Luke 5:26 - Printer Friendly

ESV: And amazement seized them all, and they glorified God and were filled with awe, saying, "We have seen extraordinary things today."

NIV: Everyone was amazed and gave praise to God. They were filled with awe and said, "We have seen remarkable things today."

NASB: And they were all struck with astonishment and began glorifying God. They were also filled with fear, saying, 'We have seen remarkable things today!'

CSB: Then everyone was astounded, and they were giving glory to God. And they were filled with awe and said, "We have seen incredible things today."

NLT: Everyone was gripped with great wonder and awe, and they praised God, exclaiming, 'We have seen amazing things today!'

KJV: And they were all amazed, and they glorified God, and were filled with fear, saying, We have seen strange things to day.

NKJV: And they were all amazed, and they glorified God and were filled with fear, saying, “We have seen strange things today!”

The crowd in a house in Capernaum has seen wonders. "Extraordinary things" is from the Greek root word paradoxa. As seen in English words like "paradox," this implies something that defies expectations, or seems impossible.

First, bystanders saw a man on a pallet lowered through the hole in the ceiling. Then they saw Jesus, who had been teaching, declare the man's sins forgiven. Next, they heard Jesus reveal what the Pharisees and scribes were privately thinking (Mark 2:6–7). Finally, Jesus told the man to rise, pick up his bed, and go home—and the man did (Luke 5:17–25)!

The man "went home, glorifying God" (Luke 5:25) and the people join him. The scribes and Pharisees have taught them that if God heals you physically, He healed you spiritually. The point, here, is not whether or not that's theologically accurate. The point is this is how the people understand the situation. What happens cuts into the prejudice of the teachers who oppose Jesus' message.

The crowd members do not yet understand that Jesus is the Son of God and God the Son. They don't know He will die for their sins, rise again, and sit on David's throne. But it is obvious to them, now, that God is present and working in their lives in a way they never expected.

Luke 5:17–26 records Jesus' second miracle after the first call of His disciples. He has already touched a man with leprosy (Luke 5:12–16). Now, He declares a paralytic's sins are forgiven. The scribes and Pharisees question Jesus' authority; even after Jesus heals the man, separation between His followers and His detractors continues to grow. Luke follows the pattern of connecting Jesus' provocative actions with His calls to His disciples until all twelve are chosen (Luke 5:27—6:16). The healing of the paralyzed man is also in Matthew 9:1–8 and Mark 2:1–12.

Luke 5 continues Jesus' Galilean Ministry (Luke 4:14—9:50). The passage alternates calls to discipleship with miracles and teachings which demonstrate what discipleship entails. Jesus calls Peter, Andrew, and their business partners, James and John, to follow Him and make more disciples. Then Jesus makes a man with leprosy ceremonially clean. He forgives the sins of a paralytic. After He calls Levi to follow Him, Jesus celebrates instead of fasting. This draws critical questions from the crowd. The religious leaders consider Jesus' actions blasphemous. His message of forgiveness, faith, and repentance cannot be contained by their tradition.

Jesus has already proved He can expel demons, heal ailments, and reveal the kingdom of God (Luke 4:31–44). In this chapter, He begins to separate His followers from His detractors. This begins with calling the first five disciples and emphasizing faith and repentance over religious tradition. He will drive home the point by treating the Sabbath as a blessing rather than a burden (Luke 6:1–11). After formally inviting the Twelve to follow Him, Jesus will explain to a crowd what discipleship looks like and invite them to build their lives on Him (Luke 6:12–49). In chapter 7, Jesus champions Gentiles and the marginalized.

Luke was a traveling companion of Paul (Acts 16:10) and a physician (Colossians 4:14). Unlike Matthew, Mark, and John, Luke writes his gospel as an historian, rather than as a first-hand eyewitness. His extensive writings also include the book of Acts (Acts 1:1–3). These are deliberately organized, carefully researched accounts of those events. The gospel of Luke focuses on the earthly ministry of Jesus Christ. Luke's Gentile perspective presents Christ as a Savior for all people, offering both forgiveness and direction to those who follow Him.