Luke 5

Jack Radcliffe

Luke 5:1-11; 33-39 • Sermon • Submitted 3 years ago

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Introduction

1-11

Luke 5:1–11 ESV

On one occasion, while the crowd was pressing in on him to hear the word of God, he was standing by the lake of Gennesaret, and he saw two boats by the lake, but the fishermen had gone out of them and were washing their nets. Getting 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. And 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 toiled all night and took nothing! But at your word I will let down the nets.” And when they had done this, they enclosed a large number of fish, and their nets were breaking. They 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. But when Simon Peter saw it, he fell down at Jesus’ knees, saying, “Depart from me, for I am a sinful man, O Lord.” For he and all who were with him were astonished at the catch of fish that they had taken, and 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.” And when they had brought their boats to land, they left everything and followed him.

Different event than in Matthew and Mark and John.

Don’t Ignore What Jesus Has to Say

After each fishing trip the equipment had to be checked and cleaned in readiness for the next.

We’ve seen Jesus in the Synagogue - meeting with people of his faith, race.

Here - Where the crowds gathered to hear Jesus - in public. Where they lived.

Many weren't allowed there. Didn't fit. He went to them.

Simon (Peter) we know had likely seen and heard Jesus teach in either or both places.

Jesus improvised, adapted. Spoke from a boat to the crowds. Don't know what he said.

What is more important according to Luke is what happened next.

Jesus got into Simon's boat probably without asking and asked him to move away from shore. He sat down (position for teaching and taught from the boat).

let's go fishing.

Been there done that - all night and nothing. Night time was best for fishing.

Implied: Hey, we're the experts here. What would you, a carpenter know about fishing?

The Net

Net here is used for night time fishing.

Weights on the trammel net pull it down into the water while floats keep the top side of the wall near the surface. After setting the net, fishermen enter the water near the shore making noise and splashing with their oars. The fleeing fish attempt to swim away but become trapped in the small mesh net of the trammel.

a good night’s catch with a trammel net can result in a hundred to two hundred pounds of fish and even more during the peak of the musht season.

A trammel net is usually lowered a dozen times during a night’s work.

The night before, they caught nothing.

Jesus: Let’s go fishing with these nets.

This is crazy. It makes no sense at all.

But Peter was willing suggesting Jesus' influence. Don't ignore what he has to say.

One drop. More fish than a dozen drops.

Experience of Grace

How do you act when you realize/recognize you’re in the presence of a celebrity or someone we admire.

When the full revelation of Jesus’ power came to him, he was overcome by a deep sense of awe (fear) and unworthiness.

Here he was in the presence of someone he sees is holy.

Simon was not necessarily especially sinful, but expresses what anyone would when first acknowledging who Jesus is.

Calls Jesus Lord rather than master as he did earlier.

Masters orders must be obeyed. The Lord whose holiness causes moral awareness.

The Place of Liminality

Alan Roxburgh: The transition from one form of something to another. It requires a different role, a different way of being and doing for the purpose of extending in this case, the Kingdom of God. It requires pioneering and innovation to help the body of followers negotiate the new territory in which they find themselves.

It’s where calling/realization of purpose happens

And Jesus Brings Something New

Call to Discipleship

Jesus cast not a net but a vision for their lives. Don't be afraid of it.

From now on your vocation, your life’s purpose, the nature of your life - you will be (will always be) capturing people alive for the kingdom rather than carrying dead fish to the market.

It will be what you do in, with, and through your life like a habit. This will be what matters most to you.

Peter will replace his focus and concern with fish with a passion for people.

For Peter this is a Restoration - a new set of circumstances, a turning point.

Peter left the greatest catch of fish they had seen in all their lives.

It was nothing compared to what Jesus showed them about himself and their lives.

Implications

Don’t need all the right things, tools, know what or how before doing it. It’s an adventure. Don’t be afraid of it.

Jesus said do it. Don’t have to ask if he’s in it. (Cf: Last week: Is Jesus in this? comes from a place of fear).

Won’t always be successful. As they learned, catching people for life has a lower success rate. Keep doing it.

We have choices, decisions to make - It’s called partnership and freedom

It’s an experience of Grace

Continually reminds us of who we really are.

