Jesus’ preaching and miracle working is drawing crowds but we also get to see Jesus’ interactions with individuals who are called to follow him. How will people respond? The hostility of Scribes and Pharisees is contrasted with the faith of others who believe in Jesus, receive healing and follow him.
9.1 Read Luke 5:1-11
Jesus is teaching beside Lake Gallilee, also known as the sea of Gennesaret. There is a large crowd and they are pressing closer and closer to him. To give him more space, he borrows a boat, one of two fishing boats. The owner is Simon Peter and he asks him push the boat out a little way. From this makeshift pulpit, he begins to teach. Notice, that the practice was to teach sitting down rather than the modern Western practice of standing to teach and preach (v1-3).
When he has finished teaching, he speaks to Simon. It seems that the whole purpose of borrowing the boat was to give him this opportunity. He tells Simon to start fishing again. The normal practice was to fish at night and the crews had just got back from a bad night with no fish taking the bait. Simon explains this and yet chooses to obey Jesus, addressing him as “master” (v4-5).
He begins fishing with the help of his crew. The result is incredible, the nets are so full that Simon has to call his friends, James and John in the other boat to help him (v6-7). They are astonished and disturbed by the miracle and Simon urges Jesus to leave him alone. He recognises that Jesus is holy and he sees himself as a sinner, unfit to be in Jesus’ presence (v8-10a).
Jesus responds by encouraging them not to be afraid. He has a new job for them. Instead of fishing for fish, they will fish for men. Their response is immediate. They leave everything to follow Jesus (v10b-11).
9.2 Toiling through the night
Whilst it is not the primary point of the passage, I do find great encouragement in Peter’s response to Jesus. I’m sure there are many believers who feel like they have been toiling though a nighttime experience without seeing fruit, whether in a local community, their church or with an unbelieving family. The encouragement to go back in there, trusting Jesus to work is something we need to hear sometimes. Or as Psalm 30:5 says:
“Tears may flow in the night, but joy comes in the morning”
9.3 Calling disciples
How do you imagine the calling of the first disciples? I think many of us have grown up with the image in our head of Jesus turning up out of the blue, meeting people for the first time and calling them to follow him. They immediately leave behind everything to follow a complete stranger. That gives us quite a romantic image of discipleship and sets up the emotional altar call at an evangelistic event perfectly.
This may also be the impression we would get if we only had Matthew and Mark’s accounts. Matthew follows Mark’s wording closely and simply describes Jesus walking along the shore of Galilee and calling the four fishermen to leave their nets and follow him.
However, Luke and John help to develop the picture a bit more. John tells us how Simon’s brother, Andrew had been among John the Baptist’s disciples. When John had pointed out Jesus as “The Lamb of God”, Andrew had gone after Jesus with a friend to investigate further. He had then gone to find Simon. So Simon and Andrew had already met Jesus out by the Jordan.
Luke adds in the further detail that Jesus had commandeered Simon’s boat which also points to a prior relationship. No doubt the fishermen had also seen Jesus teaching in the Synagogue and of course Jesus had healed Simon’s mother-in-law, though as the Gospel structure is not chronological, we do not know if that was before or after the events by the lake.
This helps us to think a bit more about what discipleship involves. First, we can sum up from John 1 that disciples are people who want to follow Jesus, to be close to him, to know him and who go and bring others to be close to Jesus. Disciples follow Jesus and disciples make more disciples. Secondly, we can see from the accounts put together that discipleship is about a growing and informed relationship with the Lord.
