Jesus Teaching

LUKE — LESSON 5

Scriptures for this lesson are taken from Luke 4, Luke 5, Matthew 4, John 1.

In Luke chapter 4, Jesus was tested by Satan and refuted all temptations by using Old Covenant scriptures. Jesus then visited His home town of Nazareth in Galilee. In the synagogue on the Sabbath, He read from Isaiah about the coming on the Messiah. When Jesus told the congregation that the scripture had been fulfilled the crowd wanted Him to perform a miracle. When Jesus refused they tried to throw Him over a cliff. Jesus walked through them and went His way. From Nazareth, Jesus went to Capernaum which was about twenty miles northeast of Nazareth.

[Luke 4:31-37] (31) Then he went down to Capernaum, a town in Galilee, and on the Sabbath he taught the people. (32) They were amazed at his teaching, because his words had authority. (33) In the synagogue there was a man possessed by a demon, an impure spirit. He cried out at the top of his voice, (34) “Go away! What do you want with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us? I know who you are — the Holy One of God!” (35) “Be quiet!” Jesus said sternly. “Come out of him!” Then the demon threw the man down before them all and came out without injuring him. (36) All the people were amazed and said to each other, “What words these are! With authority and power he gives orders to impure spirits and they come out!” (37) And the news about him spread throughout the surrounding area.

It was not unusual for a Rabbi to teach on the Sabbath, but the people were amazed at Jesus because He taught with authority. When Jesus was in the synagogue a demon possessed man was there. The demons recognized Jesus as the Son of God and they asked Jesus if He had come to destroy them. There are many instances of demon possession in the New Testament. Some of these appear to be diseases but in this case and several others, the demon or demons recognize Christ as the Son of God. These are demonic spiritual beings that inhabited living beings. Being a part of Satan’s realm they knew who Jesus was. Their power was no match for the power of God. The people of Capernaum were amazed at Jesus’ power and authority!

[Luke 4:38-44] (38) Jesus left the synagogue and went to the home of Simon. Now Simon’s mother-in-law was suffering from a high fever, and they asked Jesus to help her. (39) So he bent over her and rebuked the fever, and it left her. She got up at once and began to wait on them. (40) At sunset, the people brought to Jesus all who had various kinds of sickness, and laying his hands on each one, he healed them. (41) Moreover, demons came out of many people, shouting, “You are the Son of God!” But he rebuked them and would not allow them to speak, because they knew he was the Messiah. (42) At daybreak, Jesus went out to a solitary place. The people were looking for him and when they came to where he was, they tried to keep him from leaving them. (43) But he said, “I must proclaim the good news of the kingdom of God to the other towns also, because that is why I was sent.” (44) And he kept on preaching in the synagogues of Judea.

The first question that comes to mind is, did Peter know Jesus already when Jesus came to his house in Capernaum? The answer is, yes, he did.

[Matthew 4:18-22] (18) As Jesus was walking beside the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers, Simon called Peter and his brother Andrew. They were casting a net into the lake, for they were fishermen. (19) “Come, follow me,” Jesus said, “and I will send you out to fish for people.” (20) At once they left their nets and followed him. (21) Going on from there, he saw two other brothers, James son of Zebedee and his brother John. They were in a boat with their father Zebedee, preparing their nets. Jesus called them, (22) and immediately they left the boat and their father and followed him.

Peter and Andrew were brothers, James and John were brothers and the sons of Zebedee and they were living in Capernaum and were all in the fishing business together. Peter’s mother-in-law was ill with a fever of some sort and they asked Jesus to help her. He drove the fever from her body and she got up and began to serve them which probably means that she prepared food. We have another instance where there were demon possessed people in the crowd and the demons cried out that Jesus was the Son of God, but Jesus would not allow them to speak because it was not time for Him to openly declare that He was the Messiah. This is the beginning of His ministry and He did not want to create a situation that would bring too much attention to Himself at this time. The crowds got too great and pressing and Jesus needed solitude and time for prayer and communication with His Father. The people came looking for Him and tried to keep Him there in Capernaum but it was time for Him to move on and share the good news in other towns.

[Luke 5:1-3] (1) One day as Jesus was standing by the Lake of Gennesaret, the people were crowding around him and listening to the word of God. (2) He saw at the water’s edge two boats, left there by the fishermen, who were washing their nets. (3) He got into one of the boats, the one belonging to Simon, and asked him to put out a little from shore. Then he sat down and taught the people from the boat.

The Lake of Gennesaret, the Sea of Tiberias and the Sea of Galilee are all the same body of water. Jesus was there on the shore and the people were crowding all around Him, so He got into one of the fishing boats that belonged to Peter. Jesus taught God’s Word to the people from the boat while the fishermen who had had a bad day catching few if any fish were cleaning their nets.

