After this he went out and saw a tax collector named Levi, sitting at the tax booth. And he said to him, “Follow me.” – Luke 5:27 ESV

GREEK
Ἀκολούθει/Akolouthei: walk along the road with; accompany

CONSIDER
In a sense, Ernest Hemingway and Martha Gellhorn’s relationship was doomed from the start, because it only seemed to work when they were forced to work together. They had met while Gellhorn was a journalist covering the Spanish Civil War, and discovered that both had a love for writing and adventure. For a time, Gellhorn covered the life of Hemingway simply because it was an assignment, but soon it was tough to distinguish the professional side of things from the personal. Eventually, Gellhorn and Hemingway fell in love and were married for a brief period. But despite their mutual passions, they were also both fiercely independent. Neither one wanted the other to dictate what they did as a couple. It turned out that when Gellhorn wasn’t required by her job to accompany Hemingway wherever he went, she would much rather seek adventure on her own. Their relationship ended after a few short years, which left many people wondering if their love was genuine or merely contractual.
Wherever Jesus went, he left a trail of change in his wake. No one ever encountered Jesus and left the same as they were before. Levi was no different. Despite his profession as a mistrusted tax collector, Jesus called out to him and said “Akolouthei (walk along the road with; accompany) me.” The Greek verb Luke uses in his gospel has a slightly different meaning than our English word follow. The English verb might conjure up images of a military general with an army walking behind him, not in a position to commune with their leader, but ready to act on his commands. Or perhaps we might think of a reluctant pet who is forced to move when and where its owner wants. But when Jesus invited Levi to akolouthei, he was actually calling him to be a participant in the life Jesus was living. Levi was chosen to accompany Jesus and share the same road as he traveled, not simply wait behind the Rabbi to execute his commands. Like us, Levi may at first had the impression that following Jesus around was more about serving him than sharing with him. But just as Martha Gellhorn only drew close to Ernest Hemingway as they shared the same experience and walked the same road together, Levi found that Jesus wanted to walk with him in a relationship. The same is true for us today! Jesus invites us into a journey of companionship when he calls us to accompany him.

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Who is God asking you to invite into his presence?

And the Pharisees and their scribes grumbled at his disciples, saying, “Why do you eat and drink with tax collectors and sinners?” – Luke 5:30 ESV

GREEK
ἐγόγγυζον/egongyzon: complained under their breath; criticized in a passive-aggressive manner

CONSIDER
One of the Because & Therefore statements that define our values goes like this: “Because he first loved us we value LOVE FIRST therefore we say “come as you are” and welcome people to belong before they believe. Because we truly love people, we will speak the truth in love.”
Because we follow Jesus, our eyes are fixed on the One who modeled perfectly what truth and love could look like when they’re exercised together. Christ loved us enough to be truthful about our spiritual condition, and scripture tells us that he is the truth through which we can approach the Father (John 14:6). What a contrast compared to the picture that Luke paints of the Pharisees in today’s verse. While Jesus participated in an act of love (eating a meal with tax collectors) and spoke the truth over them (calling them to repentance), the Pharisees and their scribes egongyzon (complained under their breath) at his disciples about Jesus’ actions. Where Jesus was clear about his message and showed public compassion to the marginalized, the Pharisees privately voiced their complaints, offering no alternative to their judgment. The gospel makes clear that the temptation to withhold truth, love, or both, poses a threat to our witness of God’s grace still today. May we refuse to settle for whispers of criticism that are neither truthful nor loving and instead leverage our one and only lives to point to the cross of Christ, where truth and love met in one miraculous act.

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Who is God asking you to invite into his presence?

