Chapter 5

Lk. 5:1–11. It happened, as the crowd was pressing around him to hear the word of God, that he was standing by the lake of Gennesaret. He saw two boats moored by the lake, but the fishermen had gone out of them and were washing their nets. Getting into one of the boats, which belonged to Simon, he asked him to put out a little from the shore; and sitting down, he taught the crowds from the boat. When he had finished speaking, he said to Simon: Put out into the deep and let down your nets for a catch. And Simon answered: Master, we labored all night and caught nothing, but at your word I will let down the net. When they had done this, they enclosed a great multitude of fish, and their net began to tear. So they signaled to their partners in the other boat to come and help them; they came and filled both boats until they began to sink. Seeing this, Simon Peter fell at Jesus’ knees, saying: Depart from me, for I am a sinful man, Lord. For astonishment had seized him and all with him at the catch of fish they had taken, and likewise James and John, sons of Zebedee, who were partners with Simon. And Jesus said to Simon: Do not be afraid; from now on you will be catching men. And when they had brought their boats to land, they left everything and followed him. The Lord flees glory, but it pursues him all the more. While the multitude, then, pressed upon him, he enters into the ship, that from the ship he might teach those standing on the shore, all being face to face with him and no one coming behind his back. And when he had taught the multitude out of the ship, he does not let the owner of the ship go unrewarded, but benefits him doubly: in that he granted him a multitude of fishes, and in that he made him his disciple. And marvel at the Lord’s dispensation, how he draws each man through what is his own and familiar; for as he drew the Magi through a star, so the fishermen through fishes. And see the gentleness of Christ, how he entreats Peter to thrust out from the land—for understand “he prayed” in the sense of “he entreated.” And see how obedient Peter was, so as to receive into his ship a man whom he did not know, and to obey him in all things; for when he told him to launch out into the deep, he did not chafe, nor say, “I toiled all the night and gained nothing; shall I now obey you and give myself to a second labor?” He said none of these things, but rather, “At your word I will let down the net”—so warm was he in faith even before the faith; whence also he encloses so many fishes that, unable to draw them, he beckons to his partners in the other ship. And he summons them by a beckoning, since for amazement at the draught he could not even speak. And out of much reverence Peter begs Jesus not to be in the ship, calling himself a sinner and not worthy to be with him. And understand these things also in a higher sense, if you wish. The ship is the synagogue of the Jews; Peter holds the type of the teachers under the law. The teachers before Christ, then, toiled all the night (for the time before Christ’s coming is night), and took nothing. But when Christ had come, and day had dawned, the apostles, being set in the place of the teachers of the law, at his word—that is, at his command—let down the net of the Gospel, and catch a multitude of men. And the apostles alone are not able to draw the net of fishes, and they beckon to their partners and fellows, and these help them. And these are the shepherds and teachers of the Churches in each generation, who, interpreting and teaching the apostolic words, help the apostles to catch men. And consider the expression “they let down the net.” For the Gospel is the net; but having a lowly and plain and condescending diction, suited to the simplicity of the hearers, for this reason it is said to be “let down.” And if anyone should say that thereby the depth of the meanings is signified—and so also the saying of the prophet, who said, “Behold, I will send for many hunters, and they shall hunt them”—by hunters he means the teachers of the Churches in each generation.

