Luke 5

The First Disciples

1 One day Jesus was standing by the Lake of Gennesaret, and the crowd was pressing in on Him, trying to hear the word of God.

2 He saw two boats by the shore, fishermen had stepped out and were washing their nets.

3 He got into one of the boats, it belonged to Simon, and asked him to push out a little from shore. Then He sat down and started teaching the crowd from the boat.

4 When He finished speaking, He told Simon, “Push out into deeper water and let your nets down for a catch.”

5 Simon answered, “Master, we worked all night and caught nothing. But since You said it, I will let the nets down.”

6 When they did, they caught so many fish their nets started tearing.

7 They signaled to their partners in the other boat to come help them, and both boats got so full they started sinking.

8 When Simon Peter saw it, he dropped at Jesus’ knees and said, “Lord, get away from me, I am a sinful man.”

9 He and everyone with him were stunned at the catch they pulled in.

10 Same with James and John, Zebedee’s sons, who were Simon’s partners. Jesus said to Simon, “Do not be afraid. From now on, you will be catching people.”

11 They pulled the boats up on shore, left everything, and followed Him.

Jesus Heals a Man with Leprosy

12 While He was in one of the towns, a man covered with leprosy saw Jesus, fell face down, and begged Him, “Lord, if You are willing, You can make me clean.”

13 Jesus reached out, touched him, and said, “I am willing. Be clean.” Right then, the leprosy left him.

14 Jesus told him, “Do not go telling everybody. Go show yourself to the priest and offer what Moses commanded for your cleansing, it will be your proof.”

15 But the news about Him spread even more, and large crowds kept coming to hear Him and be healed of their sicknesses.

16 But Jesus would often slip away to quiet places to pray.

Jesus Heals a Paralyzed Man

17 One day He was teaching, and Pharisees and teachers of the law were sitting there, they came from every village of Galilee and Judea, and from Jerusalem. The power of the Lord was there for Him to heal.

18 Some men came carrying a paralyzed man on a mat, trying to bring him in and lay him before Jesus.

19 They could not get through because of the crowd, so they climbed up on the roof, broke through it, and lowered him down on his mat right in front of Jesus.

20 Seeing their faith, He said, “Man, your sins are forgiven.”

21 The scribes and Pharisees started thinking, “Who does He think He is, That is blasphemy. Only God can forgive sins.”

22 Jesus knew what they were thinking and said, “Why are you thinking like that,

23 What is easier, to say, ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or to say, ‘Get up and walk’,

24 But so you know the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins…” He said to the man, “Get up, pick up your mat, and go home.”

25 Immediately, the man got up in front of them, picked up what he had been lying on, and went home praising God.

26 Everyone was amazed and gave glory to God. Fear hit them, and they were saying, “We have seen something crazy today.”

Jesus Calls Levi

27 After this, Jesus went out and saw a tax collector named Levi sitting at the tax booth. He said, “Follow Me.”

28 Levi got up, left everything, and followed Him.

29 Then Levi threw a big gathering at his house for Jesus, and a large crowd of tax collectors and others were there eating with them.

30 The Pharisees and their scribes started complaining to His disciples, “Why are you eating and drinking with tax collectors and sinners?”

31 Jesus answered them, “Healthy people do not need a doctor, sick people do.

32 I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.”

Jesus Questioned About Fasting

33 They said to Him, “John’s disciples fast often and pray, and so do the Pharisees, but Yours just eat and drink.”

34 Jesus said, “Can you make wedding guests fast while the groom is still with them,

35 The time is coming when the groom will be taken from them, then they will fast.”

36 He told them a parable: “No one tears a piece from a new garment to patch an old one. If they do, they ruin the new and the patch will not match the old.

37 And no one pours new wine into old wineskins. If they do, the new wine will burst the skins, the wine spills, and the skins are ruined.

38 New wine belongs in new wineskins.

39 And no one after drinking old wine wants the new, because they say, ‘The old is better.’”