Luke 5
New Catholic Bible
Chapter 5
Jesus Calls the First Disciples.[a] 1 One day, as Jesus was standing by the Lake of Gennesaret, with people crowding around him to hear the word of God, 2 he caught sight of two boats at the water’s edge. The fishermen had gotten out of the boats and were washing their nets. 3 Getting into one of the boats, the one belonging to Simon, he asked him to put out a little way from the shore. Then he sat down and taught the crowds from the boat.
4 When he had finished speaking, he said to Simon, “Put out into deep water and let down your nets for a catch.” 5 Simon answered, “Master, we worked hard throughout the night and caught nothing; but if you say so, I will let down the nets.” 6 When they had done this, they caught such a great number of fish that their nets were beginning to tear. 7 Therefore, they signaled to their companions in the other boat to come and help them. They came and filled both boats to the point that they were in danger of sinking.
8 When Simon Peter saw what had happened, he fell at the knees of Jesus, saying, “Depart from me, Lord, for I am a sinful man.” 9 For he and all of his companions were amazed at the catch they had made. 10 So too were Simon’s partners James and John, the sons of Zebedee. Then Jesus said to Simon, “Do not be afraid. From now on you will be catching men.” 11 When they brought their boats to the shore, they left everything and followed him.
12 Jesus Heals a Man with Leprosy.[b] In one of the towns that he visited, a man appeared whose body was covered with leprosy. When he saw Jesus, he fell prostrate before him and pleaded for his help, saying, “Lord, if you choose to do so, you can make me clean.” 13 He stretched out his hand and touched him, saying, “I do choose. Be made clean.” Immediately, the leprosy left him.
14 He then instructed him to tell no one. “Just go,” he said, “and show yourself to the priest, and make an offering for your cleansing, as prescribed by Moses. That will be proof for them.” 15 However, the reports about him continued to spread, so that large crowds assembled to listen to him and to be healed of their diseases. 16 But he would withdraw to deserted places to pray.
17 Jesus Pardons and Heals a Paralyzed Man.[c] One day, as he was teaching, Pharisees and teachers of the law were sitting there. They had come from every village of Galilee and Judea, and from Jerusalem. And he possessed the power of the Lord to heal.
18 Then some men appeared, carrying a paralyzed man on a bed. They tried to bring him in and set him down in front of Jesus. 19 However, finding no way to bring him in because of the crowd, they went up onto the roof and lowered him on the bed through the tiles into the middle of the crowd surrounding Jesus.
20 On perceiving their faith, Jesus said, “Friend, your sins are forgiven you.” 21 Then the scribes and the Pharisees began to ask each other, “Who is this man uttering blasphemies? Who can forgive sins but God alone?”
22 Jesus discerned what they were thinking, and he said in reply, “Why do you entertain such thoughts in your hearts? 23 Which is easier—to say: ‘Your sins are forgiven you,’ or to say: ‘Stand up and walk’? 24 But that you may come to realize that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins”—he said to the paralyzed man—“I say to you, stand up, and take your bed, and go to your home.” 25 Immediately, the man stood up before them, picked up his bed, and went home glorifying God. 26 They were all overcome with amazement, and they praised God as, awestruck, they said, “We have witnessed unbelievable things today.”
27 Jesus Calls Levi (Matthew).[d][e]After this, he went out and noticed a tax collector named Levi sitting at his customs post. Jesus said to him, “Follow me,” 28 and, leaving everything behind, he got up and followed him.
29 Jesus Dines with Sinners. Then Levi gave a great banquet in his house for him, and a large crowd of tax collectors and others were at table with them. 30 The Pharisees and their scribes complained to his disciples, saying, “Why do you eat and drink with tax collectors and sinners?”[f] 31 Jesus said to them in reply, “It is not the healthy who need a physician, but rather those who are sick. 32 I have not come to call the righteous but sinners to repentance.”