9.4 Read Luke 5:12-16
As Jesus is walking along, he sees a man with leprosy. The man is described as “full of leprosy” indicating that the disease is at an advanced stage. This also contrasts with Jesus who has been described in Luke 4:1 as “full of the Holy Spirit. The man begs Jesus to heal him, first recognising that Jesus is able to heal if he desires (v12). Jesus confirms that he is willing and reaches out to touch him. Notice that both the man and Jesus talk in terms of cleansing rather than just healing. The Jews made a distinction, based on the Law of Moses between things that were clean and unclean. If something was classed as unclean then you were not even to touch it. Leprosy as a contagious illness was classed as “unclean” and so those with it became outcasts, banished from society. Fear of the illness’ physical, social and spiritual consequences meant that you kept a distance from lepers but Jesus is willing to come close and touch him (v13).
Jesus instructs the man to go and show himself to the priest as the Torah required. He tells him not to speak about this to others but the man does anyway and so Jesus’ reputation grows with more people coming seeking healing. Jesus, whenever he gets the opportunity withdraws from the crowds to pray (v14-16).
9.5 Read Luke 5:17-26
Jesus is teaching in a house. As well as a favourable crowd, there are Pharisees (members of one of the religious sects there and Scribes, those with responsibility for studying and teaching the Law od Moses. The Scribes or teachers of the Law mentioned frequently in association with the Pharisees may have been the scribes and rabbis associated with the Pharisees.[1] We begin to see through the Gospel that this grouping allies with others to oppose Jesus. They are neither there to be taught or healed but to find fault (v17)
The house is packed out and so when one group of friends turn up carrying their friend who is unable to walk on his mattress, they cannot find a way in. They resort to going up to the flat roof and removing the roofing so that they can lower their friend in. Some have suggested an error in Luke’s retelling here and a contradiction with Mark because he describes tiles being removed which would not fit with a traditional Palestinian home and Mark describes the men digging into the roof.[2] However, it does seem that external influences meant that some houses were using tiles and Mark does not specific the material on the roof (v18-19).[3]
Jesus’ speaks to them man but instead of immediately healing him, he suses the onlookers by announcing that the man’s sin is forgiven. He does this in response to the faith of the men who have brough their friend (v20). This horrifies the Pharisees who consider it blasphemy because only God has authority to forgive. They don’t seem to be saying this out loud but Jesus can read their thoughts (v22).
He asks them if it is easier to heal or forgive but does not give them a chance to answer. He heals the man and declares that this shows that he does have the authority to forgive. This authority rests in his status as “Son of Man.” Whilst the Pharisees may murmur and grumble, them man and the crowd respond by praising God (v23-26).
9.6 Read Luke 5:27-32
Jesus meets a tax collector called Levi. This is most likely to be the same disciple known as Matthew and author of the first of the Gospels.[4] Tax collectors were treated with suspicion because they worked for the occupying power, the Romans and because they were perceived as corrupt and extorting the people. One way in which the Romans would have collected tax revenue is by licensing men like Levi to collect customs via toll like booths along trade routes. This also means that once Levi had paid his dues to the authorities, he could charge as he saw fit. Jesus calls Levi to follow him. The tax-collector responds, leaving his booth and everything behind, his job, his security but also his shameful status (v27-28).
Levi hosts a meal in Jesus honour with other tax-collector friends joining him. Note that like Andrew and Philip, Levi both follows Jesus and seeks to introduce the Lord to others. He is a disciple seeking to make disciples (v29).
Such meals would have been semi-public affairs visible for others to witness and the Pharisees and scribes are there again. They disapprove of Jesus mixing with those labelled as “sinners”(v30). Jesus responds with a saying “it’s not the healthy who need a doctor but the sick.” In other words, Jesus’ mission is specifically to help those like Levi and the other tax-collectors who recognise that they need help.
9.7 Opponents
The Pharisees were one of a number of sects and groupings operating within Judaism and Judea and Galilee. Josephus identifies three primary sects:
At this time there were three sects among the Jews, who had different opinions concerning human actions; the one was called the sect of the Pharisees, another the sect of the Sadducees, and the other the sect of the Essenes.[5]
The Essenes: A sect that was suspicious of and questioned the legitimacy of the High Priest, Sanhedrin and Temple system. They had established their own community and alternative centre of religious devotion at Qumran.[6]
The Sadducees: This grouping held significant political power within the Sanhedrin which was the ruling council supporting the High Priest in decision making. They only recognised the Torah (Genesis – Deuteronomy) as Scripture and did not believe in a general resurrection of the dead.
