Luke Chapter 5

Matthew Davis

Luke Bible Study 2021 • Sermon • Submitted 3 years ago

Luke 5

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Verses 1-11 – Jesus Calls the First Disciples

And it came to pass, that, as the people pressed upon him to hear the word of God, he stood by the lake of Gennesaret, 2 And saw two ships standing by the lake: but the fishermen were gone out of them, and were washing their nets. 3 And he entered into one of the ships, which was Simon’s, and prayed him that he would thrust out a little from the land. And he sat down, and taught the people out of the ship. 4 Now when he had left speaking, he said unto Simon, Launch out into the deep, and let down your nets for a draught. 5 And Simon answering said unto him, Master, we have toiled all the night, and have taken nothing: nevertheless at thy word I will let down the net. 6 And when they had this done, they inclosed a great multitude of fishes: and their net brake. 7 And they beckoned unto their partners, which were in the other ship, that they should come and help them. And they came, and filled both the ships, so that they began to sink. 8 When Simon Peter saw it, he fell down at Jesus’ knees, saying, Depart from me; for I am a sinful man, O Lord. 9 For he was astonished, and all that were with him, at the draught of the fishes which they had taken: 10 And so was also James, and John, the sons of Zebedee, which were partners with Simon. And Jesus said unto Simon, Fear not; from henceforth thou shalt catch men. 11 And when they had brought their ships to land, they forsook all, and followed him.[1]

Verse 1

As the people pressed – Just as in the closing verses of chapter four, the people wanted to continue hearing of Christ teachings, so now, He is being pressed further to teach.

The Word of God – In my studies, it has been said that this is the first time this phrase has shown up in the gospel of Luke, in Robert Steins commentary. Knowing of this inaccuracy, a quick search reveals this is the third occurrence, with the first in Luke 3:2 and the second in Luke 4:4.

With that addressed, while the phrase has shown up multiple times already, this is the first time in which Luke uses this phrase to address the gospel message.

Lake of Gennesaret – Gennesaret is a very fertile valley on the North Western shores of the Sea of Galilee. Only in Luke is the sea called a Lake. It is at this time that we see Christ move from teaching, only in the Synagogues, to teaching openly.

Verse 2

Two ships standing by the lake – As the crowd begins to draw around Christ, He begins to seek a platform and see’s a couple ships.

Fishermen were gone – The ships were empty, the fishermen coming in after a long, unsuccessful night on the lake.

Verse 3

And He entered into one of their ships – Christ then entered into the ship which was Simons. Andrew, John and James are not mentioned here although we know from other accounts they were present. This is likely due to Luke’s focus on Peter’s call into apostleship.

Prayed him to let Him out a little – Christ asked to be pushed from land a little ways. This gives Christ a teaching platform and sets the scene up for a miracle He will perform shortly after.

Verse 4

Jesus requests to be brought further out into the Lake, “into the deep”, to prepare for the miracle of the great catch.

Verse 5

Master – This word, master, is used of Luke alone in the gospels. Where the other gospels use Rabbi, or teacher, for addressing the Lord, Luke uses Master when the followers of Christ address Him and Rabbi when the unconverted address Him.

We have toiled all night, and have taken nothing – At first, Peter’s response is “we have been on the lake all night. There is no fish to catch”. Peter’s assumption is that he, in all his experience on the lake knows better than Christ, who has no fishing experience on the lake.

Nevertheless, I will let down the net – Peter also understands that he has had encounters with Christ before, where the abnormal has happened. He resigns then, that nevertheless, I will obey you. This verse can teach us a lot about proverbs 3:5, where we are taught to lean not on our understanding, but on the Lord.

Verse 6

Inclosed a great multitude of fish… net broke – Luke does not inform us of the number of fish caught. In addition, we should not seek to number the fish based off John 21, which is a different event. To Luke, the number of fish is not important, only that obedience brought reward, so great, the text says the net broke.

Verse 7

Verse seven further tells of the great catch, which was so great, they filled both ships to the point of sinking. There is no description, however, of a worry of sinking and the texts indicate the ship sailed safely back to shore.

