Sunday School Lessons: Luke Chapter 5

Luke Chapter 5

Read Matthew 4:18-22, Mark 1:16-20

5:1On one occasion, while the crowd was pressing in on him to hear the word of God, he was standing by the lake of Gennesaret, 2and he saw two boats by the lake, but the fishermen had gone out of them and were washing their nets. 3Getting into one of the boats, which was Simon's, he asked him to put out a little from the land. And he sat down and taught the people from the boat.

Matthew and Mark both include a brief account of the calling of the disciples Peter and Andrew, James and John who were fishermen. Luke gives more details and includes this account of the miracle that took place that day on the Sea of Galilee.

In this passage, notice that the crowd wasn’t following Jesus for healing and miracles, they were ‘pressing in on him to hear the word of God.” The people recognized that Jesus was preaching God’s Word and that’s why they crowded in to listen. Have you ever been part of a crowd and tried to hear and see what was going on in front of you? It can be hard to know all that is going on in a crowd. Jesus saw the empty boats that were docked near the shore and so he asked Simon to take the boat out from shore a little bit so that the people could see and hear him. Have you ever been on the shore when a boat full of people sailed by? Even though they are far away from you, the voices carry across the water and you can hear more than you expect! Jesus sat down and taught the people and they could all see and hear.

4And when he had finished speaking, he said to Simon, “Put out into the deep and let down your nets for a catch.” 5And Simon answered, “Master, we toiled all night and took nothing! But at your word I will let down the nets.”

After he finished speaking, he told Simon to “put out into the deep and let down your nets for a catch. What was Simon’s response?

Simon was a fisherman and he knew that the time to fish on the Sea of Galilee was at night and nearer to the shore. He was a professional fisherman, Jesus was not. He had just spent the entire night ‘toiling’ and then when the sun came up and they returned to the shore without a catch, they still had to clean the nets and get them ready for another night’s work. Even though Simon told Jesus that they had toiled all night and caught nothing, he obeyed Jesus. He believed his word. Why do you think he believed him? Even though Simon had just listened to Jesus teaching, he didn’t call him ‘Rabbi, teacher,’ he called him Master. As tired as he was, Simon was ready to obey his master.

6And when they had done this, they enclosed a large number of fish, and their nets were breaking. 7They signaled to their partners in the other boat to come and help them. And they came and filled both the boats, so that they began to sink.

They cast their nets and gathered in a miraculous catch. The nets were so full that they were beginning to break with the great weight of the catch of fish. They had to beckon to the fishermen in the other boat to come and help them bring in the catch. There were so many fish that both boats were filled and they began to sink!

The captains and crews of two fishing vessels saw this might catch. They had probably had big catches before but nothing at all like what they saw that day! They knew that they had witnesses a great miracle—no one knew better than they did! It is also likely that the people who had come to hear Jesus teach were able to see what happened from the shore. Why do you think Jesus did this particular miracle on this particular day?

8But when Simon Peter saw it, he fell down at Jesus' knees, saying, “Depart from me, for I am a sinful man, O Lord.”

Simon had listened to Jesus preach and he saw the miracle that Jesus had just performed. He understood that he was God. Being in the presence of Jesus and understanding that He is truly God, Simon also knew beyond a shadow of a doubt that He was sinful and could not stand in the presence of holiness. (Isaiah 6) The first thing we must do when we come to Christ in faith is to believe that He is God and that we are sinners. Simon understood.

9For he and all who were with him were astonished at the catch of fish that they had taken, 10and so also were 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.” 11And when they had brought their boats to land, they left everything and followed him.

Remember what we’ve noticed about men’s reactions when they are in the presence of angels? What is the angels first response? Jesus not only told Simon not to be afraid, he also told him that ‘from now on you will be fishers of men!’ This miracle made such an impression on them that they all left everything and followed Christ. Think about this for a minute. They had just been more successful than they had ever been before, but rather than stay there and start fishing the way Jesus had instructed them for earthly gain, they left their careers when they were most successful so that they could follow Christ!

Do you remember what happened on the day of Pentecost when the Holy Spirit fell and then (Simon) Peter preached to the men of Israel? READ ACTS 2:37-41 That was what Jesus was talking about—that day Peter, by the power of the Holy Spirit, cast the net and brought in a great multitude and the church was born.

Read Matthew 8:2-4, Mark 1:40-45

12While he was in one of the cities, there came a man full of leprosy.And when he saw Jesus, he fell on his face and begged him, “Lord, if you will, you can make me clean.” 13And Jesusstretched out his hand and touched him, saying, “I will; be clean.” And immediately the leprosy left him.

It was a terrible thing to have leprosy. (Lev 13:1-8, 45-46) Leprosy is a skin disease and under the Mosaic law, once you had leprosy, you had to leave your home and family and live apart from everyone else. If you had to be around people, you had to cry, “Unclean, unclean!” so that people knew that they had to stay away from you.

