LUKE 5

Jesus is teaching from a boat on the lake of Genessaret, basically a northwestern tip of the Sea of Galilee. He is around and among a group of fishermen, namely Simon Peter, a primary focus of this passage. Interestingly, recent archaeological finds include a boat in the Sea of Galilee that was 26.5 feet long and 7.5 feet wide (there are those who believe there would not have been room on a small fishing boat to kneel, as Peter will later. The find fully supports the narrative.).

Jesus instructs Peter to let down the nets again, and though he is not disobedient, Peter kind of gets his word in, while at the same time complying with this teacher he calls “Master”, after hearing him preach and teach. The miracle of the massive catch occurs, and Peter recognizes he is in the presence of the Divine. His response is very fitting.

His response is much like that of Isaiah when called. And I find it interesting that Jesus is choosing twelve of His followers to be “inner circle” apostles, and that He is doing so, not in Jerusalem, but in a remote area near Capernaum. You would think the religious elite would be His primary focus, and yet He uses simpler, more humble people to carry out His ministry.

A man with leprosy (probably not the actual disease as we know it, but more like a skin disorder, perhaps psoriasis) comes, and recognizes Jesus’ ability to heal, and asks whether or not Jesus is willing to do so for him. By asking this way, he showed his faith and trust in Jesus, and did not emphasize merely wanting to be healed physically. By telling the man not to say anything to anyone, we can understand that Jesus did not simply want people coming to Him simply for healing, but for their true spiritual need. Luke here emphasizes that Jesus’ preaching ministry was more important than His healing ministry.
We also know from other accounts that the man DID tell many what had happened.

***As we move along in the gospel, and as you read the others some time, take note of the questions asked of Jesus, and try to decipher the motives behind them.***

We then move to the account of the man being lowered through a roof to Jesus, since the house was too crowded with people. There is so much that occurs in this one event: Jesus heals, forgives sins, reads minds; followers show faith, the Pharisees ignore the miraculous. They claim only God forgives sins, and they are correct. This is one way Jesus lays claim to being God. He also shows that it would be “easier” to forgive sins, as it might appear that He is just saying it, with no way to prove it, so He heals the man, showing the power of God, and thereby supporting that He can also forgive sins. Nobody denies that Jesus did this miracle, but the Pharisees and scribes are upset that he claimed the power to forgive and how He asserted His authority.

Jesus then meets Levi/Matthew, and asks him to follow Him as well. A group ends up at Matthew’s house for a meal, prompting the Pharisees to ask Him why He would eat with sinners. Jesus’ answer shows them that they see themselves as justified in the eyes of men, that they are comfortable in their own righteousness. So, instead of learning, they ask another question, this time on fasting, asking why his disciples do not do so. His answer makes it clear that they cannot possibly fast, normally associated with sorrow and sadness, but rather that this was a time of celebration; the bridegroom was here! His point is that proper repentance does not lead to sorrow but rather to joyous celebration indeed! The time to fast would come, when he would be taken away.

Jesus uses two more parables, the patched garment and the old wine skins with new wine. “Old” implies the Pharisaic Judaism, and “New” is associated with the newness of the kingdom of God, and the Law (Judaism) giving way to Christianity (though not called that yet). A new patch on an old garment would not help the old, and would tear the new. New wine which has yet to fully ferment, placed in to old wineskins would cause the skins to burst, ruining both the wineskin and the spilled new wine. The “new” gospel cannot be placed in the “old” Pharisaic Judaism, as the result will be neither the gospel nor Judaism. History also shows us that Christianity blended with any other religious movement ruins both.

And He closes with irony, in that those who were clinging closely to the past were not open to the reality of God’s kingdom, preferring the “old” to the new”.

SO WHAT…? (Whew! That was long-winded, my apologies)

So, following Christ may also, at face value, look foolish. It didn’t bother Peter, it shouldn’t bother me, or you, for that matter.

So, I must always place the preaching ministry of God’s Word in a place of primary importance. Jesus healed, and He preached the Word to those He encountered.

So, what is my response to an encounter with God’s grace? May it be as humbly and self-examining as Peter’s response, and as jubilant as the men miraculously healed.