Luke 5
ZerrCBCH.Leo Boles Commentary On Luke 5 THE CALLING OF THE FIRST Luk_5:1-11 Luk 5:1 —Now it came to pass,—Parallel accounts of this are found in Matthew 4:18-22; Mark 1:16-20. Some think that this portion of Luke’ s narrative should be placed between the thirty- first and thirty-second verses of chapter 4; Luke often departs from the regular order of events, anticipating some things and passing by others; others think that this call of Peter and his friends is different from the one recorded in Matthew 4:18 and Mark 1:16-20. Matthew and Mark do not record Jesus’ preaching from the boat, hence some conclude that this is a different occasion; the order of events is also advanced as another reason against accepting this account as being the same as that given by Matthew and Mark. However no argument can be adduced that will justify making this account given by Luke as another one different from that recorded by Matthew and Mark. We have here a brief account of the multitude that gathered around him and heard “ the word of God” as he preached from “ the lake of Gennesaret.” This body of water is called by four names in the Bible; it is an expansion of the river Jordan, about twelve miles long and six miles broad. It is called “ sea of Galilee,” “ lake of Gennesaret,” “ sea of Chinnereth” (Numbers 34:11), “ Chinneroth” (Joshua 11:2; 1 Kings 15:20), and “ Tiberias” (John 6:1 ; John 21:1). Luke 5:2-3 —and he saw two boats standing—These boats were used for fishing. As is common Peter is made prominent; one of these boats belonged to Peter. The boats were empty at this time as the owners had “ gone out of them, and were washing their nets.” The servants or the hired men may have been doing this. (Mark 4:20) It seems that they had finished their fishing and that it had been an unsuccessful night’ s labor. Jesus entered one of these boats and asked Peter to push it out “ a little from the land.” This was done that he might have a better place to teach the multitude that was pressing upon him. The boat being pushed out from the shore and anchored would give him a good pulpit from which to preach to the multitude without being pressed upon and disturbed. He “ sat down and taught the multitudes out of the boat.” It was usual for the teacher to sit and teach; Jesus followed this custom here as he did in preaching the Sermon on the Mount. (Matthew 5:1.) Jesus here assumed his usual posture in teaching. (Luke 4:20.) Luke 5:4-5 — And when he had left speaking,—When Jesus ceased speaking to the multitude from the boat, he may have dis¬missed the people; it appears that he had finished his discourse with a proper ending and then began his conversation with Peter. Jesus commanded that they “ put out into the deep,” and when they had done this, he commanded further that they “ let down your nets for a draught.” Jesus addressed the others as well as Peter; he seems to have addressed the fishermen collectively. He stated why he wanted them to let down their nets; it was in order to take the fish from the water. This was a trial and test of Peter’ s faith. The fishermen had hung out their nets to dry, and were dis¬couraged by their failure to catch any that night. And Simon answered and said,—Peter is the spokesman here as he was on several other occasions. He said: “ Master, we toiled all night, and took nothing.” The word from which “ Master” is translated is used only by Luke. (Luke 8:24 Luke 8:45 Luke 9:33 Luke 9:49 Luke 17:13.) He always applies it to Jesus; he never uses “ Rabbi” as does John. “ Toiled” means “ suffering, weariness,” and indicates exhausting toil. Peter stood the test, for after expressing himself and telling that they had failed in their efforts during the entire night, but “ at thy word I will let down the nets.” “ At thy word” means relying on, or on the ground only of thy word I will do as you command. Peter sacrificed his own practical knowledge as a fisherman to the authoritative word of Jesus; his faith was not great, as the sequel shows, but he had the spirit of obedience. Peter was not expecting a miracle and probably, at the best, but a small haul of fish. Peter ’ s act was one purely of faith. Luke 5:6-7 —And when they had done this,—Here the entire company is included; Peter was the leader and directed the others. They cast out their nets with as much care and skill as they had done the preceding night when they had toiled without success. They enclosed such a large number of fish, “ a great multitude of fishes,” is the way Luke describes it, that “ their nets were breaking.” Portions of the net gave way, but although through the rents some fishes made their escape, yet those taken were sufficient to fill their boat and the boat of their partners to a sinking condition. Such a wondrous draught of fishes surely filled Peter and others with amazement. and they beckoned unto their partners—It seems that Peter and Andrew, James and John were all partners. The other boat was either so far from the one in which Peter was as to be unable to be heard, or Peter was so filled with astonishment at the miracle, that “ they beckoned” to their partners to come to their rescue. Some have thought that they were all so amazed that they were incapable of speaking and therefore “ beckoned unto their partners.” They came and filled their boats until they “ began to sink.” The boats were on the point of sinking from the weight of the fishes. Luke 5:8-10 But Simon Peter, when he saw it,—Peter was an impul-sive man; he takes the lead in nearly everything; here he ex-presses his deep feeling which also expressed the feelings of others. The draught was so far beyond anything he had ever seen or heard of that he is overwhelmed with amazement and with a conviction of the superhuman power of Jesus. “ Peter” means “ stone”; he was so named when he was first introduced to Jesus. (John 1:42.) It was fitting for Luke here to speak of him as “ Simon Peter” when relating this deep religious experience which was so essential to his usefulness and character as one of the foundation stones in the spiritual kingdom of Christ. When Peter saw what was done he “ fell down at Jesus’ knees” in homage and worshiped. For he was amazed,—Peter and the servants who were with him were all amazed; even James and John shared in the amazement. The mention of James first here and elsewhere leads to the conclusion that he was the elder brother; John had probably