Verse 8

Simon Peter – This is the first occurrence of the full name which Peter would go by. After this verse, Luke will continue to call him Simon through verse fourteen of chapter six. After which, Luke will call him Peter unless he is quoting someone else who refers to him as Simon.

Depart from me, for I am a sinful man, O Lord – The great catch on the Sea of Galilee opened Peter’s eyes that he had encounter the Lord. Where Peter used the term Master earlier, he now refers to Christ as Lord. Peter does not mean in the obvious sense to depart from him, for where shall Christ go? They are in a boat out at sea. Rather, Peter means to look not on him, and some have interpreted this as Peter asking for forgiveness of His sins (based on verse 10). For I am a sinful man should not refer to Peter’s reluctance to obey in casting the net, but the realization that he was in the presence of the Lord brought to his mind his unworthiness to be in Christ’s sight.

Verse 9

Verse nine, and the first portion of verse ten serve to indicate Luke wanted His reader to understand the events which transpired were a miracle.

Verse 10

Fear not – In response to Peter’s confession in verse eight, Christ tells Peter to fear not. It is a normal human reaction (fear) when encountering divine presence to fear, and it is also a normal greeting in the humans response to reassure, fear not. This also, in a sense, is a reassurance of forgiveness.

For now on, you will catch men – Christ used the miracle of the great catch to call Peter and the company into apostleship. Prior, Peter caught fish to death for the markets, and now, Peter shall catch people for life to Christ.

Verse 11

They forsook all, and followed Him – The proper response to a new believer is to follow Christ whole heartedly. What they have heard and seen of Christ was more important than even the greatest catch of their lives. Upon arriving to shore, they forsook all, and went after the Lord.

Verses 12-15 – A Leper Is Cleansed

12 And it came to pass, when he was in a certain city, behold a man full of leprosy: who seeing Jesus fell on his face, and besought him, saying, Lord, if thou wilt, thou canst make me clean. 13 And he put forth his hand, and touched him, saying, I will: be thou clean. And immediately the leprosy departed from him. 14 And he charged him to tell no man: but go, and shew thyself to the priest, and offer for thy cleansing, according as Moses commanded, for a testimony unto them. 15 But so much the more went there a fame abroad of him: and great multitudes came together to hear, and to be healed by him of their infirmities. And he withdrew himself into the wilderness, and prayed. [2]

Verse 12

A certain city – Other translations say, “in one of the towns”. Luke does not address which city, or town, specifically the event takes place in. The emphasis is not on location, but on the what took place.

A leper – Luke describes, as did Matthew and Mark, a man of leprosy. Unlike the other accounts, Luke uses the term full of, a medical term to describe advanced stages of leprosy.

Who seeing Jesus – The law had prohibited a leper from entering into the city. This law makes it difficult to know, with certainty, if the event took place outside, but near the city, or if the leper in a desperate attempt to be made clean ignored the law to seek Jesus in the city.

Fell on his face – That is, fell prostrate in worship.

If thou wilt – The man had complete faith that Jesus could make him clean. The leper only did not know if Christ would make him clean.

Can make me clean – The leper did not ask for healing, he asked for cleansing. Leprosy was a dirty disease, an “unclean” disease. In this case, healing was the act of being made clean.

Verse 13

And He put forth His hand, touched him – This is probably the first touch from one who is not a leper this man had received in many years. In this act, Jesus’ compassion showed through.

I will – Jesus did desire to make clean the leper.

Be thou clean – In English, we get three words, in Greek, we get one. The Lord simply commanded the man clean and he was clean.

Immediately – As with the other healings Christ performed, this act was immediate.

Verse 14

Tell no man – Just as with the demons from last chapter, whom Christ told to be silent, Christ also tells this man to be silent as well. Though the reason is not stated, we know from other accounts and later miracles that Christ does not yet want to be identified as the Messiah. He needs to wait until the hour is right.

But show the priests – The OT law commanded that only a priest could declare a leper clean and reintroduce him into society. You can find these laws in Leviticus 14.

