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The Gospel of Luke Chapter Five
Commentary by Timothy H. Burdick
Jesus was gaining in popularity with
the people at the time of these verses. The text tells us
that Jesus stood by the Lake of Gennesaret (the Sea of
Galilee). While I have never been there, I am told that this
is a large body of fresh water. Usually when you think of
the sea, you think of a salty body of water. Just for your
interest, this lake was also called Kinnereth, especially in
the Old Testament. You can find this in Numbers 34:11, where
it says, "The boundary will go down from Shepham to Riblah
on the east side of Ain and continue along the slopes east
of the Sea of Kinnereth." Look up the Sea of Galilee in a
Bible dictionary and you will find a few other names that we
won't go into here.
Anyway, the text says that Jesus had a
crowd around Him listening to Him speak the Word of God. To
find out what was special about the teachings of Jesus,
cross-reference this with Mark 1:22 - "The people were
amazed at His teaching because He taught them as one who had
authority, not as the teachers of the law." The teachers
would always quote others when speaking in reference to the
Law. Jesus was different because He drew His insights
directly from His deep communion with the Father and His
knowledge of the Word of God.
Luke goes on to say that at the edge of
the lake, Jesus saw two of the boats, which were anchored
there. The fishermen had docked their boats in that place
because they were washing the nets. Jesus stepped into the
boat that belonged to Simon Peter, asking him to pull away
from the shore line. In this way, He escaped the pushing and
shoving of a noisy crowd. Also, the acoustics formed a
natural public address system, magnifying His voice. Then
Jesus sat down in the boat and began to teach. When people
were going to teach, they didn't stand in front of a crowd
as we do today, rather, they sat down. When He was finished
teaching, He asked Simon to pull out even further into the
lake and let down his net. There Jesus told Him he would get
a catch of fish.
But the fishing was usually done at
night. See John 21:3, where Simon Peter said, "I'm going out
to fish.” And the disciples responded. "We'll go with you."
So they went out and got into the boat, but “that night”
they caught nothing. "Now look at Luke 5:5, where Simon
Peter answered, "Master, we've worked hard all night and
haven't caught anything. But because You say so, I will let
down the nets.” When they did this, their nets began to
break because of the many fish they caught.
From Simon’s actions, all of us without
exception can learn a lesson. We all get tired and our
obedience, like Simon’s to the Lord’s command to let down
the nets, tends to be grudging. While our "obedience" on one
level may be rewarded, is this really complete obedience? To
find out the answer to this question, look with me at Exodus
15:24. This passage says, "So the people grumbled against
Moses, asking, ‘what are we to drink?’" In complaining in
this way to Moses, the Bible says they were complaining
against God. But you may ask, isn't this kind of venting
harmless? Again to find the answer, look at Exodus 16:7 -
"and in the morning, you will see the glory of the Lord,
because He has heard your grumbling against Him. Who are we
that you should grumble against us?"
Paul says, in Philippians 2:14, "Do
everything without complaining or arguing." The Children of
Israel were given meat and bread from heaven even though
they had complained. Simon was given a large number of fish.
So many times, God in his mercy and grace gives us gifts
even though we complain. He however, doesn't want to merely
focus on what we shouldn't do. He wants to develop in us an
attitude of gratitude. This is important because for the
most part, we are like Simon, whining when the Lord asks us
to do something. I gave a message in a nursing home the
other day called, “Are You a Whiner or a Winner?”
There are a number of Scriptures that
will help us develop the right attitude. Meditate on the
following Verses – “Be joyful always; pray continually; give
thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you
in Christ Jesus" (1Thessalonians 5:16-18). "And whatever
you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of
the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the father through Him"
(Colossians 3:17). "Now our God, we give You thanks, and
praise Your glorious name” (First Chronicles 29:13). And
finally, "Praise the Lord. Give thanks to the Lord, for He
is good; His love endures forever" (Psalm 106:1). While we
need to move on at this point, let me just say that the
Bible is a book of thanksgiving. We all need to study it
more, letting gratitude become a style of life.