Lk. 5:12–16. And it happened, while he was in one of the towns, that a man full of leprosy saw Jesus, fell on his face, and begged him: Lord, if you are willing, you can make me clean. Stretching out his hand, he touched him, saying: I am willing; be clean. And immediately the leprosy left him. And he charged him to tell no one, but to go and show himself to the priest and make the offering for his cleansing, as Moses commanded, as a testimony to them. But the report about him spread all the more, and great crowds gathered to hear him and to be healed of their infirmities. But he would withdraw to deserted places and pray. Worthy of wonder is the leper, in that, having a God-befitting thought concerning the Lord, he says, “If you will, you can make me clean.” For this shows that he thought of Christ as of God; for he came to him not as to a physician (for leprosy is not to be handled by the hands of physicians), but as to God, for it belongs to him alone to heal such things. And the Lord touches him—not without reason, but since, according to the law, one who touched a leper was reckoned unclean—wishing to show that he has no necessity to keep such pettinesses of the law, but that he himself is the Lord of the law; and that the clean man is in no way defiled by what seems unclean, but that leprosy of the soul is what defiles. For this reason he touches him; and at the same time, that he might show that his holy flesh has divine power, being both cleansing and life-giving, as being the flesh of God the Word. And he charges the leper to tell no one, teaching us not to seek praise from those we benefit. “But go,” he says, “show yourself to the priest, and offer the gift for a testimony to them.” For it was a law that the priest should examine those who were leprous, and judge whether they were cleansed; and if one was cleansed within seven days, the leper remained inside the city, but if not, he was cast out. This, then, the Lord says: “Go, show yourself to the priest, and offer the gift.” And what was the gift? Two little birds. And what is “for a testimony to them”? That is, for their conviction and accusation, that when they accuse me of transgressing the law, they may be convicted from this that I do not transgress, in that I commanded you to offer the gift which Moses commanded. And how those two little birds were offered to God, it is not out of season to say. One bird was slain, and they received its blood in a new earthen vessel; then both wings of the other bird were dipped in the blood, and so the bird was released alive. These things, then, imaged the things of Christ; for the two birds are the two natures of Christ, the divine and the human, of which the one was slain—that is, the human—and the other was released alive. For the divine nature remained impassible, anointed with the blood of the nature that suffered, and taking the passion into itself. And the blood of the Lord a new earthen vessel received—I mean the new people from among the Gentiles, receptive of the New Covenant. And note that after one is cleansed of leprosy, then he is worthy to offer this gift—that is, to sacrifice Christ and minister as priest; for being leprous and unclean in soul, he would not be counted worthy to offer such gifts, that is, to bring near the body and blood of the Lord, which is united to the divine nature. And mark this too, how immeasurable a superiority the Lord has over Moses. For Moses, though he prayed much, could not heal his sister when she became leprous; but the Lord cleansed the leper by a word alone. And consider also the humility of the Lord, how, while the multitude desired to touch him, he rather gladly spent his time in the wilderness and prayed; thus in all things he gave us examples both of praying in private and of declining glory.

Lk. 5:17–26. And it happened on one of those days, as he was teaching, that Pharisees and teachers of the law were sitting there, who had come from every village of Galilee and Judea and from Jerusalem; and the power of the Lord was present for him to heal. And behold, men were carrying on a bed a man who was paralyzed, and they sought to bring him in and set him before Jesus. Finding no way to bring him in because of the crowd, they went up on the roof and let him down through the tiles, bed and all, into the middle, right in front of Jesus. Seeing their faith, he said: Man, your sins are forgiven you. Then the scribes and the Pharisees began to reason, saying: Who is this who speaks blasphemies? Who can forgive sins but God alone? But Jesus, perceiving their reasoning, answered and said to them: What are you reasoning in your hearts? Which is easier, to say, Your sins are forgiven you, or to say, Rise and walk? 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, take up your bed, and go to your house. And immediately he rose up before them, took up what he had been lying on, and went to his house, glorifying God. Amazement seized them all, and they glorified God and were filled with fear, saying: We have seen incredible things today. It was fitting, the enemies being gathered, that the Lord should work some newer wonder; he heals, then, a man sick with a disease hard to cure, that, through healing such a disease, he might also heal the hard-to-cure madness of the Pharisees. First, then, he heals the things of the soul, saying, “Your sins are forgiven you,” that we may learn that many of our diseases are born of our sins; then he heals also the things of the body, having seen the faith of those who brought him. For often, through the faith of others, he saves others. But the Pharisees say, “Why does this man speak blasphemies? Who can forgive sins but God alone?” And they say these things, condemning him to death; for the law commanded that he who spoke blasphemy against God should suffer death. The Lord, therefore, showing them that he is truly God and does not boast in vain, persuades them from another sign. For what they reasoned, this he understands; whence it is altogether plain that he is God, for it belongs to God to know hearts. He says, then, “Which seems to you easier, to forgive sins, or to make the body whole? Surely, by your reckoning, to forgive sins seems easier, as being unseen and not subject to proof, though it is the harder; but to heal the body seems harder, as being visible, though it is by nature the easier. Yet I will do both this and that; and by healing the body, which seems to you harder, I will confirm also the healing of the soul, which, though it is hard, seems to you easy because it is unseen.” And note that on earth sins are forgiven; for as long as we are on earth, we are able to blot out our sins through confession. But after our departure hence we can no longer blot out our sins. The story is told more at length in the other evangelists.

