Immerse: Gospel of Luke - Flipbook - Page 27
5:8-26
Luke–ACTS
15
When Simon Peter realized what had happened, he fell to his knees before Jesus and said, “Oh, Lord, please leave me—I’m such a sinful man.”
For he was awestruck by the number of fish they had caught, as were the
others with him. His partners, James and John, the sons of Zebedee, were
also amazed.
Jesus replied to Simon, “Don’t be afraid! From now on you’ll be fishing
for people!” And as soon as they landed, they left everything and followed
Jesus.
In one of the villages, Jesus met a man with an advanced case of leprosy.
When the man saw Jesus, he bowed with his face to the ground, begging
to be healed. “Lord,” he said, “if you are willing, you can heal me and make
me clean.”
Jesus reached out and touched him. “I am willing,” he said. “Be healed!”
And instantly the leprosy disappeared. Then Jesus instructed him not to
tell anyone what had happened. He said, “Go to the priest and let him examine you. Take along the offering required in the law of Moses for those
who have been healed of leprosy. This will be a public testimony that you
have been cleansed.”
But despite Jesus’ instructions, the report of his power spread even
faster, and vast crowds came to hear him preach and to be healed of their
diseases. But Jesus often withdrew to the wilderness for prayer.
One day while Jesus was teaching, some Pharisees and teachers of religious law were sitting nearby. (It seemed that these men showed up from
every village in all Galilee and Judea, as well as from Jerusalem.) And the
Lord’s healing power was strongly with Jesus.
Some men came carrying a paralyzed man on a sleeping mat. They tried
to take him inside to Jesus, but they couldn’t reach him because of the
crowd. So they went up to the roof and took off some tiles. Then they
lowered the sick man on his mat down into the crowd, right in front of
Jesus. Seeing their faith, Jesus said to the man, “Young man, your sins are
forgiven.”
But the Pharisees and teachers of religious law said to themselves, “Who
does he think he is? That’s blasphemy! Only God can forgive sins!”
Jesus knew what they were thinking, so he asked them, “Why do you
question this in your hearts? Is it easier to say ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or
‘Stand up and walk’? So I will prove to you that the Son of Man has the
authority on earth to forgive sins.” Then Jesus turned to the paralyzed man
and said, “Stand up, pick up your mat, and go home!”
And immediately, as everyone watched, the man jumped up, picked up
his mat, and went home praising God. Everyone was gripped with great
