Luke 5 Luke 5 - Jesus is the Perfect Doctor!

Luke 5 - NIV 

Jesus Calls His First Disciples

5 One day as Jesus was standing by the Lake of Gennesaret,[a] the people were crowding around him and listening to the word of God. 2 He saw at the water’s edge two boats, left there by the fishermen, who were washing their nets. 3 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. 4 When he had finished speaking, he said to Simon, “Put out into deep water, and let down the nets for a catch.” 5 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.”

After having withstood the temptations the devil threw at him in the wilderness, Jesus goes down by the Sea of Galilee in Capernaum. Jesus had many people who had gathered to listen to him teach. As he went to the water's edge, he saw two boats belonging to fishermen who were cleaning their nets. Jesus got into Peter's boat and asked him to take the boat back out. 

Jesus used the boat as his pulpit. Then, he asked Peter to go back out into the deep waters for a catch. Peter was reluctant, because they had fished all night and caught nothing. After all they were the fishermen and Jesus was a carpenter. But we see Simon's faith when we remarks, "If you say so, I will let down the nets."

What a great thing for a Christian to say, "If you say so Jesus, I will do it!"

 Peter could have come up with any number of possible excuses.

· “I worked all night and I’m tired.”

· “I know a lot more about fishing than a carpenter does.”

· “The best fishing is at night, not in the day time.”

· “All these crowds and loud teaching have scared the fish away.”

· “We already washed our nets.”

· “Jesus may know religion, but He doesn’t know fishing.”

At Your word I will let down the net: This was Peter’s great statement of faith, and trust in Jesus’ word. God’s people throughout all ages have lived and gone forth with this confidence in the word of Jesus.

6 When they had done so, they caught such a large number of fish that their nets began to break. 7 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. 8 When Simon Peter saw this, he fell at Jesus’ knees and said, “Go away from me, Lord; I am a sinful man!” 9 For he and all his companions were astonished at the catch of fish they had taken, 10 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.” 11 So they pulled their boats up on shore, left everything and followed him.

Peter was sure glad he listened to Jesus, as they caught such a huge number of fish that their nets could not hold all of them. It was such a large catch that their boat began to sink, but their colleagues came over to help them. Peter was so blown away that he fell at Jesus' knees realizing he was in the presence of God. It caused him to confess, "I am a sinful man".

When we truly experience how awesome God is we are made more keenly aware of our humanness. 

James and John, the sons of Zebedee, were equally affected. As he often did, Jesus used this miracle as a teaching moment. The lesson today was that though catching this many fish on a bad day was exciting, it would be nothing compared to catching people. Without hesitation they dropped their nets to follow Jesus. What an incredible response to Jesus' call. 

Though maybe not in as a dramatic of fashion, Jesus calls all of us to fish for people. He may not call us to drop our nets to follow him, but he will help us realize that whatever we do for a living will pale in comparison with being used by him. 

When Jesus told Simon that he would catch men, He told Simon that he would do what Jesus Himself did. There was never a greater fisher of men than Jesus Himself, but He wanted others to do the work He did. Jesus started with these three, then twelve, then hundreds, then thousands, and millions upon through the centuries. - Guzik

Jesus Heals a Man With Leprosy

12 While Jesus was in one of the towns, a man came along who was covered with leprosy.[b] 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.” 13 Jesus reached out his hand and touched the man. “I am willing,” he said. “Be clean!” And immediately the leprosy left him. 14 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.” 15 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. 16 But Jesus often withdrew to lonely places and prayed.

Being a leper was not a desirable thing to be in Jesus' day. Many times they were blamed for their leprosy and had to identity themselves as "unclean" when they were in public. Also, it was a very painful disease. So you can see why the man was begging Jesus to heal him. He was respectful not demanding saying, "If you are willing you can make me clean."  This was also a statement of faith. He knew Jesus could heal him if wanted to. 

Jesus affirmed that he indeed was willing and with the mere touch of his hand, the leper was immediately healed. Once again we Jesus' physical touch being part of the miracle. It was probably the first time the leper had been touched by another human being in a long time. Interestingly Jesus commanded him not to tell anyone. Why did he do that?

Jesus often commanded people to be quiet about a healing or some miraculous work that Jesus had done for them. He did this because He wanted to calm the excitement of the crowds until the proper time for His formal revelation to Israel, which was an exact date as prophesied in Daniel 9. - Guzik

Jesus Forgives and Heals a Paralyzed Man

17 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. 18 Some men came carrying a paralyzed man on a mat and tried to take him into the house to lay him before Jesus. 19 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.

With the Pharisees and teachers of the Law looking on, some men carried a paralyzed man on a mat to get into the house where Jesus was staying. They were trying to get an audience with Jesus but there was no place to get him into the house. But that didn't stop them from using some "yankee ingenuity" to get him to Jesus as they lowered him through the roof. They were going to get to Jesus no matter what it took. This was done right in front of all the crowd setting up a very dramatic scene.

