Dual Panel1ONE day the people were crowding closely round Jesus to hear God's message, as he stood on the shore of Lake Gennesaret
2Jesus noticed two boats drown up on the beach, for the fishermen had left them there while they were cleaning their nets.
3He went aboard one of the boats, which belonged to Simon, and asked him to push out a little from the shore. Then he sat down and continued his teaching of the crowds from the boat.
4When he had finished speaking, he said to Simon, "Push out now into deep water and let down your nets for a catch."
5Simon replied, "Master! We've worked all night and never caught a thing, but if you say so, I'll let the nets down."
6And when they had done this, they caught an enormous shoal of fishso big that the nets began to tear.
7So they signaled to their partners in the other boat to come and help them. They came and filled both the boats to sinking point.
8When Simon Peter saw this, he fell at Jesus' knees and said, "Keep away from me, Lord, for I'm only a sinful man!"
9For he and his companions (including Zebedee's sons, James and John, Simon's partners) were staggered at the haul of fish they had made.
10Jesus said to Simon, "Don't be afraid, Simon. From now on your catch will be [men]."
11So they brought the boats ashore, left everything and followed him.
12While he was in one of the towns, Jesus came upon a man who was a mass of leprosy. When he saw Jesus, he prostrated himself before him and begged, "If you want to Lord, you can make me clean."
13Jesus stretched out his hand, placed it on the leper, saying, "Certainly I want to. Be clean!" Immediately the leprosy left him
14and Jesus warned him not to tell anybody, but to go and show himself to the priest and to make the offerings for his recovery which Moses prescribed, as evidence to the authorities.
15Yet the news about him spread all the more, and enormous crowds collected to hear Jesus and to be healed of their complaints.
16But he slipped quietly away to deserted places for prayer.
17One day while Jesus was teaching, some Pharisees and experts in the Law were sitting near him. They had come out of every village in Galilee and Judaea as well us from Jerusalem. The Lord's power to heal people was with him.
18Soon some men arrived carrying a paralytic on a small bed and they kept trying to carry him in to put him down in front of Jesus.
19When they failed to find a way of getting him in because of the dense crowd, they went up on to the top of the house and let him down, bed and all, through the tiles, into the middle of the crowd in front of Jesus.
20When Jesus saw their faith, he said to the man, "My friend, your sins are forgiven."
21The scribes and the Pharisees began to argue about this, saying, "Who is this man who talks blasphemy? Who can forgive sins? Only God can do that."
22Jesus realised what was going on in their minds and spoke straight to them. "Why must you argue like this in your minds?
23Which do you suppose is easierto say, 'Your sins are forgiven' or to say, 'Get up and walk'?
24But to make you realize that the Son of Man has full authority on earth to forgive sinsI tell [you]," he said to the man who was paralysed, "get up, pick up your bed and go home!"
25Instantly the man sprang to his feet before their eyes, picked up the bedding on which he used to lie, and went off home, praising God.
26Sheer amazement gripped every man present, and they praised God and said in awed voices, "We have seen incredible things today."
27Later on, Jesus went out and looked straight at a taxcollector called Levi, as he sat in his office. "Follow me," he said to him.
28And he got to his feet, left everything behind and followed him.
29Then Levi gave a big reception for Jesus in his own house, and there was a great crowd of taxcollectors and others at table with them.
30The Pharisees and their companions the scribes kept muttering indignantly about this to Jesus' disciples, saying, "Why do you have your meals with taxcollectors and sinners?"
31Jesus answered them, "It is not the healthy who need the doctor, but those who are ill.
32I did not come with an invitation for the 'righteous' but for the 'sinners'to change their ways."
33Then people said to him, "Why is it that John's disciples are always fasting and praying, just like the Pharisees' disciples, but yours both eat and drink?"
34Jesus answered, "Can you expect weddingguests to fast while they have the bridegroom with them?
35The day will come when they will lose the bridegroom; that will be the time for them to fast!"
36Then he gave them this illustration: "Nobody tears a piece from a new coat to patch up an old one. If he does, he ruins the new one and the new piece does not match the old.
37"Nobody puts new wine into old wineskins: If he does, the new wine will burst the skinsthe wine will be spilt and the skins, ruined.
38No, new wine must be put into new wineskins.
39Of course, nobody who has been drinking old wine will want the new at once. He is sure to say, 'The old is a good sound wine'."