<<< Go back to Luke chapter four <<<
(33) Catching a fisherman (Luke 5:1-11, 20th July 2008)
(34) Getting near to God (Luke 5:12-16, 27th July 2008)
(35) Provoking Pharisees (Luke 5:17-25, 3rd August 2008)
(36) A doctor of the soul (Luke 5:26-32, 17th August 2008)
(37) Praying with your eyes shut (Luke 5:33-39, 31st August 2008)
>>> Go on to chapter six >>>
We've seen in Luke 4 that Jesus' great task is to preach. This now comes through very strongly when Jesus performs an amazing miracle in order to generate more preachers like himself. We see in chapter 5 that Jesus preaches “God's word” - a message which comes from God and is all about God. The gospel confronts people with the reality of their creator. We live in a world which doesn't give due honour to its maker and Jesus came to put that right. On this occasion Jesus preaches on the shore of Lake Gennesaret (also known as the Sea of Galilee). However, rather than remaining on the shore he asks Simon to take him out a little way in his boat. Jesus then sits and teaches from the boat, thus keeping himself distant from the crowds who are looking to keep hold of him (Luke 4:42). However, his action is more than simply keeping a distance since he's got something else to do in this boat. After speaking Jesus asks the fishermen to go fishing again, despite the fact they haven't caught anything during the night shift. Simon makes Jesus aware of this fact, but he also trusts him so the men take the boat back out into the deep water. There they put down their nets and pull in a catch so large that the nets nearly break and the boats nearly sink. The men are utterly astonished by this incident which is like a flashback to creation when God filled the empty seas with fish. Simon immediately humbles himself before Jesus because he senses the reality of his awesome God. This is the way somebody should react when they are made aware of just who God is. However, Simon also becomes aware of himself as a “sinful man.” John the Baptist had preached that the Israelites were unready for their God to draw near to them and now Simon is really feeling that. It feels unbelievably dangerous for Simon to be in the presence of his God because he's unworthy of him. This is always the effect which Jesus and his gospel must bring to people: their need of repentance from sin. However, once that has been recognised then we are ready to hear Jesus' next words to Simon: “do not fear.” If we humbly admit that we have failed God, then we are ready to be forgiven by God in all his massive generosity. But Jesus hasn't finished with Simon because he then calls him to work with him. In doing so Jesus shows he expects total allegiance from his people. He also shows that the kingdom grows by self-replication: preaching produces new preachers. And lastly his words, and his miracle, show us that this preaching will have a huge impact on the world.
(1) Are you praying that the preaching of the gospel would produce new preachers? Are you praying for those who are training to be preachers?
(2) We find it hard to see so little impact from the preaching of the gospel in our society. What should we be saying to ourselves when we don't see “large catches”? How should we be praying, do you think?
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Back at the start of chapter 4 Jesus was about to launch his public ministry. However, before doing so he firstly went into the desert where he was tested to see if he would react to God, in the ways that the ancient Israelites had done when escaping from Egypt. Jesus didn't. Instead he remained full of trust in his father and determined to be obedient to him. And on leaving the desert, Jesus held onto these principles as the basis for his mission: he will be a preacher in the way his Father described in Isaiah 61. He then began this work in Nazareth but found that people there weren't looking to listen to God's message and so he soon left. In Capernaum, however, he found some different attitudes in men like Simon. As a result Jesus performed many miracles and Luke tells us about five of them, all of which are designed to help us to understand Jesus' preaching ministry better. In the first two miracles, Jesus rebukes a demon and an illness. These show us Jesus rolling back the devil's power: a foretaste of the fact that he will one day defeat him completely. In the third miracle, Jesus produces a great catch of fish which he then uses to point to the effectiveness of his preaching. Through his own preaching, and that of men like Simon whom he calls, Jesus will rescue many people. And now, Jesus performs his fourth miracle: that of cleansing a man with a skin disease. In the Old Testament God commanded that people with skin disease were “unclean” and had to live outside of the camp of Israel. This was because (as all the law makes clear) God is holy and wants completeness and perfection in everything. So any reminders that the world has been damaged by sin, had to be taken far away from God. However, these laws were given to teach the people to cry out to God for mercy, when they realised the unreachable standard of perfection God required. Sadly the Israelites rarely did so – preferring to rebel or to become proud and self-righteous. However, some did cry out and the leper in Luke 5:12 is one example. So Jesus touches him, removes the skin disease, and thus makes him “clean” - bringing him near to God. He then tells him to complete the law's demands, with regard to skin complaints, and so become a testimony to the religious authorities of the effect the law was supposed to have on the Israelites. This incident teaches us about the total perfection which God requires and our inability to attain to it. But it also shows us the Lord's great mercy: touching the imperfect and bringing them back to God.
