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Names, People and Places, Dictionary Themes and Topics
collapse allCommentary -- Word/Phrase Notes (per phrase)
Robertson -> Luk 22:34
Robertson: Luk 22:34 - -- Until thou shalt thrice deny that thou knowest me ( heōs tris me aparnēsēi eidenai ).
"Thrice"is in all four Gospels here for they all give thi...
Wesley -> Luk 22:34
Wesley: Luk 22:34 - -- The common time of cock crowing (which is usually about three in the morning) probably did not come till after the cock which Peter heard had crowed t...
The common time of cock crowing (which is usually about three in the morning) probably did not come till after the cock which Peter heard had crowed twice, if not oftener.
(See on Luk 10:41).
JFB: Luk 22:31-34 - -- Rather, "hath obtained you," properly "asked and obtained"; alluding to Job (Job 1:6-12; Job 2:1-6), whom he solicited and obtained that he might sift...
Rather, "hath obtained you," properly "asked and obtained"; alluding to Job (Job 1:6-12; Job 2:1-6), whom he solicited and obtained that he might sift him as wheat, insinuating as "the accuser of the brethren" (Rev 12:10), that he would find chaff enough in his religion, if indeed there was any wheat at all.
Clarke -> Luk 22:34
Clarke: Luk 22:34 - -- The cock shall not crow this day - Mat 26:34, and Mar 14:30, say, this night; both expressions are right, because the Jewish day, of twenty-four hou...
The cock shall not crow this day - Mat 26:34, and Mar 14:30, say, this night; both expressions are right, because the Jewish day, of twenty-four hours, began with the evening, and ended at the evening of the following day. On Peter’ s denial, see the notes on Mat 26:31-35 (note).
TSK -> Luk 22:34
collapse allCommentary -- Word/Phrase Notes (per Verse)
Barnes -> Luk 22:33-34
See the notes at Mat 26:33-35.
Poole -> Luk 22:33-34
Poole: Luk 22:33-34 - -- Ver. 33,34. This is more largely recorded by Mat 26:33-35 , and by Mar 14:27-30 .
Ver. 33,34. This is more largely recorded by Mat 26:33-35 , and by Mar 14:27-30 .
Gill -> Luk 22:34
Gill: Luk 22:34 - -- And he said,.... "To him", as all the Oriental versions add; to Peter, as what is said shows; that is, Jesus said to him, as the Syriac and Persic ver...
And he said,.... "To him", as all the Oriental versions add; to Peter, as what is said shows; that is, Jesus said to him, as the Syriac and Persic versions express:
I tell thee, Peter; who knew him, and his heart, better than he did himself, as well as knew what was to come, and what would befall him; and therefore declares it, as he does with the greatest assurance and certainty, and which might be depended on, and accordingly came to pass:
the cock shall not crow this day; in this night, as in Mar 14:30 or this night, as in Mat 26:34 for it was now night; a natural day includes both night and day; a like way of speaking, see in Luk 2:8
before that thou shalt thrice deny that thou knowest me; as he did, Luk 22:57. See Gill on Mat 26:34.
expand allCommentary -- Verse Notes / Footnotes
NET Notes: Luk 22:34 Once again, Jesus is quite aware that Peter will deny him. Peter, however, is too nonchalant about the possibility of stumbling.
1 tn Grk “he said”; the referent (Jesus) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
2 sn That is, Peter’s denials will happen before the sun rises.
3 sn Once again, Jesus is quite aware that Peter will deny him. Peter, however, is too nonchalant about the possibility of stumbling.
expand allCommentary -- Verse Range Notes
TSK Synopsis -> Luk 22:1-71
TSK Synopsis: Luk 22:1-71 - --1 The Jews conspire against Christ.3 Satan prepares Judas to betray him.7 The apostles prepare the passover.19 Christ institutes his holy supper;21 co...
1 The Jews conspire against Christ.
3 Satan prepares Judas to betray him.
7 The apostles prepare the passover.
19 Christ institutes his holy supper;
21 covertly foretells of the traitor;
24 rebukes the rest of his apostles from ambition;
31 assures Peter his faith should not fail;
34 and yet he should deny him thrice.
39 He prays in the mount, and sweats blood;
47 is betrayed with a kiss;
50 he heals Malchus' ear;
54 he is thrice denied of Peter;
63 shamefully abused;
66 and confesses himself to be the Son of God.
Maclaren -> Luk 22:24-37
Maclaren: Luk 22:24-37 - --Parting Promises And Warnings
And there was also a strife among them, which of them should be accounted the greatest. 25. And He said unto them, The ...
Parting Promises And Warnings
And there was also a strife among them, which of them should be accounted the greatest. 25. And He said unto them, The kings of the Gentiles exercise lordship over them; and they that exercise authority upon them are called benefactors. 26. But ye shall not be so: but he that is greatest among you, let him be as the younger; and he that is chief, as he that doth serve. 27. For whether is greater, he that sitteth at meat, or he that serveth? is not he that sitteth at meat? but I am among you as He that serveth. 28. Ye are they which have continued with Me in My temptations. 29. And I appoint unto you a kingdom, as My Father hath appointed unto Me; 30. That ye may eat and drink at My table in My kingdom and sit on thrones judging the twelve tribes of Israel. 31. And the Lord said, Simon, Simon, behold, Satan hath desired to have you, that he may sift you as wheat: 32. But I have prayed for thee, that thy faith fail not: and when thou art converted, strengthen thy brethren. 33. And he said unto Him, Lord, I am ready to go with Thee, both into prison, and to death. 34. And He said, I tell thee, Peter, the cock shall not crow this day, before that thou shalt thrice deny that thou knowest Me. 35. And He said unto them, When I sent you without purse, and scrip, and shoes, lacked ye any thing? And they said, Nothing. 36. Then said He unto them. But now, he that hath a purse, let him take it, and likewise his scrip: and he that hath no sword, let him sell his garment, and buy one. 37. For I say unto you, that this that is written must yet be accomplished in Me, And He was reckoned among the transgressors: for the things concerning Me have an end.'--Luke 22:24-37.
IT was blameworthy, but only too natural, that, while Christ's heart was full of His approaching sufferings, the Apostles should be squabbling about their respective dignity. They thought that the half-under-stood predictions pointed to a brief struggle immediately preceding the establishment of the kingdom, and they wished to have their rank settled in advance. Possibly, too, they had been disputing as to whose office was the menial task of presenting the basin for foot-washing. So little did the first partakers of the Lord's Supper discern the Lord's body,' and so little did His most loving friends share His sorrows.
I. The Wrangling Among The Apostles.
Our Lord was not so absorbed in His anticipations of the near Cross as to be unobservant of the wrangling among the Apostles. Even then His heart was enough at leisure from itself to observe, to pity, and to help. So He at once turns to deal with the false ideas of greatness betrayed by the dispute. The world's notion is that the true use and exercise of superiority is to lord it over others. Tyrants are flattered by the title of benefactor, which they do not deserve, but the giving of which shows that, even in the world, some trace of the true conception lingers. It was sadly true, at that time, that power was used for selfish ends, and generally meant oppression. One Egyptian king, who bore the title Benefactor, was popularly known as Malefactor, and many another old-world monarch deserved a like name.
Jesus lays down the law for His followers as being the exact opposite of the world's notion. Dignity and pre-eminence carry obligations to serve. In His kingdom power is to be used to help others, not to glorify oneself. In other sayings of Christ's, service is declared to be the way to become great in the kingdom, but here the matter is taken up at another point, and greatness, already attained on whatever grounds, is commanded to be turned to its proper use. The way to become great is to become small, and to serve. The right use of greatness is to become a servant. That has become a familiar commonplace now, but its recognition as the law for civic and other dignity is all but entirely owing to Christianity. What conception of such a use of power has the Sultan of Turkey, or the petty tyrants of heathen lands? The worst of European rulers have to make pretence to be guided by this law; and even the Pope calls himself the servant of servants.'
It is a commonplace, but like many another axiom, universal acceptance and almost as universal neglect are its fate. Ingrained selfishness fights against it. Men admire it as a beautiful saying, and how many of us take it as our life's guide? We condemn the rulers of old who wrung wealth out of their people and neglected every duty; but what of our own use of the fraction of power we possess, or our own demeanour to our inferiors in world or church? Have all the occupants of royal thrones or presidential chairs, all peers, members of Parliament, senators, and congressmen, used their position for the public weal? Do we regard ours as a trust to be administered for others? Do we feel the weight of our crown, or are we taken up with its jewels, and proud of ourselves for it? Christ's pathetic words, giving Himself as the example of greatness that serves, are best understood as referring to His wonderful act of washing the disciples' feet. Luke does not record it, and probably did not know it, but how the words are lighted up if we bring them into connection with it!
II. Luke 22:28-30 Naturally Flow From The Preceding.
They lift a corner of the veil, and show the rewards, when the heavenly form of the kingdom has come, of the right use of eminence in its earthly form. How pathetic a glimpse into Christ's heart is given in that warm utterance of gratitude for the imperfect companionship of the Twelve! It reveals His loneliness, His yearning for a loving hand to grasp, His continual conflict with temptations to choose an easier way than that of the Cross. He has known all the pain of being alone, and feeling in vain for a sympathetic heart to lean on. He has had to resist temptation, not only in the desert at the beginning, or in Gethsemane at the end, but throughout His life. He treasures in His heart, and richly repays, even a little love dashed with much selfishness, and faithfulness broken by desertion. We do not often speak of the tempted Christ, or of the lonely Christ, or of the grateful Christ, but in these great words we see Him as being all these.
The rewards promised point onwards to the perfecting of the kingdom in the future life. We notice the profound thought that the kingdom which His servants are to inherit is conferred on them,' as My Father hath appointed unto Me,'--that is, that it is a kingdom won by suffering and service, and wielded by gentleness and for others. If we suffer, we shall also reign with Him.' The characteristics of the future royalty of Christ's servants are given in highly figurative language. A state of which we have no experience can only be revealed under forms drawn from experience; but these are only far-off approximations, and cannot be pressed.
The sacred Last Supper suggested one metaphor. It was the last on earth, but its sanctity would be renewed in heaven, and sadness and separation and the following grief would not mar the perfect, perpetual, joyful feast. What dim visions of rule and delegated authority may lie in the other promise of judging the twelve tribes of Israel, we must wait till we go to that world to understand. But this is clear, that continuing with Jesus here leads to everlasting companionship hereafter, in which all desires shall be satisfied, and we shall share in His authority and be representatives of His glory.
III. The Future Trial And Separation.
But Jesus abruptly recalls Himself and the Twelve from these remoter prospects of bliss to the nearer future of trial and separation.
The solemn warning to Peter follows with startling suddenness. Why should they be fighting about precedence when they were on the verge of the sorest trial of their constancy? And as for Peter, who had, no doubt, not been the least loud-voiced in the strife, he needed most of all to be sobered. Our narrow limits forbid our doing even partial justice to the scene with him; but we note the significant use of the old name Simon,' reminding the Apostle of his human weakness, and its repetition, giving emphasis to the address.
We note, too, the partial withdrawal of the yell which hides the spirit world from us, in the distinct declaration of the agency of a personal tempter, whose power is limited, though his malice is boundless, and who had to obtain God's permission ere he could tempt. His sieve is made to let the wheat through, and to retain the chaff. It will be hard to empty this saying of its force. Christ taught the existence and operation of Satan; but He taught, too, that He Himself was Satan's victorious antagonist and our prevailing intercessor. He is so still. He does not seek to avert conflict from us, but prays that our faith fail not, and Himself, too, fulfils the prayer by strengthening us.
Faith, then, conquers, and withstands Satan's sifting. If it holds out, we shall not fall, though all the winds howl round us. We are not passive between the two antagonists, but have to take our share in the struggle. Partial failures may be followed by recovery, and even tend to increase our power to strengthen other tempted ones, by the experience gained of our own weakness, which deepens humility and forbearance with others' faults, and by the experience of Christ's strength, which makes us able to direct them to the source of all safety.
Peter's passionate avowal of readiness to bear anything, if only he was with Christ, is the genuine utterance of a warm impulsive heart, which took too little heed of Christ's solemn warning, and fancied that the tide of present feeling would always run as strong as now. Emotion fluctuates. Steadfast devotion is chary of mortgaging the future by promises. He who knows himself is slow to say, I will,' for he knows that Oh that I may!' is fitter for his weakness. Very likely, if Peter had been offered fetters or the scaffold then and there, he would have accepted them bravely; but it was a different thing in the raw, cold morning, after an agitating night, and the Master away at the far end of the great hall. A flippant maid's tongue was enough to finish him then.
It is sometimes easier to bear a great load for Christ than a small one. Some of us could be martyrs at the stake more easily than confessors among sneering neighbours. Jesus had spared the Apostle in the former warning of his fall, but He spoke plainly at last, since the former had been ineffectual; and He addressed him by his new name of Peter, as if to heighten the sin of denial by recalling the privileges bestowed.
IV. The New Conditions On Christ's Departure.
The last park of the passage deals with the new conditions consequent on Christ's departure. The Twelve had been exempt from the care of providing for themselves while He was with them, but now they are to be launched into the world alone, like fledglings from the nest. Not that His presence is not with them or with us, but that His absence throws the task of providing for wants and guarding against dangers on themselves, as had not been the case during the blessed years of companionship. Hence the injunctions in Luke 22:36 lay down the permanent law for the Church, while Luke 22:37 assigns as its reason the speedy fulfilment of the prophecies of Messiah's sufferings.
Substantially the meaning of the whole is: I am on the point of leaving you, and, when I am gone, you must use common-sense means for provision and protection. I provided for you while I was here, without your co-operation. Remember how I did so, and trust Me to provide in future, through your co-operation.'
The life of faith does not exclude ordinary prudence and the use of appropriate means. It is more in accord with Christ's mind to have a purse to keep money in, and a wallet for food-stores, than to go out, as some good people do, saying, The Lord will provide.' Yes, He will; but it will be by blessing your common-sense and effort. As to the difficulty felt in the injunction to buy a sword, our Lord would be contradicting His whole teaching if He was here commanding the use of arms for the defence of His servants or the promotion of His kingdom. That He did not mean literal swords is plain from His answer to the Apostles, who produced the formidable armament of two.
It is enough.' A couple are plenty to fight the Roman Empire with. Yes, two too many, as was soon seen. The expression is plainly an intensely energetic metaphor, taking line with purse and scrip. The plain meaning of the whole is that we are called on to provide necessary means of provision and defence, which He will bless. The only sword permitted to His followers is the sword of the Spirit.
MHCC -> Luk 22:21-38
MHCC: Luk 22:21-38 - --How unbecoming is the worldly ambition of being the greatest, to the character of a follower of Jesus, who took upon him the form of a servant, and hu...
How unbecoming is the worldly ambition of being the greatest, to the character of a follower of Jesus, who took upon him the form of a servant, and humbled himself to the death of the cross! In the way to eternal happiness, we must expect to be assaulted and sifted by Satan. If he cannot destroy, he will try to disgrace or distress us. Nothing more certainly forebodes a fall, in a professed follower of Christ, than self-confidence, with disregard to warnings, and contempt of danger. Unless we watch and pray always, we may be drawn in the course of the day into those sins which we were in the morning most resolved against. If believers were left to themselves, they would fall; but they are kept by the power of God, and the prayer of Christ. Our Lord gave notice of a very great change of circumstances now approaching. The disciples must not expect that their friends would be kind to them as they had been. Therefore, he that has a purse, let him take it, for he may need it. They must now expect that their enemies would be more fierce than they had been, and they would need weapons. At the time the apostles understood Christ to mean real weapons, but he spake only of the weapons of the spiritual warfare. The sword of the Spirit is the sword with which the disciples of Christ must furnish themselves.
Matthew Henry -> Luk 22:21-38
Matthew Henry: Luk 22:21-38 - -- We have here Christ's discourse with his disciples after supper, much of which is new here; and in St. John's gospel we shall find other additions. ...
We have here Christ's discourse with his disciples after supper, much of which is new here; and in St. John's gospel we shall find other additions. We should take example from him to entertain and edify our family and friends with such discourse at table as is good and to the use of edifying, which may minister grace to the hearers; but especially after we have been at the Lord's table, by Christian conference to keep one another in a suitable frame. The matters Christ here discoursed of were of weight, and to the present purpose.
I. He discoursed with them concerning him that should betray him, who was now present. 1. He signifies to them that the traitor was now among them, and one of them, Luk 22:21. By placing this after the institution of the Lord's supper, though in Matthew and Mark it is placed before it, it seems plain that Judas did receive the Lord's supper, did eat of that bread and drink of that cup; for, after the solemnity was over, Christ said, Behold, the hand of him that betrayeth me is with me on the table. There have been those that have eaten bread with Christ and yet have betrayed him. 2. He foretels that the treason would take effect (Luk 22:22): Truly the Son of man goes as it was determined, goes to the place where he will be betrayed; for he is delivered up by the counsel and foreknowledge of God, else Judas could not have delivered him up. Christ was not driven to his sufferings, but cheerfully went to them. He said, Lo, I come. 3. He threatens the traitor: Woe to that man by whom he is betrayed. Note, Neither the patience of the saints under their sufferings, nor the counsel of God concerning their sufferings, will be any excuse for those that have any hand in their sufferings, or that persecute them. Though God has determined that Christ shall be betrayed and he himself has cheerfully submitted to it, yet Judas's sin or punishment is not at all the less. 4. He frightens the rest of the disciples into a suspicion of themselves, by saying that it was one of them, and not naming which (Luk 22:23): They began to enquire among themselves, to interrogate themselves, to put the question to themselves, who it was that should do this thing, that could be so base to so good a Master. The enquiry was not, Is it you? or, Is it such a one? but, Is it I?
II. Concerning the strife that was among them for precedency or supremacy.
1. See what the dispute was: Which of them should be accounted the greatest. Such and so many contests among the disciples for dignity and dominion, before the Spirit was poured upon them, were a sad presage of the like strifes for, and affections of, supremacy in the churches, after the Spirit should be provoked to depart from them. How inconsistent is this with that in the verse before! There they were enquiring which would be the traitor, and here which should be the prince. Could such an instance of humility, and such an instance of pride and vanity, be found in the same men, so near together? This is like sweet waters and bitter proceeding at the same time out of the same fountain. What a self-contradiction is the deceitful heart of man!
2. See what Christ said to this dispute. He was not sharp upon them, as might have been expected (he having so often reproved them for this very thing), but mildly showed them the sin and folly of it.
(1.) This was to make themselves like the kings of the Gentiles, who affect worldly pomp, and worldly power, Luk 22:25. They exercise lordship over their subjects, and are ever and anon striving to exercise lordship too over the princes that are about them, though as good as themselves, if they think them not so strong as themselves. Note, The exercising of lordship better becomes the kings of the Gentiles than the ministers of Christ. But observe, They that exercise authority, and take upon themselves to bear sway, and give law, they are called Benefactors -
(2.) It was to make themselves unlike the disciples of Christ, and unlike Christ himself: " You shall not be so, "Luk 22:26, Luk 22:27. "It was never intended that you should rule any otherwise than by the power of truth and grace, but that you should serve. "When church-rulers affect external pomp and power, and bear up themselves by secular interests and influences, they debase their office, and it is an instance of degeneracy like that of Israel when they would have a king like the nations that were round about them, whereas the Lord was their King. See here, [1.] What is the rule Christ gave to his disciples: He that is greater among you, that is senior, to whom precedency is due upon the account of his age, let him be as the younger, both in point of lowness of place (let him condescend to sit with the younger, and be free and familiar with them) and in point of labour and work. We say, Juniores ad labores, seniores ad honores - Let the young work, and the aged receive their honours. But let the elder take pains as well as the younger; their age and honour, instead of warranting them to take their ease, bind them to double work. And he that is chief,
(3.) They ought not to strive for worldly honour and grandeur, because he had better honours in reserve for them, of another nature, a kingdom, a feast, a throne, for each of them, wherein they should all share alike, and should have no occasion to strive for precedency, Luk 22:28-30. Where observe,
[1.] Christ's commendation of his disciples for their faithfulness to him; and this was honour enough for them, they needed not to strive for any greater. It is spoken with an air of encomium and applause: " You are they who have continued with me in my temptations, you are they who have stood by me and stuck to me when others have deserted me and turned their backs upon me."Christ had his temptations; he was despised and rejected of men, reproached and reviled, and endured the contradiction of sinners. But his disciples continued with him, and were afflicted in all his afflictions. It was but little help that they could give him, or service that they could do him; nevertheless, he took it kindly that they continued with him, and he here owns their kindness, though it was by the assistance of his own grace that they did continue. Christ's disciples had been very defective in their duty. We find them guilty of many mistakes and weaknesses: they were very dull and very forgetful, and often blundered, yet their Master passes all by and forgets it; he does not upbraid them with their infirmities, but gives them this memorable testimonial, You are they who have continued with me. Thus does he praise at parting, to show how willing he is to make the best of those whose hearts he knows to be upright with him.
[2.] The recompence he designed them for their fidelity: I appoint,
III. Concerning Peter's denying him. And in this part of the discourse we may observe,
1. The general notice Christ gives to Peter of the devil's design upon him and the rest of the apostles (Luk 22:31): The Lord said, Simon, Simon, observe what I say; Satan hath desired to have you, to have you all in his hands, that he may sift you as wheat. Peter, who used to be the mouth of the rest in speaking to Christ, is here made the ear of the rest; and what is designed for warning to them all ( all you shall be offended, because of me ) is directed to Peter, because he was principally concerned, being in particular manner struck at by the tempter: Satan has desired to have you. Probably Satan had accused the disciples to God as mercenary in following Christ, and aiming at nothing else therein but enriching and advancing themselves in this world, as he accused Job. "No,"saith God, "they are honest men, and men of integrity.""Give me leave to try them,"saith Satan, "and Peter particularly."He desired to have them, that he might sift them, that he might show them to be chaff, and not wheat. The troubles that were now coming upon them were sifting, would try what there was in them: but this was not all; Satan desired to sift them by his temptations, and endeavoured by those troubles to draw them into sin, to put them into a loss and hurry, as corn when it is sifted to bring the chaff uppermost, or rather to shake out the wheat and leave nothing but the chaff. Observe, Satan could not sift them unless God gave him leave: He desired to have them, as he begged of God a permission to try and tempt Job.