[Luke 5:4-11] (4) When he had finished speaking, he said to Simon, “Put out into deep water, and let down the nets for a catch.” (5) Simon answered, “Master, we’ve worked hard all night and haven’t caught anything. But because you say so, I will let down the nets.” (6) When they had done so, they caught such a large number of fish that their nets began to break. (7) So they signaled their partners in the other boat to come and help them, and they came and filled both boats so full that they began to sink. (8) When Simon Peter saw this, he fell at Jesus’ knees and said, “Go away from me, Lord; I am a sinful man!” (9) For he and all his companions were astonished at the catch of fish they had taken, (10) and so were James and John, the sons of Zebedee, Simon’s partners. Then Jesus said to Simon, “Don’t be afraid; from now on you will fish for people.” (11) So they pulled their boats up on shore, left everything and followed him.

Peter’s reaction to this miracle of such a large catch of fish is interesting. He realized He was in the presence of the Messiah and he knew as a sinful man he had no right to be there. How much did the disciples understand at that time about who Jesus was?

[John 1:35-40] (35) The next day John was there again with two of his disciples. (36) When he saw Jesus passing by, he said, “Look, the Lamb of God!” (37) When the two disciples heard him say this, they followed Jesus. (38) Turning around, Jesus saw them following and asked, “What do you want?” They said, “Rabbi” (which means “Teacher”), “where are you staying?” (39) “Come,” he replied, “and you will see.” So they went and saw where he was staying, and they spent that day with him. It was about four in the afternoon. (40) Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother, was one of the two who heard what John had said and who had followed Jesus. (41) The first thing Andrew did was to find his brother Simon and tell him, “We have found the Messiah” (that is, the Christ). (42) And he brought him to Jesus.

The Apostle John gives us some insight about this. Andrew and Peter were already followers of John the Baptist. This event followed shortly after Jesus had come to John to be baptized. John had pointed Jesus out to Andrew stating that Jesus was the Messiah. Andrew immediately went to find Peter and they followed Jesus and spent some time with Him. The Jews were expecting the Messiah to raise a large army, overthrow the Romans and make Israel the great nation it was in the days of David and Solomon. Comprehending what the Messiah had come to do and what His ministry would be was a slow and painful process for His followers.

[Luke 5:12-15] (12) While Jesus was in one of the towns, a man came along who was covered with leprosy. When he saw Jesus, he fell with his face to the ground and begged him, “Lord, if you are willing, you can make me clean.” (13) Jesus reached out his hand and touched the man. “I am willing,” he said. “Be clean!” And immediately the leprosy left him. (14) Then Jesus ordered him, “Don’t tell anyone, but go, show yourself to the priest and offer the sacrifices that Moses commanded for your cleansing, as a testimony to them.” (15) Yet the news about him spread all the more, so that crowds of people came to hear him and to be healed of their sicknesses. (16) But Jesus often withdrew to lonely places and prayed.

At this time, there was no cure for leprosy and it was very contagious. In Israel, having leprosy made a person ritually unclean. Persons who had the disease were required to wear raggedy, torn clothes so they could be recognized. When someone approached they had to cry out, “Unclean! Unclean!” There were other skin diseases and if a person recovered they had to go to the priest where he would perform a ritual purification.

The people who were watching must have been horrified when Jesus reached and touched this leper, and then amazed when he was healed. Jesus told him to go to the priest and be cleansed because lepers had to bed isolated. After going through the cleansing rituals the man’s family and friends would accept him and he could return to his home. Jesus told the man not to spread it around that Jesus had healed him because the crowds of people who were following Him were increasing and He still had over a year to complete His ministry.

[Luke 5:17-26] (17) One day Jesus was teaching, and Pharisees and teachers of the law were sitting there. They had come from every village of Galilee and from Judea and Jerusalem. And the power of the Lord was with Jesus to heal the sick. (18) Some men came carrying a paralyzed man on a mat and tried to take him into the house to lay him before Jesus. (19) When they could not find a way to do this because of the crowd, they went up on the roof and lowered him on his mat through the tiles into the middle of the crowd, right in front of Jesus. (20) When Jesus saw their faith, he said, “Friend, your sins are forgiven.” (21) The Pharisees and the teachers of the law began thinking to themselves, “Who is this fellow who speaks blasphemy? Who can forgive sins but God alone?” (22) Jesus knew what they were thinking and asked, “Why are you thinking these things in your hearts? (23) Which is easier: to say, ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or to say, ‘Get up and walk’? (24) But I want you to know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins.” So he said to the paralyzed man, “I tell you, get up, take your mat and go home.” (25) Immediately he stood up in front of them, took what he had been lying on and went home praising God. (26) Everyone was amazed and gave praise to God. They were filled with awe and said, “We have seen remarkable things today.”

Jesus is still in Galilee teaching in the towns there. This day there were scribes and Pharisees from Jerusalem, Judea and Galilee which means they had come from all around Israel. The word had gone out that there was a man doing miracles, teaching with authority, healing the sick and people were saying He was the Messiah. They had come to check Him out.

