Luke 5:10-28

¹⁰and so also were James and John, sons of Zebedee, who were partners with Simon. Jesus said to Simon, “Don’t be afraid. From now on you will be catching people alive.”

¹¹When they had brought their boats to land, they left everything, and followed him.

¹²While he was in one of the cities, behold, there was a man full of leprosy. When he saw Jesus, he fell on his face and begged him, saying, “Lord, if you want to, you can make me clean.”

¹³He stretched out his hand and touched him, saying, “I want to. Be made clean.” Immediately the leprosy left him.

¹⁴He commanded him to tell no one, “But go your way and show yourself to the priest, and offer for your cleansing according to what Moses commanded, for a testimony to them.”

¹⁵But the report concerning him spread much more, and great multitudes came together to hear and to be healed by him of their infirmities.

¹⁶But he withdrew himself into the desert and prayed.

¹⁷On one of those days, he was teaching; and there were Pharisees and teachers of the law sitting by who had come out of every village of Galilee, Judea, and Jerusalem. The power of the Lord was with him to heal them.

¹⁸Behold, men brought a paralyzed man on a cot, and they sought to bring him in to lay before Jesus.

¹⁹Not finding a way to bring him in because of the multitude, they went up to the housetop and let him down through the tiles with his cot into the middle before Jesus.

²⁰Seeing their faith, he said to him, “Man, your sins are forgiven you.”

²¹The scribes and the Pharisees began to reason, saying, “Who is this who speaks blasphemies? Who can forgive sins, but God alone?”

²²But Jesus, perceiving their thoughts, answered them, “Why are you reasoning so in your hearts?

²³Which is easier to say, ‘Your sins are forgiven you,’ or to say, ‘Arise and walk?’

²⁴But that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins,” he said to the paralyzed man, “I tell you, arise, take up your cot, and go to your house.”

²⁵Immediately he rose up before them, and took up that which he was laying on, and departed to his house, glorifying God.

²⁶Amazement took hold on all, and they glorified God. They were filled with fear, saying, “We have seen strange things today.”

²⁷After these things he went out and saw a tax collector named Levi sitting at the tax office, and said to him, “Follow me!”

²⁸He left everything, and rose up and followed him.