Text: This week we’re picking up the pace and covering Luke 5:1-39 dealing with Jesus’ calling of the first disciples, two healings, and a whole new way to look at reaching the world.
This week we encourage you to read "horizontally" in these passages that are parallel to our text from Luke:
- The Calling of Simon Peter (Matt. 4:18-22; Mark 1:16-20; Jeremiah 16:16)
- Healing the Leper (Matt. 8:1-4; Mark 1:40-45);
- Healing the paralytic (Matt. 9:1-8; Mark 2:1-12);
- Calling of Levi/Matthew (Matt. 9:9-13; Mark 2:13-17);
- Fasting and new wine (Matt. 9:14-17; Mark 2:18-22).
This week’s recommended resource is Michael Card’s Luke: The Gospel of Amazement. Card, who is best known as an insightful songwriter and musician, writes this devotional commentary with creativity and passion.
Read: Matthew 4:18-20; Luke 5:1-11
The Steps of a Disciple:
1. Somebody introduced you to Jesus (John 1:40-42)
2. You Listen and Learn About Jesus (Luke 4:1-3)
3. Jesus Asks you to Trust Him in an area of your life (Luke 4:4-7)
4. You see Jesus for who He really is (Luke 4:8-9)
5. Your Life Direction Changes (Luke 4:10-11)
- You don’t have to be afraid to follow Jesus
- The real mission is ‘rescuing’ people
- Jesus will take full responsibility for your life
“Now when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, and perceived that they were uneducated and untrained men, they marveled. And they realized that they had been with Jesus.” (Acts 4:13)
Points to ponder:
If you are enjoying these points…and pondering them, then you will want to read answers and post comments on the blog in the “Previously on Ponderables” section. In your study this week, you might want to think about one of these questions:- Why doesn’t Luke include the content of the Sermon from the Boat?
- How can we reconcile verses 1-11 with Matt. 4:18-22 & Mark 1:16-20?
- Why does Simon ask Jesus to depart from him? Does he really mean it?
- What is the real "miraculous catch" in this passage the one by Peter or the one by Jesus?
- What does the 6-fold structure of 4:42-5:39 tell us about the message of this passage?
- Why did Jesus want the healed leper to go to the priests? What two ways did the man’s disobedience cause problems for Jesus?
- Verse 39 contains the most puzzling line in the chapter. When I read the Bible I always pay special attention to the things that seem unusual or unexpected. They are there for a reason. So, how does this verse fit into this passage as a whole? (Hint: who is the “them” of v. 34?)
The following questions are intended to help us move towards greater application of what we learn about Jesus…
- Peter caught more fish that day than he had ever caught in his life! What marker of career/ financial/ educational success would make us the happiest?
- Would we be instantly willing to leave it all behind to follow Jesus?
- What do we desperately want Jesus to do for us? Is He willing to do it?
- How obedient to Jesus’ instructions are we in what we say (or don’t say), and how we say it?
- How much faith do we have that Jesus is the answer for the issues in our friends’ lives? What are we willing to do to get them to Jesus?
- Are we living trying to iron-on “new garment” patches to our same “old garment” life and ministry methods? What should we do?
Literary Structure: The literary structure of a text can give us insight into its intended meaning and this passage is no different. There is a very clear inverted structure to 5:1-11 nested within a larger structure covering the whole chapter. As we have discussed in the past, Luke uses the Prophetic Rhetorical Template (PRT) in the same way that Isaiah does. In Isaiah there are several instances where he uses a PRT with a nature miracle in the center such as Isaiah 41:16-20; 42:13-17; 45:1-3. Sometimes this structure has seven steps with #4 being the center focal point and other times there are six steps with 3 & 4 being the double center. Here in Luke 5:1-11, the calling of Peter has seven steps with an introduction. Kenneth Bailey diagrams it simply as:
1. The boat goes out (Jesus teaches)
2. Jesus speaks to Peter (catch fish!)
3. Peter speaks to Jesus (in arrogance)
4. A dramatic catch of fish (a nature miracle)
5. Peter Speaks to Jesus (in repentance)
6. Jesus Speaks to Peter (catch people!)
7. The boat returns (they follow Jesus)
Miracles: Here is a quote from Michael Card's commentary mentioned above:
"If you look at the miracle straight on, you have to recognize that Jesus performs it in a very unmiraculous way. There is no waving of the arms in the air, no incantations, no hocus-pocus. He says simply, 'Be made clean.' The vast majority of his miracles are performed in such unmiraculous ways. 'Let down your nets' is a simple command that any one of the fishermen had said a thousand times before, only when Jesus says it, the boats almost sink with the weight of the catch. The point is that the miracle is rarely the point. There is always something more miraculous hiding behind the miracle." (Michael Card, Luke: The Gospel of Amazement, IVP, 2011, p. 78)
Follow Me: The Disciples are Called to Full-Time Commitments
Soon after their initial encounters, the part-time, occasional, semi-disciples, were called by Christ to follow Him in a new way. This new commitment to follow as disciples was to be on a full-time basis and for them it involved the abandonment of their secular occupations, which they did without reservation.
