Continuing a Bible study of the Gospels:
(Luke 5:1) And it came to pass that as the people pressed upon Him to hear the Word of God, He stood by the lake of Gennesaret.
In the last chapter of Luke, Jesus had begun His ministry and was teaching throughout Galilee. On this occasion, He was teaching by the lake of Gennesaret which was also called the Sea of Galilee. The people were pressing in on Him to hear the Word of God.
(2) And saw two ships standing by the lake, but the fishermen were gone out of them and were washing their nets.
As Jesus was being pressed into the sea, He saw two ships anchored at the seashore. The fishermen had left their ships and were washing their fishing nets.
(3) And He entered into one of the ships, which was Simon's, and asked him to thrust out a little from the land. And He sat down and taught the people out of the ship.
Jesus boarded one of the ships and asked its owner, Simon, who must have been very close by washing his nets, to move the boat out into the water away from the land a little. There Jesus sat and taught the people from the boat.
(4) Now when He had finished speaking, He said to Simon, "Launch out into the deep and let down your nets for a catch."
When Jesus had finished teaching the people, He spoke to Simon, and told him to launch out into the deeper water and let down their nets there for a catch of fish.
(5) And Simon, answering, said to Him, "Master, we have toiled all night and have taken nothing. Nevertheless, at Your word, I will let down the net."
Simon told Jesus that they had been fishing all night long and didn't catch anything, but he would go ahead and do what Jesus said.
(6) And when they had done this, they caught a great multitude of fish, and their net broke.
When Simon, and whoever was helping him, probably his brother Andrew and perhaps a servant or two, had done as Jesus had told them, they took up such a huge multitude of fish, that it broke their net.
(7) And they beckoned to their partners who were in the other ship to come and help them. And they came and filled both the ships so that they began to sink.
Simon's crew called out to the crew in the other ship to help them with their catch, and there were so many fish that they filled both boats so much that they began to sink.
(8) When Simon Peter saw it, he fell down at Jesus's knees, saying, "Depart from me, for I am a sinful man, O Lord."
When Simon saw the fish and what the Lord had done for him, he fell at Jesus's feet, asking that He leave him, for he was a sinful man not worthy to even be in His presence, not to mention worthy of what the Lord Jesus had done for him.
(9) For he was astonished, and all who were with him, at the catch of fish which they had taken, (10) And so were also James and John, the sons of Zebedee, who were partners with Simon. And Jesus said to Simon, "Fear not, from henceforth you will catch men."
Not only was Simon completely awestruck at the catch of fish they had brought in, but all who were with him, including James and John, the sons of Zebedee, who were his partners in the other ship. Jesus told Simon at His feet not to be afraid, for he was going to thenceforth catch men.
(11) And when they had brought their ships to land, they forsook all and followed Him.
When they had brought their boats to land, they forsook all, leaving their boats and nets and livelihood, and followed Jesus. The accounts in Matthew and Mark do not go into detail about how Jesus first encountered them that day when He used Simon's boat to teach from and then gave them the boatloads of fish, and finally telling Simon He would make him a fisher of men. Knowing all this occurred first, it's easy to see how when Jesus officially called them to follow Him, they all willingly forsook all and followed.
(12) And it came to pass when He was in a certain city, behold, a man full of leprosy seeing Jesus, fell on his face and besought Him, saying, "Lord, if You will, You can make me clean."
When Jesus had gone into a city, there was a man there full of leprosy who when he saw Jesus fell on his face and made an appeal to Him. He acknowledged that Jesus was Lord and seemed to know that He could indeed heal him if it was His will to do so.
(13) And He put forth His hand and touched him, saying, "I will; be clean." And immediately the leprosy departed from him.
Jesus put forth His hand and actually touched the man, showing that no disease or sin was too filthy to bring to Him. He told the man He was indeed willing, and He commanded that he be clean. Immediately the leprosy left the man.
(14) And He charged him to tell no man, "But go and show yourself to the priest, and offer for your cleansing, according as Moses commanded, for a testimony to them."
Jesus told the man not to tell anyone of his healing by Him, but told him to go directly to the priest to be declared clean and offer his offering as prescribed by Moses in the law. I always felt that Jesus didn't want people advertising His healings because for one, He wasn't about vainglory and praise, and also because He didn't want too much attention brought to Him too soon before His time. However, Matthew Henry, in his Commentary on the Whole Bible, brought up another point. He believed that Jesus didn't forbid the man from ever letting it be known that He had healed him, but rather His meaning was that he should not go about bragging about it for his own honor, but be humble and thankful, and know that it was not because he was particularly great and important that Jesus should choose to heal him.
