New Testament Plan

¹Now it happened that while Jesus was standing by the Lake of Gennesaret (Sea of Galilee), with the people crowding all around Him and listening to the word of God;

²that He saw two boats lying at the edge of the lake, but the fishermen had gotten out of them and were washing their nets.

³He got into one of the boats, which was Simon's, and asked him to put out a little distance from the shore. And He sat down and began teaching the crowds from the boat.

⁴When He had finished speaking, He said to Simon [Peter], "Put out into the deep water and lower your nets for a catch [of fish]."

⁵Simon replied, "Master, we worked hard all night [to the point of exhaustion] and caught nothing [in our nets], but at Your word I will [do as you say and] lower the nets [again]."

⁶When they had done this, they caught a great number of fish, and their nets were [at the point of] breaking;

⁷so they signaled to their partners in the other boat to come and help them. And they came and filled both of the boats [with fish], so that they began to sink.

⁸But when Simon Peter saw this, he fell down at Jesus' knees, saying, "Go away from me, for I am a sinful man, O Lord!"

⁹For he and all his companions were completely astounded at the catch of fish which they had taken;

¹⁰and so were James and John, sons of Zebedee, who were partners with Simon [Peter]. Jesus said to Simon, "Have no fear; from now on you will be catching men!"

¹¹After they had brought their boats to land, they left everything and followed Him [becoming His disciples, believing and trusting in Him and following His example].

¹²While Jesus was in one of the cities, there came a man covered with [an advanced case of] leprosy; and when he saw Jesus, he fell on his face and begged Him, saying, "Lord, if You are willing, You can make me clean and well."

¹³And Jesus reached out His hand and touched him, saying, "I am willing; be cleansed." And immediately the leprosy left him.

¹⁴Jesus ordered him to tell no one [that he might happen to meet], "But go and show yourself to the priest, and make an offering for your purification, just as Moses commanded, as a testimony (witness) to them [that this is a work of Messiah]."

¹⁵But the news about Him was spreading farther, and large crowds kept gathering to hear Him and to be healed of their illnesses.

¹⁶But Jesus Himself would often slip away to the wilderness and pray [in seclusion].

¹⁷One day as He was teaching, there were Pharisees and teachers of the Law sitting there who had come from every village of Galilee and Judea and from Jerusalem. And the power of the Lord was present with Him to heal.

¹⁸Some men came carrying on a stretcher a man who was paralyzed, and they tried to bring him in and lay him down in front of Jesus.

¹⁹But finding no way to bring him in because of the crowd, they went up on the roof [and removed some tiles to make an opening] and lowered him through the tiles with his stretcher, into the middle of the crowd, in front of Jesus.

²⁰When Jesus saw their [active] faith [springing from confidence in Him], He said, "Man, your sins are forgiven."

²¹The scribes and the Pharisees began to consider and question [the implications of what He had said], saying, "Who is this man who speaks blasphemies [by claiming the rights and prerogatives of God]? Who can forgive sins [that is, remove guilt, nullify sin's penalty, and assign righteousness] except God alone?"

²²But Jesus, knowing their [hostile] thoughts, answered them, "Why are you questioning [these things] in your hearts?

²³Which is easier, to say, 'Your sins are forgiven you,' or to say, 'Get up and walk'?

²⁴But, in order that you may know that the Son of Man (the Messiah) has authority and power on earth to forgive sins"—He said to the paralyzed man, "I say to you, get up, pick up your stretcher and go home."

²⁵He immediately stood up before them, picked up his stretcher, and went home glorifying and praising God.

²⁶They were all astonished, and they began glorifying God; and they were filled with [reverential] fear and kept saying, "We have seen wonderful and incredible things today!"

²⁷After this Jesus went out and noticed a tax collector named Levi (Matthew) sitting at the tax booth; and He said to him, "Follow Me [as My disciple, accepting Me as your Master and Teacher and walking the same path of life that I walk]."

²⁸And he left everything behind and got up and began to follow Jesus [as His disciple].

²⁹Levi (Matthew) gave a great banquet for Him at his house; and there was a large crowd of tax collectors and others who were reclining at the table with them.

³⁰The Pharisees and their scribes [seeing those with whom He was associating] began murmuring in discontent to His disciples, asking, "Why are you eating and drinking with the tax collectors and sinners [including non-observant Jews]?"

³¹And Jesus replied to them, "It is not those who are healthy who need a physician, but [only] those who are sick.

³²I did not come to call the [self-proclaimed] righteous [who see no need to repent], but sinners to repentance [to change their old way of thinking, to turn from sin and to seek God and His righteousness]."

³³Then they said to Him, "The disciples of John [the Baptist] often practice fasting and offer prayers [of special petition], and so do the disciples of the Pharisees; but Yours eat and drink."

