΝ 5:3 καθίσας δὲ ἐκ τοῦ πλοίου ἐδίδασκεν WH NIV ] καὶ καθίσας ἐδίδασκεν ἐκ τοῦ πλοίου Treg RP
  7. ΚΑΤΑ ΛΟΥΚΑΝ 5:5 Σίμων WH Treg NIV ] ὁ Σίμων RP
  8. ΚΑΤΑ ΛΟΥΚΑΝ 5:5 εἶπεν WH NIV ] + αὐτῷ Treg RP
  9. ΚΑΤΑ ΛΟΥΚΑΝ 5:5 ὅλης WH Treg NIV ] + τῆς RP
  10. ΚΑΤΑ ΛΟΥΚΑΝ 5:5 τὰ δίκτυα WH Treg NIV ] τὸ δίκτυον RP
  11. ΚΑΤΑ ΛΟΥΚΑΝ 5:6 διερρήσσετο WH Treg NIV ] διερρήγνυτο RP
  12. ΚΑΤΑ ΛΟΥΚΑΝ 5:6 τὰ δίκτυα WH Treg NIV ] τὸ δίκτυον RP
  13. ΚΑΤΑ ΛΟΥΚΑΝ 5:7 μετόχοις WH Treg NIV ] + τοῖς RP
  14. ΚΑΤΑ ΛΟΥΚΑΝ 5:9 ὧν WH Treg NIV ] ᾗ RP
  15. ΚΑΤΑ ΛΟΥΚΑΝ 5:10 Treg NIV RP ] – WH
  16. ΚΑΤΑ ΛΟΥΚΑΝ 5:11 πάντα WH Treg NIV ] ἅπαντα RP
  17. ΚΑΤΑ ΛΟΥΚΑΝ 5:12 καὶ ἰδὼν Treg RP ] ἰδὼν δὲ WH NIV
  18. ΚΑΤΑ ΛΟΥΚΑΝ 5:13 εἰπών RP ] λέγων WH Treg NIV
  19. ΚΑΤΑ ΛΟΥΚΑΝ 5:15 θεραπεύεσθαι WH Treg NIV ] + ὑπ᾽ αὐτοῦ RP
  20. ΚΑΤΑ ΛΟΥΚΑΝ 5:17 αὐτόν WH NIV ] αὐτούς Treg RP
  21. ΚΑΤΑ ΛΟΥΚΑΝ 5:18 θεῖναι Treg RP ] + αὐτὸν WH NIV
  22. ΚΑΤΑ ΛΟΥΚΑΝ 5:20 εἶπεν WH Treg NIV ] + αὐτῷ RP
  23. ΚΑΤΑ ΛΟΥΚΑΝ 5:21 ἁμαρτίας ἀφεῖναι WH Treg NIV ] ἀφεῖναι ἁμαρτίας RP
  24. ΚΑΤΑ ΛΟΥΚΑΝ 5:23 Ἔγειρε WH Treg NIV ] Ἔγειραι RP
  25. ΚΑΤΑ ΛΟΥΚΑΝ 5:24 ὁ υἱὸς τοῦ ἀνθρώπου ἐξουσίαν ἔχει WH Treg NIV ] ἐξουσίαν ἔχει ὁ υἱὸς τοῦ ἀνθρώπου RP
  26. ΚΑΤΑ ΛΟΥΚΑΝ 5:24 ἔγειρε WH Treg NIV ] ἔγειραι RP
  27. ΚΑΤΑ ΛΟΥΚΑΝ 5:28 πάντα WH Treg NIV ] ἅπαντα RP
  28. ΚΑΤΑ ΛΟΥΚΑΝ 5:28 ἠκολούθει WH Treg NIV ] ἠκολούθησεν RP
  29. ΚΑΤΑ ΛΟΥΚΑΝ 5:29 πολὺς τελωνῶν WH Treg NIV ] τελωνῶν πολὺς RP
  30. ΚΑΤΑ ΛΟΥΚΑΝ 5:30 Φαρισαῖοι καὶ οἱ γραμματεῖς αὐτῶν WH Treg NIV ] γραμματεῖς αὐτῶν καὶ οἱ Φαρισαῖοι RP
  31. ΚΑΤΑ ΛΟΥΚΑΝ 5:33 Οἱ WH NIV ] Διὰ τί οἱ Treg RP
  32. ΚΑΤΑ ΛΟΥΚΑΝ 5:34 δὲ RP ] + Ἰησοῦς WH Treg NIV
  33. ΚΑΤΑ ΛΟΥΚΑΝ 5:34 νηστεῦσαι WH Treg NIV ] νηστεύειν RP
  34. ΚΑΤΑ ΛΟΥΚΑΝ 5:36 ἀπὸ WH Treg NIV ] – RP
  35. ΚΑΤΑ ΛΟΥΚΑΝ 5:36 σχίσας WH Treg NIV ] – RP
  36. ΚΑΤΑ ΛΟΥΚΑΝ 5:36 σχίσει WH Treg NIV ] σχίζει RP
  37. ΚΑΤΑ ΛΟΥΚΑΝ 5:36 συμφωνήσει τὸ ἐπίβλημα WH Treg NIV ] συμφωνεῖ RP
  38. ΚΑΤΑ ΛΟΥΚΑΝ 5:37 οἶνος ὁ νέος WH Treg NIV ] νέος οἶνος RP
  39. ΚΑΤΑ ΛΟΥΚΑΝ 5:38 βλητέον WH NIV ] + καὶ ἀμφότεροι συντηροῦνται Treg RP
  40. ΚΑΤΑ ΛΟΥΚΑΝ 5:39 καὶ Treg NIV RP ] – WH
  41. ΚΑΤΑ ΛΟΥΚΑΝ 5:39 παλαιὸν WH Treg NIV ] + εὐθέως RP
  42. ΚΑΤΑ ΛΟΥΚΑΝ 5:39 χρηστός WH Treg NA ] χρηστότερός NIV RP

