In 5:1—6:11 we have a record of five cases: the attracting of the occupied (5:1-11), the cleansing of the contaminated (5:12-16), the healing of the paralytic (5:17-26), the calling of the despised (5:27-39), and the breaking of the deformed sabbatical regulation for people’s satisfaction and liberation (6:1-11). We should not regard these cases merely as records of what happened to different persons. Actually all these cases portray a single person.
After the Lord Jesus performed a miracle related to fishing, Peter said to Him, “Depart from me, for I am a sinful man, Lord!” (5:8). Immediately following, we have the case of the cleansing of a man full of leprosy, the cleansing of a contaminated one. Peter was not only an occupied person but also a contaminated person. Spiritually speaking, the same is true of us all. Furthermore, in addition to being occupied and contaminated, we are paralyzed, despised, and under the bondage of the deformed regulations.
The cases 5:1—6:11 portray the spiritual condition of every fallen human being. Before we were saved, we were occupied. We were also lepers, sinful people, in need of cleansing. In addition, we were paralytics, those unable to walk or do anything according to God. Therefore, we were in need of the Lord’s healing.
No matter what a person’s occupation may be, when he is called by the Lord and released, he immediately realizes that he is sinful. When people are busy with their occupation, they may think that they are very good. But when they are released from their occupation to follow the Lord, they realize that they are sinful. Furthermore, after they are cleansed, they realize that they are paralyzed with respect to God and the things of God. They are not able to walk in God’s way. But after they are healed, they come to see that they are “tax collectors,” despised persons considered to be of no value. Eventually, they understand that they are under the bondage of certain regulations and are in need of both satisfaction and liberation.
After we are freed from our occupation, cleansed from our leprosy, and healed of our paralysis, we become in the Lord a person of value, for now we have Him as the new clothing to cover us outwardly and as the new wine to fill us inwardly (Luke 5:36-39). Following this, we are released from the binding regulations. As a result, we become persons fully saved by the Man-Savior.
As we read 5:1—6:11, we should not consider these cases as separate from one another. Instead, we need to regard all these cases as describing aspects of the condition of a single person. In particular, these cases are a portrait of the spiritual condition of every fallen human being.
In each of these cases we can see the human virtues of the Man-Savior and also the divine attributes expressed in His human virtues. Consider the case of the cleansing of the leper. Luke 5:12 says, “And it came about that as He was in one of the cities, behold, there was a man full of leprosy; and when he saw Jesus, he fell on his face and begged Him, saying, Lord, if You will, You can cleanse me.” The Lord “stretched out His hand and touched him, saying, I am willing; be cleansed! And immediately the leprosy left him” (v. 13). In this case the Lord acts in the highest standard of morality. Here we see that the Man-Savior sympathized with the leper. According to the Old Testament, a leper was not to be touched by anyone. In order to keep others away from him, a leper was required to cry out, “Unclean, unclean!” Hence, a leper was altogether isolated. But the Man-Savior stretched forth His hand to touch this leper. The Lord’s touching the leper reveals His human virtue.