2. The particular encouragement he gave to Peter, in reference to this trial: " I have prayed for thee, because, though he desires to have them all, he is permitted to make his strongest onset upon thee only: thou wilt be most violently assaulted, but I have prayed for thee, that thy faith fail not, that it may not totally and finally fail."Note, (1.) If faith be kept up in an hour of temptation, though we may fall, yet we shall not be utterly cast down. Faith will quench Satan's fiery darts. (2.) Though there may be many failings in the faith of true believers, yet there shall not be a total and final failure of their faith. It is their seed, their root, remaining in them. (3.) It is owing to the mediation and intercession of Jesus Christ that the faith of his disciples, though sometimes sadly shaken, yet is not sunk. If they were left to themselves, they would fail; but they are kept by the power of God and the prayer of Christ. The intercession of Christ is not only general, for all that believe, but for particular believers (I have prayed for thee ), which is an encouragement for us to pray for ourselves, and an engagement upon us to pray for others too.
3. The charge he gives to Peter to help others as he should himself be helped of God: " When thou art converted, strengthen thy brethren; when thou art recovered by the grace of God, and brought to repentance, do what thou canst to recover others; when thou hast found they faith kept from failing, labour to confirm the faith of others, and to establish them; when thou hast found mercy with God thyself, encourage others to hope that they also shall find mercy."Note, (1.) Those that have fallen into sin must be converted from it; those that have turned aside must return; those that have left their first love must do their first works. (2.) Those that through grace are converted from sin must do what they can to strengthen their brethren that stand, and to prevent their falling; see Psa 51:11-13; 1Ti 1:13.
4. Peter's declared resolution to cleave to Christ, whatever it cost him (Luk 22:33): Lord, I am ready to go with thee, both into prison and to death. This was a great word, and yet I believe no more than he meant at this time, and thought he should make good too. Judas never protested thus against denying Christ, though often warned of it; for his heart was as fully set in him to the evil as Peter's was against it. Note, All the true disciples of Christ sincerely desire and design to follow him, whithersoever he goes, and whithersoever he leads them, though into a prison, though out of the world.
5. Christ's express prediction of his denying him thrice (Luk 22:34): " I tell thee, Peter (thou dost not know thine own heart, but must be left to thyself a little, that thou mayest know it, and mayest never trust to it again), the cock shall not crow this day before thou even deny that thou knowest me. "Note, Christ knows us better than we know ourselves, and knows the evil that is in us, and will be done by us, which we ourselves do not suspect. It is well for us that Christ knows where we are weak better than we do, and therefore where to come in with grace sufficient; that he knows how far a temptation will prevail, and therefore when to say, Hitherto shall it come, and no further.
IV. Concerning the condition of all the disciples.
1. He appeals to them concerning what had been, Luk 22:35. He had owned that they had been faithful servants to him, Luk 22:28. Now he expects, at parting, that they should acknowledge that he had been a kind and careful Master to them ever since they left all to follow him: When I sent you without purse, lacked you any thing? (1.) He owns that he had sent them out in a very poor and bare condition, barefoot, and with no money in their purses, because they were not to go far, nor be out long; and he would thus teach them to depend upon the providence of God, and, under that, upon the kindness of their friends. If God thus send us out into the world, let us remember that better than we have thus begun low. (2.) Yet ye will have them own that, notwithstanding this, they had lacked nothing; they then lived as plentifully and comfortably as ever; and they readily acknowledged it: " Nothing, Lord; I have all, and abound."Note, [1.] It is good for us often to review the providences of God that have been concerning us all our days, and to observe how we have got through the straits and difficulties we have met with. [2.] Christ is a good Master, and his service a good service; for though his servants may sometimes be brought low, yet he will help them; and though he try them, yet will he not leave them. Jehovah-jireh. [3.] We must reckon ourselves well done by, and must not complain, but be thankful, if we have had the necessary supports of life, though we have had neither dainties nor superfluities, though we have lived from hand to mouth, and lived upon the kindness of our friends. The disciples lived upon contribution, and yet did not complain that their maintenance was precarious, but owned, to their Master's honour, that it was sufficient; they had wanted nothing.
2. He gives them notice of a very great change of their circumstances now approaching. For, (1.) He that was their Master was now entering upon his sufferings, which he had often foretold (Luk 22:37): "Now that which is written must be fulfilled in me, and this among the rest, He was numbered among the transgressors - he must suffer and die as a malefactor, and in company with some of the vilest of malefactors. This is that which is yet to be accomplished, after all the rest, and then the things concerning me, the things written concerning me, will have an end; then I shall say, It is finished. "Note, It may be the comfort of suffering Christians, as it was of a suffering Christ, that their sufferings were foretold, and determined in the counsels of heaven, and will shortly determine in the joys of heaven. They were written concerning them, and they will have an end, and will end well, everlastingly well. (2.) They must therefore expect troubles, and must not think now to have such an easy and comfortable life as they had had; no, the scene will alter. They must now in some degree suffer with their Master; and, when he is gone, they must expect to suffer like him. The servant is not better than his Lord. [1.] They must not now expect that their friends would be so kind and generous to them as they had been; and therefore, He that has a purse, let him take it, for he may have occasion for it, and for all the good husbandry he can use. [2.] They must now expect that their enemies would be more fierce upon them than they had been, and they would need magazines as well as stores: He that has no sword wherewith to defend himself against robbers and assassins (2Co 11:26) will find a great want of it, and will be ready to wish, some time or other, that he had sold his garment and bought one. This is intended only to show that the times would be very perilous, so that no man would think himself safe if he had not a sword by his side. But the sword of the Spirit is the sword which the disciples of Christ must furnish themselves with. Christ having suffered for us, we must arm ourselves with the same mind (1Pe 4:1), arm ourselves with an expectation of trouble, that it may not be a surprise to us, and with a holy resignation to the will of God in it, that there may be no opposition in us to it: and then we are better prepared than if we had sold a coat to buy a sword. The disciples hereupon enquire what strength they had, and find they had among them two swords (Luk 22:38), of which one was Peter's. The Galileans generally travelled with swords. Christ wore none himself, but he was not against his disciples' wearing them. But he intimates how little he would have them depend upon this when he saith, It is enough, which some think is spoken ironically: "Two swords among twelve men! you are bravely armed indeed when our enemies are now coming out against us in great multitudes, and every one with a sword!"Yet two swords are sufficient for those who need none, having God himself to be the shield of their help and the sword of their excellency, Deu 33:29.
Barclay -> Luk 22:31-38
Barclay: Luk 22:31-38 - --We take the story of the tragedy of Peter all in one piece. Peter was a strange paradoxical mixture.
(i) Even in spite of his denial he was fundament...
We take the story of the tragedy of Peter all in one piece. Peter was a strange paradoxical mixture.
(i) Even in spite of his denial he was fundamentally loyal. H. G. Wells once said, "A man may be a bad musician, and yet be passionately in love with music." No matter what Peter did, however terrible his failure, he was nonetheless passionately devoted to Jesus. There is hope for the man who even when he is sinning is still haunted by goodness.
(ii) Peter was well warned. Jesus warned him both directly and indirectly. Luk 22:33-38with their talk of swords is a strange passage. But what they mean is this--Jesus was saying, "All the time so far you have had me with you. In a very short time you are going to be cast upon your own resources. What are you going to do about it? The danger in a very short time is not that you will possess nothing; but that you will have to fight for your very existence." This was not an incitement to armed force. It was simply a vivid eastern way of telling the disciples that their very lives were at stake. No one could say that the seriousness and danger of the situation, and his own liability to collapse were not presented to Peter.
(iii) Peter was over-confident. If a man says, "That is one thing I will never do," that is often the very thing against which he must most carefully guard. Again and again castles have been captured because the attackers took the route which seemed unattackable and unscalable and at that very spot the defenders were off their guard. Satan is subtle. He attacks the point at which a man is too sure of himself, for there he is likeliest to be unprepared.
(iv) In all fairness it is to be noted that Peter was one of the two disciples (Joh 18:15) who had the courage to follow Jesus into the courtyard of the High Priest's house at all. Peter fell to a temptation which could only have come to a brave man. The man of courage always runs more risks than the man who seeks a placid safety. Liability to temptation is the price that a man pays when he is adventurous in mind and in action. It may well be that it is better to fail in a gallant enterprise than to run away and not even to attempt it.
(v) Jesus did not speak to Peter in anger but looked at him in sorrow. Peter could have stood it if Jesus had turned and reviled him; but that voiceless, grief-laden look went to his heart like a sword and opened a fountain of tears.
I think I'd sooner frizzle up,
I' the flames of a burnin' 'ell,
Than stand and look into 'is face,
And 'ear 'is voice say--"Well?"
The penalty of sin is to face, not the anger of Jesus, but the heartbreak in his eyes.
(vi) Jesus said a very lovely thing to Peter. "When you have turned," he said, "strengthen your brothers." It is as if Jesus said to Peter, "You will deny me; and you will weep bitter tears; but the result will be that you will be better able to help your brothers who are going through it." We cannot really help a man until we have been in the same furnace of affliction or the same abyss of shame as he has been. It was said of Jesus, "He can help others who are going through it because he has been through it himself." (Heb 2:18.) To experience the shame of failure and disloyalty is not all loss, because it gives us a sympathy and an understanding that otherwise we would never have won.
Constable: Luk 22:1--Joh 1:1 - --VII. Jesus' passion, resurrection, and ascension 22:1--24:53
Luke's unique rendition of the death, burial, and r...
VII. Jesus' passion, resurrection, and ascension 22:1--24:53
Luke's unique rendition of the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus has several important characteristics. It contains more of Jesus' farewell comments to the disciples at the Last Supper compared with the other synoptic accounts. It also clarifies some of the events surrounding Jesus' trials. It provides additional details of the crucifixion, and it includes other of Jesus' post-resurrection appearances. Generally Luke pictured Jesus as a righteous man suffering unjustly though pursuing the path that His Father, the Old Testament prophets, and He had foreordained and foretold. Though this is the concluding section of this Gospel, Luke left an ending to which he could later attach the Book of Acts smoothly.
Constable: Luk 22:14-38 - --C. Events in the upper room 22:14-38
Luke included more information about what Jesus said and did on thi...
C. Events in the upper room 22:14-38
Luke included more information about what Jesus said and did on this occasion than Matthew or Mark did. John's account is the fullest of all (John 13-17).
Constable: Luk 22:31-34 - --5. Jesus' announcement of Peter's denial 22:31-34 (cf. Matt. 26:31-35; Mark 14:27-31; John 13:36-38)
Luke placed this event next probably because of i...
5. Jesus' announcement of Peter's denial 22:31-34 (cf. Matt. 26:31-35; Mark 14:27-31; John 13:36-38)
Luke placed this event next probably because of its logical connection with Jesus' preceding comment about the disciples remaining faithful to Him during His past trials. That would not continue. However, he did not record Jesus' announcement that all the disciples would desert Him (Matt. 26:31; Mark 14:27). Perhaps he did not do so because it presents a negative picture of disciples generally. They all proved unfaithful, but only temporarily. Luke wanted to encourage his disciple readers, not discourage them.
22:31 Jesus apparently put Peter's testing, which Jesus knew was coming in view of His own arrest and trials, in a cosmic setting because Satan was ultimately responsible. Jesus viewed what would happen to Peter similarly to what had happened to Job (Job 1:6-7). Sifting as wheat pictures Satan's attempt to separate Peter's faithfulness to Jesus from him. The Greek word translated "you" (hymas) is in the plural indicating that Simon was not the only disciple whom Satan desired to sift. Probably Jesus used the name "Simon," Peter's given Jewish name, because it pictured Peter in his natural state, not as Peter the rock. He probably repeated it in pathos anticipating the sad consequence of Satan's testing.
22:32 Jesus had already counterattacked Satan by praying to God for Peter (singular "you," sou) and presumably for all the other disciples (cf. Rom. 8:34; Heb. 7:25). Jesus described Peter's faith as being stretched to its limit. He was confident that Peter would survive this attack with God's help. His confidence indicates the superior power of Jesus over Satan in spiritual warfare. When he did turn back (Gr. epistrepho) to Jesus, Peter would need to help his brother disciples whose faith Jesus' betrayal, arrest, trials, crucifixion, death, and burial would challenge (cf. John 21:15-17; 1 Thess. 3:2, 13; 1 Pet. 5:10; et al.). Jesus implied that Peter would turn away from Him temporarily. When Peter objected to this assumption, which he considered insulting (v. 33), Jesus said frankly that Peter would deny Him (v. 34). Evidently Jesus singled Peter out from the other disciples, all of whom needed God's help in withstanding temptation, because of his leading role. He would be able to help the other disciples recover (cf. Acts 1:15; et al.).
Peter had a responsibility even though Jesus prayed for him. Prayer and action are not mutually contradictory but complimentary.
22:33-34 Peter's commitment to Jesus was admirable. Luke alone recorded that Peter promised to die with Jesus, and he made no reference to the other disciples. Nonetheless, Peter overestimated his own ability to remain faithful when persecuted. Luke is also the only evangelist who mentioned that Jesus told Peter that he would deny that he even knew Jesus. "Rocky" would hardly behave as a rock. His overconfidence should be a warning to every disciple.
College -> Luk 22:1-71
College: Luk 22:1-71 - --LUKE 22
VII. JESUS' SUFFERING AND DEATH
(22:1-23:56)
A. JUDAS AGREES TO BETRAY JESUS (22:1-6)
1 Now the Feast of Unleavened Bread, called the Pass...
VII. JESUS' SUFFERING AND DEATH
A. JUDAS AGREES TO BETRAY JESUS (22:1-6)
1 Now the Feast of Unleavened Bread, called the Passover, was approaching, 2 and the chief priests and the teachers of the law were looking for some way to get rid of Jesus, for they were afraid of the people. 3 Then Satan entered Judas, called Iscariot, one of the Twelve. 4 And Judas went to the chief priests and the officers of the temple guard and discussed with them how he might betray Jesus. 5 They were delighted and agreed to give him money. 6 He consented, and watched for an opportunity to hand Jesus over to them when no crowd was present.
This passage begins what scholars call the " passion narrative," that is, the account of Jesus' suffering (passion) and death. There is greater similarity among the four evangelists here than anywhere else in the Gospels. Each tells of a last meal of Jesus with his disciples, the betrayal by Judas, the arrest, the hearing before the high priest, the trial before Pilate, the crucifixion, and the resurrection. However, each has included and emphasized certain details in the story. We will note several features of the story which are distinctive to Luke in comparison with the other Gospels.
The first episode sets the stage for all that is to follow. The time is Passover. The chief priests and the teachers of the Law want to kill Jesus. Since they do not want to stir up the people, they agree to pay Judas to lead them to Jesus when he is away from the crowds. This episode also reminds the reader that Jesus was not killed because of the people. The greatest blame lies with the Jewish authorities.
1. The Feast of Unleavened Bread was a week-long celebration during the month of Nisan (usually in March), during which the Passover meal was celebrated. The Passover meal will be discussed below (on 22:7-23), but it should be noted at this point that Luke emphasizes the time of year. Jesus has carefully planned to arrive in Jerusalem at this time. He will carefully plan so that he can eat the Passover meal with his disciples and thereby explain his coming death to them.
2. The chief priests and the teachers of the law have already appeared in 19:47 and 20:19 and will be seen again throughout the trial scene. They were looking for some way to get rid of Jesus without the knowledge of the crowds. They were afraid that it would cause an uprising for them to arrest Jesus while he was teaching in the temple. With the throngs of people in Jerusalem for this greatest of yearly Jewish feasts, they did not know where Jesus was staying in the evenings. It is quite likely that Jesus was intentionally " hiding out," so that he would not be arrested until after he ate the Passover meal with his disciples. This will be implied by the next episode.
3-6. The forces of Satan have not been absent throughout the ministry of Jesus - his demonic agents have been busy (11:18; 13:16). However, at the end of the temptation scene in 4:13 Satan left Jesus " until an opportune time." This is most likely the time Luke had in mind. He does his work by entering Judas , although Judas is not thereby absolved of guilt (see Acts 1:16-20). Judas goes to the chief priests and the officers of the temple guard . The latter group are the Jewish " police" who are allowed by the Romans to enforce the Jewish law and to keep peace in the temple area. Since Judas knew where Jesus went in the evenings, they devised a plan for Judas to betray Jesus. Nothing is said directly about Judas' motive for betraying Jesus, other than that he agreed to do it for money (see also Acts 1:18). He is, of course, neither the first nor the last in Luke-Acts to be destroyed by love of money (see Acts 5:1-11). Judas is made to look even worse by Luke's comment that he considered his action over a period of time: " He watched for an opportunity ." None of the Gospel writers offers any viewpoint which would lead to the sympathy one occasionally hears for this wicked man.
B. THE LAST SUPPER (22:7-38)
7 Then came the day of Unleavened Bread on which the Passover lamb had to be sacrificed. 8 Jesus sent Peter and John, saying, " Go and make preparations for us to eat the Passover."
9" Where do you want us to prepare for it?" they asked.
10 He replied, " As you enter the city, a man carrying a jar of water will meet you. Follow him to the house that he enters, 11 and say to the owner of the house, 'The Teacher asks: Where is the guest room, where I may eat the Passover with my disciples?' 12 He will show you a large upper room, all furnished. Make preparations there."
13 They left and found things just as Jesus had told them. So they prepared the Passover.
14 When the hour came, Jesus and his apostles reclined at the table. 15 And he said to them, " I have eagerly desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer. 16 For I tell you, I will not eat it again until it finds fulfillment in the kingdom of God."
17 After taking the cup, he gave thanks and said, " Take this and divide it among you. 18 For I tell you I will not drink again of the fruit of the vine until the kingdom of God comes."
19 And he took bread, gave thanks and broke it, and gave it to them, saying, " This is my body given for you; do this in remembrance of me."
20 In the same way, after the supper he took the cup, saying, " This cup is the new covenant in my blood, which is poured out for you. 21 But the hand of him who is going to betray me is with mine on the table. 22 The Son of Man will go as it has been decreed, but woe to that man who betrays him." 23 They began to question among themselves which of them it might be who would do this.
24 Also a dispute arose among them as to which of them was considered to be greatest. 25 Jesus said to them, " The kings of the Gentiles lord it over them; and those who exercise authority over them call themselves Benefactors. 26 But you are not to be like that. Instead, the greatest among you should be like the youngest, and the one who rules like the one who serves. 27 For who is greater, the one who is at the table or the one who serves? Is it not the one who is at the table? But I am among you as one who serves. 28 You are those who have stood by me in my trials. 29 And I confer on you a kingdom, just as my Father conferred one on me, 30 so that you may eat and drink at my table in my kingdom and sit on thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel.
31" Simon, Simon, Satan has asked to sift you a as wheat. 32 But I have prayed for you, Simon, that your faith may not fail. And when you have turned back, strengthen your brothers."
33 But he replied, " Lord, I am ready to go with you to prison and to death."
34 Jesus answered, " I tell you, Peter, before the rooster crows today, you will deny three times that you know me."
35 Then Jesus asked them, " When I sent you without purse, bag or sandals, did you lack anything?"
" Nothing," they answered.
36 He said to them, " But now if you have a purse, take it, and also a bag; and if you don't have a sword, sell your cloak and buy one. 37 It is written: 'And he was numbered with the transgressors' b ; and I tell you that this must be fulfilled in me. Yes, what is written about me is reaching its fulfillment."
38 The disciples said, " See, Lord, here are two swords."
" That is enough," he replied.
a 31 The Greek is plural. b 37 Isaiah 53:12
Jesus sends Peter and John to make preparations for the Passover. He probably sends them because he knows that the authorities would be looking for an opportunity to seize him while he is away from the crowds. The point of their finding a man with a water jar is that Jesus has secretly prearranged this meal so that he will not be arrested before he carries out this final important event. Peter and John prepare for the meal, and they all recline at the table. Jesus uses this meal which reminded Jews of their redemption in order to interpret his death so that his followers will later understand. He is the lamb who dies to redeem the people and create a new covenant. The bread and the wine are reinterpreted to be symbols of his death. The whole meal is also symbolic of the coming messianic banquet. Yet in the midst of this intimate meal there is one who will soon betray him. Jesus demonstrates his knowledge of the coming betrayal, indicating that what is about to happen is all part of God's plan which he has accepted.
The sayings of Jesus after the institution of the Lord's Supper focus the attention on the disciples. The picture is largely unflattering. First, Jesus predicts his coming betrayal. He next chastises the apostles because of their desires to be the greatest. After this, he predicts Peter's denial. Finally, he attempts to teach them about coming events, but they again show themselves unable to understand.
7-9. Luke adopts a common way of speaking about the day of preparation for Passover when he calls it the day of Unleavened Bread . To be technically accurate, the Passover lamb had to be sacrificed at the temple on 14 Nisan, the day before the Passover meal, since the Jewish day began at sunset. The Feast of Unleavened Bread actually began on 15 Nisan, which was also the day the Passover meal was eaten. The Passover meal had to be eaten within the city walls of Jerusalem, so Jesus sends Peter and John with instructions about how they were to make preparations for Jesus and his apostles to eat it. Jesus has prearranged to use a room in a man's house so that he will have a private place for the meal. Peter and John know nothing about these arrangements, so they ask where they are to prepare for it . It is likely that Judas also has no knowledge of the place.
10-13. Jesus has arranged for a man just inside the city gate to be carrying a jar of water so that they will recognize their contact. Perhaps in order to make sure that the authorities are unable to get information about the meal, Jesus tells Peter and John what words the owner of the house is expecting to hear. The large upper room is furnished, presumably with the low table and pillows for reclining. The two disciples find everything just as Jesus had told them , and they prepare the Passover . Preparation probably involved sacrificing and roasting the lamb and preparing the bread, herbs, wine, and other parts of the meal.
14. The proper way to celebrate the Passover meal is prescribed in Exodus 12, Numbers 9, and Deuteronomy 16. A description of how it was likely done in the first century is given in the rabbinic document Pesahim . The meal was eaten to celebrate God's deliverance of the twelve tribes from Egyptian slavery. The lamb represented the lamb which was slain to save the Israelites from the tenth plague. The unleavened bread reminded them of the haste with which the Israelites left Egypt. The bitter herbs reminded them of the bitterness of life in Egypt. The basic order of elements in the meal was similar to the following:
(1) First cup of wine with benediction
(2) Dipping of herbs in sauce
(3) Sharing of unleavened bread
(4) Second cup of wine
(5) Main meal including lamb, vegetables, and herbs
(6) Discussion about the meal and the events it recalled
(7) Singing of first part of Hallel
(8) Third cup of wine, with thanksgiving for meal
(9) Fourth cup of wine and singing of remainder of Hallel.
