LukeChapter 5

Tap any verse to comment or suggest a better wording.

¹One day Jesus was standing by the Lake of Gennesaret. The crowd was pushing in around him to hear the word of God. ²He saw two boats at the edge of the lake. The fishermen had left them. They were washing their nets. ³Jesus got into the boat that belonged to Simon. He asked Simon to push out a little way from shore. Then he sat down and taught the people from the boat. ⁴When Jesus finished speaking, he said to Simon, "Go out into deep water. Let down your nets to catch some fish." ⁵Simon answered, "Master, we worked hard all night and didn't catch anything. But because you say so, I will let down the nets." ⁶When they did this, they caught so many fish that their nets began to tear. ⁷So they signaled to their partners in the other boat to come and help them. The partners came. They filled both boats so full that the boats began to sink. ⁸When Simon Peter saw this, he fell down at Jesus' knees. He said, "Go away from me, Lord. I am a sinful man!" ⁹For he and all the men with him were amazed at the fish they had caught. ¹⁰His partners James and John, the sons of Zebedee, were amazed too. Jesus said to Simon, "Don't be afraid. From now on you will catch people." ¹¹So they brought their boats up on shore. Then they left everything and followed him. ¹²Jesus was in one of the towns. A man came by who was covered with leprosy. When he saw Jesus, he bowed with his face to the ground. He begged him, "Lord, if you are willing, you can make me clean." ¹³Jesus reached out his hand and touched the man. "I am willing," he said. "Be clean!" And right away the leprosy left him. ¹⁴Then Jesus told him, "Don't tell anyone. But go and show yourself to the priest. Offer the gift that Moses commanded for your cleansing. This will be a witness to them." ¹⁵But the news about Jesus spread even more. Large crowds came to hear him and to be healed of their sicknesses. ¹⁶But Jesus often slipped away to the wilderness to pray. ¹⁷One day Jesus 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 the power of the Lord was with Jesus to heal the sick. ¹⁸Just then some men came carrying a man on a mat. The man could not move his body. They tried to bring him inside and lay him in front of Jesus. ¹⁹But they could not find a way in because of the crowd. So they went up on the roof. They lowered him on his mat through the roof tiles. He came down into the middle of the crowd, right in front of Jesus. ²⁰When Jesus saw their faith, he said, "Friend, your sins are forgiven." ²¹The teachers of the law and the Pharisees began thinking to themselves, "Who is this man? He is speaking against God! Who can forgive sins but God alone?" ²²Jesus knew what they were thinking. He asked, "Why are you thinking these things in your hearts? ²³Which is easier to say? 'Your sins are forgiven'? Or 'Get up and walk'? ²⁴But I want you to know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins." So he spoke to the man who could not move. "I tell you, get up. Pick up your mat and go home." ²⁵Right away the man stood up in front of them. He picked up the mat he had been lying on. Then he went home, praising God. ²⁶Everyone was amazed and gave praise to God. They were filled with awe. They said, "We have seen amazing things today." ²⁷After this, Jesus went out. He saw a tax collector named Levi sitting at the booth where he collected taxes. "Follow me," Jesus told him. ²⁸Levi got up, left everything, and followed him. ²⁹Then Levi held a big dinner for Jesus at his house. A large crowd of tax collectors was there. Other people were eating with them too. ³⁰But the Pharisees and their teachers of the law complained to Jesus' disciples. They said, "Why do you eat and drink with tax collectors and sinners?" ³¹Jesus answered them, "Healthy people don't need a doctor. Sick people do. ³²I have not come to call people who are right with God. I have come to call sinners to repent." ³³Then they said to him, "John's disciples often go without food and pray. So do the disciples of the Pharisees. But yours keep on eating and drinking." ³⁴Jesus answered, "Can you make the guests of the groom go without food while he is with them? ³⁵But the time will come when the groom will be taken away from them. Then they will go without food." ³⁶He also told them a story. "No one tears a piece of cloth from new clothes to sew on old clothes. If he does, he will ruin the new clothes. And the patch from the new will not match the old. ³⁷And no one pours new wine into old wineskins. If he does, the new wine will burst the skins. The wine will spill out, and the skins will be ruined. ³⁸No, new wine must be poured into new wineskins. ³⁹And after drinking old wine, no one wants the new. He says, 'The old is better.'"