Jesus Calls His First Disciples(A)

One day as Jesus was standing by the Lake of Gennesaret,[a] the people were crowding around him and listening to the word of God.(B) He saw at the water’s edge two boats, left there by the fishermen, who were washing their nets. He got into one of the boats, the one belonging to Simon, and asked him to put out a little from shore. Then he sat down and taught the people from the boat.(C)

When he had finished speaking, he said to Simon, “Put out into deep water, and let down the nets for a catch.”(D)

Simon answered, “Master,(E) we’ve worked hard all night and haven’t caught anything.(F) But because you say so, I will let down the nets.”

When they had done so, they caught such a large number of fish that their nets began to break.(G) So they signaled 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.

When Simon Peter saw this, he fell at Jesus’ knees and said, “Go away from me, Lord; I am a sinful man!”(H) For he and all his companions were astonished at the catch of fish they had taken, 10 and so were James and John, the sons of Zebedee, Simon’s partners.

Then Jesus said to Simon, “Don’t be afraid;(I) from now on you will fish for people.” 11 So they pulled their boats up on shore, left everything and followed him.(J)

Jesus Heals a Man With Leprosy(K)

12 While Jesus was in one of the towns, a man came along who was covered with leprosy.[b](L) When he saw Jesus, he fell with his face to the ground 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 Then Jesus ordered him, “Don’t tell anyone,(M) but go, show yourself to the priest and offer the sacrifices that Moses commanded(N) for your cleansing, as a testimony to them.”

15 Yet the news about him spread all the more,(O) so that crowds of people came to hear him and to be healed of their sicknesses. 16 But Jesus often withdrew to lonely places and prayed.(P)

Jesus Forgives and Heals a Paralyzed Man(Q)

17 One day Jesus was teaching, and Pharisees and teachers of the law(R) were sitting there. They had come from every village of Galilee and from Judea and Jerusalem. And the power of the Lord was with Jesus to heal the sick.(S) 18 Some men came carrying a paralyzed man on a mat and tried to take him into the house to lay him before Jesus. 19 When they could not find a way to do this because of the crowd, 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.”(T)

21 The Pharisees and the teachers of the law began thinking to themselves, “Who is this fellow who speaks blasphemy? Who can forgive sins but God alone?”(U)

22 Jesus knew what they were thinking and asked, “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 I want you to know that the Son of Man(V) has authority on earth to forgive sins.” So he said to the paralyzed man, “I tell you, get up, take your mat and go home.” 25 Immediately he stood up in front of them, took what he had been lying on and went home praising God. 26 Everyone was amazed and gave praise to God.(W) They were filled with awe and said, “We have seen remarkable things today.”