It is impossible to be absolutely sure when during the Passover meal Jesus reinterpreted two of its elements, but it makes little difference. However, Luke's version of the story is the only one in which there are two cups, the order being cup-bread-cup. It may be that Luke's first cup is the second cup in the Passover meal and that his second cup, that which Jesus identifies with his blood, is actually the third in the ancient Passover ritual.
What is most significant about the whole scene is the fact that Jesus reinterprets the most important sacred meal of the Jewish year, the meal which reminded the Jews of God's past greatest act of redemption which defined their self-identity. It now becomes the regular sacred meal which tells Christians who they are because of God's greatest act of redemption in history. It also anticipates the coming messianic banquet, to which the Passover meal has always looked forward.
This meal was only for Jesus and his apostles, the ones who will carry the message about Jesus throughout the world. It was required that they " recline" at the table to symbolize that they were free people and not slaves.
15-16. Jesus' statement about his " eager desire" to eat this Passover suggests the great significance of the event. It is not simply that he wanted one last meal. He wanted to be in Jerusalem at this time to eat this meal, because the meaning of his suffering ( before I suffer ) is bound up in this event. Jesus' statement about this being his last Passover meal until it finds fulfillment in the kingdom of God can be interpreted in several ways. It could look forward to his eating with the disciples after his resurrection and before his ascension (Luke 24:30-31, 41-43). However, it is difficult to determine how those meals would be any more " in the kingdom of God" than the one he is presently eating. It could be that Jesus is speaking of the celebration of the Lord's Supper in the early church, which could be described as the kingdom of God (Acts 2:42; 20:7). However, Luke nowhere stresses the presence of Jesus at the Lord's Supper, making it difficult to think that he is talking about eating that meal with the early Christians. The best view is that Jesus is once again referring to the messianic banquet in the fully established kingdom of God (when Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob and all the faithful enjoy the blessings of the kingdom, as in 13:28-29). The messianic banquet will be a fulfillment of the Passover, since it too will be a celebration of redemption and blessings brought about by God. Jesus' statement is therefore just a way of saying that he is about to be taken away from them until the final consummation at the end of the age.
17-18. Jesus takes a cup and he gives thanks , as was traditional in the Passover meal. This cup is not reinterpreted, but rather has its normal Passover significance. His instruction for them to divide it suggests that they are sharing a single cup, which would symbolize their unity. As he did when the meal began, Jesus comments again that he will not do this with them again in the near future: " I will not drink of the fruit of the vine until the kingdom of God comes." The future reference is the same as that in verse 16 - it looks forward to the messianic banquet.
19. When they begin to eat the actual meal, Jesus takes a loaf of unleavened bread and gives thanks for it. The careful reader remembers that he did the same at the feeding of the five thousand (9:16). He will do the same again in 24:30, when he breaks bread with the two disciples in Emmaus. Luke shows Jesus at prayer in all situations.
As Jesus gives the twelve the bread, his comments do not take them back to the Exodus but rather forward to the cross. The statement, " This is my body," means that the bread represents the death of Jesus on the cross. When the disciples later eat it, they will be affirming their trust in the effects of Jesus' death on the cross.
A few ancient manuscripts omit verses 19b-20. The most significant of these, Codex Bezae, is a very important and early Greek manuscript. However, it is also contains many unusual readings and cannot begin to outweigh the many early and diverse manuscripts which contain these verses.
Jesus' body is being given by God for these apostles and all who follow Jesus. There is an implied view of the effect of Jesus' death here. Jesus dies as a sacrifice on behalf of others, just as the lamb was sacrificed at the time of the tenth plague to preserve the life of the oldest son. Many have noted that Luke in this Gospel does not place much emphasis on how the cross saves. Nonetheless, Luke understood the death of Jesus to be sacrificial and vicarious, in light of this statement, the following one spoken with the cup, and in Acts 20:28, where Paul speaks of " the church of God, which he bought with his own blood."
When Jesus tells the apostles to, " Do this in remembrance of me ," he shows that he is instituting a new ritual for his followers. In fact, they surely have little understanding of any of his words at this time, since they have failed to comprehend his former predictions of his death (18:34). This statement is one of several aspects of Luke's account which are more similar to the words of institution in 1 Corinthians 11 than those in Matthew and Mark. In addition to this sentence, Luke echoes Paul in the word he chose for " giving thanks" in 22:19, in the phrase " for you" in 22:19, and in the phrase " the new covenant in my blood" in 22:20.
After they have eaten the Passover meal ( supper ), Jesus takes the cup and announces that, This cup is (represents) the new covenant in my blood . The language echoes the language of Exodus 24:8, in which the blood of the sacrificial animal seals the Mosaic covenant between God and his people. Jesus modifies the statement by speaking of the new covenant in a clear allusion to Jeremiah 31:31. The sense is therefore that Jesus is dying (rather than a sacrificial animal) in order to establish the new covenant between God and humans spoken of by Jeremiah. Jesus says that his blood is poured out for them, just as his body is given for them in verse 19. Again the language suggests a vicarious understanding of Jesus' death.
21-23. Jesus plays the role of the prophet again and demonstrates his knowledge of the treachery of Judas. Without naming him, Jesus says that the hand of the betrayer is with mine on the table . Jesus then affirms that the plan of God for the Messiah to suffer and die is being fulfilled ( as it has been decreed ), but Judas nonetheless will be held guilty for his actions ( woe to that man ). The words about Judas do not identify him, because they began to question among themselves who might do such a thing.
24-25. It seems incredible to the reader that these disciples could possibly have a dispute about which of them was considered to be greatest . Yet these men have followed the one they know to be the Messiah to Jerusalem at Passover, the time of redemption. As they consider their roles in the coming kingdom, they wonder who will get the most important positions. Jesus tells them that they are thinking of a kingdom like those of the Gentiles , in which their kings exercise great power over their subjects. Those in authority also call themselves Benefactors . The common practice was for the rich and powerful, who often became rich at the expense of the common man, to give generous gifts to their people. These would include baths and other building projects and especially relief efforts during times of disasters. However, they often ruled quite ruthlessly and demanded the gratitude of their subjects. Jesus is not praising them here.
26-27. Jesus rejects both the exercise of power over others and the attitude which accompanies it. He therefore tells them, " The greatest among you should be like the youngest." Echoing his own words from earlier episodes (9:48; 18:17), Jesus encourages them to regard themselves as those with least power, typically the youngest in the group. They are to lead from below rather than from above, since the leaders among his followers ( those who rule ) should be like the one who serves . After reminding them of the accepted fact that the one who is served at the table is greater than the one who serves , he puts himself in the category of one who serves . The teaching is that Jesus' followers must follow his example of serving rather than being served. There can be no power politics in the kingdom of God. This is not to say, however, that these men will not be leaders among Jesus' disciples. They just will not occupy those roles in order to be served.
28-29. Only Luke tells this story. Although the disciples appear in a negative light overall, Jesus (and Luke, as he writes) knows that these very men will lead this kingdom from its mustard seed beginnings to its sizable stature by the end of Acts. However dull of understanding they may be, Jesus commends them for having stood by him during his trials , while most were either rejecting or ignoring him. They had proven to be faithful, even if not always impressive. He therefore announces that they will indeed be leaders in this new kingdom , which the Father gave to him.
30. Most importantly for Luke's narrative is the fact that they will eat and drink at his table in the kingdom . Jesus has only a few verses earlier announced that he will not " eat and drink" with these men until he would do so in the kingdom of God (22:16-18). To what event and what time period is Jesus referring when he now promises them a place at his table in his kingdom? The ensuing phrase seems to refer to the period of the church, when they will sit on thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel . It seems likely that Jesus is looking ahead to the time when he will take his place at " the right hand of God," from which he will guide his kingdom through the agency of the apostles. Supporting this interpretation are the words and events from Acts 1, where the apostles choose a successor for Judas (because there must be twelve - see Acts 1:21-26) and wait on Jesus to " restore the kingdom to Israel" (1:6). (See the supplemental study on the " Kingdom of God." ) After the Israelites are gathered from every nation (2:9-11), the Spirit descends and Israel is restored. Acts 2-12 is in a real sense the story of the apostles " judging the twelve tribes of Israel." In those chapters the apostles are seen leading by serving, preaching and protecting Christian doctrine, doing wonders, and breaking bread with Jesus' followers.
31-32. Whereas Matthew and Mark record Jesus predicting that the apostles " will all fall away," Luke's account softens the criticism somewhat, focusing on the time of testing rather than the failure. Jesus tells Peter ( Simon ) that Satan has asked to sift the apostles (" you" is plural) as wheat , possibly as Satan asked to test Job (Job 1-2). More likely, Jesus only means that Satan has plans to shake their faith in the coming ordeal. Jesus speaks these words to Peter because he has emerged as the leader among the disciples. However, Jesus encourages them by telling them he has been praying for Peter to be strong. Once again, the power of prayer is emphasized. Jesus then implies that Peter will falter for a short period, after which he will turn back and strengthen the disciples. By telling this story, Luke prepares the reader for the leadership of Peter in the early chapters of Acts.
33-34. Peter is offended by the implication that he will fail in any way. He reacts by declaring that he is ready to go . . . to prison and to death . Jesus, of course, knows and predicts that Peter will deny him three times that very day (see vv. 54-62). However, Peter will fulfill his promise. The book of Acts will show him imprisoned on two occasions, and Luke's readers will soon hear (if they do not know already) that Peter does indeed die for his faith.
35-37. These verses present yet one more account found only in Luke which is a challenge for interpreters. Having spoken of the time of sifting which will soon arrive, Jesus teaches that the time will be difficult even for those who maintain their faith. He begins by reminding them of their " limited commission" in which they successfully preached and healed in Galilee and were well received (9:1-10). Even though they went without purse, bag, or sandals, they did not lack anything. That is, all their needs were supplied by those to whom they preached. Those days are now over, Jesus implies. He tells them that they will now need to take money ( purse ) and extra provisions ( bag ). He even tells them to sell one of their most important possessions, their cloak, and buy a sword if they do not already own one. The reason is that Jesus and therefore his followers are going to be viewed as criminals ( transgressors ). This must be, because it is written in Isaiah 53:12. This is the earliest clear indication that Jesus saw his role in terms of the suffering servant of Isaiah 53. The early church will utilize this text often in its preaching about a rejected and slain Messiah (for example, Acts 8:32-33).
38. The disciples take Jesus literally with reference to the swords and are able to produce two swords from among their belongings. When they show them to Jesus, he ends the conversation abruptly when he says, " That is enough." He cannot mean that two swords are enough to fight off the soldiers which their enemies will have behind them. He must mean, " That is enough of this nonsense." He did not intend to be taken literally, as verses 49-51 will demonstrate. The disciples once again show their fundamental lack of understanding.
C. JESUS PRAYS ON THE MOUNT OF OLIVES (22:39-46)
39 Jesus went out as usual to the Mount of Olives, and his disciples followed him. 40 On reaching the place, he said to them, " Pray that you will not fall into temptation." 41 He withdrew about a stone's throw beyond them, knelt down and prayed, 42" Father, if you are willing, take this cup from me; yet not my will, but yours be done." 43 An angel from heaven appeared to him and strengthened him. 44 And being in anguish, he prayed more earnestly, and his sweat was like drops of blood falling to the ground. a
45 When he rose from prayer and went back to the disciples, he found them asleep, exhausted from sorrow. 46" Why are you sleeping?" he asked them. " Get up and pray so that you will not fall into temptation."
a 44 Some early manuscripts do not have verses 43 and 44.
A new section begins here and continues through the end of chapter 23. Luke now tells the story of the suffering of Jesus, beginning with his prayer for deliverance and his arrest. This is followed by the hearings before the Sanhedrin, Pilate, and Herod; after which he is crucified and buried. The primary themes are the willingness of Jesus to carry out God's prophesied plan, the guilt of the Jewish leadership, and the effects of the crucifixion of Jesus the Messiah.
39-40. Luke's account of Jesus praying on the Mount of Olives does not mention that he took Peter, James, and John with him while he prayed, nor does it mention his rebuke of them. Luke also fails to mention that Jesus prayed three times that he might not have to die. Luke focuses attention on the disciples when he records Jesus beginning and ending his words with the admonition to pray that you will not fall into temptation (vv. 40, 46). Having warned them of the trouble which lies just ahead, Jesus instructs them how to overcome the temptation to faithlessness. They are to pray.
40-41. As he does at all important moments in his ministry (and regularly at other times), Jesus turns to God for guidance and strength. Showing his humanity, he prays that the Father will take this cup away from him. The " cup" metaphor is a common one in the Old Testament, usually for a disaster which happens because of God's judgment. Jesus continues in prayer, accepting what he knows to be God's will: " Yet not my will, but yours be done." The alert reader remembers the words of Mary in Luke 1:38: " I am the Lord's servant. May it be to me as you have said."
43-44. These two verses pose a problem for interpreters, because many think they were written by a later scribe rather than Luke. They are found in a few of the earliest and best manuscripts and witnesses. However, they are not found in the majority of the earliest manuscripts. The NRSV brackets these verses, suggesting that they are not original. The NIV takes no strong stand, leaving them in the text but stating in the footnotes that " some early manuscripts do not have verses 43 and 44." The manuscript evidence favors excluding these verses, but it is not decisive. The content of these verses has been considered to be non-Lukan by some interpreters. They note that Luke nowhere else teaches that the cross caused tremendous anguish for Jesus. For example, Luke does not have a parallel to Matthew 26:38 and Mark 14:34, in which Jesus says, " My soul is overwhelmed with sorrow to the point of death." Nor does Luke include Jesus' " cry of dereliction" on the cross (" My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?" ). Luke even records Jesus saying, " Father, into your hands I commit my spirit" (Luke 23:46). The point is not, of course, that Luke is trying to show that Jesus went joyfully to the cross. It is rather that Luke chooses to accentuate Jesus' acceptance of God's will rather than Jesus' personal grief. Given this perspective and the manuscript evidence, it seems somewhat more likely that an early copyist inserted these verses into a manuscript which became the basis of many later copies. On the other hand, the coming of an angel from heaven to strengthen him would not be strange for Luke to narrate, given the frequent appearance of ministering angels in Luke-Acts (see notes on 1:11). Similarly, the mention of anguish and sweat . . . like drops of blood is only a more graphic way of narrating what Matthew and Mark narrate. The verses could well be original. In the final analysis, it makes little difference for the interpretation of the Gospel.
45-46. The disciples had not heeded Jesus' instructions to spend their time in prayer, and so he returns to find them asleep because they are exhausted from sorrow . Again the careful reader remembers earlier words of Jesus, such as those of 21:34-37: " Be careful, or your hearts will be weighed down with . . . the anxieties of life . . . . Be always on the watch, and pray that you may be able to escape all that is about to happen." With a mild rebuke (" Why are you sleeping?" ), Jesus encourages them once again to pray. Prayer is the only hope for escaping temptation. Unfortunately, Peter does not heed Jesus' words, for he will shortly fail when tested (vv. 54-62).
D. JESUS ARRESTED (22:47-53)
47 While he was still speaking a crowd came up, and the man who was called Judas, one of the Twelve, was leading them. He approached Jesus to kiss him, 48 but Jesus asked him, " Judas, are you betraying the Son of Man with a kiss?"
49 When Jesus' followers saw what was going to happen, they said, " Lord, should we strike with our swords?" 50 And one of them struck the servant of the high priest, cutting off his right ear.
51 But Jesus answered, " No more of this!" And he touched the man's ear and healed him.
52 Then Jesus said to the chief priests, the officers of the temple guard, and the elders, who had come for him, " Am I leading a rebellion, that you have come with swords and clubs? 53 Every day I was with you in the temple courts, and you did not lay a hand on me. But this is your hour - when darkness reigns."
This arrest scene serves not only to advance the narrative, but it also further shows the wickedness of the authorities. Their " darkness" only serves to display in greater contrast the difference between them and Jesus, who, even in the face of death, does good for his enemies.
47-51. A crowd made up of chief priests, officers of the temple guard, and elders arrived with Judas . . . leading them . Jesus, acting again as prophet, knows exactly what is transpiring and even that Judas intends to kiss him . Jesus therefore brings into the light the treachery of Judas' actions by asking him how he could betray the Son of Man with a kiss. When Jesus' followers realize what he already knows, they get ready to strike with their swords . Perhaps they did not understand Jesus' earlier words about the swords and think that their two swords really are " enough." They most likely think that the time has come for the battle to begin, and one of them cuts off the ear of the servant of the high priest . Jesus quickly rebukes them (" No more of this" ) and heals the man. Luke may be subtly making two points here. First, Jesus does good to those who hate him (6:28). Secondly, miraculous signs have no effect on those whose hearts are hard and who do not want to believe.
52-53. Jesus chastises the Jewish authorities for acting as if Jesus is a violent revolutionary leader, since they come with swords and clubs . He also rebukes them for coming for him when it is dark and when he is away from the people. After all, he has been available every day in the temple courts . He then makes it plain why they are being forced to take him in this way. This is their hour - when darkness reigns. In one sense, Satan is winning this battle of good versus evil. This is a very dark hour in the history of humanity. In another sense, of course, even Satan is fulfilling God's plan for the redemption of humanity.
E. PETER DISOWNS JESUS (22:54-62)
54 Then seizing him, they led him away and took him into the house of the high priest. Peter followed at a distance. 55 But when they had kindled a fire in the middle of the courtyard and had sat down together, Peter sat down with them. 56 A servant girl saw him seated there in the firelight. She looked closely at him and said, " This man was with him."
57 But he denied it. " Woman, I don't know him," he said.
58 A little later someone else saw him and said, " You also are one of them."
" Man, I am not!" Peter replied.
59 About an hour later another asserted, " Certainly this fellow was with him, for he is a Galilean."
60 Peter replied, " Man, I don't know what you're talking about!" Just as he was speaking, the rooster crowed. 61 The Lord turned and looked straight at Peter. Then Peter remembered the word the Lord had spoken to him: " Before the rooster crows today, you will disown me three times." 62 And he went outside and wept bitterly.
Luke's readers fully expect a scene just like this one, because Jesus has already prophesied it (22:34). The story of Peter's denial of Jesus is almost painful to read. Its effect on Luke's readers and modern readers who might be tempted to deny Jesus may be without parallel in the New Testament.
54-55. Jesus is arrested ( seizing him ) and taken to the house of the high priest , who presided over the Sanhedrin. Peter, wanting to watch the coming events, at first followed at a distance . However, he went into the courtyard in order to be warmed by the fire and sat down among the people gathered there. Over the next couple of hours, first a servant girl and then two others accuse Peter of having been with Jesus and being one of his followers. The last of the three is able to tell from his looks or his speech that Peter is a Galilean , just as is Jesus. Peter emphatically denies his association with Jesus each time. After the third denial, the rooster crows (is it almost daybreak?), and Peter remembers Jesus' prediction (22:34). Peter then goes outside and weeps bitterly . This weeping probably represents Peter's repentance (" turning back" of 22:32) after being " sifted like wheat." He will not be seen again until the resurrection scenes.
F. THE GUARDS MOCK JESUS (22:63-65)
63 The men who were guarding Jesus began mocking and beating him. 64 They blindfolded him and demanded, " Prophesy! Who hit you?" 65 And they said many other insulting things to him.
63-65. Luke's readers are not surprised to read about the men (probably the temple guards of v. 52) mocking and beating Jesus. Once again, Jesus has prophesied precisely this (18:32). Since Jesus is regarded as a prophet, they ridicule him by blindfolding him, hitting him, and then demanding that he tell them which of them hit him. Once again he is asked to give a sign to prove his claims, but this time his opponents are not at all serious. They continue to say insulting things to him , all the while fulfilling passages such as Isaiah 53:3, 7. Such passages are just beneath the surface throughout this and the following episodes, although Luke rarely makes obvious allusions to them.
G. JESUS BEFORE THE COUNCIL (22:66-71)
66 At daybreak the council of the elders of the people, both the chief priests and teachers of the law, met together, and Jesus was led before them. 67" If you are the Christ, a" they said, " tell us."
Jesus answered, " If I tell you, you will not believe me, 68 and if I asked you, you would not answer. 69 But from now on, the Son of Man will be seated at the right hand of the mighty God."
70 They all asked, " Are you then the Son of God?"
He replied, " You are right in saying I am."
71 Then they said, " Why do we need any more testimony? We have heard it from his own lips."
a 67 Or Messiah
66. It is now daybreak , and the Sanhedrin ( council ) is convened to hear the charges against Jesus. This is Luke's first mention of this body, although he has referred to its membership on several occasions (chief priests, elders, scribes, teachers of the Law). The Sanhedrin was the supreme governing body of the Jews, made up of 71 men who were primarily chief priests, other aristocratic leaders of the people, and scribes, who were experts in the Law. The high priest presided over this largely Sadducean group. There were likely a few Pharisees among them as well. The Sanhedrin had fairly broad powers over the Jewish people, but only to the extent allowed by the provincial governor (who answered to the emperor). The general rule was that this body did not have the right to inflict the death penalty, although it may have had that right in a few extraordinary cases. It is clear that they did not have that right in this case. That is why they take Jesus to Pilate, the Roman governor.
The present text raises many questions related to the trial of Jesus. The discussion is complicated by the fact that the tractate Sanhedrin in the Mishnah (early third century) would seem to disallow some of the procedures followed in Jesus' case. We will not attempt to enter this complex discussion in the present commentary. We will assume that Luke's account is trustworthy, and that any conflicts with the rabbinic documents are due to the lateness of the rabbinic documents (they may not reflect the rules of Jesus' day) or the fact that the rules were not followed in this case.
67-69. The question put to Jesus deals with whether or not he claims to be the Messiah. Jesus has offered many hints that he is, but he has not openly made the explicit claim. The claim to be the Messiah is not a crime, but they are perhaps hoping for more incriminating information. At the very least they will be able to turn him over to the Romans for being a revolutionary leader if he makes the claim to be the Messiah. When Jesus answers, " You will not believe me," he is saying that they are not asking in order to find out whether he is the Messiah - they only want to condemn him. His statement, " If I asked you, you would not answer," is similarly intended to remind them that they are uninterested in any discussion to get at the truth.
