Now it happened that while the crowd was pressing around Him and listening to the word of God, He was standing by the lake of Gennesaret;

When they had done this, they enclosed a great quantity of fish, and their nets began to break;

After that He went out and noticed a tax collector named Levi sitting in the tax booth, and He said to him, “Follow Me.”

One day He was teaching; and there were some Pharisees and teachers of the law sitting there, who had come from every village of Galilee and Judea and from Jerusalem; and the power of the Lord was present for Him to perform healing.

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

While He was in one of the cities, behold, there was a man covered with leprosy; and when he saw Jesus, he fell on his face and implored Him, saying, “Lord, if You are willing, You can make me clean.”

For amazement had seized him and all his companions because of the catch of fish which they had taken;

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

And He stretched out His hand and touched him, saying, “I am willing; be cleansed.” And immediately the leprosy left him.

But the news about Him was spreading even farther, and large crowds were gathering to hear Him and to be healed of their sicknesses.

And He ordered him to tell no one, “But go and show yourself to the priest and make an offering for your cleansing, just as Moses commanded, as a testimony to them.”

Immediately he got up before them, and picked up what he had been lying on, and went home glorifying God.

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

And some men were carrying on a bed a man who was paralyzed; and they were trying to bring him in and to set him down in front of Him.

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

and He saw two boats lying at the edge of the lake; but the fishermen had gotten out of them and were washing their nets.

The Pharisees and their scribes began grumbling at His disciples, saying, “Why do you eat and drink with the tax collectors and sinners?”

Simon answered and said, “Master, we worked hard all night and caught nothing, but I will do as You say and let down the nets.”

And Levi gave a big reception for Him in his house; and there was a great crowd of tax collectors and other people who were reclining at the table with them.

But not finding any way to bring him in because of the crowd, they went up on the roof and let him down through the tiles with his stretcher, into the middle of the crowd, in front of Jesus.

But Jesus, aware of their reasonings, answered and said to them, “Why are you reasoning in your hearts?

And he left everything behind, and got up and began to follow Him.

Which is easier, to say, ‘Your sins have been forgiven you,’ or to say, ‘Get up and walk’?

They were all struck with astonishment and began glorifying God; and they were filled with fear, saying, “We have seen remarkable things today.”

And He got into one of the boats, which was Simon’s, and asked him to put out a little way from the land. And He sat down and began teaching the people from the boat.

And they said to Him, “The disciples of John often fast and offer prayers, the disciples of the Pharisees also do the same, but Yours eat and drink.”

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

But when Simon Peter saw that, he fell down at Jesus’ feet, saying, “Go away from me Lord, for I am a sinful man!”

And He was also telling them a parable: “No one tears a piece of cloth from a new garment and puts it on an old garment; otherwise he will both tear the new, and the piece from the new will not match the old.

But Jesus Himself would often slip away to the wilderness and pray.

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

and so also were James and John, sons of Zebedee, who were partners with Simon. And Jesus said to Simon, “Do not fear, from now on you will be catching men.”

And Jesus answered and said to them, “It is not those who are well who need a physician, but those who are sick.

Seeing their faith, He said, “Friend, your sins are forgiven you.”

And no one, after drinking old wine wishes for new; for he says, ‘The old is good enough.’”

And no one puts new wine into old wineskins; otherwise the new wine will burst the skins and it will be spilled out, and the skins will be ruined.

And Jesus said to them, “You cannot make the attendants of the bridegroom fast while the bridegroom is with them, can you?

But new wine must be put into fresh wineskins.

But the days will come; and when the bridegroom is taken away from them, then they will fast in those days.”