*Luke 5:1-39
Jesus preaches from a boat on the lake, then miraculously fills the nets of fishermen who had just had an unsuccessful night, calling them to follow him.
- Miraculous Catch of Fish:
- Jesus gets into Simon Peter’s boat and teaches the crowd from there.
- After Jesus finishes teaching, he instructs Peter to let down his nets for a catch.
- Despite Peter’s doubt, he obeys, and they catch an overwhelming amount of fish.
- Peter, recognizing Jesus’s power, falls at his feet, confessing his sinfulness. Jesus reassures Peter and invites him to become a fisher of men.
- Healing of a Man with Leprosy:
- A man with leprosy approaches Jesus, begging to be healed.
- Jesus touches him, breaking societal norms, and immediately the man is healed.
- Jesus instructs him to go to the priest and fulfill the purification rites as a testimony to the priests.
- Healing of a Paralyzed Man:
- Some men bring a paralyzed friend, seeking Jesus’s healing.
- Unable to get through the crowd, they lower the man through the roof.
- Jesus, seeing their faith, forgives the man’s sins, sparking controversy among the religious leaders.
- Jesus demonstrates his authority to forgive sins by healing the man, who rises and walks home, glorifying God.
- Call of Levi:
- Jesus calls Levi (also known as Matthew), a tax collector, to follow him, and Levi leaves everything to do so.
- Levi hosts a great banquet, inviting fellow tax collectors and sinners to meet Jesus.
- Pharisees criticize Jesus for associating with sinners, but Jesus responds that he came to call sinners to repentance.
- Question about Fasting:
- Pharisees question Jesus about his disciples not fasting.
- Jesus uses the analogy of a wedding feast to explain that his presence with them is a time of joy, not fasting.
- He introduces the concept of new wine needing new wineskins, suggesting the arrival of a new era with his ministry.
Luke 5:1-39 teaches us to trust Jesus, even when things don’t make sense. When He told Simon Peter to throw his fishing nets out again after catching nothing all night, Peter obeyed—and caught so many fish the nets almost broke! This shows us that when we listen to Jesus and follow His guidance, He can do amazing things in our lives. Jesus also calls us to follow Him, just like He did with His disciples. No matter our past, He invites us to a new life with Him, full of purpose and grace.
Luke 5:1-39 (WEB)
5:1 Now while the multitude pressed on him and heard the word of God, he was standing by the lake of Gennesaret. 2 He saw two boats standing by the lake, but the fishermen had gone out of them and were washing their nets. 3 He entered into one of the boats, which was Simon’s, and asked him to put out a little from the land. He sat down and taught the multitudes from the boat.4 When he had finished speaking, he said to Simon, “Put out into the deep and let down your nets for a catch.”5 Simon answered him, “Master, we worked all night and caught nothing; but at your word I will let down the net.” 6 When they had done this, they caught a great multitude of fish, and their net was breaking. 7 They beckoned to their partners in the other boat, that they should come and help them. They came and filled both boats, so that they began to sink. 8 But Simon Peter, when he saw it, fell down at Jesus’ knees, saying, “Depart from me, for I am a sinful man, Lord.” 9 For he was amazed, and all who were with him, at the catch of fish which they had caught; 10 and so also were James and John, sons of Zebedee, who were partners with Simon.Jesus said to Simon, “Don’t be afraid. From now on you will be catching people alive.”11 When they had brought their boats to land, they left everything, and followed him.12 While he was in one of the cities, behold, there was a man full of leprosy. When he saw Jesus, he fell on his face and begged him, saying, “Lord, if you want to, you can make me clean.”13 He stretched out his hand and touched him, saying, “I want to. Be made clean.”Immediately the leprosy left him. 14 He commanded him to tell no one, “But go your way and show yourself to the priest, and offer for your cleansing according to what Moses commanded, for a testimony to them.”15 But the report concerning him spread much more, and great multitudes came together to hear and to be healed by him of their infirmities. 16 But he withdrew himself into the desert and prayed.17 On one of those days, he was teaching; and there were Pharisees and teachers of the law sitting by who had come out of every village of Galilee, Judea, and Jerusalem. The power of the Lord was with him to heal them. 18 Behold, men brought a paralyzed man on a cot, and they sought to bring him in to lay before Jesus. 19 Not finding a way to bring him in because of the multitude, they went up to the housetop and let him down through the tiles with his cot into the middle before Jesus. 20 Seeing their faith, he said to him, “Man, your sins are forgiven you.”21 The scribes and the Pharisees began to reason, saying, “Who is this who speaks blasphemies? Who can forgive sins, but God alone?”22 But Jesus, perceiving their thoughts, answered them, “Why are you reasoning so in your hearts? 23 Which is easier to say, ‘Your sins are forgiven you,’ or to say, ‘Arise and walk’? 24 But that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins,” he said to the paralyzed man, “I tell you, arise, take up your cot, and go to your house.”25 Immediately he rose up before them, and took up that which he was laying on, and departed to his house, glorifying God. 26 Amazement took hold on all, and they glorified God. They were filled with fear, saying, “We have seen strange things today.”27 After these things he went out and saw a tax collector named Levi sitting at the tax office, and said to him, “Follow me!”28 He left everything, and rose up and followed him. 29 Levi made a great feast for him in his house. There was a great crowd of tax collectors and others who were reclining with them. 30 Their scribes and the Pharisees murmured against his disciples, saying, “Why do you eat and drink with the tax collectors and sinners?”31 Jesus answered them, “Those who are healthy have no need for a physician, but those who are sick do. 32 I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners, to repentance.”33 They said to him, “Why do John’s disciples often fast and pray, likewise also the disciples of the Pharisees, but yours eat and drink?”34 He said to them, “Can you make the friends of the bridegroom fast while the bridegroom is with them? 35 But the days will come when the bridegroom will be taken away from them. Then they will fast in those days.”36 He also told a parable to them. “No one puts a piece from a new garment on an old garment, or else he will tear the new, and also the piece from the new will not match the old. 37 No one puts new wine into old wineskins, or else the new wine will burst the skins, and it will be spilled and the skins will be destroyed. 38 But new wine must be put into fresh wineskins, and both are preserved. 39 No man having drunk old wine immediately desires new, for he says, ‘The old is better.’ ”