Luke Chapter 5

Luke 5

The calling of the First Disciples

Vv4-8:

Simon Peter's obedience ("because you say so, I will
let down the nets.") is an example for us to follow -
it is an important trait of Jesus' disciple.

Simon Peter's reaction speaks to me: when he
"recognized who Jesus was" (previous chapters speak
about Jesus' ministry and His mission on earth), he
saw his own sinfulness! I recalled that when I was
confronted with the gospel, He revealed to me my
sinfulness and the darkness in my life and moved me to
repentance and a changed heart. Then, He filled me
the peace that surpassed all understanding when I
received His salvation. When confronted with the
gracious, merciful, loving, holy and most High God, I
guess our only response could only be a humbling,
repenting one – there is nothing we could do to
deserve His great love over for sinful soul but to
accept and received His unconditional love just as we
are.

The Man with Leprosy

V12-13 – Jesus healed the man with leprosy. - the
man appeared to have a very simple faith (Lord, if you
are willing, you can make me clean) - It is a simple
statement but is reflects his incredible faith! I
want to acknowledge my Lord and my God as well! I
believe that if He is willing, he can make me …..(
yes, any quality that I lack, I can go before Him, my
Lord and my God)

V14 - Jesus asked the man whom he healed to submit to
the Abrahamic laws and regulations as a testimony to
others. The emphasis appears to be the call to be
obedient and to submit to certain rules /authorities
(?)

V16 - Again, Jesus withdrew to lonely places and
prayed. Time spent in solitude with the Lord appears
to be key in getting ourselves in tune with His Voice.

Jesus Heals a Paralytic

VV 17 – 20 – Faith is a critical element that results
in healing, both physical and spiritual.

V24 – Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive
sins.

The Calling of the Levi

V31 - Jesus came for the sick and sinners and to call
them to repentance. He spent a lot of time eating and
drinking with them, along with His disciples.
Contrasting between his ministry and those of the
Pharisees and John the Baptist's, Jesus and his
disciples enjoyed a freedom not known by the
Pharisees' whose lifestyles tended to be a lot more
rigorous and legalistic.

Jesus' ministry is marked by authentic change of heart
attitude…He opposes legalistic display of false
righteousness in every ways (fasting….) The parable of
the new wine and old wineskin sent a strong message to
those who are reluctant to change from traditional
religious, legalistic religious ways to the gospel of
salvation – the new wine will burst the old wineskins
and the win will run out and the wineskins will be
ruined!

Su

Hangin' with Sinners (Luke 5)

Luke 5:1-11
In Luke's account, the calling of the 1st disciples can be seen as an amazing metaphor of church ministry. Simon fished all night but did not catch anything. Following Jesus' direction, their catch is so large their nets began to break and they needed assistance from a 2nd boat. Their boats were so full they began to sink on the way back to shore. Many times we're laboring all night yet there are no results, yet we wonder why. As in this story, we need only follow Jesus' direction and the results will come. In light of this, Christian ministry should be very easy: we only have to follow Christ. The hard part of Christian ministry should be handling the huge catch of "fish" as Simon experienced that day.

Their is a remarkable parallel between this passage and Isaiah 6. In his vision, Isaiah realizes his sinfulness in God's presence. Likewise, if it was not clear to Simon before, it is now after the miracle catch of fish that he is in the presence of God and his response is like Isaiah's.
Isaiah 6:5-

"Woe is me, for I am ruined!
Because I am a man of unclean lips,
And I live among a people of unclean lips;
For my eyes have seen the King, the LORD of hosts."

Luke 5:8-

"Go away from me Lord, for I am a sinful man!"

Simon becomes Jesus' disciple similar to Isaiah accepting his calling to be God's prophet, "Here am I, send me!"

By the way, Twila Paris has an awesome song "Send Me."