before believed in Jesus as the Messiah; he was doubtless the one who went with Andrew to the dwelling place of Jesus. (John 1:39.) He did not at that time give up his occupation, but may have been much with Jesus. Jesus addressed Simon personally and said: “ Fear not; from hence-forth thou shalt catch men.” James and John were partners with Peter and Andrew. The original from which we get “ partners” means “ fellowship” and here denotes a common in¬terest and a very close association. “ Thou shalt catch men” means literally “ thou shalt be catching” men. Luke 5:11 —And when they had brought their boats—When these four had brought their boats to land, they forsook their nets, the ships, the fishes, their friends, hired servants, and their work, and “ followed him.” They showed their faith in him and their willingness to pursue their spiritual calling in his kingdom; they forsook all, not merely in form, but in heart. (2 Timothy 3:5.) Jesus had a great work for these men in sav¬ing the lost; they were called under such surrounding circumstances that they showed their faith in following him without a moment’ s hesitation. The promptness with which they obeyed the call showed their willingness to sacrifice all for him. JESUS A LEPER Luke 5:12-16 Luke 5:12 —And it came to pass,—Parallel records of this healing are found in Matthew 8:2-4 and Mark 1:40-45. While Jesus was “ in one of the cities,” a man “ full of leprosy” came to Jesus and “ fell on his face,” and said, “ Lord, if thou wilt, thou canst make me clean.” Among all the diseases to which human flesh is heir, leprosy is one of the worst; it is more tenacious in its grasp, most defiant of treatment, most infectious, more loathsome. Leprosy enforces almost utter seclusion from society, and from all that makes life pleasant and happy. Frequently this disease came under the notice of Jesus and his healing hand. “ Leper” is derived from “ Lepis,” which means “ a scale”; it is so called because the disease shows itself in dry, thick scales, or scabs, which are white in com¬mon leprosy. (Exodus 4:6; Numbers 12:10; 2 Kings 5:27.) The spots are usually about the size of a dollar. This man was “ full o( leprosy”; his body was thoroughly infected with the disease; the disease was in its worst form. Luke 5:13 —And he stretched forth his hand,—Jesus stretched forth his hand and touched him; it was considered a dangerous thing to touch a leper; the leper was unclean, and the one who touched him became unclean, but Jesus touched him with the healing power. When he touched him Jesus said: “ I will; be thou made clean.” The leper had thrown himself on the mercy of Jesus, and had faith strong enough to prostrate himself at the feet of Jesus; hence Jesus said, “ I will.” Some think that Jesus violated the law of Moses when he stretched forth his hand and touched the leper; however we may look for an interpretation of the law in the divinity of Jesus; the law had been given for those who were subjects to the law, but Jesus was himself the lawgiver. The man was healed immediately ; “ and straightway the leprosy departed from him.” The cure was instantaneous; the leprosy, the cause of his defilement, “ departed from him” at the very moment that Jesus spoke. John 5:14-16 —And he charged him to tell no man:—Jesus frequently gave this prohibition. (Mark 5:43 Mark 7:36.) The reasons for this may vary according to the circumstances. Jesus was not wanting to create a sensation, in the enthusiams of the blessing received, the recipient often forgot or disregarded the command not to tell what had been done. The excitement of the people needed to be repressed so that greater good could be done; again they did not know enough about Jesus to bear intelligent testimony about him ; sometimes it was not wise be¬cause the one who had received the blessing might be so enthusiastic that the enemies of Jesus would do harm to the one who espoused his cause. Jesus did not wish to arouse undue excitement (Mark 1:45), nor would he expose himself or the cleansed leper to the charge of violating the law. He was commanded to show himself “ to the priest, and offer” for his “ cleansing, according as Moses commanded, for a testimony unto them.” There were two stages in the ceremonial or purification of the leper (Leviticus 14:1-32); the purifying ceremonies and offerings were united with confessions of sin and pollu¬tion, and with grateful acknowledgment of God’ s mercy. But so much the more went abroad the report—Jesus had commanded the cleansed leper to “ tell no man’ but the report of what Jesus had done “ went abroad,” and “ great multitudes came together to hear, and to be healed of their infirmities.” The unintentional disobedience of the man who had been healed in telling about his cure caused the great multitude to come together “ to hear” Jesus and “ to be healed of their infirmities.” Another result recorded by Mark (Mark 1:45) was that he could no longer enter into any city, both because it had become known that he had touched a leper and the crowds and excitement might attract the suspicious notice of the authorities. Jesus was forced for a time to go into desert places. When he “ withdrew himself in the deserts” he spent much time in prayer. Luke signifies in his record continuous com¬ing together of the multitudes so that Jesus could not do his most effective work. JESUS HEALING THE PALSIED MANLuk_5:17-26 Luke 5:17 —And it came to pass on one of those days,—Luke is in¬definite and says that these things “ came to pass on one of those days.” Mark is more definite with respect to the place, as it was in Capernaum. Parallels of this account are found in Matthew 9:2-8 and Mark 2:1-12. Mark and Luke are much fuller than Matthew; Matthew records only the principal fea¬tures of the event, while Mark and Luke give the efforts made to get the sick man into the presence of Jesus. Jesus “ was teaching” ; this was his mission. There were present “ Pharisees and doctors of the law”; they had come “ out of every village of Galilee and Judaea and Jerusalem.” The “ Pharisees” were a religious party or sect which originated about 0150 years before Christ; their name means “ separatists”; they were those who separated themselves from all impurities, as they claimed. To become a member of the Pharisaic association one had to agree to set apart all the sacred tithes and re¬frain from eating anything that had not been tithed.
