Chapter Five

1–11. The calling of Simon. – 12–26. The healing of the leper and the paralytic. – 27–39. The feast at the tax collector’s house Levi’s.

Luke 5:1. Now it happened that while the multitude pressed about Him to hear the word of God, He was standing by the lake of Gennesaret, During a sermon which Christ was delivering while standing on the shore of the lake of Gennesaret (see Matt 4:18), the people became so crowded around Him that He could scarcely stand on the shore any longer (cf. Matt 4:18; Mark 1:16).

Luke 5:2. And He saw two boats lying by the lake; but the fishermen had gone out of them and were washing their nets. “Washing their nets.” The evangelist Luke pays attention only to this work; the other evangelists speak of mending the nets (Mark 1:19) or else only of casting the nets (Matt 4:18). The nets had to be washed in order to free them from shells and sand that had gotten into them.

Luke 5:3. And He got into one of the boats, which was Simon’s, and asked him to put out a little from the shore. And He sat down and taught the multitudes from the boat. Simon was already a disciple of Christ (see John 1:37 and following) — only he had not yet been called, like the other apostles, to permanent following of Christ and continued to engage in fishing. On Christ’s position in the boat while preaching see Mark 4:1.

Luke 5:4. When He had finished speaking, He said to Simon: Put out into the deep water and let down your nets for a catch. Luke 5:5. And Simon answered and said: Master, we have labored all night and have taken nothing, but on Your word I will let down the nets. Luke 5:6. And when they had done this, they caught a great multitude of fish, and their nets were breaking. Luke 5:7. So they signaled to their partners in the other boat to come and help them. And they came and filled both boats, so that they began to sink. The Lord proposes that Simon sail out farther to a deep place and cast his nets there for a catch of fish. Simon, addressing the Lord as “Master” (ἐπιστάτα!—instead of the “Rabbi” often used by the other evangelists), remarks that a catch is hardly to be expected; he and his companions had tried to fish even at night—during the best hours for fishing—and had caught nothing. But all the same, in faith in the word of Christ, which Simon knows possesses miraculous power, he obeys the will of Christ and receives in reward an enormous catch. The catch is so large that the nets began to tear in some places, and Simon and his companions made signs with their hands to the fishermen who remained in the other boat by the very shore to come quickly to help them, for it would have been unnecessary to shout because of the distance between Simon’s boat and the shore. The “companions” clearly watched Simon’s boat the whole time, since they heard what Christ said to Simon.

Luke 5:8. When Simon Peter saw this, he fell down at Jesus’s knees, saying: Depart from me, for I am a sinful man, O Lord! Luke 5:9. For he and all who were with him were astonished at the catch of fish that they had taken; Both Simon and the others who were there were extremely frightened, and Simon even began to ask the Lord to leave the boat, since he felt that his sinfulness might suffer from Christ’s holiness (cf. Luke 1:12; 1 Sam 17:18). “The catch of fish” — more precisely: “the catch, which they had taken” (in the Russian translation inaccurately: “caught by them”). This miracle especially amazed Simon not because he had not seen Christ’s miracles before, but because it occurred for some special purpose of the Lord, without any request from Simon himself. He understood that the Lord wanted to give him some special commission — and fear of the unknown future fills his soul.

Luke 5:10. and also James and John, the sons of Zebedee, who were Simon’s partners. And Jesus said to Simon: Do not be afraid; from now on you will be catching men. Luke 5:11. And when they had brought their boats to land, they left everything and followed Him. The Lord reassures Simon and reveals to him the purpose which He had in mind when He miraculously sent Simon a most abundant catch of fish. This was a symbolic action, by which Simon was shown the success that he would have when he begins through his preaching to turn whole masses of people to Christ. The evangelist evidently had in mind that great event which occurred chiefly through the preaching of the apostle Peter on the day of Pentecost, namely, the conversion to Christ of three thousand people (Acts 2:41). “Left everything.” Although the Lord addressed only Simon, it is clear that the other disciples of the Lord understood that the time had come for all of them to abandon their usual occupations and travel together with their Teacher. However, this was not yet the calling of the disciples to apostolic ministry; this took place later (Luke 6:13 and following). Negative criticism points to the fact that the first two evangelists say nothing about the miraculous catch of fish, and concludes that the evangelist Luke here merged two events that are completely different in time: the calling of the disciples to be fishers of men (Matt 4:18-22) and the miraculous catch of fish after Christ’s resurrection (John 21). But the miraculous catch in the Gospel of John and the miraculous catch in the Gospel of Luke have completely different meanings. The first speaks of the restoration of the apostle Peter in his apostolic ministry, while the second — only of preparation for this ministry: here with Peter there only arises the thought of that great activity to which the Lord calls him. Therefore, it is certain that this is not at all the same catch that the evangelist John reports. But then how do we reconcile the accounts of the two first evangelists with that of the third? Why do the first two evangelists say nothing of the catch of fish? Some interpreters (for example, Keil), feeling their inability to resolve this question, assert that the evangelist Luke does not have in mind at all that calling of which the first two evangelists speak (Commentary on Mt. 4). But the whole setting of the event does not allow us to think that it could have been repeated and that the evangelist Luke is not speaking of the same moment in gospel history that the evangelists Matthew and Mark have in mind. Therefore, it is better to say that the first two evangelists did not attach such great importance to the symbolic catch of fish as it had in Luke’s eyes. Indeed, the evangelist Luke, who described in the book of Acts the preaching activity of the apostle Peter and was obviously long interested in everything relating to this apostle, would have thought it very important to note in the Gospel that symbolic foretelling of the success of the future activity of the apostle Peter which is contained in the story of the miraculous catch of fish.