(15) But so much more went there abroad a fame of Him, and great multitudes came together to hear and to be healed by Him of their infirmities.
However, the account in Mark states that the man went out and "began to publish it much and blaze the matter abroad," so that Jesus's fame grew and great multitudes of people came together to hear Him and to be healed by Him.
(16) And He withdrew Himself into the wilderness and prayed.
The general consensus of the Bible commentators I study is that this doesn't mean that Jesus withdrew Himself right away from the multitudes seeking His word and healing, ignoring their requests, but that He frequently took breaks away from the multitudes to pray. He was so constantly thronged by people that He would have to withdraw from them on occasions for solitude, rest, and prayer.
(17) And it came to pass on a certain day, as He was teaching, that there were Pharisees and doctors of the law sitting by, who had come out of every town of Galilee, Judea, and Jerusalem; and the power of the Lord was present to heal them.
It came to pass that one day when Jesus was teaching, Pharisees and doctors or scribes of the law were sitting by to observe Jesus. The original statement is a bit awkwardly written but the meaning is that people came from all around, from the towns of Galilee, Judea, and Jerusalem, to hear Jesus's teaching, and the power of the Lord was present to heal them, not the Pharisees and scribes, who just happened to be sitting by and observed, but certainly weren't there to be healed by Him.
(18) And behold, men brought in a bed a man who was taken with a palsy, and they sought means to bring him in and to lay him before Him.
The account in Mark stated that Jesus was teaching in a house, so when some men brought a man lying on a bed who was paralyzed to bring before Jesus, they had difficulty finding room in the house to do so.
(19) And when they could not find how they might bring him in because of the multitude, they went on the housetop and let him down through the tiling into the midst before Jesus.
When the men carrying the paralyzed man on the cot could not find their way into the house because of the crowd of people, they went on top of the house and let the cot down through the tiling of the roof, either by removing a few tiles or perhaps through a trapdoor in the midst of the tiles that was usually found on Jewish flat-roofed houses. They dropped the man on his cot into the midst of the crowd before Jesus.
(20) And when He saw their faith, He said to him, "Man, your sins are forgiven you."
Jesus saw that the men must have had great faith in Him to go through all the trouble they did to get their paralyzed friend to Him, and He told the man on the cot that his sins had been forgiven.
(21) And the scribes and the Pharisees began to reason, saying, "Who is this who speaks blasphemies? Who can forgive sins but God alone?"
The scribes and Pharisees who were sitting among the crowd began to reason among themselves that Jesus spoke blasphemies because no one could forgive sins except God alone.
(22) But when Jesus perceived their thoughts, He answering, said to them, "Why do you reason in your hearts? (23) Which is easier to say, 'Your sins are forgiven you' or to say, 'Rise up and walk.'?"
Jesus knew what the scribes and Pharisees were reasoning in their hearts and minds, and asked them why it was that they did. He asked them which was easier for Him to have said, that the man's sins were forgiven him, or to get up and walk.
(24) "But that you may know that the Son of man has power on earth to forgive sins," He said to the man sick of the palsy, "I say to you, arise and take up your cot and go to your house."
To the scribes and Pharisees, Jesus said that so they would know that He, the Son of man, had power on earth to forgive sins, He turned His attention to the paralyzed man and told him to rise up, take his cot, and go to his house.
(25) And immediately he rose up before them and took up what he had been lying on and departed to his own house, glorifying God.
Immediately the paralyzed man rose up before the crowd, took up his cot, and departed to his own house, glorifying God for his healing.
(26) And they were all amazed and they glorified God and were filled with fear, saying, "We have seen strange things today."
All who witnessed the miraculous healing were amazed and they, too, glorified God. However, they were also filled with a reverential fear for the divine Being in their presence and acknowledged they had seen things they had never seen before.
(27) And after these things He went forth and saw a publican named Levi sitting at the receipt of custom, and He said to him, "Follow Me."
Jesus left the house and as He went, He saw a tax collector named Levi, who was also called Matthew, sitting at the booth or office where taxes were collected. Jesus told Matthew to follow Him. How wonderful it is that Jesus calls the lowliest people to Him. It should give us all hope and assurance that wherever we are in life, we can go to Him. He called lowly fishermen and a hated tax collector to be His closest followers. He humbled Himself to be among the lowliest of men in order to save all of us, no matter what our circumstances. The Holy God who cannot be in the presence of sin humbled Himself to come to earth as a man and surrounded Himself with the lowliest men of rank and reputation. Can there be any more loving and gracious act?
