Jesus Speaks: The Word of God
A Meditation on Luke 5
The crowds gathered to hear the word of God. That’s how Luke 5 begins. And what unfolds is a series of moments that all pivot on that same word—spoken by Jesus, powerful enough to cut through doubt, heal disease, forgive sin, and call people to leave everything behind.
The first scene opens with weary fishermen packing up after a night of failure. Jesus steps into Simon’s boat and tells him to try again. Simon replies, “We toiled all night and took nothing.” But then comes the turning point: “At your word, I will let down the nets.” Obedience brings abundance. Their nets are overwhelmed, their boats nearly sink. Simon falls at Jesus’ feet in awe and shame. But Jesus responds not with condemnation, but invitation: “Do not be afraid; from now on you will catch people.” The men leave everything and follow him. What we cannot do on our own becomes possible when we move in obedience to Jesus’ word.
In the next encounter, a man with leprosy comes to Jesus and says, “If you will, you can make me clean.” Jesus responds, “I will; be clean,” and touches him—an act of compassion that would have shocked everyone. The man is healed instantly. Even as Jesus’ fame spreads, we find him slipping away to solitary places to pray. His power is not performative—it flows from intimacy with his Father.
Later, a paralyzed man is lowered through a roof by his friends, desperate to get him to Jesus. Seeing their faith, Jesus says, “Your sins are forgiven.” This offends the religious leaders, but Jesus challenges them: “Which is easier—to say your sins are forgiven, or to say rise and walk?” Then, to prove his authority, he tells the man to rise. And he does. The crowd glorifies God. Jesus’ word doesn’t just restore the body—it restores the soul.
Then comes Levi, a tax collector. Jesus sees him, says, “Follow me,” and Levi leaves everything behind. At Levi’s house, Jesus eats with a room full of outcasts. The Pharisees grumble, but Jesus responds: “I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.” When questioned about fasting, Jesus uses the metaphor of a wedding feast—no one fasts when the bridegroom is present. He speaks of new wine and new wineskins. The old religious frameworks can’t hold what Jesus is doing. He isn’t patching up the old. He’s bringing something new altogether.
Luke 5 is a tapestry of transformation. One word from Jesus reshapes everything. He speaks, and fishermen become disciples. He speaks, and lepers are made clean. He speaks, and sins are forgiven. He speaks, and religious systems are reimagined.
Like in Genesis, Jesus speaks light into darkness—and a new creation begins.
I pray our churches would be places where people gather to hear the word of God—not to fit new wine into old wineskins, but to receive the new things Jesus is doing. Not chasing novelty, but walking in step with the Spirit. May we be willing to let go of the old when Jesus speaks something new.
