American King James Version - AKJV - 1999
Luke 5
1
And it came to pass, that, as the people pressed on him to hear the word of God, he stood by the lake of Gennesaret,
Reference
2
And saw two ships standing by the lake: but the fishermen were gone out of them, and were washing their nets.
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3
And he entered into one of the ships, which was Simon's, and prayed him that he would thrust out a little from the land. And he sat down, and taught the people out of the ship.
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Parallel theme
Matthew 4:18
4
Now when he had left speaking, he said to Simon, Launch out into the deep, and let down your nets for a draught.
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5
And Simon answering said to him, Master, we have toiled all the night, and have taken nothing: nevertheless at your word I will let down the net.
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6
And when they had this done, they enclosed a great multitude of fishes: and their net broke.
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Parallel theme
1 Corinthians 15:58
7
And they beckoned to their partners, which were in the other ship, that they should come and help them. And they came, and filled both the ships, so that they began to sink.
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8
When Simon Peter saw it, he fell down at Jesus' knees, saying, Depart from me; for I am a sinful man, O Lord.
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Parallel theme
Revelation 1:17
Judges 13:22
Job 40:4
Exodus 20:19
Matthew 17:6
References Jesus
John 11:32
References Lord
Isaiah 6:5
1 Samuel 6:20
2 Samuel 6:9
Sin
1 Kings 17:18
9
For he was astonished, and all that were with him, at the draught of the fishes which they had taken:
Reference
10
And so was also James, and John, the sons of Zebedee, which were partners with Simon. And Jesus said to Simon, Fear not; from now on you shall catch men.
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12
And it came to pass, when he was in a certain city, behold a man full of leprosy: who seeing Jesus fell on his face, and sought him, saying, Lord, if you will, you can make me clean.
Reference
Parallel theme
Psalm 50:15
Luke 17:16
Hebrews 7:25
Psalm 91:15
References Jesus
Matthew 9:28
Matthew 26:6
References Lord
Exodus 4:6
Genesis 18:14
13
And he put forth his hand, and touched him, saying, I will: be you clean. And immediately the leprosy departed from him.
Reference
14
And he charged him to tell no man: but go, and show yourself to the priest, and offer for your cleansing, according as Moses commanded, for a testimony to them.
Reference
Parallel theme
Luke 17:14
Matthew 9:30
Matthew 12:16
Sin
Mark 1:44
Leviticus 13:2
Witness
Matthew 8:4
15
But so much the more went there a fame abroad of him: and great multitudes came together to hear, and to be healed by him of their infirmities.
Reference
17
And it came to pass on a certain day, as he was teaching, that there were Pharisees and doctors of the law sitting by, which were come out of every town of Galilee, and Judaea, and Jerusalem: and the power of the Lord was present to heal them.
Reference
Parallel theme
Luke 6:19
Luke 8:46
Acts 19:11
Acts 4:30
Mark 5:30
John 3:21
Resurrection
Matthew 11:5
Mark 7:1
Matthew 15:1
18
And, behold, men brought in a bed a man which was taken with a palsy: and they sought means to bring him in, and to lay him before him.
19
And when they could not find by what way they might bring him in because of the multitude, they went on the housetop, and let him down through the tiling with his couch into the middle before Jesus.
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Parallel theme
Mark 2:4
21
And the scribes and the Pharisees began to reason, saying, Who is this which speaks blasphemies? Who can forgive sins, but God alone?
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22
But when Jesus perceived their thoughts, he answering said to them, What reason you in your hearts?
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Parallel theme
Luke 24:38
Isaiah 66:18
Acts 5:3
Psalm 139:2
Revelation 2:23
Hebrews 4:12
1 Chronicles 28:9
References Jesus
Mark 8:17
Matthew 9:4
Matthew 12:25
24
But that you may know that the Son of man has power on earth to forgive sins, (he said to the sick of the palsy,) I say to you, Arise, and take up your couch, and go into your house.
Reference
25
And immediately he rose up before them, and took up that where on he lay, and departed to his own house, glorifying God.
Reference
References God
John 9:24
26
And they were all amazed, and they glorified God, and were filled with fear, saying, We have seen strange things to day.
Reference
27
And after these things he went forth, and saw a publican, named Levi, sitting at the receipt of custom: and he said to him, Follow me.
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29
And Levi made him a great feast in his own house: and there was a great company of publicans and of others that sat down with them.
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Parallel theme
Luke 15:1
30
But their scribes and Pharisees murmured against his disciples, saying, Why do you eat and drink with publicans and sinners?
