Luke
Summary
While teaching by the Sea of Galilee, Jesus demonstrate His authority over even the natural realm by enabling a miraculous catch of fish that leads Peter, James, and John to leave all and follow Him. He subsequently brings restoration to a man with leprosy: whose healing underscores Jesus’s messianic identity and His compassion for the marginalized. In Capernaum, Jesus’s prerogative to forgive sins is publicly confirmed through the healing of a paralytic: which provokes controversy among the religious leaders as He subsequently calls Levi (Matthew), a tax collector, to be His disciple and eats with those they consider "sinners." Jesus explains the radical and transformative nature of His message through the metaphors of new cloth and new wineskins: reasserting that His Kingdom is intended to bring joy and restoration to all who respond to His invitation.
So it was, as the multitude pressed about Him to hear the word of God, that He stood by the Lake of Gennesaret,
And saw two ships standing by the lake: but the fishermen were gone out of them, and were washing their nets.
And he entered into one of the ships, who was Simon’s, and prayed him that he would thrust out a little from the land. And he sat down, and taught the people out of the ship.
When He had stopped speaking, He said to Simon, "Launch out into the deep and let down your nets for a catch."
And Simon answering said to Him, "Master, we have toiled all the night, and have taken nothing: nevertheless at Your word I will let down the net."
And when they had this done, they inclosed a great multitude of fishes: and their net brake.
And they beckoned to their partners, who were in the other ship, that they should come and help them. And they came, and filled both the ships, so that they began to sink.
When Simon Peter saw it, he fell down at Jesus’ knees, saying, "Depart from me; for I am a sinful man, O Lord."
For he was astonished, and all that were with him, at the draught of the fishes which they had taken:
and so also were James and John, the sons of Zebedee, who were partners with Simon. And Jesus said to Simon, "Do not be afraid. From now on you will catch men."
And when they had brought their ships to land, they forsook all, and followed him.
And it came to pass, when He was in a certain city, behold a man full of leprosy: who seeing Jesus fell on his face, and besought Him, saying, "Lord, if You will, You can make me clean."
Then He put out His hand and touched him, saying, "I am willing; be cleansed." Immediately the leprosy left him.
And He charged him to tell no man: "But go, and show yourself to the priest, and offer for your cleansing, according as Moses commanded, for a testimony to them."
But so much the more went there a fame abroad of him: and great multitudes came together to hear, and to be healed by him of their infirmities.
And he withdrew himself into the wilderness, and prayed.
And it came to pass on a certain day, as he was teaching, that there were Pharisees and doctors of the law sitting by, who were come out of every town of Galilee, and Judaea, and Jerusalem: and the power of the Lord was present to heal them.
And, behold, men brought in a bed a man which was taken with a palsy: and they sought means to bring him in, and to lay him before him.
And when they could not find by what way they might bring him in because of the multitude, they went upon the housetop, and let him down through the tiling with his couch into the midst before Jesus.
When He saw their faith, He said to him, "Man, your sins are forgiven you."
And the scribes and the Pharisees began to reason, saying, "Who is this which speaks blasphemies? Who can forgive sins, but God alone?"
But when Jesus perceived their thoughts, He answering said to them, "What reason you in your hearts?"
"Whether is easier, to say, Your sins be forgiven you; or to say, Rise up and walk?"
"But that you may know that the Son of man has power on earth to forgive sins," (He said to the sick of the palsy,) "I say to you, Arise, and take up your couch, and go into your house."
And immediately he rose up before them, and took up that whereon he lay, and departed to his own house, glorifying God.
And they were all amazed, and they glorified God, and were filled with fear, saying, We have seen strange things today.
After these things He went out and saw a tax collector named Levi sitting at the tax office. And He said to him, "Follow Me."
And he left all, rose up, and followed him.
And Levi made him a great feast in his own house: and there was a great company of publicans and of others that sat down with them.
But their scribes and Pharisees murmured against His disciples, saying, "Why do you eat and drink with publicans and sinners?"
Jesus answered and said to them, "Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick."
"I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance."
And they said to Him, "Why do the disciples of John fast often, and make prayers, and likewise the disciples of the Pharisees; but yours eat and drink?"
And He said to them, "Can you make the children of the bridechamber fast, while the bridegroom is with them?"
"But the days will come, when the bridegroom shall be taken away from them, and then shall they fast in those days."
And He spoke also a parable to them; "No man puts a piece of a new garment upon an old; if otherwise, then both the new makes a rent, and the piece that was taken out of the new agrees not with the old."
"And no man puts new wine into old bottles; else the new wine will burst the bottles, and be spilled, and the bottles shall be ruined."
"But new wine must be put into new bottles; and both are preserved."
"No man also having drunk old wine immediately desires new: for he says, The old is better."