"The expression 'Follow Me' would be easily understood, as implying a call to become the permanent disciple of a teacher." (Edersheim, Life & Times of Jesus the Messiah, p. 328)
The Spirit had prepared their hearts and Christ's character, power, and personal invitation somehow brought about an immediate, unhesitating, committed decision on their part to leave all behind and follow Him.
Matthew 4:18-22
"As Jesus was walking beside the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers, Simon called Peter and his brother Andrew. They were casting a net into the lake, for they were fishermen. "Come, follow me," Jesus said, "and I will make you fishers of men." At once they left their nets and followed him. Going on from there, he saw two other brothers, James son of Zebedee and his brother John. They were in a boat with their father Zebedee, preparing their nets. Jesus called them, and immediately they left the boat and their father and followed him." (NIV)In Matthew we have the short account of Jesus' call on the lives of two sets of brothers. First, Jesus called Simon Peter and his brother Andrew. Next, He called James and his brother John (some scholars believe that James and John were cousins of Christ). In both cases, we find that they left their nets, their boats, their father and their servants to follow Jesus. They seemed not the least bit concerned about leaving their old way of life but followed their teacher readily.
In the Gospel of Luke, we have the long version of this episode, with an emphasis upon Peter's response to the miraculous power of the Lord. As it is written,
Luke 5:1-11
"One day as Jesus was standing by the Lake of Gennesaret, with the people crowding around him and listening to the word of God, he saw at the water's edge two boats, left there by the fishermen, who were washing their nets. He got into one of the boats, the one belonging to Simon, and asked him to put out a little from shore. Then he sat down and taught the people from the boat. When he had finished speaking, he said to Simon, "Put out into deep water, and let down the nets for a catch." Simon answered, "Master, we've worked hard all night and haven't caught anything. But because you say so, I will let down the nets." When they had done so, they caught such a large number of fish that their nets began to break. So they signaled their partners in the other boat to come and help them, and they came and filled both boats so full that they began to sink. When Simon Peter saw this, he fell at Jesus' knees and said, "Go away from me, Lord; I am a sinful man!" For he and all his companions were astonished at the catch of fish they had taken, and so were James and John, the sons of Zebedee, Simon's partners. Then Jesus said to Simon, "Don't be afraid; from now on you will catch men." So they pulled their boats up on shore, left everything and followed him." (NIV)
Peter, though tired and disappointed from an unsuccessful night of fishing, (Edersheim suggests it may have been stormy) allowed Jesus to use his boat as a platform to teach the crowd that had gathered. When Jesus was finished speaking He asked Peter to put out into deep water and let down the nets for a catch, for though Jesus was through speaking, He was not through teaching. Initially Peter protested Jesus' suggestion for,
"Night was the best time for fishing, and Peter may be suggesting that, it was useless to try at the request of a carpenter. If that is the way of it, Peter's willingness to act on Jesus' suggestion shows a realization that his word was not to be ignored on any subject. Peter might not agree but he could obey." (Leon Morris, Tyndale New Testament Commentaries - Luke, Eerdmans, 1974, 1988, p.124.)It is important to realize that they did not leave empty nets in frustration after one too many nights of not catching anything. They left behind an amazing catch of fish that was probably would have been quite a financial boon. The promise of becoming fishers of men and of being with the man who had just taught so wonderfully and worked so powerfully must have stirred their hearts to the place where they followed Jesus without so much as a second thought to their former business.
I can't pass up the opportunity to quote Edersheim one more time,
"And this is another object in Christ's miracles to his disciples: to make clear their inmost thoughts and longings, and to point them to the right goal... But what did [this miracle] mean to Simon Peter?... The Lord had seen through the waters down to where the multitude of fishes was...[if] He could see through the intervening waters right down to the bottom of that sea; He could see right through him, to the very bottom of Peter's heart. He did see it--and all that Jesus had just spoken meant it, and showed him what was there. And could he then be a fisher of men, out of whose heart, after a life's night of toil, the net would come up empty, or rather clogged with sand and torn with pebbles? This is what he meant when 'he fell down at Jesus' knees, saying: Depart from me, for I am a sinful man, O Lord.' And this is why Jesus comforted him: 'Fear not; from henceforth thou shalt catch men.' And so also, and so only, do we, each of us, learn the lesson of our calling, and receive the true comfort in it. Nor yet can anyone become a true fisher of men in any other such manner." (Edersheim, LTJM, p. 330)
At this point we know that Jesus has had personal contact with at least Andrew, Peter, James, John, Philip, and Nathanael--six of the twelve men destined to be chosen as apostles. It is time that we meet another.