Luke 5:12-26
The healing of the leper is a parallel to Mark 1. In Mark's account, it makes mention of Jesus' compassion, not mentioned by Luke. But it is evident in the way Jesus healed the man- by touching him. According to the Wikipedia entry for leprosy, it is still not known how leprosy is transmitted but it is believed to be from contact or close proximity which was certainly the belief in Jesus' time. Therefore when Jesus' touches the man, it is likely the 1st human touch he's experienced since contracting the disease. May we be as compassionate to the outcasts in our modern times as our Lord was!

It is instructive to skim Leviticus 14, which Jesus cites in Luke 5:14- After the healing, Jesus' tells the man to show himself to the priest thereby beginning the man's acceptance back into the community. See Leviticus 13:45-46 which describes how lepers were to live. Jesus heals the unclean by faith and then reconciles him to the clean community. Likewise, Jesus cleanses our sin and unites us with the Christian body that has been forgiven of its sin!

Now, Jesus has His first encounter with the Pharisees in Luke 5:17-26. The Pharisees may have initially thought Jesus was a pretty awesome teacher. Maybe they came from all over to hear His teaching as we go to hear a famous pastor at a conference. Jesus does not 1st heal the paralytic, rather He forgives his sins. The Pharisees immediately question his authority, for "Who can forgive sins, but God alone?" And Jesus answers them directly, "... the Son of Man" (Daniel 7) The healing serves as a sign for the Pharisee's belief. I've read this story many times before, but noticed for the first time, that this encounter with the Pharisees appears to end well- "they" glorified God having witnessed the healing. I wish the other Pharisees Jesus encountered would have glorified God when they encountered Jesus.

Luke 5:27-39
Here we begin to see the Pharisees begin their attacks on Jesus questioning Him why does he eat w/ the sinner and tax collectors. Note the Pharisees low opinion of the tax collectors as they were Jews collecting taxes from their own people for Rome. It is also interesting to note Jesus "first picks" for disciples- four fisherman and a tax collector. I wonder if I were Jesus and had to recruit twelve disciples where I would have gone and who I would have chosen. I probably would have gone straight to the finest seminaries in the nation and chosen the top students!

We can observe the stark contrast between the heart of the Pharisees and Jesus.
Luke 5:30 - Why do you eat and drink with the tax collectors and sinners?

What is left unspoken but can be inferred is that the Pharisees did not eat and drink with the tax collectors and sinners and thought Jesus shouldn't either.

Next in the very same encounter, the Pharisees question Jesus again-
Luke 5:33 - "The disciples of John often fast and offer prayers, the disciples of the Pharisees also do the same, but Yours eat and drink."

It appears the Pharisees didn't seem to have any issues with John the Baptist since they compare him to themselves. They now not only questioned with whom Jesus ate, but now they are questioning why His disciples are not fasting as they do. Jesus in fact addresses this in the Sermon on the Mount in Matthew 6:

16"Whenever you fast, do not put on a gloomy face as the hypocrites do, for they neglect their appearance so that they will be noticed by men when they are fasting Truly I say to you, they have their reward in full.

17"But you, when you fast, anoint your head and wash your face

18so that your fasting will not be noticed by men, but by your Father who is in secret; and your Father who sees what is done in secret will reward you.

Ironically, Luke's shortened account of the Sermon is in the next chapter, six! Yet, as Jesus instructs, when we fast we're not to do it to be noticed by others, rather it is to be done in secret. Therefore, if Jesus' disciples were fasting, the Pharisees would not have known about it because it was to be done in secret!

Jesus also addresses prayer in the the Matthew 6:

5"When you pray, you are not to be like the hypocrites; for they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and on the street corners so that they may be seen by men Truly I say to you, they have their reward in full.

6"But you, when you pray, go into your inner room, close your door and pray to your Father who is in secret, and your Father who sees what is done in secret will reward you.

7"And when you are praying, do not use meaningless repetition as the Gentiles do, for they suppose that they will be heard for their many words.

Again, prayer is to be done in secret not for other's to see so they would be impressed with us!

Sadly, unlike the Pharisees in Luke 5:17-26 who gave glory to the Lord, these Pharisees and their kind continue to nitpick Jesus' actions. Jesus in turn used those as teaching moments to the followers around Him.

