Frameworks:
Luke's Gospel, chapter 5
For
preliminaries see chapter 1
v.1-11
Jesus Calls His First Disciples
v.12-16
Jesus Heals a Man With Leprosy
v.17-26
Jesus Forgives and Heals a Paralyzed Man
v.27-32
Jesus Calls Levi and Eats With Sinners
v.33-39
Jesus Declaration about new structures for a new kingdom
v.1-11
Jesus Calls His First Disciples
v.1
(one day he
was teaching by the lake) One
day as Jesus was standing by the Lake of Gennesaret, the people
were crowding around him and listening to the word of God.
v.2
(there were
two groups of fishermen nearby) He
saw at the water's edge two boats, left there by the fishermen,
who were washing their nets.
v.3
(he asked Simon
if he could preach from his boat) 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.
v.4
(afterwards
he suggested to Peter they get a catch) When
he had finished speaking, he said to Simon, “Put out into deep
water, and let down the nets for a catch.”
v.5
(Peter demurred)
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.”
v.6
(Yet
they caught a massive haul) When
they had done so, they caught such a large number of fish that
their nets began to break.
v.7
(and needed
the other boat to help) 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.
v.8
(Peter is devastated)
When
Simon Peter saw this, he fell at Jesus' knees and said, “Go away
from me, Lord; I am a sinful man!”
v.9,10
(Jesus reassures
him) 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
fish for people.”
v.11
(so they left
with Jesus) So
they pulled their boats up on shore, left everything and followed
him.
v.12-16
Jesus Heals a Man With Leprosy
v.12
(while traveling
around a leper approached Jesus) While
Jesus was in one of the towns, a man came along who was covered
with leprosy .
When
he saw Jesus, he fell with his face to the ground and begged him,
“Lord, if you are willing, you can make me clean.”
v.13
(Jesus touched
him and healed him) Jesus
reached out his hand and touched the man. “I
am willing,”
he said. “Be
clean!”
And immediately the leprosy left him.
v.14
(Jesus told
him to do what the Law required after a cleansing) Then
Jesus ordered him, “Don't
tell anyone, but go, show yourself to the priest and offer the
sacrifices that Moses commanded for your cleansing, as a testimony
to them.”
v.15
(the news about
him spread even more) Yet
the news about him spread all the more, so that crowds of people
came to hear him and to be healed of their sicknesses.
v.16
(in order to
pray Jesus often had to find solitude) But
Jesus often withdrew to lonely places and prayed.
v.17-26
Jesus Forgives and Heals a Paralyzed Man
v.17
(one day when
Jesus was teaching and healing Pharisees were watching) One
day Jesus was teaching, and Pharisees and teachers of the law
were sitting there. They had come from every village of Galilee
and from Judea and Jerusalem. And the power of the Lord was with
Jesus to heal the sick.
v.18
(some men brought
a paralyzed man to Jesus) Some
men came carrying a paralyzed man on a mat and tried to take him
into the house to lay him before Jesus.
v.19
(so crowded
was it they had to break through the roof) When
they could not find a way to do this because of the crowd, they
went up on the roof and lowered him on his mat through the tiles
into the middle of the crowd, right in front of Jesus.
v.20
(Jesus forgave
the man) When
Jesus saw their faith, he said, “Friend,
your sins are forgiven.”
v.21
(the Pharisees
were upset at that) The
Pharisees and the teachers of the law began thinking to themselves,
“Who is this fellow who speaks blasphemy? Who can forgive sins
but God alone?”
v.22
(Jesus challenged
them) Jesus
knew what they were thinking and asked, “Why
are you thinking these things in your hearts?
v.23
(which is easier
- to heal or to speak words) Which
is easier: to say, ‘Your sins are forgiven,' or to say, ‘Get up
and walk'?
v.24
(but to help
you … he instructs the man) But
I want you to know that the Son of Man has authority on earth
to forgive sins.”
So he said to the paralyzed man, “I
tell you, get up, take your mat and go home.”
v.25
(he is immediately
healed) Immediately
he stood up in front of them, took what he had been lying on and
went home praising God.
v.26
(this amazes
all the onlookers) Everyone
was amazed and gave praise to God. They were filled with awe and
said, “We have seen remarkable things today.”
v.27-32
Jesus Calls Levi and Eats With Sinners
v.27,28
(he calls tax-collector
Levi to follow him) 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.
v.29
(Levi sets up
a feast for Jesus and invites his tax-collector friends)
Then
Levi held a great banquet for Jesus at his house, and a large
crowd of tax collectors and others were eating with them .
v.30
(this upset
the ‘religious' people) But
the Pharisees and the teachers of the law who belonged to their
sect complained to his disciples, “Why do you eat and drink with
tax collectors and sinners?”
v.31,32
(Jesus explains)
Jesus
answered them, “It
is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. I
have not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.”
v.33-39
Jesus Declaration about new structures for a new kingdom
v.33
(Jesus is questioned
about prayer & fasting) They
said to him, “John's disciples often fast and pray, and so do
the disciples of the Pharisees, but yours go on eating and drinking.”
v.34
(do you fast
at a wedding) Jesus
answered, “Can
you make the friends of the bridegroom fast while he is with them?
v.35
(when the groom
is gone, you can fast) But
the time will come when the bridegroom will be taken from them;
in those days they will fast.”
v.36
(imagine mending
an old garment with new material – they won't go together)
He
told them this parable: “No
one tears a piece out of a new garment to patch an old one. Otherwise,
they will have torn the new garment, and the patch from the new
will not match the old.
v.37
(similarly you
don't put new wine into old skins) And
no one pours new wine into old wineskins. Otherwise, the new wine
will burst the skins; the wine will run out and the wineskins
will be ruined.
v.38
(new wine needs
new skins) No,
new wine must be poured into new wineskins.
v.39
(those who drink
old (matured) wine won't want new wine) And
no one after drinking old wine wants the new, for they say, ‘The
old is better.'” [Note:
implication – the new life that Jesus was bringing would upset
those who preferred the old and the old ‘structures' of religion
wouldn't cope with the new ‘life']