Luke 5

CHAPTER 5THEME: Jesus calls the disciples for the second time; Jesus cleanses the lepers; Jesus heals man with palsy; Jesus calls Matthew; Jesus gives parables on new garment and wine skins

Luke 5:1

JESUS CALLS THE DISCIPLES FOR THE SECOND TIMEThe Lake of Gennesaret is the Sea of Galilee. The fishermen there had left their boats and were washing their nets. The Lord climbed into Simon Peter’s boat and asked him to push the boat out a little from the land. What a pulpit! I believe this illustration is both figurative and suggestive. Every pulpit is a “fishing boat,” a place to give out the Word of God and attempt to catch fish. He had told these men that He would make them fishers of men. This does not mean that you and I will catch fish every time we give out the Wordthe disciples didn’tbut it does mean that the one on board must not forget the supreme business of life which is to fish for the souls of men.

Luke 5:4

After the Lord had finished speaking to the people, He said, “Now we’ll leave off fishing for men, and we’re going to fish for fish.” Matthew and Mark tell us that the first time the Lord called these men He was walking by the Sea of Galilee and saw Simon Peter and his brother Andrew casting a net into the seathey were fishermenand the Lord said to them, “…Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men” (cf. Mat_4:19; Mar_1:17). Now these men have returned to their occupation of fishing. The Lord evidently made three calls to His disciples. He met most of them in Jerusalem. John tells us about it in John chapter 1.

When John the Baptist marked Him out, several of his disciples wanted to know where Jesus dwelt. Among those who followed John were Philip, Nathanael, Simon Peter, and Andrew. The Lord did not call these men to be disciples at this time; He just met them. Later on, the Lord passed by the Sea of Galilee, saw them fishing, and called them to follow Him. They left their nets and followed Him. Now they had returned to the fishing business.

Later on, Dr. Luke will tell us that once again the Lord called them to go fishing for men and at that time made them apostles. As our Lord had been speaking to the crowd from his boat, Simon Peter had been sitting in the boat listening. When He finished speaking, He told Simon, “Launch out into the deep, and let your net down. You quit fishing with Me; now I am going to fish with you.”

Luke 5:5

“Nevertheless at thy word I will let down the net,” indicates that Simon Peter had put up an argument. These men were expert fishermen, and thought they knew all about fishing in the Sea of Galileeand they did. Peter makes it very clear that they had fished all night without catching anything. The story is told that when Wellington once gave a command to one of his generals, he answered that it was impossible to execute the command. Wellington told him, “You go ahead and do it, because I don’t give impossible commands.” When the Lord Jesus Christ gives a command, you do not need to argue with him and say, “We’ve tried it before and it cannot be done.” He does not give impossible commands.

Luke 5:6

Fishing must be done according to His directions. There are many lessons for us here. Fishing is an art. You must go where the fish are; you must use the right kind of bait; you must be patient; but the important lesson He is teaching us is that we must fish according to His instructions. If we are ever going to win men for Him, we must fish according to His instructions. In this instance the net broke. Later on, in the Gospel of John, a net overloaded with fish does not break. The fisherman’s net illustrates a truth. At this point there is no net that can hold the fish for the simple reason that He has not yet died and risen from the deadthat is the gospel. The “net” which will hold fish must be one that rests upon the death and resurrection of Christat this time there had been no death and resurrection. The net broke. After His death and resurrection, He told them how to fish and the net did not break (see Joh_21:1-11). Here He tells them to go out and preach the gospel to the very ends of the earth.

Luke 5:7

Notice that this is a tremendous catch of fish! Peter confesses his failure; he is not even a good fisherman of fish due to his lack of faith. When Simon said, “Depart from me; for I am a sinful man, O Lord,” he was saying, “Lord you called me to be a fisher of men and I failed. I went back to fishing for fishI thought I knew that kind of fishing better, but I find that I don’t! Depart from me. Let me alone. I am a sinful man.

You should find someone upon whom you can depend.” The Lord, however, did not intend to get rid of Simon Peter. He was going to use him, and this applies to us also. All we have to do is recognize that we are not very good fishermenrecognize our failures and faithlessness. When we are willing to depend on Him, He will not put us out of the fishing business, and He will not throw us overboard. He will use us. This is an encouraging truth!

Luke 5:9

Simon Peter did catch men. Remember how well he did on the Day of Pentecostthe Lord’s answer to Peter is certainly significant. Three thousand souls came to Christ after his first sermon! Peter was fishing according to God’s instructions. There is another lesson here. Do you know there is another fisherman? Do you know that Satan also is a fisherman? Paul tells us that in 2Ti_2:26, which says, “And that they may recover themselves out of the snare of the devil, who are taken captive by him at his will.” Satan has his hook out in the water too. God is fishing for your soul, and Satan also is fishing for your soul with a hook baited with the things of the world. You might say God’s hook is a cross. The son of God died upon that cross for you. This is God’s message for you. By the way, whose hook are you on today? You are either on God’s hook or Satan’s hook. Either the Devil has you or God has you. There is no third fisherman.