(1) In what ways do you feel your “uncleanness” before the Lord? What do you do when you feel this way?
(2) Read through the Old Testament law books at the start of the Bible. Try to appreciate just how believing Israelites will have felt about their relationship with God in the light of all of them. Do you see the power of God's law?
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Here Luke gives us the fifth of five miracles which show what Jesus' mission is about and how it works. With this particular miracle Jesus shows where God's forgiveness is now to be found and he also confronts a group of Israelites who abuse God's law: the Pharisees. As a group they were very serious about obeying God's law and handed down a whole set of traditions from previous teachers, which were designed to help people understand the law and obey it. However, although their concern was good, it had led them into self-confidence and arrogance: believing themselves to be more blessed than other Israelites because they knew the law better and tried to keep it. Whereas the law was supposed to teach the Israelites about the holiness of God, their failure to be what he wants and therefore cause them humbly to cry for mercy. So Jesus confronts the Pharisees using this healing incident. A group of men bring a friend to Jesus. However, because he's inside a crowded house, they decide to approach him through the roof – the flat, wood and clay roofs used in Israel would have allowed this to happen quite easily. As the man is lowered and appears right in front of Jesus, Jesus is pleased because he sees in this group of men the trusting faith and longing for mercy which God desires amongst the Israelites. So he decides to give a greater blessing to the man than what he's asking for, and at the same time say something provocative in front of the Pharisees. Hence he looks and says “Friend, your sins are forgiven.” Earlier on in Luke it was predicted that Jesus' mission would bring to people forgiveness for their failure to honour God properly (Lk 1:77); now Jesus is bringing that prediction to life. The man, and his friends, were almost certainly surprised by Jesus' words and Jesus would have needed to have explained them. However, the conversation which follows does that for him because the Pharisees are offended: they know that the only way God forgives people is through sacrifice, up at the temple. Yet they should have been thrilled by Jesus' words because if true then people who cannot obey the law fully, like this man, can also be forgiven! However, the Pharisees cannot bear the thought of forgiveness coming in this better way, so they don't even quiz Jesus about it. Nonetheless, Jesus gives them a chance to repent by proving that he has God's authority: he makes the man walk. Yet still, the Pharisees do not respond in any positive way. The man, however, goes away happily rejoicing in God – as all do who put their faith in Jesus.
(1) Have you put your trust in the Lord Jesus for the forgiveness of your sins? Has that made you a person who rejoices in God? If not, why is that do you think?
(2) Do you detect in your own heart any tendency to behave like the Pharisees? Do ever find yourself thinking that forgiveness from God is linked to how well you are doing in your Christian life?