Lk. 5:27–32. After this he went out and saw a tax collector named Levi sitting at the tax booth, and said to him: Follow me. And leaving everything, he rose and followed him. Then Levi gave a great banquet for him in his house, and there was a large crowd of tax collectors and others reclining with them. The scribes and the Pharisees among them grumbled at his disciples, saying: Why do you eat and drink with tax collectors and sinners? Jesus answered them: Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick do. I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners, to repentance. Matthew openly proclaims his own name, saying, “Jesus saw Matthew the publican sitting at the receipt of custom.” But Luke and Mark, honoring the evangelist, set forward in the midst his other name, Levi. Marvel at the love of God for man, how he plunders the vessels of the wicked one. For a publican is a vessel of the wicked one, and a wicked beast; those who have had experience of bitter exactors know it. For these publicans, who bought the public taxes, did so in order to make gain against their own souls. And the Lord gained not Matthew only, but was zealous to gain also the other publicans with whom he feasted; for it was for this that he deigns to feast with them, that he might draw them too. And the Pharisees, finding fault with him, see what they hear: “I came not to call the righteous,” he says—that is, you who justify yourselves—“but I came to call sinners,” not that they should abide in sin, but that they should repent. And in another sense: “I came not to call the righteous,” for indeed I find none, since all have sinned; for if it were possible to find righteous men, I would not have come. And a publican is also everyone who serves the ruler of this world, and offers tribute to the flesh. The glutton pays to the belly foods; the fornicator, the filthy mixture; and another, another thing. When, then, the Lord—that is, the evangelic word—sees him sitting at the receipt of custom, that is, not advancing nor going forward and moving into greater wickedness, but as it were idle, then he will rise up from evil and follow Jesus, and receive the Lord into the house of his soul. But the Pharisees, the arrogant and those cut off from the rest, murmur because he eats with sinners.

Lk. 5:33–39. And they said to him: Why do the disciples of John fast often and make prayers, and likewise the disciples of the Pharisees; but your eat and drink? And he said to them: Can you make the children of the bridechamber fast, while the bridegroom is with them? But the days will come, when the bridegroom shall be taken away from them, and then shall they fast in those days. And he spoke also a parable to them: No man puts a piece of a new garment upon an old; if otherwise, then both the new makes a rent, and the piece that was taken out of the new agrees not with the old. And no man puts new wine into old bottles; else the new wine will burst the bottles, and be spilled, and the bottles shall perish. But new wine must be put into new bottles, and both are preserved. And no man also having drunk old wine immediately desires new; for he says, The old is better. We spoke of these things in the Gospel according to Matthew. And now we will say briefly that he calls the apostles children of the bridechamber. For the coming of the Lord is likened to a marriage, because, having betrothed the Church, he led her home. The apostles, then, ought not to fast now; for the disciples of John ought to fast, inasmuch as their teacher accomplished virtue by toil and labor—for “John came,” it says, “neither eating nor drinking.” But my disciples, as being with me, God the Word, have no need as yet of the benefit that comes from fasting, being graced from this very source and guarded by me. But when I shall have been taken up, and they are sent forth to the preaching, then shall they both fast and pray, as men stripped for great contests. And in another sense, being now weak and not yet renewed by the Spirit, they resemble old bottles and an old garment. One must not, then, lay upon them any heavier manner of life, just as one does not put a new piece upon an old garment. You may, then, as I said, take the apostles to be like old bottles, as being still weak. But you may also understand the Pharisees to be likened to these, the Lord all but saying to them: “My teaching is new wine; but you, being old bottles, cannot receive it; rather, having drunk the old, you do not desire my new, but say, The old is better.”