Getting back to the text in Luke 5,
note that not only did the disciples catch a great multitude
of fish, but they had to signal to their partners in the
other boat for help. Just like you would double a plastic
bag for added strength, their partners probably put the good
net under the one that was tearing. Whatever else they
might have done, they filled the boats to the extent that
both of them began to sink. As well as starting to go under
water, the boats may have begun to lean to one side.
I have been boating a lot, and I like
to think of what these fishermen might have been going
through. They shared the load, however, and made it back to
shore. Some say that this large catch may be a foreshadowing
of Pentecost because Jesus told them that they would fish
for the souls of men.
Look at His words in Acts 1:8, "But you
will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and
you will be My witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and
Samaria, and to the ends of the earth." While it may speak
of Pentecost as well, the fish that they caught also speak
to me of the abundant life that God wants to give to all of
us. Many times however, we are held back from full
obedience, not experiencing the best that God has for us.
Jesus says in John 10:10, "The thief
comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that
they may have life and have it to the full." Then it shows
Simon Peter’s response to this miracle. Scripture tells us
that the man fell down to Jesus knees and said, "Go away
from me, Lord, I am a sinful man."
Many times in contrast, we are filled
with pride, as though by our good works we think we have
done something special for God. To really be confronted by
His glory however, is a humbling experience. Revelation 1:17
reports the words of John the Apostle - "When I saw Him, I
fell at His feet as though dead. Then He placed His right
hand on me and said: ‘do not be afraid. I am the first and
the last.’" There are many other Scriptures about man being
confronted by God’s glory, but look with me at one more. Job
42:5-6 - "My ears had heard of You, but now my eyes have
seen You. Therefore I despise myself and repent in dust and
ashes."
If we are not careful, we can simply be
like Job BEFORE He had a deep experience with God. While we
may hear about Him in Bible study, if we don't spend time in
His presence, we will not be fresh and real in our Christian
walk. When the four partners in the fishing boat industry
had seen what had been done by Jesus they were overwhelmed.
When you look at this text carefully, you can see the change
they made from a half-hearted obedience to a full obedience.
Luke 5:11 says, "So they pulled their
boats up on shore, left everything and followed Him." To me,
their boats signify a type of the old life before we trust
in Christ. For just as they left everything that was
important to them in life, we are to do the same. That does
not mean that we are to live a life in the “desert,” with no
earthly possessions. What it does mean is that following
Christ is to be our number one priority. Look with me at how
Paul opens his letter to the Romans. "Paul a servant” (The
Greek word “doulos” also can be translated “slave”) of
Christ Jesus, called to be an apostle and set apart for the
gospel of God."
By using the concept of slavery, he is
drawing a word picture which the Romans would have been
familiar with. In our day, this is a foreign concept to us.
Slaves were not allowed to own anything, and they were to
give total obedience to their masters. Paul says that we
are to have this same kind of devotion toward our Master who
is Christ. From my own life I have found though that many
times people are afraid to leave everything and follow
Christ. But if this is holding you back, it doesn't have to.
God is a good God, and He wants to give you only the best.
In Luke 11:11-13, Jesus used the word
picture of a parent-child relationship by saying, "If one of
you is asked by his son for a fish; he will not give him a
snake instead of a fish, will he?,,, If you then, being
evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much
more will your Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to
those who ask Him!" God is a loving Father, and often allows
us to go through trials that we don't understand for our own
good. Like any good Father He tells His children, "For my
thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my
ways declares the Lord. As the heavens are higher then the
earth, so are My ways higher than your ways and My thoughts
than your thoughts" (Isaiah 55:8-9).
In Luke 5:12-15, we have the account of
Jesus healing a leper. "While Jesus was in one of the
towns…” (None of the other Gospel writers provide the
information that Jesus was in a town at that moment) “a man
came along who was covered with leprosy.” (None of the
other Gospel writers use the phrase “covered with”). Since
Luke was a doctor, this may have meant it was obvious that
the leprosy was in an advanced stage. In any case, as a
doctor he would have been more detailed; and he was. When he
saw Jesus, the leper fell with his face to the ground and
begged Him. (Mark and Mathew both add that the man knelt
before Jesus). He said, "Lord if You are willing, You can
make me clean." Jesus reached out His hand and touched the
man. (Mark is the only one who adds the phrase He was
"filled with compassion” about this incident).