They held strictly to their oral law or traditions, attaching more im¬portance to them than to the written law. (Matthew 15:1-6.) Jesus often classed them with the hypocrites. “ Doctors of the law” were teachers of the law. They were supposed to be men of learning and ability to expound the Jewish law; they were “ law-teachers,” lawyers, scribes. Distinguished hearers of the Pharisees and teachers of the law were “ sitting by” in their dignity while the people stood; there seems to have been a general assembly of them from “ every village of Gali¬lee and Judaea and Jerusalem.” Luke 5:18-20 —And behold, men bring on a bed a man—This man was a paralytic; he was paralyzed, having lost the power of muscular motion; he had very likely been in this condition for some time; Mark states that he was “ borne of four,” each holding a corner of the bed on which he lay. He was brought to the house where Jesus was. (Mark 2:1.) They were unable to get very close to Jesus with the man on account of the multitude which filled both the house and the doorway. However, they were not to be outdone, but were determined to bring the palsied man into the presence of Jesus; so when they could not find any way to get into the presence of Jesus, “ they went up to the housetop, and let him down through the tiles with his couch into the midst before Jesus.” We are not told how they went “ up to the housetop”; they probably went up the stairs on the outside or up a ladder; some think that they went up the stairs within an adjoining house, and passed from its roof to the roof of the house where Jesus was. The roofs of the houses were commonly flat; they removed that portion of the roof which was just above Jesus, and then they let the man down on his bed into the presence of Jesus. Jesus saw their faith and commended it. When Jesus saw their faith he said: “ Man, thy sins are forgiven thee.” It was encouraging for Jesus to address the sick man; he spoke in an encouraging way. We have only two recorded occasions that Jesus said “ thy sins are forgiven”; this case and another recorded in Luke 7:48. Luke 5:21 And the scribes and the Pharisees began to reason,— These were the religious leaders and they began to say “ within themselves,” not aloud; the word in Mark here means “ held a dialogue with themselves.” They reached the conclusion that Jesus was a blasphemer, but were not courageous enough to accuse him of blasphemy to his face; in their reasoning they came to the conclusion that he was speaking words of blasphemy, because no man could forgive sins except God. Their reasoning was logical, if their premises were true. Their argument was: “ It is blasphemy for any but God to claim to forgive sins”; this man claims the power to forgive sins; therefore he is a blasphemer. If Jesus is not what he claimed to be, he is a blasphemer. Luke 5:22-24 —But Jesus perceivimg their reasonings,—Jesus knew their thoughts and answered their accusation. They must have been greatly surprised when Jesus asked: “ Why reason ye in your hearts?” Jesus knew the hearts of men; he did not need “ that any one should bear witness concerning man; for he himself knew what was in man.” (John 2:24-25.) He asked further: “ Which is easier, to say, Thy sins are forgiven thee; or to say, Arise and walk?” Again they must have been surprised. Jesus asked them these questions, showing that he knew what was in their hearts. The one who could say with authority, arise and walk, could say with effect, thy sins are forgiven; both were possible only for God, but impossible for man. But that ye may know that the Son of man hath authority—Jesus proposes to give them evidence that they cannot doubt, evidence that they must accept or stultify their own in¬telligence. To perform a miracle is as much the work of God as to forgive sins; Jesus proposes to perform the miracle as proof of his power to forgive sins; hence he said: “ That ye may know that the Son of man hath authority on earth to forgive sins (he said unto him that was palsied), I say unto thee, Arise, and take up thy couch, and go unto thy house.” Jesus wrought the miracle by his own divine power; he did not have a delegated power, but used his own power as the Messiah. The scribes rightly understood Jesus as acting by his own authority, and thereby claiming divine honor to himself. The “ scribes” were the learned men who preserved, copied, and expounded the law and their traditions. (Ezra 7:12; Nehemiah 8:1; Matthew 15:1-6.) It was God in Christ manifesting his glory, and hence a proof that Jesus could forgive sins. Luke 5:25-26 —And immediately he rose up before them,—All eyes were fixed on the paralytic and were anxiously awaiting to see the results. If Jesus was what he claimed to be, he could heal this man or could forgive sins; if he were not what he claimed to be, he could do neither. Jesus calmly commanded the sick man, not only to arise, but to take the bed or couch upon which he lay and bear it away. The man immediately obeyed Jesus, took up his bed, departed out of the house, “ glorifying God.” The man in the presence of all, not only stood up, but showed that he was fully restored by immediately tak¬ing up his bed and departing from the house and going to his own house, praising God as he left. The evidence of the power of Jesus was manifested in the presence of all. And amazement took hold on all,—The effect of the miracle on the people was great; literally “ amazement took hold on all”; they were brought into a state of wonder, fear, and dread. Very likely the scribes and Pharisees had never given Jesus the credit of working a real miracle; or if they had, they had never carried out in thought this reasoning: he who can work a miracle must have divine power, and therefore the right to forgive sins. Now they had both the fact and the inference to dispose of in their thought. If they had been honest minded before God, they must have come at once to the conclusion that Jesus was really divine, and therefore the Messiah who was to come. They had never seen or heard of anything that could compare to what Jesus was teaching and doing; their conclusion should have been in his favor. THE CALL OF LEVI Luke 5:27-32 Luke 5:27—And after these things he went forth,—Parallel records of this account are found in Matthew 9:9-13 and Mark 2:13-17. This “ publican,” or tax collector, here called Levi and by Mark “ Levi, the son of Alphaeus,” is undoubtedly the man otherwise known as Matthew. The usual explanation of this diversity in name, not a discrepancy, is that he had two names, of which Levi was more used before his call, and Matthew after his call. He is the writer of the first book of the New Testament that bears his name. It is very probable that he had seen and heard Jesus before and was prepared to accept this call and to obey it. He was busy at the time Jesus called him. “ Matthew” in Hebrew means “ the gift of God”; “ Levi” means “ joined,” and was the name of the third son of Jacob by Leah. Two of the ancestors of Jesus as given by Luke bore this name. (Luke 3:24-29.) Matthew was “ sitting at the place of toll” when Jesus came by and said: “ Fol¬low me.” The place of receiving custom may have been a regular customhouse or a temporary office. Luke 5:28 —And he forsook all,—Jesus had said: “Follow me.” He had addressed Philip, James and John, Peter and Andrew, and others in the same way. (Matthew 4:19-21; Matthew 9:19; John 1:43.) To follow Christ was then as now the highest calling that one could have. The promptness and obedience of Levi is to be noted. “ He forsook all, and rose up and followed him.” Like Andrew and Peter (John 1:40-42), he left every¬thing. We are not to understand by this that he left his office without making satisfactory arrangements with the proper au¬thorities ; he did not abruptly leave his office and the funds which he had collected without proper arrangements; this would have been unfair to the Roman government. Luke 5:29 —And Levi made him a great feast—A record of this feast is found also in Matthew 9:10-17 and Mark 2:15-22. This feast gives rise to two conversations, one in regard to eating with publicans and sinners, and the other in regard to fasting. Some think that there was much time that intervened between Matthew’ s call and this feast, while others would put the in¬tervening time between the discourse about eating with publicans and sinners and that about fasting. It is not probable