Exploring the Meaning of Luke 5

Chapter Five

The Call of the Disciples

1. And it came to pass, as the crowd pressed upon Him to hear the Word of God, He was even standing by the Lake of Gennesaret.

2. And He saw two ships standing by the lake; but the fishermen had stepped away from them, [and] were washing [their] nets.

3. And having stepped into one of the ships, which was Simon’s, He besought him to launch out a little from the land; and sitting down, He taught the crowd from the ship.

4. And when He had ceased speaking, He said to Simon, “Launch out into the deep, and let down your nets for a catch.”

5. And Simon answering said to Him, “Master, having labored through the whole night, we have taken nothing; but at Thy saying I will let down the net.”

6. And when they had done this, they enclosed a multitude of many fish; and their net was breaking.

7. And they beckoned to [their] partners in the other ship, that they should come to take [some] with them. And they came and filled both the ships, so that they began to sink.

8. And Simon Peter, seeing [this], fell before the knees of Jesus, saying, “Go out from me, for I am a sinful man, Lord!”

9. For astonishment encompassed him, and all that were with him, at the catch of the fish which they had taken;

10. And likewise also James and John, the sons of Zebedee, who were companions with Simon. And Jesus said to Simon, “Fear not; from henceforth thou shalt catch men.”

11. And bringing their ships to the land, they left all, [and] followed Him.

Towards the end of the previous chapter, we learned that although Jesus was able to perform many miracles outside of His hometown, He could do little in Nazareth, the place where He was raised. Instead, He was chased out of the city, and they even threatened to toss Him from a cliff. As we pointed out, this represents the way Jesus—or the inner meaning of the Word—is often excluded from people’s understanding of doctrine. In order for doctrine to be alive and truly spiritual, a proper understanding of God must be in it. So “casting Jesus out of the city” represents the resistance to understanding the true nature of God, the inner meaning of the scriptures, and the way that leads to heaven.

In biblical times, cities were built with walls, bulwarks, and iron gates to protect against enemies. Because of this, when they are mentioned in the Bible, they refer to the way the truths of doctrine can defend us against false beliefs that try to invade our minds. If the Lord is not in that doctrine, it cannot protect us. ¹

In the next episode, a similar point is made, but in a different way. This time the imagery is that of a boat, not a city. Because boats not only carry us through the currents of life, but also keep us afloat during stormy times, they represent our understanding of truth from the Lord’s Word. A correct understanding of the Word helps us navigate through turbulent times, and keeps us on course while we find our way to a safe harbor. ²

With this in mind, we can now turn to the next episode which begins with the crowd “pressing upon Jesus to hear the Word of God” (Luke 5:1) To escape the pressure of the crowd, Jesus notices two empty boats on the shore. Stepping into the boat that belonged to Simon, Jesus asked him to push the boat a little further into the water. Then, sitting down in the boat, Jesus began to teach the crowd. When He finished teaching, Jesus spoke to Simon, again. This time Jesus said, “Launch out further into the deep and let down your nets for a catch” (Luke 5:4).

Not sure that this will do any good, Simon says to Jesus, “Master, we have labored through the whole night and have caught nothing.” Simon then adds, “But at Your word, I will let down the net” (Luke 5:5).

The name “Simon” comes from the Hebrew verb שָׁמַע (shama') meaning “to hear,” “to listen,” or “to obey.” Therefore, when the name “Simon,” is mentioned in the Word, it represents an obedient faith. In this case, it is faith in what Jesus says, trusting that His word is true. All of this is contained in Simon’s simple reply, “At your word, I will let down my net.” ³

Like Simon and his fishing partners who labored all night and caught nothing, our efforts are also in vain unless the Lord is with us. As it is written in the Psalms, “Unless the Lord build the house, they labor in vain who build it. Unless the Lord watches over the city, the watchman stays awake in vain” (Psalm 127:1). In the context of this episode, it could be said that unless the Lord is in the boat, the fishermen let down their nets in vain.

