The Gospel According to St. Luke

⭑ Berean Study Bible :: World English Bible Catholic ⭑

- Chapter 5 -

(Matthew 4:18–22; Mark 1:16–20; John 1:35–42)

On one occasion, while Jesus was standing by the Lake of Gennesaret

(a)

with the crowd pressing in on Him to hear the word of God,

He saw two boats at the edge of the lake. The fishermen had left them and were washing their nets.

Jesus got into the boat belonging to Simon and asked him to put out a little from shore. And sitting down, He taught the people from the boat.

When Jesus had finished speaking, He said to Simon, “Put out into deep water and let down your nets for a catch.”

“Master,” Simon replied, “we have worked hard all night without catching anything. But because You say so, I will let down the nets.”

When they had done so, they caught such a large number of fish that their nets began to tear.

So they signaled to their partners in the other boat to come and help them, and they came and filled both boats so full that they began to sink.

When Simon Peter saw this, he fell at Jesus’ knees. “Go away from me, Lord,” he said, “for I am a sinful man.”

For he and his companions were astonished at the catch of fish they had taken,

and so were his partners James and John, the sons of Zebedee. “Do not be afraid,” Jesus said to Simon. “From now on you will catch men.”

And when they had brought their boats ashore, they left everything and followed Him.

The Leper’s Prayer

(Leviticus 14:1–32; Matthew 8:1–4; Mark 1:40–45)

While Jesus was in one of the towns, a man came along who was covered with leprosy.(b) When he saw Jesus, he fell facedown and begged Him, “Lord, if You are willing, You can make me clean.”

Jesus reached out His hand and touched the man. “I am willing,” He said. “Be clean!” And immediately the leprosy left him.

“Do not tell anyone,” Jesus instructed him. “But go, show yourself to the priest and present the offering Moses prescribed for your cleansing, as a testimony to them.”(c)

But the news about Jesus spread all the more, and great crowds came to hear Him and to be healed of their sicknesses.

Yet He frequently withdrew to the wilderness to pray.

Jesus Heals a Paralytic

(Matthew 9:1–8; Mark 2:1–12)

One day Jesus was teaching, and the Pharisees and teachers of the law were sitting there. People had come from Jerusalem and from every village of Galilee and Judea, and the power of the Lord was present for Him to heal the sick.

Just then some men came carrying a paralyzed man on a mat. They tried to bring him inside to set him before Jesus,

but they could not find a way through the crowd. So they went up on the roof and lowered him on his mat through the tiles into the middle of the crowd, right in front of Jesus.

When Jesus saw their faith, He said, “Friend, your sins are forgiven.”

But the scribes and Pharisees began thinking to themselves, “Who is this man who speaks blasphemy? Who can forgive sins but God alone?”

Knowing what they were thinking, Jesus replied, “Why are you thinking these things in your hearts?

Which is easier: to say, ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or to say, ‘Get up and walk?’

But so that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on the earth to forgive sins...” He said to the paralytic, “I tell you, get up, pick up your mat, and go home.”

And immediately the man stood up before them, took what he had been lying on, and went home glorifying God.

Everyone was taken with amazement and glorified God. They were filled with awe and said, “We have seen remarkable things today.”

Jesus Calls Levi

(Matthew 9:9–13; Mark 2:13–17)

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

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

Then Levi hosted a great banquet for Jesus at his house. A large crowd of tax collectors was there, along with others who were eating with them.

But the Pharisees and their scribes complained to Jesus’ disciples, “Why do you eat and drink with tax collectors and sinners?”

Jesus answered, “It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick.

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

Questions about Fasting

(Matthew 9:14–15; Mark 2:18–20)

Then they said to Him, “John’s disciples and those of the Pharisees frequently fast and pray, but Yours keep on eating and drinking.”

Jesus replied, “Can you make the guests of the bridegroom fast while He is with them?

But the time will come when the bridegroom will be taken from them; then they will fast.”

The Patches and the Wineskins

(Matthew 9:16–17; Mark 2:21–22)

He also told them a parable: “No one tears a piece of cloth from a new garment and sews it on an old one. If he does, he will tear the new garment as well, and the patch from the new will not match the old.

And no one pours new wine into old wineskins. If he does, the new wine will burst the skins, the wine will spill, and the wineskins will be ruined.

Instead, new wine is poured into new wineskins.

And no one after drinking old wine wants new, for he says, ‘The old is better.’”

