PARAGRAPH DIVISIONS OF MODERN TRANSLATIONS

UBS4	NKJV	NRSV	TEV	NJB
The Parable of the Widow and the Judge	The Parable of the Persistent Widow	The Unjust Judge	The Parable of the Widow and the Judge	The Unscrupulous Judge and the Importunate Widow
18:1-8	18:1-8	18:1-8	18:1-5	18:1-5
			18:6-8	18:6-8
The Parable of the Pharisee and Tax Collector	The Parable of the Pharisee and the Tax Collector	Pharisee and Tax Collector	The Parable of the Pharisee and the Tax Collector	The Pharisee and the Tax Collector
18:9-14	18:9-14	18:9-14	18:9-14	18:9-14
Little Children Blessed	Jesus Blesses Little Children	From Galilee to Jerusalem (18:15-19:27) Blessing the Children	Jesus Blesses Little Children	Jesus and the Children
18:15-17	18:15-17	18:15-17	18:15-17	18:15-17
The Rich Ruler	Jesus Counsels the Rich Young Ruler	The Rich Ruler	The Rich Man	The Rich Aristocrat
18:18-23	18:18-23	18:18-25	18:18	18:18-23
			18:19-20
			18:21
	With God All Things are Possible		18:22-23	The Danger of Riches
18:24-30	18:24-30		18:24-25	18:24-27
		18:26-27	18:26
			18:27	The Reward of Renunciation
		18:28-30	18:28	18:28-30
			18:29-30
A Third Time Jesus Foretells His Death and Resurrection	Jesus A Third Time Predicts His Death and Resurrection	The Passion Foretold Again	Jesus Speaks a Third Time About His Death	Third Prophecy of the Passion
18:31-34	18:31-34	18:31-34	18:31-33	18:31-34
			18:34
The Healing of a Blind Beggar Near Jericho	A Blind Man Receives His Sight	A Blind Man Healed	Jesus Heals a Blind Beggar	Entering Jericho: the Blind Man
18:35-43	18:35-43	18:35-43	18:35-36	18:35-43
			18:37
			18:38
			18:39
			18:40-41a
			18:41b
			18:43

READING CYCLE THREE (from "A Guide to Good Bible Reading")

FOLLOWING THE ORIGINAL AUTHOR'S INTENT AT THE PARAGRAPH LEVEL

This is a study guide commentary, which means that you are responsible for your own interpretation of the Bible. Each of us must walk in the light we have. You, the Bible, and the Holy Spirit are priority in interpretation. You must not relinquish this to a commentator.

Read the chapter in one sitting. Identify the subjects. Compare your subject divisions with the five translations above. Paragraphing is not inspired, but it is the key to following the original author's intent, which is the heart of interpretation. Every paragraph has one and only one subject.

1. First paragraph

2. Second paragraph

3. Third paragraph

4. Etc.

 

CONTEXTUAL INSIGHTS

A. In the Synoptic Gospels (Matthew, Mark, and Luke) Jesus' teaching is often illustrated by parables.

 

B. Parables (OT mashal, BDB 605 II) take many forms.

1. proverb (Luke 4:23)

2. story (Luke 15 and 16)

3. allegory (Luke 8:4-15)

4. simile (Luke 13:19,21; 17:6)

5. contrast (Luke 11:5-13; 18:1-8)

 

C. For guidelines on the interpretation of parables, see the introduction to Luke 8.

 

D. This chapter is connected by the question of saving faith.

1. First parable (Luke 18:1-8), will the Son of Man find faith (persistent, prayerful faith) when He returns?

2. Second parable (Luke 18:9-14), the wrong kind of faith (self-righteous) versus repentant faith (the sinner, tax collector).

3. Parabolic example (Luke 18:15-17), Jesus and childlike faith without which no one can enter the kingdom.

4. Parabolic example (Luke 18:18-30), priority faith (rich, young, moral ruler). Jesus and the Kingdom must be number one!

5. Jesus' sacrificial death (Luke 18:31-34) is the key to eternal life which is received by faith.

6. Prophetic example (Luke 18:35-43) of the blind receiving their sight (physical and spiritual), which is the work of the "suffering" Messiah by faith (cf. Luke 18:42).

 

WORD AND PHRASE STUDY

NASB (UPDATED) TEXT: LUKE 18:1-8
 ¹Now He was telling them a parable to show that at all times they ought to pray and not to lose heart, ²saying, "In a certain city there was a judge who did not fear God and did not respect man. ³There was a widow in that city, and she kept coming to him, saying, 'Give me legal protection from my opponent.' ⁴For a while he was unwilling; but afterward he said to himself, 'Even though I do not fear God nor respect man, ⁵yet because this widow bothers me, I will give her legal protection, otherwise by continually coming she will wear me out.'" ⁶And the Lord said, "Hear what the unrighteous judge said; ⁷now, will not God bring about justice for His elect who cry to Him day and night, and will He delay long over them? ⁸I tell you that He will bring about justice for them quickly. However, when the Son of Man comes, will He find faith on the earth?"

18:1 "Now He was telling them a parable" This is an antithetical or contrasting parable similar to Luke 11:5-13. It is a story that relates to the exact opposite of what God is truly like. The pronoun "them" refers to the disciples (cf. Luke 16:1; 17:5,22,37; 17:37).

▣ "that at all times they ought to pray and not to lose heart" Notice the Greek terms:

1. dei, which means "ought" or "necessary."

2. pas, here in adverbial form (pantote), which means "always."

This phrase is a mandate to keep on praying and not become discouraged (cf. Eph. 6:18). In several parallel passages in Paul's writings, persistent prayer is linked to thanksgiving (cf. Phil. 4:6; Col. 1:3; 4:2; 1 Thess. 5:17-18).

Prayer is a worldview; thanksgiving is an attitude; both dictate believers' actions toward people and circumstances.

▣ "not to lose heart" The Greek term is egkakeō (cf. 2 Cor. 4:1,16; Gal. 6:9; Eph. 3:13; 2 Thess. 3:13), which is probably the same as ekkakeō, which literally means "not to give in to the bad," but metaphorically to be faint, to be remiss, or to be slothful.

18:2 "a judge who did not fear God and did not respect man" He was not swayed by God's opinion or mankind's opinion. His judgments were based on personal interest or personal preference.

18:3 "a widow" Again Luke shows Jesus' concern and care for the socially powerless and/or ostracized. Widows were often taken advantage of in Jewish society (cf. Exod. 22:21-24; Deut. 10:18; 24:17). Luke is characterized by Jesus' interaction with and care for women.

▣ "give me legal protection" This could mean vindicate or give me justice (cf. Luke 18:7 and 8).

18:4 "for a while he was unwilling" This is an imperfect active indicative, which denotes the judge's ongoing refusal to act on behalf of the widow.

▣ "even though" This is a first class conditional sentence (cf. Robert Nanna, A Grammatical Aid to the Greek New Testament, vol. 1, p. 123), which asserts the reality of the statements of Luke 18:2.

In a sense this is similar to Luke 15:17. This judge had an epiphany; he came to himself. He began to realize the consequences of his decision.

18:5 "wear me out" This literally meant "to blacken one's eye" (cf. 1 Cor. 9:27). Here it is used metaphorically of someone or something that continually bothers.

18:7 "not" This is a double negative, which was a strong way of expressing "no, never under any circumstances."

1. Our heavenly Father is exactly the opposite of the unrighteous, inattentive, self-seeking judge. 

2. His delay has a beneficial purpose (i.e., full number of the elect, cf. Rom. 11:25; John 10:16).

 

▣ "who cry to Him day and night" This phrase characterizes the persistent prayers of the elect (cf. Luke 11:9-13; Matt. 7:7-12). Persistence does not overcome God's reluctance, but it demonstrates trust and conviction.

▣ "His elect" This is an OT way of referring to God's people, especially as servants (cf. Isa. 42-43; 44:28-45:7).

SPECIAL TOPIC: Election/predestination and the Need for a Theological Balance

▣ "who cry to Him day and night" This is a way of expressing continual action (i.e., always). The order of "day and night" reflects a Gentile idiom, while 2:37, "night and day," reflects a Hebrew idiom. Luke was a researcher. He used his sources' idioms, yet he was also an editor and compiler and at times his own idioms become part of his Gospel (cf. Acts 9:24; 20:31; 26:7).

▣ "will He delay long over them" This is the second of two rhetorical questions in Luke 18:7 which contrast God and the attitude of this wicked judge. The first question expects a "yes" answer and this, the second question, a "no" answer.

The Greek "delay" (makrothumeō, put wrath far away) is ambiguous and may mean one of two things:

1. help for the persistent elect to grow in faith

2. more time for the wicked to repent (cf. Rom. 2:4; 2 Pet. 3:9)

3. the NASB (1970) has a marginal alternate translation, "and yet He is longsuffering over them," which denotes the patience of God with sinners

 

18:8 This is a surprising conclusion to this parable. It seems to be unrelated to the story. Jesus' return will be the mechanism of God's bringing justice to the elect (cf. Rev. 6:9-11).

What then does the prepositional phrase en tachei mean: (1) suddenly or (2) quickly? Is this a contrasting parable or a parable of differing motives for a delayed adjudication?

Many commentators assert that Luke's Gospel suggests a delayed Second Coming and tries to prepare a Gentile audience for this surprising development (ex. 12:35-48; 17:22-30).

▣ "when the Son of Man comes" This is an emphasis on the eschatological coming of the Messiah as Judge. The term "Son of Man" is primarily drawn from Ezek. 2:1 and Dan. 7:13, where it combines human and divine qualities. See Special Topic at Luke 17:22.

▣ "will He find faith on the earth" The NT emphasizes the physical, bodily return of Jesus Christ. However, it does not tell us when or how. It does tell us to be actively involved in the kingdom's work and to be ready moment-by-moment for His coming. This phrase seems to reflect this two-pronged piece of advice.

"Faith" has the definite article. This is

1. the belief that God will answer their prayers for help (cf. Luke 18:7). His best answer will be sending His Son back into the world a second time to set all things straight as He promised.

2. M. R. Vincent, Word Studies, p. 204, takes kai as "yet" (cf. John 9:30; 16:32), which implies not a direct contrast to the wicked judge, but gives reason for God's delay in answering His elect (the faith development).

3. Kenneth E. Bailey, Through Peasant Eyes, pp. 127-141, thinks it relates to the soon-coming event of Passion Week, described in Luke 18:31-34. These disciples will need persistent prayer and faith development very soon.

4. This is faith in Christ or Christianity.

The emphasis may be on what believers are praying for. Are they asking God repeatedly for personal things or kingdom things? If personal things, then believers are more like the unrighteous judge than they want to admit.

NASB (UPDATED) TEXT: LUKE 18:9-14
 ⁹And He also told this parable to some people who trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and viewed others with contempt: ¹⁰"Two men went up into the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. ¹¹The Pharisee stood and was praying this to himself: 'God, I thank You that I am not like other people: swindlers, unjust, adulterers, or even like this tax collector. ¹²I fast twice a week; I pay tithes of all that I get.' ¹³But the tax collector, standing some distance away, was even unwilling to lift up his eyes to heaven, but was beating his breast, saying, 'God, be merciful to me, the sinner!' ¹⁴I tell you this man went to his house justified rather than the other; for everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but he who humbles himself will be exalted."

18:9 "He also told this parable" This is the second parable about persistence in prayer.

▣ "to some people" Parables are addressed to the Pharisees and disciples in Luke 15-17, but here to "people" (i.e., the crowd, also note 15:3; 19:11). Context implies the ones addressed were Pharisees (cf. Luke 16:14-15). Parables are always told in public settings. They either make clear or hide truth, depending on the heart of the hearer!

▣ "who trusted in themselves that they were righteous" The term "trusted" is a perfect active participle of the term peithō, which is translated in the NT as "persuade," "trust" or "be assured." Jesus addresses those Jews (and all people) who think they are right with God based on their ancestry, attitudes, and actions. The Jews of Jesus' day considered (1) prayer (cf. Matt. 6:4-5), (2) almsgiving (cf. Matt. 6:2-4), and (3) fasting (cf. Matt. 6:16-18) as acts which brought personal righteousness (cf. Matt. 6:1).

The former parable dealt with a judge who did not believe in or respect God. This parable deals with those who outwardly seem to believe and respect God, but in actuality were trusting in their own goodness and performance. They felt God owed them! They expected to be fully compensated for their righteous acts (almsgiving, fasting, and prayer, as well as their keeping the rules of the Oral Tradition of the elders).

Self-righteousness may be the most dangerous sin of "religious" people (cf. Luke 10:29; 16:15; 18:9,14).

18:9 "and viewed others with contempt" The Greek term exoutheneō is used only by Luke (cf. Luke 18:9; 23:11; Acts 4:11 [LXX]) and Paul (cf. Rom. 14:3,10; 1 Cor. 1:28; 6:4; 16:11; 2 Cor. 10:10; Gal. 4:14; 1 Thess. 5:20). This judgmental attitude is the major problem of legalistic, religious people. God is longsuffering, but often those who claim to know Him and belong to Him are just the opposite!

The term "others" in the NASB is literally "the rest," which denotes the Pharisees' judgmental attitude. From their perspective all others were unacceptable and out of the love of God. Only their group (sect) was righteous! In this specific case, this Pharisee even stands off from all the other worshipers. He may have seen himself as even more righteous than other Pharisees.

18:10 "the temple to pray" There were three times of daily prayer in Judaism of the first century. Nine a.m. and three p.m. were the times of the daily sacrifice at the temple (the continual). The religious leaders of Jerusalem added noon as a third time of daily prayer. The setting of this parable would have been at  9 a.m. or 3 p.m.

▣ "one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector" The first was noted for his sincere religiosity and commitment to doing God's will. The second was known as a social outcast, friend of Rome, and totally ostracized from the religious community of Israel (cf. Luke 5:30; 7:34; 9:2,7; 15:1).

18:11 "The Pharisee stood and was praying this to himself" Here was the man who was praying to God while reviewing his own accomplishments (cf. Luke 18:12). When interpreting parables one looks for the "surprise," the unexpected turn of events, the role reversal. This is the key in understanding the parable (cf. Luke 18:13-14).

The phrase, "these things to himself," which comes after "standing," has several different forms in the Greek manuscript tradition. It very possibly reflects an Aramaic idiom, "taking his stand, prayed" (cf. C. C. Torey, Our Translated Gospels, p. 79 and M. Black, Aramaic Approach, 3^rd ed., p. 103, from Bruce M. Metzger, A Textual Commentary on the Greek New Testament, p. 168, footnote #1).

So the question for interpreters is, "Does this phrase refer to (1) thinking to himself (NASB, TEV) or (2) standing apart from the tax collector (NRSV)?

▣ "I thank you that I am not like other people: swindlers, unjust, adulterers, or even like this tax collector" This man was trusting in his religious practice. We must remember that the prophet Isaiah says that human works of righteousness in connection with a merited salvation are as filthy rags before God (cf. Isa. 64:6). This parable and other parables in this chapter emphasize the need for a personal relationship through a contrite heart (repentance) and faith in the person and finished work of Jesus the Christ. God's grace and Jesus' sacrificial death are the sinner's only hope!

18:12 "I fast twice a week" The Pharisees of Jesus' day fasted (see Special Topic at Luke 5:33) on Monday and Thursday in commemoration of Moses' going up and coming down from Mt. Sinai, receiving the law from God. They went far beyond the OT requirement of one fast day a year (cf. Leviticus 16), the Day of Atonement (cf. Zechariah 7-8). In the interbiblical period the rabbis also set up another annual fast day to commemorate the destruction of the Temple in 586 b.c. by Nebuchadnezzar, King of Babylon (cf. Jeremiah 52; Lamentations 1-5).

▣ "I pay tithes of all that I get" It is not that his tithing was inappropriate. It was the attitude behind the tithe ("of all") that turns this into self-righteousness instead of devotion. This Pharisee depended on what he did, not on God's mercy and grace. He went far beyond the requirement of the law (cf. Deut. 14:22), but he missed God! This is the tragedy of self-righteous legalism! So many "do nots," but so little "love" (cf. Deut. 6:5; Lev. 19:18).

Just a thought or two on tithing as a Christian requirement. Surprisingly the NT does not give us guidelines for regular giving. It does discuss the proper motives for the one-time gift of Paul's Gentile churches to the mother church in Jerusalem (cf. 2 Corinthians 8-9). Tithing is a Jewish practice to support the temple, the local Levites, and the poor. However, Acts 15 clearly states that Gentile believers are not bound or obligated to a Jewish tithe to the Temple and its personnel.

Many of the sermons I hear on tithing use OT texts (especially Malachi) and try to force tithing through fear of divine retribution or promises of divine blessing (greed). There is a good article on tithing in Frank Stagg's New Testament Theology, pp. 290-293. Believers' whole lives ought to be a gift to Christ and His kingdom out of gratitude for a full and free salvation! See SPECIAL TOPIC: TITHING at Luke 11:42.

18:13 "But the tax collector, standing some distance away, was even unwilling to lift up his eyes to heaven, but was beating his breast" Notice the three phrases related to this man's reluctance before God.

1. standing some distance away (perfect active participle)

2. not looking up to heaven (imperfect active indicative with a double negative)

3. beating his breast (imperfect active indicative)

Phrase #3 may be a gesture of repentance or agitation (cf. Luke 23:48) by striking one's heart (the center of the person, cf. Josephus, Antiq. 7.10.5).

Also note that everything this man does is opposite to the self-righteous Pharisee (especially noted is the "stance": the Pharisee took his stance away from the crowd of worshipers and apparently closer to the altar, while the tax collector took his stand away from the crowd and farther away from the altar).

This is the biblical foundation for our cultural tradition of bowing our heads and closing our eyes in prayer, however, the Jewish posture for prayer was the hands lifted, the eyes open with the face lifted to heaven. The key in prayer is not the position of the body, but of the heart!

▣ "God, be merciful to me" This is an aorist passive imperative. The word "merciful" (hilaskomai, found only here in Luke's writings) is from the same root as the term "mercy seat" or the "place of atonement" (in the Septuagint, hilastērion) in the sacrificial system of Israel (cf. Heb. 9:5). In the Septuagint this Greek verb is used to translate the Hebrew salach (BDB 699), which is exclusively used of God's forgiveness towards sinners (cf. Robert B. Girdlestone, Synonyms of the Old Testament, p. 135). Kenneth E. Bailey, Through Peasant Eyes, p. 154, says in Syriac it means, "make an atonement for me." Remember they are in a public worship setting at the time of the sacrifice of a lamb (twice daily) for Israel. This sinner cries out from his heart, "let that blood be for me!"

▣ "the sinner" This parable describes two Jews: one a Pharisee who thinks he is right with God because of all he does and a tax collector who knows that he is estranged from God. He feels himself "chief of sinners" (use of the definite article). Is it not ironic that the second went away right with God and the first went away estranged from God (cf. Rom. 10:2-4). What a culturally shocking role reversal!

18:14 "went to his house justified" This is a perfect passive participle which refers to believers' position of forgiveness from a merciful God. It was a gift freely given! This is analogous to Paul's justification by faith in Jesus Christ (cf. Galatians 3; Rom. 3:21-31; 4:5). The Pharisee was a moral man, but he was also a spiritually lost man because he trusted in himself and did not think he needed God's mercy and forgiveness. This is the Jewish religionist Isaiah is talking about in Isa. 6:9-10 and 29:13.

