My reflections will be found in bold purple print beneath the verses.
Luke 5
New Living Translation (NLT)
The First Disciples
5 One day as Jesus was preaching on the shore of the Sea of Galilee,[a] great crowds pressed in on him to listen to the word of God. 2 He noticed two empty boats at the water’s edge, for the fishermen had left them and were washing their nets. 3 Stepping into one of the boats, Jesus asked Simon,[b] its owner, to push it out into the water. So he sat in the boat and taught the crowds from there.
Jesus was often found around the Sea of Galilee. I think He was fond of this part of His creation...water...and the fish He put in the water. Of course people were not thinking about creation and the fact that their Creator was in their midst. They came to hear Jesus preach, and perhaps they, like some of us, enjoyed being at the seaside when they didn't have to work.
Realizing that more people could hear and see Him if He were out in the water instead of at the water's edge, Jesus asked Simon to to push out from shore a bit. This gave Him a "pulpit" from which to speak.
5 “Master,” Simon replied, “we worked hard all last night and didn’t catch a thing. But if you say so, I’ll let the nets down again.” 6 And this time their nets were so full of fish they began to tear! 7 A shout for help brought their partners in the other boat, and soon both boats were filled with fish and on the verge of sinking.
8 When Simon Peter realized what had happened, he fell to his knees before Jesus and said, “Oh, Lord, please leave me—I’m too much of a sinner to be around you.” 9 For he was awestruck by the number of fish they had caught, as were the others with him. 10 His partners, James and John, the sons of Zebedee, were also amazed.
Jesus replied to Simon, “Don’t be afraid! From now on you’ll be fishing for people!” 11 And as soon as they landed, they left everything and followed Jesus.
Impressed with the number of fish they caught when Jesus commanded them to let down their nets, these men were ready to become followers of their Lord and Master (names they were already calling Him, prior to them becoming disciples). Jesus had a plan even before He asked Peter to push off from shore. He wanted these fishermen to become His followers, His disciples, and spend their lives bringing people, not fish, into His kingdom. Fishing would now be a hobby for them, not their livelihood. They were going into three years of training on how to become evangelists. They would learn from the Master Himself how to spread the Good News about Jesus and His Kingdom. They would learn how to be followers of His example. They would find out that the Kingdom of God would not be established on earth, but in hearts.
Jesus Heals a Man with Leprosy
12 In one of the villages, Jesus met a man with an advanced case of leprosy. When the man saw Jesus, he bowed with his face to the ground, begging to be healed. “Lord,” he said, “if you are willing, you can heal me and make me clean.”
13 Jesus reached out and touched him. “I am willing,” he said. “Be healed!” And instantly the leprosy disappeared. 14 Then Jesus instructed him not to tell anyone what had happened. He said, “Go to the priest and let him examine you. Take along the offering required in the law of Moses for those who have been healed of leprosy.[c] This will be a public testimony that you have been cleansed.”15 But despite Jesus’ instructions, the report of his power spread even faster, and vast crowds came to hear him preach and to be healed of their diseases. 16 But Jesus often withdrew to the wilderness for prayer.
I have often wondered about the man healed of leprosy. He must have been so happy to be free of the dreadful disease, the one that kept him from his family and friends, yet did he go and tell others that he was healed by Jesus...after Jesus said not to? I don't know...perhaps others spread the news. How often does Jesus answer a prayer for us, and rather than spend time in gratitude to Him, we rush right out to tell others? We use our "bragging rights"...look what Jesus did for ME...instead of finding ways we can honor Jesus in return for answered prayer. Am I a little tough on this one? I am saying I am guilty, and Jesus extends me mercy. A second chance. He loves me despite my shortcomings. That doesn't mean I should go on acting this way...I must become more humble. I must have the attitude of Jesus Christ (Philippians 2:5). I need to spend more time in my wilderness in prayer and praise to Jesus.
Jesus Heals a Paralyzed Man
17 One day while Jesus was teaching, some Pharisees and teachers of religious law were sitting nearby. (It seemed that these men showed up from every village in all Galilee and Judea, as well as from Jerusalem.) And the Lord’s healing power was strongly with Jesus.
18 Some men came carrying a paralyzed man on a sleeping mat. They tried to take him inside to Jesus, 19 but they couldn’t reach him because of the crowd. So they went up to the roof and took off some tiles. Then they lowered the sick man on his mat down into the crowd, right in front of Jesus. 20 Seeing their faith, Jesus said to the man, “Young man, your sins are forgiven.”21 But the Pharisees and teachers of religious law said to themselves, “Who does he think he is? That’s blasphemy! Only God can forgive sins!”
22 Jesus knew what they were thinking, so he asked them, “Why do you question this in your hearts? 23 Is it easier to say ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or ‘Stand up and walk’? 24 So I will prove to you that the Son of Man[d]has the authority on earth to forgive sins.” Then Jesus turned to the paralyzed man and said, “Stand up, pick up your mat, and go home!”
25 And immediately, as everyone watched, the man jumped up, picked up his mat, and went home praising God. 26 Everyone was gripped with great wonder and awe, and they praised God, exclaiming, “We have seen amazing things today!”
Yes, it seemed like everywhere Jesus went, the Pharisees were sure to follow. They were on a mission to "catch" Jesus in some wrong...something that went against their laws...so they could get rid of Him. They did not like Jesus taking the attention away from them.
Jesus Calls Levi (Matthew)
27 Later, as Jesus left the town, he saw a tax collector named Levi sitting at his tax collector’s booth. “Follow me and be my disciple,” Jesus said to him. 28 So Levi got up, left everything, and followed him.
29 Later, Levi held a banquet in his home with Jesus as the guest of honor. Many of Levi’s fellow tax collectors and other guests also ate with them. 30 But the Pharisees and their teachers of religious law complained bitterly to Jesus’ disciples, “Why do you eat and drink with such scum?[e]”31 Jesus answered them, “Healthy people don’t need a doctor—sick people do. 32 I have come to call not those who think they are righteous, but those who know they are sinners and need to repent.”
Jesus gave a simple answer, a good explanation, to the Pharisees about why He hung out with the "scum". But He also put them in their place, once again. Every time they tried to trap Him, He would confront them with the truth of their false ways. War is pending!
A Discussion about Fasting
33 One day some people said to Jesus, “John the Baptist’s disciples fast and pray regularly, and so do the disciples of the Pharisees. Why are your disciples always eating and drinking?”
34 Jesus responded, “Do wedding guests fast while celebrating with the groom? Of course not. 35 But someday the groom will be taken away from them, and then they will fast.”36 Then Jesus gave them this illustration: “No one tears a piece of cloth from a new garment and uses it to patch an old garment. For then the new garment would be ruined, and the new patch wouldn’t even match the old garment.
37 “And no one puts new wine into old wineskins. For the new wine would burst the wineskins, spilling the wine and ruining the skins. 38 New wine must be stored in new wineskins. 39 But no one who drinks the old wine seems to want the new wine. ‘The old is just fine,’ they say.”
Jesus came to show a new way of doing things. It upset tradition, and the Pharisees were over the top in their traditions. As long as one followed their rules, their traditions, and highly esteemed them, life was good. To have someone come along and upset their apple cart, suggest to people that perhaps the way of the Pharisees isn't the best way, or the only way, that person is writing their own death sentence.
It would be so interesting to see how Jesus confronted our denominational differences, our judging of each other, if He were to walk this earth today. Would the politics in the church world today be any different than in His day? I doubt it. Would our church leaders be upset if Jesus didn't join their side? Church politics, and politicians...how disgusting they must be to Jesus, who wants to love His Bride, not chastise her.
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