69-71. Jesus refuses to give them the answer they want, which would actually be a misunderstanding. Jesus is not claiming to be the Messiah in the terms they are thinking about. Jesus chooses instead to tell them the truth: " The Son of Man will be seated at the right hand of the mighty God." Jesus knows exactly what is about to happen, and he tells them the end result of the coming events. He will be exalted to a higher position than any they envision for the Messiah, and from there he will reign. Jesus is combining allusions to Psalm 110:1 and Daniel 7:13, both of which he has already used to explain his role.
Even though they do not understand what Jesus means, they hear him say that he is somehow God's special representative. Their question, " Are you then the Son of God?" may be an accusation of some form of " blasphemy," but it more likely means simply, " So, are you the Messiah, the Son of God?" The title Son of God has this ambiguity throughout the Gospel. The term was used of the Messiah, and yet Luke's readers know that Jesus is in a real sense the Son of God. The Sanhedrin only wants Jesus to say that he is the Messiah, so that they can take him to Pilate for judgment.
Jesus' response is literally, " You say that I am," which the NIV misses slightly. Jesus does not quite mean, " You are right," because their conception is wrong. Nonetheless, the title is accurate, and Jesus knows that all of this is part of the plan of God. His answer is a qualified " yes," and they have all the testimony they need. They have heard it from his own lips.
-College Press New Testament Commentary: with the NIV
McGarvey -> Luk 22:21-38
McGarvey: Luk 22:21-38 - --
CXIX.
JUDAS' BETRAYAL AND PETER'S DENIAL FORETOLD.
(Jerusalem. Evening before the crucifixion.)
aMATT. XXVI. 21-25, 31-35; bMARK XIV. 18-21, 27-31; c...
CXIX.
JUDAS' BETRAYAL AND PETER'S DENIAL FORETOLD.
(Jerusalem. Evening before the crucifixion.)
aMATT. XXVI. 21-25, 31-35; bMARK XIV. 18-21, 27-31; cLUKE XXII. 21-23, 31-38;
dJOHN XIII. 21-38.
b18 And d21 When Jesus had thus said, bas they sat and were eating, dhe was troubled in the spirit, and bJesus dtestified, and said, Verily, verily, I say [651] unto you, that one of you shall betray me. beven he that eateth with me. c21 But behold, the hand of him that betrayeth me is with me on the table. [The foreknowledge of Judas' crime did not relieve the Lord from the sting of it. By the use of the word "betray" Jesus revealed to Judas that he had perfect knowledge of the peculiar crime which he was about to commit. To induce repentance the enormity of the crime is pointed out in two ways: 1. It was the act of one, an act in which no other could be found willing to have a part. 2. It was the act of one whose hand rested on the table, who was admitted to the closest intercourse and fellowship.] d22 The disciples looked one on another [in startled amazement], doubting of whom he spake. a22 And they bbegan to be {awere} exceeding sorrowful [that the Lord should be betrayed was sorrow enough, but that one of the twelve should do the deed was an added grief], c23 And they began to question among themselves, which of them it was that should do this thing. band abegan bto say unto him one by one, aevery one, Is it I, Lord? [The form of the question in the Greek indicates that it expects "No" for an answer, so that it may be rendered, "Surely it is not I?"] 23 And he answered and said, bunto them, It is one of the twelve, aHe that dipped {bdippeth} ahis hand with me in the dish, the same shall betray me. [According to Oriental custom, knives and forks were not used. One dish served to hold the sop for several people, that they might dip their bread into it. In so large a company, two or three bowls would be used for convenience' sake. The words of Jesus, therefore, limited the circle of accused ones from twelve to four or five, and also further emphasized the tender and close intimacy between the traitor and the Master.] b21 For the Son of man goeth, cas it hath been determined: beven as it is written of him: but woe unto that man through whom the Son of man is betrayed! good were it for that man if he had not been born. [Jesus was following with unfaltering step the path of suffering marked out by the prophets. [652] But this fact in no way exculpated the authors of his death. The prophecies referred to are many. As examples, see Psa 22:1, Isa 53:1-12. The woe pronounced upon Judas was no vindictive or vengeful wish; it is the solemn announcement of the divine judgment. The words of Jesus stop the mouths of the apologists for Judas. When the judge thus speaks in condemnation, who shall presume to argue in extenuation?] d23 There was at the table reclining in Jesus' bosom one of his disciples, whom Jesus loved. [John thus speaks of himself. His couch was in front of that of the Lord, so that when he laid his head back it rested upon Jesus' bosom. See Luk 22:53). Alford says, "I feel, with Meyer, that there is something awful in this termination -- 'it was night.'"] 31 When therefore he was gone out, Jesus saith, Now is the Son of man glorified, and God is glorified in him; 32 and God shall glorify him in himself, and straightway shall he glorify him. [The departure of Judas was the first step in the progress of the Lord's Passion, and in this moment of its beginning Jesus exults in the prospect of its end. Having just condemned the false pride and glory of men by washing his disciples' feet, Jesus rejoices that the true glory of God is about to be immediately manifested in himself -- the glory of humility, charity, service, and self-sacrifice, which was realized to the utmost in the person of Jesus.] 33 Little children, yet a little while I am with you. Ye shall seek me: and as I said unto the Jews [see Joh 13:1). It is found nowhere else in the Gospels. In the light of his near separation Jesus looked upon his apostles as about to be made orphan children. As to this new commandment, love had been commanded before (Lev 19:18), but the Christian love here commanded is different from that which the Jew was bade to feel for the Jew, just as the affection of a loving family differs from the mere broad and kindly spirit of neighborliness. A love which had Christ's heart as the standard would of necessity be new, and would distinguish those who possessed it from all men.] b27 And a31 Then saith Jesus unto them, All ye shall be offended in me this night: for it is written [Zec 13:7], I will smite the shepherd, and the sheep of the flock shall be scattered abroad. 32 But b28 Howbeit, after I am raised up, I will go before you into Galilee. [The scattering would take place after the return of the apostles to Galilee, and there after his resurrection, Jesus would gather them together as their shepherd.] d36 Simon Peter saith unto him, Lord, whither goest thou? Jesus answered, Whither I go, thou canst not follow now; but thou shalt follow afterwards. 37 Peter saith unto him, Lord, why cannot I follow thee even now? I will lay down my life for thee. [Peter, grieved at the prospect of separation, can see no reason why he should not follow, since he is willing to pass even through the portal of the grave that he may do so. Though perhaps prevented by no moral inability, he was prevented by the plan of life which God had designed for him. It was not in accordance with the divine will that he should die at this time.] 38 Jesus answereth, Wilt thou lay down thy life for me? c31 Simon, Simon, behold, Satan asked to have you, that he might sift you as wheat: 32 but I made supplication for thee, that thy faith fail not [The language here suggests a repetition, in some degree, of Satan's conduct in the case of Job. See Job 1-2:10 Jesus, having insight into what was going on in the spirit world, made supplication that Peter [655] might be enabled to endure the trial]; and do thou, when once thou hast turned again, establish thy brethren. [The language sadly intimates that Satan's test would leave him in need of repentance. As the one who perhaps exercised the strongest influence over the other ten apostles, Peter is exhorted to use his own bitter experience for their benefit and strengthening.] 33 And he said unto him, Lord, with thee I am ready to go both to prison and to death. a33 But Peter answered and said unto him, bAlthough, {aIf} all shall be offended in thee, byet will not I. aI will never be offended. [Thus Peter repudiates the idea that he could not stand the test.] b30 And Jesus saith {asaid} unto him, Verily I say unto thee, cI tell thee, Peter, bthat thou to-day, even this night, before the cock crow twice, cthou shalt thrice deny that thou knowest me. dVerily, verily, I say unto thee, The cock shall not crow, cthis day, dtill {cuntil} dthou hast denied me thrice. [Mark speaks of two cock-crowings and shows that the denial of Peter occurred between them (Mar 14:68-72). But Matthew, Luke, and John speak of but one cock-crowing and place the denial before it. The discrepancy is not an important one. Luke and John look upon the night in its entirety and speak of the cock-crowing at three in the morning, the signal of the dawning day. Mark looks at the night in its details, and shows that the denials of Peter began at midnight, the time of the first cock-crowing, and were finished before the last, or about three in the morning. Peter appears to have been thunderstruck at this prediction, which showed the nature, the details, and the nearness of his sin. He lapsed into silence, and we hear no more from him during the discourses which followed. But he did not yield without one final protest, as the sequel shows.] b31 But aPeter bspake exceedingly vehemently, asaith unto him, Even bIf I must die with thee, I will not deny thee. And in like manner {aLikewise} also said all the disciples. [According to Matthew's account these accusations of our Lord and protestations of Peter were taken up again after [656] Jesus left the upper room and was on his way to Gethsemane. The reader may therefore conceive of them as occurring again in the opening lines of Isa 53:12] must be fulfilled in me, And he was reckoned with transgressors: for that which concerneth me hath fulfilment. 38 And they said, Lord, behold, here are two swords. And he said unto them, It is enough. [In this passage our Lord draws a contrast between the favor with which his messengers had been received on their former mission and the trials and persecutions which awaited them in their future course. If they had prepared then to be received with joy, they were to prepare now to be opposed with bitterness; for the utter rejection of the Master would be followed by the violent persecution of the servants. The apostles took the words of Jesus literally, and showed two swords, and the Lord, for their future enlightenment, said, "It is enough," thus intimating that he did not mean a literal arming with carnal weapons, for had he done so, two swords would not have sufficed for twelve men.]
[FFG 651-655]
Lapide -> Luk 22:1-71
Lapide: Luk 22:1-71 - --CHAPTER 22
Ver.6.— And he sought opportunity to betray Him unto them. Judas sold Jesus Christ on the fourth day of the week, the day of Mercury; o...
CHAPTER 22
Ver.6.— And he sought opportunity to betray Him unto them. Judas sold Jesus Christ on the fourth day of the week, the day of Mercury; on the following day, or the day of Jupiter, he delivered Him to them. Thence followed "the day of unleavened bread." See how sudden was the wickedness of the Jews, and equally cunning and crafty. For they knew that Christ would celebrate the Passover, according to His custom, on the day following at Jerusalem, and that it would therefore be most convenient to deliver Him up then to the Jews at Jerusalem.
Ver. 20.— This cup is the new Testament in My blood. That is, this cup is the authentic instrument, and, as it were, the chart and tabula testamentaria, in which My new covenant is written and signed for giving you My heavenly inheritance, written, I say, not with ink, but in My blood. 1Co 11:23, &c.
Ver. 25.— And they that exercise authority upon them are called benefactors. Benefactor is a title of honour and praise which is bestowed upon princes because they are, or ought to be, good. The proper epithet of kings in former time was "good." Virgil uses it of Acestes (Æn i. 195). Martial applies it to Trajan and Domitian, and Horace to Romulus. Homer thought nothing requisite in a king, but to be brave against the enemy, and good to the citizens. Paul calls Felix "Most Excellent." Act 24:3.
Ver. 26.— But ye shall not be so. The Arabic has "Let the greater of you be as the least"—that is, let him among you who wishes to be the greatest, become the least. In this way he shall be the greatest.
Morally, let us learn this parable of Christ, incredible to the world, but in itself most true, and by experience most certain, namely, that the way to exaltation is abasement of self. Do we wish to become greater? Let us become less. God has sanctioned and fixed this way by His eternal law, and therefore Christ was the first-fruits to enter upon it, that we, by the same law, might follow Him, as in Phil. ii. 8, 9, 10, 11.
Hence S. Francis, a great follower and imitator of Christ, humbled himself to the lowest of all lowness, and wished to be the poorest and vilest of all men; and to a certain saint, a most lofty and splendid seat in heaven was shown, and when he asked whose it was, the answer was given, "It was the seat of one of the great ones among the fallen angels, but it is now reserved for the holy Francis." S. Bonav., chap. vi., Life of St. Francis. The same S. Francis wished his followers to be called "Minores," lest they should presume to become majores. His scribe, S. Francis de Paula, ordered the brethren of his order, to be called not Minores but Minimi. Hence the blessed Magdelena de Pazzi, who has been lately enrolled among the blessed by our holy father, Urban VIII., received the following order from God, "Be of the order of Minimæ, and the least of them, that thou mayest strive as zealously to be the least as men of this world do to be the greatest." S. Elizabeth, wife of the Landgrave of Hesse, and the daughter of the king, of Hungary, personally, against the remonstrances of her friends, tended the sick and outcast, and said that if there were any position more humble still she would gladly fill it, the more closely to follow Christ, who from the first humbled Himself to be the lowest of men, as Isaiah describes, ch. liii.; for in this consists the crown of virtue and perfection. The like did Hedwig, Duchess of Polonia, and her granddaughter, S. Elizabeth, Queen of Portugal. So S. Paulinus, Bishop of Nola, sold himself for a slave, for the good of a son of a widow, that he might imitate Christ, and make himself one of the most humble of men. Peter Telonarius did the same, as is related in the Life of S. John Eleemosynarius. This is what the wise man teaches, Ecclus. iii. 20. See what I have commented thereon.
Ver. 29 . — And I appoint unto you a kingdom. As My Father has decreed and prepared for Me, through humility and the cross: through so many labours and sufferings: a kingdom heavenly and eternal, so do I also appoint the same unto you: that is, I decree, prepare, and, going to death I now appoint, as by my will, that through the same humility, cross, and suffering, you shall possess a like, nay, the same kingdom with Me in heaven; dispute not then who among you shall be greatest, but who shall be less, that each may study to surpass the other in low estate and humility, for whoever does this, shall be first and greatest in my kingdom.
Ver. 30.— That ye may eat and drink at My table in My kingdom. As kings gave to their most intimate nobles a place at their own table, and made them companions of their banquets, but assigned to other and less famous nobles another table, so will I make you, My Apostles, the chief and foremost of My kingdom, and place you most nearly to Myself, and, as it were, at My table, and I will have you as the most intimate guests of My royal feasts. "In like manner," say Euthymius, Titus, and Theophylact, "He shows that the Apostles, as the first and most illustrious of His followers, should enjoy the highest honours with their immortal king. It is by catachresis that the pleasures and honours of the kingdom of heaven are often compared in Holy Scripture to banquets, and feasts of meat and drink, and to the first seats at table with kings; because carnal men understand these things best, but are unable to estimate spiritual ones, and because, as meat and drink are incorporated into ourselves and made our own, so, in heaven by the beautiful vision and His other glorious gifts, God will be incorporated into us, as it were, and will be made our own."
Ver. 31.— And the Lord said, Simon, Simon, behold, Satan hath desired to have You. Sift—that is vex, afflict, agitate, cast you down as wheat in a sieve that it may be cleared of chaff and dust. Satan in the same manner asked God to permit him to sift and afflict Job, and in some degree he obtained his end. He did the same again to Peter and the other Apostles, and again, in part succeeded, when he stirred up the Jews to seize Christ, for then the Apostles themselves fled in fear and were dispersed. The temptation is well compared to sifting and a sieve, because, as by means of the sieve the grains of wheat are separated from the chaff, and remain in the sieve, while the chaff is scattered to the wind, and dispersed in air, so the faithful and the saints in temptation remain constant, but the wicked fail and fly off.
But I have prayed for thee, that thy faith fail not. For thee, because I destine thee to be the head and chief of the Apostles and of My Church, that thy faith fail not in believing Me to be the Christ and the Saviour of the world. Observe that Christ in this prayer asked and obtained for Peter two especial privileges before the other Apostles: the first was personal, that he should never fall from faith in Christ; for Christ looked back to the sifting in the former verse, that is the temptation of His own apprehension when the other Apostles flew off from Him like chaff and lost their faith, and were dispersed, and fled into all parts. But Peter, although he denied Christ with his lips, at the hour foretold, and lost his love for Him, yet retained his faith. So S. Chrysostom ( Hom. xxxviii.) on S. Matthew; S. Augustine ( de corrept. et Grat. chap. viii.); Theophylact and others. This is possible but not certain, for F. Lucas and others think that Peter then lost both his faith and his love, from excessive perturbation and fear; but only for a short time, and so that his faith afterwards sprang up anew, and was restored with fresh vitality. Hence it is thought not to have wholly failed, or to have been torn up by the roots, but rather to have been shaken and dead for a time.
Another and a certain privilege was common to Peter with all his successors, that he and all the other bishops of Rome (for Peter, as Christ willed, founded and confirmed the Pontifical Church at Rome), should never openly fall from this faith, so as to teach the Church heresy, or any error, contrary to the faith. So S. Leo ( serm. xxii.), on Natalis of SS. Peter and Paul; S. Cyprian ( Lib. i. ep 3), to Cornelius; Lucius I., Felix I., Agatho, Nicolas I., Leo IX., Innocent III., Bernard and others, whom Bellarmine cites and follows ( Lib. i. de Pontif. Roman ).
For it was necessary that Christ, by His most wise providence, should provide for His Church, which is ever being sifted and tempted by the devil, and that not only in the time of Peter, but at all times henceforth, even to the end of the world, an oracle of the true faith which she might consult in every doubt and by which she might be taught and confirmed in the faith, otherwise the Church might err in faith, quod absit! For she is as S. Paul said to Timothy, "the pillar and ground of the truth" (1 Tim. iii 15). This oracle of the Church then is Peter, and all successive bishops of Rome. This promise made to Peter, and his successors, most especially applies to the time when Peter, as the successor of Christ, began to be the head of the Church, that is, after the death of Christ.
And when thou art converted, strengthen thy brethren. "From the sifting of Satan, that is from his temptation and from the sin by which thou wilt deny Me; for by this thou wilt be turned aside from Me, and My grace and love." So Euthymius, Theophylact, Jansen, F. Lucas, and others.
Some take this converted (conversus) as meaning "again" (iterum). So Bede, "Do thou, 0 Peter, again confirm the Apostles thy brethren, in the faith after My death, whom I now, while alive, strengthen by My words." For the Hebrew often uses the verb for the adverb. So Psa 85:6.
Strengthen thy brethren. Thy brethren, and therefore Mine. The condescension of Christ here is wonderful. He does not call the Apostles sons although He spiritually begot them to God, but brothers: as well because Christ as man, was the brother of all men, being a sharer of the same human nature, as because the Apostles in their apostleship and preaching of the Gospel, were the brothers and colleagues of Christ; for they did the same work as He. Hence the Fathers, whom I have cited, and the Doctors of the Church conclude that Peter was set over the other Apostles by Christ, and consequently was made the head and chief over the whole Church, that he might build up, perfect, and confirm the Church in the faith and religion of Christ.
Ver. 36 . — But now he that hath a purse, let him take it, and likewise his scrip. A purse filled with money, a scrip with food, that they might have support in the impending persecution; for they will never find either, "because men will fly from Me, who am bound and accused, and consequently from My disciples as men wicked and condemned."
And he that hath no sword, let him sell his garment, and buy one. Christ, in these words, did not command them to take a purse and a scrip, and to sell their garment and buy a sword, for He soon after forbade Peter to draw his sword; but they were a warning of the fierce persecution which was about to fall upon Himself and the apostles, and which was so heavy to those that regarded the difficulty of the case with the eyes of mere human wisdom, that food and weapons would appear things absolutely necessary for the preservation of life. The meaning therefore is this, "Everything, so far, has happened to you, 0 my Apostles, well and prosperously; for when I sent you to preach the Gospel without purse, or scrip, or sword, you were kindly received by most, fed, and sheltered, and had no need of these things. But now so grievous a persecution is impending over you, and so great is the danger to your lives, that in human prudence it may seem necessary to each to think of the preservation of his life, and therefore to take a scrip and purse for provision, and a weapon for defence, and to sell his cloak, and buy a sword. But to Me, who weigh circumstances by the design and decree of God the Father, there is no need of such things; for I go voluntarily to the cross, and to death, and I offer Myself of My own free will, to those who will persecute Me and crucify Me, so that I may conform Myself to the will of My Father." So S. Chrysostom ( Hom. 85 on S. Matt.), and from him Theophylact on this passage, Jansen, Maldonatus, and others. S. Ambrose says well, "0 Lord, why commandest Thou me to buy a sword, and forbiddest me to strike, unless that I may be prepared for my defence, and that Thou mayest appear able to avenge though Thou wouldst not?"
Ver. 38 . — And they said, Lord, behold, here are two swords. They did not understand the mind and words of Christ clearly. He did not mean that they should buy swords, but He wished to show them the impending danger. Christ did not explain His meaning to the Apostles, but concealed it, saying, "It is enough," meaning that Peter and the other Apostles might carry these swords, and even cut off Malchus' ear, which He Himself afterwards restored and healed, showing that He was not compelled by force, but was urged by love, willingly and freely to suffer and die. Some think that they were not military swords, but rather large butchers' knives, which the apostles used for the slaughtering, sacrificing, and disjointing of the Paschal Lamb. So S. Chrysostom, from whom I have said more on Matt. xxvii.
Ver. 39.— And He came out, and went, as He was wont, to the mount of Olives. Bede gives the reason of this: "The Lord, when about to be delivered up, came to the retirement of this accustomed place, that He might be found the more easily. Where are they who maintained that He feared death, and was crucified against His will? Christ was wont, in these last days of His life, to preach in the temple by day, and to retire at night to the mount of Olives to pray. This, Judas, as being an Apostle, and a companion of Christ knew; and hence he came to this mountain with his followers, and there betrayed and delivered up Christ to them."
Ver. 43 . — And there appeared an angel unto Him from heaven. The angel appeared in a body assumed visibly that he might comfort the eyes and ears of Christ by his appearance and voice. Jansenius thinks that the angel appeared at each of Christ's three prayers, and therefore comforted Him three times, to teach us that God always hears those who pray, and gives them grace and strength unceasingly. F. Lucas, and others, think with more reason, that the angel only appeared once, at the third and last prayer, and comforted Him when He prayed more earnestly, and sweated blood, to show that we ought to persevere in prayer, and that the fruit of such perseverance is the comfort of God, and the vision of angels. For after this consolation from the Father by the angel, the agony of Christ seems to have passed away, and He appears to have prayed no more but to have prepared bravely for death. This angel was Gabriel, says Gabriel Vasquez ( I. p. tom. ii . disbut. 244, No. 3), for Gabriel has his name from his fortitude, Gabriel being Geber-el the man of God, or Gebura-el the fortitude of God; for he has the office of comforting the weak, afflicted, and fearful. But he comforted Christ not by strengthening His weakness, but by praising His surpassing fortitude. Lud. de Pont. thinks the same in his "Meditation on the Agony of Christ in the Garden," because Gabriel was the legate and messenger of the œconomy of Christ, as at the Incarnation (Luke i. 26), and of the seventy weeks of Daniel, which foretold the time of the nativity of Christ.