It should also be noted that the fishermen were laboring “all night.” In sacred scripture, “night” represents a time of spiritual darkness. When our understanding is not illuminated by the light of the Lord’s Word, we are unable to see the deeper aspects of spiritual reality. Instead of clearly perceiving truth, our minds are shrouded in falsity. We are, so to speak, “fishing in the dark.” ⁴

But this time, things will be different. Jesus will be in the boat. In spiritual terms, there is a vast difference between a shallow understanding of scripture based on our own reasoning, and a deeper understanding of scripture when Jesus is with us, opening our minds so that we might catch a glimpse of the many truths that are otherwise hidden in the Word. This deeper understanding of the Word is represented by Jesus saying to Simon, “Launch out further into the deep.” In other words, with Jesus in the boat, we can “let down our nets” and explore the deeper wonders of the Word, hauling in an abundance of living truth. So, Simon and his men set out again to catch fish, but this time with Jesus in the boat with them, “They caught a great number of fish, and their net was breaking” (Luke 5:6).

Not only was the net full, but they had hauled in so many fish that they needed a second boat to hold them all. When their fishing partners came with a second boat, both of the boats were so full that they began to sink. When Simon Peter saw this, He was amazed, and fell down before Jesus, saying, “Depart from me, for I am a sinful man, O Lord” (Luke 5:8). The deeper we go in the Word, the more insight we get about our inner lives. We see things about ourselves that we had not noticed before. It might be our self-righteousness, or our inordinate need for approval, or our impatience with others. This leads us to confess, with Simon Peter, that we are inclined to evils of every kind. ⁵

Simon Peter was not the only one who was amazed. So were James and John, his fishing partners. Jesus understood their amazement, and their fear. Turning to Simon, He reassured him, saying, “Do not be afraid. From now on you will catch men”. Simon Peter heard the call, as did James and John:

“So when they had brought their boats to land, they forsook all and followed Him”.

A Leper is Cleansed

12. And it came to pass, when He was in one of the cities, behold [there was] a man full of leprosy; and seeing Jesus, he fell on [his] face and entreated Him, saying, “Lord, if Thou willest, Thou canst make me clean.”

13. And having stretched out [His] hand, He touched him, saying, “I am willing; be thou cleansed. And straightway the leprosy went away from him.”

14. And He charged him to tell no one, “But go away; show thyself to the priest, and make an offering about thy purification even as Moses ordered for a testimony to them.”

15. But the word concerning Him went the more abroad; and many crowds came together to hear, and to be cured by Him of their sicknesses.

16. And He departed into the wilderness and prayed.

Having gathered together His first three disciples, Jesus begins to train them in what it means to “catch men.” The first lesson involves the miraculous healing of a leper. “And it happened when He was in a certain city, that behold, a man who was full of leprosy saw Jesus; and he fell on his face and implored Him, saying, ‘Lord, if you are willing, You can make me clean’” (Luke 5:12).

Once again, Jesus unites a physical action with words of power. Reaching out His hand to touch the leper, Jesus says, “I am willing; be cleansed”. As a result, the leprosy left the man immediately.

This was a truly miraculous event, and the excitement of those who witnessed it could not be contained: “Then the report went around concerning Him all the more; and great multitudes came together to hear, and to be healed by Him of their infirmities” (Luke 5:15).

Notice that they came together to hear and then be healed. Jesus’ words continue to work their wonders.

Nevertheless, Jesus, like each of us, needed to withdraw from the crowds; He needed quiet time, time to reflect and to pray. Throughout this gospel we will frequently find Jesus returning to the Source, gathering strength and inspiration through prayer. As it is written, “He departed into the wilderness and prayed” (Luke 5:16). Even as He spoke the word to others, in order to heal and restore them, He too needed to go within, to be alone, and to listen to the Father. While prayer was important for Jesus, it was also an extremely important object lesson for His disciples. Without returning to the Source, including quiet reflection on the Word and prayer, their ministries would be without power.

A Paralytic Rises Up and Walks

17. And it came to pass on one of the days, as He was teaching, that there were Pharisees and teachers of the law sitting [by], who had come out of every village of Galilee, and Judea, and Jerusalem; and [the] power of the Lord was [there] to heal them.

18. And behold, men bringing on a bed a man who was sick of the palsy; and they sought to bring him in and to put [him] before Him.