Jesus responds to the question of fasting in Luke 5:34 with the wedding banquet analogy, when Jesus, the bridegroom, is here it is time to feast, but when He goes away, then it is time to fast.

Jesus saw that the Pharisees just didn't get what He was all about so He confounds them even more with the parable of the wine and the wineskins! The old wineskins are the Pharisees and the old wine is the Law. The Pharisees are so concerned about maintaining obedience to the old Law that they missed it completely when the Messiah is with them face to face. Hence, the new wine is Jesus and the new wineskins are those who believe in the new Law that He brings. Indeed, the Pharisees hear, but they do not comprehend.

It is ironic that Jesus chose fishermen and a tax collector to be His disciples. Simon the fisherman responds to Jesus, "Go away from me Lord, for I am a sinful man!" while the Pharisees equate the tax collectors with sinners. Why not choose the Pharisees? Their position in the synagogue must have meant they were some of the top seminary students of the day. Alas, they used their knowledge to puff themselves up in self-righteousness and appointed themselves the moral judge. Jesus first statement tells us why He chose fisherman and a tax collector as His first disciples, "Blessed are you who are poor, for yours is the kingdom of God." Indeed.

Today, the challenge for us is to be attuned to the Holy Spirit that we may follow it's leading. While we must steadfastly adhere to the Word, we must also recognize the Spirit's leading and then follow.

Jesus Heals a Paralytic : Stumbling blocks for the wise (Luke 5:17-26)

A paralytic is brought by some men* to Jesus. Jesus first forgives the paralytic his sins on account of the men's faith. The Pharisees and teachers of the law question Jesus' authority in their minds. Only when Jesus heals the man physically do they presumably believe.

The significance for me is that this happens in front of Pharisee and teachers of the law. 1 Corinthians 1:22-24 says:

22Jews demand miraculous signs and Greeks look for wisdom, 23but we preach Christ crucified: a stumbling block to Jews and foolishness to Gentiles, 24but to those whom God has called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God.

The forgiveness given to us by Jesus Christ is not something we can intellectually believe. But God knows that we as human beings need to see to believe; so Jesus said:

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

Jesus is saying: the powerful miracle here is the forgiveness of sins! The physical healing is just to accommodate those who do not believe. Sometimes it's so hard for us to see God because we spend so much of our time on intellectualizing and church-izing Him. But it's when it comes to brokenness and fervent faith in His power to change us that God can do the most.

* Jesus said "Friend, your sins are forgiven." (Luke 5:20) But it doesn't say the paralytic was a friend of the men carrying him - a common assumption. Jesus was just calling the paralytic his friend. Imagine: we can bring complete strangers, so broken they can't even go in their own strength, to Jesus!!!

Luke 5: It's not about us.

The Calling of the First Disciples

It never ceases to amaze me how much detail I miss when I read the Bible in a cursory manner. There is so much meaning in this passage (v.1-11) about the reality of being called by Jesus and the state of our hearts if we are to be used by Him.

v3. Jesus got into the boat
Jesus didn't send Simon out. Jesus first got into the boat with Simon, and then they went out a little from shore together.

v3. Jesus asked Simon to put out a little from shore.
At this point, Simon did not know Jesus' plan. The only instruction was to go offshore a little bit. When God wants to do great things with us, He often takes us on little steps of faith, without us knowing the big harvest that's waiting for us in the end. That is the essence of faith - believing without knowing.

v5. Simon obeyed
Like most of us, when God proposes that He would do great impossible things with us, our first reaction is disbelief. I find Simon's simple, immediate second reaction - "But because you say so, I will" - to be so sweet. I don't hear his response as "there better be a big catch;" instead I read his response as simple obedience. I think this comes from his beginning his response with calling Jesus "Master."

Simon says they've worked hard all day. But Jesus wasn't in the boat when they worked hard by themselves all day.

