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5
The Call of the Disciples
1 Now it came to pass, while the crowd pressed upon Him to hear the word of God, that He stood by the Lake of Gennesaret, 2 and He saw two boats standing by the lake; but the fishermen, after getting out of them, were washing their nets. 3 Then He got into one of the boats, which was Simon's, and He asked him to put out a little from the land. And sitting down, He began to teach the crowds from the boat.
4 Now when He had stopped speaking, He said to Simon, “Put out into the deep and lower your nets for a catch.”
5 But Simon answered and said to Him, “Master, we have labored all night and caught nothing; nevertheless at Your word I will lower the net.” 6 And when they had done this, they caught a great multitude of fish, and their net was tearing. 7 So they beckoned to their partners who were in the other boat to come and help them. And they came and filled both the boats, so that they were sinking. 8 When Simon Peter saw it, he fell down at Jesus' knees, saying, “Depart from me, for I am a sinful man, O Lord!”
9 For astonishment gripped him and all who were with him at the haul of fish which they had taken. 10 And likewise also it gripped James and John, the sons of Zebedee, who were partners with Simon. And Jesus said to Simon, “Do not fear; from now on you shall be catching men.” 11 And having brought the boats to land, they left everything and followed Him.
Jesus Cleanses a Leper
12 And it came to pass while He was in a certain city, that behold, there was a man full of leprosy. And when he saw Jesus, falling on his face he begged Him, saying, “Lord, if You are willing, You can cleanse me.”
13 And reaching out His hand, He touched him, saying, “I am willing; be cleansed.” Immediately the leprosy departed from him. 14 And He ordered him to tell no one, “But go and show yourself to the priest, and bring an offering for your cleansing, as a testimony to them, just as Moses prescribed.”
15 But the report about Him spread all the more; and great crowds came together to hear, and to be healed by Him from their sicknesses. 16 But He Himself would withdraw into the wilderness and would pray.
Jesus Forgives and Heals a Paralytic
17 Now it happened on a certain day that He was teaching, and Pharisees and teachers of the law were sitting there, who had come out of every village of Galilee, Judea, and Jerusalem. And the power of the Lord was present to heal them. 18 And behold, men were carrying on a bed a man who was paralyzed, and they were seeking to bring him in and to lay him before Him. 19 And when they could not find how they might bring him in, because of the crowd, going up on the roof, they lowered him down with his bed through the tiles into the midst in front of Jesus.
20 And seeing their faith, He said to him, “Man, your sins have been forgiven you.”
21 And the scribes and the Pharisees began to reason, saying, “Who is this Man who speaks blasphemies? Who can forgive sins except God alone?”
22 But when Jesus perceived their reasonings, He answered and said to them, “Why are you reasoning in your hearts? 23 Which is easier, to say, ‘Your sins are forgiven you,’ or to say, ‘Arise and walk’? 24 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, arise, take up your bed, and go to your house.”
25 Immediately he rose up before them, taking up the bed which he had been lying on, he went off to his own house, glorifying God. 26 And amazement gripped them all, and they were glorifying God, and they were filled with fear, saying, “We have seen extraordinary things today!”
The Calling of Levi (Matthew)
27 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.” 28 And leaving everything, he arose and followed Him.
29 Then Levi made a great banquet for Him in his own house. And there was a great number of tax collectors and others who were reclining with them to eat. 30 And their scribes and the Pharisees complained against His disciples, saying, “Why do You eat and drink with tax collectors and sinners?”
31 Jesus answered and said to them, “Those who are healthy have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. 32 I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners, to repentance.”
The Superiority of the New
33 Then they said to Him, “Why do the disciples of John fast often and make prayers, and likewise also the disciples of the Pharisees, but Yours eat and drink?”
34 And He said to them, “Can you make the groomsmen fast while the bridegroom is with them? 35 But the days will come when the bridegroom will be taken away from them; then they will fast in those days.”
36 Then He spoke a parable to them: “No one puts a patch of a new garment on an old one; otherwise both the new garment tears, and also the patch that was taken out of the new garment does not match with the old garment. 37 And no one puts new wine into old wineskins; otherwise the new wine will burst the wineskins and it will be spilled, and the wineskins will be ruined. 38 But one must put new wine into new wineskins, and both are preserved together. 39 And no one, having drunk old wine, immediately desires new; for he says, ‘The old is better.’ ”

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© 2014 Dr. Paul W. Esposito