I have not come to call the righteous but sinners to repentance. – Luke 5:32 ESV

GREEK
καλέσαι/kalesai: signal [to someone] by name

CONSIDER
The concept of inviting a person to something doesn’t necessarily hinge on the health of a relationship. An invitation to most events can be offered to friends, strangers, or anyone in between. But chances are, the more we have in common with a person, the more likely we will be to invite them to join us somewhere. In Luke 5, Levi was called by Jesus to leave his life as a tax collector and follow him. So when he celebrated that fact by preparing a feast in Jesus’ honor, his guest list was comprised mainly of other tax collectors – notorious for being social outcasts and disregarded by their own neighbors. Upon seeing this, the Pharisees grumbled to Jesus’ disciples that he shouldn’t be eating with such sinners. Jesus’ response to this complaint was to tell them plainly: “I have not come to kalesai (signal [to someone] by name) the righteous but sinners to repentance.” In the Greco-Roman world, names were significant, often given as a way to shape a person’s identity. When someone would kalesai another person, it signaled the presence of a relationship. A leader might command a subordinate to do something specific, but a kalesai from a leader was a request rooted in a connection to that person. It’s reassuring, then, that Jesus wouldn’t be afraid to proclaim his connection with sinners to the world. He called them by name, indicating that he knew them and wasn’t afraid to be associated with them. Thank God that even when we don’t live up to the standard of holiness marked out for us in the Law, Jesus still chooses to initiate a relationship with us! His grace is on display in our lives today, as it was in Levi. Like him, may we respond to that grace with an invitation to enter his presence and experience the identity-changing power of his call.

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Who is God asking you to invite into his presence?

And behold, some men were bringing on a bed a man who was paralyzed, and they were seeking to bring him in and lay him before Jesus, – Luke 5:18 ESV

GREEK
ἐζήτουν/ezētoun: they were earnestly and diligently attempting

CONSIDER
Maewyn Succat grew up in a Christian home, but his faith solidified when he was forced to leave. Succat was kidnapped when he was only 16 years old and forced into slavery in the region his captors hailed from. For several years he labored and prayed that God would rescue him from the oppression he lived under. He remained vigilant in looking for a way out, finally traveling over 200 dangerous miles on foot to find a boat that would take him home. But a surprising thing happened after Maewyn settled back into his familiar surroundings. He found himself moved with compassion to share the gospel with the people who had kidnapped him. So roughly 15 years after he escaped, Succat returned to the land of his slavery and spent the rest of his life doggedly evangelizing the region. Today, we know Maewyn Succat better by the name St. Patrick, and every March 17th the world celebrates his determination to show the love of Christ to the very people who wronged him. His is a story of persistence and an unwillingness to let anything stop him from letting Jesus work through his life.
In Luke 5, we meet some men with similar traits. They likely had first-hand experience with the power of Jesus to heal and perform miracles. So when they discovered where Jesus was going to be, they picked up their friend and his mat “and ezētoun (they were earnestly and diligently attempting) to bring him in and lay him before Jesus.” This Greek verb is striking because it carries with it a sense of tenacity in a specific action. The men were not simply hoping to bring their friend to Jesus; they were earnestly and diligently working to ensure that he would have an encounter with the Son of God. Much like St. Patrick, these men had many excuses to fall back on, and would certainly not be blamed if they chose to give up and walk away. But because they recognized the power of the One they were pursuing, their persistence knew no bounds and their efforts were fruitful. May we remember this truth when we’re tempted to relax our efforts in pursuing the presence of Jesus!

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Who is God asking me to “hold the rope” for?

And when he saw their faith, he said, “Man, your sins are forgiven you.” – Luke 5:20 ESV

GREEK
ἰδὼν/idōn: experienced the results of

CONSIDER
One of our Because & Therefore statements at Centerway says, “Because he loves to do new things we value INNOVATION. Therefore we hold loosely to the way it’s always been. We purpose to release creativity and reveal the beauty of God, joyfully expecting new things to flow out of us as individuals and as a church community to point to Jesus.”
We’d be hard-pressed to find a more innovative story of faith and friendship than in Luke 5, where a crowd restricted a paralyzed man from having access to Jesus. Instead of turning away and hoping for another opportunity, several men carried the paralytic and his mat to the roof of the house where the Rabbi was. They then used a rope system to lower the man through the roof and right in front of Jesus. If you were to ask Jesus what he saw, you might assume he would respond with, “a person selfishly cutting the line” or “people making a huge mess.” But that’s not what Luke records. In verse 20, he writes, “And when he idōn (experienced the results of) their faith, he said, ‘Man, your sins are forgiven you.’” Jesus didn’t merely witness an event with his own eyes; the Greek verb idōn indicates that Jesus experienced the active results of the faith that these men had. And when he did, he activated a chain of life-change for the paralytic that began with his sins being forgiven. Because Jesus changes everything, connecting people to him matters greatly. And should we encounter roadblocks to bringing people to him, we will likely be required to have a healthy dose of innovation to overcome them. Thankfully, Jesus loves to do new things, and his desire to do them through us will showcase the beauty of God.