"I am willing," Jesus responded. He
continued, "Be clean" and immediately the leprosy left him.
Then Jesus ordered the man, "Don't tell anyone, but go show
yourself to the priest and offer the sacrifices that Moses
commanded for your cleansing, as a testimony to them." Mark
is the only one who adds the information - “Instead he went
out, and began to talk freely.”
Going on, Luke says, "Yet the news
about Him spread all the more, so that crowds of people came
to hear Him, and to be healed of their sicknesses. Finally
Luke wraps this up by saying, "But He often withdrew to
lonely places and prayed.” (Mark enriches this story further
by saying, "As a result, Jesus could no longer enter a town
openly.") Comparing this story with Matthew 8:2-4 and Mark
1:40-45, we can see differences that are not only
interesting, but also enhance the narrative. Many times and
in many cultures, leprosy has been regarded as a type of
sin. This is because it ALMOST ALWAYS has lead to a slow,
agonizing death. Comparing this to sin, Romans 6:23 says,
"For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is
eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord." When Jesus
encountered the leper in Luke 5:12 & context, He also became
ceremonially unclean from the perspective of the Jewish
religion. To see this, look at Leviticus 22:6, which says,
"The one who touches any such thing will be unclean till
evening. He must not eat any of the sacred offerings unless
he has bathed himself in water."
So the fact that Jesus touched this man
would have made Him ceremonially unclean. Lastly, when Jesus
told the leper to go and show himself to the priest, He was
obeying the Old Testament law. It says in Leviticus
13:12-13, "If the disease breaks out all over his skin and
so far as the priest can see, it covers all the skin of the
infected person from head to foot, the priest is to examine
him and if the disease has covered his whole body, he shall
pronounce that person clean. Since it has all turned white,
he is clean.” Luke 5:17 tells us, "One day as (Jesus) was
teaching, Pharisees and teachers of the law who had come
from every village of Galilee and Judea and Jerusalem were
sitting there. And the power of the Lord was present for Him
to heal the sick.”
The religious leaders felt threatened
by what Jesus was doing. They were bound by their
traditions, which consist of man’s rules. They were
comfortable in a smug kind of way, and Jesus was upsetting
the status quo. To gain an insight into this, see Mark
7:3-4-5, "The Pharisees and all the Jews did not eat unless
they gave their hands a ceremonial washing, holding to the
tradition of the elders. When they came from the marketplace
they did not eat unless they first washed and they observed
many other traditions, including the ceremonial washing of
cups, pitchers and kettles. So the Pharisees and teachers of
the law asked Jesus, ‘Why don't your disciples live
according to the tradition of the elders instead of eating
their food with unclean hands?’" But Luke makes a special
point of telling us that even though these people doubted
Him, the power of God WAS there to heal.
Please closely EXAMINE this story with
me. Here Jesus was able to heal in the face of unbelief,
whereas in other places in the New Testament, He was not.
God is a God of diversity. He won't be locked into our
little patterns. We are commanded in 1 Thessalonians 5:19,
"do not put out the Spirit’s fire." This is so important,
because when we put out the fire of the Spirit, we are
relying on our own strength. One of the quickest ways to do
this is by confining God to our own methods of working. In
verse 17, look at the religious leaders with me again. I
would remind you that they felt threatened. Luke says that
now, the Pharisees and teachers were coming from every
village in Galilee, Judea, and Jerusalem. The word was
spreading about Him, and they were coming from miles around.
This might be no big deal in our day, but back then
transportation was difficult. Notice that the Pharisees and
teachers of the law were seated, which implied respect and
importance.
Now, in Verse 18, we get to one of my
favorite stories in the Bible, the story of the paralyzed
man. God is looking for people who will dare to believe Him.
I say this because this story speaks to me of our spiritual
lives. Like all of us, these men faced obstacles. But in
spite of this, they were not deterred from their mission.
They carried the mat with their friend on it and this was no
small task. When they couldn't lay it before Jesus because
of the crowd, they took the man up to the rooftop and let
him down right in front of the Lord. They just didn't give
up. Jesus now placed a verbal trap for the Pharisees and
teachers of the law, by saying, "Friend, your sins are
forgiven you" (Verse 20).
