III. Galilean Ministry: The Revelation of Jesus
B. The Gathering of Disciples (5:1- 6:16)
1. The Miraculous Catch and Peter (5:1-11)
a. The Setting: Teaching from Simon’s Boat (5:1-3)

5:1 On one occasion, while the crowd was pressing in on him to hear the word of God, he was standing by the lake of Gennesaret, 2 and he saw two boats by the lake, but the fishermen had gone out of them and were washing their nets. 3 Getting into one of the boats, which was Simon's, he asked him to put out a little from the land. And he sat down and taught the people from the boat.

b. The Marvelous Fisherman and His Promise(5:4-11)
i. The Miracle of the catch (5:4-7)
1. Jesus’ Question (5:4)
2. Peters Trust (5:5)
3. The full catch (5:6-7)
4 And when he had finished speaking, he said to Simon, “Put out into the deep and let down your nets for a catch.” 5 And Simon answered, “Master, we toiled all night and took nothing! But at your word I will let down the nets.” 6 And when they had done this, they enclosed a large number of fish, and their nets were breaking. 7 They signaled to their partners in the other boat to come and help them. And they came and filled both the boats, so that they began to sink
ii. Response to the Miracle: Confession and Commission (5:8-11)
1. Peter’s Confession and Fear (5:8-9)
2. The Promise of New Fish (5:10)
3. The departure to follow (5:11)

8 But when Simon Peter saw it, he fell down at Jesus' knees, saying, “Depart from me, for I am a sinful man, O Lord.” 9 For he and all who were with him were astonished at the catch of fish that they had taken, 10 and so also were James and John, sons of Zebedee, who were partners with Simon. And Jesus said to Simon, “Do not be afraid; from now on you will be catching men.” 11 And when they had brought their boats to land, they left everything and followed him.

2. Two Miracles of Authority (5:12-26)
a. The Cleansing of the Leper (5:12-16)
i. The healing (5:12-14)
1. The Setting: One of the Galilean cities (5:12)
2. The condition and request of the leper (5:12)
3. the willing Jesus Heals (5:13)
4. The call to go to the Priest (5:14)

12 While he was in one of the cities, there came a man full of leprosy . And when he saw Jesus, he fell on his face and begged him, “Lord, if you will, you can make me clean.” 13 And Jesus stretched out his hand and touched him, saying, “I will; be clean.” And immediately the leprosy left him. 14 And he charged him to tell no one, but “go and show yourself to the priest, and make an offering for your cleansing, as Moses commanded, for a proof to them.”

ii. The reaction to healing (5:15-16)
1. The result: report and Crowds (5:15)
2. Jesus withdraws for Prayer (5:16)
15 But now even more the report about him went abroad, and great crowds gathered to hear him and to be healed of their infirmities. 16 But he would withdraw to desolate places and pray.
b. The healing of the Paralytic (5:17-26)
i. The healing Explained (5:17-24)
1. The Setting: Teaching before the Pharisees (5:17)
2. Faith: The Paralytic through the roof (5:18-19)
3. Jesus’ Response: Sins are forgiven (5:20)
4. The Official reaction: Only God can do this (5:20)
5. Explanation: The Son of Man’s Authority (5:22-24)
17 On one of those days, as he was teaching, Pharisees and teachers of the law were sitting there, who had come from every village of Galilee and Judea and from Jerusalem. And the power of the Lord was with him to heal. 18 And behold, some men were bringing on a bed a man who was paralyzed, and they were seeking to bring him in and lay him before Jesus, 19 but finding no way to bring him in, because of the crowd, they went up on the roof and let him down with his bed through the tiles into the midst before Jesus. 20 And when he saw their faith, he said, “Man, your sins are forgiven you.” 21 And the scribes and the Pharisees began to question, saying, “Who is this who speaks blasphemies? Who can forgive sins but God alone?” 22 When Jesus perceived their thoughts, he answered them, “Why do you question in your hearts? 23 Which is easier, to say, ‘Your sins are forgiven you,’ or to say, ‘Rise and walk’? 24 But that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins”—he said to the man who was paralyzed—“I say to you, rise, pick up your bed and go home.”