(28) And he left all, rose up, and followed Him.
Levi, or Matthew, immediately followed Jesus, leaving all his business behind him. One can imagine there were many other tax collectors in Matthew's presence at his office or with their own booths. But Jesus called only Matthew. Jesus judges the heart of man and surely saw the good in Matthew. Matthew, likewise, knowing there had to be something better, being drawn by the Holy Spirit of God, willingly left everything to follow Jesus. However, I could be giving Matthew more credit than he deserves at this point. Jesus's calling of Matthew could be 100% His power to soften a hard heart and draw its owner to follow Him, something Matthew may have been completely uninclined to do on his own, but Jesus saw the truth in Matthew and saw him as he would become.
(29) And Levi made Him a great feast in his own house, and there was a great company of publicans and others who sat down with them.
Levi, or Matthew, made a great feast in Jesus's honor at his home. As he was a tax collector, it is easy to understand why his friends would be tax collectors as well, and these people and others sat with Jesus and Matthew.
(30) But their scribes and Pharisees murmured against His disciples, saying, "Why do you eat and drink with publicans and sinners?"
However, the scribes and the Pharisees among the people murmured against Jesus's followers and asked why they would partake of a feast with tax collectors and sinners.
(31) And Jesus answering, said to them, "Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. (32) I came not to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance."
Jesus, knowing their thoughts, although they didn't speak directly to Him, spoke directly to them and told them that people who are well don't need a physician; only those who are sick need one. Likewise, the righteous didn't necessarily need Him at this point, but sinners needed Him desperately and He came for them.
(33) And they said to Him, "Why do the disciples of John fast often and make prayers, and likewise those of the Pharisees, but Yours eat and drink?"
The account in Matthew states that it was the disciples of John who posed this question to Jesus. It could be they were among the scribes and Pharisees or any others who had witnessed Jesus and His disciples at the feast. It could have been discussed aloud and any one of them may have posed a sincere question to Jesus. They asked Him why it was that religious followers like the disciples of John and also of the scribes and Pharisees fasted often and made prayers while Jesus's disciples ate and drank.
(34) And He said to them, "Can you make the children of the bridechamber fast while the bridegroom is with them?"
Jesus answered their question with a question as He so often did. Just as the friends and family at a wedding could not be expected to fast and mourn while the wedding party was among them, neither could Jesus's disciples be expected to fast and pray while He was with them.
(35) "But the days will come when the bridegroom shall be taken away from them, and then they will fast in those days."
Jesus continued, telling them that there would come a time when their bridegroom, Jesus, would be taken away from them, and then it would be the time for fasting and prayer.
(36) And He spoke also a parable to them, "No man puts a piece of a new garment on an old, otherwise the new makes a tear and the piece out of the new does not match the old."
Jesus then gave them an illustration of His point. One would not take a piece out of a new garment to patch an old one. It would tear and ruin the new garment, and the patch would not match the old garment and would pull and possibly tear it when washed. The new and old do not fit together. Jesus would not take His new disciples and try to put them into the old religion of men of strictness and legalism. Jesus came to teach the heart of the law of God and this new way, although not really new at all, but new to the old religious leaders who had lost their way, would pull at and disrupt the old ways. Also it would detract from the heart of the law of God to take from their new way and force them back to a legalistic view.
(37) "And no man puts new wine into old bottles, else the new wine will burst the bottles and will be spilled and the bottles will perish."
Likewise, no man would put new wine in an old bottle as the old bottle of skin would not be able to stand the fermentation of the new wine and would give way, spilling the wine and destroying the bottle. So the new wine of Gospel grace would not be put into the old Pharisee bottles as they would not be able to receive and bear it and would literally perish with wrath and indignation of the new, spilling it out to no avail.
(38) "But new wine must be put into new bottles, and both are preserved."
The new Gospel way of thinking must be given to new baby Christians whose hearts have not been hardened by legalistic rules and customs of man. That way both the new Christians like Jesus's disciples would be preserved as well as the Gospel of God.
(39) "And no man also having drunk old immediately desires new, for he says, "The old is better."
Jesus went on to add that no man having been accustomed to the old would immediately desire the new, for he would think the old that he was used to was the better way. New baby Christians would more readily accept the new Gospel than would the old religious leaders who were comfortable in their old ways believing they were the best.
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