Luke 5

Jesus Calls Disciples And Heals The Lame And Diseased

In this section, Luke recorded the recruitment of a few of Jesus’ disciples and the miraculous healing of a man with a skin disease and another with paralysis.  Most of these accounts were also recorded by Matthew and Mark. 

Simon, Andrew, James, And John (Matthew 4:18-22; Mark 1:16-20)

Peter’s Boat

Vs. 3 - He got into one of the boats, which belonged to Simon, and asked him to put out a little from the land. Then he sat down and was teaching the crowds from the boat.

This was not the first time Jesus had talked with Peter and the other disciples mentioned. Andrew had told his brother Peter that he had found the Messiah (John 1:41). However these disciples’ thought of the Messiah as their contemporaries did. They expected a political deliverer who was less than God. Jesus had to teach them that He was God as well as Messiah.                 - Thomas Constable

John 1:40-42 - Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother, was one of the two who heard John and followed him. He first found his own brother Simon and told him, “We have found the Messiah” (which is translated “the Christ”), and he brought Simon to Jesus.

If You Say So

Vs. 5 - “Master,” Simon replied, “we’ve worked hard all night long and caught nothing. But if you say so, I’ll let down the nets.”

Peter’s response to what must have seemed like an absurd directive indicated a strong level of trust between Jesus and the experienced fisherman. 

Essentially, Peter is saying, “Jesus, this is going to be an utter failure. But this is on you. You say where to drop the nets and we will drop the nets.”  Peter did not understand this command in the slightest. It did not make sense. It was utter nonsense to listen to this teacher about where to fish. So why did Peter obey? Peter obeyed because it was Jesus.             - Brent Kercheville

Sinful Man

Vs. 8 - When Simon Peter saw this, he fell at Jesus’s knees and said, “Go away from me, because I’m a sinful man, Lord!”

Because Peter was such an experienced fisherman, and because he knew how unfavorable the conditions were, he knew all the more what a great miracle this was.             - David Guzik

When Peter said, “Go away,” Jesus said, “Don’t be afraid.”  This was Jesus' consistent and compassionate response to all sinners who recognized Him.  Acknowledgment of his unworthiness did not disqualify Peter from discipleship, as he may have feared, but rather the opposite.  Recognizing spiritual bankruptcy was a prerequisite rather than a preclusion to following Jesus. 

James And John

Vs. 10 - so were James and John, Zebedee’s sons, who were Simon’s partners.

Luke mentioned that James and John were also fishing nearby, but his emphasis was Peter’s response to this miracle.  Matthew and Mark noted that Zebedee’s sons also decided to become disciples at this time. 

Matthew 4:21-22 - Going on from there, he saw two other brothers, James the son of Zebedee, and his brother John. They were in a boat with Zebedee, their father, preparing their nets, and he called them.  Immediately they left the boat and their father and followed him.

Catching People

Vs. 10 - “Don’t be afraid,” Jesus told Simon. “From now on you will be catching people.”

Jesus now asked the four men to take the further step of leaving their occupations so that they could become his followers in the task of bringing people into the kingdom of God.             - Don Fleming

They followed Him in the way that students followed their teaching rabbi in those days. In some aspects, Jesus offered them a traditional education at the feet of a rabbi; in other aspects, this was very different from a normal rabbinical education.                 - David Guzik

Cleansing of A Man with Leprosy (Matthew 8:1-4; Mark 1:40-45)

Leprosy

Vs. 12 - While he was in one of the towns, a man was there who had leprosy all over him.

The word “leprosy” in the bible refers to various kinds of inflammatory skin diseases, and not necessarily to Hansen’s disease.      - Thomas Schreiner

People with leprosy and other skin diseases were considered unclean and a danger to public health. They were outcasts from society (Leviticus 13:45-46).         - Don Fleming

Leviticus 13:45-46 - The person who has a case of serious skin disease is to have his clothes torn and his hair hanging loose, and he must cover his mouth and cry out, ‘Unclean, unclean!’ He will remain unclean as long as he has the disease; he is unclean. He must live alone in a place outside the camp.

If You Are Willing

Vs. 12 - He saw Jesus, fell facedown, and begged him, “Lord, if you are willing, you can make me clean.”

From his statement, it seems that this man did not doubt Jesus’ ability to heal him but rather His willingness.  His plea for healing revealed a confidence in Jesus’ power and authority. 

Vs. 13 - Reaching out his hand, Jesus touched him, saying, “I am willing; be made clean,” and immediately the leprosy left him.