For "justified" see Special Topic: Righteousness at Luke 1:6.

▣ "everyone who exalts himself will be humbled" This may be an allusion to Isa. 57:15 (cf. Isa. 66:2; Ps. 34:18; 51:17). This was first introduced in Luke 14:11 (cf. Matt. 23:12). What a shocking role reversal from the OT perspective of Deuteronomy 27-29! The New Covenant depreciates human performance (cf. Jer. 31:31-34; Ezek. 36:22-38).

▣ "but he who humbles himself will be exalted" The word "exalted" (hupsoō) is used of Pharisees in Luke 16:15. It is used in connection with the humble in Luke 1:52; 14:11 (cf. Matt. 23:12). This does not mean exalted among others in the society, but refers to one's relationship with God. God raises the humble into intimacy with Himself.

NASB (UPDATED) TEXT: LUKE 18:15-17
 ¹⁵And they were bringing even their babies to Him so that He would touch them, but when the disciples saw it, they began rebuking them. ¹⁶But Jesus called for them, saying, "Permit the children to come to Me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these. ¹⁷Truly I say to you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God like a child will not enter it at all."

18:15ff We have been in an extended literary context from 9:51-18:14 which has no direct parallel in the other Synoptic Gospels. At verse 15 Luke returns to the Markan chronology.

▣ "they were bringing even their babies to Him so that He would touch them" We must remember that in the Jewish traditions of this day these children were not thought to be saved by the prayer of the rabbi, but blessed for a happy, healthy, and prosperous life. They were thought to be saved because they were a part of national Israel. Therefore, this context has nothing to do with the salvation of children. We are dealing with the concept of rabbinical blessings for little ones.

In this context, we clearly see the heart of Jesus.

1. Jesus really does care for little children

2. this is not a passage on children only, but primarily a passage on child-like faith (cf. Matt. 18:3) that adults must have to be saved

3. Jesus always shows love to the neglected and ostracized groups of society like children, women, widows, and notorious sinners

This passage is similar to Matthew 18 with new believers being identified as little ones who believe in Jesus (cf. Matt. 18:6).

▣ "babies" The Greek term brephos can mean

1. an unborn child (cf. Luke 1:41,44)

2. a newly born baby (cf. Luke 2:12,16; Acts 7:19)

3. older children (cf. Luke 18:15; 2 Tim. 3:15)

The Matthew (cf. Luke 19:13-15) and Mark (cf. Luke 10:13-16) parallels use the Greek term "children" (paidia), which also denotes a child of any age (cf. Harold K. Moulton, The Analytical Greek Lexicon Revised, p. 298).

The whole purpose of Jesus' analogy is that the children must be old enough to understand and exercise trust and faith in the gospel (i.e., childlike faith). For Jews this age of accountability was 13 years of age for boys (bar mitzvah) and 12 years for girls (bat mitzvah).

18:16 This verse contains two imperatives.

1. "permit" – aorist active (cf. Matt. 5:40)

2. "do not hinder" – present active with negative particle, which usually means to stop an act in process.

This verse does not imply that the Kingdom belongs to children, but to those who have childlike trust and faith in Jesus (cf. Matt. 19:13-15 and Mark 10:13-31).

18:17 "truly" This is literally "Amen." See Special Topic at Luke 4:24.

▣ "whoever does not receive the kingdom of God" There are several items that attract my attention.

1. "whoever" – the gospel is for all but must be accepted, received, believed.

2. "receive" – this is a negative contrast to John 1:12. The two verses use different words, but the theological concept is the same.

3. "the kingdom of God" – this is a way of referring to the gospel of Jesus. Notice John 1:12 says "receive Him." One's entrance into the kingdom of God depends completely and totally on one's faith/trust/belief in the gospel of Jesus, which is Jesus Himself. The simple and boundless trust of a child characterizes true faith.

4. the kingdom must be entered – cf, Luke 13:24; 18:24,25; Matt. 18:3; Mark 10:15; Acts 14:22.

 

▣ "will not enter it at all" This is the strong double negative, which means "never, no never under any circumstances." Simple, childlike trust is crucial, not just desirable. Believers must lean completely on God's character and Jesus' provision, not on their own merits or performance as a means of being accepted by God into the Kingdom of Heaven (cf. Rom. 3:21-31). This is so difficult for self-righteous, legalistic, religious people of all ages and cultures.

NASB (UPDATED) TEXT: LUKE 18:18-27
 ¹⁸A ruler questioned Him, saying, "Good Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?" ¹⁹And Jesus said to him, "Why do you call Me good? No one is good except God alone. ²⁰You know the commandments, 'Do not commit adultery, Do not murder, Do not steal, Do not bear false witness, Honor your father and mother.'" ²¹And he said, "All these things I have kept from my youth." ²²When Jesus heard this, He said to him, "One thing you still lack; sell all that you possess and distribute it to the poor, and you shall have treasure in heaven; and come, follow Me." ²³But when he had heard these things, he became very sad, for he was extremely rich. ²⁴And Jesus looked at him and said, "How hard it is for those who are wealthy to enter the kingdom of God! ²⁵For it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God." ²⁶They who heard it said, "Then who can be saved?" ²⁷But He said, "The things that are impossible with people are possible with God."

18:18 "A ruler" It is uncertain exactly what this title (archōn) means, though in John 3:1 it refers to Nicodemus being a member of the Sanhedrin (cf. Luke 23:13,35; 24:20). It may refer to the person who was in charge of the local synagogue (cf. Luke 8:41; 14:1). It obviously refers to a well respected leader, possibly a judge (cf. Luke 12:58).

▣ "Good Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life" This is exactly the same question that the Scribe asked in Luke 10:25 with an emphasis on personal performance. This is exactly the opposite of Luke 18:17. Eternal life and the Kingdom of God are parallel. See note on eternal life at Luke 18:30.

18:19 "Why do you call Me good" We must remember that this is not a theological passage dealing with the person of Jesus Christ. Many try to use this as a proof-text that Jesus did not consider Himself to be divine. This question and statement of Jesus reflects this man's understanding about his ability to be right with God based on his own efforts. This passage is similar to Matt. 19:16, which reads "teacher, what good things shall I do to obtain eternal life."

18:20 The Ten Commandments are listed in Exodus 20 and Deuteronomy 5. They basically break into two aspects: (1) human's view of and relationship to God and (2) human's view of and relationship with Covenant brothers and sisters. This list is out of order from the Masoretic Text of both Exodus 20 and Deuteronomy 5 as they relate to the proper relationship between Covenant people.

18:21 "And he said, 'All these things I have kept from my youth’" This man was not lying. He is asserting that he had lived up to all the religious requirements and traditions of his day since his bar mitzvah at age 13. Paul asserts this very same truth in Phil. 3:6.

We know from Rom. 1:18 through 3:23 that all men have sinned. We must remember that only the Spirit of God reveals this truth to the human heart.

This is the first required truth of the gospel. No one needs a savior until they recognize their need. Self-righteousness is a cruel and deceptive taskmaster. The gospel is only "good news" when one recognizes the bad news of Genesis 3 and human rebellion. No human will boast before God (cf. Eph. 2:8-9).

18:22 "One thing you still lack; sell all that you possess" This is an aorist active imperative. Jesus recognized this man's priority structure. The parallel in Mark 10:21 and some ancient uncial manuscripts of Luke (A and W) tell that Jesus had great care and love for this man, but he would not lower the standard of the gospel to allow him to receive eternal life. This is not a universal requirement for all humans (cf. Zaccheus, Luke 19). But it is a recurring statement (cf. Luke 18:28 and 12:33-34). Jesus realized that this man's heart was not fully turned to God. Anything in our lives that keeps us from fully trusting God is an idol and must be dealt with (cf. Matt. 6:24).

It is possible that Jesus was calling this man to be a disciple like the Twelve (cf. Matt. 19:21; Mark 10:21). This man could have been a significant Christian leader, but the pull of riches (cf. Luke 8:14) paralyzed the possibilities! Jesus used this very command ("come, follow Me") to call others:

1. Levi (Matthew), Mark 2:14; Luke 5:27; Matt. 9:9

2. Peter and Andrew, Matt. 4:19

3. Philip, John 1:43

However, it must also be said that this is a call to discipleship for all followers, not just the Twelve (cf. Matt. 8:22; 16:24; Mark 8:34; Luke 9:23,59; John 10:27; 12:26; 21:22). The gospel is

1. the welcoming of a person (Jesus)

2. believing truth about that person (the gospel, the NT)

3. living a life like that person (Christlikeness)

 

▣ "distribute it to the poor" This is an aorist active imperative. Jesus cares for the poor. He always had time for them. The issue here is not the poor as a social problem, but this man's priority structure (cf. Matt. 6:24). Remember the Jews of this day saw wealth as a gift from God for righteous living (cf. Deuteronomy 27-29). Paul uses this very illustration in 1 Cor. 13:3.

▣ "treasure in heaven" This reminds one of Matt. 6:19-21. What one considers "treasure" reveals that person's value structure.

▣ "come, follow Me" "Come" is an adverb used in the sense of an imperative (cf. Matt. 19:21; Mark 10:21). "Follow Me" is a present active imperative which emphasizes an ongoing following. Notice how Jesus switched the question from "doing good" to "following Him." He, not human performance, is the key to eternal life.

The NT emphasis is not on an initial decision, although that is certainly important, but on continuing faith and discipleship. The NT emphasizes relationship even before doctrinal content and lifestyle. These three criteria form the triad of assurance in the NT (cf. Mark 2:14; 8:34; 10:21; Matt. 4:19; 8:22; 9:9; 16:24; 19:21; Luke 5:17; 9:23,59; 18:22; John 1:43; 10:27; 12:26; 21:22).

18:24 "How hard it is for those who are wealthy to enter the kingdom of God" The disciples' reaction recorded in Luke 18:26 shows us how surprised they were that wealth was not a sign of God's blessing. Notice that the singular verbs and pronouns starting in Luke 18:18 now become plurals (general statement). Jesus is asserting here that those who have worldly things and positions tend to trust in their own resources and not in God (cf. Matt. 19:23-30; Mark 10:23-31). Jesus is addressing the problem of wealth and salvation using this ruler as an example.

18:25 "For it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle" There have been several theories to describe this statement.

1. the term "needle's eye" refers to a small gate in the wall of Jerusalem only a pedestrian could walk through

2. the term "camel" (kamēlon) has been mistranslated and is really the term "rope" (kamilon)

3. this is Oriental exaggeration to make a point (cf. Luke 6:41) 

4. this was a common proverb for the impossible

I believe either # 3 or #4 is correct. Number 1 has no historical corroboration (see Fee and Stuart, How To Read the Bible For All Its Worth, p. 25) and #2 is first found in one late uncial Greek manuscript (MS S) and a few minuscule manuscripts (i.e., #13, 59, 124, 130, 437, 472, 543). The UBS⁴ gives "camel" and "A" rating (certain).

Matthew and Mark record this same teaching and use the Greek term rhaphis (needle) from rhaptō, to sew, but Luke, the physician, uses belonē, which was used of a needle to sew up wounds (a medical term).

18:26 "Then who can be saved" This is the issue! It was especially the issue of traditional Judaism which interpreted wealth and social position as evidence of God's blessing and acceptance (cf. Deuteronomy 27-29). This parable directly addresses this false assumption, as do Job and Psalm 73. In this context, however, obedience and faith in Jesus is the key to eternal life, not human performance of Mosaic laws, personal wealth, or social status.

18:27 This may be an allusion to an OT characterization of YHWH (cf. Gen. 18:14; Job 42:4; Jer. 32:17,27; Zech. 8:6; Matt. 19:26; Mark 10:27; Luke 1:37).

God loves rich people. Abraham (and all the Patriarchs), David (and all the godly Jewish kings), Nicodemus, and Joseph of Arimathea are good biblical examples. The key is where their faith and trust are put, in possessions or in God? See SPECIAL TOPIC: WEALTH at Luke 12:21.

NASB (UPDATED) TEXT: LUKE 18:28-30
 ²⁸Peter said, "Behold, we have left our own homes and followed You." ²⁹And He said to them, "Truly I say to you, there is no one who has left house or wife or brothers or parents or children, for the sake of the kingdom of God, ³⁰who will not receive many times as much at this time and in the age to come, eternal life."

18:28 Peter and all the Apostles were shocked at Jesus' response to this moral, sincere, prosperous, Jewish leader. They wanted to reaffirm that they had left all (cf. Luke 5:11).

18:29 "Truly" See SPECIAL TOPIC: AMEN at Luke 4:24.

▣ "there is no one who has left" See Matt. 19:29; Mark 10:29-30, where the lists of things left differ.

18:30 The rewards of the kingdom are of the spirit/Spirit. There is a peace and joy now and in the future and there will be a face-to-face fellowship with the Triune God.

▣ "not" This is a strong double negative, which emphasizes that they will surely receive their future reward. The family one leaves will multiply into the fullness of God's family.

▣ "the age to come" See Special Topic at Luke 9:2.

▣ "eternal life" This is a characteristic of John's Gospel (cf. John 3:15; 4:36; 5:39; 6:54,68; 10:28; 12:25; 17:2-3), but it is also mentioned a few times in the Synoptic Gospels (cf. Matt. 19:16; 25:46; Mark 10:17,30; Luke 10:25; 18:11). It seems to reflect the Hebrew of Dan. 12:12 ("everlasting ['olam, BDB 761] life").

In Greek there are three terms for life (bios and psuchē – earthly life and zoē – spiritual life). This is not chronological life, but life in fellowship with God, life as it was meant to be!

NASB (UPDATED) TEXT: LUKE 18:31-34
 ³¹Then He took the twelve aside and said to them, "Behold, we are going up to Jerusalem, and all things which are written through the prophets about the Son of Man will be accomplished. ³²For He will be handed over to the Gentiles, and will be mocked and mistreated and spit upon, ³³and after they have scourged Him, they will kill Him; and the third day He will rise again." ³⁴But the disciples understood none of these things, and the meaning of this statement was hidden from them, and they did not comprehend the things that were said.

18:31 "Then He took the twelve aside and said to them" This is another of the predictions of Jesus' death (cf. Luke 9:22,44; 17:25). There are allusions to Jesus' death in Jerusalem mentioned in Luke 5:35; 12:50; and 13:32-33.

▣ "and all things which are written through the prophets about the Son of Man will be accomplished" This refers to OT prophecies about the suffering, betrayal, death, and resurrection of the Messiah.(cf. Gen. 3:15; Ps. 22; 41:9; 118; Isa. 53; Zech. 9:9; 11:12-13). For "Son of Man" see Special Topic at Luke 17:22.

18:32 This prophecy is fulfilled in Luke 22:63,65; 23:11.

18:33 "the third day" In Jewish reckoning of time any part of a day was counted as a full day. Jesus died before 6 p.m. on Friday, therefore, that was one day. He was in the grave all of the Sabbath; that was day two. He arose sometime before sunrise on Sunday (remember Jews start their day at  6 p.m. ); that was day three.

18:34 Notice the three parallel phrases. It is so encouraging to me to know the disciples also did not fully understand Jesus' teachings and their meanings even though they lived with Him and saw His miracles (cf. Luke 2:50; 9:45; 18:34).

▣ "the meaning of this statement was hidden from them" This is a periphrastic perfect passive. Many of Jesus' teachings did not make sense to the Apostles until after the resurrection (cf. John 12:16) and the coming of the Spirit at Pentecost (cf. John 14:26; 15:26; 16:13-15). They could not yet see the fullness of the gospel message because it was so different from what they had been taught and were expecting.

NASB (UPDATED) TEXT: LUKE 18:35-43
 ³⁵As Jesus was approaching Jericho, a blind man was sitting by the road begging. ³⁶Now hearing a crowd going by, he began to inquire what this was. ³⁷They told him that Jesus of Nazareth was passing by. ³⁸And he called out, saying, "Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!" ³⁹Those who led the way were sternly telling him to be quiet; but he kept crying out all the more, "Son of David, have mercy on me!" ⁴⁰And Jesus stopped and commanded that he be brought to Him; and when he came near, He questioned him, ⁴¹"What do you want Me to do for you?" And he said, "Lord, I want to regain my sight!" ⁴²And Jesus said to him, "Receive your sight; your faith has made you well." ⁴³Immediately he regained his sight and began following Him, glorifying God; and when all the people saw it, they gave praise to God.

18:35 "As Jesus was approaching Jericho" The Synoptic Gospels have several variations of this same account: (1) Matthew has two blind men (cf. Matt. 20:30) or (2) Mark called this man Bartimaeus (cf. Mark 10:46). The seeming contradiction in location, entering (Luke 18:35) or leaving (Matt. 20:29; Mark 10:46) Jericho, seems to be due to the fact that there were two Jerichos, the old city and the new one built by Herod the Great.

▣ "a blind man" The Gospels record the healing of many blind people. It was an OT prophecy that the Messiah would heal the blind (cf. Isa. 29:18; 35:5; 42:7,15). Physical blindness was a metaphor of spiritual blindness (cf. Isa. 42:18-19; 59:9-10; John 9).

18:37 "Jesus of Nazareth" See SPECIAL TOPIC: JESUS THE NAZARENE at Luke 4:34. The fifth century uncial Greek manuscript Bezae (D) has Nazarene (cf. Luke 4:34; 24:19).

18:38 "Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me" This had definite Messianic overtones related to 2 Sam. 7 (cf. Luke 1:27,32; 2:4; Matt. 9:27; 12:23; 15:22; 20:30,31; 21:9,15; 22:42).

18:39 "telling him to be quiet; but he kept crying out all the more" This is an example of persistence mentioned in Luke 18:1-8.

18:41 "Lord" The context implies that this is more than just a polite title. This blind man had called Jesus "Son of David." He had heard about Jesus and he acted on what he had heard.

18:42 "your faith has made you well" This phrase contains two key gospel terms:

1. faith (pistis) – this man believed that Jesus could and would help him and he acted.

2. well (sōzō) – this is the term usually translated "save." In the OT it referred to physical deliverance, as it does here. It also denotes spiritual salvation, which is surely the implication of the context (cf. Luke 7:50; 8:48; 17:19).

This encounter reveals the Messianic aspect of Jesus' ministry and the faith of this blind beggar. This blind man, who had nothing, received by faith, everything (physical and spiritual), while the rich, young ruler, who had everything, lost all that was ultimately important.

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS

This is a study guide commentary, which means that you are responsible for your own interpretation of the Bible. Each of us must walk in the light we have. You, the Bible, and the Holy Spirit are priority in interpretation. You must not relinquish this to a commentator.

These discussion questions are provided to help you think through the major issues of this section of the book. They are meant to be thought-provoking, not definitive.

1. What is the main theological thrust of the parable in Luke 18:2-8?

2. What is the parable of the Pharisee and the sinner meant to convey to us in our day?

3. Does the NT discuss the salvation of children?

4. What is the major truth of the parable of the Pharisee and the tax collector in Luke 18:18-30?

5. Is Luke 18:19 a NT evidence that Jesus did not consider Himself to be God?

6. Why did the disciples not understand Jesus' words about His crucifixion and death when He told them so often about these things?