For a testimony unto them – Some commentators have said this is a testimony against them, and others have said it is a testimony to them (the pharisees). In a sense, both could be true. The scribes and pharisees have accused Christ of breaking the law. In this event, two things could be said. The first, is that God is working through Christ (the leper is healed). And the second, Christ follows the law perfectly (tell no man, but go and show the priests, as Moses commanded).

In addition, this shows the Christian that the law, though no longer able to damn us, is meant to be our guide in life.

Verse 15

Luke does not mention that the man is responsible for the spread of fame, however, the other accounts do. The man disobeyed Christ and fame spread. As a result, all from the area came to hear and to be healed. The issue, which we have seen multiple times in our John study, is they did not really come to hear, but to receive of the physical.

Verse 16

Withdrew – As a result of the disobedience and the attention, Christ withdrew Himself to the wilderness, in other translations, a quite place. In the Greek language, these verbs say that Christ continually withdrew, telling us this was a habit and not a one time event.

And prayed – Christ withdrew, and prayed. He connected with the Father, and set the example in making prayer a normal and critical part of the Christian life.

Verses 16-26 – A Paralytic is Healed

17 And it came to pass on a certain day, as he was teaching, that there were Pharisees and doctors of the law sitting by, which were come out of every town of Galilee, and Judaea, and Jerusalem: and the power of the Lord was present to heal them. 18 And, behold, men brought in a bed a man which was taken with a palsy: and they sought means to bring him in, and to lay him before him. 19 And when they could not find by what way they might bring him in because of the multitude, they went upon the housetop, and let him down through the tiling with his couch into the midst before Jesus. 20 And when he saw their faith, he said unto him, Man, thy sins are forgiven thee. 21 And the scribes and the Pharisees began to reason, saying, Who is this which speaketh blasphemies? Who can forgive sins, but God alone? 22 But when Jesus perceived their thoughts, he answering said unto them, What reason ye in your hearts? 23 Whether is easier, to say, Thy sins be forgiven thee; or to say, Rise up and walk? 24 But that ye may know that the Son of man hath power upon earth to forgive sins, (he said unto the sick of the palsy,) I say unto thee, Arise, and take up thy couch, and go into thine house. 25 And immediately he rose up before them, and took up that whereon he lay, and departed to his own house, glorifying God. 26 And they were all amazed, and they glorified God, and were filled with fear, saying, We have seen strange things to day.[3]

Verse 17

Luke does not specify where the event to follow takes place, but Mark identifies the place of this next healing as in Capernaum. The fame of Jesus has grown so much that it is attracting the Pharisees and doctors of the law from all over the promised land. The Pharisees and doctors of the law most likely refer to the same group of people, although, it was possible to be a doctor of the law (teacher, Rabbi) without being a Pharisee, almost all teachers were also Pharisees. This is the first time Pharisees are mentioned in the gospel of Luke. The Pharisees, unlike the Sadducees believed in the resurrection and the oral law, however, in a effort to keep the law the made a man-made “fence-law”. For example, where the law required you do not use the name of the Lord in vain, they simply refused to use the Lords name at all. Of the many issues this caused, there are two that are significant. The first is they held all people to the same standard, accusing them of breaking the law, where there would often be no laws against such things, with exception to their “fence-laws”. The second issue is these fence-laws caused people to focus too much on outward appearance rather than having a true relationship with God.

Verse 18

Men brought in a bed – Where Luke says “men” Mark tells us this was four men. They bring a friend of theirs who was taken with palsy, being paralyzed, to be healed of Christ.

Sought means to bring him in – These men were searching for a way to get the man and the bed to Christ.

Verse 19

They went upon the housetop – Luke does not state why they could not find a way and required use of the housetop. Mark tells us they could not pass through the crowds of people who assembled in front of the door to hear Christ speak.

Most of the houses of the day had flat roofs, often with external stairs that led to the top. Since the crowds were there to see Christ, the stairs would have been accessible and offered the men an access to the Lord.

Luke tells us the roof was Tiled where Mark indicates no such thing, stating they had to dig the roof out. Luke gives us more of a thought-for-thought translation of the events where Mark gives us more of a word-for-word translation. However, both gospels accurately portray to us what they wanted to say, and that is, they let him down through the tiling with his couch into the midst before Jesus.