Update 7/16/07: I made a mistake. Simon said they worked hard all night, not day. Fishermen work pre-dawn hours!

v8-10. Not sure what to make of this yet

v11. With the catch, they pulled up on shore, left everything and followed Jesus.
I see this not as the disciples' obedience. I see this more as the power of Jesus to show us so much of His power - compared to our meager efforts, even though we perceive ourselves as having "worked so hard" - that we can't help but believe in Him and follow Him. Through our tiny steps of faith, Jesus rewards us abundantly with MORE faith via showing us what He can do.

This is my biggest takeaway from this passage: it's really not about us.

- Kayan

Luke Chapter 5

• My comments begin with the definition of the word, “disciple” since it represents a substantive theme within not only Luke chapter 5, but also within the broader scope of Christianity.
  
  Definition of: disciple
  Etymology: Middle English, from Old English (discipul) & Anglo-French (disciple), from Late Latin and Latin; Late Latin (discipulus) follower of Jesus Christ in his lifetime, from Latin, pupil
  Date: before 12th century
  
  1: one who accepts and assists in spreading the doctrines of another: as
  a: one of the twelve in the inner circle of Christ's followers according to the Gospel accounts
  b: a convinced adherent of a school or individual
  
  Synonyms: follower

• My first set of questions originates with the title of the first 11 verses of chapter 5, “The First Disciples”.

How intentional was the selection of the First Disciples?

How well did Jesus know them?
How were they chosen?
Was there anything special about them?
Did they fully comprehend to what they were agreeing when becoming disciples?

Clearly, without strenuous extrapolation, these questions can also be directly applied to the lives of all subsequent followers/believers in Christ.

In any case, from what I gathered, none of the aforementioned questions is made irrefutably clear from the verses in chapter 5. Instead, there appears to be conflicting evidence at least regarding how well Jesus knew the people who would later become His First Disciples.

• Simon Peter is first mentioned in Luke 4:38 in reference to the healing of Simon’s mother-in-law. Therefore, considering that the chapters in Luke appear to be in chronological order, it is reasonable to assume that Jesus had some prior relationship with Simon before their meeting at the lake of Gennesaret as mentioned in Luke 5:1-3. Supporting this conclusion is the fact that Simon refers to Jesus as Master in 5:5.
  
  However, 5:11 states, "When they had brought their boats to land, they left everything and followed Him.” Hence, it appears that Simon Peter, James, and John only became Jesus’ followers after the miraculous catch of fish (5:6-7). Why then was Simon doing as Jesus asked and referring to Him as Master and Lord prior to him leaving everything and following after Him?
  
  I use the preceding examples to illustrate that it is unclear what kind of relationship Jesus had with His disciples prior to them agreeing to follow Him.

• Without copying and pasting the entire first eleven verses of chapter 5, I am left with the question of how intentional Jesus’ actions were regarding the selection of His Disciples. In other words, did Jesus simply choose Simon Peter, James, and John because they were fishermen coincidentally standing near the shore when Jesus happened to be at the lake?
  
  Luke 5:1-2 states, “Now it happened that while the crowd was pressing around Him and listening to the word of God, He was standing by the lake of Gennesaret; and He saw two boats lying at the edge of the lake; but the fishermen had gotten out of them and were washing their nets.”
  
  The use of the word “happened” reasonably leads the reader to infer that Jesus may have been near the lake as a matter of circumstance and not by intention or purpose. This interpretation would then imply that the selection of His disciples was not predetermined.
  
  On the other hand, by substituting the word “occurred” for “happened” in 5:1, I would be more willing to take the view that Jesus being at the lake was purposeful and by extension so too were the subsequent events, which He orchestrated to enable Simon Peter, James, and John to follow Him.

• There is something about 5:4 that is meaningful yet for some reason I lack the ability to fully articulate my thought. Perhaps it is that I again am left wondering how deliberate Jesus’ actions were when “he said to Simon, ‘Put out into deep water, and let down the nets for a catch.’"
  
