Luke Chapter 5: Calling Disciples, Healing, and Reaching Sinners


Summary
Luke 5 captures the beginning of Jesus’ public ministry in Galilee, showcasing His authority through miracles, His call to discipleship, and His outreach to sinners. The chapter unfolds in several key scenes:
  • Calling the First Disciples (5:1–11): Jesus teaches from Simon Peter’s boat by Lake Gennesaret (Sea of Galilee). He instructs Simon to fish despite a fruitless night, resulting in a miraculous catch. Awed, Simon confesses his sinfulness, and Jesus calls him, James, and John to follow Him as “fishers of men.” They leave everything to obey.
  • Healing a Leper (5:12–16): A leper begs Jesus for cleansing. Jesus touches him, healing him instantly, and instructs him to show himself to the priest per the Law. News spreads, and Jesus withdraws to pray.
  • Healing a Paralytic (5:17–26): Pharisees and teachers of the Law watch as Jesus forgives and heals a paralytic lowered through a roof by friends. Jesus declares the man’s sins forgiven, prompting accusations of blasphemy. To prove His authority, He heals the man, who walks home, glorifying God.
  • Calling Levi and Feasting with Sinners (5:27–32): Jesus calls Levi (Matthew), a tax collector, to follow Him. Levi hosts a feast with other tax collectors and sinners. Pharisees grumble, but Jesus says He came to call sinners to repentance, not the righteous.
  • Question About Fasting (5:33–39): Critics note John’s disciples fast, but Jesus’ do not. Jesus compares Himself to a bridegroom, whose presence calls for celebration. He predicts fasting after His departure and uses parables of new cloth and wineskins to show His ministry fulfills, not patches, the old system.
Cross-References
  • Calling Disciples:
    • Matthew 4:18–22; Mark 1:16–20: Parallel accounts.
    • Jeremiah 16:16: Fishers of men imagery.
    • John 21:1–14: Post-resurrection miraculous catch.
  • Healing a Leper:
    • Matthew 8:1–4; Mark 1:40–45: Parallel accounts.
    • Leviticus 14:2–32: Priestly cleansing for lepers.
    • Isaiah 53:4: Messiah bears infirmities.
  • Healing a Paralytic:
    • Matthew 9:1–8; Mark 2:1–12: Parallel accounts.
    • Psalm 103:3: God forgives and heals.
    • John 5:8–9: Jesus’ authority to heal.
  • Calling Levi:
    • Matthew 9:9–13; Mark 2:13–17: Parallel accounts.
    • Luke 15:1–2: Jesus eats with sinners.
    • 1 Timothy 1:15: Christ saves sinners.
  • Fasting Question:
    • Matthew 9:14–17; Mark 2:18–22: Parallel accounts.
    • Joel 2:12–13: Fasting with repentance.
    • John 3:29: Jesus as the bridegroom.
Theological Meaning
Luke 5 is rich with theological themes that establish Jesus’ identity and mission:
  • Divine Authority: Jesus’ miraculous catch (5:6), healings (5:13, 24), and forgiveness (5:20) demonstrate His power over creation, disease, and sin, proving He is God (John 10:33).
  • Call to Discipleship: The call of Simon, James, John (5:10–11), and Levi (5:27–28) shows Jesus’ authority to summon followers, requiring immediate, total commitment (Luke 9:23).
  • Compassion for Outcasts: Touching a leper (5:13) and eating with sinners (5:30) reveal Jesus’ mercy for the marginalized, fulfilling His mission to seek the lost (Luke 19:10).
  • Forgiveness of Sins: Declaring the paralytic’s sins forgiven (5:20) asserts Jesus’ divine prerogative, validated by healing, foreshadowing His atoning work (Colossians 1:14).
  • New Covenant: The bridegroom and wineskins parables (5:34–39) show Jesus’ ministry inaugurates a new era, fulfilling the Law and Prophets while transcending them (Hebrews 8:6).
  • Faith’s Role: The leper’s plea (5:12), the friends’ effort (5:19), and Levi’s response (5:28) highlight faith as the means to receive Jesus’ grace (Ephesians 2:8).
Questions and Answers
  1. Why did Simon Peter call himself a sinner after the miraculous catch (5:8)?
    • The overwhelming catch (5:6–7) revealed Jesus’ divine power, making Simon aware of his unworthiness before God (5:8; Isaiah 6:5). His confession led to Jesus’ call to fish for people (5:10).
  2. Why did Jesus touch the leper to heal him (5:13)?
    • Touching a leper, considered unclean (Leviticus 13:45), showed Jesus’ compassion and power to overcome impurity (5:13). It restored the man socially and spiritually (Mark 1:41).
  3. Why did Jesus send the leper to the priest (5:14)?
    • The Law required priests to verify cleansing (Leviticus 14:2–4). Jesus respected the Law while ensuring the man’s reintegration into society, and it testified to His power (Matthew 8:4).
  4. How could Jesus forgive sins, and why was it controversial (5:20–21)?
    • Only God can forgive sins (Psalm 51:4). Jesus’ declaration (5:20) claimed divine authority, which Pharisees saw as blasphemy (5:21). His healing proved His power to forgive (5:24; John 5:18).
  5. Why did Jesus call a tax collector like Levi (5:27)?
    • Tax collectors were despised for collaborating with Rome and extortion (Luke 19:2). Jesus called Levi to show His mission to save sinners, not just the righteous (5:32; 1 Timothy 1:15).
  6. What does “I came to call sinners to repentance” mean (5:32)?
    • Jesus’ purpose was to invite sinners to turn from sin and follow Him (5:32). Unlike the self-righteous Pharisees, sinners like Levi responded, showing God’s grace for all (Luke 15:7).
  7. Why didn’t Jesus’ disciples fast like John’s (5:33)?
    • Jesus, the bridegroom, brought joy, making fasting inappropriate during His presence (5:34; John 3:29). Fasting would come after His death (5:35), aligning with repentance (Acts 13:2–3).
  8. What do the parables of cloth and wineskins mean (5:36–39)?
    • Jesus’ ministry is a new covenant, not a patch on the old system (5:36). New wine (His teachings) requires new wineskins (hearts open to grace), as the old resists change (5:39; Hebrews 8:13).
Additional Notes for Readers
  • Historical Context: Fishing was a major trade on the Sea of Galilee (5:2), and tax collectors like Levi were social outcasts (5:27). Lepers were isolated due to ritual impurity (5:12; Leviticus 13:46). Pharisees, as religious experts, scrutinized Jesus to protect tradition (5:21). Fasting was a pious practice, expected of disciples (5:33).
  • Cultural Questions: Readers might wonder why Simon fell at Jesus’ knees (5:8). This was a gesture of awe and submission, common before divine acts. Lowering the paralytic through a roof (5:19) involved removing tiles, a bold act of faith. The “bridegroom” (5:34) evoked Jewish wedding feasts, symbolizing joy.
  • Application: Luke 5 calls believers to follow Jesus with total commitment, trust His power to heal and forgive, and embrace His mission to sinners. It urges humility, faith, and openness to His new way (2 Corinthians 5:17).
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