Luke 5
The Voice
5 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. 2 Off to the side, fishermen are washing their nets, leaving their boats unattended on the shore.
3 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.
4 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): 5 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.
6 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, 7 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!”
路加福音 5
Chinese New Version (Traditional)
呼召四個門徒(A)
5 耶穌站在革尼撒勒湖邊，眾人擁擠他，要聽 神的道。 2 他看見兩隻船停在湖邊，漁夫離開船洗網去了。 3 他上了西門的那一隻船，請他撐開，離岸不遠，就坐下，從船上教導眾人。 4 講完了，就對西門說：“把船開到水深的地方，下網打魚！” 5 西門說：“主啊，我們整夜勞苦，毫無所得，不過，我願照你的話下網。” 6 他們下了網，就圈住很多魚，網幾乎裂開， 7 就招呼另外那隻船上的同伴來幫助，他們就來把兩隻船裝滿，甚至船要下沉。 8 西門．彼得看見這種情景，就俯伏在耶穌膝前，說：“主啊，離開我，因為我是個罪人。” 9 他和跟他在一起的人，因這網所打的魚，都十分驚駭。 10 西門的夥伴，西庇太的兒子雅各、約翰也是這樣。耶穌對西門說：“不要怕！從今以後，你要作得人的漁夫了。” 11 他們把兩隻船攏了岸，撇下一切，跟從了耶穌。
治好痲風病人(B)
12 有一次，耶穌在一個城裡，突然有一個滿身痲風的人看見他，就把臉伏在地上，求他說：“主啊！如果你肯，必能使我潔淨。” 13 耶穌伸手摸他，說：“我肯，你潔淨了吧！”痲風立刻離開了他。 14 耶穌囑咐他不可告訴任何人，“你只要去給祭司檢查，並且照著摩西所規定的，為你得潔淨獻祭，好向大家作證。” 15 但他的名聲卻越發傳揚出去，成群的人來聚集，要聽道，並且要使他們的疾病痊愈。 16 耶穌卻退到曠野去禱告。
治好癱子(C)
17 有一天，耶穌正在教導人，法利賽人和律法教師也坐在那裡，他們是從加利利和猶太各鄉村，並耶路撒冷來的；主的能力與他同在，叫他能醫病。 18 有人用床抬著一個癱子，想送進去，放在耶穌跟前。 19 因為人多，沒有辦法進去，就上了房頂，從瓦間把癱子和床往當中縋下去，正在耶穌跟前。 20 他看見他們的信心，就說：“朋友（“朋友”原文作“人”），你的罪赦了。” 21 經學家和法利賽人就議論起來，說：“這人是誰，竟然說僭妄的話？除 神一位以外，誰能赦罪呢？” 22 耶穌知道他們的議論，就對他們說：“你們心裡為甚麼議論呢？ 23 說：‘你的罪赦了’，或說：‘起來行走’，哪一樣容易呢？ 24 然而為了要你們知道，人子在地上有赦罪的權柄，（他就對癱子說：）我吩咐你，起來，拿起你的床，回家去吧。” 25 那人立刻當眾起來，拿著他躺過的床，頌讚 神，回家去了。 26 眾人都驚奇，頌讚 神，並且十分懼怕，說：“我們今天看見了不平常的事。”
呼召利未(D)
27 事後，耶穌出去，看見一個稅吏，名叫利未，坐在稅關那裡，就對他說：“來跟從我！” 28 他就撇下一切，起來跟從了耶穌。 29 利未在自己家裡，為他大擺筵席，有許多稅吏和別的人一起吃飯。 30 法利賽人和經學家埋怨他的門徒，說：“你們為甚麼跟稅吏和罪人一起吃喝呢？” 31 耶穌回答：“健康的人不需要醫生，有病的人才需要。 32 我來不是要召義人，而是要召罪人悔改。”
新舊的比喻(E)
33 他們說：“約翰的門徒常常禁食、祈禱，法利賽人的門徒也是這樣，而你的門徒卻又吃又喝。” 34 耶穌說：“新郎跟賓客在一起的時候，你們怎麼可以叫賓客禁食呢？ 35 但日子到了，新郎要被取去，離開他們，那一天他們就要禁食了。” 36 他又對他們設個比喻說：“沒有人會從新衣服撕下一塊布，補在舊衣服上，如果這樣，不但新衣服撕破了，而且新撕下的布，也和舊的不調和。 37 也沒有人會把新酒裝在舊皮袋裡；如果這樣，新酒就會把皮袋脹破，不但酒漏掉，皮袋也損壞了； 38 人總是把新酒裝在新皮袋裡。 39 喝慣陳酒的人，就不想喝新酒，他總說陳的好。”
The Voice Bible Copyright © 2012 Thomas Nelson, Inc. The Voice™ translation © 2012 Ecclesia Bible Society All rights reserved.
Chinese New Version (CNV). Copyright © 1976, 1992, 1999, 2001, 2005 by Worldwide Bible Society.
