Do you ever have those moments when the Bible just comes alive to you? I had such a moment standing on the shores of the Sea of Galilee (also known as Sea of Gennesaret). It’s been many years now, but I remember being there near Kibbutz Ginossar, standing on the small pebbles that made up the shore along with mud - hearing the soft waves lapping up against the rocks and thinking - Jesus could have heard these same sounds, and watched Peter, James, and John fish from boats off this very place.
I think what struck me was the idea of God invading our everyday human space. We think of God as a cloud over the Children of Israel, or the glory over the Ark of the Covenant or coming down on Mt Sinai. But to think of him walking the beach, hearing the waves, then teaching and healing and touching - it makes the humanity of Jesus so much more real. Today we’ll see the worldview of those people that Jesus touched, how Jesus becomes real to them, then how they respond.
Chapter 5 of Luke - our on-the-scene reporter portrays Jesus once again in His humanity. We see Him reach out and gather men to be His representatives - though at the time I’m sure they had few clues as to what that really meant. And we see Him heal the outcasts and challenge those in authority - creating a whole new idea of what is His new reality.
Verses 1 - 11
Fishing on the Sea of Galilee was very important. I remember visiting a fishing village when we were there some years ago not far from the shore I just described. Peter, James, and John had a fishing business - the family business. And they were good at it.
Jesus by this time is attracting crowds. As people tried to get closer and closer you can imagine Jesus getting pushed more and more towards the water - where there was no where to go. By getting in Simon’s boat, Jesus can actually use the water as a natural amplification system and be heard by a larger group of people - who also could come no closer.
This wasn’t Peter’s first encounter with Jesus - remember, He had already healed his mother in law - so when Jesus asks him to let down his nets, he takes Him seriously - but - Jesus wasn’t a fisherman, and Peter knew that fishing happened at night, when the fish were active, not during the day. So you can hear a little bit of a condescending tone in his voice - typical fisherman!
None the less, Peter complies. Galilee fishermen used three different kinds of nets - drag nets, cast nets, and trammel nets. Some scholars suggest they were dragging nets, which you did by pulling a net like a big wall and weighted at the bottom between two boats. Other suggest it was a cast net that was like a big circle with weights all around and could be cast from shore or from a boat.
Whichever it is - Peter is totally shocked by the catch and calls to James and John to help him out - and they fill both boats.
So look at Peter’s response: "depart from me, for I am a sinful man (verse 8)" It reminds us of what Isaiah the prophet said when facing a vision of God - "woe is me for I am a man of unclean lips." Peter recognized this man was not just the Master but the Lord - and he immediately saw his own weakness in comparison with this incredible person. Peter did have a tendency towards hyperbole - as evidenced here and many other places.
Jesus doesn’t disagree with Peter’s assessment, but He goes right on to tell Peter that with Him the possibilities are both different and so much more than he ever knew.
Peter’s Worldview: You trust what you know and can control.
What Jesus did: Declared Himself in charge of what Peter thought he knew, and then called Peter to something similar but so much more important.
Peter’s reaction: Seeing Jesus’ power makes him realize his lack and that only by following this man was there real success and completeness.
Verses 12 - 16
Peter realized his uncleanness on the inside - but here comes a man who bears the marks of uncleanness all over him: leprosy. It’s a term for all manner of skin diseases, not just what we know as Hansen’s disease. The Jewish Law directed that anyone with leprosy was excluded from religious participation and secluded from social interaction. According to Josephus, this was the practice of the Jews at the time of Jesus - they were not allowed to even live under same roof as a "clean" person.
How did this person know to come and ask Jesus for healing? Perhaps he had heard of other healings, though this is the first record of leprosy being healed by Jesus. Very few cases of healing of leprosy are recorded - the most famous is Naaman from Syria in 2 Kings 5. But the law did call for a specific sacrifice if a healing took place. (Leviticus 14, pair of birds, one killed, the other mingled with blood and water and set free).
The Man’s Worldview: Leprosy makes you unclean, incurable, untouchable and unlovable.
What Jesus did: Said "I will: be clean." Showing his desire (He was deeply moved: "spleen" as it says in Mark), and his ability to clean the uncleanable and love the unlovable.