ii. The Healing and the response (5:25-26)
1. The Healing: The Paralytic departs with Joy (5:25)
2. The crowd’s reaction: Praise and Awe (5:26)
25 And immediately he rose up before them and picked up what he had been lying on and went home, glorifying God. 26 And amazement seized them all, and they glorified God and were filled with awe, saying, “We have seen extraordinary things today.”
3. The call of Levi and a complaint (5:27-32)
a. The call of Levi (5:27-28)
i. Jesus gives Levi the call to follow Him (5:27)
ii. Levi leaves all to follow Jesus (5:28)
27 After this he went out and saw a tax collector named Levi, sitting at the tax booth. And he said to him, “Follow me.” 28 And leaving everything, he rose and followed him.
b. Controversy over Association and mission (5:29-32)
i. A dinner with Tax collectors and sinners (5:29)
ii. Controversy: About Jesus’ company (5:30)
iii. Reply: Jesus is called to the sick and the sinner (5:31-32)
29 And Levi made him a great feast in his house, and there was a large company of tax collectors and others reclining at table with them. 30 And the Pharisees and their scribes grumbled at his disciples, saying, “Why do you eat and drink with tax collectors and sinners?” 31 And Jesus answered them, “Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. 32 I have not come to call the righteous but sinners to repentance.”
4. The Rise of Opposition: 3 Controversies (5:33-6:11)
a. Question over fasting (5:33-39)
i. Question: Why do they Fast and Pray but not you? (5:33)
ii. Reply: A wedding is not for fasting; But… (5:34-35)
iii. Jesus Explains wit parables (5:36-39)
1. One cannot sew new cloth to old (5:36)
2. One cannot put new wine in old wineskins (5:37-38)
3. Those attached to Old Wine so not want new (5:39)
33 And they said to him, “The disciples of John fast often and offer prayers, and so do the disciples of the Pharisees, but yours eat and drink.” 34 And Jesus said to them, “Can you make wedding guests fast while the bridegroom is with them? 35 The days will come when the bridegroom is taken away from them, and then they will fast in those days.” 36 He also told them a parable: “No one tears a piece from a new garment and puts it on an old garment. If he does, he will tear the new, and the piece from the new will not match the old. 37 And no one puts new wine into old wineskins. If he does, 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. 39 And no one after drinking old wine desires new, for he says, ‘The old is good.’”


FOOTNOTES:
5:1 Lake Gennesart: Sea of Galilee
5:2 Washing their nets: cleaning nets from the evenngs labor
5:10 Do not be afraid Jesus does not drive the sinner who recognize his condition away. He accepts the confessing sinner and offers him the opportunity to work with God
Catch Men: The picture is a commission to rescue men from the danger as this verb “to catch” is used in the OT (Jer. 16:16)
Followed Him: Jonah, the father of Andrew and Simon, and Zebedee, the father of James and John had formed a cooperative. The calling of their four sons would have had an economic sacrifice for the two families. Jesus may have softened the crisis by healing Simon’s mother-in-law (4:38)
5:12 Leprosy: This was a broad term for those who where ostracized. (Lev 13:45-46). For this guy to approach Jesus was brave. The closest equivalent in our culture to ostracism is AIDS.
5:17 Pharisees: where a lay movement of about 6,000 highly pious, influential teachers in the synagogues. Other groups where the Sadducees and Essences. Judaism was not monolithic in the first century, but consisted of a bunch of different movements. Today, we have many different denominations.
5:20 Your Sins are forgiven: Luke directly links faith and forgiveness. In the OT, only God forgives sin. (Ps. 103:12). So Jesus direct claim, rather than announcing God will forgive, says He will forgive! This would be highly offensive to the theologically sensitive audience. Nowhere in Rabbi cal material is there a claim like this.
5:24: Son of Man: idiom in Aramaic meaning “I”. Jesus was using the name as a title and drew it from the Image of the Son of Man in Daniel 7:13-14. The name means the one who shares authority with the Ancient of Days.
5:27: Tax Booth Levi is further down the administrative tax collection later from Zacchaeus. Levi would have reported to someone like Zacchaeus. He sat at the booth collecting customs taxes from business men.
5:31 No need of a Physician: Jesus is saying only those who know they are sick can be treated. Pharisees don’t realize they too are sick.
5:32 Sinners to Repent: This statement summarizes Jesus Mission. Repentance is our response. When the Holy Spirit justifies you, sanctifies you, you respond in repentance. If you are dead, Only Jesus the great Healer can bring you to Life.
5:33: Fasting: Pharisees fasted twice a week like clockwork. The goal was to dedicate oneself to prayer and focus on god. Jesus fasted occasionally.
5:36 The new makes a tear: Jesus is saying one cannot mix old things Judaism) with new things (the way he brings). With cloth, the new would shrink on the old and the two would not match. This remark indicates the discontinuity between the old way and the new. A new era is coming
5:37 Will Burst: new wine (the new way) in old wineskins (Judaim) does not work, because as new wine ferments, it will stretch out the old skin until it breaks. So to mix the two would be destructive.
5:38 The old is better: Jesus final point is one who likes the old will not try the new. He is explaining why some people in his nation will not come to him.