³⁴Jesus said to them, "Can you make the wedding guests of the bridegroom fast while he is with them?

³⁵But days [for mourning] will come when the bridegroom is [forcefully] taken away from them. They will fast in those days."

³⁶He also told them a parable: "No one tears a piece of cloth from a new garment and puts it on an old one; otherwise he will both tear the new, and the piece from the new will not match the old.

³⁷And no one puts new wine into old wineskins; otherwise the new [fermenting] wine will [expand and] burst the skins and it will be spilled out, and the skins will be ruined.

³⁸But new wine must be put into fresh wineskins.

³⁹And no one, after drinking old wine, wishes for new; for he says, 'The old is fine.'"

¹One Sabbath while Jesus was passing through fields of standing grain, it happened that His disciples were picking the heads of grain, rubbing them in their hands, and eating them.

²But some of the Pharisees said, "Why are you doing what is unlawful on the Sabbath?"

³Jesus replied to them, "Have you not even read [in the Scriptures] what David did when he was hungry, he and those who were with him—

⁴how he went into the house of God, and took and ate the consecrated bread, which is not lawful [for anyone] to eat except the priests alone, and [how he also] gave it to the men who were with him?"

⁵Jesus was saying to them, "The Son of Man (the Messiah) is Lord [even] of the Sabbath."

⁶On another Sabbath He went into the synagogue and taught, and a man was present whose right hand was withered.

⁷The scribes and the Pharisees were watching Him closely [with malicious intent], to see if He would [actually] heal [someone] on the Sabbath, so that they might find a reason to accuse Him.

⁸But He was aware of their thoughts, and He said to the man with the withered hand, "Get up and come forward." So he got up and stood there.

⁹Then Jesus said to them, "I ask you directly: Is it lawful to do good on the Sabbath or to do evil, to save a life or to destroy it?"

¹⁰After looking around at them all, He said to the man, "Stretch out your hand!" And he did, and his hand was [fully] restored.

¹¹But the scribes and Pharisees were filled with senseless rage [and lacked spiritual insight], and discussed with one another what they might do to Jesus.

¹²Now at this time Jesus went off to the mountain to pray, and He spent the whole night in prayer to God.

¹³When day came, He called His disciples and selected twelve of them, whom He also named apostles (special messengers, personally chosen representatives):

¹⁴Simon, whom He also named Peter, and his brother Andrew; and [the brothers] James and John; and Philip, and Bartholomew [also called Nathanael];

¹⁵and Matthew (Levi, the tax collector) and Thomas; and James the son of Alphaeus, and Simon who was called the Zealot;

¹⁶Judas [also called Thaddaeus] the son of James, and Judas Iscariot, who became a traitor [to the Lord].

¹⁷Then Jesus came down with them and stood on a level place; and there was a large crowd of His disciples, and a vast multitude of people from all over Judea and Jerusalem and the coastal region of Tyre and Sidon,

¹⁸who had come to listen to Him and to be healed of their diseases. Even those who were troubled by unclean spirits (demons) were being healed.

¹⁹All the people were trying to touch Him, because [healing] power was coming from Him and healing them all.

²⁰And looking toward His disciples, He began speaking: "Blessed [spiritually prosperous, happy, to be admired] are you who are poor [in spirit, those devoid of spiritual arrogance, those who regard themselves as insignificant], for the kingdom of God is yours [both now and forever].

²¹Blessed [joyful, nourished by God's goodness] are you who hunger now [for righteousness, actively seeking right standing with God], for you will be [completely] satisfied. Blessed [forgiven, refreshed by God's grace] are you who weep now [over your sins and repent], for you will laugh [when the burden of sin is lifted].

²²Blessed [morally courageous and spiritually alive with life-joy in God's goodness] are you when people hate you, and exclude you [from their fellowship], and insult you, and scorn your name as evil because of [your association with] the Son of Man.

²³Rejoice on that day and leap for joy, for your reward in heaven is great [absolutely inexhaustible]; for their fathers used to treat the prophets in the same way.

²⁴But woe (judgment is coming) to you who are rich [and place your faith in possessions while remaining spiritually impoverished], for you are [already] receiving your comfort in full [and there is nothing left to be awarded to you].

²⁵Woe to you who are well-fed (gorged, satiated) now, for you will be hungry. Woe to you who laugh now [enjoying a life of self-indulgence], for you will mourn and weep [and deeply long for God].

²⁶Woe to you when all the people speak well of you and praise you, for their fathers used to treat the false prophets in the same way.

²⁷"But I say to you who hear [Me and pay attention to My words]: Love [that is, unselfishly seek the best or higher good for] your enemies, [make it a practice to] do good to those who hate you,

²⁸bless and show kindness to those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you.

²⁹Whoever strikes you on the cheek, offer him the other one also [simply ignore insignificant insults or losses and do not bother to retaliate—maintain your dignity]. Whoever takes away your coat, do not withhold your shirt from him either.