Footnotes

(a)5:1 That is, the Sea of Galilee

(b)5:12 Leprosy was a term used for various skin diseases. See Leviticus 13.

(Matthew 4:18–22; Mark 1:16–20; John 1:35–42)

Now while the multitude pressed on him and heard the word of God, he was standing by the lake of Gennesaret.

He saw two boats standing by the lake, but the fishermen had gone out of them and were washing their nets.

He entered into one of the boats, which was Simon’s, and asked him to put out a little from the land. He sat down and taught the multitudes from the boat.

When he had finished speaking, he said to Simon, “Put out into the deep and let down your nets for a catch.”

Simon answered him, “Master, we worked all night and caught nothing; but at your word I will let down the net.”

When they had done this, they caught a great multitude of fish, and their net was breaking.

They beckoned to their partners in the other boat, that they should come and help them. They came and filled both boats, so that they began to sink.

But Simon Peter, when he saw it, fell down at Jesus’ knees, saying, “Depart from me, for I am a sinful man, Lord.”

For he was amazed, and all who were with him, at the catch of fish which they had caught;

and so also were James and John, sons of Zebedee, who were partners with Simon. Jesus said to Simon, “Don’t be afraid. From now on you will be catching people alive.”

When they had brought their boats to land, they left everything, and followed him.

The Leper’s Prayer

(Leviticus 14:1–32; Matthew 8:1–4; Mark 1:40–45)

While he was in one of the cities, behold, there was a man full of leprosy. When he saw Jesus, he fell on his face and begged him, saying, “Lord, if you want to, you can make me clean.”

He stretched out his hand and touched him, saying, “I want to. Be made clean.” Immediately the leprosy left him.

He commanded him to tell no one, “But go your way and show yourself to the priest, and offer for your cleansing according to what Moses commanded, for a testimony to them.”

But the report concerning him spread much more, and great multitudes came together to hear and to be healed by him of their infirmities.

But he withdrew himself into the desert and prayed.

Jesus Heals a Paralytic

(Matthew 9:1–8; Mark 2:1–12)

On one of those days, he was teaching; and there were Pharisees and teachers of the law sitting by who had come out of every village of Galilee, Judea, and Jerusalem. The power of the Lord was with him to heal them.

Behold, men brought a paralyzed man on a cot, and they sought to bring him in to lay before Jesus.

Not finding a way to bring him in because of the multitude, they went up to the housetop and let him down through the tiles with his cot into the middle before Jesus.

Seeing their faith, he said to him, “Man, your sins are forgiven you.”

The scribes and the Pharisees began to reason, saying, “Who is this who speaks blasphemies? Who can forgive sins, but God alone?”

But Jesus, perceiving their thoughts, answered them, “Why are you reasoning so in your hearts?

Which is easier to say, ‘Your sins are forgiven you,’ or to say, ‘Arise and walk’?

But that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins,” he said to the paralyzed man, “I tell you, arise, take up your cot, and go to your house.”

Immediately he rose up before them, and took up that which he was laying on, and departed to his house, glorifying God.

Amazement took hold on all, and they glorified God. They were filled with fear, saying, “We have seen strange things today.”

Jesus Calls Levi

(Matthew 9:9–13; Mark 2:13–17)

After these things he went out and saw a tax collector named Levi sitting at the tax office, and said to him, “Follow me!”

He left everything, and rose up and followed him.

Levi made a great feast for him in his house. There was a great crowd of tax collectors and others who were reclining with them.

Their scribes and the Pharisees murmured against his disciples, saying, “Why do you eat and drink with the tax collectors and sinners?”

Jesus answered them, “Those who are healthy have no need for a physician, but those who are sick do.

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

Questions about Fasting

(Matthew 9:14–15; Mark 2:18–20)

They said to him, “Why do John’s disciples often fast and pray, likewise also the disciples of the Pharisees, but yours eat and drink?”

He said to them, “Can you make the friends of the bridegroom fast while the bridegroom is with them?

But the days will come when the bridegroom will be taken away from them. Then they will fast in those days.”

The Patches and the Wineskins

(Matthew 9:16–17; Mark 2:21–22)

He also told a parable to them. “No one puts a piece from a new garment on an old garment, or else he will tear the new, and also the piece from the new will not match the old.

No one puts new wine into old wine skins, or else the new wine will burst the skins, and it will be spilled and the skins will be destroyed.

But new wine must be put into fresh wine skins, and both are preserved.

No man having drunk old wine immediately desires new, for he says, ‘The old is better.’”