that the feast occurred on the day that Matthew was called, but possibly soon after, and occasioned the discourse. It was proper for Matthew to give this feast as a kind of farewell meal to his business associates, and to show that he not only arranged and settled up matters, but that he still held property of his own. Matthew himself prepared and gave this reception and entertainment “ in his house”; it is designated as a “ great feast” because of its extensive preparation and abundant provision for a large company. Many publicans and others were present. Luke 5:30 —And the Pharisees and their scribes—This does not mean merely the Pharisees and scribes who belonged to Capernaum, but those who may have belonged to the sect or party of the Pharisees. They “ murmured against his disciples’’; with a spirit of cowardice, they did not go to Jesus, but to his disci¬ples. We are not to suppose that the Pharisees were present at the feast, but since it was such a large feast, their attention was called to the fact that Jesus with his disciples sat down with publicans and sinners at the feast. Matthew and Mark both give the question as aimed at Jesus; “ Why eateth your Teacher with the publicans and sinners?” The fault with him implied guilt with his disciples. Persons regarded as the bas¬est and most depraved by the self-righteous scribes and Pharisees were called “ sinners.” That Jesus should call Mat¬thew, a publican, to be a disciple, and then should attend a feast with publicans, was an occasion for the scribes and Pharisees to criticize him. At another time they said: “ This man receiveth sinners, and eateth with them” (Luke 15 Luke 2.) Luke 5:31-32 —And Jesus answering said unto them,—Jesus had ei-ther overheard the question they had asked his disciples or his disciples had told him. (Mark 2:17.) Jesus here used a very familiar statement or proverb—“ they that are in health have no need of a physician; but they that are sick.” His great mission as a physician was to heal the great disease of sin; if any were really righteous, as the Pharisees imagined they were, then they did not need his healing power; the fact that these publicans and sinners were admittedly vile and wicked in the estimation of the scribes and Pharisees was proof that they were very “ sick” and needed a physician. This justified the conduct of Jesus and condemned the scribes and Phari¬sees. Jesus then added the purpose of his mission to earth; “ I am not come to call the righteous but sinners to repentance.” ABOUT FASTING Luke 5:33-39 Luke 5:33 —And they said unto him,—Other records of this may be found in Matthew 9:14-17 and Mark 2:18-22. This question as recorded in Matthew was asked by the disciples of John, while Mark records that both the disciples of John and those of the Pharisees asked it; Luke represents it as being proposed by the scribes and Pharisees. Some think that the scribes and Pharisees were responsible for John’ s disciples joining them in asking the question. “ The disciples of John fast often, and make supplications.” The original for “ often” as used here and in Acts 24:26 and 1 Timothy 5:23 means “ close-packed” as a thicket, or the plumage of a bird. The language indicates what was their practice. The only fast required by the law of Moses was that of the great day of atonement. (Leviticus 16:29.) Other fasts were added after the destruction of the temple. (Zechariah 7:5 Zechariah 8:19.) Luke 5:34-35 —And Jesus said unto them,—Jesus here makes his de-fense and answers the question which was asked; in his reply he presented three illustrations showing that it would be unbecoming for his disciples to fast at that time. The first illustration is taken from the familiar marriage ceremonies. He asked: “ Can ye make the sons of the bridechamber fast, while the bridegroom is with them?” The friends of the bridegroom were called “ sons of the bridechamber” because they had access to it during the bridal feast. (Judges 14:10-11.) But the days will come;—There was no occasion for his dis-ciples to fast while he was with them to comfort them; but the time would come when he would leave them, then they would fast and mourn. The time would arrive when the circumstances would be changed and fasting would be in order then. Luke 5:36 —And he spake also a parable unto them:—The second illustration that Jesus uses in answering the question as to why his disciples did not fast is here given. It is drawn from the familiar practice of patching a garment; he points out what no one of his hearers would think of doing. Luke calls this “ a parable,” and he gives a fuller account of it than either Matthew or Mark. The cloth used at that time was not “ shrunk” ; no one would think of taking a new piece of cloth which had not been shrunk and put it upon an old garment which had been shrunk. If such should be done, “ the piece from the new will not agree with the old.” This thought is closely connected with the preceding thought, and is intended to enforce the same principle. If the disciples of Jesus had fasted, as did John’ s disciples and those of the Pharisees, they would have done that which was unsuitable to the spirit of the new dispensation. Luke 5:37-39 —And no man putteth new wine into old—The third illustration that Jesus uses is taken from the use of handling wine. These illustrations were very appropriate since garments and wine were very prominent at feasts. A “ wineskin” was prepared by taking the skin off an animal and by some process fix the skin so that it would hold a liquid and using the skin as a vessel. To put “ new wine” into an old wineskin would cause it to burst and the wine would be lost and the skin would be of no value. Old wineskins had been stretched to their utmost capacity; if new wine, which ferments and expands, is put into the old wineskin, it would burst the skin and all would be lost. Jesus reminds his hearers of this which they knew to be true. “ New wine must be put into fresh wine-skins” so that when the wine expands the wineskin can expand with it. This illustrates the same thought as the other two illustrations.
Verse 1 Events narrated in this chapter are the wonderful draught of fishes (Luke 5:1-11), the healing of a leper (Luke 5:12-16), the cure of the man carried by four men (Luke 5:17-26), the call of Matthew (Luke 5:27-28), complaints by the Pharisees and following discussion (Luke 5:29-31). The call of some of the apostles is also woven into the above narratives. Now it came to pass, while the multitude pressed upon him and heard the word of God, that he was standing by the lake of Gennesaret; and he saw two boats standing by the lake: but the fishermen had gone out of them, and were washing their nets. (Luke 5:1-2) THE CATCH OF FISHThe dramatic scene here is emphasized by the last two clauses. It had been an unsuccessful night of fishing, and the men who were about to be called to the apostleship were cleaning up the gear and getting ready to store it against the next fishing trip. With marvelous insight, Jesus accomplished several things at once. By using one of the boats as a pulpit, he could avoid the press of the throng; and, by means of the great catch a little later, he could provide further insight for the men about to be called to accompany him as apostles. Luke did not record the sermon Jesus preached on that occasion; and thus we should look to what Jesus did, rather than to the unrecorded message. Like the apostle John, Luke recognized the deeply spiritual overtones of such an event as this. Of course, it is incorrect to suppose that this miracle was the same as the one John recorded and which took place after Jesus’ resurrection.
Verse 3 And he entered into one of the boats, which was Simon’s, and asked him to put out a little from the land. And he sat down and taught the multitudes out of the boat. And when he had left speaking, he said unto Simon, Put out into the deep, and let your nets down for a draught.Put out into the deep … The KJV has “Launch out into the deep”; and Jesus would follow up this command, intended to be obeyed literally, with another just like it in the spiritual sector when he invited them to “follow.” Their acceptance of the call was a launching out into the deep on a far grander scale than anything they could have done in Peter’s boat. Every Christian and all churches still need this commandment to “put out into the deep.” The miracle here is unique to Luke.