19. And not finding by what [way] they might bring him in, because of the crowd, they went up to the housetop, and let him down through the tiling with the bed into the midst before Jesus.

20. And seeing their faith, He said to him, “Man, thy sins have been forgiven thee.”

21. And the scribes and Pharisees began to reason, saying, “Who is this that speaks blasphemies? Who can forgive sins except God alone?”

22. But Jesus, knowing their reasonings, answered and said to them, “What do you reason in your hearts?

23. Which is easier: to say, ‘Thy sins have been forgiven thee,’ or to say, ‘Arise and walk?’

24. But that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins”—He said to the sick of the palsy, “I say to thee, ‘Arise, and take up thy bed, go to thy house.’”

25. And immediately, standing up before them, he took up that on which he had been lying, and he went away to his house, glorifying God.

26. And amazement took them all, and they glorified God; and they were filled with fear, saying, “We have seen glorious [things] today.”

While it might appear that God is sometimes present with us, and sometimes withdraws from us (as Jesus did in the previous episode), the truth is that God’s power is always present . There is no question about God’s perpetual presence with everyone. Instead, we need to ask ourselves this question: Are we ready to rise into a new level of understanding, equipped with new insights, and empowered to go forward into life with renewed strength? This question becomes the theme of the next episode involving the healing of a paralyzed man. 

As the next episode begins, Jesus is still carrying out His primary mission, teaching and preaching. As it is written, “Now it happened on a certain day, as He was teaching, that there were Pharisees and teachers of the law sitting by, who had come out of every town of Galilee” (Luke 5:17). It should be noted that while Jesus continues to heal, the focus of his ministry is on preaching the truth rather than on performing miracles. In this way, people were left in freedom to either receive or reject His words, apart from the compelling nature of miracles. While miracles can compel belief for a brief time, true healing comes from freely embracing the truth of the Word and receiving the power it contains. As it is written, “As He was teaching … the power of the Lord was there to heal them”. ⁶

While they sat and listened to Jesus, a paralyzed man was brought in on a bed. But the crowd was so great that they had to go up on the roof to let him down while he was still lying on his bed. Lowering him down through the tiling, they placed him before Jesus. Seeing this, and realizing that this was an act of great faith, Jesus said to the paralyzed person, “Man, your sins are forgiven you” (Luke 5:20).

This was not well received by the scribes and Pharisees who were carefully observing Jesus’ actions. “Who is this who speaks blasphemies?” they thought within themselves. “Who can forgive sins but God alone?” (Luke 5:21). Knowing their secret thoughts, Jesus responded: “Why are you reasoning in your hearts? Which is easier to say, ‘Your sins are forgiven you,’ or ‘Rise up and walk’?” (Luke 5:23).

The scribes and Pharisees do not answer Jesus’ question, but it is an essential one. It contains the important truth that Jesus’ ministry is not primarily about the physical healing which pertains only to our brief life in this world. Rather, Jesus’ ministry is about spiritual healing. It is a ministry that pertains not only to our life in this world but, more importantly, a ministry that pertains to our life in eternity. Jesus’ main focus was always on the world wherein we will live forever. Therefore, although he performed miraculous external healings in the physical world, every natural healing that Jesus performed represented a deeper spiritual healing. ⁷

Every spiritual healing represents recovery from a particular spiritual illness. Just as there are a wide variety of physical ailments, there are also a wide variety of spiritual ailments. For example, someone might say, “When I lost my job, I felt so paralyzed that I couldn’t even get out of bed.” Somebody else might say, “That person irritates me so much that it makes me sick just to think about him.” The inability to understand truth is a form of spiritual blindness. The person who cannot hear the voice of God in His Word is said to be spiritually deaf. The person who cannot control a lustful desire suffers from a spiritual fever. And the person who has difficulty walking in the path of the commandments is said to be spiritually lame.

Sometimes the inability to behave in loving ways is called spiritual paralysis. In severe cases, this spiritual paralysis might even induce physical paralysis—an inability to move or even function. For example, someone might experience a depression so severe that the person’s arms and legs feel like lead; that person might feel hardly able to move. Such is the heavy, burdensome weight of falsity and evil.