31
And Jesus answering said to them, They that are whole need not a physician; but they that are sick.
Reference
32
I came not to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.
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Parallel theme
Luke 19:10
Acts 3:26
Repentance
2 Peter 3:9
Acts 17:30
Acts 20:21
Righteousness
Luke 15:7
Sin
Luke 15:10
Acts 3:19
Luke 24:47
Acts 2:38
33
And they said to him, Why do the disciples of John fast often, and make prayers, and likewise the disciples of the Pharisees; but your eat and drink?
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Parallel theme
Luke 18:12
34
And he said to them, Can you make the children of the bridal chamber fast, while the bridegroom is with them?
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35
But the days will come, when the bridegroom shall be taken away from them, and then shall they fast in those days.
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Parallel theme
Luke 17:22
36
And he spoke also a parable to them; No man puts a piece of a new garment on an old; if otherwise, then both the new makes a rent, and the piece that was taken out of the new agrees not with the old.
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37
And no man puts new wine into old bottles; else the new wine will burst the bottles, and be spilled, and the bottles shall perish.
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Summary of Luke 5
Luke 5 marks a major expansion of Jesus' public ministry because His authority is now demonstrated not only through teaching and healing but also through the calling of people who will become His closest disciples and through His willingness to challenge established expectations about religious life.
The chapter begins beside the Lake of Gennesaret, the Sea of Galilee, where Jesus teaches a large crowd from Simon's fishing boat before instructing Simon to take the boat into deeper water and lower the nets.
Although Simon and his companions have worked throughout the night without catching anything, Simon follows Jesus' instruction, and the result is an enormous catch of fish that fills two boats to the point where they begin to sink.
The miracle causes Simon Peter to recognize his own unworthiness, but Jesus reassures him and tells him that from now on he will "catch people," transforming Simon's ordinary occupation into an image for the future work of gathering people into God's kingdom.
Simon, James, and John then leave everything and follow Jesus, establishing the beginning of a close group of disciples who will accompany Him throughout His ministry.
Jesus next encounters a man suffering from a serious skin disease, traditionally described as leprosy, who asks to be cleansed.
Jesus responds by touching him and healing him immediately, demonstrating both compassion and authority while also instructing the man to follow the appropriate Jewish procedure of presenting himself to a priest so that his restored condition can be officially recognized.
Despite Jesus' instructions, reports about Him spread rapidly, and crowds begin gathering to hear Him and receive healing.
Luke then emphasizes an important feature of Jesus' ministry by explaining that Jesus repeatedly withdraws to lonely places to pray, showing that His increasing popularity does not replace His dependence upon God.
The chapter then records one of Jesus' most important early confrontations with religious leaders when friends bring a paralyzed man to Him but cannot enter through the crowded doorway.
They lower the man through the roof, and Jesus first tells him that his sins are forgiven, which immediately raises a theological question because the religious teachers understand forgiveness as belonging ultimately to God.
Jesus knows their thoughts and asks whether it is easier to say that sins are forgiven or to tell the man to stand and walk, then heals him publicly as visible evidence of His authority.
The paralyzed man immediately rises, takes his mat, and goes home praising God, while the crowd responds with amazement and reverence.
This episode is particularly important because Jesus does not merely claim to possess healing power; He connects the physical miracle with His authority to forgive sins, introducing a much deeper claim about His identity and mission.
Jesus then calls Levi, a tax collector, to follow Him, and Levi immediately leaves his occupation and becomes a disciple.
Levi celebrates by holding a large banquet at his home, inviting many tax collectors and other people who were regarded as sinners or socially undesirable.
The Pharisees criticize Jesus for eating with such people, but Jesus responds with the image of a doctor and sick people, explaining that His mission is specifically directed toward those who recognize their need for repentance and restoration.
The chapter concludes with a discussion about fasting, in which Jesus explains that His disciples are like guests celebrating while the bridegroom is present.
He indicates that there will later be a time when the bridegroom is taken away and fasting will become appropriate, anticipating His future suffering and departure.
Jesus then uses the illustrations of a new patch on an old garment and new wine in old wineskins to explain that His ministry cannot simply be treated as a minor adjustment to existing expectations.
The new work of God's kingdom requires people to recognize that something fundamentally significant is happening through Jesus, rather than attempting to force His ministry into existing categories without change.
Historically, Luke 5 belongs approximately to AD 27–30, during the early years of Jesus' public ministry under Roman rule, when Galilee was governed by Herod Antipas and the Sea of Galilee supported important fishing communities.
