Luke5

Jesus calls Simon Peter, James, and John after a miraculous catch of fish, promising they will catch men. He then demonstrates His divine authority by cleansing a leper and forgiving the sins of a paralytic, healing him despite the skepticism of religious leaders. Following this, Jesus calls Levi, a publican, and teaches about His mission to call sinners to repentance, using parables about new wine and old wineskins to explain His new covenant.

Listen to this chapter

The Miraculous Catch and Call of Peter

On one occasion, while Jesus was standing by the Lake of Gennesaret with the crowd pressing in on Him to hear the word of God,

He saw two boats at the edge of the lake. The fishermen had left them and were washing their nets.

Jesus got into the boat belonging to Simon and asked him to put out a little from shore. And sitting down, He taught the people from the boat.

When Jesus had finished speaking, He said to Simon, “Put out into deep water and let down your nets for a catch.”

“Master,” Simon replied, “we have worked hard all night without catching anything. But because You say so, I will let down the nets.”

When they had done so, they caught such a large number of fish that their nets began to tear.

So they signaled to their partners in the other boat to come and help them, and they came and filled both boats so full that they began to sink.

When Simon Peter saw this, he fell at Jesus’ knees. “Go away from me, Lord,” he said, “for I am a sinful man.”

For he and his companions were astonished at the catch of fish they had taken,

and so were his partners James and John, the sons of Zebedee. “Do not be afraid,” Jesus said to Simon. “From now on you will catch men.”

And when they had brought their boats ashore, they left everything and followed Him.

Jesus Cleanses a Man with Leprosy

While Jesus was in one of the towns, a man came along who was covered with leprosy. When he saw Jesus, he fell facedown and begged Him, “Lord, if You are willing, You can make me clean.”

Jesus reached out His hand and touched the man. “I am willing,” He said. “Be clean!” And immediately the leprosy left him.

“Do not tell anyone,” Jesus instructed him. “But go, show yourself to the priest and present the offering Moses prescribed for your cleansing, as a testimony to them.”

But the news about Jesus spread all the more, and great crowds came to hear Him and to be healed of their sicknesses.

Yet He frequently withdrew to the wilderness to pray.

Jesus Heals a Paralytic and Claims Authority to Forgive

One day Jesus was teaching, and the Pharisees and teachers of the law were sitting there. People had come from Jerusalem and from every village of Galilee and Judea, and the power of the Lord was present for Him to heal the sick.

Just then some men came carrying a paralyzed man on a mat. They tried to bring him inside to set him before Jesus,

but they could not find a way through the crowd. So they went up on the roof and lowered him on his mat through the tiles into the middle of the crowd, right in front of Jesus.

When Jesus saw their faith, He said, “Friend, your sins are forgiven.”

But the scribes and Pharisees began thinking to themselves, “Who is this man who speaks blasphemy? Who can forgive sins but God alone?”

Knowing what they were thinking, Jesus replied, “Why are you thinking these things in your hearts?

Which is easier: to say, ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or to say, ‘Get up and walk?’

But so that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on the earth to forgive sins...” He said to the paralytic, “I tell you, get up, pick up your mat, and go home.”

And immediately the man stood up before them, took what he had been lying on, and went home glorifying God.

Everyone was taken with amazement and glorified God. They were filled with awe and said, “We have seen remarkable things today.”

The Call of Levi (Matthew)

After this, Jesus went out and saw a tax collector named Levi sitting at the tax booth. “Follow Me,” He told him,

and Levi got up, left everything, and followed Him.

Then Levi hosted a great banquet for Jesus at his house. A large crowd of tax collectors was there, along with others who were eating with them.

But the Pharisees and their scribes complained to Jesus’ disciples, “Why do you eat and drink with tax collectors and sinners?”

Jesus answered, “It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick.

I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners, to repentance.”

Questions About Fasting and the New Way

Then they said to Him, “John’s disciples and those of the Pharisees frequently fast and pray, but Yours keep on eating and drinking.”

Jesus replied, “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; then they will fast.”

He also told them a parable: “No one tears a piece of cloth from a new garment and sews it on an old one. If he does, he will tear the new garment as well, and the patch from the new will not match the old.

And no one pours new wine into old wineskins. If he does, the new wine will burst the skins, the wine will spill, and the wineskins will be ruined.

Instead, new wine is poured into new wineskins.

And no one after drinking old wine wants new, for he says, ‘The old is better.’”

Study Notes for Luke 5

Verse 1

The Lake of Gennesaret is another name for the Sea of Galilee. Jesus taught from the shore, but the crowd pressed in, prompting him to find a better vantage point.

Verse 3

Jesus used Simon’s boat as a natural pulpit, allowing his voice to project over the water to the large crowd. This demonstrates Jesus’ practical method of teaching and his initial interaction with Simon.