Verse 20

When He saw their faith – Notice that Christ saw their faith. The their refers not only to the friends who brought the man and lowered him down, but to the man himself. The verse states also that his sins were forgiven him, and that only happens through personal faith, whereas healings have often happened based solely off the faith of another. This also teaches us along the lines of what James teaches, “show me your faith apart from your works and I will show you my faith by my works.” Faith will always result in works, and in this case, their faith caused them to seek Christ by any means, including cutting open a roof and lowering their friend down.

Your sins are forgiven you – Before Christ dealt with healing the man, Christ first dealt with his sins. This set’s us up for the rest of this passage. Of importance in the verse, it is written to communicate that Christ Himself has forgiven the sins, and not that Christ is communicating the idea that God has forgiven them. This is in contrast to the preacher today, who preaches of God’s forgiving of sins, but we do not forgive the sins ourselves.

Verse 21

Scribes and Pharisees – The unofficial, yet self-declared religious leaders, seeing Christ forgive the sins begin to reason, saying.

Who is the which speaketh blasphemies – A charge that is often laid up against Christ, they rightly conclude in the next sentence that only God can forgive sins, but they falsely accuse Christ of blasphemy. They never stopped long enough to question what His relationship to the Father is.

Who can forgive sins, but God alone – They rightly recognize that God alone can forgive sins. Luke’s addition of alone makes it clear then that Jesus is indeed God.

Verse 22

Perceived their thoughts – Christ, as He frequently does, perceives their thoughts. This alone should be enough to tell them that they are at least in the presence of a prophet, but their pure anger and hatred blinds them to these truths.

Verse 23

What is easier – Christ presents a question of sorts to prove His point. What is easier, considering that you cannot confirm if the mans sins are forgiven, to say your sins are forgiven or, knowing that if I claim to heal, you can prove me whether or not he is healed if he walks again to say rise up and walk.

Verse 24

But that ye may know – The next miracle that Jesus performs is the healing of the man, but for the pharisees and the scribes to know.

That the Son of Man – The first occurrence of this phrase in Luke, and occurring more than sixty-nine times in the gospels. In the gospels it always comes directly from the Lords mouth and it is His way of referring to Himself.

Has authority to forgive sins – The implication of what Christ is saying was simply understood by the pharisees, and todays culture does not readily understand the meaning of this. The Pharisees believed that all illness was a result of sin, and such illness could not be healed until the sins causing it were forgiven. Therefore, if Christ could heal the man, they must also accept He could forgive the sins.

I say unto thee – That is, unto the sick of the palsy, Arise. Christ then speaks to the paralyzed man commanding him to be healed. The performing of this miracle is to prove to the pharisees that Christ has been given the power and ability from God, and that God approves and backs what He is doing.

Take up thy bed and go – At the beginning of the story, the man was support by the bed. Now, the bed will be supported by the man as he is healed and carries his own bed home.

Verse 25

Immediately – This healing, as with the others, was instantaneous. With the instant nature of the healing, Jesus claims were also instantaneously verified.

In front of them – This stresses the proof of the healing.

Glorifying God – Only in Luke is the portion of the story added. Glorifying God is the appropriate response to anyone saved and healed by the Almighty.

Verse 26

Remarkable things – human nature and reasoning cannot explain what they have seen. Therefore, The were filled with awe and this is a common response to witnessing the power of God.

Verses 27-28 Levi (Matthew) is Called

27 And after these things he went forth, and saw a publican, named Levi, sitting at the receipt of custom: and he said unto him, Follow me. 28 And he left all, rose up, and followed him.[4]

Verse 27

He went forth – Commentators are unsure of whether this means simply from the house or from the city. Many have read this as from the city because the tax booth often was right outside the town.

Saw a publican – A tax collector, we discussed in detail their position and job in chapter three.

Named Levi – The gospel of Matthew identifies Levi as Matthew. It was not uncommon for a man to have two names – One in Hebrew or Aramaic and the other in Greek or Latin. Although Luke does not identify Levi as Matthew, in Lukes full list of the apostles, Matthew is listed.