20 When Jesus saw their faith, he said, “Friend, your sins are forgiven.” 21 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?” 22 Jesus knew what they were thinking and asked, “Why are you thinking these things in your hearts? 23 Which is easier: to say, ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or to say, ‘Get up and walk’? 24 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.” 25 Immediately he stood up in front of them, took what he had been lying on and went home praising God. 26 Everyone was amazed and gave praise to God. They were filled with awe and said, “We have seen remarkable things today.”

Jesus recognized the faith of these men, and he said something unusual for the situation. He said, "Friend your sins are forgiven".  Jesus' healing always had a purpose and this time it was a chance to show his authority to forgive sins. Immediately the religious leaders accused Jesus of blasphemy, and if Jesus wasn't God, they would have been right. This is a very early instance in the gospel of Luke for Jesus to claim his divinity.

Jesus first showed his authority to forgive sins and then showed his authority to heal when he told him to take up his mat and go home. Once again, "immediately", the man stood up took up the mat he didn't need anymore and went home. What a day it was for him. 

Everyone else, assuming the religious leaders were silent at that point, were amazed and importantly gave praise to God. Jesus' miracles always pointed to His Father, but importantly they showed the authority He had as the Son of God. 

 Jesus knew what the man’s real need was, and what his greatest need was. What good was it if the man had two whole legs, and walked right into hell with them? Jesus did not mean that the paralyzed man was especially sinful, or that his paralysis was directly caused by sin. Instead, He addressed the man’s greatest need, and the common root of all pain and suffering – man’s sinful condition. - Guzik

Jesus Calls Levi and Eats With Sinners

27 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, 28 and Levi got up, left everything and followed him. 29 Then Levi held a great banquet for Jesus at his house, and a large crowd of tax collectors and others were eating with them. 30 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?” 31 Jesus answered them, “It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. 32 I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.”

Like lepers, tax collectors weren't well liked. They worked for the Roman government and tried to get as much tax out of the people as possible to line their own pockets. Jesus saw a man named Levi, who is more commonly known as "Matthew". 

The Jewish people rightly considered them extortioners because they could keep whatever they over-collected. A tax collector bid against others for the tax-collecting contract. The Romans awarded the contract to the highest bidder. The man collected taxes, paid the Romans what he promised, and kept the remainder. Therefore, there was great motivation for tax collectors to over-charge and cheat any way they could. It was pure profit for them. - Guzik

Levi wasn't afraid to invite Jesus to his house, and he even threw a banquet for him. I am sure Jesus appreciated the hospitality. Levi wasn't the only tax collector there, as he invited all of his friends over for dinner. Over the years we have called these "Matthew parties", where you invite your friends who may not be Christians to rub shoulders with other Christians. 

The Pharisees showed their pride and sense of self-righteousness when they scoffed at him for associating with such heathens. Jesus quickly put them in their place by saying it is not the healthy who need a doctor but the sick. 

He was essentially saying that for those who acknowledge their sin sickness, He is the Great Physician. While all healing is temporary, he could heal them from a sickness that would permanently separate them from God.  This only made the Pharisees more mad, as they realized he was talking about him. 

One reason Matthew gave the party was because he wanted his friends to meet Jesus. A saved man doesn’t want to go to heaven alone. - Guzik

Jesus is the perfect doctor to heal us of our sin.

· He is always available.

· He always makes a perfect diagnosis.

· He provides a complete cure.

· He even pays the doctor’s fee! - Guzik

Jesus Questioned About Fasting

33 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.” 34 Jesus answered, “Can you make the friends of the bridegroom fast while he is with them? 35 But the time will come when the bridegroom will be taken from them; in those days they will fast.”

The purpose of fasting is to draw near to the Lord. It is not just about giving up stuff. Like a lot of spiritual disciplines, the Pharisees turned it to legalism and made it about themselves. Or, they used fasting as a means of thinking they were better than others. But since Jesus was in their midst, they didn't need to fast. 

36 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. 37 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. 38 No, new wine must be poured into new wineskins. 39 And no one after drinking old wine wants the new, for they say, ‘The old is better.’”

Jesus came to transform the religious rituals of the Pharisees. Jesus was the fulfillment of all of the Old Testament laws. Jesus was the new wine. If you were to try and make Jesus fit into the legalistic restrictions of the Law, it would be like pouring new wine into an old wineskin. Some people today still try to similarly put Jesus into a box. 

Once you have tasted of the new wine by believing in Jesus and being filled with the Holy Spirit, you will never want to go back to the old cheap wine of legalism and trying to do enough good things to earn God's favor. 

Like the psalmest says, "Taste and see that the Lord is good!" - Psalm 34:8