Verse 4

Jesus commands Simon to launch out into the deep, setting up a test of obedience that would lead to a dramatic demonstration of divine power over nature.

Verse 5

Simon addresses Jesus as 'Master' (Epistata), a title unique to Luke that emphasizes Jesus' authority as an overseer or commander. Peter’s obedience, despite his professional experience suggesting the effort was futile, is crucial.

Verse 8

Peter’s response to the miracle is one of profound awe and conviction of sin, typical of Old Testament encounters with the Holy God (e.g., Isaiah 6). The miracle revealed not just power, but divine holiness.

Verse 10

This is the vocational application of the miracle. The massive, impossible catch symbolizes the future success of the apostolic mission, drawing people (like fish) into the kingdom.

Verse 11

This verse marks the definitive call of Peter, James, and John. Their immediate abandonment of their livelihood highlights the radical and total commitment required for discipleship.

Verse 12

Leprosy was a severe skin disease that rendered a person ritually unclean and socially ostracized (Lev. 13). The man’s plea shows faith in Jesus’ ability, asking only about his willingness.

Verse 13

By touching the leper, Jesus intentionally violates purity laws, demonstrating that his holiness and power overcome impurity, rather than being contaminated by it.

Verse 14

Jesus instructs the man to follow the Mosaic ritual (Lev. 14) to be declared clean by the priest. This provided official confirmation of the healing and validated Jesus’ actions to the religious authorities.

Verse 16

Luke frequently emphasizes Jesus’ practice of prayer, especially after intense ministry or before major events, demonstrating his human dependence on the Father.

Verse 17

This verse marks the first time Luke explicitly notes the presence of religious opposition (Pharisees and doctors of the law) who have gathered from across the region to scrutinize Jesus’ ministry.

Verse 19

This detail emphasizes the immense faith and resourcefulness of the friends, who literally broke through architectural barriers to bring their friend to Jesus.

Verse 20

Jesus addresses the man’s spiritual need first. He connects physical healing to the greater spiritual reality, claiming an authority only God possessed.

Verse 21

The religious leaders correctly identify the claim: forgiving sins is blasphemy if done by anyone other than God. Jesus deliberately provokes this challenge to reveal his true identity.

Verse 23

Jesus poses a rhetorical question: physical healing is visible and verifiable, thus harder to fake, but spiritual healing is greater. By performing the verifiable miracle, he proves his unseen authority to forgive.

Verse 24

The title 'Son of man' is Jesus' preferred self-designation, emphasizing both his humanity and his divine, Messianic authority drawn from Daniel 7, particularly the power to judge and forgive.

Verse 27

Tax collectors (publicans) were despised by Jews because they worked for Rome and often extorted their own people, making them social and religious outcasts. Levi is identified as Matthew in parallel accounts (Matt. 9:9).

Verse 29

Levi immediately responds to his call by hosting a feast, inviting his professional associates ('publicans and sinners') to meet Jesus, demonstrating the transforming power of the call.

Verse 30

The Pharisees found Jesus’ association with known sinners scandalous, as it violated their strict codes of ritual purity and separation.

Verse 31

This statement is Jesus’ central defense of his ministry to the marginalized, defining his mission as seeking out those who recognize their spiritual sickness, not the self-righteous.

Verse 32

Jesus clarifies that his purpose is not to affirm those who believe they are already righteous, but to bring sinners to repentance, which is the foundational purpose of the Gospel.

Verse 33

The question concerns the differing spiritual practices of Jesus’ disciples compared to those of John the Baptist and the Pharisees, who observed frequent, voluntary fasts.

Verse 34

Jesus identifies himself as the Bridegroom, an Old Testament image for the Messiah. His presence is a time of joy and celebration, making fasting inappropriate.

Verse 35

This is a veiled reference to Jesus’ future suffering, death, and ascension. Only after His physical absence (when the Bridegroom is 'taken away') will fasting become a practice of discipline and spiritual longing.

Verse 36

The parables of the garments and the wineskins illustrate that Jesus' new covenant ministry cannot be merely patched onto the old legalistic framework of Judaism.

Verse 37

New wine continues to ferment, creating pressure that old, stiff leather wineskins cannot withstand, causing them to burst. The new life of the Gospel requires a new structure and spiritual approach.

Verse 39

This verse, unique to Luke, provides a somber conclusion, noting the human tendency to prefer the familiar comfort of the 'old way' (the established religious tradition) over the radical, challenging newness of Jesus’ teaching.

Use ← → arrow keys to navigate

Luke5

The Miraculous Catch and Call of Peter

Jesus Cleanses a Man with Leprosy

Jesus Heals a Paralytic and Claims Authority to Forgive

The Call of Levi (Matthew)

Questions About Fasting and the New Way

Reading Style

Typeface

Font Size 19px

Options