This does not mean that the individual is evil. But it can mean that unseen evil influences from the spiritual world might be flooding into the person’s mind with debilitating, destructive messages. While these messages all have the same basic intent—to destroy us—they come to us in various forms. For example, they say, “Life is meaningless,” “There is no God,” and, “You are worthless.” Depressing messages like these are a heavy load—sometimes too heavy for anyone to bear. ⁸

But Jesus came to demonstrate that life has meaning, that God is present, and that our lives have sacred significance. He taught that sins can be forgiven, and we need not feel that we are carrying a “heavy load.” As He reminds us in Matthew, “My yoke is easy and My burden light” (Matthew 11:30). The only thing that is necessary is to identify something as sinful in ourselves, and ask for God’s help in removing what has been, for us, a “heavy burden.” This is represented by the healing of the paralyzed man. His healing represents the deeper truth that spiritual burdens that may have paralyzed us can be removed, enabling us to “rise up and walk.”

Medical researchers have rendered humanity a great service in recognizing the mind-body connection. But there is a spirit-body connection as well. While lethargy, exhaustion, and depression might relate to physical conditions such as a poor diet or a weak constitution, there might also be unseen spiritual influences. That is why, in the case of the paralyzed man, Jesus did not begin by saying, “Rise up and walk,” but rather “Your sins are forgiven.”

Jesus was demonstrating that His true mission was to liberate people from the infestations of falsity and evil that were preventing people from learning truth and doing good. In brief, people were spiritually paralyzed, unable to rise up in their understanding or walk in the ways of righteousness. ⁹

Take up your bed

When we are paralyzed by doubt and despair, or crippled by false teachings, it is difficult to know what to do. This is when we need the healing power of God’s truth in our life. And we need friends who will bring us to Him—even if it means breaking through a rooftop to get us there. Spiritually, our “friends” are teachings from God’s Word, teachings that lift us up to the rooftop of spiritual awareness, and then lower us down gently so that we might be at God’s feet. These higher truths open us; they give us the ability to receive the power of God’s healing love. These higher truths help us to remove the false beliefs that have been spiritually paralyzing us.

In this regard, it should be noted that Jesus tells the paralytic to “Arise and take up your bed and walk and go to your house” (Luke 5:24). In the Word, the term “bed” signifies doctrine. This is because a bed is the place where we rest our bodies, just as a familiar belief system is the place where we rest our minds. For most of us, it is comfortable to believe what we have always believed without introducing any unsettling new ideas that might wake us up.

But Jesus says, “Arise, take up your bed.” In other words, be willing to embrace new, higher, loftier concepts. Elevate your thinking. Raise your awareness. Lift your understanding. Take up your bed. ¹⁰

Seen in the context of the Gospel According to Luke, the healing of the paralytic speaks to us about the importance of changing the way we think, or in religious terms, changing our doctrinal understanding. It’s about welcoming a new set of doctrinal beliefs into our lives, seeing the world through a different lens. These new doctrines become our true friends who carry us to Jesus. Once there, in the presence of the Divine Physician, we can use the light of these new truths to repent of our sins, ask for forgiveness and start a new life. Whenever we choose to start a new life in this way, based on a new understanding of God’s Word, we glorify God by our words and actions.

Therefore, this episode ends with a new beginning for the paralytic who “took up what he had been lying on, and departed to his own house, glorifying God” ¹¹ . Those who watched were amazed, and they glorified God as well, saying, “We have seen glorious things today!” (Luke 5:26). 

A Tax Collector Follows Jesus

27. And after these things He went out, and observed a publican named Levi sitting at the receipt of tribute, and He said to him, Follow Me.

28. And he left all things, stood up, and followed Him.

29. And Levi made a great reception for Him in his house; and there was a crowd of many publicans and of others that were reclining with them.

30. And their scribes and the Pharisees murmured at His disciples, saying, Why do you eat and drink with publicans and sinners?