There were also groupings of Zealots that sought to participate in direct, violent resistance against Roman occupation. Some of Jesus’ disciples were former zealots and it is likely that Barrabas and the two men excecated alongside Jesus would also have been resistance fighters or bandits rather than common thieves.
The Pharisees were more of a populist movement whereas the Sadducees were seen as part of the establishment. They relied on a developed tradition of rabbinic teaching interpreting and developing the Law.[7] Their primary concern was to see spiritual reformation and to encourage the whole people towards devout observation of Torah. Thos was crucial in relation to what they saw as “the encroachment of non-Jewish ways of life”. NT Wright says that
“The Pharisees saw themselves as standing firm for the old ways, the traditions of Israel, against paganism from without and assimilation from within.”[8]
Their expectation was that the coming day of the Lord leading to the liberation and vindication of God’s people was dependent on such a turning to YHWH. The name may well have been coined by opponents. [9] Their roots go back to the Maccabean revolt and the Hasmonean dynasty. [10]
The Pharisees are seen in the Gospels as primarily antagonistic towards Jesus and so the name has become a by-word for hypocrisy and legalism. It would be mistaken to see the movement as acting as a kind of “thought police.” Their actual power and influence was probably more limited than that. And primarily in Jerusalem.[11] Furthermore, the rabbinical tradition connected to Pharisaism probably reflected a diversity of thought meaning that it would be unfair to label it a legalistic movement. However, the concern for purity and reform does help to show how members of the grouping may have seen Jesus’ willingness to engage and befriend those who did not willingly conform as a threat.
9.8 Friend of sinners
Luke follows Mark by placing together three incidents: the leper’s cleansing, the forgiven paralytic and culminating with the calling of Levi.[12] These events are brought forward ahead of the significant teaching block from the sermon on the Mount whereas, Matthew leaves these events until after the sermon, interspersing them with other accounts of faith, healing and sign miracles.[13]
By drawing them tightly together and placing them before the sermon on the mountain material, Luke does two things. First, he reminds us that Jesus is the healer/saviour, first and foremost before he is the teacher-lawgiver.
Secondly, he, along with Mark links healing, cleansing and forgiveness. The punchline is that Jesus has specifically come to save the worst of sinners, those whose deeds and reputations place them as outcasts, beyond the pale. This is crucial because the Torah and Prophets, starting with Adam and Eve’s banishment from Eden, continuing with the requirements for individual rule-breakers and culminating with Israel’s own banishment from the land links exile with God’s judgement and so with death. Jesus identifies with those who are banished, figuratively and literally and so, he is already putting himself in the place of death.
[1] Bock, Luke 1-9:50, 479.
[2] C.f. Mark 2:4.
[3] Morris, Luke (Repr. 2008. 2nd Ed. TNTC. Nottinghham. IVP, 1988), 137.
[4] Morris, Luke, 159.
[5] Josephus, Flavius, Jewish Antiquities, XV/10.
[6] C.f. NT Wright, The New Testament People and the people of God, 170.
[7] Westerholm, “The Pharisees” Pages 110-114 in in Dictionary of Jesus and the Gospels (Ed. Green, McKnight & Howard Marshall, Downers Grove, IL.: IVP, 1992), 110.
[8] NT Wright, The New Testament and The People of God (London. SPCK, 1992), 187.
[9] NT Wright, The New Testament and The People of God, 187.
[10] NT Wright, The New Testament and The People of God, 187-188.
[11] NT Wright, The New Testament and The People of God, 186.
[12] Mark 1:40-2:17.
[13] See Matthew 8-9.
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