Luke 5
Luke 5 covers several important events from the early period of Jesus’ public ministry. Through the calling of the disciples, the healing of the sick, the incident of forgiveness of sins, and conflicts with the established religious system, it shows the essence and direction of Jesus’ mission. In particular, Jesus does not remain merely a performer of miracles or a teacher; he gradually reveals his identity as the Savior who came to call sinners. This chapter makes it possible to reflect deeply on the themes of “obedience,” “calling,” and “newness.”
1verseNow while the multitude pressed on him and heard the word of God, he was standing by the lake of Gennesaret.
2verseHe saw two boats standing by the lake, but the fishermen had gone out of them and were washing their nets.
3verseHe entered into one of the boats, which was Simon’s, and asked him to put out a little from the land. He sat down and taught the multitudes from the boat.
4verseWhen he had finished speaking, he said to Simon, “Put out into the deep and let down your nets for a catch.”
5verseSimon answered him, “Master, we worked all night and caught nothing; but at your word I will let down the net.”
6verseWhen they had done this, they caught a great multitude of fish, and their net was breaking.
7verseThey beckoned to their partners in the other boat, that they should come and help them. They came and filled both boats, so that they began to sink.
8verseBut Simon Peter, when he saw it, fell down at Jesus’ knees, saying, “Depart from me, for I am a sinful man, Lord.”
9verseFor he was amazed, and all who were with him, at the catch of fish which they had caught;
10verseand 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.”
11verseWhen they had brought their boats to land, they left everything, and followed him.
12verseWhile 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.”
13verseHe stretched out his hand and touched him, saying, “I want to. Be made clean.” Immediately the leprosy left him.
14verseHe 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.”
15verseBut the report concerning him spread much more, and great multitudes came together to hear and to be healed by him of their infirmities.
16verseBut he withdrew himself into the desert and prayed.
17verseOn 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.
18verseBehold, men brought a paralyzed man on a cot, and they sought to bring him in to lay before Jesus.
19verseNot 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.
20verseSeeing their faith, he said to him, “Man, your sins are forgiven you.”
21verseThe scribes and the Pharisees began to reason, saying, “Who is this who speaks blasphemies? Who can forgive sins, but God alone?”
22verseBut Jesus, perceiving their thoughts, answered them, “Why are you reasoning so in your hearts?
23verseWhich is easier to say, ‘Your sins are forgiven you,’ or to say, ‘Arise and walk’?
24verseBut 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.”
25verseImmediately he rose up before them, and took up that which he was laying on, and departed to his house, glorifying God.
26verseAmazement took hold on all, and they glorified God. They were filled with fear, saying, “We have seen strange things today.”
27verseAfter these things he went out and saw a tax collector named Levi sitting at the tax office, and said to him, “Follow me!”
28verseHe left everything, and rose up and followed him.
29verseLevi made a great feast for him in his house. There was a great crowd of tax collectors and others who were reclining with them.
30verseTheir scribes and the Pharisees murmured against his disciples, saying, “Why do you eat and drink with the tax collectors and sinners?”
31verseJesus answered them, “Those who are healthy have no need for a physician, but those who are sick do.
32verseI have not come to call the righteous, but sinners, to repentance.”
33verseThey said to him, “Why do John’s disciples often fast and pray, likewise also the disciples of the Pharisees, but yours eat and drink?”
34verseHe said to them, “Can you make the friends of the bridegroom fast while the bridegroom is with them?
35verseBut the days will come when the bridegroom will be taken away from them. Then they will fast in those days.”
36verseHe also told a parable to them. “No one puts a piece from a new garment on an old garment, or else he will tear the new, and also the piece from the new will not match the old.
37verseNo one puts new wine into old wineskins, or else the new wine will burst the skins, and it will be spilled and the skins will be destroyed.
38verseBut new wine must be put into fresh wineskins, and both are preserved.
39verseNo man having drunk old wine immediately desires new, for he says, ‘The old is better.’”
The Calling of the Disciples and the Miracle of the Fish (Verses 1–11)
After Jesus teaches the crowds by the Sea of Galilee and uses Simon’s boat to instruct them, he goes out into deeper water and commands them to lower the nets. Even though Simon had not caught fish all night, he obeyed Jesus’ word, and the result was a wondrous catch of fish. This scene demonstrates obedience to the word and, as a result, an abundant response. In particular, through this miracle Simon realizes that he is a sinner; he responds to Jesus’ calling, leaves everything behind, and follows him.
The Cleansing of the Leper and Jesus’ Quiet Service (Verses 12–16)
A leper comes to Jesus and begs him to make him clean. Jesus reaches out his hand, touches him, and immediately the leprosy is healed. At the time, contact with a leper was forbidden by the law, but Jesus crosses that boundary with a heart of compassion toward the suffering. He tells the person who has been healed to go to the priest and offer a sacrifice according to the law, and he urges him not to spread his reputation. This shows Jesus’ attitude of humble and discreet ministry.
The Faith of the Paralyzed Man and the Incident of Forgiveness of Sins (Verses 17–26)
The scene in which the friends break through the roof and lower the paralyzed man in front of Jesus shows their earnest faith. Jesus first forgives the man’s sins, and then heals his physical condition. This reveals that Jesus deals with the deeper problem within human life—the issue of sin—before addressing physical illness. At the time, the Pharisees and teachers of the law believed that the authority to forgive sins belonged to God alone, so they regarded Jesus’ actions as blasphemy. However, Jesus reveals his identity as the Son of God by proving his authority.
The Calling of Levi and a Meal with Tax Collectors and Sinners (Verses 27–32)
Jesus calls Levi the tax collector, and he leaves everything behind and follows Jesus. Levi holds a great banquet for Jesus, and many tax collectors and sinners eat together with him. The Pharisees raise objections, but Jesus says, “It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick.” He adds that he has come not to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance. This makes clear that Jesus’ ministry targets those who need repentance rather than those who are considered righteous by the law.
The Debate About Fasting and the Parable of New Wine (Verses 33–39)
When asked why Jesus’ disciples do not fast, Jesus says that they cannot fast while the bridegroom is with them, because it is a time of joy. Then, through the parables of new clothes and old clothes, and new wine and old wineskins, he explains that the gospel he brings cannot simply be blended with the existing religious system. In a new age, something new is needed—emphasizing the newness and flexibility of the gospel.
Meditation Points
- Jesus’ Calling: The way Jesus chooses ordinary fishermen and a tax collector as his disciples makes us look at ourselves today. How am I responding to that calling?
- The Miracle of Obedience: God’s response that appears when we obey his word goes beyond anything we can imagine. How fully am I obeying before the word?
- The Problem of Sin: The fact that Jesus forgives sins before healing the illness shows a solution to our fundamental problem. Am I honestly bringing the sin within me before Jesus?
Try Applying It to Yourself
- What sins do I need to lay before Jesus? Like the paralyzed man, I need a heart that comes to him and begs for forgiveness of sins.
- Am I also bringing others to Jesus? Just as the friends carried the paralyzed man to Jesus, am I approaching with faith for someone else’s soul?
- Am I confining the new gospel in an old framework? Jesus’ new wine must be put into new wineskins. How flexibly and newly am I receiving the gospel?
