Fishing For Men – Expedition Four

As Jesus moves throughout the Galilee of the Gentiles, sharing who he is, he comes across a man covered from head to toe with a fatal disease. What will happen, and how will this lead to both a teaching moment and a fishing expedition for his team? Let’s dig right in.

Questions from your reading

• Where is Jesus fishing?
• Who is Jesus fishing for?
• What is Jesus modelling about fishing for people in a city?
• How is Jesus fishing?
• What other questions do you still have?

Reflecting on your reading

As Jesus makes his way from city to city and town to town, he encounters a little bit of everything. In one of these cities, he meets a man covered with leprosy. I wonder who told Luke this story—maybe the man who was healed, who later became part of the early church. We don’t know for sure, but we do know that Luke’s sources were eyewitnesses (Luke 1:2).

In the Old Testament, Leviticus 13 outlines an extensive process for diagnosing leprosy. The priests served as the public health guardians of their communities, tasked with identifying and isolating anyone infected to stop the disease from spreading. Leprosy was highly contagious, and those afflicted were forced to live in colonies outside the city. They were also required to shout “Unclean!” whenever someone approached. Can you imagine living that way?

Luke tells us that this man approached Jesus in the city—and he doesn’t mention that the man cried out “Unclean!” Why not? How did he even make it past the city gates? However it happened, this man now finds himself face down in front of Jesus, desperately pleading for a touch. Moved with compassion, Jesus does the unthinkable: he reaches out and touches him. Imagine the disciples’ faces—shocked, alarmed, unsure. What was Jesus doing, touching a leper? Didn’t he know the risk? What a lesson for these young followers. Jesus loved the outcast, the unlovely, the socially rejected—and he fished for them too.

This wasn’t the only leper Jesus healed. He did it again and again, showing that no one was beyond reach. Jesus embraced this man, healed him instantly, and then instructed him not to tell anyone, but to go and show himself to the priest. Meanwhile, Jesus withdrew to spend time with his Father. This rhythm of solitude, prayer, and obedience marked his entire life. He consistently modelled the lifestyle of meeting with the Father, listening to his voice, and doing what he said.

Applying what you’ve read

Who are the lepers in your life? Who do you treat like an outcast? Most of us have a group we avoid—people who seem unapproachable or too difficult to engage. Take a moment and name that group. Then remember what Jesus did. He reached out. He touched the untouchable. He fished for those no one else would.

Now flip the perspective: you are a leper to someone else. That’s right—as admired, confident, or capable as you may seem, someone likely sees you as an outsider. Yet God reached out to you. He loved you when you were spiritually unclean and far from him. He paid the ultimate price to make you whole—through the life of his only Son.

So how’s your fishing expedition going? Who are you reaching for? Keep moving forward—Jesus is showing the way.

Spend some time praying with and talking to your friends as you finalise the plans.