Verse 5 And Simon answered and said, Master, we toiled all night and took nothing: but at thy word I will let down the nets.Peter’s objection against the thing Jesus commanded was well founded from the earthly viewpoint. It was not a good time to fish; the men were tired; they were cleaning up; and it could not have been an altogether welcome command from Jesus, who said, in effect, “Come on, let’s go fishing!” Peter’s response here, while obedient, was clearly petulant, and not spontaneous at all. Grudgingly agreeing to do it, he nevertheless made his displeasure known.
Verse 6 And when they had done this, they enclosed a great multitude of fishes; and their nets were breaking.One cannot help agreeing with the KJV which translated “net” (singular) in the preceding verse; and, although this is contrary to the Greek, there certainly seemed to be some insufficiency in the number of nets let down, raising a question whether or not Peter had fully complied with the Lord’s command to let down the nets (plural). If there was any such deficiency on the disciples’ part (and the Greek Text does not support the view that there was), it was surely rebuked by the size of the catch.
Verse 7 And they beckoned to their partners in the other boat, that they should come and help them. And they came, and filled both the boats, so that they began to sink.Such an astounding wonder was a fitting prelude to the call of these fishermen to become “fishers of men.” The element of cooperation should not be overlooked. The great things are always accomplished by men working together.
Verse 8 But Simon Peter, when he saw it, fell down at Jesus’ knees saying, Depart from me; for I am a sinful man, O Lord.I am a sinful man … Thus Peter confessed the sin which had been evident earlier in his grudging obedience a little earlier; and here is an admonition to all who follow Christ. Mere obedience, attended by a critical, complaining attitude, is not true obedience. Those who follow the Saviour should do so with joy, and without any of the reservations and grumbling complaints which seem to mark the service of some. Ours is a privileged and joyful service; our lives are directed by the Lord whose love and blessing are without limit; our personal judgments and reluctant attitudes should be utterly abandoned; and there is for the child of God no happiness like that of doing exactly what the Lord commanded. Fell down at Jesus’ knees … This spontaneous act of worship on Peter’s part should be noted. Christ received his worship, the reception of such a thing being an implicit claim of deity on the Saviour’s part; and Luke’s record of it here is significant as a further proof that all of the apostles concurred in thus hailing Jesus as God among human beings.
Verse 9 For he was amazed, and all that were with him, at the draught of fishes which they had taken; and so were also James and John, sons of Zebedee, who were partners with Simon, And Jesus said unto Simon, Fear not; from henceforth thou shalt catch men.It may well be supposed that Andrew was also present; but Luke’s purpose here was evidently that of detailing the circumstances under which the “inner circle” of the apostolic group were called. This, of course, was not the first time these had met Jesus, as more fully explained in John. However, this was the instant of their being called into a new and higher relationship with Jesus as apostles. Elements which aided their decision were (1) the consciousness of Jesus’ miraculous power, (2) a vision of something greater, “thou shalt catch men,” and (3) a consciousness of sin. Only Peter acknowledged sin here; but it may be that the others were equally guilty of the same attitude.
Verse 11 And when they had brought their boats to land, they left all, and followed him.Luke reported that Christ’s call was directed particularly to Simon; but both Jesus and the men called understood it as including others in addition to Simon.
Verse 12 And it came to pass, while he was in one of the cities, behold, a man full of leprosy: and when he saw Jesus, he fell on his face, and besought him, saying, Lord, if thou wilt, thou canst make me clean.THE HEALING OF A LEPERThe dreadful disease of leprosy left its victim in a totally pitiable condition without hope of any earthly cure. The fact that one so afflicted sought Jesus’ aid indicated the popular conception that Jesus was a man of supernatural power. This dreaded malady was a type of sin in the Old Testament; and, although there were instances of its being sent as punishment for sin (2 Kings 5:27), it also occurred independently of sin. Significantly, Luke recorded the fact of the man worshipping Jesus.
Verse 13 And he stretched forth his hand and touched him, saying, I will; be thou made clean. And straightway the leprosy departed from him.To touch a leper resulted in the ceremonial defilement of the one who touched; but Jesus did not hesitate to incur such defilement on behalf of those whom he came to deliver. In a similar way, he touched the bier of the dead (Luke 7:14). As often noted, Christ’s cures were instantaneous, performed without physical effort on his part, and free of the type of incantations, ostentatious prayers, and hysterical behavior associated with so-called “healings” today. His were real, immediate, and designed to demonstrate his own heavenly power.
Verse 14 And he charged him to tell no man: but go thy way, and show thyself to the priest, and offer for thy cleansing, according as Moses commanded, for a testimony unto them.Offer for thy cleansing … Old Testament passages detailing the specific offering for such a sacrifice are Leviticus 13:40 and Leviticus 14:2 ff. In honoring such regulations, Christ made clear his intention not to destroy the law and the prophets, but to fulfill them.
Verse 15 But so much the more went abroad the report concerning him: and great multitudes came together to hear, and to be healed of their infirmities.The development in view here was the pressing unto him of such vast concourses of people with their incessant demands so much that it became physically impossible for Christ to continue. The foreknowledge of such a situation might have been one of the reasons underlying his charge that the leper should “tell no man.” He apparently spread the word anyway; and, as a result, Christ found it necessary to depart, as related in the next verse.
Verse 16 But he withdrew himself into the deserts and prayed.Deserts … In Biblical times, these were merely uninhabited places, not arid desolations in the same sense the word is used today. And prayed … The reliance of Jesus upon God, and his constant dependence upon the Father’s will appear throughout the New Testament in the vigorous pursuit of prayer which marked his holy life. THE HEALING OF THE MAN CARRIED BY FOUR MENA fuller treatment of this wonder is given in my Commentary on Mark, Mark 2:1-12. It is mentioned only briefly in Matthew 9:2, Luke’s account being the most graphic.
Verse 17 And it came to pass on one of those days, that he was teaching; and there were Pharisees and doctors of the law sitting by, who were come out of every village of Galilee and Judea and Jerusalem: and the power of the Lord was with him to heal.Here is a glimpse of the astounding effect the words and works of Jesus had already produced. The religious hierarchy were by this time fully alerted to the challenge of Jesus’ life and teaching; and their hostility made itself evident at every opportunity. Nevertheless, the mighty works of Jesus continued unabated.