The chapter also reveals several features of first-century Jewish society, including the importance of fishing, the social stigma surrounding tax collectors, the authority of priests in determining ritual cleanliness, the influence of Pharisees and religious teachers, the importance of fasting, and the use of boats, rooftops, wineskins, and communal meals in everyday life.
Luke 5 ultimately presents Jesus as a teacher with extraordinary authority, a healer who restores people physically and socially, a forgiver of sins who possesses divine authority, and a leader who calls ordinary and socially marginalized people into radical discipleship, while His teaching about new wine and old wineskins signals that the kingdom He brings cannot simply be reduced to another version of the established religious order.
The chapter begins beside the Lake of Gennesaret, the Sea of Galilee, where Jesus teaches a large crowd from Simon's fishing boat before instructing Simon to take the boat into deeper water and lower the nets.
Although Simon and his companions have worked throughout the night without catching anything, Simon follows Jesus' instruction, and the result is an enormous catch of fish that fills two boats to the point where they begin to sink.
The miracle causes Simon Peter to recognize his own unworthiness, but Jesus reassures him and tells him that from now on he will "catch people," transforming Simon's ordinary occupation into an image for the future work of gathering people into God's kingdom.
Simon, James, and John then leave everything and follow Jesus, establishing the beginning of a close group of disciples who will accompany Him throughout His ministry.
Jesus next encounters a man suffering from a serious skin disease, traditionally described as leprosy, who asks to be cleansed.
Jesus responds by touching him and healing him immediately, demonstrating both compassion and authority while also instructing the man to follow the appropriate Jewish procedure of presenting himself to a priest so that his restored condition can be officially recognized.
Despite Jesus' instructions, reports about Him spread rapidly, and crowds begin gathering to hear Him and receive healing.
Luke then emphasizes an important feature of Jesus' ministry by explaining that Jesus repeatedly withdraws to lonely places to pray, showing that His increasing popularity does not replace His dependence upon God.
The chapter then records one of Jesus' most important early confrontations with religious leaders when friends bring a paralyzed man to Him but cannot enter through the crowded doorway.
They lower the man through the roof, and Jesus first tells him that his sins are forgiven, which immediately raises a theological question because the religious teachers understand forgiveness as belonging ultimately to God.
Jesus knows their thoughts and asks whether it is easier to say that sins are forgiven or to tell the man to stand and walk, then heals him publicly as visible evidence of His authority.
The paralyzed man immediately rises, takes his mat, and goes home praising God, while the crowd responds with amazement and reverence.
This episode is particularly important because Jesus does not merely claim to possess healing power; He connects the physical miracle with His authority to forgive sins, introducing a much deeper claim about His identity and mission.
Jesus then calls Levi, a tax collector, to follow Him, and Levi immediately leaves his occupation and becomes a disciple.
Levi celebrates by holding a large banquet at his home, inviting many tax collectors and other people who were regarded as sinners or socially undesirable.
The Pharisees criticize Jesus for eating with such people, but Jesus responds with the image of a doctor and sick people, explaining that His mission is specifically directed toward those who recognize their need for repentance and restoration.
The chapter concludes with a discussion about fasting, in which Jesus explains that His disciples are like guests celebrating while the bridegroom is present.
He indicates that there will later be a time when the bridegroom is taken away and fasting will become appropriate, anticipating His future suffering and departure.
Jesus then uses the illustrations of a new patch on an old garment and new wine in old wineskins to explain that His ministry cannot simply be treated as a minor adjustment to existing expectations.
The new work of God's kingdom requires people to recognize that something fundamentally significant is happening through Jesus, rather than attempting to force His ministry into existing categories without change.
Historically, Luke 5 belongs approximately to AD 27–30, during the early years of Jesus' public ministry under Roman rule, when Galilee was governed by Herod Antipas and the Sea of Galilee supported important fishing communities.
The chapter also reveals several features of first-century Jewish society, including the importance of fishing, the social stigma surrounding tax collectors, the authority of priests in determining ritual cleanliness, the influence of Pharisees and religious teachers, the importance of fasting, and the use of boats, rooftops, wineskins, and communal meals in everyday life.
Luke 5 ultimately presents Jesus as a teacher with extraordinary authority, a healer who restores people physically and socially, a forgiver of sins who possesses divine authority, and a leader who calls ordinary and socially marginalized people into radical discipleship, while His teaching about new wine and old wineskins signals that the kingdom He brings cannot simply be reduced to another version of the established religious order.