Commentators note that Jesus healed others with only His words, so it is interesting to note that He chose close contact with this potentially very contagious man.  In all of His miracles, Jesus seemed to interact with people in a way that both demonstrated His identity and His intention to meet their greatest need. 

On the one hand, He knew that the ceremonial restrictions were abolished in Himself: on the other, He desired to teach that sin cannot defile the divine holiness of the Savior.             - Meyer

Tell No One

Vs. 14 - Then he ordered him to tell no one: “But go and show yourself to the priest, and offer what Moses commanded for your cleansing as a testimony to them.”

He also told the man, clearly and firmly, not to broadcast what had happened, as he did not want to attract people who were curious to see a miracle-worker but had no sense of spiritual need.            - Don Fleming

In Mark’s account, we learn that this leper failed to heed Jesus’ order but “went out and began to proclaim it widely and to spread the news” (Mark 1:45).  

He Often Withdrew

Vs. 15-16 - large crowds would come together to hear him and to be healed of their sicknesses. Yet he often withdrew to deserted places and prayed.

After Jesus began His ministry of miracles and healing, His popularity grew rapidly.  Mark 1:28 says that after a dramatic rescue of a demon-possessed man, immediately His fame spread throughout all the region around Galilee. At this point in His ministry, Jesus attracted crowds wherever He went. (Guzik)  People flocked to Him wherever possible, and He had to make a great effort to be alone to pray or to teach His inner circle of disciples.

Healing of A Man with Paralysis (Matthew 9:1-8; Mark 2:1-12)

Pharisees and Teachers of The Law

Vs. 17 - On one of those days while he was teaching, Pharisees and teachers of the law were sitting there who had come from every village of Galilee and Judea, and also from Jerusalem.

Commentators note that this account was Luke’s first introduction to the “organized Jewish opposition” to Jesus’ teaching and healing ministry.   (Barclay’s notes on this chapter include a brief, interesting description of the origin and motivation of religious sects from this time period in Judaism.) 

These men, first appearing in Luke here, were the guardians of Israel’s orthodoxy. The Pharisees were a political party in Israel noted for their strict observance of the Mosaic Law as traditionally interpreted by the rabbis. Some of these doctors of the law (i.e., scribes, lawyers) were probably Pharisees, but probably not all of them were.

One of Luke’s purposes in his Gospel and in Acts appears to have been to show why God stopped working particularly with Israel and began working with Jews and Gentiles equally in the church. [Note: Liefeld, p. 879.] The Jewish leaders’ rejection of Jesus was a major reason for this change. The conflict between them is an important feature of this Gospel.                - Thomas Constable

Your Sins

Vs. 20 - Seeing their faith he said, “Friend, your sins are forgiven.”

In many other instances, Jesus made a clear distinction between sickness and sin. When He healed a blind man (Matthew 9:27–30; Mark 8:22–25; John 9:1–7), for example, He made it very clear to the disciples that no one had sinned, neither the man nor his parents, to cause the blindness.  All sickness was significant, but it was not all connected to sin.  

In this encounter, however, it would seem that this man’s friends lowered him through a rooftop primarily because of his paralysis.  But Jesus, perceiving a deeper need, responded to the paralytic man’s faith, as well as that of his friends, and offered restoration, both spiritual and physical.  

Which Is Easier?

Vs. 21 - Then the scribes and the Pharisees began to think to themselves, “Who is this man who speaks blasphemies? Who can forgive sins but God alone?”

The religious leaders used the right kind of logic. They correctly believed that only God could forgive sins, and they were even correct for examining this new teacher.             - David Guzik

Vs. 22-23 - But perceiving their thoughts, Jesus replied to them, “Why are you thinking this in your hearts? Which is easier: to say, ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or to say, ‘Get up and walk’?

Jesus left his critics in no doubt of the meaning of his words and actions. A person can just as easily say ‘You are forgiven’ as say ‘You are healed’, but whereas the first statement cannot be proved by external evidence, the second statement can. If, therefore, Jesus’ claim to heal the man’s disease could be proved true, his claim to forgive the man’s sins must also be accepted as true. When the man, in response to Jesus’ words, stood up and walked, the onlookers had clear proof that Jesus was all that he claimed to be.          - Don Fleming

