On one occasion, while the crowd was pressing in on him to hear
the word of God, he was standing by the lake of Gennesaret, and he
saw two boats by the lake, but the fishermen had gone out of them
and were washing their nets. Getting into one of the boats, which
was Simon's, he asked him to put out a little from the land. And he
sat down and taught the people from the boat. And when he had
finished speaking, he said to Simon, “Put out into the deep and let
down your nets for a catch.” And Simon answered, “Master, we toiled
all night and took nothing! But at your word I will let down the
nets.” And when they had done this, they enclosed a large number of
fish, and their nets were breaking. They signaled to their partners
in the other boat to come and help them. And they came and filled
both the boats, so that they began to sink. But 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 and all who were with him were
astonished at the catch of fish that they had taken, and so also
were James and John, sons of Zebedee, who were partners with Simon.
And Jesus said to Simon, “Do not be afraid; from now on you will be
catching men.” And when they had brought their boats to land, they
left everything and followed him.
While he was in one of the cities, there came a man full of
leprosy. And when he saw Jesus, he fell on his face and begged him,
“Lord, if you will, you can make me clean.” And Jesus stretched out
his hand and touched him, saying, “I will; be clean.” And
immediately the leprosy left him. And he charged him to tell no
one, but “go and show yourself to the priest, and make an offering
for your cleansing, as Moses commanded, for a proof to them.” But
now even more the report about him went abroad, and great crowds
gathered to hear him and to be healed of their infirmities. But he
would withdraw to desolate places and pray.
On one of those days, as he was teaching, Pharisees and teachers
of the law were sitting there, who had come from every village of
Galilee and Judea and from Jerusalem. And the power of the Lord was
with him to heal. And behold, some men were bringing on a bed a man
who was paralyzed, and they were seeking to bring him in and lay
him before Jesus, but finding no way to bring him in, because of
the crowd, they went up on the roof and let him down with his bed
through the tiles into the midst before Jesus. And when he saw
their faith, he said, “Man, your sins are forgiven you.” And the
scribes and the Pharisees began to question, saying, “Who is this
who speaks blasphemies? Who can forgive sins but God alone?” When
Jesus perceived their thoughts, he answered them, “Why do you
question in your hearts? Which is easier, to say, ‘Your sins are
forgiven you,’ or to say, ‘Rise and walk’? But that you may know
that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins”—he said
to the man who was paralyzed—“I say to you, rise, pick up your bed
and go home.” And immediately he rose up before them and picked up
what he had been lying on and went home, glorifying God. And
amazement seized them all, and they glorified God and were filled
with awe, saying, “We have seen extraordinary things today.”
After this he went out and saw a tax collector named Levi,
sitting at the tax booth. And he said to him, “Follow me.” And
leaving everything, he rose and followed him.
And Levi made him a great feast in his house, and there was a
large company of tax collectors and others reclining at table with
them. And the Pharisees and their scribes grumbled at his
disciples, saying, “Why do you eat and drink with tax collectors
and sinners?” And Jesus answered 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, “The disciples of John fast often and offer
prayers, and so do the disciples of the Pharisees, but yours eat
and drink.” And Jesus said to them, “Can you make wedding guests
fast while the bridegroom is with them? The days will come when the
bridegroom is taken away from them, and then they will fast in
those days.” He also told them a parable: “No one tears a piece
from a new garment and puts it on an old garment. If he does, he
will tear the new, and the piece from the new will not match the
old. And no one puts new wine into old wineskins. If he does, 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 wineskins.
And no one after drinking old wine desires new, for he says, ‘The
old is good.’”