Verse 18 And behold, men bring on a bed a man that was palsied: and they sought to bring him in, and to lay him before him.Mark related that there were four of these who bore their friend to Jesus and recorded their breaking of the tiles. Such urgency on the part of a sufferer could have been caused only by the most overwhelming conviction on their part that Jesus could indeed heal him.
Verse 19 And not finding by what way they might bring him in because of the multitude, they went up to the housetop, and let him down through the tiles with his couch into the midst before Jesus.The amazing independence of the synoptic narratives is dramatically proved by the variations. All three recounted this event, but each brought to it his own contribution of significant detail. There is no reasonable doubt that a genuine event lay behind the Gospel records.
Verse 20 And seeing their faith, he said, Man, your sins are forgiven thee.Not the faith of the sufferer, but the faith of those who bore him, is in focus here. Christ never followed any stereotyped pattern in the discharge of his glorious mission. It is a safe conjecture, of course, that no sufferer would have allowed such inconvenience to himself and his friends unless he too had faith that Jesus would heal him; nevertheless, it was the faith of the group, not that of the individual, that Jesus noted. Man, thy sins are forgiven thee … Christ no doubt intended this to be a challenge of the religious doctors present in such large numbers; and, therefore, upon grounds fully known to himself alone, he announced the man’s pardon of all transgressions, no doubt foreseeing the objections that would come of it, and the eventual healing of the man’s body afterward.
Verse 21 And the scribes and the Pharisees began to reason, saying, Who is this that speaketh blasphemies? Who can forgive sins, but God alone?Speaketh blasphemies … The reasoning of the Pharisees was a syllogism: Only God can forgive sins. This man is not God (deity). Therefore, he is blaspheming by saying that he forgives sins. Their second, or minor premise, was wrong; and therefore their conclusion was wrong. Jesus indeed was, and ever is, God; but this they did not believe. It is not amiss, however, to notice that their major premise, to the effect that only God can forgive sins, was absolutely correct. Matthew’s revelation that this type of thinking against Jesus was in the inward thoughts of the Pharisees, rather than an open allegation against him, is not contradicted by Luke’s statement that “they began to reason.” Both Mark and Matthew mention the fact of Jesus’ reading their thoughts in this situation; and the same is evident a little later here in Jesus reply (Luke 5:22).
Verse 22 But Jesus perceiving their reasonings, answered and said unto them, Why reason ye in your hearts?From this it is clear that Christ was reading the thoughts of his audience.
Verse 23 Which is easier, to say, Thy sins are forgiven thee; or to say, Arise and walk?The implications of this statement by our Lord are profound. Here, Jesus admitted that the so-called granting of absolution is on an absolute parity with performing a miracle. Anyone who can do either can do both; and he who cannot do both can do neither! It does seem that with such a proposition so boldly stated here, there should be an end of men saying, “I absolve thee?
Verse 24 But that ye may know that the Son of man hath authority on earth to forgive sins (he said unto him that was palsied), I say unto thee, Arise, and take up thy couch, and go unto thy house.Christ thus gave the most dramatic proof of his authority both to heal men’s bodies and to forgive their sins.
Verse 25 And immediately he rose up before them, and took up that whereon he lay, and departed to his house, glorifying God.Thus, a second time in this chapter, Jesus directed the most visible and convincing proof of his oneness with the Father toward the community of scribes and Pharisees, making every effort to enlist them as believers in his holy mission. From John it is learned, however, that they had already rejected him and were merely stalking him with a view of putting him to death (John 5:18). That prior evil decision on their part was the true reason why they did not believe in this circumstance. Glorifying God … The healed man was aware that only God could have wrought such a wonder; and the same conclusion should have been made by Jesus’ enemies.
Verse 26 And amazement took hold on all, and they glorified God; and they were filled with fear, saying, We have seen strange things today.On all … Luke’s use of these words in not absolute. For example, he said in another place, “And all the people …” were baptized “of John’s baptism; but the Pharisees and the lawyers rejected for themselves the counsel of God, being not baptized of him” (Luke 7:29). Therefore, it may be assumed that the same group refused to glorify God in this instance. We have seen strange things … Indeed, how strange it was! That Almighty God should have become a man, concerning himself with the pitiful ailments of the flesh, and forgiving the sins of his fallen children. It is the strangest, most wonderful thing that has ever happened. THE CALL OF MATTHEWThe balance of this chapter is related to the call of Matthew and discussions that arose at the dinner he made for Jesus.
Verse 27 And after these things he went forth, and beheld a publican, named Levi, sitting at the place of toll, and said unto him, Follow me. And he forsook all, and rose up and followed him.Levi …This son of Alphaeus was a Hebrew with two names, a common thing in Galilee at that time. Mark and Luke speak of him as Levi, but Matthew himself used the name that has been loved throughout the Christian era.[1]The speculation that Jesus gave Levi the name “Matthew,” meaning “gift of God,” is not unreasonable; for Jesus also gave Simon the name “Peter.” Publican … is a word applied to tax collectors; and, in Palestine at that time, the occupation itself was hated by the Jews. They particularly despised any of their own race who consented to such work for Roman usurpers. John the Baptist implied that the work of a tax collector was not in itself evil (Luke 3:13); but there is little doubt that the vast majority of holders of such an office enriched themselves through extortion and oppression. There is no hint that Matthew was like them. Implicit in Jesus’ call of such a social outcast was his purpose of redeeming all men. Jesus did not look upon outward appearances but at the genuine character of men. Never did the genius of the Son of God show more clearly than here. Matthew was a “gift of God” indeed to the Christian faith. His scholarly knowledge of the Old Testament, his intimate understanding of the Pharisees and Sadducees, and his ability to penetrate the sham of the religious hierarchy of that era fully endowed him with unique gifts which enabled the writing of the first Gospel. The integrity and sincerity of this great apostle were quickly evidenced by the dinner which he gave in honor of the Lord and for the purpose of introducing others to the Master. He forsook all … and followed … Just as Luke passed over without mention the prior contact of Simon, James, and John with Jesus, the assumption that he did the same thing here is justified. The amazing restraint of all the sacred writers regarding themselves is apparent; and there is a remarkable sameness in the three synoptic accounts of the calling of Matthew. ENDNOTE: [1] Herbert Lockyer, All the Men of the Bible (Grand Rapids, Michigan: Zondervan Publishing House, 1958), p. 231.
