Bible Reference / Bible Book Studies / Gospel of Luke / Chapter by Chapter / Luke 5
Luke 5 Summary
Luke 5 tells how Jesus begins gathering followers and how his ministry starts to stir controversy. On the shore of the lake of Gennesaret, Jesus teaches from Simon Peter's boat and then fills the empty nets with a miraculous catch of fish. Peter, James, and John leave everything to follow him. Jesus touches and heals a man covered with leprosy, then forgives and heals a paralyzed man whose friends lower him through a roof, provoking the religious leaders to ask, "Who can forgive sins but God alone?" (5:21). Jesus calls Levi, a tax collector, and eats at his banquet with "tax collectors and sinners," explaining, "I have come to call not the righteous but sinners to repentance" (5:32). The chapter ends with a question about fasting and Jesus' parables of new cloth and new wine: "new wine must be put into fresh wineskins" (5:38).
In short, Luke 5 shows Jesus calling unlikely people, crossing every boundary that kept outsiders away from God, and bringing something so new that the old forms cannot contain it.
Luke 5 at a Glance
Verses: 39
Main events: the miraculous catch of fish and call of Peter, James, and John; the healing of a leper; the healing of a paralyzed man; the call of Levi; the question about fasting
Places: the shore of the lake of Gennesaret (the Sea of Galilee), "one of the cities" of Galilee, a crowded house, and Levi's home
Key people: Jesus, Simon Peter, James and John, a man with leprosy, a paralyzed man and his friends, Levi the tax collector, Pharisees and teachers of the law
First appearances in Luke: "the word of God" (5:1), the Pharisees (5:17), and Jesus' title "the Son of Man" (5:24)
Key verse: Luke 5:32, "I have come to call not the righteous but sinners to repentance."
Parallel chapters: Matthew 4, 8, and 9; Mark 1 and 2
Luke 5 Outline
Jesus Calls Peter and the Miraculous Catch of Fish (5:1-11)
Jesus Heals a Leper (5:12-16)
Jesus Heals a Paralyzed Man Lowered Through the Roof (5:17-26)
Jesus Calls Levi the Tax Collector (5:27-32)
The Question About Fasting: New Wine and Old Wineskins (5:33-39)
Luke 5 Chapter Summary, Section by Section
1. Jesus Calls Peter and the Miraculous Catch of Fish (Luke 5:1-11)
Crowds press in on Jesus "to hear the word of God" beside the lake of Gennesaret, so he climbs into Simon's boat and teaches from the water. Then he tells Simon to put out into deep water and let down the nets. Simon has fished all night and caught nothing, but he answers, "Yet if you say so, I will let down the nets" (5:5). The nets fill so full they begin to break, and two boats nearly sink. Simon falls at Jesus' knees: "Go away from me, Lord, for I am a sinful man!" (5:8). Jesus answers, "Do not be afraid; from now on you will be catching people" (5:10). Simon, James, and John bring their boats to shore, leave everything, and follow him.
This is Luke's version of the call often remembered by its traditional wording, "I will make you fishers of men." Only Luke includes the miraculous catch and Simon's confession of sin.
Read the full commentary: Luke 5:1-11: Jesus Calls Peter and the Miraculous Catch of Fish.
2. Jesus Heals a Leper (Luke 5:12-16)
A man "covered with leprosy" falls on his face before Jesus and begs, "Lord, if you choose, you can make me clean" (5:12). Under the law, he was supposed to live alone and warn others away. Jesus stretches out his hand, touches him, and says, "I do choose. Be made clean" (5:13). The leprosy leaves him immediately. Jesus sends him to the priest to make the offering Moses commanded so he can be restored to his community. As crowds grow, Jesus keeps withdrawing to deserted places to pray.
Jesus' touch reverses what the law called unclean. Instead of uncleanness spreading to Jesus, his cleanness spreads to the man. For background, see understanding leprosy in the Bible and the story of Naaman, the leper Jesus mentioned in his Nazareth sermon.
Read the full commentary: Jesus Heals a Leper (Luke 5:12-16).
3. Jesus Heals a Paralyzed Man (Luke 5:17-26)
Pharisees and teachers of the law from all over Galilee, Judea, and Jerusalem are sitting nearby as Jesus teaches. Some men carry a paralyzed friend on a bed, but the crowd blocks the way, so they climb onto the roof and lower him through the tiles. Seeing their faith, Jesus says, "Friend, your sins are forgiven you" (5:20). The religious leaders accuse him of blasphemy, since only God can forgive sins. To show "that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins" (5:24), Jesus tells the man to stand up and go home. He does, glorifying God, and the crowd says, "We have seen strange things today" (5:26).