31. And Jesus answering said to them, They that are well have no need of a physician, but they that have an illness.

32. I came not to call the just, but sinners to repentance.

In biblical times, people who were afflicted with diseases or who suffered from physical deformities were considered cursed by God. It was understood that either their own disobedience, or their parents’ disobedience had brought the curse upon them. Deafness, dwarfism, blindness, leprosy, paralysis, a broken foot, a broken hand, even warts were all considered to be signs of God’s wrath and anger—curses and punishments for human sin. Therefore, instead of feeling sympathy and compassion for those who suffered from these diseases and misfortunes, they were spurned and rejected. Furthermore, it was believed that if people associated with these outcasts, or even touched them they would catch the disease or get the curse.

This is why the twin healings of the leprous man and the paralytic were considered shocking if not scandalous. In the case of the man suffering from leprosy, Jesus reached out and touched him—a compassionate gesture that was considered perilous. In so doing, Jesus defied both societal custom and the religious beliefs of the time. And in the case of the paralyzed man, Jesus did something that was seen as even more outrageous. Jesus told the paralyzed man that his sins were forgiven—something only God could do.

Such an act of forgiveness was unheard of. To the scribes and Pharisees, who believed that only God could forgive sins, this was blasphemy. When Jesus, whom they saw as a mere man, seemed to be equating Himself with God, they were outraged.

But this was only the beginning of the many ways Jesus would surprise, amaze, and outrage them. For example, in the very next, episode, we read that “Jesus went out and saw a tax collector named Levi, sitting at the tax office” (Luke 5:27). Normally, men like this, who worked for the Roman government, would be regarded as greedy men who robbed their own people. They were especially despised by the scribes and Pharisees who shunned them. But Jesus refused to conform to this exclusionary practice. Instead, He demonstrated that His love embraced all people—even a tax collector like Levi.

To demonstrate His acceptance of tax collectors, Jesus said to Levi, “Follow Me.” Without hesitation, Levi immediately “left all, rose up, and followed Him” (Luke 5:28). Apparently, Levi was not attached to his possessions for he “left all” to follow Jesus. Overjoyed by Jesus’ invitation to follow Him, Levi put on a lavish feast for Jesus, inviting “a great number of tax collectors and others who sat down with them” (Luke 5:29). When the scribes and Pharisees saw this, they were greatly offended. Turning to the disciples, they said, “Why do you eat and drink with tax collectors and sinners?” (Luke 5:30).

The disciples had no need to answer because Jesus answered for them, saying, “Those who are well do not need a physician, but those who are sick. I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners, to repentance” (Luke 5:32).

Once again, Jesus turns their world upside down. It was their belief that God was only concerned with, and present among, the so-called “righteous.” These were the wealthy and successful people who had become so because God loved them. On the other hand, the poor and wretched were poor and wretched because God despised them. And the outcasts of society—the lame, the maimed, the sinners and tax collectors—were thought to be so far beyond God’s mercy that He Himself had shunned them and cursed them. These beliefs which were translated into various forms of social ostracism, were rigidly maintained and strictly enforced.

But those practices were based on a false idea of God—a terrible misunderstanding. Jesus had come to manifest the truth of God’s love. He came to demonstrate that God was there for those who were sick. He had come as their Divine Physician, a spiritual healer who would never turn away from them. He had come to offer forgiveness, a proper understanding of God, and a path to salvation. Through His words and through His actions, Jesus made it plain that God loved all people—regardless of social caste, religious belief, or physical condition. “I have not come to call the righteous,” He said, “but sinners to repentance.”

Why are the “righteous” not called to repentance? Could it be that they do not realize that they are sinners? 

Whenever we believe ourselves to be “righteous,” there is a great probability that we have not done the work of self-examination. In other words, we remain unaware of the false beliefs that arise in our mind, and we pay little attention to the evil desires that arise in our will. When this is the case with us, God cannot help us. That’s because our self-righteousness blinds us to our need for Divine help. We believe we are righteous when, in fact, we are sick. ¹²

In order to be healed of our spiritual infirmities, we must, first of all, recognize them. We must be willing to let the light of the Divine Truth expose the false beliefs in our understanding and the evil desires in our will. This is how we acknowledge our spiritual infirmities, confessing that we are indeed “sick” and in need of the Divine Physician. Only then can we ask God, for the wisdom that dispels falsity and the power that removes evil. This is what is meant by the “forgiveness of sins.” And this is why Jesus does not call the “righteous” but sinners to repentance.