Luke 5:12

JESUS CLEANSES THE LEPERSIn verses Luk_5:12-15 we have the story of the healing of a leper. Luke was a good doctor. He recognized a psychological implication in the healing of this leper that was not much understood in that day. We are not told how the man discovered that he had leprosy, but it could have happened in the following manner. One day he came in from plowing and said to his wife, “I have a little sore on the palm of my hand. It bothers me when I am plowing. Could you put a poultice on it and wrap it for me?” His wife bandaged his hand, but the next day the sore was worse. In a few days they both became alarmed. His wife said, “You should go to the priest.” He went to the priest who put him in isolation for fourteen days.

When he was brought out the priest looked him over and found the leprosy had spread. The priest told him he was a leper. The heartbroken man said to the priest “Let me go to my wife and children and tell them goodbye.” The priest replied, “You cannot tell them goodbye. You will never be able to take your lovely wife in your arms again. You will never be able to put your arms around those precious children of yours.” The man went off, alone. His family brought his food to a certain place and then withdrew when he came to get it.

In the distance he could see his wife and observe his children growing day by day. Then one day the Lord Jesus Christ came by. The leper declared, “If You will, You can heal me.” The King of kings replied, “I will, be thou clean.” But notice how the Lord healed him. He put forth His hand and touched this man afflicted with leprosy. This poor man had not felt anyone’s touch for years. Can you imagine what it must have meant to him to have the touch of Christ’s hand upon him? Has the Lord Jesus touched your life? There are so many lives that need to be touched. If you are His, and you are fishing at His command, I am confident that you can reach someone for the Lord. You need to reach out your hand and touch some soul whom only you can touch for Him today.

Luke 5:17

JESUS HEALS MAN WITH PALSYThis is the account of the paralytic in Capernaum who was healed. Some friends of this man let him down through the roof of a house in order for the Lord Jesus Christ to see him. Both Matthew and Mark record this incident. Mark gives the longest account, though his is the shortest Gospel. The Lord healed this man because these four men brought him into His presence where the poor fellow could hear, “Man, thy sins are forgiven thee.” It was a wonderful word that came to this man. There are many people who are not going to receive the message of salvation unless you lift a corner of their stretcher and carry them to the place where they can hear the Word of the Lord. They are paralyzedimmobilized by sin and by many other things the world holds for them. Some are paralyzed by prejudice and others by indifference. They are never going to hear Jesus say to them, “Thy sins are forgiven thee,” unless you take the corner of their stretcher and bring them to Him. All of these incidents reveal the fact that the Lord Jesus Christ wants us to spread the message of salvation to others. This is why I preach the Word of Godand remember that one man cannot carry a stretcher alone. It took four men to carry the stretcher of the paralyzed man. More men and women are needed today to help get the Word of God out to those who need Him.

Luke 5:27

JESUS CALLS MATTHEWMatthew gives us this much information in his Gospel, and Mark gives a little more detail; but Luke shares even more.

Luke 5:29

This dinner was given by Levi as a way of trying to win people to the Lord Jesus Christ. Levi had not been trained in a theological seminary. He was a tax gatherer and a rascal. When he came to the Lord Jesus, he did what he could. He was a rich publicanso he gave a dinner and invited all his rascal friends to it so that they could meet Jesus Christ. The scribes and Pharisees who were there had a difficult time keeping their mouths shut, and finally they came to Him.

Luke 5:30

The scribes and Pharisees criticize with a question, and the Lord Jesus has a good answer for it. Our Lord protects His own men.

Luke 5:31

The scribes and Pharisees asked the disciples why they ate with publicans and sinners. The Lord’s answer was simple and wonderful. He was the Great Physician, and He did not go around healing people that were well! He came to minister to those who were sick with sin. The gospel is really for those who recognize their need. There are some people who think they are too good to be saved. They are not aware of their need. If you recognize that you have a need, then the gospel is for you. Christ can and will save you. If you are self-sufficient, recognize no personal need, and go in your self-chosen pathway, it will lead you to destruction. I am sorry. The Great Physician can do nothing for those who think they are not sick.

Luke 5:33

The scribes and Pharisees then ask why John’s disciples and the disciples of the Pharisees fast while the disciples of Jesus are having a good time.

Luke 5:34

We today are to have a good time, but fasting is also beneficial, recognizing that our Lord is in heaven, and we are in a world that has rejected Him. The point is that, whether we feast or fast, our business is to get the Word out to people who need Him.

Luke 5:36

JESUS GIVES PARABLES ON NEWGARMENT AND WINE SKINSThis is the first parable in the Gospel of Luke. The natural man likes his old ways. He likes his old winethat is, his old religion. The important thing is to recognize that our Lord brought something new to mankindthe gospel. He did not come into the world to do any patching of the old garment. He did not come to patch up the Law. He came to pay the penalty of sin by dying on the cross.

But He did more than that. He arose from the dead so that He could place upon us His robe of righteousness. He gives us the new wine of the gospel. The new wine of the gospel must be placed in the new wineskin of grace, not into the old one of law. “And be not drunk with wine, wherein is excess; but be filled with the Spirit” (Eph_5:18). This is the message that the Lord gives out today. He came to give us something new.

He came to save us by faith in Him. This entire chapter points in one direction, and that is to present the glorious gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ in as many ways as possible so that men might hear and have an opportunity to choose whether they will accept Him or reject Him. All of us must make this decision for ourselves.