luke 5

Luk 5 outline:

Luk 5:1-11, Four disciples called
Luk 5:12-14, Jesus cleansed a leper
Luk 5:15-16, Great multitudes gathered to Him + He often withdrew to the wilderness to pray
Luk 5:17-26, Jesus healed a paralytic after forgiving his sins
Luk 5:27-29, Levi (Matthew) the tax collector called
Luk 5:30-35, The Pharisees questioned Jesus about His disciples
Luk 5:36-39, The parable of the unshrunk cloth and the new wineskins

Luk 5:1-39 chiastic structure:

1a) Luk 5:1-3, Jesus taught the multitudes;

1b) Luk 5:4-9, The great catch of fish;

1c) Luk 5:11, Peter, James, and John followed Jesus;

1d) Luk 5:12-14, The leper healed;

central axis) Luk 5:15-16, “So He Himself often withdrew into the wilderness and prayed;”

2d) Luk 5:17-26, The paralytic healed;

2c) Luk 5:27-28, Levi (Matthew) followed Jesus;

2b) Luk 5:29-32, The great catch of tax collectors and sinners;

2a) Luk 5:33-39, Jesus taught the scribes and Pharisees.

The power of the Holy Spirit in all the ways it manifested through Jesus, was constantly going out from Him in ministry: in teaching, in performing miracles, in healing, in drawing the lost to repentance, and in answering His critics (apologetics). The central axis of this chapter is the great multitudes that came to Him to receive this ministry from the Holy Spirit, and Jesus’ response to that constant output: He withdrew into lonely places to pray.

In other words, He was pouring out from the deep deep well of living water of the Holy Spirit to multitudes and crowds every day; and then He went away alone, to fill back up in prayer. Prayer is the avenue by which humans communicate with God the Father.

We can see from Jesus’ example, that this communication must have been reciprocal, for Jesus received strength and power to continue in ministry from it. The strength and power did not come from His action of addressing words to God (the Webster’s definition of prayer) alone; people all over the world address words to God every day without receiving anything in return. But Jesus was participating in a two- way conversation, a living reciprocal relationship with His Father, and it is that relationship that gives life!