Luke 5

Luke 5:1

Over and over, Luke reiterates that the priority of Jesus’ ministry was sharing the heart of the Father and the message of the kingdom.

Luke 5:2

As we will see, one of these fishermen was Peter. If I were Peter, I would have been tempted not to wash my nets, but to sell them if, after spending an entire night fishing, I had caught nothing. But Peter is an example for me that just because, like him, I may come up empty in ministry, empty in what I put my hand to do, I’m not to sell my nets, I’m not to turn back, I’m not to give up because, like Peter, I don’t know what will happen right around the corner. Peter was washing his nets because if a net wasn’t washed and then stretched, it would rot. Every time it was used, a net would have to be washed with fresh water and stretched if it was to remain useful. So, too, as fishers of men, we are nets that must be continually washed with the water of the Word and stretched by the Spirit if we are to remain useful. You may be thinking, Why should I get washed and stretched? The Lord isn’t using me. Why bother? But like Peter, you don’t know what’s going to happen tomorrow. When the Lord wants to use someone, He doesn’t find the one who’s rotten and brittle. No, He touches the one who’s been washed in the water of the Word, who’s been stretched and disciplined.

Luke 5:3

Using the water as a natural amplifier to preach to the crowds on the shore, Jesus asked Peter to take Him out in the boat. Why would He need Peter to take Him out? For the same reason He has you teaching Sunday school, parking cars, or working in the sound booth. I’m convinced part of the reason the Lord wants us active in service is because He knows if we’re not, we won’t be where we can hear the Word. Does the Lord need to use us? No. But we need to be used by Him in order that we might be in a position to hear from and grow in Him.

Luke 5:4

It wasn’t until Jesus had told Peter to “thrust out a little” (verse Luk_5:3) that He told him to launch out into the deep. My problem is, I often say, “Launch me out into the deep, Lord,” without first being willing to thrust out a little. “Use me, Lord, to heal the blind, to raise the dead. But I don’t want to teach first graders,” we say. Yet Zechariah declared we are not to despise the days of small things (Zec_4:10). If you wonder why you aren’t in the deeper waters of ministry, maybe it’s because you haven’t been obedient in launching out in the little things, the simple callings, the unnoticed tasks.

Luke 5:5

The Greek word translated “Master” literally means “Rabbi.” Peter doesn’t refer to Jesus as “Creator of all things,” or “God of the Universe.” Rather, He addresses Him as “Rabbi,” as if to say, “Bible Teacher, we’re the fishermen. We’ll listen to what You have to say regarding spirituality, but fishing is our territory. And everyone knows that here in Galilee, we only fish at night.” “Lord, this doesn’t make sense to me,” Peter said. “Experience doesn’t validate it practically. It’s not the way we were taught to do it in fishing school. But Lord, at Your Word, I will do as You say.”

Luke 5:6

The Greek word translated “brake” speaks only of the beginning of the breaking process. In other words, the net was beginning to show signs of strain. Therefore, had it not been washed and stretched previously, it would have broken completely, and the catch would have been lost.

Luke 5:7

The Lord spoke this verse to my heart when we at Applegate Christian Fellowship started our first outreach church and sent away a good chunk of our congregation. On the Sunday that was to happen, I had doubts because I really loved those people. Yet the Lord brought this little story to mind as if to say, “If you don’t call for help, if you try and take in the haul all by yourself, your boat will sink, and everyone will lose.” The Lord does not call us to be reservoirs or containers of His blessings. He calls us to be channels through which blessings, resources, and ministries can flow to others.

Luke 5:8

Peter’s confession is what ministry is all about. Here’s how to take in a haul in your own spiritual life: Don’t try to earn it. Peter didn’t say, “Ah yes. This makes perfect sense to me. I was faithful in launching out in little things. Then I was sitting in the boat taking in Your words eagerly. No wonder I am used in such a mighty way. No wonder I am a recipient of this great haul.” No, He simply fell at Jesus’ knees in utter humility. I am convinced that the Lord is looking for people, organizations, and churches He can bless who will, like Peter, say, “We don’t deserve this.” Grace is the key to ministry, the key to prosperity, the key to victory in this body corporately and in our lives personally. The highest form of worship is when we’re just amazed by how good God is to sinners like us.

Luke 5:9

My tendency would be to say, “Wow! Look what the Lord has given us. What a haul! How can we keep this flow going? The business will expand. We’ll add more boats. We’ll get a big warehouse. We’ll increase our distribution throughout Galilee. This is terrific!” But that’s not what these guys said. In leaving the fish, they said, in effect, “Forget the fish, the industry, even the ministry. Lord, it’s You personally that we want.” Jesus didn’t ask them to leave the fish. They did so on their own, realizing that what they had striven for no longer mattered. That’s why Peter will be used so effectivelybecause he left everything to pursue Jesus passionately.