This man was full of leprosy. He came to Jesus believing that he could heal him. Jesus reached out to this man and touched him and healed him! No one touched a person who was unclean. To do that would make you unclean. But Jesus touched him and healed him! Hebrews 4 says that he is able to sympathize with our weaknesses. Read John 6:37

14And he charged him to tell no one, but “go and show yourself to the priest, and make an offering for your cleansing, as Moses commanded, for a proof to them.” 15But now even more the report about him went abroad, and great crowds gathered to hear him and to be healed of their infirmities. 16But he would withdraw to desolate places and pray.

Jesus told the man to go straight to the priest and show that he had been healed and to do as the law required and make an offering to God. But the word got out! The man who had been covered with leprosy was now clean and he was back with his family and in the community! Everyone was talking about it and they all came to hear Jesus teach and to be healed. Jesus worked day and night among the people, teaching and preaching and healing but he always took time to get alone so that he could pray.

Read Matthew 9:2-8, Mark 2:1-12

17On one of those days, as he was teaching, 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 with him to heal.

This was another large gathering of people. The people had come from far and wide to hear Jesus teach. And Jesus was healing. The Pharisees and teachers of the Law were there, watching what was going on. This is the first indication of the hostility of the religious leaders.

18And behold, some men were bringing on a bed a man who was paralyzed, and they were seeking to bring him in and lay him before Jesus, 19but 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. 20And when he saw their faith, he said, “Man, your sins are forgiven you.”

This man was paralyzed. He could not physically get to Jesus without help, but he and his friends had faith and believed that Jesus could heal him, so they went to great extremes to get him to Jesus. Jesus said something unexpected here. Do you remember what he said to the man with leprosy when he asked to be healed? But this time he says, “Your sins are forgiven you!” Jesus has the authority to teach, to do miracles, to heal and to forgive sins.

21And the scribes and the Pharisees began to question, saying, “Who is this who speaks blasphemies? Who can forgive sins but God alone?” 22When Jesus perceived their thoughts, he answered them, “Why do you question in your hearts?

Jesus was able to perceive the thoughts of the Pharisees and the scribes. He knew that they were accusing Jesus of blasphemy, for only God can forgive sins. Jesus was claiming to be God and he proved He is God, both by demonstrating that He knew these men’s hearts and by healing the man.

23Which is easier, to say, ‘Your sins are forgiven you,’ or to say, ‘Rise and walk’? 24But that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins”—he said to the man who was paralyzed—“I say to you, rise, pick up your bed and go home.”

By healing this man, Jesus proved that he has authority to forgive sins.

25And immediately he rose up before them and picked up what he had been lying on and went home, glorifying God. 26And amazement seized them all, and they glorified God and were filled with awe, saying, “We have seen extraordinary things today.”

Read Matthew 9:9, Mark 2:13-14

27After this he went out and saw a tax collector named Levi, sitting at the tax booth. And he said to him, “Follow me.” 28And leaving everything, he rose and followed him.

Levi is the same person as Matthew. Matthew was a tax collector. What do you remember about tax collectors? They were hated because they were corrupt. It is clear from this passage that Levi was not following after Jesus at this point. He was sitting at the tax booth, doing his job. But Jesus called him to follow and, like the fishermen, he left everything to follow Jesus. This is not as flashy as two boats full of fish but this is still a mighty miracle! Jesus knew Matthew and called him and he came!

29And Levi made him a great feast in his house, and there was a large company of tax collectors and others reclining at table with them. 30And the Pharisees and their scribes grumbled at his disciples, saying, “Why do you eat and drink with tax collectors and sinners?” 31And Jesus answered them, “Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. 32I have not come to call the righteous but sinners to repentance.”

Jesus not only called a sinner to be a disciple, he ate and drank with sinners! The Pharisees and the scribes were still watching and they were not happy. They were grumbling—this time out loud instead of in their hearts! This is another thing the Pharisees and scribes would hold against Jesus—that he ate and drank with sinners and tax collectors—unheard of! In the same way that doctors go to take care of sick people, Jesus goes to those who are sick. The sickness is that of sin and only those who know that they are sinful can repent. If a person thinks they are already righteous, they will never repent. Jesus is the great physician and He heals those who come to Him in faith and repentance.

33And they said to him, “The disciples of John fast often and offer prayers, and so do the disciples of the Pharisees, but yours eat and drink.” 34And Jesus said to them, “Can you make wedding guests fast while the bridegroom is with them? 35The days will come when the bridegroom is taken away from them, and then they will fast in those days.”

The scribes and Pharisees are still looking for ways to criticize Jesus. They compare his disciples to those of John and of themselves in the manner of fasting. Jesus tells them that the time for fasting will come once he is gone. There is a proper time and manner of fasting.

36He also told them a parable: “No one tears a piece from a new garment and puts it on an old garment. If he does, he will tear the new, and the piece from the new will not match the old. 37And no one puts new wine into old wineskins. If he does, the new wine will burst the skins and it will be spilled, and the skins will be destroyed. 38But new wine must be put into fresh wineskins. 39And no one after drinking old wine desires new, for he says, ‘The old is good.’”

When a person comes to Christ, he is a new creation! (2 Corinthians 5:17) We are not just patched up, we are made brand new. We cannot hold on to our old ways.

*These lessons are written for use with elementary aged students. You can find lessons for previous chapters here . All scriptures are taken from the ESV.