Others, however, as F. Lucas, think that it was Michael, for he is the highest of all angels, and it became him, as such, to perform this office for the supreme God, that is Christ.
Strengthening Him. "The praise and due adoration of Christ," says Titus, "being premised," he comforted Christ by speaking to Him outwardly and setting before Him the will and glory of the Father, and the rich fruit which would ensue, both to Christ Himself, to men, and to angels, from His Passion. For the angel could not affect the inner mind of Christ, nor immediately change His inner powers. And as He could only be tempted by Satan, externally, so He could only be comforted by the angel outwardly. He could not be taught nor illuminated by him, for He was above all angels, and from the first moment of His conception, was full of wisdom and knowledge. So say the schoolmen with S. Thomas (3. p. q. 12 , art. 4): The angel spoke the following, or like words to Christ, "0 Lord, bravest of men, Thy prayer is most acceptable to Thy Father; because, notwithstanding Thy natural dread of death, Thou resignedst Thyself wholly to the will of the Father boldly to undergo the death appointed for Thee by Him. Lay aside therefore this Thy horror and grief with which Thou hast voluntarily invested Thyself, and reassume Thy former mind and strength, and come bravely to the work of human Redemption, by which Thou wilt most signally celebrate the glory of God, rejoice the angels, redeem men from Hell, and bring them back to the glories of heaven. Endure the cross for the joy that is offered Thee, as the future author and perfector of the faith of very many. Heb 12:2. Thus Thou wilt cause SS. Peter and Paul, Laurentius, Vincentius, Agnes, Cœcilia and very many other martyrs and virgins, men, and noble heroes and heroines boldly to undergo martyrdom for God, and the faithful, with other holy men, who triumphed gloriously over the flesh, the world, and the devil. I know that Thou, 0 Lord, hast no need of any strengthening of mine, who am myself strengthened by Thee both to be and to live; but, that this my ministry which I execute as a steward at the command of God Thy Father may be acceptable to Thee, I pray again and again."
Theophylact thinks that the angel spoke thus, "0 Lord, Thine is the strength, for thou art powerful against death and hell, to set free the race of men."
Ver. 44 . — And being in an agony, He prayed more earnestly. The "et" here in the Hebrew is causal, and means quia, because. That is, the angel comforted Him; because being in an agony and praying more earnestly, He sweated blood, and then appeared to need comfort, and to merit it. The following, was the order of events. Christ had prayed the first and second time, but felt no help of God. Then His feeling growing on Him, He, permitting the agony (that is, a more vehement horror and anguish) to arise in Himself, He sweated blood. To overcome this, He prayed a third time more earnestly, teaching us that as temptation increases our prayers should increase equally. The angel therefore appeared to Him immediately, comforting Him; whereupon He ceased to pray and to fear, and to grieve, and, suppressing and overcoming His agony, He manfully prepared Himself for His Passion, and went forth of His own accord to meet Judas.
More earnestly. The Greek is
And His sweat was as it were great drops of blood. The Greek has
Note. Firstly, Some copies have nothing about this bloody sweat, as S. Hilary shows ( De Trinit. lib. x.); S. Jerome ( lib. ii . against Pelagius), lest men should ascribe infirmity of mind and weakness to Christ. But now all versions, Greek, Latin, Syriac, Arabic, have the same account, so it is certainly to be read, according to the agreement of the Council of Trent, Session IV.
Secondly, Christ is said to have sweated blood not improperly or as a by-word, and an allegory, as we say of one who is grievously afflicted and tormented, "he sweats blood," as Euthymius and Theophylact explain it—but truly and properly. Hence the words "as it were" denote not resemblance but the truth. So SS. Hilary, Jerome, Augustine passim. The Ethiopic renders it plainly, "And His sweat was made as the sweat of blood flowing down upon the earth." The Persian agrees with it. S. Athanasius, also, in his sixth book to Theophilus, which is on the Beatitude of the Son of God, says, "Anathema to those who deny that Christ sweated true blood."
S. Bernard, treating of this prayer of Christ in the garden, says, "Not only with His eyes does He seem to have wept, but, as it were, with all His members, that His whole Body, which is the Church, might be the more effectually purged by His tears" ( Serm. 3 on Palm Sunday). The love of Christ indeed was not content with the watery tears of His eyes, but wished, by the bloody tears of His whole Body, to lament and blot out our sins, and these tears of Christ were most efficacious with God the Father. "For," says S. Irenæus ( Lib. v. cap. i.) "the blood of Christ has a voice and 'speaketh better things than that of Abel,' Heb. xii. 24. The blood of Abel calls for vengeance, that of Christ for mercy."
Symbolically, "the reason was," says S. Augustine, "that Christ might show that from His whole Body would proceed the passions of martyrs" ( Seutent. sent. 68). Again, "The blood of Christ," says Bede, "flowed down upon the earth to show that men of the earth would be moistened by it."
Ver. 45.— And when He rose up from prayer. For sorrow contracts the heart, and hinders the vital and subtle spirits from being sent to the head; wherefore the black and crass vapours which are the cause of sleep, invade the brain. But there is a hysteron proteron here. For these things happened before the bloody sweat which took place in the third prayer of Christ, while the former happened in the first prayer, as is clear from SS. Matthew and Mark. The reason is that S. Luke compresses the three prayers into one, and unites what happened at different times in the three prayers as if they had been done in one and the same. For after the first prayer, Christ, visiting the Apostles and finding them asleep, said as follows,
Ver. 46.— And said unto them, Why sleep ye? See what has been said on Matthew xxvi. xxvii.
expand allIntroduction / Outline
Robertson: Luke (Book Introduction) THE GOSPEL OF LUKE
By Way of Introduction
There is not room here for a full discussion of all the interesting problems raised by Luke as the autho...
THE GOSPEL OF LUKE
By Way of Introduction
There is not room here for a full discussion of all the interesting problems raised by Luke as the author of the Gospel and Acts. One can find them ably handled in the Introduction to Plummer’s volume on Luke’s Gospel in the International and Critical Commentary , in the Introduction to Ragg’s volume on Luke’s Gospel in the Westminster Commentaries , in the Introduction to Easton’s Gospel According to St. Luke , Hayes’ Synoptic Gospels and the Book of Acts , Ramsay’s Luke the Physician , Harnack’s Date of the Acts and the Synoptic Gospels , Foakes-Jackson and Kirsopp Lake’s Beginnings of Christianity , Carpenter’s Christianity According to St. Luke , Cadbury’s The Making of Luke-Acts , McLachlan’s St. Luke: The Man and His Work , Robertson’s Luke the Historian in the Light of Research , to go no further. It is a fascinating subject that appeals to scholars of all shades of opinion.
The Same Author for Gospel and Acts
The author of Acts refers to the Gospel specifically as " the first treatise,"
The Author of Acts a Companion of Paul
The proof of this position belongs to the treatment of Acts, but a word is needed here. The use of " we" and " us" in Act_16:10 and from Act_20:6 to the end of chapter Acts 28 shows it beyond controversy if the same man wrote the " we" sections and the rest of the Acts. This proof Harnack has produced with painstaking detail in his Date of the Acts and the Synoptic Gospels and in his volume The Acts of the Apostles and in his Luke the Physician .
This Companion of Paul A Physician
The argument for this position lies in the use of medical terms throughout the Gospel and the Acts. Hobart in his Medical Language of St. Luke proves that the author of both Gospel and Acts shows a fondness for medical terms best explained by the fact that he was a physician. Like most enthusiasts he overdid it and some of his proof does not stand the actual test of sifting. Harnack and Hawkins in his Horae Synopticae have picked out the most pertinent items which will stand. Cadbury in his Style and Literary Method of Luke denies that Luke uses Greek medical words more frequently in proportion than Josephus, Philo, Plutarch, or Lucian. It is to miss the point about Luke merely to count words. It is mainly the interest in medical things shown in Luke and Acts. The proof that Luke is the author of the books does not turn on this fact. It is merely confirmatory. Paul calls Luke " the beloved physician" (
This Companion and Author Luke
All the Greek manuscripts credit the Gospel to Luke in the title. We should know that Luke wrote these two books if there was no evidence from early writers. Irenaeus definitely ascribes the Gospel to Luke as does Clement of Alexandria, Tertullian, the Muratorian Fragment. Plummer holds that the authorship of the four great Epistles of Paul (I and II Corinthians, Galatians, Romans) which even Baur accepted, is scarcely more certain than the Lukan authorship of the Gospel. Even Renan says: " There is no very strong reason for supposing that Luke was not the author of the Gospel which bears his name."
A Sketch of Luke
His name is not a common one, and is probably a shortened form of
The Date of the Gospel
There are two outstanding facts to mark off the date of this Gospel by Luke. It was later than the Gospel of Mark since Luke makes abundant use of it. It was before the Acts of the Apostles since he definitely refers to it in Act_1:1. Unfortunately the precise date of both termini is uncertain. There are still some scholars who hold that the author of the Acts shows knowledge of the Antiquities of Josephus and so is after a.d. 85, a mistaken position, in my opinion, but a point to be discussed when Acts is reached. Still others more plausibly hold that the Acts was written after the destruction of Jerusalem and that the Gospel of Luke has a definite allusion to that event (Luk_21:20.), which is interpreted as a prophecy post eventum instead of a prediction by Christ a generation beforehand. Many who accept this view hold to authorship of both Acts and Gospel by Luke. I have long held the view, now so ably defended by Harnack, that the Acts of the Apostles closes as it does for the simple and obvious reason that Paul was still a prisoner in Rome. Whether Luke meant the Acts to be used in the trial in Rome, which may or may not have come to pass, is not the point. Some argue that Luke contemplated a third book which would cover the events of the trial and Paul’s later career. There is no proof of that view. The outstanding fact is that the book closes with Paul already a prisoner for two years in Rome. If the Acts was written about a.d. 63, as I believe to be the case, then obviously the Gospel comes earlier. How much before we do not know. It so happens that Paul was a prisoner a little over two years in Caesarea. That period gave Luke abundant opportunity for the kind of research of which he speaks in Luk_1:1-4. In Palestine he could have access to persons familiar with the earthly life and teachings of Jesus and to whatever documents were already produced concerning such matters. Luke may have produced the Gospel towards the close of the stay of Paul in Caesarea or during the early part of the first Roman imprisonment, somewhere between a.d. 59 and 62. The other testimony concerns the date of Mark’s Gospel which has already been discussed in volume I. There is no real difficulty in the way of the early date of Mark’s Gospel. All the facts that are known admit, even argue for a date by a.d. 60. If Mark wrote his Gospel in Rome, as is possible, it would certainly be before a.d. 64, the date of the burning of Rome by Nero. There are scholars, however, who argue for a much earlier date for his gospel, even as early as a.d. 50. The various aspects of the Synoptic problem are ably discussed by Hawkins in his Horae Synopticae , by Sanday and others in Oxford Studies in the Synoptic Problem , by Streeter in his The Four Gospels , by Hayes in his The Synoptic Gospels and the Book of Acts , by Harnack in his Date of the Acts and the Synoptic Gospels , by Stanton in his The Gospels as Historical Documents , and by many others. My own views are given at length in my Studies in Mark’s Gospel and in Luke the Historian in the Light of Research .
The Sources of the Gospel
In his Preface or Prologue (Luk_1:1-4) the author tells us that he had two kinds of sources, oral and written, and that they were many, how many we have no way of telling. It is now generally accepted that we know two of his written sources, Mark’s Gospel and Q or the Logia of Jesus (written by Matthew, Papias says). Mark is still preserved and it is not difficult for any one by the use of a harmony of the Gospels to note how Luke made use of Mark, incorporating what he chose, adapting it in various ways, not using what did not suit his purposes. The other source we only know in the non-Markan portions of Matthew and Luke, that is the material common to both, but not in Mark. This also can be noted by any one in a harmony. Only it is probable that this source was more extensive than just the portions used by both Matthew and Luke. It is probable that both Matthew and Luke each used portions of the Logia not used by the other. But there is a large portion of Luke’s Gospel which is different from Mark and Matthew. Some scholars call this source L. There is little doubt that Luke had another document for the material peculiar to him, but it is also probable that he had several others. He spoke of " many." This applies especially to chapters 9 to 21. But Luke expressly says that he had received help from " eye-witnesses and ministers of the word," in oral form this means. It is, then, probable that Luke made numerous notes of such data and used them along with the written sources at his command. This remark applies particularly to chapters 1 and 2 which have a very distinct Semitic (Aramaic) colouring due to the sources used. It is possible, of course, that Mary the mother of Jesus may have written a statement concerning these important matters or that Luke may have had converse with her or with one of her circle. Ramsay, in his volume, Was Christ Born at Bethlehem? shows the likelihood of Luke’s contact with Mary or her circle during these two years at Caesarea. Luke handles the data acquired with care and skill as he claims in his Prologue and as the result shows. The outcome is what Renan called the most beautiful book in the world.
The Character of the Book
Literary charm is here beyond dispute. It is a book that only a man with genuine culture and literary genius could write. It has all the simple grace of Mark and Matthew plus an indefinable quality not in these wonderful books. There is a delicate finish of detail and proportion of parts that give the balance and poise that come only from full knowledge of the subject, the chief element in a good style according to Dr. James Stalker. This scientific physician, this man of the schools, this converted Gentile, this devoted friend of Paul, comes to the study of the life of Christ with a trained intellect, with an historian’s method of research, with a physician’s care in diagnosis and discrimination, with a charm of style all his own, with reverence for and loyalty to Jesus Christ as Lord and Saviour. One could not afford to give up either of the Four Gospels. They each supplement the other in a wonderful way. John’s Gospel is the greatest book in all the world, reaching the highest heights of all. But if we had only Luke’s Gospel, we should have an adequate portrait of Jesus Christ as Son of God and Son of Man. If Mark’s is the Gospel for the Romans and Matthew’s for the Jews, the Gospel of Luke is for the Gentile world. He shows the sympathy of Jesus for the poor and the outcast. Luke understands women and children and so is the universal Gospel of mankind in all phases and conditions. It is often called the Gospel of womanhood, of infancy, of prayer, of praise. We have in Luke the first Christian hymns. With Luke we catch some glimpses of the child Jesus for which we are grateful. Luke was a friend and follower of Paul, and verbal parallels with Paul’s Epistles do occur, but there is no Pauline propaganda in the Gospel as Moffatt clearly shows ( Intr. to Lit. of the N.T. , p. 281). The Prologue is in literary Koiné and deserves comparison with those in any Greek and Latin writers. His style is versatile and is often coloured by his source. He was a great reader of the Septuagint as is shown by occasional Hebraisms evidently due to reading that translation Greek. He has graciousness and a sense of humour as McLachlan and Ragg show. Every really great man has a saving sense of humour as Jesus himself had. Ramsay dares to call Luke, as shown by the Gospel and Acts, the greatest of all historians not even excepting Thucydides. Ramsay has done much to restore Luke to his rightful place in the estimation of modern scholars. Some German critics used to cite Luk_2:1-7 as a passage containing more historical blunders than any similar passage in any historian. The story of how papyri and inscriptions have fully justified Luke in every statement here made is carefully worked out by Ramsay in his various books, especially in The Bearing of Recent Discovery on the Trustworthiness of the New Testament . The main feature of this proof appears also in my Luke the Historian in the Light of Research . So many items, where Luke once stood alone, have been confirmed by recent discoveries that the burden of proof now rests on those who challenge Luke in those cases where he still stands alone.
JFB: Luke (Book Introduction) THE writer of this Gospel is universally allowed to have been Lucas (an abbreviated form of Lucanus, as Silas of Silvanus), though he is not expressly...
THE writer of this Gospel is universally allowed to have been Lucas (an abbreviated form of Lucanus, as Silas of Silvanus), though he is not expressly named either in the Gospel or in the Acts. From Col 4:14 we learn that he was a "physician"; and by comparing that verse with Col 4:10-11 --in which the apostle enumerates all those of the circumcision who were then with him, but does not mention Luke, though he immediately afterwards sends a salutation from him--we gather that Luke was not a born Jew. Some have thought he was a freed-man (libertinus), as the Romans devolved the healing art on persons of this class and on their slaves, as an occupation beneath themselves. His intimate acquaintance with Jewish customs, and his facility in Hebraic Greek, seem to show that he was an early convert to the Jewish faith; and this is curiously confirmed by Act 21:27-29, where we find the Jews enraged at Paul's supposed introduction of Greeks into the temple, because they had seen "Trophimus the Ephesian" with him; and as we know that Luke was with Paul on that occasion, it would seem that they had taken him for a Jew, as they made no mention of him. On the other hand, his fluency in classical Greek confirms his Gentile origin. The time when he joined Paul's company is clearly indicated in the Acts by his changing (at Act 16:10) from the third person singular ("he") to the first person plural ("we"). From that time he hardly ever left the apostle till near the period of his martyrdom (2Ti 4:11). EUSEBIUS makes him a native of Antioch. If so, he would have every advantage for cultivating the literature of Greece and such medical knowledge as was then possessed. That he died a natural death is generally agreed among the ancients; GREGORY NAZIANZEN alone affirming that he died a martyr.
The time and place of the publication of his Gospel are alike uncertain. But we can approximate to it. It must at any rate have been issued before the Acts, for there the 'Gospel' is expressly referred to as the same author's "former treatise" (Act 1:1). Now the Book of the Acts was not published for two whole years after Paul's arrival as a prisoner at Rome, for it concludes with a reference to this period; but probably it was published soon after that, which would appear to have been early in the year 63. Before that time, then, we have reason to believe that the Gospel of Luke was in circulation, though the majority of critics make it later. If we date it somewhere between A.D. 50 and 60, we shall probably be near the truth; but nearer it we cannot with any certainty come. Conjectures as to the place of publication are too uncertain to be mentioned here.
That it was addressed, in the first instance, to Gentile readers, is beyond doubt. This is no more, as DAVIDSON remarks [Introduction to the New Testament, p. 186], than was to have been expected from the companion of an "apostle of the Gentiles," who had witnessed marvellous changes in the condition of many heathens by the reception of the Gospel. But the explanations in his Gospel of things known to every Jew, and which could only be intended for Gentile readers, make this quite plain--see Luk 1:26; Luk 4:31; Luk 8:26; Luk 21:37; Luk 22:1; Luk 24:13. A number of other minute particulars, both of things inserted and of things omitted, confirm the conclusion that it was Gentiles whom this Evangelist had in the first instance in view.
We have already adverted to the classical style of Greek which this Evangelist writes--just what might have been expected from an educated Greek and travelled physician. But we have also observed that along with this he shows a wonderful flexibility of style, so much so, that when he comes to relate transactions wholly Jewish, where the speakers and actors and incidents are all Jewish, he writes in such Jewish Greek as one would do who had never been out of Palestine or mixed with any but Jews. In DA COSTA'S'S Four Witnesses will be found some traces of "the beloved physician" in this Gospel. But far more striking and important are the traces in it of his intimate connection with the apostle of the Gentiles. That one who was so long and so constantly in the society of that master mind has in such a work as this shown no traces of that connection, no stamp of that mind, is hardly to be believed. Writers of Introductions seem not to see it, and take no notice of it. But those who look into the interior of it will soon discover evidences enough in it of a Pauline cast of mind. Referring for a number of details to DA COSTA, we notice here only two examples: In 1Co 11:23, Paul ascribes to an express revelation from Christ Himself the account of the Institution of the Lord's Supper which he there gives. Now, if we find this account differing in small yet striking particulars from the accounts given by Matthew and Mark, but agreeing to the letter with Luke's account, it can hardly admit of a doubt that the one had it from the other; and in that case, of course, it was Luke that had it from Paul. Now Matthew and Mark both say of the Cup, "This is my blood of the New Testament"; while Paul and Luke say, in identical terms, "This cup is the New Testament in My blood" (1Co 11:25; Luk 22:20). Further, Luke says, "Likewise also the cup after supper, saying," &c.; while Paul says, "After the same manner He took the cup when He had supped, saying," &c.; whereas neither Matthew nor Mark mention that this was after supper. But still more striking is another point of coincidence in this case. Matthew and Mark both say of the Bread merely this: "Take, eat; this is My body" (Mat 26:26; Mar 14:22); whereas Paul says, "Take, eat, this is My body, which is broken for you" (1Co 11:24), and Luke, "This is My body, which is given for you" (Luk 22:19). And while Paul adds the precious clause, "This do in remembrance of Me," Luke does the same, in identical terms. How can one who reflects on this resist the conviction of a Pauline stamp in this Gospel? The other proof of this to which we ask the reader's attention is in the fact that Paul, in enumerating the parties by whom Christ was seen after His resurrection, begins, singularly enough, with Peter--"And that He rose again the third day according to the Scriptures and that He was seen of Cephas, then of the Twelve" (1Co 15:4-5) --coupled with the remarkable fact, that Luke is the only one of the Evangelists who mentions that Christ appeared to Peter at all. When the disciples had returned from Emmaus to tell their brethren how the Lord had appeared to them in the way, and how He had made Himself known to them in the breaking of bread, they were met, as Luke relates, ere they had time to utter a word, with this wonderful piece of news, "The Lord is risen indeed, and hath appeared to Simon" (Luk 24:34).
Other points connected with this Gospel will be adverted to in the Commentary.
JFB: Luke (Outline)
ANNOUNCEMENT OF THE FORERUNNER. (Luke 1:5-25)
ANNUNCIATION OF CHRIST. (Luk 1:26-38)
VISIT OF MARY TO ELISABETH. (Luke 1:39-56)
BIRTH AND CIRCUMCISION...
- ANNOUNCEMENT OF THE FORERUNNER. (Luke 1:5-25)
- ANNUNCIATION OF CHRIST. (Luk 1:26-38)
- VISIT OF MARY TO ELISABETH. (Luke 1:39-56)
- BIRTH AND CIRCUMCISION OF JOHN--SONG OF ZACHARIAS AND PROGRESS OF THE CHILD. (Luke 1:57-80)
- BIRTH OF CHRIST. (Luk 2:1-7)
- ANGELIC ANNUNCIATION TO THE SHEPHERDS--THEIR VISIT TO THE NEWBORN BABE. (Luk 2:8-20)
- PURIFICATION OF THE VIRGIN--PRESENTATION OF THE BABE IN THE TEMPLE-SCENE THERE WITH SIMEON AND ANNA. (Luke 2:22-40)
- FIRST CONSCIOUS VISIT TO JERUSALEM. (Luk 2:41-52)
- PREACHING, BAPTISM, AND IMPRISONMENT OF JOHN. (Luke 3:1-20) Here the curtain of the New Testament is, as it were, drawn up, and the greatest of all epochs of the Church commences. Even our Lord's own age (Luk 3:23) is determined by it [BENGEL]. No such elaborate chronological precision is to be found elsewhere in the New Testament, and it comes fitly from him who claims it as the peculiar recommendation of his Gospel, that he had "accurately traced down all things from the first" (Luk 1:3). Here, evidently, commences his proper narrative. Also see on Mat 3:1.