 

Copyright © 2013 Bible Lessons International

PARAGRAPH DIVISIONS OF MODERN TRANSLATIONS

UBS4	NKJV	NRSV	TEV	NJB
The Authority of Jesus Questioned	Jesus' Authority Questioned	On Jesus' Authority	The Question About Jesus' Authority	The Jews Question Jesus' Authority
20:1-8	20:1-8	20:1-8	20:1-2	20:1-8
			20:3-4
			20:5-7
			20:8
The Parable of the Vineyard and the Tenants	The Parable of the Wicked Vinedressers	Parable of the Vineyard	The Parable of the Tenants in the Vineyard	Parable of the Wicked Tenants
20:9-19	20:9-19	20:9-19	20:9-15a	20:9-15a
			20:15b-16a	20:15b-18
			20:16b
			20:17-18
			The Question About Paying Taxes
			20:19-22	20:19
Paying Taxes to Caesar	The Pharisees: Is It Lawful to Pay Taxes to Caesar?	Paying Taxes to Caesar		On Tribute to Caesar
20:20-26	20:20-26	20:20-26		20:20-25
			20:23-24a
			20:24b
			20:25
			20:26	20:26
The Question About the Resurrection	The Sadducees: What About the Resurrection?	Questions About the Resurrection	The Question About Rising From Death	The Resurrection of the Dead
20:27-40	20:27-40	20:27-33	20:27-33	20:27-33
		20:34-40	20:34-38	20:34-38
			20:39-40	20:39-40
The Question About David's Son	Jesus: How Can David Call His Descendant Lord?	David's Son	The Question About the Messiah	Christ Not Only Son but Also Lord of David
20:41-44	20:41-44	20:41-44	20:41-44	20:41-44
The Denouncing of the Scribes	Beware of the Scribes	On Pride and Humility	Jesus Warns Against the Teachers of the Law	The Scribes Condemned by Jesus
20:45-47	20:45-47	20:45-47	20:45-47	20:45-47

READING CYCLE THREE (from "A Guide to Good Bible Reading")

FOLLOWING THE ORIGINAL AUTHOR'S INTENT AT THE PARAGRAPH LEVEL

This is a study guide commentary, which means that you are responsible for your own interpretation of the Bible. Each of us must walk in the light we have. You, the Bible, and the Holy Spirit are priority in interpretation. You must not relinquish this to a commentator.

Read the chapter in one sitting. Identify the subjects. Compare your subject divisions with the five translations above. Paragraphing is not inspired, but it is the key to following the original author's intent, which is the heart of interpretation. Every paragraph has one and only one subject.

1. First paragraph

2. Second paragraph

3. Third paragraph

4. Etc.

 

CONTEXTUAL INSIGHTS TO 20:1-47

This chapter is a series of confrontations.

A. Religious leaders attack Jesus

1. the chief priest, scribes, and elders (i.e., the Sanhedrin) ask the crucial question about the source of Jesus' authority, Luke 20:1-8

2. the Sanhedrin sends spies to try to catch Him by asking controversial, political questions meant to provide accusations which could be presented to the Roman authorities, Luke 20:19-26

3. the Sadducees ask a theological question related to the resurrection, Luke 20:27-40

 

B. Jesus challenges the attackers

1. He responds to the Sanhedrin's question

a. with a question, Luke 20:3-8

b. with a parable of God's rejection of Israel and her leadership, Luke 20:9-18

2. He responds to those trying to catch Him in a controversial political issue by a powerful, practical answer relating to human responsibility to God and government, Luke 20:23-25

3. He responds to the Sadducees' tricky, ridiculous question about Leverite (brother-in-law) marriage by asking them a question, Luke 20:41-44

4. He responds to all of them by a stern warning to the crowd, Luke 20:45-47

 

WORD AND PHRASE STUDY

NASB (UPDATED) TEXT: LUKE 20:1-8
 ¹On one of the days while He was teaching the people in the temple and preaching the gospel, the chief priests and the scribes with the elders confronted Him, ²and they spoke, saying to Him, "Tell us by what authority You are doing these things, or who is the one who gave You this authority?" ³Jesus answered and said to them, "I will also ask you a question, and you tell Me: ⁴'Was the baptism of John from heaven or from men?'" ⁵They reasoned among themselves, saying, "If we say, 'From heaven,' He will say, 'Why did you not believe him?' ⁶But if we say, 'From men,' all the people will stone us to death, for they are convinced that John was a prophet." ⁷So they answered that they did not know where it came from. ⁸And Jesus said to them, "Nor will I tell you by what authority I do these things."

20:1 This opening phrase shows that Jesus repeatedly and regularly taught in public. He imparted truth to whomever would come, listen, and receive. Christianity is open to all. There are no required academic degrees or special callings. Whosoever will come to God's banquet of truth may eat (cf. Isa. 55:1-13). Be careful of special teachers, speakers, and preachers who claim secret knowledge or special insight! There are no gurus or illuminati in biblical Christianity!

▣ "the chief priests and the scribes" This is the official designation for the Sanhedrin, which was the supreme court of the Jews made up of seventy leaders in Jerusalem. See SPECIAL TOPIC: THE SANHEDRIN at Luke 9:22.

NASB, NKJV"confronted Him"
NRSV, TEV"came"
NJB"came up"

Luke uses the Greek word ephistēmi often in his writings, but it is found in the rest of the NT only in Paul's writings. It has several connotations:

1. to approach suddenly, Luke 2:9; 21:34; 24:4; Acts 12:7; 23:27

2. to assault, Luke 20:1 (and possibly Luke 10:40); Acts 4:1; 6:12; 17:5

3. to appear, Acts 10:17; 11:11; 23:11

Remember that context, not a pre-set definition, determines meaning. Words have semantic ranges and only a context (sentence, paragraph) can denote which connotation is meant by the original author.

These religious leaders (the Sanhedrin was controlled by Sadducees) were concerned with both Jesus' popularity and His cleansing of the temple (cf. Luke 19:45-46). Jesus confronted their authority (the temple) with His own authority (He was the new temple of God, cf. Matt. 26:41; 27:40; Mark 14:58).

20:2 "Tell us by what authority You are doing these things, or who is the one who gave You this authority" This question of authority (exousia) is a central issue that all humans must think through

1. about God (world religions)

2. about the Bible (holy books)

3. about Jesus of Nazareth (holy persons)

Humans are incurably religious creatures, but who speaks the truth?

SPECIAL TOPIC: AUTHORITY (EXOUSIA)

20:3 "tell Me: 'Was the baptism of John from heaven or from men’" Jesus' counter question asks them about the source of John's authority to baptize Jews (cf. John 1:19-25). John the Baptist had previously witnessed to Jesus' person and authority (cf. Luke 7:18-23; John 1:29). If they answered the question affirmatively, they would have their answer about Jesus' authority. Neither John or Jesus were official scribes or teachers. Yet both clearly exhibited God's power and authority, which the people recognized and affirmed. The question of authority is not only a theological issue, but a practical matter of motives, actions, and results. Jesus' authority was clearly revealed in His life, teachings, and actions.

20:5 "if we say. . ." This is a third class conditional sentence, which denotes potential action (so is Luke 20:6). Self-interest, not truth, was the main issue in their deliberation.

20:6 "all the people will stone us" Although this verb (future active indicative) does not appear in the Septuagint, this is the OT response to blasphemy (cf. Lev. 24:14-23; Num. 15:35-36; Deut. 13:1-5; 21:21). Speaking the truth was important. Lying or false statements had serious consequences, especially for those who claimed to speak for God.

▣ "for they are convinced that John was a prophet" The term "convinced" is a periphrastic perfect passive. The people had a settled conviction that John the Baptist was a prophet (cf. Matt. 21:26). He was the last OT prophet fulfilling the prophecies about Elijah from Mal. 4:5.

20:7 They sidestepped the question. They had an opinion, but they would not publicly put themselves in jeopardy. Honesty was mitigated by self-interest. Jesus refused to respond to these hypocrites (cf. Luke 20:8). They did not want truth; they were not seeking information, but looking for an opportunity to condemn and attack Him for their self interest!

NASB (UPDATED) TEXT: LUKE 20:9-18
 ⁹And He began to tell the people this parable: "A man planted a vineyard and rented it out to vine-growers, and went on a journey for a long time. ¹⁰At the harvest time he sent a slave to the vine-growers, so that they would give him some of the produce of the vineyard; but the vine-growers beat him and sent him away empty-handed. ¹¹And he proceeded to send another slave; and they beat him also and treated him shamefully and sent him away empty-handed. ¹²And he proceeded to send a third; and this one also they wounded and cast out. ¹³The owner of the vineyard said, 'What shall I do? I will send my beloved son; perhaps they will respect him.' ¹⁴But when the vine-growers saw him, they reasoned with one another, saying, 'This is the heir; let us kill him so that the inheritance will be ours.' ¹⁵So they threw him out of the vineyard and killed him. What, then, will the owner of the vineyard do to them? ¹⁶He will come and destroy these vine-growers and will give the vineyard to others." When they heard it, they said, "May it never be!" ¹⁷But Jesus looked at them and said, "What then is this that is written: 'The stone which the builders rejected, This became the chief corner stone'? ¹⁸Everyone who falls on that stone will be broken to pieces; but on whomever it falls, it will scatter him like dust."

20:9 This is paralleled in Mark 12:1-12 and Matthew 21:33-46.

▣ "And He began to tell the people this parable" See the introduction to Luke 8 for helpful guidelines for interpreting parables. This parable refers to either

1. the nation of Israel (cf. Isaiah 5)

2. the Jewish leadership (cf. Luke 20:19)

This is the strongest rejection of first century Judaism in the NT. Rejection of Jesus is rejection of God (cf. 1 John 5:10-12). This is a hard, shocking, culturally unacceptable (post-modernity), exclusivistic teaching, but true (if the NT is inspired)!

▣ "a man planted a vineyard" In the Markan parallel (Mark 12:1-11) Mark (who records and organizes Peter's sermons in Rome) introduces the parable with a quote from the Septuagint of Isa. 5:1-2. The grapevine was one of the symbols for the nation of Israel (as was the fig tree in Matt. 21:18-22 and Mark 11:12-14,20-25, but not in Luke).

It is hard to determine whether God rejected

1. Israel's illegal, non-Aaronic high priests

2. her self-righteous legalism

3. the unbelief of the entire nation

There is a Greek manuscript variant in this verse. Some manuscripts (MSS A and W, as well as the Syrian and Armenian versions and the Diatessaron) add tis (a certain man). Luke often uses tis to introduce parables (cf. Luke 7:41; 10:30; 12:16; 14:16; 15:11; 16:1,19; 19:12). It is missing in MSS א, B, L, and the Vulgate and Coptic versions, as well as the Greek texts used by Origen and Augustine. The UBS⁴ includes it in brackets and gives its inclusion a "C" rating (difficulty in deciding).

▣ "for a long time" This is a literary idiom unique to Luke's writings (cf. Luke 8:27; 23:8; Acts 8:11; 14:3; 27:9).

20:10 This parable reflects the culturally expected landowner/tenant farmer relationship of first century Palestine. The landowner received a portion of the yield.

▣ "beat him and sent him away empty handed" Here is the "surprise" or unexpected twist of the parable (cf. Luke 20:11-12,15). This repeated response by the tenant farmers would have shocked everyone!

20:12 "wounded" We get the English word "trauma" from this Greek word. Only Luke the physician uses it in the NT (cf. Luke 10:34; 20:12; Acts 19:16).

20:13,15 "my beloved son. . .they threw him out of the vineyard and killed him" These two statements seem to relate specifically to the life of Jesus of Nazareth at the hands of the religious leaders (i.e., My Beloved Son, cf. Luke 3:22; 9:35; Matt. 3:17; 17:5; Mark 9:7)! Jesus was killed outside the walls of Jerusalem.

20:16 "give the vineyard to others" This word seems to refer to Gentiles (cf. Rom. 11; John 10:16).

▣ In Mark's parallel Jesus asks the crowd a question (cf. Mark 12:9). Their answer seals their own doom!

NASB"May it never be!"
NKJV"Certainly not!"
NRSV"Heaven forbid!"
TEV"Surely not!"
NJB, REB"God forbid!"
NIV"May this never be!"
NET Bible"May this never happen!"

This is literally "May it not be" (negated aorist middle [deponent] optative), so common in Paul (esp. Romans), but used only here in the Gospels. Luke must have heard it often in Paul's teaching/preaching.

There are two ways to interpret this:

1. the Jewish leaders knew Jesus was talking directly to them (cf. Matt. 21:45)

2. this refers to the spontaneous outburst of the crowd, who in Mark 12:9 are shocked by the actions of the wicked tenants, not the landlord giving his vineyard to other tenants

They answered with an idiom which is an aorist middle (deponent) optative (a wish or prayer). This phrase is found several times in the Septuagint (cf. Gen. 44:17; Jos. 22:29; 24:26; 1 Kgs. 20:3). This is the only place it appears in the Gospels. Paul uses this same rare form often (cf. Rom. 3:4,6,31; 6:2,15; 7:7,13; 9:14; 11:1,11; 1 Cor. 6:15; Gal. 2:17; 3:21; 6:14). Jesus' parable totally shocked these religious leaders. This judgment and transfer of the OT promises from Israel to others was too much for them to hear!

20:17 "What then is this that is written" This verse is a quote from the Septuagint of Ps. 118:22, which is part of the Hallel Psalms, quoted during Passover. The emphasis of this passage is on the one (Jesus) they deemed unworthy who had become chief and central leader and Savior. This OT quote foreshadowed that the Messiah would be rejected by Israel's leaders.

▣ "the stone" See Special Topic following.

SPECIAL TOPIC: CORNERSTONE

20:18 "Everyone who falls on that stone" Notice that the person's own choices and actions destroy himself/herself. This is an obvious Messianic reference. Rejecting Jesus results in being rejected by God!

▣ "will be broken to pieces" This is a future passive indicative of a word used several times in the Septuagint in judgment contexts (cf. Jdgs. 5:26; 9:53; Ps. 110:5; and Micah 3:3).

▣ "but on whomever it falls, it will scatter him like dust" Unbelief has eternal consequences (cf. Isa. 8:14-15; Dan. 2:34-35). The "everyone" and "whomever" express the truth that judgment is for any and all who reject God's representative, the Messiah, regardless of position, nationality, or rank.

▣ "like dust" This is the word used of winnowing grain so as to remove the husk which is scattered to the winds. This is also a judgment concept from the Septuagint (cf. Isa. 17:13; 30:22,24; 41:16; Jer. 30:27; Amos 9:9).

Verse 18 would be crystal clear to the Jewish leaders who heard it. Complete, total, and final judgment is coming to you!

NASB (UPDATED) TEXT: LUKE 20:19-26
 ¹⁹The scribes and the chief priests tried to lay hands on Him that very hour, and they feared the people; for they understood that He spoke this parable against them. ²⁰So they watched Him, and sent spies who pretended to be righteous, in order that they might catch Him in some statement, so that they could deliver Him to the rule and the authority of the governor. ²¹They questioned Him, saying, "Teacher, we know that You speak and teach correctly, and You are not partial to any, but teach the way of God in truth. ²²Is it lawful for us to pay taxes to Caesar, or not?" ²³But He detected their trickery and said to them, ²⁴"Show Me a denarius. Whose likeness and inscription does it have?" They said, "Caesar's." ²⁵And He said to them, "Then render to Caesar the things that are Caesar's, and to God the things that are God's." ²⁶And they were unable to catch Him in a saying in the presence of the people; and being amazed at His answer, they became silent.

20:19 "The scribes and the chief priests tried to lay hands on Him that very hour" They clearly understood Jesus' words of condemnation. This parable's meaning was not at all hidden from them (cf. Matt. 21:45). This parable and the cleansing of the temple sealed Jesus' death.

▣ "and they feared the people" They were afraid of either (1) the people's wrath (cf. Luke 20:6; 22:2) or (2) Rome's reaction to a riot (cf. Luke 20:20). In this context #1 is best.

▣ "for they understood that He spoke this parable against them" It is obvious that the religious leaders recognized that the previous parable was specifically addressed to them (cf. Matt. 21:45).

20:20 "they watched Him" The term means to watch closely for an opportunity (cf. Luke 6:7; 14:1). We learn from Matt. 22:15-16 and Mark 12:13 of this unlikely alliance between the Pharisees and the Herodians.

▣ "spies" This was "someone hired to lie in wait" or "ambush" (cf. LXX Jos. 8:9; Ezek. 35:5; I Macc. 10:52). It was an OT idiom related to premeditated murder.

▣ "pretended to be righteous" This is a theatrical word for "play acting" or hypocrisy (cf. LXX Job 34:30; 36:13; II Macc. 5:25; 6:21,24,25).

▣ "to the rule and authority of the governor" The term "governor" referred to the Roman ruler (cf. Matt. 27:2; Luke 2:2; 3:1). This means that these spies had to come up with a political charge, not a dispute over the Mosaic Law.

The Sanhedrin did not have the official authority to enact the death penalty. From time to time they did participate in mob violence to remove people who threatened them, like Stephen in Acts 7.

Jesus was accused of blasphemy and should have been stoned. However, based on the curse of Deut. 21:23, where the scribes of Jesus' day believed that being crucified meant being cursed by God, they wanted Jesus, this Messianic pretender, to be crucified!

I think this is one reason Paul had such a problem with Jesus being the promised Messiah, but after his personal encounter with Jesus on the Damascus Road (Acts 9), he saw that Jesus became the "curse" for us (cf. Gal. 3:13).

For "authority" see Special Topic at Luke 1:2.

20:21 "You are not partial to any" This is literally "lift the face." This originally meant no judicial favoritism by a Hebrew judge lifting a person's face to see who the accused was before pronouncing judgment.

They are trying to use flattery to trick Jesus into making a compromising statement about Roman taxation.

▣ "the way of God" Truth is personified as someone following an appropriate path (cf. Ps. 119:105; Pro. 6:23; also note Ps. 16:11; 139:24). The first title for the church in Acts was "the Way" (cf. Acts 9:2; 19:9,23; 22:4; 24:14,22).

God's truth is not hidden or hard to find. It is clearly defined lifestyle. The problem is human obedience!

20:22 "Is it lawful" This implies "is it lawful under the commands of God?" They were asking a political question under the guise of a religious question.

▣ "taxes" Both Matthew (Matt. 22:27) and Mark (Mark 12:14) have "poll tax" (kēnsos) This was an annual personal tax on males between fourteen and sixty five years of age and women between twelve and sixty five (cf. James S. Jeffers, The Greco-Roman World, p. 143). It was one denarius and it went into the Emperor's treasury.

Luke has phoros (Luke 20:22; 23:2; also Paul in Rom. 13:6,7), usually translated "tribute." Roman taxes were the major bone of contention with the Zealots. The Jewish leaders were hoping to catch Jesus on the horns of the dilemma between the people (Zealots and popular opinion) and Rome.

20:23 "He detected their trickery" See the parallel in Matt. 22:18.

20:24 "Show Me a denarius" This was a Roman silver coin imprinted with the image of Tiberius Caesar, who reigned from a.d. 14-27. On one side was his image with the caption "Tiberius Caesar Augustus the Son of Divine Augustus." On the opposite side was the statement "Highest Priest." This coin represented Roman power and rule. It also asserted deity to the Caesar.