³⁰Give to everyone who asks of you. Whoever takes away what is yours, do not demand it back.

³¹Treat others the same way you want them to treat you.

³²If you [only] love those who love you, what credit is that to you? For even sinners love those who love them.

³³If you do good to those who do good to you, what credit is that to you? For even sinners do the same.

³⁴If you lend [money] to those from whom you expect to receive [it back], what credit is that to you? Even sinners lend to sinners expecting to receive back the same amount.

³⁵But love [that is, unselfishly seek the best or higher good for] your enemies, and do good, and lend, expecting nothing in return; for your reward will be great (rich, abundant), and you will be sons of the Most High; because He Himself is kind and gracious and good to the ungrateful and the wicked.

³⁶Be merciful (responsive, compassionate, tender) just as your [heavenly] Father is merciful.

³⁷" Do not judge [others self-righteously], and you will not be judged; do not condemn [others when you are guilty and unrepentant], and you will not be condemned [for your hypocrisy]; pardon [others when they truly repent and change], and you will be pardoned [when you truly repent and change].

³⁸Give, and it will be given to you. They will pour into your lap a good measure—pressed down, shaken together, and running over [with no space left for more]. For with the standard of measurement you use [when you do good to others], it will be measured to you in return."

³⁹He also told them a parable: "Can a blind man guide [another] blind man? Will they not both fall into a hole in the ground?

⁴⁰A student is not superior to his teacher; but everyone, after he has been completely trained, will be like his teacher.

⁴¹Why do you look at the speck that is in your brother's eye, but do not notice or consider the log that is in your own eye?

⁴²How can you say to your brother, 'Brother, allow me to take out the speck that is in your eye,' when you yourself do not see the log that is in your own eye? You hypocrite (play actor, pretender), first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take out the speck that is in your brother's eye.

⁴³For there is no good tree which produces bad fruit, nor, on the other hand, a bad tree which produces good fruit.

⁴⁴For each tree is known and identified by its own fruit. For figs are not picked from thorn bushes, nor is a cluster of grapes picked from a briar bush.

⁴⁵The [intrinsically] good man produces what is good and honorable and moral out of the good treasure [stored] in his heart; and the [intrinsically] evil man produces what is wicked and depraved out of the evil [in his heart]; for his mouth speaks from the overflow of his heart.

⁴⁶"Why do you call Me, 'Lord, Lord,' and do not practice what I tell you?

⁴⁷Everyone who comes to Me and listens to My words and obeys them, I will show you whom he is like:

⁴⁸he is like a [far-sighted, practical, and sensible] man building a house, who dug deep and laid a foundation on the rock; and when a flood occurred, the torrent burst against that house and yet could not shake it, because it had been securely built and founded on the rock.

⁴⁹But the one who has [merely] heard and has not practiced [what I say], is like a [foolish] man who built a house on the ground without any foundation, and the torrent burst against it; and it immediately collapsed, and the ruin of that house was great."

¹After He had finished all that He had to say in the hearing of the people, He went to Capernaum.

²Now a [Roman] centurion's slave, who was highly regarded by him, was sick and on the verge of death.

³When the centurion heard about Jesus, he sent some Jewish elders to Him, asking Him to come and save the life of his slave.

⁴When they reached Jesus, they pleaded with Him earnestly [to come], saying, "He is worthy for You to do this for him,

⁵because he loves our nation and he built us our synagogue [at his own expense]."

⁶And Jesus went with them. But when He was near the house, the centurion sent friends to Him, saying, "Lord, do not trouble Yourself further, for I am not worthy for You to come under my roof.

⁷Therefore I did not even consider myself worthy to come to You. But just speak a word, and my slave will be healed.

⁸For I also am a man subject to authority, with soldiers under me; and I say to this one, 'Go,' and he goes, and to another, 'Come,' and he comes, and to my slave, 'Do this,' and he does it."

⁹Now when Jesus heard this, He was amazed at him, and turned and said to the crowd that was following Him, "I say to you, not even in Israel have I found such great faith [as this man's]."

¹⁰When the messengers who had been sent returned to the house, they found the slave in good health.

¹¹Soon afterward Jesus went to a city called Nain [near Nazareth], and His disciples and a large crowd accompanied Him.

¹²Now as He approached the city gate, a dead man was being carried out—the only son of his mother, and she was a widow. And a large crowd from the city was with her [in the funeral procession].

¹³When the Lord saw her, He felt [great] compassion for her, and said to her, "Do not weep."

¹⁴And He came up and touched the bier [on which the body rested], and the pallbearers stood still. And He said, "Young man, I say to you, arise [from death]!"

¹⁵The man who was dead sat up and began to speak. And Jesus gave him back to his mother.

