Hello.
Welcome to my Bible readings.
In this sleep series,
I will be looking at the gospel according to Luke.
In much of the classic literature I read,
There are references to the Bible and religious teachings.
If we wish to educate ourselves fully in a literary capacity,
It makes sense that we should dive into this for reference.
And so here we are.
It is time for sleep.
Close your eyes and take a deep breath in through your nose.
That's it.
Then let it out on a long sigh.
This is your time and your space.
A time where you can relax,
Safe in the knowledge there is nothing to do and nowhere to go.
Happy listening.
Chapter Four.
A man with an evil spirit.
Jesus went to Capernaum,
A town in Galilee,
Where he taught to the people on the Sabbath.
They were all amazed at the way he taught because he spoke with authority.
In the synagogue was a man who had the spirit of an evil demon in him and he screamed out in a loud voice,
What do you want with us,
Jesus of Nazareth?
Are you here to destroy us?
I know who you are.
You are God's holy messenger.
Jesus ordered the spirit,
Be quiet and come out of the man.
And the demon threw the man down in front of them and went out of him without doing him any harm.
The people were all amazed and said to one another,
What kind of words are these?
With authority and power,
This man gives orders to the evil spirits and they come out.
And the report about Jesus spread everywhere in that region.
Jesus heals many people.
Jesus left the synagogue and went to Simon's house.
Simon's mother-in-law was sick with a high fever and they spoke to Jesus about her.
He went and stood at her bedside and ordered the fever to leave.
The fever then left and she got up at once and began to wait on them.
After sunset,
All who had friends who were sick with various diseases brought them to Jesus.
He placed his hands on every one of them and one by one he healed them all.
Demons also went out from many people screaming,
You are the son of God.
Jesus gave the demons an order and would not let them speak because they knew he was the Messiah.
Jesus Preaches in the Synagogues At daybreak,
Jesus left the town and went off to a lonely place.
The people started looking for him and when they found him they tried to keep him from leaving.
But he said,
I must preach the good news about the kingdom of God in other towns too because that is what God sent me to do.
So he preached in the synagogues throughout the country.
Jesus Calls the First Disciples One day Jesus was standing on the shore of Lake Gennesaret when the people pushed their way up to him to listen to the word of God.
He saw two boats pulled up on the beach.
The fishermen had left them and were washing the nets.
Jesus got into one of the boats,
It belonged to Simon,
And he asked him to push off a little from the shore.
Jesus sat in the boat and taught the crowd from there.
When he finished speaking he said to Simon,
Push the boat out further to the deep water and you and your partners let down your nets for a catch.
Master,
Simon answered,
We worked hard all night long and caught nothing,
But if you say so I will let down the nets.
They let them down and caught such a large number of fish the nets were about to break,
So they motioned to their partners in the other boat to come and help.
They came and filled both boats so full of fish that the boats were about to sink.
Simon fell on his knees before Jesus and said,
Go away from me Lord,
I am a sinful man.
He and the others with him were all amazed at the large number of fish they had caught.
The same was true of Simon's partners,
James and John,
The sons of Zebedee.
Jesus said to Simon,
Don't be afraid,
From now on you will be catching people.
They pulled the boats up on the beach,
Left everything and followed Jesus.
Once Jesus was in a town where there was a man who was suffering from a dreaded skin disease.
When he saw Jesus he threw himself down and begged him,
Sir if you want to you can make me clean.
Jesus stretched out his hand and touched him.
I do want to,
He answered,
Be clean.
And at once the disease left the man.
Jesus ordered,
Don't tell anyone but go straight to the priest and let him examine you.
Then to prove to everyone you're cured,
Offer the sacrifice as Moses ordered.
But the news about Jesus spread all the more widely and crowds of people came to hear him and be healed.
But he would go away to lonely places where he prayed.
Jesus heals a paralysed man.
One day when Jesus was teaching some Pharisees and teachers of the law were sitting there who had come from every town in Galilee and Judea and from Jerusalem.
The power of the Lord was present for Jesus to heal the sick.
Some men came carrying a paralysed man on a bed and they tried to take him into the house and put him in front of Jesus.
Because of the crowd,
However,
They could find no way to take him in.
So they carried him up on the roof,
Made an opening in the tiles and let him down on his bed into the middle of the group in front of Jesus.
When Jesus saw how much faith they had,
He said to the man,
Your sins are forgiven,
My friend.
The teachers of the law and the Pharisees began to say to themselves,
Who is this man who speaks such blasphemy?
God is the only one who can forgive sins.
Jesus knew their thoughts and said to them,
Why do you think such things?
Is it easier to say,
Get up and walk?
I will prove to you then the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins.
So he said to the paralysed man,
I tell you,
Get up,
Pick up your bed and go home.
At once the man got up in front of them all,
Took the bed he had been lying on and went home,
Praising God.
They were all completely amazed.
Full of fear,
They praised God and said,
What marvellous things we have seen here today.
Jesus calls Levi.
After this,
Jesus went out and saw a tax collector named Levi standing in his office.
Jesus said to him,
Follow me.
So Levi left everything and followed him.
Levi had a big feast in his house for Jesus and among the guests was a large number of tax collectors and other people.
Some Pharisees and some teachers of the law who belonged to their group complained to Jesus' disciples.
Why do you eat and drink with tax collectors and other outcasts?
They asked.
Jesus answered,
People who are well do not need a doctor,
But only those who are sick.
I have not come to call respectable people to repent,
But outcasts.
The question about fasting.
Some people said to Jesus,
The disciples of John fast frequently and offer prayers and the disciples of the Pharisees do the same,
But your disciples eat and drink.
Jesus answered,
Do you think you can make the guests at the wedding party go without food as long as the bridegroom is with them?
Of course not.
But the day will come when the bridegroom will be taken away from them and then they will fast.
Jesus also told them this parable.
No one tears a piece of a new coat to patch up an old coat.
If he does,
He will have torn the new coat and the piece of new cloth will not match the old.
Nor does anyone pour new wine into used wine skins.
Because the new wine will burst the skins,
The wine will pour out and it must be poured into fresh wine skins.
No one wants new wine after drinking old wine.
The old is better,
He said.
The end.