Jesus Calls Levi and Eats With Sinners(X)

27 After this, Jesus went out and saw a tax collector by the name of Levi sitting at his tax booth. “Follow me,”(Y) Jesus said to him, 28 and Levi got up, left everything and followed him.(Z)

29 Then Levi held a great banquet for Jesus at his house, and a large crowd of tax collectors(AA) and others were eating with them. 30 But the Pharisees and the teachers of the law who belonged to their sect(AB) complained to his disciples, “Why do you eat and drink with tax collectors and sinners?”(AC)

31 Jesus answered them, “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.”(AD)

Jesus Questioned About Fasting(AE)

33 They said to him, “John’s disciples(AF) often fast and pray, and so do the disciples of the Pharisees, but yours go on eating and drinking.”

34 Jesus answered, “Can you make the friends of the bridegroom(AG) fast while he is with them? 35 But the time will come when the bridegroom will be taken from them;(AH) in those days they will fast.”

36 He told them this parable: “No one tears a piece out of a new garment to patch an old one. Otherwise, they will have torn the new garment, and the patch from the new will not match the old. 37 And no one pours new wine into old wineskins. Otherwise, the new wine will burst the skins; the wine will run out and the wineskins will be ruined. 38 No, new wine must be poured into new wineskins. 39 And no one after drinking old wine wants the new, for they say, ‘The old is better.’”

Footnotes

  1. Luke 5:1 That is, the Sea of Galilee
  2. Luke 5:12 The Greek word traditionally translated leprosy was used for various diseases affecting the skin.

Jesus Calls the First Disciples(A)

(B)One day Jesus was standing on the shore of Lake Gennesaret while the people pushed their way up to him to listen to the word of God. He saw two boats pulled up on the beach; the fishermen had left them and were washing the nets. Jesus got into one of the boats—it belonged to Simon—and asked him to push off a little from the shore. Jesus sat in the boat and taught the crowd.

When he finished speaking, he said to Simon, “Push the boat out further to the deep water, and you and your partners let down your nets for a catch.”

(C)“Master,” Simon answered, “we worked hard all night long and caught nothing. But if you say so, I will let down the nets.” (D)They let them down and caught such a large number of fish that the nets were about to break. So they motioned to their partners in the other boat to come and help them. They came and filled both boats so full of fish that the boats were about to sink. When Simon Peter saw what had happened, he fell on his knees before Jesus and said, “Go away from me, Lord! I am a sinful man!”

He and the others with him were all amazed at the large number of fish they had caught. 10 The same was true of Simon's partners, James and John, the sons of Zebedee. Jesus said to Simon, “Don't be afraid; from now on you will be catching people.”

11 They pulled the boats up on the beach, left everything, and followed Jesus.

Jesus Heals a Man(E)

12 Once Jesus was in a town where there was a man who was suffering from a dreaded skin disease. When he saw Jesus, he threw himself down and begged him, “Sir, if you want to, you can make me clean!”[a]

13 Jesus reached out and touched him. “I do want to,” he answered. “Be clean!” At once the disease left the man. 14 (F)Jesus ordered him, “Don't tell anyone, but go straight to the priest and let him examine you; then to prove to everyone that you are cured, offer the sacrifice as Moses ordered.”

15 But the news about Jesus spread all the more widely, and crowds of people came to hear him and be healed from their diseases. 16 But he would go away to lonely places, where he prayed.

Jesus Heals a Paralyzed Man(G)

17 One day when Jesus was teaching, some Pharisees and teachers of the Law were sitting there who had come from every town in Galilee and Judea and from Jerusalem. The power of the Lord was present for Jesus to heal the sick. 18 Some men came carrying a paralyzed man on a bed, and they tried to carry him into the house and put him in front of Jesus. 19 Because of the crowd, however, they could find no way to take him in. So they carried him up on the roof, made an opening in the tiles, and let him down on his bed into the middle of the group in front of Jesus. 20 When Jesus saw how much faith they had, he said to the man, “Your sins are forgiven, my friend.”

21 The teachers of the Law and the Pharisees began to say to themselves, “Who is this man who speaks such blasphemy! God is the only one who can forgive sins!”

22 Jesus knew their thoughts and said to them, “Why do you think such things? 23 Is it easier to say, ‘Your sins are forgiven you,’ or to say, ‘Get up and walk’? 24 I will prove to you, then, that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins.” So he said to the paralyzed man, “I tell you, get up, pick up your bed, and go home!”

25 At once the man got up in front of them all, took the bed he had been lying on, and went home, praising God. 26 They were all completely amazed! Full of fear, they praised God, saying, “What marvelous things we have seen today!”