20:25 "Then render to Caesar the things that are Caesar's, and to God the things that are God's" Jesus asserted that humans do owe allegiance (apodidōmi, meaning to give back what is due, to discharge an obligation) to the political authority under which they live (an aorist active imperative, cf. Rom. 13:1-7; 1 Tim. 2:1-4; Titus 3:1). However, He also asserts that when the claims of government enter the area of God's authority, believers must reject civil authority and receive whatever consequences there may be (cf. John's Revelation).

It is amazing to me how much of the modern discussion of the political concept of the separation of church and state has been built on this passage that has little to do with that issue. Most of our American political concerns about this issue come from historical precedents, not Scripture.

20:26 Later this same group of spies lied and perverted Jesus' statements (cf. Luke 23:2).

NASB (UPDATED) TEXT: LUKE 20:27-33
 ²⁷ Now there came to Him some of the Sadducees (who say that there is no resurrection), ²⁸and they questioned Him, saying, "Teacher, Moses wrote for us that if a man's brother dies, having a wife, and he is childless, his brother should marry the wife and raise up children to his brother. ²⁹Now there were seven brothers; and the first took a wife and died childless; ³⁰and the second ³¹and the third married her; and in the same way all seven died, leaving no children. ³²Finally the woman died also. ³³In the resurrection therefore, which one's wife will she be? For all seven had married her."

20:27 "the Sadducees" These were the wealthy aristocrats who supported the status quo because of their place of power. They controlled the high priesthood, which one family purchased from the Romans. Josephus said that they rejected the Oral Tradition so popular with the Pharisees and affirmed only the writings of Moses (i.e., Genesis - Deuteronomy). They also rejected any concept of the afterlife (cf. Acts 23:6-8) that was popular among the Pharisees (cf. Josephus' Wars of the Jews 2.8.14; The Antiquities of the Jews 18.1.4, which means they did not take seriously Job 14:14; 19:25-27; Ps. 16:9-11; Isa. 25:8; 26:19; or Dan. 12:1-2. This is the only mention of this particular political religious group in the Gospel of Luke). See Special Topic below.

SPECIAL TOPIC: SADDUCEES

20:28 "Moses wrote for us that" This refers to Deut. 25:5-10 in the Septuagint, commonly called the "Leverite marriage." The term "Leverite" comes from the Latin word levir, which means "brother-in-law," not "from the Tribe of Levi." The issue at stake was inheritance (cf. Num. 27:6-11; Ruth 4:1-2). Josephus records that it was still practiced in Palestine in Jesus' day (cf. Antiq. 4.8.23).

▣ "if" This is a third class conditional sentence, which denotes potential action.

20:33 This question assumes that the afterlife will mimic earthly, physical life.

NASB (UPDATED) TEXT: LUKE 20:34-40
 ³⁴Jesus said to them, "The sons of this age marry and are given in marriage, ³⁵but those who are considered worthy to attain to that age and the resurrection from the dead, neither marry nor are given in marriage; ³⁶for they cannot even die anymore, because they are like angels, and are sons of God, being sons of the resurrection. ³⁷But that the dead are raised, even Moses showed, in the passage about the burning bush, where he calls the Lord the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob. ³⁸Now He is not the God of the dead but of the living; for all live to Him." ³⁹Some of the scribes answered and said, "Teacher, You have spoken well." ⁴⁰For they did not have courage to question Him any longer about anything.

20:34 "the sons of this age" "Sons of" is a Semitic idiom of description. See Special Topic: This Age and the Age to Come at Luke 9:2.

▣ "the resurrection from the dead" This was a tenet of Pharisaic theology based on Job 14:7-15; 19:25-27; Dan. 12:1-2. However, they viewed it as just a continuation of the present life. Jesus clearly implies that the new age is different from the social structures of this age. Marriage was a crucial structure of Eden before the Fall of Genesis 3. God's command to be fruitful and multiply was a recurrent theme (cf. Gen. 1:28; 9:1,7).

20:35 "those who are considered worthy to attain to that age" Jesus is answering the Sadducees and does so within Jewish (Pharisaic) theology. The phrase "considered worthy" is used in the Septuagint in II Macc. 13:12; III Macc. 3:21; 4:11; IV Macc. 18:3 and also in Greek literature for those "deemed worthy." This is not Jesus affirming a works-righteousness, but an attempt to address these religious leaders. The NT teaches that one is only "worthy" in Christ (cf. Acts 13:46).

▣ "neither marry nor are given in marriage" The social structures connected to procreation, so common of this world (age), will not continue into the spiritual, eternal realm. Sex will not be needed for societal stability or offspring. The family unit will not survive death, but intimate family fellowship in God's extended family will!

20:36 "they are like the angels" Notice that the context is emphasizing, not sexlessness, but the state of immortality (cf. Luke 20:36a). I tentatively believe some angels once had a capacity for cohabitation, or at least some did, based on Gen. 6:1-4; Jude 6; and the Book of I Enoch. See Special Topic below.

SPECIAL TOPIC: "the sons of God" in Genesis 6

▣ "are sons of God, being sons of the resurrection" As the angels (sons of God, cf. LXX of Gen. 6:2; Job 1:6) are seen as sharing God's realm, so too, now are a select number of worthy humans (resurrected believers). This is somewhat ironic or sarcastic since the Sadducees denied the elaborate angelology of the Pharisees (as does Jesus, but He does affirm their existence).

The Bible also speaks of a resurrection of the unworthy (cf. Dan. 12:2; Acts 5:29; 24:15). One group is raised to judgment and one group to eternal bliss in fellowship with God.

20:37 "where he calls the Lord" This is a quote from Exod. 3:6, which is the very significant passage on the Covenant name for God, YHWH. It is from the verb "to be." See SPECIAL TOPIC: NAMES FOR DEITY at Luke 1:68.

20:38 "He is not the God of the dead but of the living" The patriarchs of Luke 20:37 are long since dead, but they still are present with God, which shows the continuing covenant relationship of YHWH and this chosen family even after death.

▣ "all live to Him" All life on this planet derives its existence from God. He is the origin of life and the sustainer of life (cf. Rom. 14:8).

Physical life is connected to Elohim (cf. Genesis 1) in the OT, but spiritual life is connected to YHWH, the covenant God of Israel (i.e., the Patriarchs). The only life that moves from this age to the next is that of those who know God's mercy through faith, only those who have a personal relationship with the redeemer God through Christ. In the OT it was the faithful remnant. In the NT it is those who receive God's Messiah by faith. These are the "worthy ones" who become "the sons of God" of the new age of righteousness by resurrection.

See SPECIAL TOPIC: THE REMNANT, THREE SENSES at Luke 13:23.

20:39 "Some of the scribes answered and said" These must have been Pharisees because they rejoiced in Jesus' routing of the Sadducees' theological argument.

20:40 This verse refers to the Pharisees of Luke 20:19-26 and the Sadducees of Luke 20:27-39. It is a strong double negative. Nobody dared ask Jesus any more theological questions (cf. Luke 20:41-44).

NASB (UPDATED) TEXT: LUKE 20:41-44
 ⁴¹Then He said to them, "How is it that they say the Christ is David's son? ⁴²For David himself says in the book of Psalms, 'The Lord said to my Lord, "Sit at My right hand, ⁴³Until I make Your enemies a footstool for Your feet."' ⁴⁴Therefore David calls Him 'Lord,' and how is He his son?"

20:41 Jesus now asks them a Bible question!

▣ "the Christ is David's son" This is asserted in 2 Samuel 7 and Isaiah 11 (cf. Matt. 1:1; Rom. 1:3). Jesus seems to interject this Psalm because of their misunderstanding of the purpose of the Messiah (see Special Topic at Luke 2:11). As the Son of David, they expected Him to be a military leader, which He will be when He returns. He came the first time as the suffering servant of Isaiah 53 (cf. Gen. 3:15; Psalm 22; Zechariah 9; John 3:17-18).

20:42 "For David himself says in the book of Psalms" This is a quote from the Septuagint of Ps. 110:1. In this verse both terms for "Lord" appear. The first "Lord" translates YHWH; the second "Lord" translates Adon (owner, master, husband, lord). This second "lord" refers to the Messiah who comes after David. See Special Topic at Luke 1:68.

▣ "Sit at My right hand" This is an anthropomorphic phrase (see Special Topic at Luke 1:51), which means we use human words and worldly concepts to describe God who is an eternal, Spirit presence through the universe and not affected by time or space.

"Sit" denotes an Oriental palace, a throne and denotes a majestic ruler. God does not have a throne (cf. 1 Kgs. 8:27). It would be too limiting.

God does not have a right hand, although God can take physical form (cf. Gen. 3:8); He can speak (cf. Gen. 3:9); He is a Spirit. Humanly speaking the right hand is an idiom of our strongest arm (most humans are right handed), therefore, it denotes power, authority, and pre-eminence .

Be careful of thinking that to be true, the Bible must be literal. The Bible describes spiritual reality in veiled ways (cf. 1 Cor. 13:9-12) because of our sin. God accommodates Himself to truthfully communicate to His creatures, but we must be content with limited knowledge in metaphorical language. God is described in the Bible by negation, analogy, and metaphor. Even the concept of God as Father is metaphor. God is not a male (or, for that matter, a female)!

20:44 The thrust of Jesus' question seems to be

1. the pre-existence (deity) of the Messiah (see Special Topic at Luke 2:11)

2. the human, Davidic descent of the Messiah (cf. Luke 1:32-33; 3:31)

No one expected the Messiah to be incarnate deity. They were expecting a divinely empowered human, like the Judges or Kings of Israel.

This very issue of the full humanity and deity of the Messiah becomes the theological issue of the Gnostic false teachers (cf. Colossians, Ephesians, 1 John, the Pastorals). 1 John 4:1-3 even asserts that to deny either aspect makes one an antichrist!

There are hints of this truth in the OT, especially Dan. 7:13, where a son of man (human being) comes before the Ancient of Days (YHWH) and receives the eternal kingdom. This dual aspect of "son of man" may be why Jesus used this title for Himself. Psalm 110 and Dan. 7:13 are linked in Jesus' response to the high priest in Luke 22:69 and Mark 14:62. See SPECIAL TOPIC: THE SON OF MAN at Luke 5:24.

NASB (UPDATED) TEXT: LUKE 20:45-47
 ⁴⁵And while all the people were listening, He said to the disciples, ⁴⁶"Beware of the scribes, who like to walk around in long robes, and love respectful greetings in the market places, and chief seats in the synagogues and places of honor at banquets, ⁴⁷who devour widows' houses, and for appearance's sake offer long prayers. These will receive greater condemnation."

20:46 "Beware of the scribes" This is a present active imperative of a compound Greek word from prous (for) and echo (I). Here it is followed by apo, which denotes "guard against" (cf. Matt. 6:1; 7:13).

Spiritual leaders (for "scribes" see Special Topic at Luke 5:21) must always be on guard for self-righteous, arrogant spirits. These were very sincere and highly motivated religious men, but they totally missed God because of their preconceived notions and self-centered attitudes (cf. Luke 6:39-40; Matt. 15:14; 23:16,24).

Jesus delineates some of their inappropriate actions:

1. They wear long religious robes to show everyone who they are, Luke 20:46.

2. They love to be greeted with respectful greeting and titles in public, Luke 20:46.

3. They want the best seats in the synagogue (i.e., on the raised platform near the scrolls), Luke 20:46.

4. They want the best seats at banquets next to the host at the head table, Luke 20:46.

5. They legally, but unethically, trick widows out of their homes and inheritances, Luke 20:47.

6. They pray long prayers so all will notice their wisdom and piety, Luke 20:47.

This sounds more like my day and its religious ethics than I feel comfortable admitting!

20:47 "These will receive greater condemnation" I personally believe in degrees of both heaven and hell based on knowledge and actions. Some of the Scriptures which seem to imply this are Matt. 11:22,24; Luke 12:47-48. See Special Topic: Degrees of Rewards and Punishments at Luke 10:12.

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS

This is a study guide commentary, which means that you are responsible for your own interpretation of the Bible. Each of us must walk in the light we have. You, the Bible, and the Holy Spirit are priority in interpretation. You must not relinquish this to a commentator.

These discussion questions are provided to help you think through the major issues of this section of the book. They are meant to be thought-provoking, not definitive.

1. Why was the issue of the authority behind John's baptism so crucial to the question the Sanhedrin asked Jesus?

2. What is the central truth of the parable in Luke 20:9-16? To whom does it refer?

3. Why has so much been made of Luke 20:25 in America?

4. What implication does Luke 20:36 have for our view of heaven and sexuality?

5. Are there degrees of heaven and hell?

 

Copyright © 2013 Bible Lessons International

PARAGRAPH DIVISIONS OF MODERN TRANSLATIONS

UBS4	NKJV	NRSV	TEV	NJB
The Plot to Kill Jesus	The Plot to Kill Jesus	Jesus' Death (22:1-23:56)	The Plot Against Jesus	The Conspiracy Against Jesus: Judas Betrays Him
22:1-6	22:1-6	22:1-2	22:1-2	22:1-2
			Judas Agrees to Betray Jesus
		22:3-6	22:3-6	22:3-6
The Preparation of the Passover	Jesus and His Disciples Prepare the Passover	The Last Supper	Jesus Prepares to Eat the Passover Meal	Preparation for the Passover Supper
22:7-13	22:7-13	22:7-13	22:7-8	22:7-13
			22:9
			22:10-12
			22:13
The Institution of the Lord's Supper	Jesus Institutes the Lord's Supper		The Lord's Supper	The Supper
22:14-23	22:14-23	22:14-23	22:14-16	22:14-16
			22:17-18	22:17-18
				The Institution of the Eucharist
			22:19-20	22:19-20
				The Treachery of Judas Foretold
			22:21-22	22:21-23
			22:23
The Dispute About Greatness	The Disciples Argue About Greatness		The Argument About Greatness	Who is Greatest?
22:24-30	22:24-30	22:24-27	22:24-27	22:24-27
				The Reward Promised to the Apostles
		22:28-30	22:28-30	22:28-30
Peter's Denial Foretold	Jesus Predicts Peter's Denial		Jesus Predicts Peter's Denial	Peter's Denial and Repentance Foretold
22:31-34	22:31-34	22:31-34	22:31-32	22:31-34
			22:33
			22:34
Purse, Bag, and Sword	Wallet, Bag, and Sword		Purse, Bag, and Sword	A Time of Crisis
22:35-38	22:35-38	22:35-38	22:35a	22:35-38
			22:35b
			22:36-37
			22:38a
			22:38b
The Prayer on the Mount of Olives	The Prayer in the Garden	Gethsemane	Jesus Prays on the Mount of Olives	The Mount of Olives
22:39-46	22:39-46	22:39-46	22:39-40	22:39-40
			22:41-44	22:41-44
			22:45-46	22:45-46
The Betrayal and Arrest of Jesus	Betrayal and Arrest in Gethsemane		The Arrest of Jesus	The Arrest
22:47-53	22:47-53	22:47-53	22:47-48	22:47-51
			22:49-50
			22:51
			22:52-53	22:52-53
Peter's Denial of Jesus	Peter Denies Jesus and Weeps Bitterly		Peter Denies Jesus	Peter's Denial
22:54-62	22:54-62	22:54-62	22:54-56	22:54-62
			22:57
			22:58a
			22:58b
			22:59
			22:60a
			22:60b-62
The Mocking and Beating of Jesus	Jesus Mocked and Beaten		Jesus Is Mocked and Beaten	Jesus Mocked by the Guards
22:63-65	22:63-65	22:63-65	22:63-65	22:63-65
Jesus Before the Council	Jesus Faces the Sanhedrin		Jesus Before the Council	Jesus Before the Sanhedrin
22:66-71	22:66-71	22:66-71	22:66-67a	22:66-23:1
			22:67b-69
			22:70a
			22:70b
			22:71

READING CYCLE THREE (from "A Guide to Good Bible Reading")

FOLLOWING THE ORIGINAL AUTHOR'S INTENT AT THE PARAGRAPH LEVEL

This is a study guide commentary, which means that you are responsible for your own interpretation of the Bible. Each of us must walk in the light we have. You, the Bible, and the Holy Spirit are priority in interpretation. You must not relinquish this to a commentator.

Read the chapter in one sitting. Identify the subjects. Compare your subject divisions with the five translations above. Paragraphing is not inspired, but it is the key to following the original author's intent, which is the heart of interpretation. Every paragraph has one and only one subject.

1. First paragraph

2. Second paragraph

3. Third paragraph

4. Etc.

 

CONTEXTUAL INSIGHTS

A. 1 Corinthians 11:20ff is the first written account of the Last Supper. It was recorded by Paul. Luke, in many ways, mirrors Paul's presentation.

 

B. The only account of the dialog during the Lord's Supper is John 13-17, though no reference to the actual meal is included.

 

C. There are two great textual difficulties related to this chapter, Luke 22:17-20 and Luke 22:43-44. See the notes below.

 

WORD AND PHRASE STUDY

NASB (UPDATED) TEXT: LUKE 22:1-2
 ¹Now the Feast of Unleavened Bread, which is called the Passover, was approaching. ²The chief priests and the scribes were seeking how they might put Him to death; for they were afraid of the people.

22:1 "the Feast of Unleavened Bread, which is called the Passover" These two feasts are discussed in Exodus 12 (Passover, Luke 22:1-14,21-36 and Unleavened Bread, Luke 22:15-20). Originally they were separate feasts, but were later combined into one eight- day feast (cf. Num. 28:16-31) beginning on the 14^th of Nisan (March-April). The Passover Feast commemorates the Death Angle passing over the Jewish slaves' homes in Egypt and the deliverance of God's people from the Egyptians as promised in Gen. 15:12-21.

22:2 "The chief priests and the scribes" This refers to the Sanhedrin, the Supreme Court of the Jews in Jerusalem. See Special Topic: Sanhedrin at Luke 9:22.

▣ "how they might put Him to death" The religious leaders felt that Jesus

1. was heretical

2. could cause problems with Rome (cf. Matt. 26:5)

3. made them to feel jealous

The Gospel of John mentions several plots to kill Jesus (cf. John 7:30,44; 8:59; 10:31,39; 11:53).

▣ "death" This word for death (anaireō) is used in the NT almost exclusively by Luke for someone being put to death (cf. Luke 22:2; 23:32: Acts 2:23; 5:33,36; 7:28; 9:23,24,29; 10:39; 12:2; 13:28; 16:27; 22:20; 23:15,21,27; 25:3; 26:10). It is also used this way in the Septuagint (cf. Gen. 4:15; Exod. 15:9; 2 Sam. 10:18).

The other Synoptic Gospels use the terms apollumi or apokteinō for these murderous plots by these Jerusalem leaders.

Luke, being the only Gentile writer of the NT, had a different vocabulary from the other Gospel writers whose primary language was Aramaic. Luke is heavily influenced by the terminology and vocabulary of the Greek translation of the NT, the Septuagint.

▣ "for they were afraid of the people" This is a recurrent theme (cf. Matt. 21:26,44; Mark 11:18,32; 12:12; Luke 20:19).

NASB (UPDATED) TEXT: LUKE 22:3-6
 ³And Satan entered into Judas who was called Iscariot, belonging to the number of the twelve. ⁴And he went away and discussed with the chief priests and officers how he might betray Him to them. ⁵They were glad and agreed to give him money. ⁶So he consented, and began seeking a good opportunity to betray Him to them apart from the crowd.