Verse 29 And Levi made him a great feast in his house: and there was a great multitude of publicans and of others that were sitting at meat with them. And the Pharisees murmured against his disciples, saying, Why do ye eat and drink with the publicans and sinners? And Jesus answering said unto them, They that are in health have no need of a physician; but they that are sick. I am not come to call the righteous but sinners to repentance.For additional comment on this episode, see my Commentary on Matthew, Matthew 9:9. One of the very best ways to begin Christian service is the method chosen here by Matthew. He gave a big dinner, invited many, and introduced the Saviour, thus committing himself publicly and irrevocably to the new way of life. No man can sneak into the service of God; and inevitable failure attends all who try to do so. Matthew did it right! They that are in health have no need of a physician … This was not an admission by Jesus that the Pharisees were “in health” spiritually; for truly their moral sickness was the scandal of that age. Of course, they viewed themselves as righteous; and thus the argument is an “ad hominem” statement based on their prejudice. They that are sick … It was the glory of our Lord that he came to heal the moral and spiritual sickness engulfing all people; and the Pharisees themselves were included in this if they had only been able to appreciate it. Jesus’ deep thrust in this context has elements of humor in it. The very idea that the evil priests “had no need” of spiritual healing was such a preposterous thing that the people who heard Jesus’ words must have laughed aloud.
Verse 33 And they said unto him, The disciples of John fast often and make supplications; likewise also the disciples of the Pharisees; but thine eat and drink. And Jesus said unto them, Can ye make the sons of the bridechamber fast, while the bridegroom is with them? But the days will come; and when the bridegroom shall be taken away from them, then will they fast in those days.This was an effort by the Pharisees to open a conflict between Jesus and John the Baptist; but Christ’s inspired reply made use of John’s statement regarding Christ as “the bridegroom,” and extending it a little with the effect of saying, “Look, this is a wedding; and all of the rules on fasting are suspended!” The background of this answer included the notorious behavior of the Pharisees themselves whose gluttonous conduct at weddings was a public scandal. There is no way that such a thrust by Jesus could have failed to precipitate a storm of laughter. It was a center shot; and the Pharisees were completely vanquished by it. When the bridegroom shall be taken away … Jesus however, was not amused. Those vicious enemies would yet nail him up to die, and he knew it; thus, there is this plaintive reference to the time when the bridegroom shall be taken away. This was a clear prophecy of his Passion.
Verse 36 And he spake also a parable unto them: no man rendeth a piece from a new garment and putteth it upon an old garment; else he will rend the new, and also the piece from the new will not agree with the old. And no man putteth new wine into old wineskins; else the new wine will burst the skins, and itself will be spilled, and the skins will perish. But new wine must be put into fresh wineskins. And no man having drunk old wine desireth new; for he saith, The old is good.There are three comparisons: (1) new cloth on an old garment, (2) new wine in old wineskins, and (3) no man having drunk old wine desires new. The meaning is very similar in all three, and they stress Jesus’ unwillingness to make the ceremonial fasts of the Old Testament a large feature of the new kingdom, the necessity of finding new “wineskins” (disciples) who would be able to receive his new teaching (as in the call of Matthew), and Jesus’ understanding of the fact that many of John’s disciples (though not all) would prefer the old ways to the new methods of the approaching kingdom. The variations between Matthew and Luke derive from Luke’s fuller report. Whereas Matthew mentioned patching the old garment with “new cloth,” Luke has the fuller account of the “new cloth” having been rent from a “new garment.” Matthew abbreviated the discussion, even omitting altogether the third analogy given by Luke. Regarding the fundamental reasons for such variations, they resulted from: (a) The fact that Jesus himself varied his parables, illustrations, and teachings from place to place and time to time. There is no more unfounded assumption possible than the premise of some in the critical schools to the effect that Jesus gave, for example, the beatitudes, or the prayer he taught the disciples to pray, in one form only and upon only one occasion. Never! In a ministry that lasted perhaps fifty months and covered literally hundreds of villages and cities, it is absolutely mandatory to assume that Jesus’ teachings were frequently varied as to their exact words. The opposite view is disproved by the variations reported in the sacred Gospels as well as by the common practice of speakers in all generations. Anyone following the speeches of a candidate for public office has observed the variations which always mark “the speech” given in many different localities.
Common sense demands the supposition that Jesus’ teaching, repeated hundreds of times, made use of countless variations and subtle changes to bring out additional truth or avoid the inevitable misunderstandings that would have resulted from a robot-like repetition of the same words over and over. The view that Jesus taught always in the same “verbatim et literatim” style is preposterous. Even when he quoted the inspired prophets of the Old Testament, he did nothing like that. (b) Another source of variations in the Gospels was in the choice of materials by sacred authors, some selecting parables, some sayings, etc., not found in the others; and also in the particular stress or emphasis intended by the authors. They also wrote from diverse viewpoints. John gave the seven great signs; Matthew the seven great woes against the Pharisees; and Luke a vast body of material of particular interest to Gentiles, etc., etc. The diversity in the Gospels is so extensive as to deny, absolutely, any possibility of their being in any sense copies one of another. Inherent in the threefold analogies of the kingdom Jesus gave at Matthew’s dinner party is the fact of the “newness” of the kingdom of Christ. It was not to be merely a patch imposed upon Judaism, nor a mere refilling of old forms with vital new truth. “New wine … new garment …” Here was a glimpse of the truth stressed by the apostles, “Behold all things are become new!” (2 Corinthians 5:17).