Sitting at the receipt of custom – That is, sitting at the taxing booth. Levi was not the chief collector, but worked under the chief at a poll booth. Levi was probably sitting outside the booth and not inside, for inside would have made it more difficult for Christ to simply call out to him.

Follow me – That is all Christ said to him. Luke emphasizes following Christ as the way of becoming a disciple of Him.

Verse 28

He left all – This is the true cost of becoming a Christian. Being willing to abandon all you have and follow Him. We are told we must carry our cross daily, and not love family, nor belongings more than we love Christ. For Levi, this must have been even a harder decision than for the fishermen. If their task failed, the fishermen could have easily gone back to their old way of life, however, the Romans would not accept back a man who randomly up and left his tax booth.

Followed Him – The proper would be “began to follow him.” For Luke, this represents the commencement and continual act of following and becoming a disciple of Christ.

Verses 29-32 – The Sick Need a Physician

29 And Levi made him a great feast in his own house: and there was a great company of publicans and of others that sat down with them. 30 But their scribes and Pharisees murmured against his disciples, saying, Why do ye eat and drink with publicans and sinners? 31 And Jesus answering said unto them, They that are whole need not a physician; but they that are sick. 32 I came not to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.[5]

Verse 29

Levi made a great feast – Only in Luke is the feast described as a great feast. Levi had no regrets about his decision and threw a party celebrating his new Lord.

Great company of publicans and of others – A truly saved man does not want to go to heaven alone. Levi invited many of his friends and other people to dine with and meet the Lord Jesus Christ. Before being taught of Christ, Levi is already, of sorts, carrying out the great commission.

Verse 30

Murmured against the disciples – This is the first time disciples is used in the gospel, and they are the object of the scribes and Pharisees objection.

Why do you eat and drink – Eating and drinking with someone had strong consequences with the religious elite. In reference to the leper, just as coming into contact with a leper made you ceremonially unclean, to the Pharisees, dining with the sinful made you morally unclean. If only they could realize that all were sinful.

With the publicans and sinners – Luke does not record “with the publicans and the sinners” but identifies both as one party, one group. This is referring to the Jews who did not keep the Mosaic law or were seen as dishonest traitors, the Roman sympathizers.

Verse 31

They that are whole need not a physician, but they that are sick – Jesus will compare the sick with the sinful. A healthy person does not need a doctor, whereas a sick person does. This prepares us for the following verse and statement.

Verse 32

Not the call the righteous, but the sinners – Christs usage of righteous here is ironic, because the Bible teaches that is none that are righteous. Rather, Christ is not calling the Pharisees righteous, but that they have a self-righteousness, a false sense of righteousness. We have seen even in our own times that the proud and self-righteous have the hardest times being reached. Christ says then, my business is with the sinful.

To repentance – The church is perhaps, as Leon Morris said, the only organization in which the one requirement for admittance is not being worthy to be admitted. However, Christ does not leave the sinners in their sin, but calls them into repentance. Meaning, He calls them to change their hearts and decide to follow Him.

Verses 33-35 - Fasting

33 And they said unto him, Why do the disciples of John fast often, and make prayers, and likewise the disciples of the Pharisees; but thine eat and drink? 34 And he said unto them, Can ye make the children of the bridechamber fast, while the bridegroom is with them? 35 But the days will come, when the bridegroom shall be taken away from them, and then shall they fast in those days.[6]

Verse 33

The Pharisees observe that the disciples are extremely happy and they then question Christ about that. In the OT, there was only one prescribed fast, which was on the day of atonement. However, John and others widely practiced a sorrowful fast and prayed at prescribed times throughout the day. The Pharisees question then, who don’t Christ and the disciples practice the fast and prayer. In the following verses, Christ will address the fast, and addresses not the prayer because it is evident they indeed pray often.

Verse 34

This verse uses a bridegrooms party as an analogy to the fast. When you are with the bridegroom, celebrating his marriage, it is not the time to be sorrowful. Likewise, a relationship with Christ is one of joy and happiness, and in His presence and His coming kingdom, it was not the appropriate time to be sorrowful.