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Who is God asking me to “hold the rope” for?

And amazement seized them all, and they glorified God and were filled with awe, saying, “We have seen extraordinary things today.” – Luke 5:26 ESV

GREEK
παράδοξα/paradoxa: things we could never have imagined, things we didn’t expect

CONSIDER
Who is God asking me to “hold the rope” for? Chances are, the answer God’s Spirit will provide to that question will pose a challenge to our comfort in some way. Much like the men who carried the paralytic to Jesus, there will likely be hard work involved. But the fruit of our faith in action has the potential to change lives as we point to Jesus. It took seventeen years of prayer from his faith-filled mother before Augustine of Hippo became a Christian. He was boisterous, belligerent, and blasphemous. But once he repented of his sin, Augustine never looked back, and became an important voice of grace and truth in the 4th & 5th centuries. When his friends discovered that Augustine converted to the very faith that he once openly mocked, they were dumbfounded. They couldn’t process the news that Augustine had done something so contrary to their ideas about him. The onlookers to the miracle Jesus performed had an identical response to what they saw. Luke records that, “amazement seized them all, and they glorified God and were filled with awe, saying, ‘We have seen paradoxa (things we could have never imagined) today.’” This is the only time that the Greek word we get our English term paradox from is used in the entire Bible. By using this word, Luke reveals that the people came to hear Jesus and perhaps see him perform miracles, but they certainly didn’t expect Jesus to address the spiritual needs of the whole person. It’s not uncommon to come to Jesus with our own agenda, or an expectation of him that is too small compared to his grandeur. As we take our next step toward Christ, may we come to him with an open heart and a mindset that he can still do paradoxa today!

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Who is God asking me to “hold the rope” for?

While he was in one of the cities, there came a man full of leprosy. And when he saw Jesus, he fell on his face and begged him, “Lord, if you will, you can make me clean.” – Luke 5:11 ESV

GREEK
καθαρίσαι/katharisai: purified of all impurities

CONSIDER
The process of glass-making requires a lot of things to go right. The combination of raw materials must be precise, the temperature must be exact, and the entire process must be free of inclusions. If any of these things are off by even a small amount, the resulting glass will be cloudy, brittle, porous, or otherwise low quality. One of the biggest mistakes people have made when attempting to develop stronger glass is adding inclusions like metal or pottery to strengthen the material. Rather than making the glass stronger, glassmakers discovered that these inclusions actually stress the glass and cause failures such as spontaneous breaking. It turns out that adding something to the process does the opposite of what it was intended to do.
Inclusions in our own lives often stem from our feeble attempt to add things we assume will strengthen or bolster us. But when these things inevitably leave us stressed and broken, will we try to fix ourselves – or come to the Lord with a heart of repentance? When Jesus encountered a man with leprosy, his most apparent need was to be healed of his external ailment. His skin disease kept him from engaging with society and left him fending for himself outside the city gates. Interestingly, when the man approached Jesus, “he fell on his face and begged him, ‘Lord, if you will, you can make me katharisai (purified of all impurities).’” Instead of asking to be healed of his obvious affliction, this man took a posture of repentance by bowing low and asking to be purified of what separated him from God. He knew there was nothing he could do to fix things in his own strength, but what’s more, he recognized who was able to affect real, lasting change. That same power is available to us today! May we be wise enough to discern what we truly need from Him and set time aside to withdraw and pray.

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Schedule a date and time to withdraw and pray.