  In other words, did Jesus have a predetermined plan as to how the events of that day would unfold exactly as they did, or were His actions more spontaneous where He thought to himself something along the lines of:
  
  “Hey, I happen to be at a lake today. These fishermen seem like they’d make good Disciples. Now, I need to convince these guys that I am God personified. I know I can do anything, but since their nets are empty, what better way to convince them than to have them haul in a miraculous catch of fish? Yes, I think that will do the trick, and so I’ll go with that strategy.”
  
  Anyway, I hope you get my point.

• There seems to be a pattern emerging that whenever God, His representative angel (Gabriel), or Jesus interact with humans in a supernatural manner, the very first words spoken are “Do not fear (be afraid)…” as stated in Luke 5:10; 1:13; 1:30; and 2:10. I don’t know if this is material or not, but it just seems interesting.
  
  Additional questions arise from 5:10 where, “Jesus said to Simon, ‘Don't be afraid; from now on you will catch men.’" Going back to one of the original questions I posed at the beginning of the entry, does anyone think it reasonable that Simon fully understood what he was getting into when Jesus said that to him? Nonetheless, we can infer that Simon was so moved that he still decided to follow Jesus.
  
  Perhaps the inference is that faith in Jesus Christ, as evidenced by His very first followers, has never been about intellectual concession. Instead, it has more to do with submission and obedience in spite of the lack of full comprehension.

• In 5:12-26 titled, “The Leper and the Paralytic”, we see Jesus gaining acclaim as both a speaker and a healer. One interesting observation is that Jesus appears to perform His miraculous healing in response to other’s requests. On the other hand, we can compare this to Jesus’ interaction at the lake with Simon, James, and John where Jesus acted miraculously on his own volition.
  
  Therefore, this would seem to support my observation from Luke chapter 1 where I noted that it appears that God (and now Jesus) works in at least two different ways. He answers the petitions (requests) of those that call to Him (the sick), and He also works without being asked (the Disciples).

• 5:16 notes, “But Jesus would often slip away to the wilderness (lonely places) and pray” in relation to His seemingly hectic schedule of public speaking and healings.
  
  As noted by some of my fellow Luke bloggers (Su, I think), it is significant that Jesus appears to acknowledge the importance and essential application of solitary prayer with God.

• In 5:20, Jesus states, “’Friend, your sins are forgiven’” in response to a paralytic man. Interestingly, after all of the many healings performed by Jesus, this appears to be the first instance of Him equating or substituting the forgiveness of sins (spiritual healing) with physical healing.
  
  This brings up an interesting point. What was more important to Jesus, the forgiveness of sins which thereby provided a path to eternal salvation from God (and by definition released one from eternal punishment), or the physical healing of people, which provided a more temporal relief?
  
  The answer to this question appears to be addressed in 5:23-24 where Jesus responds to accusations of blasphemy resulting from the comment He made in 5:20.
  
  In 5:23-24, Jesus states, “’Which is easier: to say, Your sins are forgiven, or to say, Get up and walk, but 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, get up, take your mat and go home.’"
  
  From this comment, I think it is reasonable to infer that Jesus performed the miraculous physical healings as a means to achieve a greater objective, which was to prove that he was able to save those who were heretofore destined for eternal damnation.

• Again, the issue of how predetermined or intentional Jesus’ selection of His Disciples was surfaces in 5:27-28, which states, “After that, He went out and noticed a tax collector by the name of Levi sitting in his tax booth. ‘Follow me,’ Jesus said to him, and Levi got up, left everything and followed him.”
  
  It appears much clearer in this instance that the selection of Levi was in fact not predetermined. I find it challenging to interpret 5:27-28 in any other manner than to think that Levi’s selection was somewhat serendipitous or opportune.
  
  Also interesting and different from the selection of Simon, James, and John, was that for some reason it was not mentioned that Jesus needed to convince Levi (Matthew) to follow Him. Levi somehow just did.

• In 5:31-32, Jesus provides one of the most direct and unambiguous explanations for His time on earth in which He responds to those questioning Him by stating, “’It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.’” Hooray!

• After numerous readings, I still do not grasp the parable of the wineskin in any substantive manner.