- BAPTISM OF AND DESCENT OF THE SPIRIT UPON JESUS. (Luk 3:21-22)
- GENEALOGY OF JESUS. (Luke 3:23-38)
- JESUS ENTERING ON HIS PUBLIC MINISTRY, MAKES A CIRCUIT OF GALILEE--REJECTION AT NAZARETH. (Luke 4:14-32)
- DEMONIAC HEALED. (Luk 4:33-37)
- PETER'S MOTHER-IN-LAW AND MANY OTHERS, HEALED. (Luk 4:38-41)
- JESUS SOUGHT OUT AT MORNING PRAYER, AND ENTREATED TO STAY, DECLINES FROM THE URGENCY OF HIS WORK. (Luk 4:42-44)
- MIRACULOUS DRAUGHT OF FISHES--CALL OF PETER, JAMES, AND JOHN. (Luk 5:1-11)
- LEPER HEALED. (Luk 5:12-16)
- PARALYTIC HEALED. (Luk 5:17-26)
- LEVI'S CALL AND FEAST. (Luk 5:27-32)
- PLUCKING CORN-EARS ON THE SABBATH. (Luk 6:1-5)
- WITHERED HAND HEALED. (Luk 6:6-11)
- THE TWELVE APOSTLES CHOSEN--GATHERING MULTITUDES--GLORIOUS HEALING. (Luke 6:12-49)
- CENTURION'S SERVANT HEALED. (Luk 7:1-10)
- WIDOW OF NAIN'S SON RAISED TO LIFE. (In Luke only). (Luk 7:11-17)
- THE BAPTIST'S MESSAGE THE REPLY, AND CONSEQUENT DISCOURSE. (Luke 7:18-35)
- CHRIST'S FEET WASHED WITH TEARS. (Luk 7:36-50)
- A GALILEAN CIRCUIT, WITH THE TWELVE AND CERTAIN MINISTERING WOMEN. (In Luke only). (Luk 8:1-3)
- PARABLE OF THE SOWER. (Luk 8:4-18)
- JESUS CROSSING THE LAKE, STILLS THE STORM. (Luk 8:22-25)
- JAIRUS' DAUGHTER RAISED AND ISSUE OF BLOOD HEALED. (Luke 8:40-56)
- MISSION OF THE TWELVE APOSTLES. (Luk 9:1-6)
- HEROD TROUBLED AT WHAT HE HEARS OF CHRIST DESIRES TO SEE HIM. (Luk 9:7-9)
- PETER'S CONFESSION OF CHRIST--OUR LORD'S FIRST EXPLICIT ANNOUNCEMENT OF HIS APPROACHING DEATH, AND WARNINGS ARISING OUT OF IT. (Luk 9:18-27)
- JESUS TRANSFIGURED. (Luk 9:28-36)
- DEMONIAC AND LUNATIC BOY HEALED--CHRIST'S SECOND EXPLICIT ANNOUNCEMENT OF HIS DEATH AND RESURRECTION. (Luk 9:37-45)
- STRIFE AMONG THE TWELVE WHO SHOULD BE GREATEST--JOHN REBUKED FOR EXCLUSIVENESS. (Luk 9:46-48) (See on Mat 18:1-5).
- THE PERIOD OF HIS ASSUMPTION APPROACHING CHRIST TAKES HIS LAST LEAVE OF GALILEE--THE SAMARITANS REFUSE TO RECEIVE HIM. (Luk 9:51-56)
- INCIDENTS ILLUSTRATIVE OF DISCIPLESHIP. (Luk 9:57-62)
- MISSION OF THE SEVENTY DISCIPLES, AND THEIR RETURN. (Luke 10:1-24)
- QUESTION OF A LAWYER AND PARABLE OF THE GOOD SAMARITAN. (Luk 10:25-37)
- MARTHA AND MARY. (Luk 10:38-42)
- THE DISCIPLES TAUGHT TO PRAY. (Luk 11:1-13)
- BLIND AND DUMB DEMONIAC HEALED--CHARGE OF BEING IN LEAGUE WITH HELL, AND REPLY--DEMAND OF A SIGN, AND REPLY. (Luke 11:14-36)
- DENUNCIATION OF THE PHARISEES. (Luke 11:37-54)
- WARNING AGAINST HYPOCRISY. (Luk 12:1-12)
- COVETOUSNESS--WATCHFULNESS--SUPERIORITY TO EARTHLY TIES. (Luke 12:13-53)
- NOT DISCERNING THE SIGNS OF THE TIME. (Luk 12:54-59)
- THE LESSON, "REPENT OR PERISH," SUGGESTED BY TWO RECENT INCIDENTS, AND ILLUSTRATED BY THE PARABLE OF THE BARREN FIG TREE. (Luk 13:1-9)
- WOMAN OF EIGHTEEN YEAR'S INFIRMITY HEALED ON THE SABBATH. (Luk 13:10-17)
- MISCELLANEOUS TEACHINGS. (Luk 13:18-30)
- MESSAGE TO HEROD. (Luk 13:31-35)
- HEALING OF A DROPSICAL MAN, AND MANIFOLD TEACHINGS AT A SABBATH FEAST. (Luke 14:1-24)
- ADDRESS TO GREAT MULTITUDES TRAVELLING WITH HIM. (Luk 14:25-35)
- PUBLICANS AND SINNERS WELCOMED BY CHRIST--THREE PARABLES TO EXPLAIN THIS. (Luke 15:1-32)
- I. THE LOST SHEEP. (Luk 15:3-7) Occurring again (Mat 18:12-14); but there to show how precious one of His sheep is to the Good Shepherd; here, to show that the shepherd, though the sheep stray never so widely, will seek it out, and when he hath found, will rejoice over it.
- II. THE LOST COIN. (Luk 15:8-10)
- III. THE PRODIGAL SON. (Luke 15:11-32)
- PARABLES OF THE UNJUST STEWARD AND OF THE RICH MAN AND LAZARUS, OR, THE RIGHT USE OF MONEY. (Luke 16:1-31)
- OFFENSES--FAITH--HUMILITY. (Luk 17:1-10) (See Mat 18:6-7).
- TEN LEPERS CLEANSED. (Luk 17:11-19)
- COMING OF THE KINGDOM OF GOD AND OF THE SON OF MAN. (Luke 17:20-37)
- PARABLE OF THE IMPORTUNATE WIDOW. (Luk 18:1-8)
- PARABLE OF THE PHARISEE AND THE PUBLICAN. (Luk 18:9-14)
- LITTLE CHILDREN BROUGHT TO CHRIST. (Luk 18:15-17)
- THE RICH YOUNG RULER AND DISCOURSE THEREON. (Luk 18:18-30)
- FULLER ANNOUNCEMENT OF HIS APPROACHING DEATH AND RESURRECTION. (Luk 18:31-34)
- BLIND MAN HEALED. (Luk 18:35-43)
- ZACCHEUS THE PUBLICAN. (Luk 19:1-10)
- PARABLE OF THE POUNDS. (Luke 19:11-27)
- SECOND CLEANSING OF THE TEMPLE AND SUBSEQUENT TEACHING. (Luk 19:45-48) As the first cleansing was on His first visit to Jerusalem (Joh 2:13-22), so this second cleansing was on His last.
- THE AUTHORITY OF JESUS QUESTIONED, AND HIS REPLY--PARABLE OF THE WICKED HUSBANDMEN. (Luke 20:1-19)
- ENTANGLING QUESTIONS ABOUT TRIBUTE AND THE RESURRECTION--THE REPLIES. (Luke 20:20-40)
- CHRIST BAFFLES THE PHARISEES BY A QUESTION ABOUT DAVID AND MESSIAH, AND DENOUNCES THE SCRIBES. (Luk 20:41-47)
- THE WIDOW'S TWO MITES. (Luk 21:1-4)
- CHRIST'S PROPHECY OF THE DESTRUCTION OF JERUSALEM AND WARNINGS TO PREPARE FOR HIS SECOND COMING, SUGGESTED BY IT--HIS DAYS AND NIGHTS DURING HIS LAST WEEK. (Luke 21:5-38) (See on Mat 24:1-3.)
- CONSPIRACY OF THE JEWISH AUTHORITIES TO PUT JESUS TO DEATH--COMPACT WITH JUDAS. (Luk 22:1-6) (See on Mat 26:1-5.)
- LAST PASSOVER--INSTITUTION OF THE SUPPER--DISCOURSE AT THE TABLE. (Luke 22:7-38)
- AGONY IN THE GARDEN. (Luk 22:39-46)
- JESUS BEFORE CAIAPHAS--FALL OF PETER. (Luk 22:55-62)
- JESUS BEFORE HEROD. (Luk 23:6-12)
- JESUS AGAIN BEFORE PILATE--DELIVERED UP--LED AWAY TO BE CRUCIFIED. (Luke 23:13-38)
- THE TWO THIEVES. (Luk 23:39-43)
- ANGELIC ANNOUNCEMENT TO THE WOMEN THAT CHRIST IS RISEN--PETER'S VISIT TO THE EMPTY SEPULCHRE. (Luk 24:1-12)
- CHRIST APPEARS TO THE TWO GOING TO EMMAUS. (Luke 24:13-35)
- JESUS APPEARS TO THE ASSEMBLED DISCIPLES--HIS ASCENSION. (Luke 24:36-53)
TSK: Luke (Book Introduction) Luke, to whom this Gospel has been uniformly attributed from the earliest ages of the Christian church, is generally allowed to have been " the belove...
Luke, to whom this Gospel has been uniformly attributed from the earliest ages of the Christian church, is generally allowed to have been " the beloved physician" mentioned by Paul (Col 4:14); and as he was the companion of that apostle, in all his labours and sufferings, for many years (Act 16:12; Act 20:1-6; Act 27:1, Act 27:2; Act 28:13-16. 2Ti 4:11. Phm 1:24), and wrote " the Acts of the Apostles," which conclude with a brief account of Paul’s imprisonment at Rome, we may be assured that he had the Apostle’s sanction to what he did; and probably this Gospel was written some time before that event, about ad 63 or 64, as is generally supposed. He would appear, from Col 4:10, Col 4:11, and his intimate acquaintance with the Greek language, as well as from his Greek name
TSK: Luke 22 (Chapter Introduction) Overview
Luk 22:1, The Jews conspire against Christ; Luk 22:3, Satan prepares Judas to betray him; Luk 22:7, The apostles prepare the passover; Lu...
Overview
Luk 22:1, The Jews conspire against Christ; Luk 22:3, Satan prepares Judas to betray him; Luk 22:7, The apostles prepare the passover; Luk 22:19, Christ institutes his holy supper; Luk 22:21, covertly foretells of the traitor; Luk 22:24, rebukes the rest of his apostles from ambition; Luk 22:31, assures Peter his faith should not fail; Luk 22:34, and yet he should deny him thrice; Luk 22:39, He prays in the mount, and sweats blood; Luk 22:47, is betrayed with a kiss; Luk 22:50, he heals Malchus’ ear; Luk 22:54, he is thrice denied of Peter; Luk 22:63, shamefully abused; Luk 22:66, and confesses himself to be the Son of God.
Poole: Luke 22 (Chapter Introduction) CHAPTER 22
CHAPTER 22
MHCC: Luke (Book Introduction) This evangelist is generally supposed to have been a physician, and a companion of the apostle Paul. The style of his writings, and his acquaintance w...
This evangelist is generally supposed to have been a physician, and a companion of the apostle Paul. The style of his writings, and his acquaintance with the Jewish rites and usages, sufficiently show that he was a Jew, while his knowledge of the Greek language and his name, speak his Gentile origin. He is first mentioned Act 16:10, Act 16:11, as with Paul at Troas, whence he attended him to Jerusalem, and was with him in his voyage, and in his imprisonment at Rome. This Gospel appears to be designed to supersede many defective and unauthentic narratives in circulation, and to give a genuine and inspired account of the life, miracles, and doctrines of our Lord, learned from those who heard and witnessed his discourses and miracles.
MHCC: Luke 22 (Chapter Introduction) (Luk 22:1-6) The treachery of Judas.
(Luk 22:7-18) The passover.
(Luk 22:19, Luk 22:20) The Lord's supper instituted.
(v. 21-38) Christ admonishes ...
(Luk 22:1-6) The treachery of Judas.
(Luk 22:7-18) The passover.
(Luk 22:19, Luk 22:20) The Lord's supper instituted.
(v. 21-38) Christ admonishes the disciples.
(Luk 22:39-46) Christ's agony in the garden.
(Luk 22:47-53) Christ betrayed.
(Luk 22:54-62) The fall of Peter.
(Luk 22:63-71) Christ confesses himself to be the Son of God.
Matthew Henry: Luke (Book Introduction) An Exposition, with Practical Observations, of The Gospel According to St. Luke
We are now entering into the labours of another evangelist; his name ...
An Exposition, with Practical Observations, of The Gospel According to St. Luke
We are now entering into the labours of another evangelist; his name Luke, which some take to be a contraction of Lucilius; born at Antioch, so St. Jerome. Some think that he was the only one of all the penmen of the scripture that was not of the seed of Israel. He was a Jewish proselyte, and, as some conjecture, converted to Christianity by the ministry of St. Paul at Antioch; and after his coming into Macedonia (Act 16:10) he was his constant companion. He had employed himself in the study and practice of physic; hence, Paul calls him Luke the beloved Physician, Col 4:14. Some of the pretended ancients tell you that he was a painter, and drew a picture of the virgin Mary. But Dr. Whitby thinks that there is nothing certain to the contrary, and that therefore it is probable that he was one of the seventy disciples, and a follower of Christ when he was here upon earth; and, if so, he was a native Israelite. I see not what can be objected against this, except some uncertain traditions of the ancients, which we can build nothing upon, and against which may be opposed the testimonies of Origen and Epiphanius, who both say that he was one of the seventy disciples. He is supposed to have written this gospel when he was associated with St. Paul in his travels, and by direction from him: and some think that this is the brother whom Paul speaks of (2Co 8:18), whose praise is in the gospel throughout all the churches of Christ; as if the meaning of it were, that he was celebrated in all the churches for writing this gospel; and that St. Paul means this when he speaks sometimes of his gospel, as Rom 2:16. But there is no ground at all for this. Dr. Cave observes that his way and manner of writing are accurate and exact, his style polite and elegant, sublime and lofty, yet perspicuous; and that he expresses himself in a vein of purer Greek than is to be found in the other writers of the holy story. Thus he relates divers things more copiously than the other evangelists; and thus he especially treats of those things which relate to the priestly office of Christ. It is uncertain when, or about what time, this gospel was written. Some think that it was written in Achaia, during his travels with Paul, seventeen years (twenty-two years, say others) after Christ's ascension; others, that it was written at Rome, a little before he wrote his history of the Acts of the Apostles (which is a continuation of this), when he was there with Paul, while he was a prisoner, and preaching in his own hired house, with which the history of the Acts concludes; and then Paul saith that only Luke was with him, 2Ti 4:11. When he was under that voluntary confinement with Paul, he had leisure to compile these two histories (and many excellent writings the church has been indebted to a prison for): if so, it was written about twenty-seven years after Christ's ascension, and about the fourth year of Nero. Jerome says, He died when he was eighty-four years of age, and was never married. Some write that he suffered martyrdom; but, if he did, where and when is uncertain. Nor indeed is there much more credit to be given to the Christian traditions concerning the writers of the New Testament than to the Jewish traditions concerning those of the Old Testament.
Matthew Henry: Luke 22 (Chapter Introduction) All the evangelists, whatever they omit, give us a particular account of the death and resurrection of Christ, because he died for our sins and ros...
All the evangelists, whatever they omit, give us a particular account of the death and resurrection of Christ, because he died for our sins and rose for our justification, this evangelist as fully as any, and with many circumstances and passages added which we had not before. In this chapter we have, I. The plot to take Jesus, and Judas's coming into it (Luk 22:1-6). II. Christ's eating the passover with his disciples (Luk 22:7-18). III. The instituting of the Lord's supper (Luk 22:19, Luk 22:20). IV. Christ's discourse with his disciples after supper, upon several heads (v. 21-38). V. His agony in the garden (Luk 22:39-46). VI. The apprehending of him, by the assistance of Judas (Luk 22:47-53). VII. Peter's denying him (Luk 22:54-62). VIII. The indignities done to Christ by those that had him in custody, and his trial and condemnation in the ecclesiastical court (Luk 22:63-71).
Barclay: Luke (Book Introduction) INTRODUCTION TO THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO SAINT LUKE A Lovely Book And Its Author The gospel according to St. Luke has been called the loveliest book ...
INTRODUCTION TO THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO SAINT LUKE
A Lovely Book And Its Author
The gospel according to St. Luke has been called the loveliest book in the world. When once an American asked him if he could recommend a good life of Christ, Denney answered, "Have you tried the one that Luke wrote?" There is a legend that Luke was a skilled painter; there is even a painting of Mary in a Spanish cathedral to this day which purports to be by him. Certainly he had an eye for vivid things. It would not be far wrong to say that the third gospel is the best life of Christ ever written. Tradition has always believed that Luke was the author and we need have no qualms in accepting that tradition. In the ancient world it was the regular thing to attach books to famous names; no one thought it wrong. But Luke was never one of the famous figures of the early Church. If he had not written the gospel no one would have attached it to his name.
Luke was a gentile; and he has the unique distinction of being the only New Testament writer who was not a Jew. He was a doctor by profession (Col_4:14 ) and maybe that very fact gave him the wide sympathy he possessed. It has been said that a minister sees men at their best; a lawyer sees men at their worst; and a doctor sees men as they are. Luke saw men and loved them all.
The book was written to a man called Theophilus. He is called most excellent Theophilus and the title given him is the normal title for a high official in the Roman government. No doubt Luke wrote it to tell an earnest inquirer more about Jesus; and he succeeded in giving Theophilus a picture which must have thrilled his heart closer to the Jesus of whom he had heard.
The Symbols Of The Gospels
Every one of the four gospels was written from a certain point of view. Very often on stained glass windows the writers of the gospels are pictured; and usually to each there is attached a symbol. The symbols vary but one of the commonest allocations is this.
The emblem of Mark is a man. Mark is the simplest and most straightforward of the gospels. It has been well said that its characteristic is realism. It is the nearest to being a report of Jesusife.
The emblem of Matthew is a lion. Matthew was a Jew writing for Jews and he saw in Jesus the Messiah, the lion of the tribe of Judah, the one whom all the prophets had predicted.
The emblem of John is the eagle. The eagle can fly higher than any other bird. It is said that of all creatures only the eagle can look straight into the sun. John is the theological gospel; its flights of thought are higher than those of any of the others. It is the gospel where the philosopher can find themes to think about for a lifetime and to solve only in eternity.
The symbol of Luke is the calf The calf is the animal for sacrifice; and Luke saw in Jesus the sacrifice for all the world. In Luke above all, the barriers are broken down and Jesus is for Jew and gentile, saint and sinner alike. He is the saviour of the world. Keeping that in mind, let us now set down the characteristics of this gospel.
An HistorianCare
First and foremost, Lukegospel is an exceedingly careful bit of work. His Greek is notably good. The first four verses are well-nigh the best Greek in the New Testament. In them he claims that his work is the product of the most careful research. His opportunities were ample and his sources must have been good. As the trusted companion of Paul he must have known all the great figures of the church, and we may be sure that he had them tell their stories to him. For two years he was Paulcompanion in imprisonment in Caesarea. In those long days he had every opportunity for study and research and he must have used them well.
An example of Lukecare is the way in which he dates the emergence of John the Baptist. He does so by no fewer than six contemporary datings. "In the fifteenth year of the reign of Tiberius Caesar (1), Pontius Pilate being governor of Judaea (2), Herod being tetrarch of Galilee (3), and his brother Philip being tetrarch of the region of Ituraea and Trachonitis (4), and Lysanias tetrarch of Abilene (5) in the high priesthood of Annas and Caiaphas (6), the word of God came to John" (Luk_3:1-2 ). Here is a man who is writing with care and who will be as accurate as it is possible for him to be.
The Gospel For The Gentiles
It is clear that Luke wrote mainly for gentiles. Theophilus was a gentile, as was Luke himself, and there is nothing in the gospel that a gentile could not grasp and understand. (a) As we have seen, Luke begins his dating from the reigning Roman emperor and the current Roman governor. The Roman date comes first. (b) Unlike Matthew, he is not greatly interested in the life of Jesus as the fulfilment of Jewish prophecy. (c) He very seldom quotes the Old Testament at all. (d) He has a habit of giving Hebrew words in their Greek equivalent so that a Greek would understand. Simon the Cananaean becomes Simon the Zealot. (compare Luk_6:15 and Mat_10:4 ). Calvary is called not by its Hebrew name, Golgotha (compare H1538 and H1556), but by its Greek name, Kranion (G2898). Both mean the place of a skull. He never uses the Jewish term Rabbi (H7227) of Jesus but always a Greek word meaning Master. When he is tracing the descent of Jesus, he traces it not to Abraham, the founder of the Jewish race, as Matthew does, but to Adam, the founder of the human race. (compare Mat_1:2 and Luk_3:38 ).
Because of this Luke is the easiest of all the gospels to read. He was writing, not for Jews, but for people very like ourselves.
The Gospel Of Prayer
Lukegospel is specially the gospel of prayer. At all the great moments of his life, Luke shows us Jesus at prayer. He prayed at his baptism (Luk_3:21 ); before his first collision with the Pharisees (Luk_5:16 ); before he chose the Twelve (Luk_6:12 ); before he questioned his disciples as to who they thought he was; before his first prediction of his own death (Luk_9:18 ); at the Transfiguration (Luk_9:29 ); and upon the Cross (Luk_23:46 ). Only Luke tells us that Jesus prayed for Peter in his hour of testing (Luk_22:32 ). Only he tells us the prayer parables of the Friend at Midnight (Luk_11:5-13 ) and the Unjust Judge (Luk_18:1-8 ). To Luke the unclosed door of prayer was one of the most precious in all the world.