And Jesus stretched out his hand and touched him, saying, “I will; be clean.” And immediately the leprosy left him. – Luke 5:13 ESV

GREEK
ἥψατο/hēpsato: grabbed hold of, fastened his grip on

CONSIDER
Nestled between the stories of the Israelites leaving Egypt (Exodus) and their adventures in the wilderness (Numbers) is what looks at first like a long list of laws and rituals. However, the book of Leviticus is actually the story of how a holy God wants to restore a relationship with impure people, and the steps necessary to ensure this relationship is taken seriously. Throughout the book there are dozens of laws explaining what makes a person clean and how to avoid the things that make a person unclean. And each time a person came in contact with the unclean, they would contract that uncleanness and be separated from God until they could go through the ritual of purification.
When Jesus saw a man with leprosy approaching him, he could have sought to avoid him at any cost and not have been considered rude. In fact, leaving his presence would cause a rabbi with his burgeoning reputation to be commended for his commitment to purity. Instead, Jesus responds to the leper’s request by initiating contact with him as he “stretched out his hand and hēpsato (grabbed hold of, fastened his grip on) him.” The Greek verb Luke uses for this encounter goes far beyond an incidental brushing against an object. Jesus intentionally grabbed hold of one who Leviticus said would keep him from remaining clean. Not only did Jesus show incredible compassion for this hurting Israelite, but his touch had the opposite effect on his purity. The one who people avoided at the risk of their cleanliness was now made clean by coming in contact with Christ. The leper’s impurity was no match for the power and majesty of God! He loved the broken world so much that he himself drew near to us to become the way to a restored relationship with him.

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Schedule a date and time to withdraw and pray.

But he would withdraw to desolate places and pray. – Luke 5:16 ESV

GREEK
ὑποχωρῶν/hypochōrōn: step back stealthily, sneak away unnoticed

CONSIDER
Henry Ford, the inventor of the modern version of the assembly line, was a man who seemed to be obsessed with efficiency. Ford worked tirelessly to eliminate wasted energy, movement, and resources, and by the time he died had more than 160 patents to his name. His view on progress not only summed up the prevailing thought of the day, but seems to characterize today’s western culture as well. Ford is quoted as saying, “If everyone is moving forward together, then success takes care of itself.” As inspiring as that sounds, history indicates that moving forward isn’t always the path to success. Inventors can learn far more from failures than achievements. Military strategists may find that a well-timed move backward is more effective than running full-speed ahead. And in today’s verse, Jesus models the truth that sometimes the best way forward is to simply step away for awhile. Luke records that after cleansing a leper, Jesus “would hypochōrōn (step back stealthily, sneak away unnoticed) to desolate places and pray.” To many observers, the best way for Jesus to accomplish his mission was to remain in the public eye and accept as many invitations to display his power as possible. But Jesus understood where his strength was found, and knew when he needed to step back without drawing attention to himself and disrupt his typical routine to seek God. When the Spirit prompts us to hypochōrōn to desolate places, it may seem to others like a step in the wrong direction. But when we understand where our ultimate strength can be found, moving in that direction is never unfruitful!

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Schedule a date and time to withdraw and pray.

And when he had finished speaking, he said to Simon, “Put out into the deep and let down your nets for a catch.” – Luke 5:4 ESV

GREEK
Ἐπανάγαγε/epanagage: return; go back out again

CONSIDER
Imagine leaving a job after a few years, only to return to it again a few years later. This happens frequently enough that it might not seem odd to us at all. Now imagine leaving the same job three times, yet after a short stretch returning to that same position each time you leave. Over the course of his career, Rickey Henderson had four separate stints playing for the Athletics. Did he keep coming back to the A’s because it was the team he grew up rooting for? Was it his unmatched popularity in Northern California? Whatever the reason, Henderson returned from the place he left so often that, although he played for nine separate teams, he played 14 of his 25 years in Oakland.
Returning to the same place someone worked so hard to achieve a goal isn’t typically as exciting as Rickey Henderson made it seem. In fact, insanity is often jovially defined as doing the same thing twice and expecting a different outcome. So we can infer that Simon thought it quite insane that Jesus would ask him to “epanagage (return, go back out again) into the deep and let down your nets for a catch.” These fishermen had already been out all night fishing the waters Jesus asked them to return to, and had caught nothing. It must have seemed as though this carpenter-turned-rabbi was asking them to engage in an exercise in futility. But rather than give excuses as to why Jesus’ plan was unwise, Simon obeyed, and stood amazed as he and his crew brought in one of the largest hauls of fish they ever caught. There may come a time when the Lord invites us personally to epanagage to an activity we had once found fruitless. In that moment, will we find excuses not to obey, or trust that the presence of God, not the activity itself, is the variable that can change everything? Simon’s obedience reminds us that walking in breakthrough is less about being in the right place at the right time, and more about saying yes to the right Guide as we trust his leadership.