After saying this, Luke says in 5:21,
“The Pharisees and the teachers of the law began to think to
themselves, ‘who is this fellow who speaks blasphemy? Who
can forgive sins, but God alone?’"
Look with me at the next few Verses,
and then we will make some more comments. Jesus knew what
they had in mind and asked, "Why are you thinking these
things in your hearts?” (Verse 22). “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." Immediately he stood up
in front of them, took what he had been lying on and went
home praising God. Everyone was amazed and gave praise to
God. They were filled with awe and said, ‘We have seen
remarkable things today’" (Verses 22-26).
Just as Jesus knew what the Pharisees
were thinking. He knows what we are thinking, too. David
says about this in Psalms 139:2, "You know when I sit and
when I rise; You perceive my thoughts from afar." Our
thought life before God is something that we shouldn't take
lightly. Again David says in Psalm 51:6 - "Surely You desire
truth in the inner parts. You teach me wisdom in the inmost
place. Finally, in Psalm 66:18, he says, "If I had
cherished sin in my heart, the Lord would not have
listened."
While the Pharisees were correct in
saying that only God could forgive sins, Jesus was telling
them through what He did, that He was God. Before God can
work fully in our lives our sin has to be dealt with. Notice
that this is how He dealt with the lame man. Look at the
obedience on the part of this man. In an atmosphere filled
with unbelief, He obeyed Jesus. We don't always live that
way, but obedience is crucial to our walk. As we obey we
will begin to experience a similar reaction to Christ’s
working in us.
The calling of Levi (Verse 27 &
forward)
The Roman tax collectors were a hated
group. The Jews thought of them as traitors and worse than
traitors. They were outcasts and people would have nothing
to do with them. If the robe of a Pharisee was to touch a
tax collector, he would be ceremonially unclean. If you
think that our taxes are high, the Romans were higher – they
had taxes on everything that was available. Just to name a
few, they had a tax when they went to the market. If they
were going on a trip, every so often they would have to load
and unload their pack animals for tax purposes. They had
toll bridges, and I am even told that they had a tax for
simply being alive. The Roman publicans had men who worked
under them. The men would collect taxes for that area, and
if they could collect more, they were allowed to keep the
difference. The tax collector would use any means he had to
collect the money. They even resorted to cruelty. So, you
can see why it caused such an uproar when Jesus ate with
them.
There were quite a number of religious
leaders in that local area, but Jesus preferred to dine with
outcasts. In order to understand what Jesus was saying in
word and action, let's look at Verses 27-39, in segments.
"After this, Jesus went out and saw a tax collector by the
name of Levi sitting at his tax booth. ‘Follow me,’ Jesus
said to him, and Levi got up, left everything and followed
Him. Then Levi had a great banquet for Jesus at his house,
and a large crowd of tax collectors and others were eating
with them." Since we have already looked at the occupation
of the tax collector in Roman times, now let’s take a look
at Levi’s personal characteristics.
In the first part of the story here, we
can see some amazing truths. Religiously, socially and
politically, Levi would have been considered an abominable
person. An orthodox Jew would have been forbidden to travel
with him. Yet, Jesus not only ate with him but He said,
"follow Me." Compare what Jesus is doing here with Acts,
10:28. He (Peter) said to them: "You are well aware that it
is against our law for a Jew to associate with a Gentile or
visit him. But God has shown me that I should not call any
man impure or unclean."
Looking to our own lives, I think that
there is a principle here. Sometimes our churches become
like a club, and we tend to only welcome those who belong.
This is not Christianity, but “Churchianity.” We have to
reach out to all people, for that is why Jesus came. Listen
again to what Paul has to say in Galatians 5:1, "It is for
freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm then and do
not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery."
Going on, I love the enthusiasm of
Levi. He not only followed Jesus, leaving everything, but he
threw a big party telling all of his friends. I think his
actions are so important because, unlike the fishermen, I
doubt if Levi could have gone back to his former job. While
the actions of the fishermen speak to me on one level, the
actions of this tax collector speak to me on another. Levi’s
actions ask us, how obedient are we really? I have to do
some soul searching and ask myself, "Would you really leave
everything to follow the Lord?”
