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.

The Miraculous Catch and Call of Peter

One day, as Yeshua was standing on the shore of Lake Kinneret, with the people pressing in around him in order to hear the word of God,

he noticed two boats pulled up on the beach, left there by the fishermen, who were cleaning their nets.

He got into one of the boats, the one belonging to Shim`on, and asked him to put out a little way from shore. Then he sat down and taught the people from the boat.

When he had finished speaking, he said to Shim`on, "Put out into deep water, and let down your nets for a catch."

Shim`on answered, "We've worked hard all night long, Rabbi, and haven't caught a thing! But if you say so, I'll let down the nets."

They did this and took in so many fish that their nets began to tear.

So they motioned to their partners in the other boat to come and help them; and they came and filled both boats to the point of sinking.

When he saw this, Shim`on Kefa fell at Yeshua's knees and said, "Get away from me, sir, because I'm a sinner!"

For astonishment had seized him and everyone with him at the catch of fish they had taken, and

likewise both Ya`akov and Yochanan, Shim`on's partners. "Don't be frightened,"Yeshua said to Shim`on, "from now on you will be catching men -- alive!"

And as soon as they had beached their boats, they left everything behind and followed him.

Jesus Cleanses a Man with Leprosy

Once, when Yeshua was in one of the towns, there came a man completely covered with tzara`at. On seeing Yeshua, he fell on his face and begged him, "Sir, if you are willing, you can make me clean."

Yeshua reached out his hand and touched him, saying, "I am willing! Be cleansed!" Immediately the tzara`at left him.

Then Yeshua warned him not to tell anyone. "Instead, as a testimony to the people, go straight to the cohen and make an offering for your cleansing, as Moshe commanded."

But the news about Yeshua kept spreading all the more, so that huge crowds would gather to listen and be healed of their sicknesses.

However, he made a practice of withdrawing to remote places in order to pray.

Jesus Heals a Paralytic and Claims Authority to Forgive

One day when Yeshua was teaching, there were P'rushim and Torah-teachers present who had come from various villages in the Galil and Y'hudah, also from Yerushalayim; and the power of ADONAI was with him to heal the sick.

Some men came carrying a paralyzed man lying on a bed. They wanted to bring him inside and lay him in front of Yeshua,

but they couldn't find a way to get him in because of the crowd. So they went up onto the roof and lowered him on his mattress through the tiles into the middle of the gathering, right in front of Yeshua.

When Yeshua saw their trust, he said, "Friend, your sins are forgiven you."

The Torah-teachers and the P'rushim began thinking, "Who is this fellow that speaks such blasphemies? Who can forgive sin except God?"

But Yeshua, knowing what they were think ing, answered, "Why are you turning over such thoughts in your hearts?

Which is easier to say? `Your sins are forgiven you'? or `Get up and walk'?

But look! I will prove to you that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins." He then said to the paralytic, "I say to you: get up, pick up your mattress and go home!"

Immediately, in front of everyone, he stood up, picked up what he had been lying on, and went home praising God.

Amazement seized them all, and they made a b'rakhah to God; they were awestruck, saying, "We have seen extraordinary things today."

The Call of Levi (Matthew)

Later Yeshua went out and saw a tax-collector named Levi sitting in his tax-collection booth; and he said to him, "Follow me!"

He got up, left everything and followed him.

Levi gave a banquet at his house in Yeshua's honor, and there was a large group of tax-collectors and others at the table with them.

The P'rushim and their Torah-teachers protested indignantly against his talmidim, saying, "Why do you eat and drink with tax-collectors and sinners?"

It was Yeshua who answered them: "The ones who need a doctor aren't the healthy but the sick.

I have not come to call the `righteous,' but rather to call sinners to turn to God from their sins."

Questions About Fasting and the New Way

Next they said to him, "Yochanan's talmidim are always fasting and davvening, and likewise the talmidim of the P'rushim; but yours go on eating and drinking."

Yeshua said to them, "Can you make wedding guests fast while the bridegroom is still with them?

The time will come when the bridegroom will be taken away from them; and when that time comes, they will fast."

Then he gave them an illustration: "No one tears a piece from a new coat and puts it on an old one; if he does, not only will the new one continue to rip, but the piece from the new will not match the old.

Also, no one puts new wine into old wineskins; if he does, the new wine will burst the skins and be spilled, and the skins too will be ruined.

On the contrary, new wine must be put into freshly prepared wineskins.

Besides that, after drinking old wine, people don't want new; because they say, `The old is good enough.'"

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.

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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

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