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What do I need to leave behind to follow Jesus’ lead?

And Simon answered, “Master, we toiled all night and took nothing! But at your word I will let down the nets.” – Luke 5:5 ESV

GREEK
κοπιάσαντες/kopiasantes: persevered to the point of exhaustion

CONSIDER
Some people have dreams of becoming famous as a singer, actor, or athlete. Others, like Belgian bartender Ludwig Van Isterdael, have different dreams. In 2023, Van Isterdael accomplished the dream of being a world record holder for the longest consecutive shift behind the bar. For 120 hours, he consistently served customers, stopping only to take five-minute breaks each hour. In order to buoy his spirits, friends and neighbors set up a waffle-baking station so that Ludwig could stay fueled up with his favorite pastry.
Van Isterdael admitted that setting the record was taxing on his health. He left his shift exhausted and likely dehydrated. Imagine if someone had asked him immediately afterward to turn back around and tend the bar again. That request would not have been well received. As Simon cleaned his nets after a long, hard night of fruitless fishing, Jesus asked him to do just that – turn around and repeat the same seemingly ineffective task. Simon replied to Jesus by saying, “Master, we kopiasantes (persevered to the point of exhaustion) all night and took nothing! But at your word I will let down the nets.” Simon’s fatigue stemmed from his perseverance at something he knew, loved, and felt called to. When God asks us to repeat a task, we may be tempted to believe that it is because we’ve done something wrong and need to be disciplined for it. But Simon’s hesitant obedience led him to discover the blessing of trusting in God’s plan and perfect timing. He wasn’t being reproved for his sin, he was experiencing the joy of being led by the Prince of Peace. This experience may have forced him to leave behind his comfort, pride, and position, but what he gained from following Jesus was infinitely greater.

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What do I need to leave behind to follow Jesus’ lead?

And when they had brought their boats to land, they left everything and followed him.- Luke 5:11 ESV

GREEK
ἀφέντες πάντα/aphentes panta: released their grip on all they held tightly to

CONSIDER
What do I need to leave behind to follow Jesus’ lead? While there are times when something is physically stopping us from following the call of Jesus, often the thing that is holding us back is less tangible. When Martin Luther wanted to respond to the many heresies he saw being endorsed by the church in the 16th century, he began not by attacking the palpable activities that offended him, but by addressing the internal idols of a person’s heart. Luther’s 95 theses (a document he wrote to refute many of the prevailing spiritual practices of the day) is filled with Biblical concepts such as repentance and grace that are critical to following Jesus without distraction. This is the idea that Luke aims to share with his readers in today’s verse. After experiencing an incredible miracle performed by Jesus, Simon and his brother, fishermen by trade, returned their boats to land, aphentes panta (released their grip on all they held tightly to) and followed him. Luke didn’t mean to suggest that Simon and Andrew could have never simultaneously followed Jesus and been fishermen; aphentes panta is a phrase that indicates following Jesus immediately became more important to them than anything else to which they could give their lives. Focusing in on God’s voice and being attentive to the prompting of the Spirit requires us to hold loosely to our own plans, ideas, and goals while recognizing that we must drop them if they occupy a bigger place in our hearts than Christ does. Thankfully, the cost of following Jesus pales in comparison to the joy of drawing near to him and following his lead.

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What do I need to leave behind to follow Jesus’ lead?