The Man’s Reaction: We don’t know if he went to the priest, but he sure told the story around.
"I will - be clean." This is what Jesus speaks to all of us. God wills - He is the One who did the cleaning and decided that we’d be clean. All we have to do is 1- realize our sickness and 2 - rely on God for cleansing.
Verses 17 - 26
This is pretty incredible story. The guys would have had to break through several layers of roofing material - you can imagine Jesus teaching and then "bing" someone gets hit with a piece of straw or clay, then some light breaks through and everyone gets silent as this man is lowered down on a bed. The men didn’t make some big proclamation of faith - they demonstrated it by doing everything they possibly could to reach the One who could help.
Jesus proclaimed Himself to be God here - though it’s not obvious. The religious leaders recognized that only God can forgive sins. Jesus didn’t contradict them.
Do you pray for others? It wasn’t the man’s faith, it was his friends.
The Leaders Worldview: We are the leaders, God is in heaven
What Jesus did: Showed them that He was indeed God, that He was among them, and that forgiveness of sin was actually more important than physical healing, yet He had charge over both.
Their Reaction: Three verbs describe it: amazement, glory, and awe. Amazed is the word where we get "ecstasy" and it means to be out of your mind or beside yourself. "Glory" means to honor. Awe (translated "fear" in some versions) is the word "phobos." So it was a combination of seeing the unbelievable and it blowing their minds, honor for the One who could do it, and fear of realizing just who this person is.
Verses 27 - 32
I think Luke drives his point home here that Jesus is after the broken, the sick - not just physically, but who are sick from sin and outcast from society. Doctor Luke recognizes that Dr. Jesus is a far more potent physician, healing body, soul, and spirit. I don’t know if any of the leaders from the man on the bed incident were there - I doubt it. Not all of Israel’s leaders rejected Jesus.
Matthew (Levi) was well off - though hated. And he was leaving a lucrative career. Tax collectors worked for the Romans. They often cheated people and were rejected by both Jews and Romans. They were excommunicated from the Synagogue and shamed by their families.
Levi (Matthew) needed no proof. He must have heard about Jesus - and when asked, he was ready. This was a bigger thing than it appears.
Verses 33 - 39
The Law called for fasting one day a year, on the Day of Atonement. But the Pharisees fasted on Mondays and Thursdays to show their piety. Scholars think that Levi’s feast happened on one of those fast days. John’s disciples fasted for the repentance of Israel. Jesus did not condemn fasting, but for the right reason (not self piety and praise) and at the right time. When the answer to your fast is among you, why is there a need for it?
The parable teaches that you can’t fit God’s new grace through Jesus into the old system of laws and legalism typified by the Pharisees. It’s too bad the people still try to do that to this day. They receive the forgiveness of God through the grace of God through Jesus then try to please Him through their own works.
Vs 39 "You can’t teach an old dog new tricks." People who are satisfied with legalism don’t want to give it up for faith and grace.
The Pharisees and Scribes Worldview: You should be like us
What Jesus did: Showed them God’s way was so far above theirs that they needed to abandon it and cling to Him.
Their Reaction: They rejected and killed him (later).
Conclusions
How did Jesus become real to these people?
Peter: Took something familiar and did with it something amazing
Leprosy: Was willing to reach out and touch when no one else did
Scribes: Authority that belongs to God and they thought belonged to them is now claimed by Jesus.
Matthew: When he had to choose between all he had in this world and all that Jesus would give him.
When does Jesus become more real to you?
Do you feel powerless and not fruitful? Invite Jesus into your boat
Do you feel unclean? Reach out and see if He is willing (He is)
Do you feel pretty powerful but now threatened by Jesus? - Recognize who He really is and the authority over all aspects of your life.
Do you need to break through the barriers that keep you from God? These guys went to extreme measures to reach out for help. How extreme are you willing to be to reach out for God for your life or someone elses?
Jesus gets in our boat, teaches His Word, then asks us to simply let down the nets. Who brought the fish? Jesus. We simply reel them in.
If you want your life to be clean, if you want it to be fruitful, you have to come earnestly to Jesus, cede authority to Him and be willing to leave off the old and embrace the new.
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