Jesus Calls Levi(H)

27 After this, Jesus went out and saw a tax collector named Levi, sitting in his office. Jesus said to him, “Follow me.” 28 Levi got up, left everything, and followed him.

29 Then Levi had a big feast in his house for Jesus, and among the guests was a large number of tax collectors and other people. 30 (I)Some Pharisees and some teachers of the Law who belonged to their group complained to Jesus' disciples. “Why do you eat and drink with tax collectors and other outcasts?” they asked.

31 Jesus answered them, “People who are well do not need a doctor, but only those who are sick. 32 I have not come to call respectable people to repent, but outcasts.”

The Question about Fasting(J)

33 Some people said to Jesus, “The disciples of John fast frequently and offer prayers, and the disciples of the Pharisees do the same; but your disciples eat and drink.”

34 Jesus answered, “Do you think you can make the guests at a wedding party go without food as long as the bridegroom is with them? Of course not! 35 But the day will come when the bridegroom will be taken away from them, and then they will fast.”

36 Jesus also told them this parable: “You don't tear a piece off a new coat to patch up an old coat. If you do, you will have torn the new coat, and the piece of new cloth will not match the old. 37 Nor do you pour new wine into used wineskins, because the new wine will burst the skins, the wine will pour out, and the skins will be ruined. 38 Instead, new wine must be poured into fresh wineskins! 39 And you don't want new wine after drinking old wine. ‘The old is better,’ you say.”

Footnotes

  1. Luke 5:12 This disease was considered to make a person ritually unclean.

Simon, James and John become Jesus’ followers

1-3 One day the people were crowding closely round Jesus to hear God’s message, as he stood on the shore of Lake Gennesaret. Jesus noticed two boats drawn up on the beach, for the fishermen had left them there while they were cleaning their nets. He went aboard one of the boats, which belonged to Simon, and asked him to push out a little from the shore. Then he sat down and continued his teaching of the crowds from the boat.

When he had finished speaking, he said to Simon, “Push out now into deep water and let down your nets for a catch.”

Simon replied, “Master! We’ve worked all night and never caught a thing, but if you say so, I’ll let the nets down.”

6-8 And when they had done this, they caught an enormous shoal of fish—so big that the nets began to tear. So they signalled to their friends in the other boats to come and help them. They came and filled both the boats to sinking point. When Simon Peter saw this, he fell on his knees before Jesus and said, “Keep away from me, Lord, for I’m only a sinful man!”

9-10 For he and his companions (including Zebedee’s sons, James and John, Simon’s partners) were staggered at the haul of fish that they had made. Jesus said to Simon, “Don’t be afraid, Simon. From now on your catch will be men.”

11 So they brought the boats ashore, left everything and followed him.

Jesus cures leprosy

12 While he was in one of the towns, Jesus came upon a man who was a mass of leprosy. When he saw Jesus, he prostrated himself before him and begged, “If you want to, Lord, you can make me clean.”

13 Jesus stretched out his hand, placed it on the leper, saying, “Certainly I want to. Be clean!”

14 Immediately the leprosy left him and Jesus warned him not to tell anybody, but to go and show himself to the priest and to make the offerings for his recovery that Moses prescribed, as evidence to the authorities.

15-16 Yet the news about him spread all the more, and enormous crowds collected to hear Jesus and to be healed of their diseases. But he slipped quietly away to deserted places for prayer.

Jesus cures a paralytic in soul and body

17-20 One day while Jesus was teaching, some Pharisees and experts in the Law were sitting near him. They had come out of every village in Galilee and Judea as well as from Jerusalem. God’s power to heal people was with him. Soon some men arrived carrying a paralytic and they kept trying to carry him in to put him down in front of Jesus. When they failed to find a way of getting him in because of the dense crowd, they went up on to the top of the house and let him down, bed and all, through the tiles, into the middle of the crowd in front of Jesus. When Jesus saw their faith, he said to the man, “My friend, your sins are forgiven.”

21 The scribes and the Pharisees began to argue about this, saying, “Who is this man who talks blasphemy? Who can forgive sins? Only God can do that.”

22 Jesus realised what was going on in their minds and spoke straight to them.

23-24 “Why must you argue like this in your minds? Which do you suppose is easier—to say, ‘Your sins are forgiven’ or to say, ‘Get up and walk’? But to make you realise that the Son of Man has full authority on earth to forgive sins—I tell you,” he said to the man who was paralysed, “get up, pick up your bed and go home!”