Though the message of Christ leads to repentance, repentance leads not to sorrow, but to true joy.

There is no OT reference to the bridegroom as a Messianic title.

Verse 35

The days will come – This surely refers to the cross, but many interpreters have incorrectly interpreted this as from the cross on. Christ is foretelling of the time from when He is arrested to when He is resurrected. After the resurrection and His reunion with the disciples, it would be a time for joy. And from henceforth, it would be a time for joy because the gospel is good news. Christ has risen and dwells with us.

They shall fast – During the days in which Christ is arrested, crucified, and buried would indeed be a time for fasting and mourning.

Verses 36-39 – Parables of the Cloth and Wineskins

36 And he spake also a parable unto them; No man putteth a piece of a new garment upon an old; if otherwise, then both the new maketh a rent, and the piece that was taken out of the new agreeth not with the old. 37 And no man putteth new wine into old bottles; else the new wine will burst the bottles, and be spilled, and the bottles shall perish. 38 But new wine must be put into new bottles; and both are preserved. 39 No man also having drunk old wine straightway desireth new: for he saith, The old is better.[7]

Verse 36

A parable – Christ will use a story, or metaphor, to describe the New Testament coming forth.

No man put a new piece of garment on the old, the new agreeth not with the old – Luke teaches that to take a piece of new garment to patch an old garment destroys both garments. It destroys the new garment by tearing it, and it destroys the old garment by adding a unmatching piece of fabric upon it. The emphasis is on the newness of the kingdom coming – we cannot simply patch the old, but we must bring in the new. The Gospel of Christ.

In Mark, the analogy is slightly different, in that the new garment, the patch, is too strong and unshrunken and will tear apart from the old as it shrinks making the tear worse than before.

Verse 37

In this verse, it is described that you would not pour new wine into an old wineskin. Doing so would destroy both the wineskin and the wine. As the new wine would ferment and expand, the old skin would no longer be strong enough to contain the pressure, bursting, destroying the wineskin, and spilling the new wine upon the ground, destroying the wine.

Verse 38

But new wine must be put into new bottles, and both are preserved – Christ teaches that the New Testament, the gospel he is bringing, cannot be contained in the old ways of Judaism. Though the Old Testament is the basis and foundation for the New Testament, the Old Testaments purpose was to point to the need of the gospel in the New Testament. Further, the New Testament does not abolish the Old, but it fulfills the Old, and removes the curses of the Old.

Verse 39

Those who cling to the past, to past traditions, are not open to the realization of God’s kingdom. The Pharisees clung to the Old, and the many man added laws with it, and were not accepting of the coming of God’s kingdom. We see the same in churches today, were many cling to old traditions are do not want to allow God to make changed for the propagation of His word to other people and generations.

[1] The Holy Bible: King James Version. (2009). (Electronic Edition of the 1900 Authorized Version., Lk 5:1–11). Bellingham, WA: Logos Research Systems, Inc.

[2] The Holy Bible: King James Version. (2009). (Electronic Edition of the 1900 Authorized Version., Lk 5:12–16). Bellingham, WA: Logos Research Systems, Inc.

[3] The Holy Bible: King James Version. (2009). (Electronic Edition of the 1900 Authorized Version., Lk 5:17–26). Bellingham, WA: Logos Research Systems, Inc.

[4] The Holy Bible: King James Version. (2009). (Electronic Edition of the 1900 Authorized Version., Lk 5:27–28). Bellingham, WA: Logos Research Systems, Inc.

[5] The Holy Bible: King James Version. (2009). (Electronic Edition of the 1900 Authorized Version., Lk 5:29–32). Bellingham, WA: Logos Research Systems, Inc.

[6] The Holy Bible: King James Version. (2009). (Electronic Edition of the 1900 Authorized Version., Lk 5:33–35). Bellingham, WA: Logos Research Systems, Inc.

[7] The Holy Bible: King James Version. (2009). (Electronic Edition of the 1900 Authorized Version., Lk 5:35–39). Bellingham, WA: Logos Research Systems, Inc.