22:3 "And Satan entered into Judas" Luke mentions Satan often (cf. Luke 4:13; 10:18; 13:16; and 22:3,31). Judas had heard, fellowshiped with, and observed the Lord Jesus at close range for several years, but apparently he still had no personal relationship with Him by faith (cf. Matt. 7:21-23). Peter undergoes the same intensity of temptation as does Judas, but with drastically different results. Much discussion has taken place over the motives of Judas' treachery: (1) it was primarily monetary (cf. John 12:6); (2) it was primarily political (cf. William Klassen, Judas Betrayer of Friend of Jesus?); (3) it was spiritual (cf. John 13:27).

On the subject of Satanic influence or demon possession, there are several good resources (listed in the order of those I trust).

1. Merrill F. Unger, Biblical Demonology, Demons in the World Today

2. Clinton E. Arnold, Three Crucial Questions About Spiritual Warfare

3. Kurt Koch, Christian Counseling and Occultism, Demonology Past and Present

4. C. Fred Dickason, Demon Possession and the Christian

5. John P. Newport, Demons, Demons, Demons

6. John Warwick Montgomery, Principalities and Powers

Also see my Special Topics at Luke 4:2 (Satan) and 4:33 (The Demonic).

Be careful of cultural myths and superstitions. Satan affects Peter in Matt. 16:23 to tempt Jesus in the very same way—to avoid His substitutionary death. Satan is consistent. He is trying any way possible to stop Jesus' redemptive work on our behalf.

1. Satan' temptation of Jesus, Luke 4; Matthew 4

2. Peter, Matthew 16

3. Judas and the Sanhedrin, here

Jesus even describes Judas as a devil in John 6:70. The Bible does not discuss the subject of demon possession and influence as it relates to believers. But, believers are obviously affected by personal choices and personal evil!

▣ "Iscariot"

SPECIAL TOPIC: ISCARIOT

▣ "belonging to the number of the twelve" These were the special disciples whom Jesus chose to intimately reveal Himself to and train to become the "new Israel." A really good book on Jesus' training methodology is Robert E. Coleman, The Master Plan of Evangelism. These men became known as "the Twelve." See Special Topic at Luke 6:13.

22:4 "officers" This refers to the Temple police. One of the divisions of the Levites was charged with guarding, maintaining order, and inflicting punishment on the Temple mount. The priests guarded the temple itself, but the temple police (we learn from Philo, De Specialibus Legibus (Loeb 7, 1.156) were assigned to

1. opening and closing the outer doors of the temple area

2. guarding the opening between the Court of the Gentiles and the Court of the Women

3. patrolling the commercial area known as the Court of the Gentiles

At night there were twenty-one guards posted around the temple area's perimeter (M. M. dd. 1.1).

They were under the control of the Sanhedrin, which usually met in the temple. They are usually referred to

1. as officials or attendants, John 7:32,45,46; 18:18

2. at Jesus' arrest, John 18:3,12

3. at the night trials, John 18:18,36

a. at Peter's denial, Matt. 26:58; Mark 14:54,65; John 18:18

b. at Jesus' sentencing by Pilate, John 19:6

4. in Acts 4:1; 5:22-26; 21:30

 

22:5 "they were glad" They rejoiced because now they could arrest Jesus quietly and discreetly in private without the pilgrims or townspeople knowing anything about it (cf. Luke 22:6).

▣ "and agreed to give him money" We learn from Matt. 26:15 that it was thirty pieces of silver, which fulfills the prophecy of Zech. 1:12.

22:6 "and began seeking a good opportunity to betray Him" The night of the Passover observance would have been an opportune time because everyone was home with their family groups on this special holy evening.

▣ "apart from the crowd" We must remember that Jesus was a very popular person in Galilee and during this festival hundreds and hundreds of people from Galilee were in Jerusalem. This is the very reason the High Priest had decided to wait in Mark 14:2, but when one of His own offered to betray Him, they changed their minds.

NASB (UPDATED) TEXT: LUKE 22:7-13
 ⁷Then came the first day of Unleavened Bread on which the Passover lamb had to be sacrificed. ⁸And Jesus sent Peter and John, saying, "Go and prepare the Passover for us, so that we may eat it." ⁹They said to Him, "Where do You want us to prepare it?" ¹⁰And He said to them, "When you have entered the city, a man will meet you carrying a pitcher of water; follow him into the house that he enters. ¹¹And you shall say to the owner of the house, 'The Teacher says to you, "Where is the guest room in which I may eat the Passover with My disciples?"' ¹²And he will show you a large, furnished upper room; prepare it there." ¹³And they left and found everything just as He had told them; and they prepared the Passover.

22:7 "Then came the first day of Unleavened Bread on which the Passover lamb had to be sacrificed" There is a chronological difference between the Synoptic Gospels (Passover) and John (the day of preparation, cf. Exod. 12:6; John 13:1; 18:28) on exactly what day the Lord's Supper took place. Remember that Jewish days start at dusk because of Genesis 1. The day of Jesus' crucifixion is uniform in all four Gospels as being Friday. If one retraces the lunar calendar back to Jesus' day in a.d. 30, the 14^th of Nisan (cf. Lev. 23:5-6) fell on a Thursday, the 15^th of Nisan on a Friday, which fits exactly.

22:8 "And Jesus sent Peter and John" Only Luke names these two preparers. Usually James is included with this inner circle of Apostles, but not here.

▣ "Go and prepare" This is a good example of an idiomatic use of a participle before an imperative, where both are used as imperatives (cf. Matt. 28:19).

This preparation would have been done on the afternoon of the 14^th of Nisan. The meal would be eaten that night (the 15^th of Nisan).

22:9 "Where do You want us to prepare it" The disciples did not know the exact location, possibly because Jesus did not want Judas' betrayal to interrupt the meal.

22:10 "a man will meet you carrying a pitcher of water" Woman usually carried water in pitchers, men sometimes carried it in animal skins. This is another of many examples in the Gospels that can be interpreted as (1) the supernatural knowledge of Jesus or (2) a pre-arranged setting. The people of Jerusalem and surrounding areas opened their homes during these festival occasions for pilgrims.

22:11 "And you shall say to the owner of the house" This may have been John Mark's home, which became the disciples' meeting place in Jerusalem known as the upper room (cf. Acts 12:12).

▣ "the guest room" See note at Luke 2:7, where it is translated "inn."

NASB (UPDATED) TEXT: LUKE 22:14-23
 ¹⁴When the hour had come, He reclined at the table, and the apostles with Him. ¹⁵And He said to them, "I have earnestly desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer; ¹⁶for I say to you, I shall never again eat it until it is fulfilled in the kingdom of God." ¹⁷And when He had taken a cup and given thanks, He said, "Take this and share it among yourselves; ¹⁸for I say to you, I will not drink of the fruit of the vine from now on until the kingdom of God comes." ¹⁹And when He had taken some bread and given thanks, He broke it and gave it to them, saying, "This is My body which is given for you; do this in remembrance of Me." ²⁰And in the same way He took the cup after they had eaten, saying, "This cup which is poured out for you is the new covenant in My blood. ²¹But behold, the hand of the one betraying Me is with Mine on the table. ²²For indeed, the Son of Man is going as it has been determined; but woe to that man by whom He is betrayed!" ²³And they began to discuss among themselves which one of them it might be who was going to do this thing.

22:14 "When the hour had come" This would be twilight on the beginning of the 15^th of Nisan.

▣ "He reclined at the table" Remember the Lord's Supper was done as all Jewish meals, by reclining on the left elbow around a horseshoe-shaped, low table.

22:15 This verse has two wordplays.

1. "with desire (epithumia) I desired (epethumēsa)," which is a common idiom in the Septuagint for "strongly desired"

2. "passover" (pascha) and "suffer" (paschō)

Jesus had forewarned them several times (cf. Luke 9:22-27; Mark 8:31-9:1; Matt. 16:21-28; 17:9,12,22-23; 20:18-19) of His upcoming suffering in Jerusalem at the instigation of the Jewish authorities and the cruel Roman justice (crucifixion).

22:16 "I shall never again eat it until it is fulfilled in the Kingdom of God" This is a strong double negative, which refers to the Passover meal. It seems to be a reference to the Messianic banquet (cf. Luke 22:18,30; 14:15; Matt. 8:11; 26:29; Rev. 19:9).

This metaphor of intimate fellowship is hard to interpret. It obviously refers to table fellowship, which was so important in ancient Israel and the Near East. However, is it to be understood literally? Resurrected bodies do not need physical food. It is this type of idiomatic language about the afterlife that caused the Pharisees to think of it in such earthly, physical terms (Islam also). Humans have many questions about the afterlife, but the Bible speaks of it in symbol, idiom, analogy, and metaphor. Perhaps 1 Cor. 2:9, which is a quote from Isa. 64:4 and 65:17, is best!

▣ "kingdom of God" See Special Topic at Luke 4:21.

22:17-20 There is a manuscript variant in these verses. The long text (Luke 22:17-20) is recorded in the NASB, NRSV, NJB, NKJV, TEV. It is not in Manuscript D, on which the King James Version is normally based, but it is in the other four, most ancient witnesses (MSS P⁷⁵, א, A, B) and is quoted by Justin Martyr around a.d. 150.

In the short text (Luke 22:17-19a), the wine comes before the bread, which follows the order of 1 Cor. 10:16 (and the Didache 9:1-3). If the longer text is followed, then the order is reversed which is found in Matthew, Mark, and 1 Cor. 11:23-27.

There are two good discussions of this textual problem:

1. Bruce M. Metzger, A Textual commentary on the Greek New Testament, pp. 173-177

2. Bart D. Ehrman, The Orthodox Corruption of Scripture, pp. 198-209

This textual problem does not affect any Christian doctrine (because of the parallels in Matthew and Mark), but only a proper reading of Luke and his purposes and idiosyncrasies as an author. At the stage of textual criticism there is no way to determine the reading of the autograph copy (original handwritten copy) of Luke. Both forms were known to second century Christians.

22:17 "a cup" There are four cups of blessing during the Seder service. I believe that Jesus used the third cup of blessing as the point of departure from the national meal of Israel to the new meal of the church.

SPECIAL TOPIC: PASSOVER (ORDER OF SERVICE)

22:18 "the fruit of the vine" See Special Topic below.

SPECIAL TOPIC: BIBLICAL ATTITUDES TOWARD ALCOHOL AND ALCOHOLISM

22:19 "some bread" Notice that the lamb is not mentioned. This meal has a completely new relevance for the church and is not linked inseparably to an annual Feast of national Israel. It symbolized a new deliverance (exodus) from sin (i.e., the new covenant, cf. Jer. 31:31-34).

▣ "This is My body" There have been four major understandings of this meal in the church:

1. Roman Catholic trans-substantiation, which means that this is in reality the body of Christ

2. Martin Luther's con-substantiation, which is slightly less literal than number 1

3. John Calvin's spiritual presence, which is slightly less literal than numbers 1 and 2

4. Zwingli's symbolic understanding

The interpretation that the elements actually become the body and blood of Christ comes from John 6:43-58 which, however, in context, it records the feeding of the five thousand and the Jews expectation that the Messiah would feed them as Moses did, not the Lord's Supper.

▣ "do this in remembrance of Me" This is a Present active imperative. The phrase is unique to Luke's Gospel. The word anamnēsis occurs twice in Paul's account of the Lord's Supper in 1 Cor. 11:24,25. Luke may have gotten his terminology from Paul's churches. This is probably why there are several non-Lukan forms and words in Luke 22:19b-20.

22:20

NASB, NRSV,
TEV, NJB"poured out"
NKJV"shed"

SPECIAL TOPIC: POURED OUT

▣ "the new covenant in My blood" This new covenant is described in Jer. 31:31-34, Ezek. 36:22-36, and Zech. 9:11. It was horrid for Jews to think of drinking blood (cf. Lev. 17:14). It is obvious that Jesus is referring to His sacrificial death and not of literally drinking His blood!

SPECIAL TOPIC: THE LORD'S SUPPER IN JOHN 6

22:21 "the hand of the one betraying Me is with Mine on the table" In Luke, Judas participates in the entire Lord's Supper. In John 13:21-30 he leaves before the Supper is begun. In Matthew and Mark he takes part in half of the Supper. We must continue to remember that the Gospels are not modern histories, but evangelistic tracts! Judas' betrayal is a fulfillment of Ps. 41:9 (cf. John 13:18).

22:22 "the Son of Man is going as it has been determined" For "Son of Man" see Special Topic at Luke 5:24.

The verb is a perfect passive participle of horizō, which means a boundary or limit. We get the English word "horizon" from this Greek term. Jesus' sacrificial death is part of the pre-determined plan of God (cf. Gen. 3:15; Isa. 52:13-53:12; Acts 2:23; 3:18; 4:28; 10:42; 13:29; 17:26,31). Jesus's death was not an afterthought or plan B! Jesus came to die (cf. Mark 10:45; John 3:16; 2 Cor. 5:21)!

▣ "but woe to that man by whom He is betrayed" It is the Gospel of John that mentions Judas' treachery early and often (cf. John 6:70; 12:4; 13:2,26,27; 17:12; 18:2-5).

22:23 This verse shows the confusion and uncertainty of the Twelve. They had been with Jesus for several years. They had heard His teachings, seen His miracles, and functioned as His representatives, yet they did not understand! They were not even sure which one of them was the betrayer!

Passages like this are an encouragement to me in my doubts, confusions, and fear. Christianity is a life of faith, trust, hope, fear, and uncertainty; get used to it! The wonder of wonders is that through it all there is peace, joy, contentment, and assurance!

NASB (UPDATED) TEXT: LUKE 22:24-27
 ²⁴And there arose also a dispute among them as to which one of them was regarded to be greatest. ²⁵And He said to them, "The kings of the Gentiles lord it over them; and those who have authority over them are called 'Benefactors.' ²⁶But it is not this way with you, but the one who is the greatest among you must become like the youngest, and the leader like the servant. ²⁷For who is greater, the one who reclines at the table or the one who serves? Is it not the one who reclines at the table? But I am among you as the one who serves."

22:24 "And there arose also a dispute among them as to which one of them was regarded to be greatest" Every time Jesus related His death, the disciples began to argue over who would be His successor (cf. Matt. 18:1-5; 20:24-28; Mark 9:33-37; 10:41-45; Luke 9:46-48). The Greek word for "dispute" implies one ready to argue. The context of John 13 involves this same issue. The larger context is the dialogue in the "guest room" during the Lord's Supper, John 13-17. They still had in their minds an earthly kingdom, a Jewish kingdom (cf. Acts 1:6). They were arguing over which one of them would take Jesus' place as leader.

22:25-27 Jesus uses several words denoting powerful men: "kings," "those who have authority," "benefactors" (used of Syrian kings). These all refer to people in power. Christ's leaders must be servant leaders. Jesus demonstrated this for them as He washed their feet in John 13:3-5 and supremely when He died on the cross. God's leaders must be Kingdom people, Great Commission people!

The fall involved selfishness; faith in Jesus promotes and provides selflessness (cf. Gal. 2:20). We are saved to serve; we live to serve! It is all about Jesus, not all about us (cf. Luke 9:48).

SPECIAL TOPIC: SERVANT LEADERSHIP

22:27 The second question of Luke 22:27 expects a "yes" answer. This is a typical biblical "role reversal" statement. God's ways are not our ways (cf. Isa. 55:8).

NASB (UPDATED) TEXT: LUKE 22:28-30
 ²⁸"You are those who have stood by Me in My trials; ²⁹and just as My Father has granted Me a kingdom, I grant you ³⁰that you may eat and drink at My table in My kingdom, and you will sit on thrones judging the twelve tribes of Israel."

22:28

NASB"those who have stood by Me in My trials"
NKJV"those who have continued with Me in My trials"
NRSV"those who have stood by Me in my trials"
TEV"you have stayed with me all through my trials"
NJB"you are the men who have stood by me faithfully in my trials"

This is a Perfect active participle. Jesus must be referring to the events and struggles of their years together in ministry on the road. The large crowds came and went, but this core of followers remained. This group also included several women who traveled with them (cf. Luke 8:1-3) and some of the hundred and twenty in the upper room on Pentecost (cf. Acts 1:13-15).

SPECIAL TOPIC: WOMEN WHO TRAVELED WITH JESUS AND HIS DISCIPLES

22:29-30 Jesus knew who He was and why He came (cf. John 15:1-7). He has the authority (cf. Matt. 28:18) to appoint His followers a place that was given to Him by the Father (places of honor at the head table).

22:30 "and you will sit on thrones judging the twelve tribes of Israel" The exact time, purpose, and people to be ruled is uncertain (cf. Matt. 19:28; 2 Tim. 2:11-12; Rev. 3:21). This phrase surely links the OT Israel and the NT church in an inseparable embrace.

SPECIAL TOPIC: REIGNING IN THE KINGDOM OF GOD

NASB (UPDATED) TEXT: LUKE 22:31-34
 ³¹"Simon, Simon, behold, Satan has demanded permission to sift you like wheat; ³²but I have prayed for you, that your faith may not fail; and you, when once you have turned again, strengthen your brothers." ³³But he said to Him, "Lord, with You I am ready to go both to prison and to death!" ³⁴And He said, "I say to you, Peter, the rooster will not crow today until you have denied three times that you know Me."

22:31 "Simon, Simon" The doubling of a name was a way of gently chiding (cf. Luke 6:46; 10:41; 22:31; Acts 9:4; 22:7; 26:14). Notice Jesus calls him Simon and not Peter (rock). He will be anything but a rock in the next few hours.

NASB"Satan has demanded permission to sift all of you like wheat"
NKJV"Satan has asked for you, that he may sift you as wheat"
NRSV"Satan has demanded to sift all of you like wheat"
TEV"Satan has received permission to test all of you, to separate the good from the bad, as a farmer separates the wheat from the chaff"
NJB"Satan has got his wish to sift all of you like wheat"

The "you" is plural. This means all of the disciples. This sounds much like Job 1:12; 2:6. Satan must ask God's permission before he acts. The TEV and NJB catch the connotation of the verb exaiteō (here an aorist middle indicative) as it was used in the papyri (Moulton and Milligan, Vocabulary of the Greek Testament, p. 221).

Sifting was a process of (1) shaking grain through a strainer to remove dirt and small stones and other impurities before preparing it to eat or (2) separating the grain from the chaff by winnowing. Here it is metaphorical of a time of testing/separation.

22:32 "but I have prayed for you" The pronoun egō is fronted, implying "I myself." Jesus prayed specifically for Peter. Jesus prayed for His disciples then and now in John 17. Jesus continues to pray for all believers (cf. Heb. 7:25; 9:24; 1 John 2:1). This same verb is used in Luke 21:36 for believers praying and keeping watch.

▣ "that your faith may not fail" This is a sobering thought (see Special Topic at Luke 6:46). Peter will deny any knowledge of Jesus three times, with an oath! But Peter repents and reestablishes his relationship by faith (Judas does not).

If the strong leader of the Apostolic group is open to Satanic attack and failure, why not the rest of Jesus' followers (past and present)?

▣ "when once you have turned again" Even in the midst of temptation, Jesus strengthens Peter by this statement. I believe John 21 is Peter's official reinstatement as leader of the Apostolic group after his denial. Amazingly, he will preach the first Christian sermon at Pentecost in Acts 2!