Luke 5:12. While He was in one of the cities, behold, there came a man full of leprosy; and when he saw Jesus, he fell on his face and begged Him, saying: Lord, if You are willing, You can make me clean. Luke 5:13. And He stretched out His hand and touched him, saying: I am willing; be clean. And immediately the leprosy left him. Luke 5:14. And He commanded him to tell no one; but go and show yourself to the priest and make an offering for your cleansing, just as Moses commanded, for a testimony to them. (See Matt 8:2-4; Mark 1:40-44). The evangelist Luke follows Mark here more closely.

Luke 5:15. But the news about Him spread all the more, and great multitudes gathered to hear Him and to be healed of their infirmities. Luke 5:16. But He withdrew to the wilderness and prayed. The evangelist Luke was silent about the disobedience of the leper (cf. Mark 1:45). “But the news spread all the more” — that is, to an even greater degree than before (μᾶλλον). The prohibition to speak only further prompted people to spread the word about the Miracle-worker.

Luke 5:17. On one of those days, as He was teaching, there were Pharisees and teachers of the law sitting by, who had come from every village of Galilee and Judea and from Jerusalem; and the power of the Lord was with Him to heal. Luke 5:18. And behold, men were bringing on a bed a man who was paralyzed, and they sought to bring him in and lay him before Jesus; Luke 5:19. but finding no way to bring him in, because of the crowd, they went up on the roof and let him down with his bed through the tiles into the midst before Jesus. Luke 5:20. And when He saw their faith, He said: Man, your sins are forgiven you. Luke 5:21. And the scribes and the Pharisees began to question, saying: Who is this who speaks blasphemies? Who can forgive sins but God alone? Luke 5:22. When Jesus perceived their reasoning, He answered them: Why do you reason in your hearts? Luke 5:23. Which is easier, to say, ‘Your sins are forgiven you,’ or to say, ‘Rise and walk’? Luke 5:24. But so that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins” — He said to the paralyzed man: I say to you, rise, pick up your bed and go home. Luke 5:25. And immediately he rose up before them and picked up the bed on which he was lying and went home, glorifying God. Luke 5:26. And amazement seized them all, and they glorified God and were filled with awe, saying: We have seen extraordinary things today. (See Matt 9:2-8; Mark 2:3-12). The evangelist Luke makes some additions to the narrative of the first two evangelists. “On one of those days” — that is, on one of those days, namely during a journey undertaken by the Lord (see Luke 4:43 and following). “Teachers of the law” (see Matt 22:35). “From every village” — this is a hyperbolic expression. The motives for the arrival of the scribes and Pharisees could be very diverse, but certainly among them unfriendly relations toward Christ prevailed. “The power of the Lord” — that is, the power of God. The evangelist Luke, when he calls Christ the Lord, writes the word κύριος with the article (ὁ κύριος), but here κυρίου is placed without the article. “Through the tiles” — that is, through the roof tiles (διὰ τῶν κεράμων), which covered the roof of the house. They removed the tiles in one place (in Mark 2:4, the roof is represented as such that it needs to be “dug through”). “Said to the man: Your sins are forgiven” — more correctly: “said to him: Man, your sins are forgiven.” Christ calls the paralyzed man not “child,” as in other cases (for example, Matt 9:2), but simply “man,” probably with reference to his former sinful life. “Perceived their reasoning.” Some critics point here to a contradiction in Luke with himself: just now he said that the scribes were reasoning among themselves aloud, so Christ could hear their conversations, but now he says that Christ penetrated into their thoughts, which they kept to themselves, as the evangelist Mark noted. But there is no contradiction here. Christ could have heard the conversation of the scribes among themselves — Luke was silent about this — but at the same time He penetrated with His mind into the secret thoughts which they concealed. They, consequently, according to Luke, did not express everything that they thought... The impression produced by this miracle on the people (verse 26), according to the evangelist Luke, was stronger than how Matthew and Mark depicted it.