This is the first open conflict with the Pharisees in Luke and the first time Jesus calls himself "the Son of Man," a title rooted in Daniel 7:13-14.
Read the full commentary: Jesus Heals a Paralyzed Man Through the Roof (Luke 5:17-26).
4. Jesus Calls Levi the Tax Collector (Luke 5:27-32)
Jesus sees a tax collector named Levi sitting at his tax booth and says, "Follow me." Levi "got up, left everything, and followed him" (5:28). He throws a great banquet in his home for Jesus, with a large crowd of tax collectors and others. The Pharisees and their scribes complain to Jesus' disciples, "Why do you eat and drink with tax collectors and sinners?" (5:30). Jesus answers, "Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick; I have come to call not the righteous but sinners to repentance" (5:31-32).
Tax collectors worked for the ruling powers and were widely seen as collaborators and cheats. Jesus does not just tolerate Levi. He calls him to be a disciple and shares his table. Matthew's Gospel calls this same tax collector Matthew (Matthew 9:9), traditionally linked with the author of the first Gospel. The scene inspired one of the most famous paintings in Christian art, Caravaggio's The Calling of Saint Matthew.
Read the full commentary: Jesus Calls Levi the Tax Collector (Luke 5:27-32).
5. New Wine and Old Wineskins (Luke 5:33-39)
The critics then point out that the disciples of John the Baptist and of the Pharisees "frequently fast and pray, but your disciples eat and drink" (5:33). Jesus answers that wedding guests cannot fast while the bridegroom is with them, but "the days will come when the bridegroom will be taken away from them, and then they will fast in those days" (5:35). That line is one of the first hints in Luke that Jesus will be taken away by death.
Then Jesus tells a short parable in two images. No one tears a patch from a new garment to sew onto an old one, and "no one puts new wine into old wineskins; otherwise the new wine will burst the skins" (5:37). Instead, "new wine must be put into fresh wineskins" (5:38). Only Luke adds a final, knowing line: "no one after drinking old wine desires new wine, but says, 'The old is good'" (5:39).
What Jesus brings cannot simply be stitched onto old religious habits. It needs new forms. And people who are comfortable with the old often resist the new. For more on the practice behind the question, see fasting in the Bible and 12 kinds of fasting in the Bible.
Read the full commentary: New Wine and Old Wineskins: Meaning of Luke 5:33-39.
Key Themes in Luke 5
Jesus calls unlikely people. Fishermen, a man who confesses he is sinful, and a tax collector at his booth all hear the same invitation: follow me. Each one "left everything" (5:11, 28). Luke shows that Jesus builds his community from people others would have passed over.
Crossing boundaries. Jesus touches a man with leprosy, forgives a paralyzed man, and eats with tax collectors and sinners. Every story in Luke 5 involves someone the religious system kept at a distance, and every time, Jesus closes the distance. This theme reaches its peak in Luke 15, where Jesus tells the parables of the lost sheep and lost coin and the prodigal son to the same critics who grumble here.
Authority to forgive. Luke 5 raises the central question of Jesus' identity: who can forgive sins but God alone? Jesus claims that authority and proves it by healing. Forgiveness returns again with the sinful woman forgiven in Luke 7 and Zacchaeus, another tax collector, in Luke 19. See also Bible verses about forgiveness.
Rising conflict. The Pharisees first appear in Luke 5, and the chapter begins a series of five conflict stories that runs into Luke 6: forgiving sins, eating with sinners, not fasting, and two clashes over the Sabbath. The tension builds until the leaders are "filled with fury" (6:11).
Prayer and withdrawal. In the middle of growing crowds, Jesus "would withdraw to deserted places and pray" (5:16). Luke shows that Jesus' public ministry flows from time alone with the Father.
Something new has arrived. The new wine of the kingdom cannot be poured into old wineskins. Jesus is doing something fresh, and it calls for new ways of living, worshiping, and belonging.
Key Verses in Luke 5
Luke 5:5: "Master, we have worked all night long but have caught nothing. Yet if you say so, I will let down the nets."
Luke 5:8: "Go away from me, Lord, for I am a sinful man!"
Luke 5:10: "Do not be afraid; from now on you will be catching people."
Luke 5:13: "I do choose. Be made clean."
Luke 5:20: "Friend, your sins are forgiven you."
Luke 5:24: "The Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins."
Luke 5:31-32: "Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick; I have come to call not the righteous but sinners to repentance."
Luke 5:38: "New wine must be put into fresh wineskins."
Luke 5 Compared with Matthew and Mark
Most of Luke 5 has parallels in Matthew and Mark, but Luke shapes the material in his own way.