Christ asks us not only to
half-heartedly follow Him, but He asks us to rejoice
enthusiastically like Levi did. The apostle Paul says in
Philippians 4:4, "Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it
again: rejoice!"
Sometimes, everything seems to be going
fine, and then we're introduced to a certain person or group
of people who seem like there always trying to “nit pick.”
This is what happened at Levi’s party. Luke tells us, "But
the Pharisees and the teachers of the law who belonged to
their sect complained to His disciples, ‘Why do you eat and
drink with tax collectors and sinners?’" I would just like
to say that these religious leaders are trying to find fault
with the life and ministry of Jesus. They see the following
that Jesus is gaining and they might have thought something
like this, "Where is this young upstart getting His ideas
from? The people are all following Him, and we are losing
their respect.
Look at how Jesus answers that
question: "I have not come to call the righteous, but
sinners to repentance" (Verse 32). Look at what Solomon
says about this in Ecclesiastes 7:20 - "There is not a
righteous man on earth who does what is right and never
sins." But the religious leaders didn't give up. "They said
to Jesus, ‘Johns disciples often fast and pray, and so do
the disciples of the Pharisees, but Yours go on eating and
drinking.’"
It is dangerous when our rituals take
the place of a personal relationship with Christ. While
praying and fasting are good, the Pharisees and teachers of
the law were trying to earn spiritual “points” by their own
works. Applying what Jesus said to the Pharisees, in our own
lives though, do we do the same thing? Jesus answered, "Can
you make the guests of the bridegroom fast while He is with
them? But the time will come when the bridegroom will be
taken from them; in those days they will fast."
In light of what Jesus is saying, it is
interesting to read what Isaiah has to say about fasting.
Look in Isaiah 58:5-7 - "Is the kind of fast I have chosen,
only a day for a man to humble himself? Is it only for
bowing ones head like a reed and for lying on sackcloth and
ashes? Is that what you call a fast, a day acceptable to the
Lord? Is not this the kind of fasting I have chosen: to
loose the chains of injustice and untie the cords of the
yoke, to set the oppressed free and break every yoke? Is it
not to share your food with the hungry and to provide the
poor wanderer with shelter - when you see the naked, to
clothe him and not to turn away from your own flesh and
blood?"
Jesus wanted to further illustrate what
He meant in this way. He told them this parable: "No one
tears a patch from a new garment and sews it on an old one.
If he does, he will have torn the old garment and the patch
from the new will not match the old. And no one pours new
wine into old wineskin. If he does, the new wine will burst
the skins, the wine will run out and the wineskins will be
ruined. No, new wine must be poured into new wineskins. And
no one after drinking old wine wants the new, for he says
the old is better.'"
Here, Jesus is drawing a word picture.
Wine when it is fermenting gives off gasses. The old
wineskins that are inflexible would burst under the
pressure. But the new wineskins which are pliable can hold
the new wine. But no one wants the new wine; they want the
old. We as a people are rigid, preferring old ways to new.
If we have accepted Jesus, we are new wineskins, new
creations in Christ. Jesus is saying that the new wineskins
need the new wine, actually the Holy Spirit.
In order to follow the Spirit, we need
this kind of flexibility in our lives. In John 3:8 Jesus
says this - "the wind blows wherever it pleases. You hear
its sound, but you cannot tell where it comes from or where
it is going. So it is with everyone born of the Spirit."
In conclusion, Jesus told us that He
was the "bridegroom." In a Jewish wedding, the man would go
away and prepare a home for his new bride. The New Testament
calls the church the “bride of Christ.” That is exactly what
Jesus is saying here. In order to see what I mean, look
with me at John 14:2, "In my Father’s house are many rooms;
if it were not so I would have told you. I am going there to
prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for
you I will come back and take you to be with Me that you
also may be where I am." To get the most out of what Luke is
saying, read this parable, finding differences and
similarities. Compare Mark 2:14-22, AND Mathew 9:17.Thank
you for joining me in this commentary, and next time we will
explore Luke Chapter 6.
Friday Study Ministries
The First Church On The Net
www.FridayStudy.org
www.FirstChurchOnTheNet.org
"While
we were yet sinners, Christ died for us" (Romans 5:8)
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