33 A Time of Joy and Grace.[g] Then they said to him, “John’s disciples fast frequently and pray often, and the disciples of the Pharisees do likewise, but your disciples eat and drink.” 34 Jesus said to them, “How can the wedding guests fast while the bridegroom is still with them? 35 But the time will come when the bridegroom is taken away from them, and then, in those days, they will fast.”
36 He also told them this parable: “No one tears a piece from a new cloak and sews it on an old cloak. If he does, the new cloak will be torn, and the piece from it will not match that of the old. 37 Nor does anyone pour new wine into old wineskins. If he does, the new wine will burst the skins and spill out, and the skins will be destroyed. 38 Rather new wine must be put into fresh wineskins. 39 And no one who has been drinking old wine will wish for new wine, for he says, ‘The old is better.’ ”
Footnotes
- Luke 5:1 This passage demonstrates the art of the writer. Luke inserts the call of the first disciples into a context of preaching and performing mighty deeds. He slightly weakens the abrupt character that the event retains in Mark (1:16-18) and gives a greater human plausibility to the response of these men. But he stresses just as much the demands of the apostolic task. Trying to draw people away from the evils that assail them entails many difficulties. God requires humans to participate in this endeavor and to carry out their missionary work as a team in which all must share the pain. In this passage, Peter already occupies a representative place. Nonetheless, upon meeting Christ he discovers how much he himself is the victim of evil and sin. Jesus expects those who are his to be totally committed to the Word and, if necessary, to renounce their profession, their situation, and their security.
- Luke 5:12 When duly confirmed as the Law requires (see Lev 14:2-3), the cure of a leper will attest to the priests the power of Jesus over an evil that destroys humans.
- Luke 5:17 The description of the miracle worked for the paralyzed man is vivid, as in Matthew and Mark, even if, in order to make it more intelligible to his readers, Luke speaks simply of a roof instead of a Palestinian roof-terrace.
- Luke 5:27 No one could be regarded as more of a sinner in the time of Jesus than the tax collectors (also translated as “publicans”) sitting at their customs post. Christ, more than once, created a scandal in the eyes of right-thinking people, who were quick to distinguish between the righteous and sinners. The Church recalls these occasions to keep herself from becoming a closed sect. The lesson is still valid today: to refuse to associate with others because we have catalogued them as sinners and because we consider ourselves to be in the ranks of the righteous is opposed to the Gospel. We must all regard ourselves as sinners and rejoice over the salvation that Jesus offers everyone. Moreover, only those receive salvation who loyally acknowledge the need of being saved.
- Luke 5:27 See notes on Mt 5:46 and Mk 2:14.
- Luke 5:30 Sinners: see note on Mk 2:15.
- Luke 5:33 For the moment, Jesus refuses to impose on his disciples the ascetic and devout practices of Judaism. (See note on Mk 2:20.) The Messiah is here—it is a time of joy. God, so to speak, becomes the Spouse of all people. The three Synoptic Gospels add other sentences, which underline the newness of the Gospel. It is not a rearrangement of ancient law and doctrines; the New Covenant requires a new mentality and a new openness.
The last verse, proper to Luke, alludes to the refusal to accept the Gospel on the part of the teachers of the law. They rejected the wonderful newness of the Gospel and were content with the teachings to which they were accustomed.
Luke 5
Tree of Life Version
Calling Fishermen at the Kinneret
5 It happened that the crowds were pressing upon Yeshua to hear the word of God as He was standing by the Lake of Kinneret, 2 when He saw two boats standing beside the lake. Now the fishermen had left them and were washing the nets. 3 Getting into one of the boats, Simon’s boat, Yeshua asked him to push out a ways from the land. Then sitting down, He taught the crowds from the boat.
4 When He had finished speaking, He said to Simon, “Go out into the deep water, and let down your nets for a catch.”
5 Simon replied, “Master, we’ve worked hard all night and caught nothing. But at Your word I will let down the nets.” 6 When they had done this, they caught so many fish that their nets began to break. 7 So they signaled to their partners in the other boat to come and help them. They came and filled both boats so full that they began to sink. 8 But when Simon Peter saw this, he fell down at Yeshua’s knees, saying, “Go away from me, Master, for I am a sinful man!” 9 For amazement had gripped him and all who were with him, over the catch of fish they had netted; 10 so also Jacob and John, Zebedee’s sons, who were partners with Simon.