Luke 5:12

A terrible, dreadful disease, leprosy is a picture of sin, for like sin, leprosy begins below the surface and then begins to spread and destroy. Like sin, leprosy is contagious, affecting not only the one who commits the sin, but those around him. So desperately did this man plagued with leprosy want to be changed that when he heard Jesus was coming into the area, he broke the rules forbidding lepers from entering any area where uncontaminated people were in order to meet Jesus. The same is true for you and me. When we feel as though there is something eating at us, causing us to lose our sensitivity, the key is simply to go to Jesus. “Today is the day of salvation,” declared Paul. “Now is the time” (see 2Co_6:2). And the leper knew this.

Luke 5:13

Jesus did not say, “Go to a seminar on overcoming leprosy.” He said, “You need to be clean. You want to be clean. Therefore you will be clean right now.” Maybe that’s a word for some who are feeling tainted, polluted, affected by some habit, some sin, something that has a grasp on you. At the moment you say from your heart, “I want to be clean,” the Lord will say, “Be thou clean.” Jesus not only spoke a word, but He touched this one who perhaps had not been touched in years due to his disease. So, too, the Lord doesn’t hold His nose and look away from us in disgust. Others might be put off by your sin or irritated with your flaws, but not Jesus. He embraces us. Because He primarily came to save sinners rather than to work wonders, Jesus constantly sought to steer clear of theatrics in His ministry. Likewise, in our lives and ministries, the main thing is to keep the main thing the main thing. And the main thing is Jesus. “I came to you preaching nothing but Jesus Christ and Him crucified,” Paul declared (see 1Co_2:2). Make Jesus the center of your ministry, and you’ll be in harmony with what Paul did.

Luke 5:16

According to 1Co_12:9, there are gifts of healing. This means that at a given time, the Lord releases certain gifts to give out to people who are hurting according to His sovereign will, according to His perfect plan. But I believe it is a misunderstanding for someone to say they have the gift of healing because there might be three gifts of healings or eight gifts to be distributed at that meeting or during that time. Why aren’t we seeing more times when the power of the Lord to heal is present? Perhaps it’s because we haven’t followed the model of verse 1Co_12:16, where we read that Jesus was in the place of prayer. Prayer preceded power. There is an intricate connection between the two.

Luke 5:18

In Jesus’ day, roofs were constructed with dirt packed between beams. So it was that these men climbed up on the flat roofwhere people would often either sit or where they would actually have gardensand began to dig. This was not necessarily that unusual, for Josephus makes mention of the fact that coffins were sometimes lowered through the roofs of larger houses should someone die within.

Luke 5:20

Tradition tells us this man was paralyzed because of a sexually transmitted disease. If this be true, the greatest need of this man would have been to know his sin had been forgiven. Such is the great need of any man or woman. People today cannot walk through life successfully or joyfully because they are haunted by sins committed previously. Thus, they’re as paralyzed spiritually, emotionally, and relationally as this man was physically. Yet Jesus said, “Your sins are forgiven.” Perhaps the men who lowered their friend down were disappointed. After all, they had brought their friend to Jesus not to be forgiven, but to be healed. Yet Jesus knew that the deepest needs people have are not physical and material, but spiritual and eternal. Therefore, although those on the roof may have felt cheated, I suggest that the paralyzed man was elated.

Luke 5:21

How do we know sins are forgiven? How do we know the gospel is true? When people who were paralyzed and lame begin to walk and leap and praise God. When people who were paralyzed by sinfulness and foolishness embrace the Good News of forgiveness, the reality of a person’s conversion is manifested in his walk. If there’s no walk, it’s just talk.

Luke 5:26

Strange things indeed! The roof falling, a bed descending, Jesus forgiving, and a paralyzed man walking.

Luke 5:27

Note the order: First, Matthew left all. Then he rose up. Oftentimes, I want to rise up before I leave all. But when you read the Gospels, it’s an interesting study to see all of the things left behind by people who rose up to follow Jesus… Fishermen left their fish. The woman at the well left her waterpot. The widow of Nain left her son’s casket. Lazarus left his grave clothes. Mary left the pieces of her alabaster box. Bartimaeus left his beggar’s clothes. The people who soar the highest in the Lord presently and who will be rewarded in the kingdom eternally are those who have left things behind. I’ve seen my own life limited in ministry when I was not willing to do so. Satan wants to weigh us down with the stuff of this world. Jesus wants to set us free.

Luke 5:29

There were three places Jesus consistently frequented: open places, where He preached to the masses; quiet places, where He prayed to His Father; and festive places, where He would celebrate with the people. When you read the Gospels, you cannot help but see that Jesus loved to go to parties. Whether it was in the home of a religious leader like Simon the Pharisee or in that of Matthew, a tax collector with the riffraff of society, Jesus was often in attendance at feasts or festivals. This shouldn’t surprise us, considering that the first public miracle He ever did was turning water into winenot for the purpose of serving Communion, but simply in order that a wedding celebration could continue. Jesus had the ability to attract people to Himself constantly and to enjoy being with others immensely.