Son of Man

Vs. 24 - But so that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins

A note about the title Jesus chose for Himself:  Jesus used this title often because in His day, it was a Messianic title free from political and nationalistic sentiment. Jesus could have more commonly referred to Himself as “King” or “Christ,” but those titles, in the ears of His audience, sounded like “the One Who Will Defeat the Romans.” Son of Man was “Christ’s favorite designation of himself, a claim to be the Messiah in terms that could not easily be attacked.”        - Robertson

This is the first time Luke recorded Jesus calling Himself the "Son of Man." Luke used this title 26 times, and in every case Jesus used it to describe Himself (except in Acts 7:56 where Stephen used it of Him). This was a messianic title with clear implications of deity (Daniel 7:13-14).                  - Thomas Constable

Glorifying God

Vs. 25-26 - Immediately he got up before them, picked up what he had been lying on, and went home glorifying God.  Then everyone was astounded, and they were giving glory to God.

Luke strongly emphasized that the people’s response to this miracle was attribution of praise to God.  This healing was perceived as a demonstration of divinity. 

Matthew (Matthew 9:9-13; Mark 2:13-17)

Tax Collector

Vs. 27 - After this, Jesus went out and saw a tax collector named Levi sitting at the tax office, and he said to him, “Follow me.”

The Jewish people rightly considered them traitors because they worked for the Roman government and had the force of Roman soldiers behind them to make people pay taxes. They were the most visible Jewish traitors with Rome.               - David Guzik

When a Jew entered the customs service he was regarded as an outcast from society: he was disqualified as a judge or a witness in a court session, was excommunicated from the synagogue, and in the eyes of the community his disgrace extended to his family.               - Lane

Vs. 28 - So, leaving everything behind, he got up and began to follow him.

Commentators note that Matthew’s decision to leave his work and become a disciple of Jesus was not small or inconsequential.  Despite its social disadvantages, the role of tax collector was a coveted one because of the opportunity to accumulate wealth so quickly.  Matthew’s “everything” was likely significant. 

Eating with Sinners

Vs. 30 - But the Pharisees and their scribes were complaining to his disciples, “Why do you eat and drink with tax collectors and sinners?”

This was a legitimate question when considering that Jesus had touched a leprous man, healed a paralytic, and called fishermen and a tax collector to join his circle of disciples.  Jesus claimed to be a holy man from God, but His conduct consistently contrasted with His contemporaries. 

Vs. 31-32 - Jesus replied to them, “It is not those who are healthy who need a doctor, but those who are sick. I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.”

It’s not that the religious leaders weren’t “sick,” but the tax collectors and sinners were.  They all needed a doctor, but only some of them knew it.  Jesus came to call those who are aware of their spiritual need. (Thomas Schreiner).  Matthew and his publican friends were just these kinds of people. 

Fasting And Feasting (Matthew 9:14-17; Mark 2:18-22)

Eating and Drinking

Vs. 33 - Then they said to him, “John’s disciples fast often and say prayers, and those of the Pharisees do the same, but yours eat and drink.”

Both John the Baptist’s disciples and the Pharisees were slow to realize that Jesus’ coming had brought in a new era. Their traditional ceremonies and fastings were now of no use. The coming of Jesus may be compared to the coming of a bridegroom to his wedding feast. In a time of such joy no one thinks of fasting, and therefore Jesus’ disciples did not fast while he was with them.                    - Don Fleming

Vs. 34 - But the time will come when the groom will be taken away from them—then they will fast in those days.

This was the first foreshadowing of Jesus’ death recorded by Luke, but references to a time without the groom increased in frequency and clarity as the years passed. 

Garments and Wineskins

Vs. 36 - He also told them a parable: “No one tears a patch from a new garment and puts it on an old garment.

Vs. 37 - And no one puts new wine into old wineskins.

In response to the accusation that His disciples were not behaving in a manner consistent with the current guidelines of Judaism, Jesus provided several metaphors for context and contrast. Some commentators find covenantal significance in these metaphors while others believe that Jesus was making a simple point.  The mourning and longing for the advent of the Messiah had ended.  He had arrived.  Everything had changed. 

Jesus contrasted four pairs of things that do not mix in this pericope. They are feasting and fasting, a new patch and an old garment, new wine and old wineskins, and new wine and old wine. His point was that His way and the way that the Jewish leaders followed and promoted were unmixable.            - Thomas Constable

Jesus is merely illustrating why the disciples do not fast. Jesus is not talking about a change of the law. Rather, Jesus is illustrating that he is the bridegroom and his disciples do not fast because it would be completely inappropriate. The one Israel has been waiting for has arrived. There is no need to fast for his coming now that he has come.                         - Brent Kercheville