Luke 5:27. After this, Jesus went out and saw a tax collector named Levi, sitting at the tax booth, and said to him: Follow Me. Luke 5:28. And he left everything, rose up, and followed Him. Luke 5:29. And Levi made a great feast for Him in his house; and there was a large company of tax collectors and others who were reclining with them. Luke 5:30. And the Pharisees and their scribes grumbled at His disciples, saying: Why do you eat and drink with tax collectors and sinners? Luke 5:31. And Jesus answered and said to them: It is not the healthy who need a physician, but the sick; Luke 5:32. I have not come to call the righteous but sinners to repentance. Luke 5:33. And they said to Him: The disciples of John fast often and offer prayers, and likewise the disciples of the Pharisees; but yours eat and drink. Luke 5:34. And He said to them: Can you make the guests of the bridegroom fast while the bridegroom is with them? Luke 5:35. But the days will come, and when the bridegroom is taken away from them, then they will fast in those days. Luke 5:36. He also told them a parable: No one tears a piece from a new garment and puts it on an old garment; otherwise, he will tear the new, and the piece from the new will not match the old. Luke 5:37. And no one puts new wine into old wineskins; otherwise, the new wine will burst the skins and it will be spilled, and the skins will be ruined; Luke 5:38. but new wine must be put into fresh wineskins; then both are preserved. Luke 5:39. And no one, after drinking old wine, desires new wine, but says: The old is better. The calling of the tax collector Levi and the feast he prepared the evangelist Luke describes in accordance with Mark (Mark 2:13-22; cf. Matt 9:9-17), only occasionally supplementing his account. “Went out” — from the city. “Saw” — more correctly: “gazed upon, observed” (ἐθεάσατο). “Left everything” — that is, his tax office and everything that was in it! “Followed” — more precisely: “was following” (the imperfect tense ἠκολούθει according to the better reading means constant following of Christ). “And others who were reclining with them.” So the evangelist Luke replaces Mark’s expression “sinners” (Mark 2:15). That the table had “sinners” at it he states in verse 30. “Why do the disciples of John...” The evangelist Luke does not mention that the disciples of John themselves asked questions of Christ (cf. Matthew and Mark). This is explained by the fact that he condenses this picture, which the first two evangelists divide into two scenes, into one scene. Why the disciples of John appeared in this case together with the Pharisees is explained by the similarity in their religious practices. In reality, of course, the spirit of Pharisaic fasting and prayer was completely different from that of the disciples of John, who at that time had exposed the Pharisees considerably (Matt 3). The prayers that the disciples of John performed — this is mentioned only by the evangelist Luke — were probably the prayers appointed for different times of the day, the so-called Jewish “shema” (cf. Matt 6:5). “He also told them a parable...” Having explained that the Pharisees and the disciples of John cannot make pretenses about Christ’s disciples not observing the fasts (about prayer there is no mention, because, of course, Christ’s disciples also prayed), the Lord further explains that, on the other hand, it should not be for His disciples to harshly condemn the Pharisees and the disciples of John for strictly adhering to the Old Testament ordinances or, rather, the habits of antiquity. One cannot, in fact, take one piece from a new garment to patch an old one: a piece from the new will not fit the old garment, and the new one will also be damaged by such a cut. This means that one should not attach to Old Testament understanding, on which even the disciples of John the Baptist, not to mention the Pharisees, still stood, only one patch of new, Christian understanding, in the form of freedom in relation to fasts established by Jewish tradition (not by the Law of Moses). What will happen if the disciples of John borrow from Christ’s disciples only this freedom? After all, in everything else their understanding will not change, and at the same time they will violate the integrity of their own view, and moreover the new teaching, Christian, with which they will later have to become acquainted, will lose for them the impression of wholeness. “And no one puts...” Here is another parable, but with completely identical meaning to the first. New wine must be put into new wineskins, because it will ferment and the skins will stretch very greatly. Old skins will not withstand this fermentation process; they will burst—so why sacrifice them in vain? They might yet be useful for something... It is clear that Christ again points here to the uselessness of forcing those unprepared to receive His teaching in general, the disciples of John to assimilate even one rule of Christian freedom. Let the bearers of this freedom for now be people capable of perceiving and assimilating it. He, so to speak, excuses the disciples of John in that they still form some kind of separate circle standing outside communion with Him... A similar excuse to the disciples of John is contained in the last parable about old wine being better (verse 39). The Lord means by this that for Him it is perfectly understandable that people accustomed to certain modes of life and having long assimilated certain views hold fast to them with all their strength and that what is old seems pleasant to them...