The Gospel of Luke for Readers | Page 7

question in your
hearts whether it is easier to say, Thy sins be forgiven thee; or, to say,
Rise up and walk? That ye may know that the Son of man has power on
earth to forgive sins, (He said to the sick man), Arise. Take up thy
couch and go to your home. Immediately he rose up before them, took
up that upon which he lay, and departed to his own house, glorifying
God. They were all amazed and glorified God, and were filled with fear,
saying, We have seen strange things today.
After these things, He went forth and saw a publican named Levi who
was sitting at the receipt of custom. He said to him, Follow me. And he
left all, rose up, and followed Him. Levi made Him a great feast in his
own house. There was a large company of publicans and others that sat
down with them.
The scribes and Pharisees murmured against His disciples, saying, Why
do ye eat and drink with publicans and sinners? Jesus answered and

said to them, Those who are whole do not need a physician; but they
that are sick do. I came not to call the righteous, but to call sinners to
repentance.
Then they said to Him, Why do the disciples of John fast often and
make prayers, and likewise the disciples of the Pharisees; but your
disciples eat and drink? Jesus said to them, Can ye make the children of
the bridechamber fast while the bridegroom is with them? The days
will come when the bridegroom shall be taken away from them. Then
they shall fast.
He spoke also a parable to them. No man puts a piece of a new garment
on an old one; if he does, the new makes a rent, and the piece that was
taken out of the new does not match the old. And no man puts new
wine into old bottles; else the new wine will burst the bottles, be spilled,
and the bottles shall perish. But new wine must be put into new bottles;
and both are preserved. No man, having drunk old wine, straightway
desires new, because he says, The old is better.
6 It came to pass that on the second sabbath after the first, Jesus passed
through corn fields; and His disciples plucked ears of corn to eat,
rubbing them in their hands. Certain of the Pharisees said to them, Why
do ye do that which is not lawful on the sabbath days?
Jesus answering them said, Have ye not read what David did, when he
and those who were with him were hungry? How he went into the
house of God, took the showbread to eat, and also gave it to those who
were with him; which is not lawful to eat and is only for the priests?
Jesus said to them, The Son of man is also Lord of the sabbath.
It came to pass on another sabbath, He entered the synagogue and
taught. There was a man whose right hand was withered. The scribes
and Pharisees watched whether He would heal on the sabbath day so
they might find an accusation against Him.
Jesus knew their intentions and said to the man with the withered hand,
Rise up. Stand forth in the midst. The man arose and stood forth. Then
Jesus said to them, I will ask you one thing; Is it lawful on the sabbath
days to do good, or to do evil? To save life, or to destroy it? Then
looking around at them, He said to the man, Stretch forth thy hand. As
the man did so, his hand was restored whole as the other. They were
filled with anger and discussed what they might do to Jesus.
It came to pass in those days, Jesus went up into a mountain to pray. He

continued all night in prayer to God. When it was day, He called to
Him His disciples and, of them, He chose twelve whom He also named
apostles:
Simon (whom He also named Peter); Andrew, his brother; James and
John; Philip and Bartholomew; Matthew and Thomas; James, the son
of Alphaeus; and Simon called Zelotes; Judas, the brother of James;
and Judas Iscariot, who also was the traitor.
Jesus came down with the company of His disciples and stood in the
plain. There was now gathered a great multitude of people out of all
Judaea and Jerusalem, and from the sea coast of Tyre and Sidon, who
came to hear Him, and to be healed of their diseases and unclean spirits.
The whole multitude sought to touch Him because virtue flowed out of
Him and healed them all.
Jesus lifted His eyes to His disciples and said, Blessed are you who are
poor, for yours is