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Despite showing symptoms of illness, some people refuse to go to the doctor to get help. But many more people do this with their souls. Although they hear their conscience speak - saying things aren't right - they do nothing about it. This passage is about people with that attitude. Now this section flows on from the previous verses where Jesus exposed the state of the Pharisees' hearts. Having God's law should have humbled these men and caused them to seek mercy. But sadly it had actually made them proud so that they thought they were higher up God's blessing ladder than others. And although Jesus gives clear evidence that he comes with God's authority, still they ignore his words and make complaints about his behaviour. Well Jesus moves on and meets a tax-collector called Levi. Levi would have been regarded as a traitor and a swindler – in fact John the Baptist previously spoke with tax collectors and told them to repent of their dishonest ways. But Jesus goes one step further and calls Levi to become one of his closest disciples. This is a shocking act since no self-respecting Rabbi would take on a social outcast like Levi! But Levi accepts Jesus' call and gives total commitment. And this causes him to be full of joy: he lays on a feast for Jesus and invites along all his old colleagues and friends, many of whom are also outcasts of society. Jesus gladly goes: he is ready to show friendship and love to Levi; there is nothing stand-offish about Jesus. The Pharisees, however, are outraged by Jesus' behaviour: how can Jesus mix with traitors and sinners like Levi? Which exposes the state of their hearts once again. They lack mercy. Jesus is showing that God has sent him out of mercy – to be a doctor to those who are sick; to call sinners to repentance. But the Pharisees despise such mercy, because it goes against their pride in themselves. Which shows how out of touch these religious people are with God; they have attitudes which are far from being God-like. But sadly they cannot see themselves for what they are and as a result they are putting themselves outside of God's mercy. The healthy don't visit the doctor's; the righteous don't repent. And this group think of themselves in that way – despite all the evidence to the contrary – which means they will find no mercy. We must regularly test our own hearts and see our sin, and then go in repentance to Christ for forgiveness. There is no other way to become a Christian or to live as a Christian. God is the mercy-giver and we must live our lives resting upon that.
(1) Think about your own attitude towards other people. Which people around you, do you think of as not being able to receive mercy from Jesus? In what ways could you repent of that attitude and start showing love to them?
(2) Ponder those times when you know that you need Jesus to be a doctor for your soul. Now turn to prayer and give thanks for all that Jesus has come to do.
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Since 5:12 Jesus has been showing the religious authorities how God is bringing in a new era of mercy through Jesus. By cleansing the leper, forgiving the cripple and calling Levi, Jesus has been displaying the marvellous way that he brings close to God those who previously were far from God (v32). However,the Pharisees have already shown themselves unhappy with this idea and their critical attitude continues in v33. What triggers their complaints this time is that the Pharisees' often prayed (and fasted) in order to ask God to rescue them and make them into a blessed nation again. So they're upset that Jesus doesn't do likewise. But their criticism simply shows that they've not learned anything from Jesus. He's been bringing blessing and restoring people to God! Isn't that what they're praying for? Which is why Jesus and his followers do not fast. This is a time of joy; like a wedding celebration in the land, as people know God's love once again. Yes: in the future, at the cross (and now when Jesus is in heaven) his people fast and pray because they want him to return. But when he does we shall celebrate like never before and the time for fasting will be over, for Jesus brings joy and eternal happiness to all his people. The Pharisees, however, cannot see this and hence they continue to fast and pray. Why? Because although the answer to their prayers is stood before them – Jesus – they cannot see it; it's as though they've got their eyes tightly shut. And that's because they've already decided in what way God must answer their prayers. So since Jesus doesn't fit their expectations – he calls scum like Levi instead of approving of good people like them – he cannot be God's answer! It is so easy to demand that God should answer our prayers in our way. But when we do that we aren't really praying because we're not showing any trust in God. The Pharisees need to look more carefully for the answers to their prayers but stubbornly won't do so. As Jesus says, they are like old shirts and wine-skins which are only good for throwing out; they are like people who will only drink old wine, because they know that new wine is rubbish. And as a result of their blinkered attitude, they will miss God's blessing. Unlike them we must pray for real things and then watch for God's answers. And if unexpected answers come then we must not reject them, but rather learn from the Bible why God answered this way. If we don't then we too may miss God's blessing. But if we do, we may be wonderfully surprised by our God.
(1) What answers to your prayers have you received this week? If you don't know, why not? Do you need to change your way of praying so that you can detect the answers which God brings to you?
(2) What worries do you have? Are they good worries? Or are they because you're expecting life to work your way, rather than in the way God wants?
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