Luke 5 in plain modern English. New Ground English Translation.
Time Period
~AD 28-30
Location
Galilee region, primarily around the Sea of Galilee (Lake of Gennesaret) and Capernaum
Audience
Luke wrote to Theophilus and a broader Gentile-Christian audience, explaining Jewish customs and Palestinian geography for those unfamiliar with them
Situation
Jesus is in the early phase of his public ministry in Galilee, performing miracles, calling disciples, and beginning to encounter opposition from religious authorities. His growing popularity is drawing large crowds while simultaneously raising concerns among the Pharisees and teachers of the law.
Key Background
The Sea of Galilee was a thriving fishing industry center where many made their livelihood. Tax collectors like Levi were Jewish agents collecting taxes for Rome, considered traitors and ritually unclean by association with Gentiles. Leprosy rendered people ceremonially unclean under Mosaic law, requiring isolation from society and specific purification procedures overseen by priests. The Pharisees were a religious group emphasizing strict adherence to the Torah and oral traditions, and they viewed Jesus' association with sinners and his disciples' failure to fast as violations of proper religious practice.
One day, as the crowd was pressing in on him to hear he was standing by the of
He noticed two boats at the water's edge. The fishermen had gotten out and were washing their
He got into one of the boats — the one that belonged to — and asked him to push out a little from shore. Then he down and the crowd from the boat.
When he finished speaking, he said to Simon, "Push out into the deep water and let down your nets for a catch."
Simon answered, we worked hard all night and caught nothing. But because you say so, I'll let down the nets."
When they did this, they caught such a huge number of fish that their nets started to tear.
So they signaled to their in the other boat to come help them. They came, and both boats were filled so full of fish that they began to sink.
When Simon Peter saw this, he dropped to his knees in front of Jesus and said, "Go away from me, — I'm a man of
He and everyone with him were completely stunned at the number of fish they had caught.
So were James and John, Zebedee's sons, who were Simon's Then Jesus said to Simon, "Don't be afraid. From now on, you'll be
So they pulled their boats up on shore, and followed him.
While Jesus was in one of the towns, a man covered with a showed up. When he saw Jesus, he fell face-down and begged him, "Lord, if you're willing, you can make me
Jesus reached out his hand and "I am willing," he said. "Be clean." And immediately the skin disease left
Then Jesus told him, "Don't tell anyone. Instead, go show yourself to the and offer the that for your cleansing — as proof to everyone."
But the news about Jesus spread even more, and large crowds gathered to hear him and to be healed of their diseases.
But he would often slip away to deserted places to pray.
One day while he was teaching, some and were sitting there. They had come from every village in Galilee and Judea, and from Jerusalem. And the power of the Lord was there for him to heal.
Some men came carrying a paralyzed man on a stretcher. They tried to bring him inside and set him in front of Jesus,
but they couldn't find a way through because of the crowd. So they went up on the removed some tiles, and lowered him on his stretcher right into the middle of the room, right in front of Jesus.
When Jesus saw their he said, "Friend, your are
The Pharisees and the religious law experts began thinking to themselves, "Who is this guy talking like this? That's an to No one can forgive failures except alone."
Jesus knew what they were thinking and responded, "Why are you thinking this way?
Which is easier to say: 'Your failures are forgiven,' or to say, 'Get up and walk'?
But so you'll know that the of has on earth to forgive failures..." — he turned to the paralyzed — "I'm telling you, get up, pick up your stretcher, and go home."
Immediately the man stood up in front of them, picked up what he'd been lying on, and went home praising God.
Everyone was completely amazed, and they praised God, filled with saying, "We've seen today."
After this, Jesus went out and saw a named sitting at his booth. "Follow me," Jesus said to him.
And Levi got up, and followed him.
Then Levi threw a huge for Jesus at his house. A large crowd of tax collectors and others were eating with them.
But the Pharisees and their religious law experts complained to his "Why do you eat and drink with tax collectors and the of
Jesus answered them, "Healthy people don't need a doctor — sick people do.
I haven't come to call who they have it all — I've come to call who have failed to
Then they said to him, "John's followers frequently and pray, and so do the followers of the Pharisees, but yours keep eating and drinking."
Jesus answered, "Can you make wedding guests fast while the is still with them?
But the time will come when the groom is from them, and then they'll fast in those days."
He also told them an "Nobody tears a piece from a new garment and sews it onto an old one. If they did, they'd ruin the new garment, and the patch from the new wouldn't match the old one.
And nobody pours new wine into old If they did, the new wine would burst the skins, spilling the wine and ruining the skins.
No — new wine has to go into fresh wineskins.
And nobody who's been drinking wants the new right away. They say, 'The old is better.'"