22:33 This verse clearly shows the struggle of the will. Peter truly wanted to follow and serve his Lord, but there is a terrible conflict in the fallen human heart (cf. Eph. 6:10-19). Self, self-interest, and self-preservation become ultimate issues (cf. Rom. 7). Peter was willing to die for Jesus at the arrest in the garden of Gethsemane, but not at the fire outside the high priest's home (cf. Matt. 26:41; Mark 14:38).

22:34 "the rooster will not crow" The time of the crowing (before 3 a.m.) and the number of crowings (cf. Mark. 14:30) are examples of Jesus' supernatural knowledge.

▣ "that you know Me" The verb "know" is a perfect active infinitive denoting a past act come to a settled state of being. The Hebrew connotation of "know" is not facts about, but intimate personal relationship (cf. Gen. 4:1; Jer. 1:5). Peter was asserting that he had never had a personal relationship with Jesus!

NASB (UPDATED) TEXT: LUKE 22:35-38
 ³⁵And He said to them, "When I sent you out without money belt and bag and sandals, you did not lack anything, did you?" They said, "No, nothing." ³⁶And He said to them, "But now, whoever has a money belt is to take it along, likewise also a bag, and whoever has no sword is to sell his coat and buy one. ³⁷For I tell you that this which is written must be fulfilled in Me, 'And He was numbered with transgressors'; for that which refers to Me has its fulfillment." ³⁸They said, "Lord, look, here are two swords." And He said to them, "It is enough."

22:35 "When I sent you out without money belt and bag and sandals" This relates to the mission trips of the Twelve and the Seventy (cf. Luke 9:3; 10:4). This reminds them of a ministry time when they had to totally depend on God for sustenance, protection, and provision.

▣ "you did not lack anything did you" This question expects a "no" answer.

22:36 "and whoever has no sword is to sell his coat and buy one" Peter apparently took this literally as did the other disciples (see Luke 22:38). This is probably the background of Peter's cutting off the ear of the High Priest's servant. I do not believe Jesus was speaking literally, but figuratively of the struggle ahead.

There is a paradox between divine provision and human preparation. Both are needed. It is part of the faith covenant relationship with God. Believers are not blessed or effective because of their efforts, but because they are blessed they freely give themselves to the spiritual tasks assigned by God.

This verse, which contains three aorist active imperatives, shows that not all commands are to be taken literally. Human language has a complex relationship to specific historical settings and literary contexts. Part of the image of God in mankind is our linguistic abilities.

22:37 "that this which is written must be fulfilled in Me" This refers to OT prophecy (here Isa. 53:12). The verb "is written" is a Perfect passive participle, which is an idiom for inspired OT Scripture. Jesus' life, teachings, and actions had OT prophetic implications.

The OT and NT authors believed God was intimately involved in His creation. He reveals Himself to humans in Scripture. One of the powerful ways He substantiates the validity and authority of His revelation (Bible) is predictive prophecy. Many of the OT prophecies are typological fulfillments (something happens to Israel or her leaders that later also occur in Jesus' life, cf. Psalm 22; Hos. 11:1) and others like this one specifically record future events unique to the Messiah (cf. Isaiah 53; Micah 5:2). No other "holy book" of world religions has predictive prophecy. It clearly shows the supernatural nature of the Bible and God's control and knowledge of history.

NASB"for that which refers to Me has its fulfillment"
NKJV"for the things concerning Me have an end"
NRSV"and indeed what is written about me is being fulfilled"
TEV"what was written about me is coming true"
NJB"Yes, what it says about me is even now reaching its fulfillment"

This could refer to (1) prophetic Scripture about the Messiah or (2) Jesus' life work of accomplishing the redemptive will and plan of God, about to be finished. His hour has come. Charles B. Williams, The New Testament In the Language of the People has "yes that saying about me has its fulfillment," which makes Luke 22:37 Hebrew synonymous parallelism.

▣ "He was numbered with transgressors" This is a quote from a Servant Song of Isaiah 52:13-53:12 (cf. Luke 53:12). It is the most specific OT prophecy of the Messiah's rejection and subsequent death. The Messiah will suffer (cf. Gen. 3:15)!

22:38 "It is enough" This either refers to the fact that (1) there are enough swords or (2) this is enough of this kind of talk (cf. TEV footnote).

Both A. T. Robertson (Word Pictures) and Joseph A. Fitzmyer (Anchor Bible, vol. 28A) assume that Jesus is speaking metaphorically and that the Apostles have taken Him literally. Since He cannot communicate to them because of their world view/mind set, He terminates the discussion. They take this approach because it sounds so out of character for Jesus to advocate buying swords for a physical battle between His disciples and a large group of soldiers.

F. F. Bruce, Questions and Answers, says:

"Our Lord speaks here with a certain sad irony: since the Son of Man is about to be numbered with transgressors (more particularly, with bandits like the two who were crucified with Him), why should His followers not dress accordingly and wear swords as well as other articles which they had formerly been forbidden to take with them? Taking Him up literally, the disciples revealed that they had two swords with them. But He, realizing that they had not understood Him, dismissed the matter: "Enough!" He said, "that will do." He certainly did not wish them to use the swords for defending Him (as the sequel makes plain), and two swords would have been inadequate for their own self-defense" (p. 63).

This is basically the understanding found in Hard Sayings of the Bible, pp. 486-487.

NASB (UPDATED) TEXT: LUKE 22:39-46
 ³⁹And He came out and proceeded as was His custom to the Mount of Olives; and the disciples also followed Him. ⁴⁰When He arrived at the place, He said to them, "Pray that you may not enter into temptation." ⁴¹And He withdrew from them about a stone's throw, and He knelt down and began to pray, ⁴²saying, "Father, if You are willing, remove this cup from Me; yet not My will, but Yours be done." ⁴³Now an angel from heaven appeared to Him, strengthening Him. ⁴⁴And being in agony He was praying very fervently; and His sweat became like drops of blood, falling down upon the ground.
 ⁴⁵When He rose from prayer, He came to the disciples and found them sleeping from sorrow, ⁴⁶and said to them, "Why are you sleeping? Get up and pray that you may not enter into temptation."

22:39 "as was His custom to the Mount of Olives" Apparently Jesus used this place often for prayer. There is also the possibility that this was His camp site while in Jerusalem.

The Mount of Olives is really a ridge to the east of Jerusalem running about 2.5 miles. It is about 300-400' higher than the city. This makes it a beautiful place to overlook the holy city and the temple. Jesus apparently camped out here while in Jerusalem (cf. Luke 21:37).

22:40 "When He arrived at the place" Luke never mentions the garden of Gethsemane as Mark (cf. Luke 14:32) and Matthew (cf. Luke 26:36) do.

▣ "Pray that you may not enter into temptation" "Pray" is a present middle (deponent) imperative, which denotes an ongoing command. Jesus faced His hour of trial through His constant fellowship with the Father in prayer. Luke, of all the Gospels, emphasizes Jesus' prayer life.

The term "temptation" is the noun form of the verb peirazō. See Special Topic at Luke 4:2.

22:41 Jesus came to Gethsemane with all His Apostles (except Judas) to pray. Apparently He left the larger group as well as the inner circle of disciples, Peter, James, and John. He then left them and went a short distance away and began to pray (imperfect middle [deponent] indicative), which denotes the beginning of an action in past time or the recurrence of an action (cf. Matt. 26:39,42,44).

▣ "knelt down" Matthew and Mark have Jesus prostrate on the ground (cf. Matt. 26:39; Mark 14:35). Luke has Jesus kneeling. The normal position of Jewish prayer was standing with the eyes and hands lifted to heaven. This experience was not normal in any sense!

22:42 "Father" See Special Topic below.

SPECIAL TOPIC: FATHER

▣ "if" This is a first class conditional sentence, which implies Jesus' request was possible. This phrase is repeated in all three Synoptic Gospels (cf. Matt. 26:39 and Mark 14:35).

▣ "remove this cup from Me" We are on extremely holy ground here as Jesus' human nature struggles with the Father's will.

This was an OT metaphor for one's destiny (cf. Ps. 16:5; 23:5; Jer. 51:2; Matt. 20:22). It was usually used in a judgmental (i.e., negative) sense (cf. Ps. 11:6; 75:8; Isa. 51:17,22; Jer. 25:15-16,27-28; 49:12; Lam. 4:21; Ezek. 23:31-33; Hab. 2:16). This idiom is often associated with drunkenness, which is another OT metaphor for judgment (cf. Job 21:20; Isa. 29:9; 63:6; Jer. 25:15-16,27-28). Jesus wants out! Fear is not sin. He faced fear with faith; so must we!

▣ "yet not My will, but Yours be done" In this context the true humanity and faith of Jesus shines forth! Though His human nature cries out for deliverance, His heart is set on fulfilling the Father's eternal plan of substitutionary atonement (cf. Gen. 3:15; Isaiah 53; Mark 10:45; Luke 22:22; Acts 2:23; 3:18; 4:28; 13:29; 2 Cor. 5:21; Eph. 2:11-3:13).

The "to be" verb is a Present middle (deponent) imperative. The temptation was to bypass the cross! This was exactly Satan's temptation in the wilderness in Luke 4 (see James S. Stewart, The Life and Teaching of Jesus Christ, pp. 39-46).

22:43-44 These verses are found in the ancient manuscript Greek uncial א^*, אi², D, K, L, X, and Delta. They are also found in the quotations of Justin, Martyr, Irenaeus, Hippolytus, Eusebius, and Jerome. However, they are omitted in MSS P^{69 [probably] 75}, אi¹, A, B, N, T, and W, as well as the manuscripts used by Clement of Alexandria and Origen. The UBS⁴ ranks their omission as "certain" (A).

Bart D. Ehrman, The Orthodox Corruption of Scripture, pp. 187-194, assumes these verses are an early second century addition to refute docetic (Gnostic) Christologies who denied Christ's humanity and suffering. The church's conflict with Christological heresies was the possible source of many of the early manuscript changes.

The UBS⁴, NASB, and NRSV bracket these verses, while NKJV, TEV, and NIV have a footnote which says, "some ancient manuscripts omit verses 43 and 44." This information is unique to Luke's Gospel.

22:45 "sleeping from sorrow" Only Luke adds this note to explain why the disciples could not stay awake.

NASB (UPDATED) TEXT: LUKE 22:47-53
 ⁴⁷While He was still speaking, behold, a crowd came, and the one called Judas, one of the twelve, was preceding them; and he approached Jesus to kiss Him. ⁴⁸But Jesus said to him, "Judas, are you betraying the Son of Man with a kiss?" ⁴⁹When those who were around Him saw what was going to happen, they said, "Lord, shall we strike with the sword?" ⁵⁰And one of them struck the slave of the high priest and cut off his right ear. ⁵¹But Jesus answered and said, "Stop! No more of this." And He touched his ear and healed him. ⁵²Then Jesus said to the chief priests and officers of the temple and elders who had come against Him, "Have you come out with swords and clubs as you would against a robber? ⁵³While I was with you daily in the temple, you did not lay hands on Me; but this hour and the power of darkness are yours."

22:47 "a crowd" Luke often mentions the crowd of people who followed Jesus to hear His teaching and observe His miracles. It is ironic that now in this verse and 23:4 they are enemies, but in Luke 23:48 (the cross) the crowd who came to watch, grieves and disperses.

▣ "and he approached Jesus to kiss Him" This was a typical greeting of a student for his rabbi (cf. Mark 14:45). It was a sign of affection (cf. Luke 22:48), but here it was a way of pointing to Jesus so that He could be arrested (cf. Mark 14:44; Matt. 26:49).

22:50 John 18:10 names the disciple (Peter) and the High Priest's slave (Malchus).

22:51

NASB"Stop, no more of this"
NKJV"Permit even this"
NRSV"No more of this"
TEV"Enough of this"
NJB"that is enough"

This is a present active imperative. This has three possible meanings.

1. if He is addressing the disciples, it means allow this to happen to Me

2. if He is addressing the crowd, it means we will put up no more struggle

3. the NASB (1970) footnote relates this phrase to Jesus' healing of the severed ear, also implying no more violence

 

▣ "and He touched his ear and healed him" Matthew, Mark, and John all mention that Peter cut off the High Priest's slave's ear. Only Luke records the healing. It is uncertain whether Jesus (1) stopped the bleeding or (2) restored the ear. Luke the physician is interested in this.

I wonder whether Malchus became a believer. This must have been a very dramatic moment for all of these men sent to arrest Jesus!

22:52 "chief priests" The reason for the plural is that since the Romans occupied Palestine, the High Priesthood had been a political plumb purchased by a family. It is doubtful that the High Priest himself came to the garden, but probably his representatives from the Sanhedrin (elders).

▣ "with swords and clubs" The Romans would have had swords and the Temple police (officers, see note at Luke 22:4) would have had the clubs.

22:53 This verse relates to the temple police and the representatives of the Sanhedrin. It is a penetrating question and accusation. As Jesus had His prophetic "hour" (definite article, cf. Matt. 26:45; Mark 14:35,41), so too, did these forces and pawns of evil (authority of darkness). Jesus' arrest, trials, death, and resurrection were all part of God's plan of redemption.

NASB (UPDATED) TEXT: LUKE 22:54-62
 ⁵⁴Having arrested Him, they led Him away and brought Him to the house of the high priest; but Peter was following at a distance. ⁵⁵After they had kindled a fire in the middle of the courtyard and had sat down together, Peter was sitting among them. ⁵⁶And a servant-girl, seeing him as he sat in the firelight and looking intently at him, said, "This man was with Him too." ⁵⁷But he denied it, saying, "Woman, I do not know Him." ⁵⁸A little later, another saw him and said, "You are one of them too!" But Peter said, "Man, I am not!" ⁵⁹After about an hour had passed, another man began to insist, saying, "Certainly this man also was with Him, for he is a Galilean too." ⁶⁰But Peter said, "Man, I do not know what you are talking about." Immediately, while he was still speaking, a rooster crowed. ⁶¹The Lord turned and looked at Peter. And Peter remembered the word of the Lord, how He had told him, "Before a rooster crows today, you will deny Me three times." ⁶²And he went out and wept bitterly.

22:54 "they led Him away and brought Him to the house of the high priest" Possibly Annas and Caiaphas lived in one large home (cf. Matt. 26:57-58; John 18:13,15,24). The order of trials seems to be (1) before Annas; (2) before Caiaphas; (3) before the entire Sanhedrin; (4) before Pilate; (5) before Herod; and (6) again before Pilate.

▣ "but Peter was following at a distance" The Gethsemane arrest caused most of the disciples to flee in fear of arrest. However, John may have known people in the High Priest's family, for apparently he was present at the trials before the Jewish leaders. Peter, too, did not completely desert Jesus, but followed at a distance. He could not stay with Jesus, but he could not leave either (cf. Matt. 26:58; Mark 14:54).

22:55 "they had kindled a fire" This seems to refer to (1) the Temple Police or (2) servants of the high priests.

22:56 "a servant-girl" There is a great variety among the Gospels on the who and the when of Peter's accusers. It is obvious that several around the fire recognized him and challenged him.

22:57 "I do not know Him" The interpretive key to this phrase is not the verb, but the Hebrew connotation of "know." Peter is denying any personal relationship with Jesus of Nazareth.

22:58 Here Peter denies he was part of Jesus' group of disciples.

22:59 "Certainly this man also was with Him, for he is a Galilean too" This refers to Peter's accent. The pronouncement of gutturals in Aramaic was different between Jerusalem and Galilee. Peter denies even his accent!

22:61 "The Lord turned and looked at Peter" This was not done in anger, but in sorrow and compassion. Possibly Jesus was being moved from Annas' chambers to Caiaphas' chambers within the same house. This fulfilled Jesus' prophecy in Luke 22:34. This starts Peter's sorrowful repentance (cf. Luke 22:62; Matt. 26:75)!

NASB (UPDATED) TEXT: LUKE 22:63-65
 ⁶³Now the men who were holding Jesus in custody were mocking Him and beating Him, ⁶⁴and they blindfolded Him and were asking Him, saying, "Prophesy, who is the one who hit You?" ⁶⁵And they were saying many other things against Him, blaspheming.

22:63 "the men who were holding Jesus in custody were mocking Him and beating Him" Jesus was beaten by the Jewish guards, Herod's guards, and the Roman guards. These beatings may be a fulfillment of Isa. 53:2.

22:64-65 These Roman soldiers took out their anger and frustration against the exclusivism and continuing rebellion of the Jewish population on Jesus. He became the object of their ridicule!

NASB (UPDATED) TEXT: LUKE 22:66-71
 ⁶⁶When it was day, the Council of elders of the people assembled, both chief priests and scribes, and they led Him away to their council chamber, saying, ⁶⁷"If You are the Christ, tell us." But He said to them, "If I tell you, you will not believe; ⁶⁸and if I ask a question, you will not answer. ⁶⁹But from now on the Son of Man will be seated at the right hand of the power of God." ⁷⁰And they all said, "Are You the Son of God, then?" And He said to them, "Yes, I am." ⁷¹Then they said, "What further need do we have of testimony? For we have heard it ourselves from His own mouth."

22:66 "When it was day" If the night trial occurred on Thursday (Nisan 14), then this occurred on the Friday morning (Nisan 14). Jesus will be crucified by noon (Nisan 14, cf. Luke 23:44) and buried before the beginning of the Sabbath at twilight on Friday (Nisan 15, cf. Luke 23:54).

The timing and order of these trials vary from Gospel to Gospel. We must remember these are not western histories or biographies, but salvation tracts targeted to certain people groups. The variety does not diminish the inspiration or trustworthiness of the events themselves!

▣ "the Council of elders of the people assembled" This was done by the Sanhedrin (See Special Topic at Luke 9:22) to give a semblance of legality to the illegal nighttime trial.

SPECIAL TOPIC: Illegalities of the Sanhedrin's Night Trial, Matt. 26:57-68

22:67 "If" The first "if" in this verse is a First class conditional. It usually denotes the reality of a statement, but here it is used sarcastically, which shows how literary context affects grammatical form. There are no hard and fast rules. Context, context, context is crucial!

NASB, NKJV
NJB"the Christ"
NRSV, TEV"the Messiah"

Here is a good example of Aramaic speakers being recorded in Greek. They are asking Jesus if He is the promised Anointed One of God—the Messiah!

▣ "tell us" This is an aorist active imperative. They want a clear "yes" or "no."

▣ "if" The second "if" in this verse is a third class conditional, which denotes potential action.

▣ "you will not believe" The Sanhedrin did not want information about Jesus. They wanted to condemn Him. Remember this encounter was after two lengthy night trials before Annas and Caiaphas (Luke 22:54). Whatever Jesus said, their minds and hearts were already hardened. No faith response was possible. The unpardonable sin had occurred. See Special Topic at Luke 11:19.

This verse (as does Luke 22:68) has the grammatical form of the strongest negation in Koine Greek.

1. the double negative, ou + mē

2. Aorist subjunctive

 

22:68 "if" This is another third class conditional sentence. Jesus had tried, on many occasions, to enter into a dialog with the Jerusalem leadership, but they would not or could not answer His questions. Jesus knew them well!

▣ "not" This is a strong double negative with the aorist subjunctive, which is emphatic negation!