In verse 17 we are told that the power of the Lord was with Jesus to be able to heal people. I don’t think this is saying that Jesus did not always have the power to heal, I think that Luke is stressing that Jesus had that power. There was a large crowd of people there and Jesus was inside a house. A paralyzed man had friends to bring him to Jesus hoping to be healed, but the crowd was so big that they could not get into the house. Somehow the friends were able to get the man on the roof where they opened a hole and lowered him into the house before Jesus. Jesus was impressed with the faith of the paralyzed man and his friends who had gone to so much effort to get the man before Jesus. Jesus tells the paralyzed man that his sins are forgiven. That is not what he came to Jesus for. He wanted to be able to walk. The crowd was filled with Rabbis and teachers of the law and Jesus knew that they would be offended when He told the man his sins were forgiven. But Jesus gave the man what he needed most. Eternal life with God is much more important that walking on the earth a few years. The teachers of the law were thinking blasphemy when Jesus told the man his sins were forgiven. Only God can forgive sins and Jesus was saying He was God. But Jesus really was God and He had that authority. Reading their minds, Jesus asked them which was easier, to forgive sins or to heal the man’s paralyzed body and then He told the man to get up and walk. The man got up from his bed and walked home, praising God all the way. The crowd was filled with awe, amazed at what they had seen and the Jewish religious teachers had much to think about.

[Luke 5:27-32] (27) After this, Jesus went out and saw a tax collector by the name of Levi sitting at his tax booth. “Follow me,” Jesus said to him, (28) and Levi got up, left everything and followed him. (29) Then Levi held a great banquet for Jesus at his house, and a large crowd of tax collectors and others were eating with them. (30) But the Pharisees and the teachers of the law who belonged to their sect complained to his disciples, “Why do you eat and drink with tax collectors and sinners?” (31) Jesus answered them, “It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. (32) I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.”

Levi is also called Matthew who wrote the gospel of Matthew. Levi (Matthew) was a tax collector. The tax collectors were collecting taxes for the Romans. In order to become a tax collector they had to negotiate, like bidding, for the position to collect taxes from a specific area in the Roman Empire. Any money above what they were required to turn to Rome, they could keep for themselves. So the tax collectors pressed the people, they were greedy and dishonest and therefore very unpopular.

As Jesus was walking through one of the towns He saw Levi the tax collector at his booth collecting taxes. Jesus approached the table and told Levi to come with Him and be His follower. Levi got up and went with Jesus. Jesus looked on his heart and knew that Matthew would be a good disciple. The Holy Spirit must have drawn Matthew for him to get up and leave his tax collecting table. That evening Matthew threw a big banquet inviting all his tax collector friends. The Pharisees and religious teachers immediately began to criticize Jesus for associating with sinners and tax collectors. They considered these people as unclean and law keeping Jews should not associate with them. Jesus, the Messiah came for all men not just the Jews and they could not accept that.

[Luke 5:33-35] (33) They said to him, “John’s disciples often fast and pray, and so do the disciples of the Pharisees, but yours go on eating and drinking.” (34) Jesus answered, “Can you make the friends of the bridegroom fast while he is with them? (35) But the time will come when the bridegroom will be taken from them; in those days they will fast.”

Now the these religious teachers and leaders are criticizing Jesus because He and His disciples did not stop what they were doing to pray at the set time for the morning and evening oblations. The scribes and Pharisees would stop in the middle of the street or where ever they were and do their prayers just so they could be seen and people would look and say how pious and dedicated to God they were. They did it for show and the praise of men. Jesus used the example of the marriage custom where the friends were with the bridegroom and he was preparing to go and get his bride. They would not stop during this ritual for the morning or evening prayers. Jesus uses the illustration of the bride and bridegroom often. Jesus is the bridegroom and the church that would be established under the New Covenant is the bride. Jesus’ time on earth was limited and He needed to teach and prepare the people while He was here. When He was gone, they would fast and pray.

[Luke 5:36-39] (36) He told them this parable: “No one tears a piece out of a new garment to patch an old one. Otherwise, they will have torn the new garment, and the patch from the new will not match the old. (37) And no one pours new wine into old wineskins. Otherwise, the new wine will burst the skins; the wine will run out and the wineskins will be ruined. (38) No, new wine must be poured into new wineskins. (39) And no one after drinking old wine wants the new, for they say, ‘The old is better.’”

Wineskins were made from the skin of a goat with the head and leg openings sewn shut. New wine was always put into a new skin because the fermentation process causes the wine to expand and an old skin would break away while the new skin would stretch. Jesus was using this illustration to make the point that the new revelation, the New Covenant Jesus was bringing from God was based on Love and faith and not works and it did not fit into the legalities of the Old Testament beliefs. The Jews with their long history in Old Testament Law would not be comfortable with the new teachings of Jesus, they would prefer the old.

What we can learn from these passages in Luke 4-5:

1. Jesus chose these men to be His followers who would establish His church. Jesus still calls followers today to work in His church. We are called to be prayer warriors, teachers, preachers, shepherds, servers. Is Jesus calling you?

2. The forces of Satan are busy on the earth today tempting us to sin, but the power of God that we have through the Holy Spirit is greater than the power of Satan if we have the faith to call on it.

3. Jesus came to reach the lost, not the righteous. As Christians today we should not be satisfied to stay in the comfort zone of our Christian family but should be out there reaching those who are lost. That is our mission!

4. If we worship the Lord in order to be seen and praised by men, then the praise of men is all we will receive.

5. The New Covenant is based on love, not ritual. All of our worship should be based on love and not habit.

Previous ↔ Next