The Gospel According to St. Luke

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- Chapter 5 -

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

One day, while many people were crowding around Jesus and listening to him teach God’s message, he was standing next to Lake Gennesaret.

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

Jesus stepped into one of the two boats. (This boat belonged to Simon.) Jesus asked Simon to push the boat out a short distance from the shore. Jesus sat in the boat and continued to teach the crowds from there.

After he finished teaching them, he said to Simon, “Take the boat out to deeper water and let your nets down into the water to catch some fish.”

Simon replied, “Master, we worked hard through the whole night, and yet we did not catch any fish. But I will let down the nets again, because you told me to.”

So Simon and his men let down their nets and they caught so many fish that their nets began to break.

They motioned to their fishing partners in the other boat to come and help them. So they came and filled both boats so full with fish that they began to sink.

Seeing this, Simon Peter fell at the knees of Jesus and said, “Please leave me, because I am a sinful man, Lord.”

He said this because he marveled at the huge number of fish that they had caught. All the men who were with him also marveled, including James and John, the sons of Zebedee, who were two of Simon’s fishing partners.

But Jesus said to Simon, “Do not be afraid! Until now you gathered in fish, but from now on you will gather in people to become my disciples.”

So after the men brought the boats to the shore, they left their fishing business and everything else and went with Jesus.

The Leper’s Prayer

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

While Jesus was in one of the towns nearby, there was a man there who was covered with a skin disease called leprosy. When he saw Jesus, he bowed down to the ground in front of him and pleaded with him, “Lord, please heal me, because you are able to heal me if you are willing!”

Then Jesus reached out his hand and touched the man. He said, “I am willing to heal you, and I heal you now!” Immediately the man was healed. He no longer had leprosy!

Then Jesus told him, “Make sure that you do not tell people about your healing immediately. First, go to a priest in Jerusalem and show yourself to him so that he can examine you and see that you no longer have leprosy. Also take to the priest the offering that Moses commanded that people who have been healed from leprosy should offer.”

But many people heard about how Jesus had healed the man. The result was that large crowds came to Jesus to hear him teach and to have him heal them from their sicknesses.

But he often would go away from them to isolated areas and pray.

Jesus Heals a Paralytic

(Matthew 9:1–8; Mark 2:1–12)

One day when Jesus was teaching, some men from the Pharisee sect were sitting nearby. Some of them were expert teachers of the Jewish laws. They had come from many villages in the district of Galilee and also from Jerusalem and other cities in the province of Judea. At that same time, the Lord was giving Jesus power to heal people.

While Jesus was there, several men brought to him a man who was paralyzed. They were carrying the man on a sleeping pad and tried to bring him into the house to lay him down in front of Jesus.

But they were not able to bring him in because there was such a large crowd of people in the house, so they went up the outside steps onto the roof. Then they removed some of the tiles from the roof to make an opening. They lowered the man on his sleeping pad through the opening into the middle of the crowd and put him down right in front of Jesus.

When Jesus perceived that they believed that he could heal the man, he said to him, “Friend, I forgive your sins!”

The men who were expert teachers of the Jewish laws and the rest of the Pharisees began to think to themselves, “This man is proud and insults God by saying that! We all know that nobody except God can forgive sins!”

Jesus knew what they were thinking. So he said to them, “You should not question within yourselves about what I said! Consider this:

It is easy to say, ‘Your sins are forgiven’ because no one can see whether or not the person was really forgiven. But it is not easy to say ‘Get up and walk’ because people can immediately see whether or not he was healed.

So I will heal this man so that you will know that God has also given to me, the Son of Man, permission to forgive people on earth their sins.” Then he said to the man who was paralyzed, “To you I say, get up, pick up your sleeping pad, and go home!”

Immediately the man was healed! He got up in front of them all. He picked up the sleeping pad on which he had been lying, and he went home, praising God.

All the people there were astonished! They praised God and were overcome with amazement at what they saw Jesus do. They kept saying, “We have seen wonderful things today!”

Jesus Calls Levi

(Matthew 9:9–13; Mark 2:13–17)

Then Jesus left that place and saw a man named Levi who collected taxes for the Roman government. He was sitting in the booth where the people came to pay him the taxes that the government required. Jesus said to him, “Come with me and become my disciple!”

So Levi left his work and went with Jesus.

Later on, Levi prepared a big feast in his own house for Jesus and his disciples. There was a large group of tax collectors and others eating together with them.

Some men who belonged to the Pharisee sect, including those of them who taught Jewish laws, complained to Jesus’ disciples, saying, “You should not be eating with tax collectors and other terrible sinners.

Then Jesus said to them, “It is people who are sick who know they need a doctor, not those who think they are well.

Similarly, I did not come from heaven to invite those who think they are righteous to come to me. On the contrary, I came to invite those who know that they are sinners, to turn from their sinful behavior and come to me.”

Questions about Fasting

(Matthew 9:14–15; Mark 2:18–20)

Those Jewish leaders said to Jesus, “The disciples of John the Baptizer often abstain from food and pray, and the disciples of the Pharisees do that, too. But your disciples keep on eating and drinking! Why do they not fast like the others?”

Jesus answered, You do not tell the friends of the bridegroom to fast while he is still with them, do you? No, no one would do that!

But some day the bridegroom will be taken away from his friends. Then, at that time, they will abstain from food.”

The Patches and the Wineskins

(Matthew 9:16–17; Mark 2:21–22)

Then Jesus gave other examples to explain what he meant: He said, “People never tear a piece of cloth from a new garment and attach it to an old garment to mend it. If they did that, they would ruin the new garment by tearing it and the new piece of cloth would not match the old garment.

And no one puts newly squeezed wine into old skin bags to store it. If anyone did that, the skin bags would tear open because they would not stretch when the new wine fermented and expanded. Then the skin bags would be ruined, and the wine would also be ruined because it would spill out.

On the contrary, new wine must be put into new skin bags.

Furthermore, those who have drunk only old wine are content with that. They do not want to drink the new wine, because they say, ‘The old wine is good!’”

(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.’”