God’s forgiveness is perpetual. But God can only forgive us to the extent that we recognize our sins, pray for His help to resist them, and then strive, as if from our own power, to begin a new life. ¹³

New Wine

33. And they said to Him, “Why do the disciples of John fast often, and make prayers, and likewise the [disciples] of the Pharisees, but Thine eat and drink?”

34. And He said to them, “Can you make the sons of the wedding fast while the Bridegroom is with them?

35. But the days will come when the Bridegroom shall be taken away from them, and then they shall fast in those days.”

36. And He told also a parable to them: “No one patches an old garment [with] a patch [from] a new garment; otherwise both the new [patch] rips [it], and the patch from the new agrees not with the old.

37. And no one pours young wine into old bottles; otherwise the young wine will tear the bottles and spill out, and the bottles will perish.

38. But young wine is poured into new bottles, and both are preserved.

39. And no one, having drunk the old, straightway desires young, for he says, The old is more agreeable.”

The idea of what it means “to begin a new life” based on a new idea of religion was utterly unknown to the scribes and Pharisees, especially to those who persisted in challenging Jesus. They believed that the life of religion consisted in sacrifices, burnt offerings, elaborate rituals, fasting, and perfunctory prayers. This was at the heart of their belief system. Like a bed, it was their comfort zone—the place where their minds rested. Because of this, they could not understand the new teachings of Jesus. Nor did they understand the curious behavior of Jesus’ disciples who seemed to be enjoying their lives. And so, they said to Jesus, “Why do the disciples of John fast often and make many prayers, and likewise those of the Pharisees, but Yours eat and drink?” (Luke 5:33).

Jesus’ answer speaks of a new kind of religion, a religion of joy. It was to be a religion whose adherents knew and most surely believed that God is fully present with everyone, ready to forgive, ready to inspire, and ready to fill them with happiness. It was to be a religion of feasting and rejoicing like that of a wedding. Adherents to this new way of living would feast on the bread of God’s goodness and the wine of God’s truth. As Jesus says, “Can you make the friends of the bridegroom fast while the bridegroom is with them?” (Luke 5:34).

God Himself had come to earth and was standing there in their very presence, speaking with them, and yet they were unable to see Him. This is because they were locked into old forms, old rituals, old ways of doing things, old ways of thinking and believing. Those old ways were like old garments that could not take the strain of a new piece of cloth being sewed onto it; they were like old wineskins that would burst when new wine would be poured into them. Their stubborn insistence on old forms and old beliefs had blinded them to a new way of seeing. In fact, it had blinded them from seeing God Himself who was standing in their very midst, inviting them to the heavenly marriage. ¹⁴

Jesus was offering new truth, new perceptions, a new way of looking at the world. It was exhilarating and inspiring. It was, indeed, “new wine.” “But new wine must be put into new wineskins,” He said, “and both are preserved” (Luke 5:38). He understood that it was going to be difficult for people to make the shift, especially for those who had drunk deeply of the old wine, and were entrenched in a rigid, judgmental, unforgiving view of reality. Jesus knew that they would prefer the old ways, and continue their relatively joyless existence. For them religion would remain harsh, unyielding, and severe. For them, long prayers, meaningless rituals, strict discipline and rigorous fasts would be their way to experience God. In actuality, however, this kind of religious rigidity separated them from experiencing God’s presence.

But the scribes and Pharisees were not ready to hear this. According to them, the old ways were better. As Jesus said, “No one having drunk old wine immediately desires new; for he says, ‘The old is better’”(Luke 5:39).

A practical application:

People often think of religion as something that is dull and joyless, narrow and confining. This is because the older idea of religion was just that. There were severe restrictions on our physical freedom telling us what we should not eat, not drink, and not do. But the disciples of Jesus demonstrated that religion did not have to be joyless. They could eat, drink, and rejoice because Jesus was in their midst. We can do the same. Like Simon, we can take Jesus in the boat when we go fishing. Like Levi, we can invite Jesus to the party when we celebrate. To “take Jesus with us” is to remember His words, and through them receive the power of His love wherever we are, whatever we are doing. ¹⁵

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