Luke 5:1 Commentary - Dr Peter Masters | Metropolitan Tabernacle

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Luke 5:1

Comments

(Synoptics: Luke 5:1-11)The Lord Jesus is now based in Capernaum on the shore of the sea of Galilee, here called the lake of Gennesaret. He indicates the primary lesson from this miracle in verse 10 where he says to Simon, ‘Fear not, from henceforth thou shalt catch men.’ The uppermost thought has to do with the proclamation of the gospel, the bringing in of the elect of God, the building up of the people of God, and their being instructed in the things of God. The background is that the disciples were not really where they ought to have been. If we study the Gospels we find that these disciples had already been called once. Peter had been called when still a disciple of John the Baptist (John 1:42), and possibly just a short time ago in very similar circumstances (Matthew 4:18), which would explain Christ’s presence at Peter house in an earlier passage in Luke. They had already said that they would follow him, but for various reasons – despondency or a reluctance to break with their family business and their ordinary ties – they had failed to do so. In fact in Peter's case what happens here in Luke 5 is in all probability the third time that he has received some kind of call, and yet here you find that whereas the crowds are listening to the Lord Jesus, Peter and others have gone fishing. They are not attending to his ministry. This miracle, which teaches them something about their future task, was not only given to instruct them but to shake them out of an unworthy complacency. Two ships were there, that of Simon and his brother Andrew, and the ship belonging to their fishing partners, James and John (verse 10). Their boats were on the shore because they were cleaning their nets after an unsuccessful night’s fishing. They had not yet forsaken all and followed him; they were not yet full-time disciples, but they were about to be called to a closer discipleship, and a total engagement with the Lord. Luke describes the situation that led to Christ being in the boat, but on this occasion he does not tell us what the Lord taught, because he intends to focus on something else: the interaction with Simon and the others. The crowd is growing so great that it is becoming difficult for Jesus to teach them while standing among them on the shore, so he steps into the boat belonging to Peter and Andrew, and asks to be taken a little distance from the shore from where he can turn and preach to the crowd on the shore and be comfortably heard by all. This unconventional pulpit serves his purposes well and is not beneath his dignity. What glorious things they would have heard, standing on the shore of the sea of Galilee.

Application

The spiritual lethargy which we are capable of is so inappropriate. We too have been called by the Lord, saved by his precious blood, our minds wonderfully emancipated, and delivered from the power of the devil and all the old ways, and left with a wonderful commission. How inappropriate is our lack of zeal and the long periods that we can be complacent. These miracles show us the wonderful patience of Christ towards his people when he sees his disciples not where they should be, but complacent and despondent.

We must desire to see greater blessing always and never be content with what we have. And we must frequently acknowledge our real and whole hearted belief in the power of the Holy Spirit, so we must never leave off praying that the Holy Spirit will bless our efforts. We must remember to praise him when he blesses and we mustn't take the credit for ourselves. The work which he has given us to do doesn't require magnificent gifts; it requires faithfulness and application.

Questions

Obviously Matthew 4:18-22 and Mark 1:16-20 are parallel, but what about Luke 5:1-11? Hendriksen argues that Luke is not parallel to Matthew and Mark (Matthew’s Commentary p 245-246). In Mark the calling of the first disciples comes before the account of the man with the unclean spirit and the healing of Peter's mother-in-law and Mark’s stronger time signatures do not easily allow this order to be changed. Luke puts the calling of the disciples after these two events. If Christ was teaching the crowds (Luke 5:1) then he may have been there for a considerable period of time and the differences in the circumstances might be accounted for. Nevertheless, although Luke 5:1-11 does not have a strong time signature and could be moved back before the account of the man with the unclean spirit, and in spite of the difficulty of having the disciples forsake their fishing business twice, and in close succession, it seems likely that these were separate events.

Outline

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Introduction

Luke 5:1 Commentary and Bible Study