25-26 Instantly the man sprang to his feet before their eyes, picked up the bedding on which he used to lie, and went off home, praising God. Sheer amazement gripped every man present, and they praised God and said in awed voices, “We have seen incredible things today.”

Jesus calls Levi to be his disciple

27 Later on, Jesus went out and looked straight at a tax-collector called Levi, as he sat at his office desk. “Follow me,” he said to him.

28 And he got to his feet at once, left everything behind and followed him.

29-30 Then Levi gave a big reception for Jesus in his own house, and there was a great crowd of tax-collectors and others at table with them. The Pharisees and their companions the scribes kept muttering indignantly about this to Jesus’ disciples, saying, “Why do you have your meals with tax-collectors and sinners?”

31-32 Jesus answered them, “It is not the healthy who need the doctor, but those who are ill. I have not come to invite the ‘righteous’ but the ‘sinners’—to change their ways.

Jesus hints at who he is

33 Then people said to him, “Why is it that John’s disciples are always fasting and praying, just like the Pharisees’ disciples, but yours both eat and drink?”

34-35 Jesus answered, “Can you expect wedding-guests to fast while they have the bridegroom with them? The day will come when they will lose the bridegroom; that will be the time for them to fast!”

36 Then he gave them this illustration. “Nobody tears a piece from a new coat to patch up an old one. If he does, he ruins the new one and the new piece does not match the old.

37-39 “Nobody puts new wine into old wineskins. If he does, the new wine will burst the skins—the wine will be spilt and the skins ruined. No, new wine must be put into new wineskins. Of course, nobody who has been drinking old wine will want the new at once. He is sure to say, ‘The old is a good sound wine.’”

Picture these events:

On the banks of Gennesaret Lake, a huge crowd, Jesus in the center of it, presses in to hear His message from God. Off to the side, fishermen are washing their nets, leaving their boats unattended on the shore.

Jesus gets into one of the boats and asks its owner, Simon, to push off and anchor a short distance from the beach. Jesus sits down and teaches the people standing on the beach.

After speaking for a while, Jesus speaks to Simon.

Jesus: Move out into deeper water, and drop your nets to see what you’ll catch.

Simon (perplexed): Master, we’ve been fishing all night, and we haven’t caught even a minnow. But . . . all right, I’ll do it if You say so.

Simon then gets his fellow fishermen to help him let down their nets, and to their surprise, the water is bubbling with thrashing fish—a huge school. The strands of their nets start snapping under the weight of the catch, so the crew shouts to the other boat to come out and give them a hand. They start scooping fish out of the nets and into their boats, and before long, their boats are so full of fish they almost sink!

The miracles Jesus performs come in all types: He heals the sick. He frees the oppressed. He shows His power over nature. He will even raise the dead. But as the story in verses 21-26 shows, one of the greatest miracles of all is forgiveness. To have sins forgiven—to start over again, to have God separate believers from their mistakes and moral failures, to lift the weight of shame and guilt—this may well be the weightiest evidence that God’s Son is on the move. The kingdom of God doesn’t throw all guilty people in jail; it doesn’t execute everyone who has made mistakes or tell them they’re just getting what they deserve. Instead, it brings forgiveness, reconciliation, a new start, a second chance. In this way, it mobilizes believers to have a new future.

Certainly Jesus has communicated the message of the Kingdom through words and through signs and wonders. Now Jesus embodies the message in the way He treats people, including outcasts like Levi. As a tax collector, Levi is a Jew who works for the Romans, the oppressors, the enemies. No wonder tax collectors are despised! But how does Jesus treat this compromiser? He doesn’t leave him paralyzed in his compromised position; He invites him—like the paralyzed man—to get up and walk, and to walk in a new direction toward a new King and Kingdom.

8-10 Simon’s fishing partners, James and John (two of Zebedee’s sons), along with the rest of the fishermen, see this incredible haul of fish. They’re all stunned, especially Simon. He comes close to Jesus and kneels in front of His knees.

Simon: I can’t take this, Lord. I’m a sinful man. You shouldn’t be around the likes of me.

Jesus: Don’t be afraid, Simon. From now on, I’ll ask you to bring Me people instead of fish.

11 The fishermen haul their fish-heavy boats to land, and they leave everything to follow Jesus.

12 Another time in a city nearby, a man covered with skin lesions comes along. As soon as he sees Jesus, he prostrates himself.