The Gospel Of Women
In Palestine the place of women was low. In the Jewish morning prayer a man thanks God that he has not made him "a gentile, a slave or a woman." But Luke gives a very special place to women. The birth narrative is told from Marypoint of view. It is in Luke that we read of Elizabeth, of Anna, of the widow at Nain, of the woman who anointed Jesuseet in the house of Simon the Pharisee. It is Luke who makes vivid the pictures of Martha and Mary and of Mary Magdalene. It is very likely that Luke was a native of Macedonia where women held a more emancipated position than anywhere else; and that may have something to do with it.
The Gospel Of Praise
In Luke the phrase "praising God" occurs oftener than in all the rest of the New Testament put together. This praise reaches its peak in the three great hymns that the church has sung throughout all her generations--the Magnificat (Luk_1:46-55 ); the Benediclus (Luk_1:68-79 ); and the Nunc Dimittis (Luk_2:29-32 ). There is a radiance in Lukegospel which is a lovely thing, as if the sheen of heaven had touched the things of earth.
The Universal Gospel
But the outstanding characteristic of Luke is that it is the universal gospel. All the barriers are down; Jesus Christ is for all men without distinction.
(a) The kingdom of heaven is not shut to the Samaritans (Luk_9:51-56 ). Luke alone tells the parable of the Good Samaritan (Luk_10:30-37 ). The one grateful leper is a Samaritan (Luk_17:11-19 ). John can record a saying that the Jews have no dealings with the Samaritans (Joh_4:9 ). But Luke refuses to shut the door on any man.
(b) Luke shows Jesus speaking with approval of gentiles whom the orthodox Jew would have considered unclean. He shows us Jesus citing the widow of Zarephath and Naaman the Syrian as shining examples (Luk_4:25-27 ). The Roman centurion is praised for the greatness of his faith (Luk_7:9 ). Luke tells us of that great word of Jesus, "Men will come from east and west, and from north and south, and sit at the table in the kingdom of God" (Luk_13:29 ).
(c) Luke is supremely interested in the poor. When Mary brings the offering for her purification it is the offering of the poor (Luk_2:24 ). When Jesus is, as it were, setting out his credentials to the emissaries of John, the climax is, "The poor have good news preached to them" (Luk_7:22 ). He alone tells the parable of the Rich Man and the Poor Man (Luk_16:19-31 ). In Lukeaccount of the Beatitudes the saying of Jesus runs, not, as in Matthew (Mat_5:3 ), "Blessed are the poor in spirit," but simply, "Blessed are you poor" (Luk_6:20 ). Lukegospel has been called "the gospel of the underdog." His heart runs out to everyone for whom life is an unequal struggle.
(d) Above all Luke shows Jesus as the friend of outcasts and sinners. He alone tells of the woman who anointed Jesuseet and bathed them with her tears and wiped them with her hair in the house of Simon the Pharisee (Luk_7:36-50 ); of Zacchaeus, the quisling tax-gatherer (Luk_19:1-10 ); of the Penitent Thief (Luk_23:43 ); and he alone has the immortal story of the prodigal son and the loving father (Luk_15:11-32 ). When Matthew tells how Jesus sent his disciples out to preach, he says that Jesus told them not to go to the Samaritans or the gentiles (Mat_10:5 ); but Luke omits that altogether. All four gospel writers quote from Isa 40 when they give the message of John the Baptist, "Prepare the way of the Lord; make straight in the desert a highway for our God"; but only Luke continues the quotation to its triumphant conclusion, "And all flesh shall see the salvation of God" (Isa_40:3-5 ; Mat_3:3 ; Mar_1:3 ; Joh_1:23 ; Luk_3:4 , Luk_3:6 ). Luke of all the gospel writers sees no limits to the love of God.
The Book Beautiful
As we study this book we must look for these characteristics. Somehow of all the gospel writers one would have liked to meet Luke best of all, for this gentile doctor with the tremendous vision of the infinite sweep of the love of God must have been a lovely soul. Faber wrote the lines,
Therea wideness in Godmercy,
Like the wideness of the sea;
Therea kindness in his justice,
Which is more than liberty.
For the love of God is broader
Than the measures of manmind;
And the heart of the Eternal
Is most wonderfully kind.
Lukegospel is the demonstration that this is true.
Barclay: Luke 22 (Chapter Introduction) And Satan Entered Into Judas (Luk_22:1-6) The Last Meal Together (Luk_22:7-23) Strife Among The Disciples Of Christ (Luk_22:24-30) Peter's Tragedy...
And Satan Entered Into Judas (Luk_22:1-6)
The Last Meal Together (Luk_22:7-23)
Strife Among The Disciples Of Christ (Luk_22:24-30)
Peter's Tragedy (Luk_22:31-38; Luk_22:54-62)
Thy Will Be Done (Luk_22:39-46)
The Traitor's Kiss (Luk_22:47-53)
Mocking And Scourging And Trial (Luk_22:63-71)
Constable: Luke (Book Introduction) Introduction
Writer
Several factors indicate that the writer of this Gospel was the sa...
Introduction
Writer
Several factors indicate that the writer of this Gospel was the same person who wrote the Book of Acts. First, a man named Theophilus was the recipient of both books (Luke 1:3; Acts 1:1). Second, Acts refers to a previous work by the same writer. Third, both books have several common themes some of which do not receive the same emphasis elsewhere in the New Testament. Fourth, there are general structural and stylistic similarities including the use of chiasms and the tendency to focus on specific individuals.
The writer also acquired his knowledge of Jesus' life and ministry from research rather than from eyewitness observations (Luke 1:1-4). Therefore he was not one of the disciples who travelled with Jesus.
The early church identified the writer as Luke. The heretic Marcion is the earliest witness we have to Luke's authorship (c. 135 A.D.). The Muratorian Canon (c. 180 A.D.) mentioned Luke as the writer too. It described him as the physician who accompanied Paul on his journey (cf. Acts 16:10-17; 20:5-15; 21:1-18; 27:1-28:16; Col. 4:14; Phile. 24; 2 Tim. 4:11). Irenaeus (c. 180-185 A.D.) also believed Luke wrote this Gospel and called him the "inseparable" companion of Paul.1 Later church fathers referred to Luke as the writer of this Gospel. Luke was evidently a Gentile (cf. Col. 4:10-14).2 Church tradition identified Antioch of Syria as Luke's hometown, but this is impossible to validate.
Distinctive Features
The main doctrines of systematic theology that Luke stressed were Christology, soteriology, pneumatology, and eschatology. There is much emphasis on the glory of God, prayer, miracles, the divine plan that Jesus fulfilled, Israel, believing, discipleship, forgiveness, and God's Word.3
Luke stressed Jesus' concern for all people, especially for individuals that society of His day despised such as the poor, women, children, and "sinners." He used the Greek term nomikos, which means "lawyer," rather than the Hebrew term grammateus, meaning "scribe." He emphasized Jesus' practical teachings, such as what He taught about money (cf. chs. 12 and 16).
"In terms of its worldview, its theology, and its practical presentation of principles, this Gospel explains how we can serve God better."4
Luke showed interest in purpose, fulfillment, and accomplishment. He documented the joy that resulted from Jesus' saving and healing works. He stressed Jesus' call for people to become His disciples. He portrayed Jesus as dependent on the Holy Spirit and on the Father through prayer. Finally, Luke recorded many examples of Jesus' power.
"Luke's Gospel gives a reader a more comprehensive grasp of the history of the period than the other Gospels. He presented more facts about the earthly life of Jesus than did Matthew, Mark, or John."5
This is the longest book in the New Testament. Together with Acts it comprises about 27% of the Greek New Testament.6 Luke is the longest book in the New Testament, Matthew is second, and Acts is third, but only slightly shorter than Matthew.
Purposes
The Gospel of Luke is one of the books of the Bible that states the purpose of the writer. Luke said that he wrote to inform Theophilus about the truthfulness of the gospel that he had heard (1:4). In Acts, Luke said he had written previously about the things that Jesus began to do and teach before His ascension (Acts 1:1-2). He then proceeded to record the things Jesus continued to do and teach after His ascension through His apostles in Acts. Presumably Luke wrote both his Gospel and Acts with a larger audience than just Theophilus in view.
The distinctive emphases of the Gospel help us to identify secondary purposes. Luke demonstrated a zeal to convince his readers of the reliability of the facts that he recorded so they would believe in Jesus and become Christians. This concern is also clear in Acts.7 Obviously he wrote to preserve the record of events that happened during Jesus' earthly ministry, but few ancient writers wrote simply to narrate a chronicle of events.8 They wrote to convince their readers of something, and they used history to do that. Notwithstanding historical accuracy was important to them.9 We believe that Luke's Gospel is an accurate continuation of biblical history that God preserved in Scripture. This Gospel constitutes an apologetic for Christianity that would have been of special interest to Greeks because of Luke's selection of material, vocabulary, and style.10
Original Audience
Evidently Theophilus was a real person.11 His name is Greek and means "friend of God." He appears to have been a fairly recent convert to Christianity from Greek paganism. Consequently it appears that Luke wrote for people such as Theophilus originally. Before his conversion, Theophilus may have been one of the Gentile God-fearers to which Luke referred several times in Acts. The God-fearers were Gentiles who had a certain respect for and who wanted to learn more about the God of the Jews. They came to the Jewish synagogues and listened to the Jewish Scriptures read there. Luke's orientation of his Gospel to the secular world and his references to Judaism also suggest that he wrote his Gospel with these people in mind. His use of the Septuagint version and his interest in the God-fearers suggest this too. The God-fearers had turned from Greek polytheism to Jewish monotheism, but many of them were not familiar with Palestinian geography and culture. Luke clarified these matters for his readers when necessary. The God-fearers were the Gentiles whom Paul found to be the most receptive soil for the gospel seed. Luke himself may have been one of this group, though there is no way to prove or to disprove that possibility.
"[Luke] writes to reassure the Christians of his day that their faith in Jesus is no aberration, but the authentic goal towards which God's ancient dealings with Israel were driving."12
By the first century most of the pagan Greeks had stopped believing in the gods and goddesses of their mythology and had abandoned fatalism. Many of them were following Eastern "mystery" religions that competed with Christianity for their allegiance. Both beliefs offered saviors, but the Savior of Christianity was a personal resurrected Lord whereas the savior of the mystery religions was impersonal and ideal. Luke evidently wrote to persuade these people to believe in Jesus and to give them a solid factual basis for their faith.
"That he wrote for an urban church community in the Hellenistic world is fairly certain."13
Literary Characteristics
Experts in Greek literary styles acknowledge Luke's style and structure as superb.14 No one knows Luke's educational background, but clearly he had training in Greek composition as well as medicine and a talent for writing. Luke used many words that the other Gospel writers did not, and many of them show a wide literary background. He also used several medical and theological terms that are unique. Luke's use of Semiticisms shows that he knew the Hebrew Old Testament well. However, his preference for the Septuagint suggests that it was the version his readers used most. Probably Luke was a Gentile who had much exposure to Semitic idioms from Paul and other Jews. He was a skillful enough writer to use chiasms as a major structural device.15 Chiasms were both Jewish and Greek literary devices that gave unity to a composition or section of text. Acts also contains them. Luke also repeated similar stories with variations (cf. 1:80; 2:40; 2:52). This literary device aids learning while giving additional new insights. He also tended to use a particular term frequently in one or more passages and then rarely or never after that. This makes the term stand out and calls attention to it where it occurs.16
Date
Practically all scholars believe that Luke wrote his Gospel before he wrote Acts. Many conservative scholars hold that he wrote Acts during Paul's first Roman imprisonment during which the book ends (60-62 A.D.). Luke accompanied Paul during much of that apostle's missionary ministry. At times Luke was not with Paul, but he was ministering as Paul's representative in one or another of the churches that Paul had founded. Evidently Paul was Luke's primary source of information for his Gospel and Acts as Peter was Mark's primary source for the second Gospel. Luke may have written his Gospel during Paul's first imprisonment in Rome along with Acts. However, it seems more likely in view of how Luke introduced these two books that he wrote the Gospel sometime earlier than Acts. Luke had the most time to write this Gospel during Paul's Caesarean imprisonment (57-59 A.D., cf. Acts 24:1-26:32). This seems to me to be the most probable date of writing.17
Message18
The first Gospel presented Jesus as the King. The second Gospel presented Him as the Servant. The third Gospel presents Him as the perfect Man. Matthew wrote to Jews about their King. Mark wrote to Romans about a Servant. Luke wrote to Greeks about the ideal Man. The title "Messiah" is most fitting for Jesus in Matthew. The title "Suffering Servant" is most appropriate in Mark. "Son of Man" is the title most characteristic of Luke's presentation of Jesus.
Luke stressed the saving work of Jesus in His Gospel. He presented Jesus as the Savior of mankind. He also proclaimed Jesus' work of providing salvation for mankind. Let us consider first the Savior that Luke presents and then the salvation that the Savior came to provide.
Luke presented Jesus as the Savior in three different relationships. He presented Him as the first-born of a new race. Second, He presented Him as the older brother in a new family. Third, He presented Him as the redeemer of a lost humanity.
Let us consider first Luke's concept of Jesus as the first-born of a new race. Luke's genealogy reveals how the writer wanted the reader to regard Jesus. Matthew traced Jesus' lineage back to David and Abraham in his genealogy to show His right to rule as Israel's Messiah. Luke traced Jesus' ancestry back to Adam. He did this to show Jesus' humanity.
However, Luke went back even farther than that to God. This indicates that Jesus was not just like other humans who descended from Adam. He was, as the Apostle Paul called Him, the "Last Adam." The first Adam that God placed on this earth failed and plunged his race into sin and death. The last Adam that God placed on the earth did not fail but saved His race from sin and brought it new life. The first man begins the Old Testament, but the "Second Man," to use another Pauline title, begins the New Testament. As Adam headed one race, so Jesus heads a new race. Both Adams were real men. Thus both men head real races of mankind. Luke viewed Jesus as succeeding where Adam failed, as atoning for Adam's transgression.
For Jesus to undue the consequences of Adam's fall, He had to be more than just a good man. He had to be a perfect man, a sinless man. Therefore Luke stressed Jesus' sinlessness. He did this primarily in his account of Jesus' birth. Luke stressed the virgin conception of Jesus. The Holy Spirit, not a sinful human, fathered Jesus. God regards the male as responsible in the human family. Husbands are responsible for their wives. Fathers are responsible for their children. God held Adam, not Eve, responsible for his descendants.
Human beings are sinners for three separate reasons. First, we are sinners because we commit acts of sin. However even if we never committed one act of sin we would still be sinners because we, second, inherited a sinful human nature. This nature apparently comes through our fathers (cf. Heb. 7:9-10).19 Third, we are sinners because God has imputed the guilt of Adam's sin to us because he is the head of the race to which we belong.
Jesus was not a sinner. He did not commit any acts of sin. Second, He did not inherit a sinful nature from His human father because God was His real Father. Third, God did not impute Adam's sin to Jesus because Jesus was the direct descendant of God and therefore the head of a new race. God gave the first Adam life by breathing the breath of life into the body that He had created. Likewise God gave the second Adam life by implanting His divine life into a body that He had created, namely Mary's body.
The doctrine of the virgin birth is extremely important because it establishes the sinlessness of Jesus in two of the three ways whereby people become sinners. If a virgin did not conceive Jesus, then He was a sinner. If Jesus was a sinner, then He cannot be the Savior.
The third way a person becomes a sinner is by committing acts of sin. Luke showed that Jesus did not do this in his account of Jesus' temptations.
In the wilderness Satan subjected Jesus to the strongest temptations that humans face. Satan directed Jesus' three tests at the three areas of human personality that constitute the totality of human existence. These areas are doing (the lust of the flesh), having (the lust of the eyes), and being (the pride of life). These are the same three areas in which Satan attacked Eve.
The first man fell in a garden, an environment conducive to withstanding temptation. The Second Man overcame temptation in a wilderness, an environment conducive to yielding to temptation. Rather than showing at every turn in Jesus' life that He did not sin, Luke showed that in the supreme test of His life Jesus did not sin. However, he continued to note Jesus' conflict with Satan, demons, and sin throughout His life. Luke's record of these encounters also demonstrates Jesus' sinlessness.
At the Transfiguration, God declared His Son acceptable to Him. This meant that He was sinless.
Second, Luke presented Jesus as the older brother in a new family. Since Jesus was the head of a new race we might think that Luke would have presented Jesus as a father. Jesus was the first and therefore the source of all that follow in the race that He established. Nevertheless Luke stressed Jesus' likeness with those in the new race. He is as an elder brother to us who have new life through Him. This is not to deny His deity. In one sense Jesus is completely different from us since He is God. However, Luke stressed the sense in which He is like us, namely in His humanity. He is one of us, fully human.
Luke presented Jesus as a man among men. He of all the Gospel writers wanted his readers to appreciate the fact that Jesus was a real person. There are many small indications of this throughout this Gospel that I have tried to identify in the notes. Luke did this because he was evidently writing to Greeks. Greeks had a background in polytheism and mythology. Because of their cultural background they tended to think of gods as superhumans. They were not real people, but they had the characteristics of people expanded into superhuman proportions. Luke wanted his readers to realize that Jesus was not that type of god. He was fully human, but He was also sinless. He had superhuman powers, but He was not the type of superman that the Greeks imagined.
Jesus was a fellow human being albeit sinless. This is very hard for us to imagine. Therefore Luke put much in his Gospel that helps us understand Jesus, from His birth announcements to His ascension into heaven.
Third, Luke presented Jesus as the redeemer of a lost humanity. Since he was writing to Greeks, Luke did not identify many allusions to the Old Testament or to Jewish life and history. These allusions are in the text, but Luke did not draw attention to them. One of the outstanding concepts in Israelite life that Luke did not identify as such, but which overshadows his portrait of Jesus, is the kinsman redeemer. His presentation of Jesus fits the image of the Jewish kinsman redeemer remarkably.
The kinsman redeemer had to be the next of kin to the person he redeemed. Luke presented Jesus as qualifying as our redeemer in this respect. He was a man as we are. Therefore He could provide redemption for His needy brothers.
The kinsman redeemer also had to accept personal responsibility for those he purposed to save from their miserable estate. Luke presented Jesus as taking personal responsibility for lost sinners. He recorded Jesus saying that He had to go to the Cross. He viewed the salvation of mankind as something that He needed to accomplish because He had made a personal commitment to do so. That commitment began in heaven but continued on earth throughout Jesus' life.
The kinsman redeemer had to overcome those who opposed his brethren. Luke presented Jesus as conflicting with Satan and his hosts. He showed Him interceding for the Father's help for His tempted brethren, Peter in particular. Jesus won the victory over mankind's great enemy for His brethren.
The kinsman redeemer had to create an opportunity for his brother's redemption. Luke presented Jesus as doing this. Luke's distinctive presentation of Jerusalem as Jesus' city of destiny contributes to this theme. Jesus deliberately advanced toward Jerusalem and the Cross because He was creating an opportunity for mankind's redemption.
The kinsman redeemer turned his back on his personal rights and privileges to provide redemption for his brother. Luke presented Jesus doing this as well. Jesus modeled this strongly for His disciples in this Gospel. He also taught the importance of disciples doing this so we can bring salvation to our brothers.
These themes are very strong in Luke. Jesus is the head of an entirely new race of people, the redeemed. He is the elder brother who provides an example for His brethren to follow. He is the Savior who has come "to seek and to save the lost."
We have considered how Luke presents Jesus as the Savior. Now let us turn to what he revealed about salvation. The key verse in the Gospel is 19:10: "The Son of Man is come to seek and to save the lost." We have been looking at the Son of Man. Now let us look as seeking and saving the lost.
Luke reveals that the Son of Man has redeemed mankind. This Gospel is a record of God's redeeming work in Jesus Christ. Jesus' work on the Cross is the climax of this Gospel as it is the climax of all the Gospels and history itself. Jesus was born to die. By His death Jesus purchased mankind's freedom at the cost of His own life. Jesus instituted the Lord's Supper so His disciples would always keep the memory of the significance of His death freshly before them. The Christian mission is to tell the world about this redemption.
Through redemption God regenerates those who are dead in sin. This is the second step in God's plan of seeking and saving the lost. Believers receive new life when they believe on Jesus. Comprehending what this new life involves, learning how to live in view of its reality, and appreciating its great potential are all things that Luke stressed in this Gospel. Jesus' disciples struggled with learning this as we do. Luke recorded many of Jesus' teachings that are helpful in understanding and appreciating regeneration.
Through regeneration God brings believers into relationship with Himself. This is the third step in this great salvation process. Luke helps the reader understand the difference between trusting for salvation and working for rewards. What is our relationship to Jesus as His followers? What are our privileges and our responsibilities? How does prayer enter into our relationship? Luke has more to say to disciples about our relationship to the Father and the Son than any other Gospel evangelist.
Then through relationship with Himself, God prepares believers for life after death as members of a new race. Luke recorded much that is of great help for us as readers here too. What is the next phase of our life with God going to be like? How should we prepare for it? What is ahead in the future? Luke teaches us what it means to be a member of the new redeemed race of humanity.
In addition to the central teaching of this Gospel let me also point out what I believe are the reasons for its abiding appeal. These are two: the personality of Jesus and the presentation of discipleship.
The personality of Jesus as Luke presents Him in this Gospel is very appealing. Possibly three things make Him so.
First, we feel that we can identify with the Jesus of Luke's Gospel. This is probably because Luke presented Him as a real man. It may be harder to identify with a King or with a Suffering Servant to say nothing about God, John's emphasis. Even though He is perfect He is someone with whom we feel a natural kinship because we share humanity together. Jesus faced what we do yet He was pleasing to God. This is very encouraging.
Second, the Jesus of Luke's Gospel is attractive because He is different from us. Even though we are of the same kind, He holds a fascination for us because He was the personification of ideal humanity. He was everything that God intended man to be. It is thrilling to view someone like that since we all fall so far short of what we should be.
Third, this Jesus is attractive because He was so sympathetic. One of the characteristic features of Luke's Gospel is the many references it contains to Jesus' concern for the needy including women, the poor, the sick, and outcasts of society. We read of the social outcasts of Jesus' day flocking to Him and feeling at home in His presence. We see Him welcoming children, and we feel ourselves drawn to Him.