¹⁶Fear and profound awe gripped them all, and they began glorifying and honoring and praising God, saying, "A great prophet has arisen among us!" and, "God has visited His people [to help and care for and provide for them]!"

¹⁷This news about Him spread through all of Judea and in all the surrounding countryside.

¹⁸John's disciples brought word to him [in prison] of all these things.

¹⁹John called two of his disciples and sent them to the Lord, saying, "Are You the Expected One (the Messiah), or should we look for someone else?"

²⁰So the men came to Jesus and said, "John the Baptist sent us to You to ask, 'Are You the Expected One (the Messiah), or should we look for someone else?'"

²¹At that very hour Jesus healed many people of sicknesses and infirmities and evil spirits; and He gave [the gracious gift of] sight to many who were blind.

²²So He replied to them, "Go and tell John about everything you have seen and heard: the blind receive sight, the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised up, and the poor have the good news (gospel) preached to them.

²³Blessed [joyful, spiritually favored] is he who does not take offense at Me."

²⁴When John's messengers left, Jesus began speaking to the crowds about John: "What did you go out to the wilderness to see? A reed shaken by the wind?

²⁵But what did you go out to see? A man dressed in soft clothing [entirely unsuited for the harsh wilderness]? Those who wear splendid clothing and live in luxury are in royal palaces!

²⁶But what did you [really] go out to see? A prophet? Yes, I say to you, and one far more [eminent and remarkable] than a prophet [who foretells the future].

²⁷This is the one of whom it is written [by the prophet Malachi], 'Behold, I send My messenger ahead of You, Who will prepare Your way before You.'

²⁸I tell you, among those born of women there is no one greater than John; yet he who is least in the kingdom of God is greater [in privilege] than he."

²⁹All the people and the tax collectors who heard Jesus, acknowledged [the validity of] God's justice, having been baptized with the baptism of John.

³⁰But the Pharisees and the lawyers [who were experts in the Mosaic Law] annulled and set aside God's purpose for themselves, not having been baptized by John.

³¹"To what then shall I compare the people of this generation [who set aside God's plan], and what are they like?

³²They are like children sitting in the market place and calling to one another, and saying, 'We played the flute for you [pretending to be at a wedding], and you did not dance; we sang a dirge [pretending to be at a funeral], and you did not weep [so nothing we did appealed to you].'

³³For John the Baptist has come neither eating bread nor drinking wine, and you say, 'He has a demon!'

³⁴The Son of Man has come eating and drinking, and you say, 'Look, a man who is a glutton and a [heavy] wine-drinker, a friend of tax collectors and sinners [including non-observant Jews].'

³⁵Yet wisdom is vindicated and shown to be right by all her children [by the lifestyle, moral character, and good deeds of her followers]."

³⁶One of the Pharisees asked Jesus to eat with him, and He went into the Pharisee's house [in the region of Galilee] and reclined at the table.

³⁷Now there was a woman in the city who was [known as] a sinner; and when she found out that He was reclining at the table in the Pharisee's house, she brought an alabaster vial of perfume;

³⁸and standing behind Him at His feet, weeping, she began wetting His feet with her tears, and wiped them with the hair of her head, and [respectfully] kissed His feet [as an act signifying both affection and submission] and anointed them with the perfume.

³⁹Now when [Simon] the Pharisee who had invited Him saw this, he said to himself, "If this Man were a prophet He would know who and what sort of woman this is who is touching Him, that she is a [notorious] sinner [an outcast, devoted to sin]."

⁴⁰Jesus, answering, said to the Pharisee, "Simon, I have something to say to you." And he replied, "Teacher, say it."

⁴¹"A certain moneylender had two debtors: one owed him five hundred denarii, and the other fifty.

⁴²When they had no means of repaying [the debts], he freely forgave them both. So which of them will love him more?"

⁴³Simon answered, "The one, I take it, for whom he forgave more." Jesus said to him, "You have decided correctly."

⁴⁴Then turning toward the woman, He said to Simon, "Do you see this woman? I came into your house [but you failed to extend to Me the usual courtesies shown to a guest]; you gave Me no water for My feet, but she has wet My feet with her tears and wiped them with her hair [demonstrating her love].

⁴⁵You gave Me no [welcoming] kiss, but from the moment I came in, she has not ceased to kiss My feet.

⁴⁶You did not [even] anoint My head with [ordinary] oil, but she has anointed My feet with [costly and rare] perfume.

⁴⁷Therefore I say to you, her sins, which are many, are forgiven, for she loved much; but he who is forgiven little, loves little."

⁴⁸Then He said to her, "Your sins are forgiven."

⁴⁹Those who were reclining at the table with Him began saying among themselves, "Who is this who even forgives sins?"

⁵⁰Jesus said to the woman, "Your faith [in Me] has saved you; go in peace [free from the distress experienced because of sin]."