Leper: Lord, if You wish to, You can heal me of my disease.

13 Jesus reaches out His hand and touches the man, something no one would normally do for fear of being infected or of becoming ritually unclean.

Jesus: I want to heal you. Be cleansed!

Immediately the man is cured. 14 Jesus tells him firmly not to tell anyone about this.

Jesus: Go, show yourself to the priest, and do what Moses commanded by making an appropriate offering to celebrate your cleansing. This will prove to everyone what has happened.

15 Even though Jesus said not to talk about what happened, soon every conversation was consumed by these events. The crowds swelled even larger as people went to hear Jesus preach and to be healed of their many afflictions. 16 Jesus repeatedly left the crowds, though, stealing away into the wilderness to pray.

17 One day Jesus was teaching in a house, and the healing power of the Lord was with Him. Pharisees and religious scholars were sitting and listening, having come from villages all across the regions of Galilee and Judea and from the holy city of Jerusalem.

18 Some men came to the house, carrying a paralyzed man on his bed pallet. They wanted to bring him in and present him to Jesus, 19 but the house was so packed with people that they couldn’t get in. So they climbed up on the roof and pulled off some roof tiles. Then they lowered the man by ropes so he came to rest right in front of Jesus.

20 In this way, their faith was visible to Jesus.

Jesus (to the man on the pallet): My friend, all your sins are forgiven.

21 The Pharisees and religious scholars were offended at this. They turned to one another and asked questions.

Pharisees and Religious Scholars: Who does He think He is? Wasn’t that blasphemous? Who can pronounce that a person’s sins are forgiven? Who but God alone?

Jesus (responding with His own question): 22 Why are your hearts full of questions? 23 Which is easier to say, “Your sins are forgiven” or “Get up and walk”? 24 Just so you’ll know that the Son of Man is fully authorized to forgive sins on earth (He turned to the paralyzed fellow lying on the pallet), I say, get up, take your mat, and go home.

25 Then, right in front of their eyes, the man stood up, picked up his bed, and left to go home—full of praises for God! 26 Everyone was stunned. They couldn’t help but feel awestruck, and they praised God too.

People: We’ve seen extraordinary things today.

27 Some time later, Jesus walked along the street and saw a tax collector named Levi sitting in his tax office.

Jesus: Follow Me.

28 And Levi did. He got up from his desk, left everything (just as the fishermen had), and followed Jesus.

29 Shortly after this, Levi invited his many friends and associates, including many tax collectors, to his home for a large feast in Jesus’ honor. Everyone sat at a table together.

The Pharisees are back again, and they stay through the rest of the story. Pharisaism is a religious movement, consisting of lay people (not clergy) who share a deep commitment to the Hebrew Scriptures and traditions. They believe the Jewish people have not yet been freed from the Romans because of the Jews’ tolerance of sin. There are too many drunks, prostitutes, and gluttons. “If we could just get these sinners to change their ways,” they feel, “then God would send the One who will free us.” How angry they are at Jesus not just for forgiving sins but also for eating with sinners! After all, to eat with people means to accept them. The kind of Rescuer they expect will judge and destroy sinners, not forgive them and enjoy their company!

30 The Pharisees and their associates, the religious scholars, got the attention of some of Jesus’ disciples.

Pharisees (in low voices): What’s wrong with you? Why are you eating and drinking with tax collectors and other immoral people?

Jesus (answering for the disciples): 31 Healthy people don’t need a doctor, but sick people do. 32 I haven’t come for the pure and upstanding; I’ve come to call notorious sinners to rethink their lives and turn to God.

Pharisees: 33 Explain to us why You and Your disciples are so commonly found partying like this, when our disciples—and even the disciples of John—are known for fasting rather than feasting, and for saying prayers rather than drinking wine.

Jesus: 34 Imagine there’s a wedding going on. Is that the time to tell the guests to ignore the bridegroom and fast? 35 Sure, there’s a time for fasting—when the bridegroom has been taken away. 36 Look, nobody tears up a new garment to make a patch for an old garment. If he did, the new patch would shrink and rip the old, and the old garment would be worse off than before. 37 And nobody takes freshly squeezed juice and puts it into old, stiff wineskins. If he did, the fresh wine would make the old skins burst open, and both the wine and the wineskins would be ruined. 38 New demands new—new wine for new wineskins. 39 Anyway, those who’ve never tasted the new wine won’t know what they’re missing; they’ll always say, “The old wine is good enough for me!”