The final verse of this section, “so [Jesus] continued proclaiming the message in the synagogues of Judea” (4:44), hearkens back to 4:14–15, reminding the readers that while Jesus’ acts of wonder are impressive and effective, teaching remains central to his mission. Teaching and healing go hand in hand in Jesus’ encounters with “the poor” everywhere. The reference to Judea here should be understood as “the land of the Jews,” a general term for the whole of Palestine, including Galilee, and not only the region surrounding Jerusalem.120
Different responses to Jesus are emerging; the crowds are awestruck, and the demons are defiant. Neither exhibits a model response. Only Simon’s mother-in-law is shown to express her gratitude in the form of service. In her we catch a glimpse of what constitutes a proper response to Jesus. In the next chapter, we trace Simon’s movement from observer to follower as Luke returns to the account of Jesus calling his first disciples.
107. E.g., Exod 32:1–8; Judg 2:11–13; 2 Chr 28:1–4; Jer 9:13–14; Hos 11:1–2.
108. 4:33–37; 8:28–30; 9:38–42; 10:17–19; 11:14–23; 13:11–16.
109. Walker 2006: 31–33; Garland 2011: 195.
110. Marshall 1978: 181–82; Nolland 1989: 194.
111. See 4Q521 2 II, 5–8. For the Qumran community, only insiders receive eschatological benefits. In Luke, Jesus’ offer of salvation is universal, including both insiders and outsiders.
112. See pp. 65–66.
113. Longenecker (2012: 42–50) links the verb, eporeueto (“[he] went on his way,” 4:30b) with other uses of poreuomai (“to go”) in Luke that highlight Jesus’ movements on his fateful journey toward Jerusalem where he will be killed (9:51, 57; 10:38; 13:33; 17:11; 19:28, 36). Jesus’ death will not take place in Nazareth but in Jerusalem. But even from the start of his ministry, Jesus’ “going” is aligned with the purpose for which he is sent—to preach the kingdom of God (4:43) until the mission culminates in his ultimate sacrifice.
114. Garland (2011: 214) estimates the population of Capernaum at the time of Jesus to be about 600 to 1500, and Nazareth about 400.
115. The “uncleanness” of demons has to do with purity laws, which separate the clean from the unclear, and the pure from the impure. See pp. 72–73.
116. Jesus rebukes the demon directly in the second person singular in v. 35. But when the man screams at Jesus in v. 34, he speaks in the first person plural, joined with the demon within him.
117. Garland 2011: 215.
118. E.g., Zechariah and Mary (ch. 1); Simeon and Anna (ch. 2); a centurion and a widow (ch. 7); Jairus and a hemorrhaging woman (ch. 8); a bent woman and a man with dropsy (chs. 13–14).
119. See p. 45, n. 30.
120. Luke 6:17; 7:17; Acts 10:37; 26:20.
Luke 5
Calling of Simon Peter (5:1–11)
Luke’s account of how Jesus calls his first disciples is quite different from Mark’s, but the two are by no means contradictory. Reading Mark, one may wonder why four seasoned fishermen would drop everything to follow a stranger simply on the basis of the words, “Follow me” (Mark 1:16–20). Luke’s decision to relocate the call story in his narrative, from before the exorcism at the synagogue to after the healing of Simon’s mother-in-law, implies that Simon has already witnessed Jesus’ power up close by the time Jesus calls him. Luke’s redaction makes better sense and improves the flow of the narrative.
Jesus’ popularity continues to grow as we now find him teaching by the Lake of Gennesaret, also known as the Sea of Galilee (5:1). The crowds are pressing in on him so that he is getting closer and closer to the water. The part of the lake near Capernaum is shaped like a bowl, giving rise to a natural amphitheater of sorts. Jesus borrows Simon’s boat to use as a floating pulpit, from which he can take advantage of the topography’s acoustics and teach from a short distance offshore (5:3–4).121 Luke’s main interest is in what transpires afterwards. He drops a hint in verse 2, noting that Jesus notices some fishermen washing their nets next to their boats.
Simon and his business partners, James and John, are not the poorest class of fishermen who cast nets by the shore, as they own boats (5:7, 10). A set of trammel nets could be stretched out between two boats to round up large amounts of fish as the boats were repositioned. This method was used at night when the fish could not see the net. The night before, however, Simon and his crew were unsuccessful; they caught nothing even though they worked long and hard (5:5a). When Jesus saw them that morning, they were probably tired and dejected. They had nothing to bring to the market and still had to clean the debris off the nets (5:2).
Imagine Simon’s response when Jesus asks him to take the boat out again to deep water and let down the nets (5:4): “You, a carpenter and itinerant teacher, want me, an experienced fisherman, to take my crew out again to where we know there is no fish? Besides, the timing is bad. It’s broad daylight. The fish will see the net and swim away. What if we return empty-handed again? I will become a laughingstock!” It is not difficult to feel skeptical. Yet Simon replies, “If you say so, I will let down the nets” (5:5b). His tone does not appear disrespectful, having seen Jesus heal his mother-in-law (4:38–39). With his nascent faith edging out his personal misgivings, Simon summons his crew to take the boats out and cast the net into the deep again.
What a yield from that half-hearted act of obedience! The size of the catch is beyond anyone’s imagination, so much so that the nets are about to break. Even with the help of James and John, the two boats are so full of fish that they can barely stay afloat (5:6–7). Not only does the miracle demonstrate Jesus’ abundant provision, it reveals a profound truth about Jesus’ identity, which Simon recognizes immediately.
Instead of exuberant joy, Simon Peter122 falls down before Jesus and says, “Go away from me, Lord, for I am a sinful man!” (5:8). Instead of “Master” (5:5) he now calls Jesus “Lord.”123 Simon recognizes a theophany in the holy encounter and becomes keenly aware of the distance between him and Jesus. His response reminds us of Isaiah’s confession when the prophet saw the vision of the throne of God: “Woe is me! I am lost, for I am a man of unclean lips, and I live among a people of unclean lips” (Isa 6:5). When human sinfulness meets divine holiness, it is not repulsion but a sense of unworthiness that prompts Simon to ask Jesus to leave. Unlike the people of Capernaum and Nazareth who want to claim Jesus for themselves (4:23, 28–29, 42–43),