Questions by E.M. Zerr For Luke 51. Why did the people throng Jesus? 2. Where was he standing? 3. Tell what he observed on the lake. 4. Which ship did he enter ? 5. Tell the use he made of it. 6. After the discourse what did he request? 7. What report did Simon give him? 8. But what confidence did he express ? 9. Tell of the success. 10. How great was the catch ? 11. Relate Peter’ s prayer to Jesus. 12. What caused the astonishment? 13. Who also were filled with astonishment? 14. What was their business relation to Simon? 15. Tell the change of occupation Jesus announced? 16. State their response to his call. 17. What afflicted man saw Jesus? 18. State his action. 19. And his remarks. 20. What did Jesus do and say? 21. When were the results obtained? 22. What did Jesus charge the man ? 23. And what was he to do? 24. How would this be a testimony? 25. Did the man observe the secret? 26. State the result. 27. What two things did the people seek? 28. To what place did Jesus withdraw? 29. What did he do? 30. What class sat by him as he taught? 31. Tell what power was present. 32. Who was brought to Jesus ? 33. How did they get to Jesus? 34. Whose faith did he observe? 35. To whom did he speak? 36. What favor was given him? - 37. Of what did the Jews complain? 38. Was it done aloud? 39. State the question Jesus asked them. 40. Is one more difficult than the other ? 41. Which one would be visible ? 42. What would the visible one prove? 43. State the outcome on the afflicted man. 44. How were the people impressed? 45. Whom did Jesus call next? 46. What was his occupation? 47. How did he honor Jesus? 48. Who were the guests? 49. Why did the Pharisees murmur? 50. What illustration did Jesus use in reply? 51. Tell whom he came to call to repentance. 52. What question was asked on fasting? 53. Who is the bridegroom of 34th verse? 54. State the days meant in 35th verse. 55. Who will fast then ? 56. Would fasting be appropriate before those days? 57. How was appropriateness taught by a garment ? 53. What else was used for such lesson ?
Luke 5:1
1 Gennesaret was another name for the Sea of Galilee. The people were the ones meant by the common people in Mark 12:37. They were not prejudiced as were the priests and scribes, and manifested a hunger to hear the teaching of Jesus.
Luke 5:2
2 When a boat is said to be standing it means it is stationary in a certain spot. These two ships were thus being held while their owners were out washing their nets after a night’s use in the sea.
Luke 5:3
3 Simon’s full name was Simon Peter (verse 8). By moving the boat a little distance from the shore, the people could see and hear Jesus better.
Luke 5:4
4 The water was too shallow for fishing with a net where Jesus had been speaking. In bidding Simon to let the net down for a draught (for a “catch”), Jesus assured him that he would not be disappointed.
Luke 5:5
5 Simon’s remarks indicated that his lowering of the net would be through faith in Jesus, even though the appearances were unfavorable.
Luke 5:6
6 The word brake is from an original that means a complete rending of the net. However, since the fish were not lost, the idea is that a full loss would have occurred had not something been done to prevent it.
Luke 5:7
7 The loss of the fish was prevented by the help of their partners in the business. Began to sink means the weight of the fish caused the boats to begin lowering, not that they were being submerged as yet.
Luke 5:8
8 Peter already had expressed faith in Jesus, but the success of the event was far beyond his expectation. Depart . . . I am a sinful man. He was so overawed by the power and wisdom of Jesus that he felt unworthy to be in his presence.
Luke 5:9
9 Doubtless the net had come into contact with a shoal or school of fish and no equipment would be able to withstand such a mass. But it required the wisdom of Jesus to know when and where to find such a group, hence the people were astonished.
Luke 5:10
0 This is the same event given notice in Matthew 4:18-21, but that passage omits the items of the net and mass of fish.
Luke 5:11
1 Forsook all includes their father, who is mentioned by Matthew.
Luke 5:12
2 Lepers were under perpetual quarantine by the law of Moses (Leviticus 13:45-46), which accounts for the earnestness of this unfortunate man.
Luke 5:13
3 Leprosy was an incurable disease by any natural means, hence it was cured miraculously by Jesus and the recovery was immediate.
Luke 5:14
4 Tell no man. He was not to take the time for publishing the event to the people, for he had a personal duty yet to perform in connection with his recovery. The ceremony still remaining for him is described in Leviticus 14:1-32.
Luke 5:15
5 In spite of the request, the leper spread his report to the deed until it caused the crowds to gather about Jesus to receive his favors.
Luke 5:16
6 This was the occasion when he walked on the sea towards the apostles to their terrified astonishment (Matthew 14:23-33).
Luke 5:17
7 These Pharisees and doctors (teachers) of the law were present for the purpose of finding fault with Jesus as we shall soon learn.
Luke 5:18
8 Sought means refers to the crowd that was in the way about the door.
Luke 5:19
9 See the comments at Mark 2:4 for the explanation of this verse.
Luke 5:20
0 A distinction is made between their and him. As far as the passage states, the palsied man did not have any faith to begin with.
Luke 5:21
1 This verse proves the statement made at verse 17 about the Pharisees.
Luke 5:22-24
4 For comments on this paragraph see those on Matthew 9:5-6.
Luke 5:25
5 Immediately is the important word here. Professed workers of miracles today require patients to have the faith that “holds out” long enough to effect a cure. The true miraculous healing did not call for a prolonged period of time.
Luke 5:26
6 For ordinary human beings to glorify God means for them to give Him the credit for the wonderful things accomplished.
Luke 5:27
7 Levi’s other name was Matthew (Matthew 9:9). The receipt of custom was the tax office, and Levi was there because he was a publican whose business was to receive the taxes on behalf of the government.
Luke 5:28
8 At the bidding of Jesus, Levi left his work and followed.
Luke 5:29
9 Since Levi was a publican by occupation, it was natural that many of his guests at the feast would be from that class.
Luke 5:30
0 See the notes on Matthew 9:11 about eating with others.
Luke 5:31
1 If the Pharisees had been as righteous as they claimed, that would have been the very reason for Jesus to associate with the others, on the principle that the sick are the ones who need a physician.
Luke 5:32
2 This verse continues the same thought set forth in the preceding one. The sinner is the one who needs to be induced to repent.
Luke 5:33
3 John was dead and his disciples were fasting and mourning his absence. The disciples of Jesus still had him with them and hence had no occasion for mourning.
Luke 5:34-35
5 Children of the bride-chamber were the close friends of the bridegroom. After the wedding the bridegroom would leave and then it would be appropriate for them to mourn. In the illustration Jesus likens himself to the bridegroom.
Luke 5:36-38
8 This paragraph is explained by the comments on Matthew 9:16-17.
Luke 5:39
9 This verse has the same lesson that the preceding paragraph teaches, which is one of appropriateness. Incidentally, it also overthrows the theory referred to, that the illustration applied to the Old and New Testaments. According to that notion, Jesus teaches that every man would prefer the Old Testament as being the better.