Luke 5:33

Indeed, the Pharisees did fast every Monday and Thursday and make prayers at noon, 3:00 P.M., and 6:00 P.M. daily. “Why don’t Your disciples do the same?” they asked Jesus. In his first letter to Timothy, Paul said that there was coming a day when men would refuse marriage ceremonies (1Ti_4:3). Cyprian, the third-century Catholic Church leader was one such man. Marriage celebrations are too frivolous, he said. Parties and Christianity must be separated absolutely. Thus, the misconception began to grow, which is still with us today, that true spirituality and misery go hand in hand.

Luke 5:34

I suggest Jesus’ answer speaks not only of His crucifixion prophetically, but of His place in our lives presently. A person who truly senses the presence of Jesus in his life will celebrate life as Jesus did. What about us? Have we lost sight of the fact that Jesus Christ came to bring us life and life abundantly, to let us experience real celebration? Would we be invited to a neighborhood function readily? Do our co-workers include us when they get together, or is there something about us so Pharisaical that they conveniently forget to invite us? Jesus was included in all kinds of parties. The common people embraced Him easily and loved to be around Him constantly. Why? Because He brought a higher degree of joy to wherever He went. I pray not only that we might be able to penetrate the parties of our society, that people would feel free to include us in their celebrations, but that we might do what Jesus didfor although He came to people as they were, He left them different than He found them. If you find the party or the people affecting you rather than you affecting them, watch out. But if, like Jesus, you can go into a place and make a difference by your joy and the unmistakable reality of God’s work in your life, then go with God’s blessing. Acts 8 tells us that the early church was so full of joy that they caused the entire city of Samaria to be full of joy as well. Celebrate your salvation, gang, as you infiltrate your situation. Realize that Jesus can handle your humanity, that He would rather see you a friend of sinners than a self-righteous Pharisee. Then go on to make a difference in your community

Luke 5:36

Jesus is saying, “I didn’t come to patch up the old religious system. I came to do something entirely new.”

Luke 5:37

You can’t put new wine in hardened old wineskins because when the new wine begins to ferment, the old hardened structure can’t flex with it, causing the wineskin to burst and the new wine to be lost. When people try to put something of a new moving of the Lord into an old structure, they end up not only quenching the wine of the Spirit, but blowing apart the structure in the process. This applies to people individually as well as to churches corporately, for here’s what happens: When people are touched by the Lord and filled with the Spirit, the new wine of joy and vitality begins to bubble within them. But they will often discover that, as happened with Jesus following His own baptism, they will be driven into the wilderness, into a battle, into hard times. And it is at this point that, unwilling to face the difficulty or challenge, the temptation or trial, they burst, give up, and go back to the predictability of their previous ways where they can go to church occasionally, put a dollar in the offering, and play the game. Does this mean we are doomed to become hardened old wineskins that cannot contain the new work of the Lord at any given time? I don’t think so. You see, the Greek word translated “new” in relation to wine is neos" But the word translated “new” in relation to wineskins is kainos and literally means “renewed.” In Bible days, wineskins were relatively expensive, so when they began to get hard, he who didn’t have money for a new one would soak the old one in water until the elasticity and the flexibility returned. I find the analogy interesting because the Scriptures are likened unto water (Joh_15:3; Eph_5:26). How do we stay flexible, usable, and contemporary in whatever the Lord might be doing both corporately and personally? We soak ourselves not in traditionalism or denominationalism, but in the Word. If we make the Word the priority of our life, the emphasis of our ministry, it will have a softening, renewing effect on us. But when the Bible no longer has predominance or priority in the life of a church or an individual and is instead replaced by programs, traditions, or denominational expectations, rigidity is sure to follow. The entire Bible can be read aloud in seventy-one hoursor twelve minutes a day for a year. Most of us spend more time than that simply brushing our teeth or combing our hair. The question is not whether we have time to read the Word. The question is, do we choose to do it? There is only one place a believer cannot stay. He cannot stay put. That is, he is either growing and expanding in his walk, or he is shrinking and weakening in his walk. Your faith is either more radical today than it was last year, or it is less so. If we are determined together to soak in the Word, we will experience a continuing renewingnew discoveries, new understanding, constant softening. And the Lord will be able to pour new wine into our vessels.

Luke 5:39

In a past election, after all the talk of throwing the incumbents out, 94 percent were voted back into office. Why? Because, although we complain about government and say we need new government, the fact is, we’re comfortable with the familiar. I don’t need to soak in the Word any longer, you may be thinking. I’ve got my knowledge of the Scriptures and my theology in place. But because it’s too late to soften the wineskin when new wine is poured, if you’re not soaking in the Scriptures, you’ll be left out. I’m not talking about losing your salvation, but about missing out on being on the cutting edge of what the Lord is and will be doing in these last days. May He give us His wisdom.