22:69 "the Son of Man will be seated at the right hand of the power of God" This is an incomplete sentence which is a reference to Ps. 110:1, a specifically Messianic text, related to "the" special descendant of David linked to the coming Messiah.

The phrase "at God's right hand" is an anthropomorphic phrase speaking of God as if He were a man. In reality God is Spirit and has no body and, therefore, no need of a physical throne or hand (see Special Topic at Luke 1:51). Jesus answered their question in unmistakable OT prophetic terms!

22:70 "and they all said" Notice the plural. Those present spoke with one voice!

▣ "Are You the Son of God, then" We learn from Mark 14:55-59 that the false witnesses had failed in their accusations. At this point the Sandehrin tried to get Jesus to incriminate Himself. This was illegal in Jewish Law. The phrase "Son of God" is used in the OT for the nation of Israel, the king of Israel, and the Messiah. It definitely had Messianic connotations. See Special Topic at Luke 1:35.

NASB"Yes, I am"
NKJV"You rightly say that I am"
NRSV, TEV,
NET"you say that I am"
NJB, REB"it is you who say I am"
NIV"you are right in saying I am"

Jesus, in a round-about way, affirms that He is the Messiah (cf. Mark 14:62). He knew they would take this title in such a way as to accuse him before Rome.

Moffat's translation at this point is very helpful to catch the subtle connotation of this phrase. "That is your word, not mine, I would not put it like that, but since you have, I cannot deny it" (cf. Matt. 26:64).

A. T. Robertson, Word Pictures In the New Testament, vol. 2, p. 277, makes the pertinent analysis that Jesus admits to being

1. the Christ (Messiah), Luke 22:67

2. the Son of Man at God's right hand, Luke 22:69

3. the Son of God, Luke 22:70

All of these phrases are used in a parallel way.

22:71 This verse shows the purpose of their questioning. They wanted Him to admit to what they considered blasphemy. They were attempting to justify their attitudes and actions!

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS

This is a study guide commentary, which means that you are responsible for your own interpretation of the Bible. Each of us must walk in the light we have. You, the Bible, and the Holy Spirit are priority in interpretation. You must not relinquish this to a commentator.

These discussion questions are provided to help you think through the major issues of this section of the book. They are meant to be thought-provoking, not definitive.

1. What does it mean that Satan entered Judas?

2. Is Judas responsible for his acts since they were predestined?

3. Why did Judas betray Jesus?

4. How is the Lord's Supper related to the Passover meal?

5. Why do the Gospels differ as to the day the Lord's Supper was instituted?

6. Why are the Gospel account of Peter's denial so different?

7. Why did the Sanhedrin reject Jesus' Messiahship?

 

Copyright © 2013 Bible Lessons International

PARAGRAPH DIVISIONS OF MODERN TRANSLATIONS

UBS4	NKJV	NRSV	TEV	NJB
The Resurrection of Jesus	He Is Risen	The First Easter	The Resurrection	The Empty Tomb. The Angel's Message
23:56b-24:12
	24:1-12	24:1-12	24:1-7	24:1-8
			24:8-12	The Apostles Refuse to Believe the Women
				24:9-11
				Peter at the Tomb
				24:12
The Walk to Emmaus	The Road to Emmaus	On the Road to Emmaus	The Walk to Emmaus	The Road to Emmaus
24:13-27	24:13-27	24:13-27	24:13-17a	24:13-17
			24:17b-18
				24:18-24
			24:19a
			24:19b-24
	The Disciples Eyes Opened		24:25-27	24:25-27
24:28-35	24:28-35	24:28-35	24:28-32	24:28-32
			24:33-34	24:33-35
			24:35
Appearance to the Disciples	Jesus Appears to His Disciples	Commissioning of the Disciples	Jesus Appears to His Disciples	Jesus Appears to the Apostles
24:36-43	24:36-43	24:36-43	24:36	24:36-43
			24:37-39
	The Scriptures Opened		24:40-43	Last Instructions to the Apostles
24:44-49	24:44-49	24:44-49	24:44	24:44-48
			24:45-49
				24:49
The Ascension of Jesus	The Ascension		Jesus is Taken Up to Heaven	The Ascension
24:50-53	24:50-53	24:50-53	24:50-53	24:50-53

READING CYCLE THREE (from "A Guide to Good Bible Reading")

FOLLOWING THE ORIGINAL AUTHOR'S INTENT AT THE PARAGRAPH LEVEL

This is a study guide commentary, which means that you are responsible for your own interpretation of the Bible. Each of us must walk in the light we have. You, the Bible, and the Holy Spirit are priority in interpretation. You must not relinquish this to a commentator.

Read the chapter in one sitting. Identify the subjects. Compare your subject divisions with the five translations above. Paragraphing is not inspired, but it is the key to following the original author's intent, which is the heart of interpretation. Every paragraph has one and only one subject.

1. First paragraph

2. Second paragraph

3. Third paragraph

4. Etc.

 

CONTEXTUAL INSIGHTS

A. The details of the post-resurrection events differ among the four Gospels. This exemplifies the genuineness of the eyewitness accounts and also the evangelistic purposes of each Gospel to a select target group. See Fee and Stuart, How to Read the Bible For All Its Worth, pp.127-148.

 

B. Remember the Gospel writers were not writing a history in the western, modern sense, but recording selected facts to better present the Christian message. Their purpose is not historical record, but primarily theological truth (cf. John 20:3-31). The Bible's primary purpose is to bring us to a personal confrontation with a holy God through His crucified Son.

 

C.  Luke's sources about the post-resurrection period is different from the other Gospels. In Luke the forty day period between Jesus' appearance in the upper room and His ascension from the Mount of Olives are structured as if they all happened in one day (Easter Sunday)!

 

D. There are several Greek manuscript variations in this chapter. Luke contains most of the shorter readings found in the western family (MSS D and W) of Greek manuscripts when compared to the Alexandrian family (MSS א and B). Here is a list of the shorter readings (from A. T. Robertson, An Introduction to the Textual Criticism of the New Testament, pp. 226-227).

1. Luke 5:39

2. Luke 10:41-42

3. Luke 12:19,21,39

4. Luke 22:19b,20,62

5. Luke 24:3,6,9,12,36,40,52,53

Notice how many of these shorter (possibly original) readings are in Luke 24!

WORD AND PHRASE STUDY

NASB (UPDATED) TEXT: LUKE 24:1-12
 ¹But on the first day of the week, at early dawn, they came to the tomb bringing the spices which they had prepared. ²And they found the stone rolled away from the tomb, ³but when they entered, they did not find the body of the Lord Jesus. ⁴While they were perplexed about this, behold, two men suddenly stood near them in dazzling clothing; ⁵and as the women were terrified and bowed their faces to the ground, the men said to them, "Why do you seek the living One among the dead? ⁶He is not here, but He has risen. Remember how He spoke to you while He was still in Galilee, ⁷saying that the Son of Man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men, and be crucified, and the third day rise again." ⁸And they remembered His words, ⁹and returned from the tomb and reported all these things to the eleven and to all the rest. ¹⁰Now they were Mary Magdalene and Joanna and Mary the mother of James; also the other women with them were telling these things to the apostles. ¹¹But these words appeared to them as nonsense, and they would not believe them. ¹²But Peter got up and ran to the tomb; stooping and looking in, he saw the linen wrappings only; and he went away to his home, marveling at what had happened.

24:1 "the first day of the week" This first workday ran from Saturday at twilight to Sunday at twilight. This is a Hebrew idiom going back to Gen. 1:5,8,13,19,23,31, where evening is always mentioned first. This was the very day that the first fruits were offered in the Temple. Jesus appears to the disciples several weeks in a row on Sunday night. This sets the precedent for Sunday as a special meeting day for believers to commemorate the Lord's resurrection (cf. John 20:19,20; Luke 24:36ff; Acts 20:7; 1 Cor. 16:2).

▣ "early dawn" This is literally "at deep dawn." John's Gospel says it was still dark (cf. John 20:1). It seems the women left the places they were staying while in Jerusalem before dawn, but arrived at the tomb after sunrise.

▣ "they" These women are named in Luke 24:10 and Mark 16:1. See Special Topic: Women Who Followed Jesus at Luke 8:3.

▣ "the tomb" We get the English word "memorial" from this Greek word.

▣ "bringing the spices" These were to anoint the body (cf. Mark 16:1). Apparently they did not know of Joseph and Nicodemas' activity or their hurried preparations had been incomplete.

SPECIAL TOPIC: BURIAL SPICES

24:2 "the stone rolled away" This is a perfect passive participle. The type of tomb in which Jesus had been laid had a grove in front of the rock wall face into which a round stone was placed to seal the tomb. This was a very large and heavy stone (cf. Mark 16:4), which these women could not have moved. Matthew 28:2 states that an earthquake, apparently caused by an angel, knocked the stone away from the door of the tomb. The stone's removal was not to let Jesus out, but to let us in!

24:3 This verse is an important witness to the humanity of Jesus, which was challenged by an early heretical movement later called Gnosticism (see definition in the glossary appendix). These women fully expected to find Jesus' physical body.

NASB, NKJV,
TEV"the body of the Lord"
NJB, REB"Jesus"
NRSV"the body"

The shorter reading (i.e., "the body") occurs in MSS D and some Old Latin MSS. However, this is the only place in Luke's Gospel where Jesus is called "the Lord Jesus," although the title is common in Acts.

Some later minuscules (i.e., 579 from the 13^th century; 1071 from the 12^th century; 1241 from the 12^th century and lectionary 1016 from the 12^th century) have "the body of Jesus."

The longer form occurs in MSS P⁷⁵, א, A, B, C, L, W, 070, and most versions. The UBS⁴ rates it as"B" (almost certain).

24:4 "two men suddenly stood near them in dazzling clothing" This refers to angels (cf. Luke 24:23; Acts 1:10; John 20:12).

Angels are always depicted as males except in Zech. 5:9. The participle "dazzling" is used by Luke only here and in Luke 17:24, where it refers to the transfiguration event. Luke uses the related term "lightning" several times also (cf. Luke 10:18; 11:36; 17:24). Matthew uses this term to describe the angel (cf. Matt. 28:3).

This is a good example of the variety between the four Gospels.

1. Mark 16:5 has "a young man sitting at the right, wearing a white robe"

2. Matthew 28:2-3 has "an angel of the Lord descended from heaven. . .his appearance was like lightning, and his garment as white as snow"

3. John 20:12 has "two angels in white sitting, one at the head, and one at the feet"

Our western mindset asks questions such as

1. which one is historically accurate

2. which one is true to reality

These kinds of questions turn the Gospels into western, cause-and-effect, sequential histories, but they are not. They are evangelistic tracts, written for different people groups. The Gospel writers under inspiration had the right to

1. select

2. arrange

3. adapt

Jesus' words and deeds for theological purposes. Do not let the details block the big picture and big purpose!

24:5 "bowed their faces to the ground" This was a sign of respect and awe (cf. Mark 16:8).

▣ "the living One among the dead" "The living One" is an article with a present active participle. Jesus cannot be found in a tomb (among the dead ones) because He has been raised! This phrase is unique to Luke.

24:6 "He is not here, but He has risen" The resurrection is the central pillar of the Christian faith (cf. 1 Corinthians 15). This shows God's approval of Jesus' life and sacrifice. This is a recurrent theme of Peter (cf. Acts 2:24-28,32, 3:15,26; 4:10; 5:30; 10:40; 1 Pet. 1:13, 3:18,21), and Paul (Acts 13:30,33,34,37; 17:31; Rom. 4:24, 8:11; 10:9; 2 Cor. 4:14). This is confirmation of the Father's acceptance of the Son's substitutionary death (cf. 1 Corinthians15). Theologically all three persons of the Trinity were active in Christ's resurrection: the Father (Acts 2:24; 3:15; 4:10; 5:30; 10:40; 13:30,33,34; 17:31); the Spirit (Rom. 8:11); and the Son (John 2:19-22; 10:17-18).

This phrase, though disputed by Westcott and Hort, is found in MSS P⁷⁵, א, A, B, C³ (C^* has the same phrase without "but"), L, and 070. It is only omitted in MS D and several Old Latin MSS. This same angelic comment is found in Matt. 28:6 and Mark 16:6.

See Special Topic: The Kerugma of the Early Church at Luke 24:27.

▣ "Remember how He spoke to you while He was still in Galilee" This refers to Jesus' predictions about His death (cf. Luke 9:21-22,44; 17:25; 18:31-34). This is a good example of the similarities and differences between the Synoptic Gospels. Matthew has the angel telling them to tell the Apostles to meet Him on a mountain in Galilee (cf. Matt. 26:32; 28:7,10), while Luke has the angel telling them to remember Jesus' words spoken in Galilee.

1. Did the angel say both things?

2. Did one of the Gospel writers or their sources hear it differently?

3. Did one of the Gospel writers or their sources deliberately modify the angel's message?

These questions are unanswerable. However, believers assert that the Holy Spirit led the Gospel writers, so we must allow these divergent accounts to exist side-by-side and affirm their inspiration!

24:7 "the Son of Man" This term was not used in rabbinical Judaism. Its significance comes from Ezek. 2:1 (human person) and Dan. 7:13 (divine person), where it combines deity and humanity (cf. 1 John 4:1-3). This was Jesus' self-chosen title. See Special Topic at Luke 17:22.

▣ "must" This is the Greek term dei, which means "a moral necessity." It is used three times in this chapter.

1. Son of man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men, Luke 24:7.

2. Necessary for the Christ to suffer, Luke 24:26.

3. All things which are written about Me. . .must be fulfilled, Luke 24:44.

These texts speak of God's pre-determined redemptive plan (cf. Acts 2:23; 3:18; 4:28; 13:29).

▣ "the third day" I think Jesus was only in the tomb about 30 to 38 hours. Jewish time reckoning is different from ours. This phrase has a precarious OT background, only possibly Hosea 6:2 or more probably Jonah 1:17 (cf. Matt. 12:39; 1 Cor. 15:4).

24:8 "they. . .the eleven and all the rest" There were many besides the women and the Apostles who had heard Jesus' teachings and experienced these post-resurrection events (cf. Luke 24:33,36; Matt. 28:17; 1 Cor. 15:5; Acts 1:15).

24:10 This list of women is slightly different from the one in Mark 16:1. This entire verse is omitted by several ancient Greek manuscripts (cf. MSS A, D, W, and the old Latin, and two Syriac versions). The UBS⁴ rates its inclusion as "B" (almost certain). See Special Topic at Luke 8:3.

▣ "Mary Magdalene" Jesus appeared to this woman first (cf. Mark 16:9; Luke 8:2). She is always listed first in the names of the women who traveled with Jesus.

▣ "Joanna" The only other NT reference to Joanna is 8:3.

▣ "Mary the mother of James" She was the mother of James the Less and Joseph (cf. Mark. 15:40; Matt. 27:56).

▣ "the other women" This includes Salome, James and John's mother (cf. Mark. 15:40; Matt. 27:56). See Special Topic at Luke 8:3.

24:11

NASB, TEV"nonsense"
NKJV"like idle tales"
NRSV"an idle tale"
NJB"pure nonsense"

The term lēros is found only once in the Septuagint (IV Macc. 5:11) and only here in the NT. This is a medical term for hysteria or fever-caused hallucinations.

24:11 "they would not believe them" This is an imperfect active indicative. These women told them several times, but the Apostles did not believe. It is so surprising that the Sanhedrin took Jesus' predictions about His resurrection seriously (posted a guard), but the Apostles were totally surprised. This negative comment is evidence of an accurate account.

24:12 This is present in all major Greek manuscripts (P⁷⁵, א, A, B, L, W. 070, 079) except D and several Old Latin MSS. The UBS⁴ rates it inclusion as "B" (almost certain), but Bart D. Ehrman, The Orthodox Corruption of Scripture, pp. 212-217, agrees with Westcott and Hort that its exclusion is the original text (cf. RSV, NEB, REB). This text is very similar to John 20:3,5,6,10.

NASB (UPDATED) TEXT: LUKE 24:13-27
 ¹³And behold, two of them were going that very day to a village named Emmaus, which was about seven miles from Jerusalem. ¹⁴And they were talking with each other about all these things which had taken place. ¹⁵While they were talking and discussing, Jesus Himself approached and began traveling with them. ¹⁶But their eyes were prevented from recognizing Him. ¹⁷And He said to them, "What are these words that you are exchanging with one another as you are walking?" And they stood still, looking sad. ¹⁸One of them, named Cleopas, answered and said to Him, "Are You the only one visiting Jerusalem and unaware of the things which have happened here in these days?" ¹⁹And He said to them, "What things?" And they said to Him, "The things about Jesus the Nazarene, who was a prophet mighty in deed and word in the sight of God and all the people, ²⁰and how the chief priests and our rulers delivered Him to the sentence of death, and crucified Him. ²¹But we were hoping that it was He who was going to redeem Israel. Indeed, besides all this, it is the third day since these things happened. ²²But also some women among us amazed us. When they were at the tomb early in the morning, ²³and did not find His body, they came, saying that they had also seen a vision of angels who said that He was alive. ²⁴Some of those who were with us went to the tomb and found it just exactly as the women also had said; but Him they did not see." ²⁵And He said to them, "O foolish men and slow of heart to believe in all that the prophets have spoken! ²⁶Was it not necessary for the Christ to suffer these things and to enter into His glory?" ²⁷Then beginning with Moses and with all the prophets, He explained to them the things concerning Himself in all the Scriptures.

24:13 "two of them" The Bible does not say exactly who these two were, but possibly it was Cleopas (cf. Luke 24:18) and his wife or two believers leaving the Passover feast.

▣ "that very day" This must have been Resurrection Sunday (cf. Luke 24:22). This was the first work day after Passover and the day on which the first fruits of the barley harvest were offered at the Temple. Jesus was the first fruits from the dead (cf. 1 Cor. 15:20,23).

▣ "Emmaus" The site is uncertain, but there are several possibilities.

1. About twenty miles west of Jerusalem on the Jaffa road. This is where Judas Maccabaeus attacked and burned the Seleucid General Gorgias' camp in 166 b.c. (I Macc. 3:40,57; 4:1-15).

2. About seven miles northwest of Jerusalem where the Crusaders found an ancient Roman fort called "Castellum Emmaus."

3. About four miles to the west of Jerusalem where the Roman Emperor Vespasian located 800 soldiers (Josephus, Wars 7.6.6).

4. About nine miles west of Jerusalem where a Crusader church was built over the ruins of a Roman fort.

(Information taken from The Zondervan Pictorial Encyclopedia of the Bible, vol. 2, pp. 291-301).

▣ "seven miles from Jerusalem" This is really 60 Roman stadia. The city must be close enough to Jerusalem for these two to walk to it and then return to Jerusalem in one day.

There is a Greek variant related to the distance:

1. "60 stadia" is found in P⁷⁵, A, B, D, K², L, W, 070 (UBS⁴ gives this a "B" rating, meaning "almost certain."

2. "160 stadia" is found in א, K^*, 079, and some patristic writers

(cf. Joseph A. Fitzmyer, The Anchor Bible, vol. 28a, p. 1561).

24:15 "Jesus" Luke uses the name "Jesus" several times without the article (cf. Luke 4:1; 8:41; 9:36,50; 18:37,40; 22:48; 23:28). This, therefore, is not a grammatical way of highlighting Jesus' first resurrection appearance.

