Luke 5: Jesus Called His Disciples

 Luke 5: Jesus Called His Disciples

v1-11 Jesus's First Disciples

As many people were following Jesus to hear Him speak the word of God, he onboarded himself on a fishing boat at Lake Gennesaret. The boat belongs to Simon (Peter) and Jesus ask him to put the boat a little out from the shore. He sat down and thought the multitudes from the boat.

The fact that many people followed Jesus, means that he had made a reputation as a good speaker and teacher around the region, and many are there to be healed. They would be pushing themselves to be closer to him and "pressed about Him". For him to preach properly, he has to get off the land so that he is further away from the crowd. In fact, Jesus - the one who designed earth - knows that water reflects sound better than the earth, and will help the people to hear what he said. 

Lake of Gennesaret is also called Sea of Galilee, as well as Sea of Tiberias after the resort city of Tiberias that Herod the Great built on its western shore and named after Caesar Tiberias to endear himself to his Roman overlord.

When Jesus is done speaking, He asked Simon to go deeper in the lake and let down his nets. Simon told him they have spent the whole night but had caught nothing, but he will do it at Jesus word. They threw down the net and caught a great number of fish until their nets begin to break. They called in their partners on other boat to help them. Both boats were about to sink. 

Peter fell down at Jesus knees, saying, "Depart from me, for I am a sinful man, O Lord!"   Jesus replied: "Do not be afraid. From now on you will catch men." (v10)

Those who were there, James & John (sons of Zebedee) and Simon (and likely his brother, Andrew) left all their business assets and followed Him. (v11)

Observation:

1. Note that Peter and Jesus knew each other earlier,  as described in Matthew 4:18-22 and Mark 1:16-20. Those were the initial call, and this passage is known as the confirmation call. Since then they have been following him and saw him perform many miracles. However, we did not read that Peter kneel before Jesus until now. Sometimes, even if we hear or see miracles, it is not enough to convince us. We want the miracle to happen to ourselves, then we will believe. There are so many miracles happening around us, but we do not recognize them and believe it is due to luck, or attribute them to other false gods.

2. The only other time that Jesus ask Peter to throw the net it, was in John 21:3-11. Despite Jesus had shown them he was alive in the upper room, they were still very lost. The just went back to Sea of Galilee where they were from, and Peter felt bored and restless hanging by the shore, and said "I am going fishing."  Then the rest followed him. The whole night they caught nothing. The next morning Jesus came to the shore and ask them to throw the net to the right side of the boat. There were so many fish they can't even pull the net to the boat! 

Jesus knew that without Him, they will have difficulties to start the great commission again. So he used the same miracles on Peter and the disciples, to remind them why they have followed him, and all the things He had thought them for the last 3 years. 

In addition, they also have many guilts and doubts.  Especially Peter. Peter is the guy Jesus wants to focus on, as whatever Peter says, the rest will follow. If Peter is doesn't initiate or lead, then no one will do anything. However, Peter has a spirit of guilt, from the time he denied knowing Jesus three times before He was crucified. He felt guilty, helpless and no confident to do what Jesus asked him to do. That's why Jesus asked him 3 times, "Do you love me?" And he said "yes" 3 times. And for each time, Jesus remind him to feed the sheep, that is to take care and lead the disciples and believers. Finally, Jesus said to him: "Follow me" - but how to follow for He is going to heaven? This is when we follow by faith through the Holy Spirit in our hearts.

v12 - 26: Healing of a Leper and a Paralytic

In one of the cities, a man full of leprosy fell on his face and begged Jesus to make him clean. Jesus stretched our his hands and touched him, saying "I will, be clean."  Immediately the leprosy left him. He told the man not to tell anyone, but to show himself to the priest and make an offering for his cleansing. (v12-14)

This is an extraordinary event. Usually, when a leper is walking, he will cover his mouth and say "Unclean, unclean." Everyone who hears his warning will move far away. However, Jesus went close to him and even touched him, taking the risk of being infected himself. 

More news went abroad about Him and great crowds gathered to hear him and to be healed. But Jesus will always withdraw to a desolate place and pray.   (v15-16)

One day, some pharisees and teachers of the law came from places in Galilee, Jerusalem and other places as they have heard that Jesus can heal. At that time some men were bringing a paralyzed man to Jesus. They could go through the door due to the crowd. They went to the roof and removed the tiles and let the man and his bed down through the ropes, to the front of Jesus. (v17-19)

Jesus saw their faith and said: "Man, your sins are forgiven you." The scribes and Pharisees begin to question among themselves -  "who can speaks this blasphemy, for only God can forgive sins." (v20-21)

Jesus knows what they are thinking, and ask them if it is easier to say "your sins are forgiven you", or to say "Rise and walk?"  In order to prove that the Son of God has the authority to forgive sins, Jesus told the paralytic man: "I say to you, rise, pick up your bed and go home." The man immediately stood up, and picked up his bed, and walked home, glorifying God. Amazement seized them all, saying "we have seen extraordinary things today."  (v22-26)

Application: It is Jesus' habit to isolate himself in somewhere quite in order to pray. This emphasize the importance of prayer and spending time with God regularly in our lives, not only to have a close relationship, but to be refilled with the strength from God to continue our ministries. 

v27-39: Jesus challenged by the Pharisees

One day Jesus met Levi, a tax collector sitting at the tax booth. Jesus told him: "Follow me."  Levi left everything and followed Him. Levi provide a great feast for Jesus, and there were many tax collectors and others reclining at the table. (v27-29)

Note that another common name for "Levi" is "Matthew", who wrote the gospel of Matthew. He wrote about himself in this incident in Matthew 9:9, calling himself Matthew. 

The Pharisees and the scribes complained to His disciples why they eat with tax collectors and sinners. Jesus answered: “Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. I have not come to call the righteous but sinners to repentance.” (v30-32)

The Pharisee told Jesus that the disciples of John, as well as they themselves, fast and offer prayers. But Jesus' disciples only eat and drink. Jesus answered them: "Can you make wedding guests fast while the bridegroom is with them?"  But when the bridegroom is taken away from them, then they will fast in those days. (v33-35)

Jesus told them a parable about a new patch of cloth from new garment to mend an old garment, and that no one puts new win in old wineskins. Otherwise the new garment will be torn, and the new wine will burst the old skins. Rather, new wine must be put into fresh wineskins. He also said that no one after drinking old wine desires the new, for he will think that the old is good. (v36-39). (Parallel: Matt 9:16-17; Mark 2:21-22) 

In the context of the garment, a new, unshrunk piece of cloth would shrink after washing and tear away from the old garment, making the tear worse. Similarly, new wine would ferment and expand, bursting old wineskins that have already been stretched to their limit, thus both the wine and the wineskins would be lost.

Application: Jesus is essentially saying that His message and the transformation it brings cannot be constrained by old structures and ways of thinking. It requires a fresh approach and receptivity to new ideas. This was a call for openness to His message of grace and truth, which was a departure from the legalistic practices of the Pharisees at that time. It underscores the importance of embracing the transformative message of Jesus in its entirety rather than attempting to patch it onto existing religious structures.