M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan

Christ preaches in the boat. The disciples leave everything and follow him. He cleanses the leper, heals the paralytic, calls Matthew, the customs officer, and eats with open sinners.

5 It came to pass, as the people pressed in upon him to hear the word of God, that he was standing by the lake of Gennesaret ² and saw two boats standing by the lake side. But the fishermen were gone out of them and were washing their nets. ³ And he entered into one of the boats, which belonged to Simon, and asked him to thrust out a little from the land. And he sat down and taught the people out of the boat.

⁴ When he had left speaking, he said to Simon, Launch out into the deep, and let slip your nets to make a catch. ⁵ And Simon answered and said to him, Master, we have laboured all night and have caught nothing. But at your word, I will loose forth the net.

⁶ And when they had so done, they netted a great multitude of fishes. And their net was tearing, ⁷ but they made signs to their fellow fishermen who were in the other boat to come and help them. And they came and filled both the boats, so that they were sinking back.

⁸ When Simon Peter saw this, he fell down at Jesus’ knees, saying, Lord, go from me, for I am a sinful man. ⁹ For he was utterly astonished, as was everyone with him, at the haul of fish that they took; ¹⁰ and so also were James and John, the sons of Zebedee, who were partners with Simon. And Jesus said to Simon, Fear not; from henceforth you shall catch men.

¹¹ And they brought the boats to land, and left everything, and followed him.

¹² And it happened, as he was in a certain town, behold, there was a man full of leprosy. And when he saw Jesus, he fell on his face and besought him, saying, Lord, if you will, you can make me clean. ¹³ And Jesus stretched forth his hand and touched him, saying, I will; be clean. And immediately the leprosy departed from him. ¹⁴ And Jesus told him not to tell anyone, but to go and show himself to the priest, and to make an offering for his cleansing, as Moses had commanded, for a witness to them. ¹⁵ But word of him went abroad all the more, and crowds of people came together to hear him and to be healed by him of their infirmities.

¹⁶ And he kept himself apart in the remote places, and gave himself to prayer.

¹⁷ And it happened on a certain day that he was teaching, and there sat the Pharisees and doctors of the law, who had come out of all the towns of Galilee, Judea, and Jerusalem. And the power of the Lord was to heal the people. ¹⁸ And behold, some men brought a man lying in his bed, who was taken with paralysis, and were trying to find a way to bring him in and to lay him before Jesus. ¹⁹ And when they could not find a way to bring him in, because of the press of people, they went up on the top of the house and let him down through the tiling, bed and all, in the midst before Jesus. ²⁰ When he saw their faith, he said to him, Man, your sins are forgiven you. ²¹ And the scribes and the Pharisees began to think, saying, What fellow is this, who speaks blasphemy? Who can forgive sins, but God only?

²² When Jesus perceived their thoughts, he answered and said to them, What are you thinking in your hearts? ²³ Which is easier to say: Your sins are forgiven you, or to say, Rise and walk?  ²⁴ But so that you may know that the Son of man has power to forgive sins on earth – He said to the paralytic, I say to you, arise; take up your bed and go home to your house.

²⁵ And immediately he rose up before them, took up the bed he laid on, and departed to his own house, praising God.

²⁶ And they were all amazed, and they lauded God and were filled with fear, saying, We have seen strange things today.

²⁷ And after that, Jesus went out and saw a publican named Levi sitting at the receipt of custom, and said to him, Follow me. ²⁸ And he left all, rose up, and followed him. ²⁹ And that same Levi gave for Jesus a great feast at home in his own house. And there was a great company of publicans and of others that sat at food with him.

³⁰ And the scribes and Pharisees murmured against his disciples, saying, Why do you eat and drink with publicans and sinners? ³¹ Jesus answered and said to them, The whole have no need for the physician, but the sick do. ³² I came not to call the righteous, but sinners, to repentance.

³³ Then they said to him, Why do the disciples of John fast often, and pray, and the disciples of the Pharisees also, but yours eat and drink?

³⁴ And he said to them, Can you make the children of the wedding fast while the bridegroom is present with them? ³⁵ The days will come when the bridegroom will be taken away from them. Then they will fast, in those days.

³⁶ Then he spoke to them in a similitude: No one patches a piece of a new garment into an old vesture, because if he does, then he will have cut up the new, and the piece that was taken out of the new does not agree with the old. ³⁷ Also, no one pours new wine into old wineskins, because if he does, the new wine bursts the vessels and runs out, and the vessels are destroyed. ³⁸ But new wine must be poured into new vessels, and both are preserved. ³⁹ Also, no one who drinks old wine can straightaway abide the new, for he says the old is pleasanter.

He rebukes them for going to law against each other before the heathen, and reproves uncleanness.

6 How dare one of you, having a problem with another, go to law under the unrighteous, and not rather under the saints? ² Do you not know that the saints will judge the world? If the world will be judged by you, are you not good enough to judge small trifles? ³ Do you not know that we will judge the angels? How much more may we judge things that pertain to this life? ⁴ If you have trials of worldly matters, take those who are least esteemed in the congregation and make them judges. ⁵ This I say to your shame. Is there really no wise man among you? What, no one at all who can judge between brother and brother? ⁶ But one brother goes to law against another, and that under the unbelievers?

⁷ Now therefore there is utterly a failing among you, because you go to law one with another. Why not rather suffer wrong? Why not rather suffer yourselves to be robbed? ⁸ Nay, you yourselves do wrong, and rob – and that the brethren.

⁹ Do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Be not deceived. For neither fornicators, nor worshippers of images, nor whoremongers, nor effeminates, nor abusers of themselves with the male sex, ¹⁰ nor thieves, nor the covetous, nor drunkards, nor cursed speakers, nor swindlers, will inherit the kingdom of God. ¹¹ And such were some of you. But you are washed, you are sanctified, you are justified by the name of the Lord Jesus and by the Spirit of our God.

¹² All things are lawful to me, but all things are not profitable. I may do all things, but I will be brought under no man’s power. ¹³ Foods are for the belly, and the belly for foods, but God will destroy both it and them. Let not the body be given to fornication, but to the Lord, and the Lord to the body. ¹⁴ God has raised up the Lord, and will raise us up by his power. ¹⁵ Or do you not consider that your bodies are the members of Christ? Shall I now take the members of Christ and make them the members of a harlot? God forbid. ¹⁶ Do you not understand that he who couples himself with a harlot has become one body with her? For two (says he) shall be one flesh. ¹⁷ But he who is joined to the Lord is one spirit with him.

¹⁸ Flee fornication. All sins that a man does are outside the body, but he who is a fornicator sins against his own body. ¹⁹ Or do you not know that your bodies are the temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have of God, and that you are not your own? ²⁰ For you are dearly bought. Therefore glorify God in your bodies and in your spirits, for they are God’s.