The call of the first disciples. Matthew and Mark tell a brief call by the sea (Matthew 4:18-22; Mark 1:16-20). Only Luke includes the miraculous catch of fish and Peter's confession, and he places the call after Jesus has already healed Peter's mother-in-law.
The healing of the leper. All three tell it (Matthew 8:1-4; Mark 1:40-45). Only Luke says the man was "covered with" leprosy and ends with Jesus withdrawing to pray.
The paralyzed man. All three tell it (Matthew 9:1-8; Mark 2:1-12). Only Luke mentions Pharisees from as far as Jerusalem and the man going home glorifying God.
The call of Levi. Matthew names him Matthew (Matthew 9:9-13); Mark and Luke call him Levi (Mark 2:13-17). Only Luke says he "left everything."
New wine and old wineskins. All three include the sayings (Matthew 9:14-17; Mark 2:18-22). Only Luke adds "The old is good" (5:39).
Where Luke 5 Fits in the Gospel of Luke
Luke 5 builds directly on Luke 4. In Nazareth, Jesus announced that he came to bring good news to the poor and release to the captives. In Luke 5, he shows what that looks like: a leper restored, a paralyzed man forgiven and freed, and a tax collector welcomed to the table. In Luke 6, the conflicts over the Sabbath come to a head, Jesus chooses the Twelve, and he preaches the Sermon on the Plain.
To see the whole Gospel in order, visit the Gospel of Luke chapter by chapter or the Gospel of Luke overview.
Luke 5 Meaning for Today
Jesus meets us at work. He called fishermen at their boats and a tax collector at his booth. God often calls us in the middle of ordinary life.
Faith acts on Jesus' word. "Yet if you say so" is a prayer for every night of empty nets.
No one is beyond Jesus' reach. A leper, a paralyzed man, and a tax collector all found that Jesus came close to them. The people we keep at a distance are the ones Jesus came to find.
Bring others to Jesus. The paralyzed man reached Jesus because his friends carried him. Sometimes we are the ones on the mat, and sometimes we are the ones carrying it. See Bible verses about friendship.
Make room for the new. Jesus' kingdom does not fit neatly into old patterns. Following him means being willing to let God change our habits, our assumptions, and the company we keep.
FAQ: Luke 5 Summary and Meaning
What is Luke chapter 5 about? Luke 5 is about Jesus calling his first disciples and the beginning of conflict with the religious leaders. It includes the miraculous catch of fish and the call of Peter, James, and John; the healing of a leper; the healing of a paralyzed man lowered through a roof; the call of Levi the tax collector; and Jesus' teaching about fasting and new wine in old wineskins.
What is the main message of Luke 5? Luke 5 shows that Jesus calls unlikely people to follow him and reaches those others keep at a distance. He has authority to heal and to forgive sins, and the new life he brings cannot be contained by old religious patterns.
What is the key verse in Luke 5? Luke 5:32 is often considered the key verse: "I have come to call not the righteous but sinners to repentance." It sums up the whole chapter, as Jesus calls a sinful fisherman, touches a leper, forgives a paralyzed man, and eats with tax collectors.
Who did Jesus call in Luke 5? In Luke 5, Jesus calls Simon Peter, James, and John, the sons of Zebedee, after the miraculous catch of fish (5:1-11), and Levi the tax collector, also known as Matthew (5:27-32).
What miracles happen in Luke 5? Luke 5 includes three miracles: the miraculous catch of fish, the healing of a man covered with leprosy, and the healing of a paralyzed man lowered through the roof. For the full list, see the 18 miracles in the Gospel of Luke.
What does new wine in old wineskins mean in Luke 5? New wine expands as it ferments, so it would burst old, brittle wineskins. Jesus uses the image to show that the new life of God's kingdom cannot simply be added to old religious forms. It requires something new.
Why did the Pharisees object to Jesus in Luke 5? The Pharisees objected when Jesus forgave sins, which they believed only God could do, when he ate with tax collectors and sinners, and when his disciples did not fast like other religious groups.
Who was Levi in Luke 5? Levi was a tax collector Jesus called to follow him. Matthew's Gospel tells the same story and calls him Matthew, and he is listed among the twelve apostles (Luke 6:15).
Scripture quotations are from the New Revised Standard Version Bible, copyright © 1989 the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Works Consulted
Darrell L. Bock, Luke (NIV Application Commentary)
Joel B. Green, The Gospel of Luke (New International Commentary on the New Testament)
Joseph A. Fitzmyer, The Gospel According to Luke I-IX (Anchor Bible)