33-39: Responding to the Call

Luke 5:33–39 ESV

And 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.” And Jesus said to them, “Can you make wedding guests fast while the bridegroom is with them? The days will come when the bridegroom is taken away from them, and then they will fast in those days.” He 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. And 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. But new wine must be put into fresh wineskins. And no one after drinking old wine desires new, for he says, ‘The old is good.’ ”

The Fasting Lesson

What is Fasting?

The practice of abstaining from food (and probably drink). This could be done as an expression of remorse for wrongdoing, as an expression of mourning for a loss, or as a spiritual discipline meant to help one focus on spiritual matters.

Jesus did it for 40 days. It was purposeful - opening himself to complete dependence on his Father.

Also has health benefits.

Fasting was practiced on the Day of Atonement by the Jews (once a year).

The Pharisees added fasting twice a week on Mondays and Thursdays, and apparently the disciples of the Baptist observed this.

Since fasting is a sign of one’s religious devotion, Jesus is questioned because his disciples eat and drink

Jesus and his followers prayed often. Jesus disregarded this added practice of fasting.

The new era (Christ’s Kingdom and the Good News of salvation had arrived, and the mournful rites of the past were incompatible with it.

Just like it doesn’t make sense for wedding guests to mourn at a wedding reception.

Just like putting a new patch over a tear in old clothing.

Any attempt to patch up the old garment will result in the tearing of the new one, and the new will not match with the old anyway (v. 36).

Just like putting new wine in old, brittle wineskins. It will burst.

The new wine of the gospel cannot be poured into the old wineskins of Judaism. Such an attempt would ruin both the new wine and the old wineskins. New wine continues to ferment and expand, bursting old wineskins which are weakened by use (v. 37). Jesus’ point is that his gospel cannot be combined with the legalism of Judaism; it is new, fresh, and spontaneous (v. 38).

His calling cannot be constricted within what has been

This teaching won't be acceptable to some. A man drinking old wine - what he likes - doesn't want to try the new. The old is good enough. He's so content with it he doesn't consider the new for a second. It doesn't get any better than this.

However, Jesus recognizes (v. 39) that most people find it difficult to embrace something that is new; they prefer their old comfortable ways.

Jesus didn’t say never do it.

Only during the sad days between the death of Jesus and his resurrection would mourning be appropriate.

Early church reserved it for special occasions.

I am Bringing Something New

Teaching team - A good discussion about how to interpret this.

Covenant - heart?

Kingdom - systems and structures?

Both?

Jesus isn’t patching up our current faith and church model or putting something new into the old systems and structures

Judaism - a way of life for God’s people to show the world and share with the world the goodness of God.

Their hearts were not interested in that.

In its current form, it was no longer doing that.

Stagnant or in decline.

Pharisees - we want to hold onto this model. It’s not that bad.

Jesus: We have to move forward.

They didn’t see it. They had too much invested in it. For many, it was their identity.

Jesus is not simply patching up Judaism.

He is teaching something radically new. If the attempt is made to patch up the problems and issues or to constrict this within the old wineskins of Judaism (ex: imposing fasting), the results won’t be good.

These systems, structures, ways of thinking, doing things and being that supported the shaping of your hearts were not bad. God used them. They had a purpose and a time.

The time had come for what had been told would happen. Hearts would turn again to the Father but this time without all the requirements. A new kingdom community would come.

It isn’t compatible with the old systems and structures of Judaism.

God gave clothing and wineskins to reveal him to the world andJudaism built a closet and wine rack to put them in.

Human nature if anything, is predictable

What the pandemic has revealed: We are in a place of liminality.

We're using an old piece of clothing/wineskin - a structure to support the shaping of our hearts built on a set of ideas and principles. We like it.

We keep putting ourselves into old wineskins - systems and structures...

Jesus is setting us on a new path. Something new, fresh, and spontaneous.

The new one is built not on measuring how many but how far.

It’s built not on attracting or getting but on revealing the character of Jesus, serving, love (fruit of the spirit). The Kingdom of Christ.

Requires us to live a maturity of life in the Spirit rather than church a prescribed patterns and boundaries of religious activity.

It is putting us closer to the face of Jesus who is revealing our true hearts.

Not always a pleasant experience.

It’s where calling/realization of purpose happens

And Jesus Brings Something New that is reshaping hearts to catch people for life.