24:16 "their eyes were prevented from recognizing Him" This is an imperfect passive indicative. The passive implies the activity of God (see note at Luke 24:31). Jesus' physical appearance was altered to some extent. Several followers did not immediately recognize Him (cf. John 20:11; Matt. 28:16-17; John 21:1-7).

1. Mary of Magdala, John 20:11

2. several apostles, John 21:1-7

3. 500 brothers, Matt. 28:16-17

 

24:17 "looking sad" This could mean "stern," "gloomy" (cf. Matt. 6:16), or "dejected." They could not believe that someone had not heard about the events of the last week in Jerusalem. It was the talk of the town (cf. Luke 24:18).

24:18 "visiting" During the three main annual feasts, Jerusalem swelled to three times its normal population due to pilgrims from the Diaspora. They thought Jesus was just another pilgrim.

24:19 "What things" Jesus, by asking them questions, was forcing them to articulate the events of the past few days and testify to Him (cf. Luke 24:19-24).

▣ "Jesus the Nazarene" There are two spellings of the term:

1. Nazarēnou, P⁷⁵, א, B, L, 070, 079, 0124, and some Old Latin and Vulgate versions.

2. Nazōraiou, A, D, K, P, W, X, 063, and some old Latin, Coptic, and Armenian versions. This same form is in Luke 18:37.

The UBS⁴ gives #1 a "B" rating (almost certain). See Special Topic at Luke 4:34.

▣ "a prophet mighty in deed and word" This was honorific (cf. Luke 7:16,39; 9:8,19). Within Judaism for one to be inspired, as a writer of Scripture, one had to be a prophet. The term here refers not to a predictor, but a powerful forth-teller of YHWH's message. However, this one was not just one prophet in a series. He was the prophet of Deut. 18:15,18. They had not fully grasped the implications of the person and work of Christ.

▣ "and all the people" This is a typical hyperbole (e.g., Luke 18:43). Eastern literature (and speech) is much more figurative and exaggerated. This is one reason westerners tend to misunderstand the NT.

24:20 "the chief priests and our rulers" This same phrase is in Luke 23:13. The Jewish leadership was responsible for Jesus' death. The Sanhedrin did not have this power under Roman occupation (cf. Luke 9:22). They had to trump up a charge that the Romans would deem worthy of death! Also, they wanted Him crucified because of the rabbinical curse attached to crucifixion in Deut. 21:23. This is the very charge made by Peter in his first sermon in Acts.

24:21 "were hoping" This is an imperfect active indicative, which implies they were no longer "hoping."

▣ "it was He who was going to redeem Israel" They still had a nationalistic, militaristic mindset (cf. Acts 1:6-7). The Jews only expected one coming of the Messiah and that coming was to benefit and restore Israel to power and preeminence.

▣ "redeem" This is a term from the slave market which meant "to buy back" (cf. Mark 10:45). See Special Topic at Luke 1:68.

▣ "third day" The Jews had a tradition that the spirit stayed near the body for three days, but beyond this period no resuscitation was possible (cf. John 11:6 and 39).

24:24 "Some of those who were with us" From John's Gospel we know this was John and Peter (cf. John 20:3-10 and possibly Peter only from Luke 24:12).

24:25 The early sermons in Acts often allude to the OT prophecies about the Messiah (Gen. 3:15; Deut. 18:15; 2 Samuel 7; Psalm 16:10,22,118; Isaiah 53). I think it was Jesus Himself who informed these two disciples, who relayed the information to the Apostles in the upper room (cf. Luke 24:27). This post-resurrection appearance becomes a crucial interpretive event for the early church (as does Luke 24:45). It is surprising that this encounter is unique to the Gospel of Luke.

▣ "O foolish men and slow of heart" This is a rebuke of these disciples' lack of OT knowledge. What would Jesus say to His church today about their level of Bible knowledge? Doubt, fear, and confusion are the practical result of willful Bible ignorance! We have not because we read not! See SPECIAL TOPIC: TERMS FOR FOOLISH PEOPLE at Luke 11:40.

24:26 "it was necessary for the Christ to suffer" Jesus had told His disciples this repeatedly (cf. Luke 9:22; 17:25; 24:26,46). This is what surprised the Jews (cf. 1 Cor. 1:23), however, it had been predicted in the OT (cf. Gen. 3:15; Psalm 22; Isaiah 53; Zech. 10:12; Matt. 16:2). First century Judaism did not emphasize these verses at all.

▣ "and to enter into His glory" This pattern of suffering preceding glory becomes a principle of spiritual maturity (cf. Rom. 8:17; Heb. 5:8).

24:27 This verse and Luke 24:45 give us insight into the Kerygma of Acts. See Special Topic below.

SPECIAL TOPIC: THE KERYGMA OF THE EARLY CHURCH

NASB (UPDATED) TEXT: LUKE 24:28-35
 ²⁸And they approached the village where they were going, and He acted as though He were going farther. ²⁹But they urged Him, saying, "Stay with us, for it is getting toward evening, and the day is now nearly over." So He went in to stay with them. ³⁰When He had reclined at the table with them, He took the bread and blessed it, and breaking it, He began giving it to them. ³¹Then their eyes were opened and they recognized Him; and He vanished from their sight. ³²They said to one another, "Were not our hearts burning within us while He was speaking to us on the road, while He was explaining the Scriptures to us?" ³³And they got up that very hour and returned to Jerusalem, and found gathered together the eleven and those who were with them, ³⁴saying, "The Lord has really risen and has appeared to Simon." ³⁵They began to relate their experiences on the road and how He was recognized by them in the breaking of the bread.

24:28-30 This is a very detailed eyewitness account. Luke probably interviewed these two.

24:31 "Then their eyes were opened" This is an aorist passive indicative, which is a reversal of the imperfect passive indicative of Luke 24:16. From Luke 24:35 we learn that they recognized Jesus' characteristic way of blessing the food.

Luke uses this term "opened" (dianoigō) three times in this context:

1.their eyes were opened, Luke 24:31

2. their understanding of OT Scripture increased, Luke 24:32

3. the Apostles' minds are opened to Scripture, Luke 24:45

The Bible is divine revelation, not human discovery. Spiritual truth is a gift from God to blinded, sinful humanity.

▣ "and He vanished from their sight" This may be an allusion to 2 Kgs. 6:17 (LXX dianoigō). The exact mechanism of this is as mysterious as Jesus suddenly appearing in the Upper Room in Luke 24:36 or Philip's experience in the desert (cf. Acts 8:39). The spiritual realm is multi-dimensional, not spacial-temporal.

24:32 "Were not our hearts burning within us This is a periphrastic imperfect passive (A. T. Robertson calls it a middle voice). It was one exciting Bible study (cf. Ps. 19:7-14)! It (kaiō) is used metaphorically in the LXX of Deut. 32:22, but in a judgment sense.

24:33 "and those who were with them" (cf. Luke 24:33,36; Acts 1:15)

24:34 "saying" This must refer to the eleven speaking to the two new arrivals (cf. NJB).

▣ "has appeared to Simon" Jesus appeared to the one who had denied Him. We have no biblical account of this meeting.

SPECIAL TOPIC: JESUS' POST-RESURRECTION APPEARANCES

24:35 "began to relate" This is another of many imperfects in this context, which can mean the beginning of something or the repeating of something in past time. They rehearse in detail what happened. They now affirmed the women's testimony of Luke 24:22-23.

NASB (UPDATED) TEXT: LUKE 24:36-43
 ³⁶While they were telling these things, He Himself stood in their midst. ³⁷But they were startled and frightened and thought that they were seeing a spirit. ³⁸And He said to them, "Why are you troubled, and why do doubts arise in your hearts? ³⁹See My hands and My feet, that it is I Myself; touch Me and see, for a spirit does not have flesh and bones as you see that I have." ⁴⁰And when He had said this, He showed them His hands and His feet. ⁴¹While they still could not believe it because of their joy and amazement, He said to them, "Have you anything here to eat?" ⁴²They gave Him a piece of a broiled fish; ⁴³and He took it and ate it before them.

24:36 Some ancient Greek manuscripts (P⁷⁵, א, A, B, K, L, and many later ones) add "Peace to you" (cf. John 20:19,26). The UBS⁴ rates its inclusion as "B" (almost certain). It is omitted in MS D and some Old Latin MSS. This is a typical Hebrew greeting (cf. Luke 10:5). In many ways the Gospels of John and Luke share similar accounts of the Passion and its aftermath

24:37 "they were startled and frightened" These disciples had heard Jesus predict His suffering and death several times, but somehow they did not take it seriously. Now they were surprised by His resurrection.

▣ "and thought they were seeing a spirit" In the Matthew (14:26) and Mark (6:49) parallels the word phantasma, from which we get the English word "phantom," is used. Luke is using the term pneuma in a specialized sense (cf. 1 Pet. 3:19). When he records Jesus' words in Luke 23:46 he uses the term in the more normal sense of a personal aspect, which is not dependant on a physical form (cf. Luke 24:39). See Special Topic: Spirit (pneuma) in the NT at Luke 23:46.

24:38 This is a mild reprimand in the form of two rhetorical questions. Doubts and fears are common to humanity, especially in the presence of the spiritual realm. However, they can become stepping stones to great faith and assurance.

The first question is a periphrastic perfect passive, the second a present active indicative. The verbal forms in this context are difficult to translate because they deal with a past event described in dialogue.

1. the two on the road to Emmaus

2. the two and Jesus

3. the two and those in the upper room.

 

24:39 "See My hands and My feet" In the other Gospels this occurs in the Upper Room in Jerusalem, but in John the eating of fish occurs in Galilee. Jesus wanted to assure them of His bodily resurrection. He retained the marks of crucifixion because they are His badge of honor. Psalm 22:16 and here are the only texts which mention His feet being pierced. John 20:27 mentions only His hands and side.

▣ "that it is I Myself" This is a very emphatic statement—ego (I), eimi (I Am), autos (Myself).

▣ "touch Me" This is an aorist active imperative (as is "and see"). The early church used verses 39-43 to refute Gnosticism, which was a depreciation of the physical realm (cf. 1 John 1:1-3). See Special Topic on Gnosticism at Luke 2:40.

24:40 This is another of the disputed shorter readings found in MSS D and some Old Latin manuscripts but present in the vast majority of older uncial manuscripts and P⁷⁵. UBS⁴ rates its inclusion as "B" (almost certain).

24:42 "a piece of a broiled fish" Some uncial manuscripts from the eighth through eleventh centuries added a phrase about "honeycomb" (cf. NKJV). The early church incorporated both milk and honey in their celebration of the Eucharist and baptism. The UBS⁴ gives its exclusion a "B" rating (almost certain).

NASB (UPDATED) TEXT: LUKE 24:44-53
 ⁴⁴Now He said to them, "These are My words which I spoke to you while I was with you, that all things which are written about Me in the Law of Moses and the Prophets and the Psalms must be fulfilled." ⁴⁵Then He opened their minds to understand the Scriptures, ⁴⁶and He said to them, "Thus it is written, that the Christ should suffer and rise again from the dead the third day; ⁴⁷and that repentance for forgiveness of sins should be proclaimed in His name to all the nations, beginning from Jerusalem. ⁴⁸You are witnesses of these things. ⁴⁹And behold, I am sending forth the promise of My Father upon you; but you are to stay in the city until you are clothed with power from on high." ⁵⁰And He led them out as far as Bethany, and He lifted up His hands and blessed them. ⁵¹And it came about that while He was blessing them, He parted from them. ⁵²And they returned to Jerusalem with great joy, ⁵³and were continually in the temple, praising God.

24:44-49 This account is found only in Luke.

24:44 "which are written about Me" This seems to be a summary statement of Jesus' 40 day post-resurrection appearances (cf. Luke 24:25-26).

▣ "Moses. . .Prophets. . .Psalms" These represent the three divisions of the Hebrew Canon: Law, Prophets, and Writings. This context says something of the Christocentric unity of the Old Testament (see E. W. Hengstenberg, Christology of the Old Testament).

▣ "must be fulfilled" Jesus is found in the OT in symbol, type, and direct prophecy (cf. Matt. 5:17ff).

24:45 "He opened their minds" See note at Luke 24:31. Humanity cannot understand spiritual truths unaided by God. This is the task usually assigned to the Spirit (cf. John 14:16; 16:8-15), but sometime attributed to Jesus (cf. Acts 16:14).

24:46 "Thus it is written" This is a perfect passive indicative, which was a Hebrew idiom for asserting the inspiration of Scripture (cf. Luke 24:44).

▣ "the Christ would suffer" "The Christ" is the Greek translation of "the Messiah" (see Special Topic at Luke 2:11). This truth was the stumbling block for the Jews (cf. 1 Cor. 1:23; 2:2), but crucial for sacrificial redemption.

▣ "rise again from the dead" Verses 46-47 are Luke's Great Commission. The grammatical feature is the use of three aorist infinitives that describe Jesus' mission.

1. He came to suffer, Luke 24:46 (cf. Luke 24:26)

2. He came to be raised from the dead, Luke 24:46 (cf. Luke 24:7)

3. He came that repentance and forgiveness of sin should be proclaimed, Luke 24:47 (cf. Acts 5:31; 10:43; 13:38; 26:18)

See Special Topic at Luke 9:22.

▣ "the third day’" This was a predicted event (cf. Hosea 6:2; Jonah 1:17; Matt. 12:40; 16:4; 1 Cor. 15:4). It probably relates to Jonah 1:17.

24:47 This is the key purpose of Jesus' mission. It fully reflects the heart, character, and purpose of God since Genesis 3. To miss this verse is to miss the main thrust of Christianity. Believers must keep the main thing the main thing (cf. Matt. 28:18-20; Acts 1:8). All else is secondary to this task of worldwide gospel proclamation. Evangelism is not an option, but a mandate!

▣ "repentance" In Greek the term speaks of "a change of mind." In Hebrew it speaks of "a change of action." Both are involved. This is the negative aspect of salvation, as faith is the positive aspect (cf. Mark 1:15; 6:12; Matt. 4:12; 11:20; Luke 13:3,5; Acts 20:21). See Special Topic at Luke 3:3.

▣ "forgiveness of sins" This theme is highlighted in Zacharias' prophecy (cf. Luke 1:67-79). It is the meaning of Jesus' name (YHWH saves, cf. Matt. 1:21). Notice that "baptism" is not mentioned here (cf. Luke 11:4). This verse has often been called "Luke's Great Commission" (cf. Matt. 28:19-20).

▣ "in His name" Jesus' "name" is a Semitic idiom for

1. His power

2. His person

3. His authority

4. His character.

So it means both content and manner! Not only what we proclaim, but the lives of those who proclaim are crucial! See SPECIAL TOPIC: THE NAME OF THE LORD at Luke 9:48.

▣ "to all the nations" This universal element must have surprised these Jewish believers. This very thing is predicted in Matt. 28:14; 28:19; Mark 13:10. Also note Isa. 2:2-4; 51:4-5; 56:7; and see Special Topic at Luke 2:10.

24:48 Here is the Apostolic mandate (cf. John 15:27)! Luke accentuates this in Acts (cf. Acts 1:8,22; 2:32; 4:33; 5:32; 10:39,41; 13:31).

24:49 "I am sending" The Spirit proceeds from both the Father and the Son. This verse shows Jesus' authority in executing the Father's will.

▣ "the promise of My Father" This refers to the Holy Spirit (cf. John 14-16; 20:22; Acts 1:4). Every promise Jesus made to the Apostles in the Upper Room at the Last Supper was fulfilled on Resurrection Sunday!

▣ "stay in the city" These were mostly Galilean people. They would not have stayed in hostile Jerusalem otherwise (cf. Acts 1:4).

▣ "clothed with power" Here this refers to the Pentecostal coming of the Spirit. It is an Aorist middle subjunctive.

It is a common biblical metaphor for the spiritual life (cf. Job 29:14; Ps. 132:9; Isa. 59:17; 61:10; Rom. 13:14; Gal. 3:27; Eph. 4:24; Col. 3:10,12). The spiritual life is as much a gift and empowering from God as is salvation, but it must be received and implemented (i.e., conditional covenant). It is not automatic! It is God's will! He is God's gift!

NASB (UPDATED) TEXT: LUKE 24:50-53
 ⁵⁰And He led them out as far as Bethany, and He lifted up His hands and blessed them. ⁵¹While He was blessing them, He parted from them and was carried up into heaven. ⁵²And they, after worshiping Him, returned to Jerusalem with great joy, ⁵³and were continually in the temple praising God.

24:50 "Bethany" Lazarus' home was about one and one half miles from Jerusalem on the Mount of Olives which was the extension of the same ridge.

▣ "lifted up His hands" This was the normal position of Jewish prayer, but here it is probably a priestly gesture (cf. Lev. 9:22).

▣ "blessed them" The prayer is not recorded (but Jesus' high priestly prayer in John 17 is).

24:51 "was carried up into heaven" The other Gospels tell us "in a cloud," which was the transportation of deity (cf. Dan. 7:13).

This phrase is omitted in MSS א^*, D, and some Old Latin and Syrian versions. However, the phrase which mentions the ascension is referred to in Acts 1:2. It is present in P⁷⁵, אi², A, B, D, K, L, W, and X. The UBS⁴ ranks its inclusion as "B" (almost certain).

Jesus' ascension is His return to pre-existent glory (cf. John 17:5). He is honored for His accomplished task. See Millard Erickson, Christian Theology, 2^nd ed., pp. 796-797. See SPECIAL TOPIC: THE ASCENSION at Luke 9:51.

24:52 "after worshiping Him" This is another phrase present in all of the ancient Greek texts except D and some Old Latin manuscripts. This chapter has the largest number of these so-called "Western non-interpolations" by Westcott and Hort (Luke 24:24:3,6,9,12,36,40,52,53). These textual critics believed that the Alexandrian family of Greek manuscripts (i.e., MSS P^46,66,72,75, א, B, A, C, Q, T, 0220) was closer to the original than the other families of manuscripts except in twenty-seven shorter readings found in the Western family (i.e., MSS P^37,38,48,69, 0171, O).

▣ "with great joy" Luke's Gospel emphasizes "joy" (cf. Luke 1:14; 2:10; 8:13; 10:17; 15:7,10; 24:41,52). This is so different from their reaction in Luke 24:37-38.

24:53 "in the temple" These were still Jewish people. Their meeting place was not place large enough to accommodate the believing disciples.

The liturgical "Amen" is added by MSS A, B, C², but is not present in MSS P⁷⁵, א, C^*, D, L, W. The UBS⁴ gives its exclusion an "A" rating (certain).

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS

This is a study guide commentary, which means that you are responsible for your own interpretation of the Bible. Each of us must walk in the light we have. You, the Bible, and the Holy Spirit are priority in interpretation. You must not relinquish this to a commentator.

These discussion questions are provided to help you think through the major issues of this section of the book. They are meant to be thought-provoking, not definitive.

1. Why did Jesus appear to His followers so often after His resurrection?

2. Were the disciples expecting a resurrection?

3. Why did they not recognize Jesus immediately? Will we recognize one another?

4. Why did Jesus offer so many proofs to them of His physical body's reality?

5. Why are there differing accounts of the resurrection in an inspired Bible?

6. Why did Jesus appear to them for forty days?

7. Are angels still active in our world today?

 

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