B) The Calling of Matthew (Levi)
The calling of Matthew (a.k.a. Levi), is recorded in all three synoptic Gospels, and each passage adds something to our understanding of that occasion. Let's consider those verses for a moment.
"As Jesus went on from there, he saw a man named Matthew sitting at the tax collector's booth. "Follow me," he told him, and Matthew got up and followed him."In the gospel account that is ascribed to the apostle Matthew, we find that Jesus called a man named Matthew and that when called to follow, he obeyed.
Mark 2:14
"As he walked along, he saw Levi son of Alphaeus sitting at the tax collector's booth. "Follow me," Jesus told him, and Levi got up and followed him."The account in the Gospel of Mark relates the same incident, but uses a different name for the man who was called. Here, he is named Levi. Levi and Matthew are assumed to be two names for the same person. It is entirely possible that Levi was the name of the tax-collector before his conversion and call by Jesus, and that Matthew was his name thereafter, with the name to remind him of his new life with Jesus.
Luke 5:27-28
"After this, Jesus went out and saw a tax collector by the name of Levi sitting at his tax booth. "Follow me," Jesus said to him, and Levi got up, left everything and followed him."This passage in Luke makes it clear, whereas the others don't, that Levi (Matthew) was in fact a tax collector, not just sitting by the tax booth. Luke also tells us that when Matthew got up to follow Christ that, like the fishermen, he left everything he had behind.
"This must have meant a considerable sacrifice, for tax collectors were normally wealthy. Matthew must have been the richest of the apostles. We should not miss the quiet heroism in this. If following Jesus had not worked out for the fishermen, they could have returned to their trade without difficulty. But when Levi walked out of his job he was through. They would surely never take back a man who had simply abandoned his tax office. His following Jesus was a final commitment." (Leon Morris, Tyndale New Testament Commentaries - Luke, Eerdmans, 1974, 1988, p. 131)
C) Many “Full-Time” Disciples Early in Jesus’ Ministry
I do not want to create an artificial structure with this three stage outline, for it seems that the first two stages were probably not separated by much time. However, the Scripture teaches that not only did those whose call we have already examined follow Christ but that there were a number of disciples who followed Jesus from the very beginning of His ministry. It is written,
Acts 1:21-22
"Therefore it is necessary to choose one of the men who have been with us the whole time the Lord Jesus went in and out among us, beginning from John's baptism to the time when Jesus was taken up from us. For one of these must become a witness with us of his resurrection." (NIV)Thus there were others, perhaps many who followed Jesus from even as early as His baptism.
Previously in Ponderables:
- Why is this demon referred to as an “unclean demon”? No idea! This is the only time this term is used. Usually they are referred to as "demons" or "unclean spirits". Some have suggested that this one was particularly "unclean"...the "Pigpen" of demons but we really don't know
- Why did they receive Jesus so differently than in Nazareth? Well, as we discussed previously, Nazareth was a Jewish settlement planted to begin to drive the gentiles out of Galilee. Jesus' message of grace for the Gentile was rejected in Nazareth. However, Capernaum had better relationship with gentiles...even their synagogue had been built by a Roman Centurion. Their eagerness to listen and to come for healing indicates an awareness of need and the lack of the contempt of familiarity that may have prevented Nazarenes from seeking Jesus.
- Why was Jesus able to do so many miracles in Capernaum and not in Nazareth? Jesus was limited only in the sense that the Nazarenes had no faith, no expectation, so they didn't come to him for healing (except for a few). Their unbelief kept them from coming to Jesus. In Capernaum they had not hesitancy in coming. In fact, they positioned themselves outside Simon's house more eagerly than Black-Friday shoppers outside a Target store!
- What are some of the key words in this week’s passage? Why? I am waiting for reader participation on this one! IML students should take this cue...
- We are living in a culture that often teaches “any press is good press” and “never pass up free marketing,” so why did Jesus tell the demons to “be muzzled”? The witnesses that speak for Jesus are the Father and the Holy Spirit. The demonic proclamation seems like aftershock of the devil's offer to get Jesus the following he deserved in the wilderness temptation. No, Jesus would take no tainted testimony of demons. I referenced this on the journaling blog.
- In reading through Luke, notice the author’s precise use of medical terms and therapeutic details. Why is this? What unique details do we see this week? Luke was a physician an seems to carefully note the different therapeutic methodologies used by Jesus in healing the sick. It was his profession. My grandfather was a neuro-surgeon who also made a study of Jesus' healing practices. Luke used a very specific medical term for the fever Simon's mother-in-law suffered with. He notes Jesus' laying on of hands on the sick.
- In reading the parallel passage in Mark 1:35-38, what two additional details can we add to our picture of this time in Jesus’ ministry? Well if we read observantly there are at least four additional details: He went very early in the morning; he went to the desolate place to pray; Simon led the people that searched for him; his preaching tour in their synagogues was marked by casting out demons.
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