Luke Chapter 5

From The Open Bible Project

5:1 Now it happened, while the multitude pressed on him and heard the word of God, that he was standing by the lake of Gennesaret.

• (1) Christ reveals to the four disciples whom he had taken unto himself the office of the apostleship, which would be committed unto them in the future.
• (a) Did as it were lie upon him, so desirous were they both to see him and hear him, and therefore he taught them out of a ship.

5:2 He saw two boats standing by the lake, but the fishermen had gone out of them, and were washing their nets.

5:3 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.

5:4 When he had finished speaking, he said to Simon, "Put out into the deep, and let down your nets for a catch."

5:5 Simon answered him, "Master, we worked all night, and took nothing; but at your word I will let down the net."

• (b) The word signifies someone that has rule over anything.

5:6 When they had done this, they caught a great multitude of fish, and their net was breaking.

5:7 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.

5:8 But Simon Peter, when he saw it, fell down at Jesus' knees, saying, "Depart from me, for I am a sinful man, Lord."

5:9 For he was amazed, and all who were with him, at the catch of fish which they had caught;

5:10 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."

5:11 When they had brought their boats to land, they left everything, and followed him.

5:12 It happened, 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."

• (2) Christ, by healing the leper with only his touch and sending him to the priest, witnesses that it is he, through whom and by whom, apprehended by faith, all we who are unclean according to the law are pronounced to be pure and clean by the witness of God himself.

5:13 He stretched out his hand, and touched him, saying, "I want to. Be made clean." Immediately the leprosy left him.

5:14 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."

5:15 But the report concerning him spread much more, and great multitudes came together to hear, and to be healed by him of their infirmities.

• (3) Christ would rather be well known by his doctrine than by miracles, and therefore he departs from those that seek him as a physician of the body, and not as the author of salvation.

5:16 But he withdrew himself into the desert, and prayed.

5:17 It happened on one of those days, that 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.

• (4) Christ, in healing him that was sick from paralysis, shows the cause of all diseases, and the remedy.
• (c) The mighty power of Christ’s Godhead showed itself in him at that time.

5:18 Behold, men brought a paralyzed man on a cot, and they sought to bring him in to lay before Jesus.

5:19 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 midst before Jesus.

5:20 Seeing their faith, he said to him, "Man, your sins are forgiven you."

5:21 The scribes and the Pharisees began to reason, saying, "Who is this that speaks blasphemies? Who can forgive sins, but God alone?"

5:22 But Jesus, perceiving their thoughts, answered them, "Why are you reasoning so in your hearts?

5:23 Which is easier to say, 'Your sins are forgiven you;' or to say, 'Arise and walk?'

5:24 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, and take up your cot, and go to your house."

5:25 Immediately he rose up before them, and took up that which he was laying on, and departed to his house, glorifying God.

5:26 Amazement took hold on all, and they glorified God. They were filled with fear, saying, "We have seen strange things today."

5:27 After these things he went out, and saw a tax collector named Levi sitting at the tax office, and said to him, "Follow me!"

• (5) The Church is a company of sinners who are repentant through the grace of Christ, who banquet with him to the great offence of the proud and envious people of the world.

5:28 He left everything, and rose up and followed him.

5:29 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.

5:30 Their scribes and the Pharisees murmured against his disciples, saying, "Why do you eat and drink with the tax collectors and sinners?"

5:31 Jesus answered them, "Those who are healthy have no need for a physician, but those who are sick do.

5:32 I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance."

5:33 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?"

• (6) Hypocrites and ignorant men make a point of making fasting and unimportant things a matter of holiness.

5:34 He said to them, "Can you make the friends of the bridegroom fast, while the bridegroom is with them?

• (7) Laws generally made without any consideration of circumstances; for fasting and other things of like sort are not only tyrannous but very harmful to the Church.

5:35 But the days will come when the bridegroom will be taken away from them. Then they will fast in those days."

5:36 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.

5:37 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.

5:38 But new wine must be put into fresh wineskins, and both are preserved.

5:39 No man having drunk old wine immediately desires new, for he says, 'The old is better.'"