But Yeshua said to Simon, “Do not be afraid. From now on, you will be catching men.” 11 So when they had brought the boats to the landing, they left everything and followed Him.
Yeshua Heals and News Spreads
12 Now while Yeshua was in one of the towns, a man covered with tzara’at appeared. And when he saw Yeshua, he fell on his face and begged Him, saying, “Master, if You are willing, You can make me clean.”
13 Yeshua stretched out His hand and touched him, saying, “I am willing. Be cleansed!” Immediately, the tzara’at left him. 14 Yeshua ordered him to tell no one, but commanded him, “Go and show yourself to the kohen.[a] Then bring an offering for your cleansing, just as Moses commanded, as a testimony to them.”
15 But the news about Yeshua was spreading all the more, and many crowds were coming together to hear and to be healed of their diseases. 16 Yet He would often slip away into the wilderness and pray.
Crowds Gather from the Galilee, Judea, and Jerusalem
17 Now on one of those days, Yeshua was teaching. Pharisees and Torah scholars were sitting there, who had come from every village of the Galilee and Judea, as well as from Jerusalem. And Adonai’s power to heal was in Him. 18 And behold, men were carrying a paralyzed man on a stretcher, trying to bring him in and place him before Yeshua. 19 But when they found no way to bring him in because of the crowd, they went up on the roof and let him down with his stretcher through the tiles, right in the middle before Yeshua. 20 When He saw their faith, He said, “Man, your sins are forgiven.”
21 Then the Torah scholars and the Pharisees began to question, saying, “Who is this fellow speaking blasphemies? Who can pardon sins but God alone?”
22 Yeshua, knowing their thoughts, replied to them, “Why are you raising questions in your hearts? 23 Which is easier, to say, ‘Your sins are forgiven you,’ or to say, ‘Get up and walk’? 24 But so you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to pardon sins. . . .” He said to the paralyzed one, “I tell you, get up and take your cot, and go home!”
25 Immediately he got up before them, picked up what he had been lying on, and went home, glorifying God. 26 Astonishment took hold of them, and they glorified God and all were filled with awe, saying, “We’ve seen incredible things today!”
The Banquet at Levi’s House
27 After these things, Yeshua went out and observed a tax collector named Levi, sitting at the tax booth. He said to him, “Follow Me.” 28 And leaving everything, he got up and followed Him.
29 Levi made a great banquet for Yeshua at his house, and there was a large crowd of tax collectors and others who were reclining with them. 30 The Pharisees and their Torah scholars began murmuring to His disciples, saying, “Why do you eat and drink with tax collectors and sinners?”
31 And Yeshua answered and said to them, “Those who are healthy have no need for a doctor, but those who are sick do. 32 I did not come to call the righteous, but the sinful to repentance.”
33 But they said to Him, “John’s disciples often fast and offer prayers, as do the disciples of the Pharisees. But Your disciples are eating and drinking.”
34 But Yeshua said to them, “You cannot make the guests of the bridegroom fast while the bridegroom is with them, can you? 35 But the days will come; and when the bridegroom is taken away from them, then they will fast in those days.”
36 Now he was also telling them a parable. “No one tears a patch from a new garment to use it on an old garment. Otherwise he will rip the new, and the patch from the new will not match the old. 37 And no one puts new wine into old wineskins. Otherwise, the new wine will burst the skins, it will be spilled out, and the skins will be destroyed. 38 But new wine must be put into fresh wineskins. 39 No man who drinks old wine wants new, because he says, ‘The old is fine.’”
Tree of Life (TLV) Translation of the Bible. Copyright © 2015 by The Messianic Jewish Family Bible Society.