Another reason for the appeal of this book is its presentation of discipleship. It contains some of the most straight talk and challenging demands for followers of Jesus that the New Testament holds. We read Jesus telling us that unless we hate our family members we cannot be His disciples, (14:26). He taught that we have to deny ourselves (14:27). We have to renounce all that we have (14:33). Interestingly these three conditions correspond to the three things that we mentioned earlier that Luke pointed out about Jesus.
Jesus calls us to sever our connections with our old race because we have become members of a new race. Jesus taught that our spiritual relations are really closer than our physical relations. Therefore we should let these old relations go if they interfere with our participation in the affairs of our new race.
Jesus calls us to accept the same responsibility that He accepted since we are now brothers. He denied Himself and took up His cross for us. Now we are brothers so we need to do the same for Him. Brothers sacrifice for each other.
Jesus also calls us to give up everything for Him. Having received the benefits of redemption because of the work of our Kinsman Redeemer who paid a great price for us, we need to pay a great price too. The price He calls us to pay is not to earn redemption. He has given that to us as a gift. It is to express our gratitude to Him for His grace and to advance the mission that He has given us to fulfill. He had a mission from God, and He gave up everything to fulfill it. We, too, have a mission from God, and we need to give up everything to fulfill it.
Finally this Gospel has a two-fold application, to the church and to the world.
To the church Luke says, "Be witnesses" (24:48).
We are to be such in view of the relationship that we now enjoy with the Son of Man. We should be such for three reasons. We have experienced redemption. We enjoy His fellowship. We have a future as members of a new race.
We are to be His witnesses also in view of the lost condition of mankind. Jesus came to seek and to save the lost. Our fellowship with Jesus requires participation in His mission to seek and to save the lost. We can do this for three reasons. He has transformed our lives. He will open people's eyes with His Word. He has empowered us with His Spirit (cf. ch. 24).
To the world Luke says, "You are lost, but the Son of Man has come to seek and to save the lost." A Redeemer has come. A brother is available. A new life is possible. Behold the Man! He understands you. Yet He is different from you. But He will receive you.
Constable: Luke (Outline) Outline
I. Introduction 1:1-4
II. The birth and childhood of Jesus 1:5-2:52
...
Outline
I. Introduction 1:1-4
II. The birth and childhood of Jesus 1:5-2:52
A. The announcement of John the Baptist's birth 1:5-25
1. The introduction of John's parents 1:5-7
2. The angel's announcement to Zechariah 1:8-23
3. The pregnancy of Elizabeth 1:24-25
B. The announcement of Jesus' birth 1:26-56
1. The introduction of Mary and Joseph 1:26-27
2. The angel's announcement to Mary 1:28-38
3. Mary's visit to Elizabeth 1:39-56
C. The birth and early life of John the Baptist 1:57-80
1. The naming of John 1:57-66
2. Zechariah's song of praise 1:67-79
3. The preparation of John 1:80
D. The birth and early life of Jesus ch. 2
1. The setting of Jesus' birth 2:1-7
2. The announcement to the shepherds 2:8-20
3. Jesus' circumcision 2:21
4. Jesus' presentation in the temple 2:22-38
5. Jesus' development in Nazareth 2:39-40
6. Jesus' visit to the temple as a boy 2:41-50
7. Jesus' continuing growth 2:51-52
III. The preparation for Jesus' ministry 3:1-4:13
A. The ministry of John the Baptist 3:1-20
1. The beginning of John's ministry 3:1-6
2. John's preaching 3:7-18
3. The end of John's ministry 3:19-20
B. The baptism of Jesus 3:21-22
C. The genealogy of Jesus 3:23-38
D. The temptation of Jesus 4:1-13
IV. Jesus' ministry in and around Galilee 4:14-9:50
A. Jesus' teaching ministry and the response to it 4:14-5:11
1. An introduction to Jesus' Galilean ministry 4:14-15
2. Jesus' teaching in Nazareth 4:16-30
3. Jesus' ministry in and around Capernaum 4:31-44
4. The call of Peter, James, and John 5:1-11
B. The beginning of controversy with the Pharisees 5:12-6:11
1. Jesus' cleansing of a leprous Jew 5:12-16
2. Jesus' authority to forgive sins 5:17-26
3. Jesus' attitude toward sinners 5:27-32
4. Jesus' attitude toward fasting 5:33-39
5. Jesus' authority over the Sabbath 6:1-5
6. Jesus' attitude toward the Sabbath 6:6-11
C. Jesus' teaching of His disciples 6:12-49
1. The selection of 12 disciples 6:12-16
2. The assembling of the people 6:17-19
3. The Sermon on the Mount 6:20-49
D. Jesus' compassion for people ch. 7
1. The healing of a centurion's servant 7:1-10
2. The raising of a widow's son 7:11-17
3. The confusion about Jesus' identity 7:18-35
4. The anointing by a sinful woman 7:36-50
E. Jesus' teaching in parables 8:1-21
1. The companions and supporters of Jesus 8:1-3
2. The parable of the soils 8:4-15
3. The parable of the lamp 8:16-18
4. The true family of Jesus 8:19-21
F. Jesus' mighty works 8:22-56
1. The stilling of the storm 8:22-25
2. The deliverance of a demoniac in Gadara 8:26-39
3. The healing of a woman with a hemorrhage and the raising of Jairus' daughter 8:40-56
G. Jesus' preparation of the Twelve 9:1-50
1. The mission of the Twelve to Israel 9:1-6
2. Herod's question about Jesus' identity 9:7-9
3. The feeding of the 5000 9:10-17
4. Peter's confession of faith 9:18-27
5. The Transfiguration 9:28-36
6. The exorcism of an epileptic boy 9:37-43a
7. Jesus' announcement of His betrayal 9:43b-45
8. The pride of the disciples 9:46-50
V. Jesus' ministry on the way to Jerusalem 9:51-19:27
A. The responsibilities and rewards of discipleship 9:51-10:24
1. The importance of toleration 9:51-56
2. The importance of self-denial 9:57-62
3. The importance of participation 10:1-16
4. The joy of participation 10:17-20
5. The joy of comprehension 10:21-24
B. The relationships of disciples 10:25-11:13
1. The relation of disciples to their neighbors 10:25-37
2. The relation of disciples to Jesus 10:38-42
3. The relation of disciples to God the Father 11:1-13
C. The results of popular opposition 11:14-54
1. The Beelzebul controversy 11:14-26
2. The importance of observing God's Word 11:27-28
3. The sign of Jonah 11:29-32
4. The importance of responding to the light 11:33-36
5. The climax of Pharisaic opposition 11:37-54
D. The instruction of the disciples in view of Jesus' rejection 12:1-13:17
1. The importance of fearless confession 12:1-12
2. The importance of the eternal perspective 12:13-21
3. God's provisions for disciples 12:22-34
4. The coming of the Son of 12:35-48
5. The coming crisis 12:49-59
6. A call to repentance 13:1-9
7. A sign of Jesus' ability to affect change 13:10-17
E. Instruction about the kingdom 13:18-14:35
1. Parables of the kingdom 13:18-21
2. Entrance into the kingdom 13:22-30
3. Jesus' postponement of the kingdom 13:31-35
4. Participants in the kingdom 14:1-24
5. The cost of discipleship 14:25-35
F. God's attitude toward sinners ch. 15
1. The setting for Jesus' teaching 15:1-2
2. The parable of the lost sheep 15:3-7
3. The parable of the lost coin 15:8-10
4. The parable of the lost son 15:11-32
G. Jesus' warnings about riches ch. 16
1. Discipleship as stewardship 16:1-13
2. Jesus' rebuke of the Pharisees for their greed 16:14-31
H. Jesus' warning about disciples' actions and attitudes 17:1-19
1. The prevention of sin and the restoration of sinners 17:1-4
2. The disciples' attitude toward their duty 17:5-10
3. The importance of gratitude 17:11-19
I. Jesus' teaching about His return 17:20-18:8
1. A short lesson for the Pharisees 17:20-21
2. A longer explanation for the disciples 17:22-37
3. The parable of the persistent widow 18:1-8
J. The recipients of salvation 18:9-19:27
1. The parable of the Pharisee and the tax collector 18:9-14
2. An illustration of humility 18:15-17
3. The handicap of wealth 18:18-30
4. Jesus' passion announcement and the disciples' lack of perception 18:31-34
5. The healing of a blind man near Jericho 18:35-43
6. Zaccheus' ideal response to Jesus 19:1-10
7. The parable of the minas 19:11-27
VI. Jesus' ministry in Jerusalem 19:28-21:38
A. The Triumphal Entry 19:28-40
B. The beginning of Jesus' ministry in Jerusalem 19:41-48
1. Jesus' sorrow over Jerusalem 19:42-44
2. Jesus' cleansing of the temple 19:45-46
3. A synopsis of Jesus' teaching in the temple 19:47-48
C. Jesus' teachings in the temple 20:1-21:4
1. The controversy over authority 20:1-8
2. The parable of the wicked tenant farmers 20:9-19
3. The question of tribute to Caesar 20:20-26
4. The problem of the resurrection 20:27-40
5. Jesus' question about David's son 20:41-44
6. Jesus' condemnation of the scribes 20:45-47
7. Jesus' commendation of a widow 21:1-4
D. Jesus' teaching about the destruction of the temple 21:5-36
1. The setting and the warning about being misled 21:5-9
2. The need for faithful perseverance 21:10-19
3. The judgment coming on Jerusalem 21:20-24
4. The second coming of the Son of 21:25-28
5. The certainty of these events 21:29-33
6. The concluding exhortation to watchfulness 21:34-36
E. A summary of Jesus' ministry in Jerusalem 21:37-38
VII. Jesus' passion, resurrection, and ascension 22:1-24:53
A. The plot to arrest Jesus 22:1-6
1. The leaders' desire 22:1-2
2. Judas' offer 22:3-6
B. The preparations for the Passover 22:7-13
C. Events in the upper room 22:14-38
1. The Passover meal 22:14-18
2. The institution of the Lord's Supper 22:19-20
3. Jesus' announcement of His betrayal 22:21-23
4. Teaching about the disciples' service 22:24-30
5. Jesus' announcement of Peter's denial 22:31-34
6. The opposition to come 22:35-38
D. The arrest of Jesus 22:39-53
1. Jesus' preparation in Gethsemane 22:39-46
2. Judas' betrayal 22:47-53
E. The trials of Jesus 22:54-23:25
1. Peter's denial of Jesus 22:54-62
2. The mockery of the soldiers 22:63-65
3. Jesus' trial before the Sanhedrin 22:66-71
4. Jesus' first appearance before Pilate 23:1-7
5. Jesus' appearance before Herod 23:8-12
6. Jesus' second appearance before Pilate 23:13-25
F. The crucifixion of Jesus 23:26-49
1. Events on the way to Golgotha 23:26-32
2. Jesus' death 23:33-49
G. The burial of Jesus 23:50-56
H. The resurrection of Jesus 24:1-12
I. The post-resurrection appearances of Jesus 24:13-49
1. The appearance to the disciples walking to Emmaus 24:13-35
2. The appearances to the disciples in Jerusalem 24:36-49
J. The ascension of Jesus 24:50-53
Constable: Luke Luke
Bibliography
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...
Luke
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Copyright 2003 by Thomas L. Constable
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Haydock: Luke (Book Introduction) THE
HOLY GOSPEL OF JESUS CHRIST,
ACCORDING TO ST. LUKE.
INTRODUCTION
St. Luke was a physician, a native of Antioch, the metropolis of Syria, a...
THE
HOLY GOSPEL OF JESUS CHRIST,
ACCORDING TO ST. LUKE.
INTRODUCTION
St. Luke was a physician, a native of Antioch, the metropolis of Syria, and well skilled in the Greek language, as his writings sufficiently evince. In some ancient manuscripts, he is called Lucius, and Lucanus. Some conjecture that he was at first a Gentile and a pagan, and was converted by the preaching of St. Paul, at Antioch; others, that he was originally a Jew, and one of the seventy-two disciples. Sts. Hippolitus and Epiphanius say, that hearing from our Lord these words, he that eateth not my flesh, and drinketh not my blood, is not worthy of me, he withdrew, and quitted our Saviour, but returned to the faith at the preaching of St. Paul. But to leave what is uncertain, St. Luke was the disciple, travelling companion, and fellow-labourer of St. Paul. Of him St. Paul is supposed to speak: (2 Corinthians viii. 18.) We have sent also with him (Titus) the brother, whose praise is in the gospel, through all churches: and again, Luke, the most dear physician, saluteth you: (Colossians iv.) and, only Luke is with me. (2 Timothy iv.) Some are of opinion that as often as St. Paul, in his Epistles, says according to my gospel, he speaks of the Gospel of St. Luke. This evangelist did not learn his gospel from St. Paul only, (who had never been with our Lord in the flesh) but from the other apostles also, as himself informs us in the beginning of his gospel, when he says, according as they have delivered them unto us; who, from the beginning, were eye-witnesses, ( Greek: autoptai ) and ministers of the word. His gospel, therefore, he wrote as he heard it; but the Acts of the Apostles, from his own observations; and both, as some believe, about the same time in which his history of the Acts finishes, towards the year of Christ 63. But the received opinion now is, that St. Luke wrote his gospel in Achaia, in the year 53, ten years previously to his writing of the Acts, purposely to counteract the fabulous relations concerning Jesus Christ, which several persons had endeavoured to palm upon the world. It does not appear, as Calmet observes, that he had ever read the gospels of St. Matthew and St. Mark. ... He chiefly insists in his gospel, upon what relates to Christ's priestly office; hence the ancients gave, of the four symbolical representations, mentioned in Ezechiel, that of the ox, or calf, to St. Luke, as an emblem of sacrifices. He lived 84 years in the state of celibacy, was crucified at Elœa, in Peloponnesus, near Achaia, and was buried in the church of the apostles, at Constantinople, to which city his remains were translated, together with those of St. Andrew and St. Timothy, in the year 357, by order of the emperor Constantius. When this church was repaired, by an order of Justinian, the masons found three wooden chests, in which the bodies of these saints were interred. Baronius mentions, that the head of St. Luke was brought by St. Gregory from Constantinople to Rome, in the year of Christ 586. St. Luke writes purer Greek than any of the other hagiographers; yet many Syriac words, and turns of expressions, occur in both his gospel and Acts of the Apostles; some also that imitate the genius of the Latin tongue. He cites Scripture according to the Septuagint, and not after the Hebrew text. St. Paul, in his Epistles, generally quotes the gospel in a manner the most conformable to St. Luke, as may be seen in the following instances; 1 Corinthians xi. 23. and 24. chap. xv. 5. The Marcionites would only receive the gospel of St. Luke, and from this they retrenched the first two chapters, with regard the birth of Jesus Christ, and only admitted ten of St. Paul's Epistles, as Tertullian and St. Epiphanius have remarked. Marcion embraced the errors of Cerdon: to these he added others, the offspring of his own brain. He began to disseminate his novel opinions at Rome, about the year of Christ 144. He could not bring himself to believe how a spirit, such as the human soul, could be shut up in a body, be subject to ignorance, to weakness, to pain; nor in what manner, or for what end, the great and good Lord, the Creator of spirits, could have thus degraded them. Revelation, which teaches us the fall of the first man, did not appear to the Marcionites, to solve the difficulty, since the first man was composed of a spiritual soul and a terrestrial body; they, moreover, imagined that an all-good, an all-powerful God, ought to have prevented the fall of man. No wonder then, that they refused to adopt the first two chapters of St. Luke, which contain the miraculous births of Jesus and his precursor [John the Baptist]; as also sundry texts of the very scanty portions of holy Scriptures which their party chose to retain. But what does this shew? that tradition, in the first instance, must be admitted, to inform us what is authentic scripture; and, secondly, an infallible Church-authority, to inform us what is the genuine interpretation of the genuine text. Without the assistance of apostolical tradition and Church-authority, could any Seeker (even with the assistance of Brown's Self-interpreting Bible, in 2 vols. 4to.) rest secure, that he properly understood the disputed points of holy writ; that his, and no other interpretation, was the genuine sense of these mysterious words, when he was informed that by far the greater part of learned societies, and learned individuals, gave a widely different interpretation to the same texts. This freedom of expounding Scripture, by unassisted reason and private spirit, was the first germ of the daily increasing spread of sects and heresies; this is the nucleus, which, after enveloping itself like the comet, in much nebulous obscurity, terminates in a fiery tail, of portentous magnitude, the ruinous effects of which can only be prevented by a speedy return to first principles, apostolical tradition, and Church-authority.
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Gill: Luke (Book Introduction) INTRODUCTION TO LUKE
The writer of this Gospel, Luke, has been, by some, thought, as Origen a relates, to be the same with Lucius, mentioned in Ro...
INTRODUCTION TO LUKE
The writer of this Gospel, Luke, has been, by some, thought, as Origen a relates, to be the same with Lucius, mentioned in Rom 16:21, but he seems rather to be, and without doubt is, Luke the beloved physician, who was a companion of the Apostle Paul in great part of his travels in the Gentile world: he came with him to Jerusalem, and from thence accompanied him to Rome, and continued with him when in prison, and was with him to the last; see Act 16:10, &c. Col 4:14. Jerom b, and others, say, he was a physician of Antioch in Syria; where it may be the Apostle Paul met with him, and might be the happy instrument of his conversion; so that he seems to be, by nation, a Syrian, as Jerom c calls him. Grotius thinks his name is Roman, and that it is the contraction of Lucilius. It is not an Hebrew name, but might be in common use in Syria; for though the Jews reckon owqwl, "Lukus", among foreign names, yet say d a it was a very illustrious one, and well known to them, as it may well be thought to be if Syriac, the language being spoke by them: and many Jews lived in Syria, and particularly in Antioch. Some say that this Gospel was written by the advice, and assistance, and under the direction of the Apostle Paul, as the Gospel according to Mark was by that of Peter; though the following preface does not seem so well to accord with this. Eusebius says e that it was the sense of the ancients, that whenever the Apostle Paul makes mention of his Gospel, he intends this according to Luke. The time of the writing of it is not certain; some say it was written in the fifteenth year after the ascension of our Lord; others in the twenty second; and others in the twenty seventh. It is commonly thought to have been written after the Gospels of Matthew and Mark, according to the order in which it stands; but this is rejected by some learned men, who rather think that Luke wrote first of all: and indeed, there are some things in his preface which look as if there had not, as yet, been any authentic account published, at least which was come to the knowledge of this evangelist. The place where he wrote it is also uncertain. Jerom says f, he wrote it in the parts of Achaia, perhaps at Corinth: according to the titles prefixed to the Syriac and Persic versions, he wrote it in Alexandria: the former of these runs thus;
"the Gospel of Luke, the Evangelist, which he spake and published in Greek in Alexandria the great.''
And the latter thus;
"the Gospel of Luke, which he wrote in the Greek tongue in Alexandria of Egypt.''
However, it is agreed on all hands, that it is genuine, and of divine inspiration. Eusebius g relates, that it was affirmed by some, that this Gospel, together with those of Matthew and Mark, were brought to the Apostle John, who approved of them, and bore witness to the truth in them.
College: Luke (Book Introduction) FOREWORD
"Many have undertaken" to write commentaries on the Gospel of Luke, and a large number of these are very good. "It seemed good also to me" t...
FOREWORD
"Many have undertaken" to write commentaries on the Gospel of Luke, and a large number of these are very good. "It seemed good also to me" to attempt to place in the hands of a popular audience the best of recent scholarship in an easily readable form. My prayer will have been answered if those without specialized training are able to come to a deeper understanding of Luke's message as a result of these efforts.
My debt to those who have written before me will be demonstrated throughout the commentary. I am equally indebted to many who have spent hours reading and making suggestions which have vastly improved my work. To my student assistant, Meg Grandstaff; to my mother, Peggy Black; and to my colleagues, Terry Briley, Brandon Fredenburg, and Gary Holloway, I can only say, "Thank you" and "I owe you one." I must also thank Lipscomb University for the Faculty Summer Grant which gave me the summer of 1996 to work on the book.
My greatest gratitude goes to Margo, Sara, Jessica, and Allison, who have tolerated too many hours taken away from them. They fill all my days with joy, and I must ask with Elizabeth (Luke 1:43), "Why am I so favored" to be their husband and father?
-College Press New Testament Commentary: with the NIV
TABLE OF
SUPPLEMENTAL STUDIES
Anti-Semitism 371
Baptism 84
Destruction of Jerusalem and End of Time 336
Forgiveness and Grace 163
Fulfillment of Scripture 42
Holy Spirit 93
Kingdom of God 112
Law 69
Messiah 88
Miracles and Sign-Seeking 107
Outcasts and Untouchables 127
Parables 167
Pharisees 120
Poor and Rich 142
Prayer 92
Prophet Theme 60
Repentance 83
Sadducees 327
Samaritans 200
Son of Man 124
Table Fellowship 126
Tax Collectors 87
Women 50
-College Press New Testament Commentary: with the NIV
INTRODUCTION
ABOUT THIS COMMENTARY
This commentary is written for serious students of the New Testament, including Bible class teachers, preachers, college students, and other motivated readers. The reader need not be acquainted with the Greek language or scholarly tools and methodology. The single goal of the present commentary is to place modern readers into the shoes of the first readers of Luke's Gospel. Two questions have been constantly asked: What did Luke want his readers to grasp as he penned each section? And what did he want them to believe and to do after they had read the whole? My assumption is that the Gospel of Luke was written for us but not directly to us. Since it was originally written for a people of a different culture almost two thousand years ago, we must attempt to understand it as they understood it in order to be faithful to Luke's intent.
Luke wrote in order to encourage active faith in Jesus, and he did so through the use of narrative literature. To put it differently, Luke has written to tell his readers what to believe, what reasons there are for believing, and what it means to live as a believer. To make his case he has chosen to tell a story, a literary form with few imperatives and exhortations directly to the reader. Since narratives teach indirectly, the reader must learn to "read between the lines" in order to grasp the message.
I have therefore taken a literary and theological approach in this commentary. I believe that Luke has given many clues regarding his intent and that a proper reading will discover that intent. Put simply, his method is to tell the story of Jesus, highlighting those aspects of the story which his readers need most to hear. He has woven many themes into the plot which begins with the birth and ends with the death and resurrection of Jesus. To understand his message, then, the reader must read the whole, paying close attention to the plot and the characters and to the many repeated themes. Therefore I am more concerned with Luke's message in any given story than I am with the attempt to discover how his source(s) told the story. Similarly, I am more concerned with the reasons for Luke's references to various events than I am with our ability to confirm the historicity of those events.
For each episode or section in Luke's Gospel, we will be concerned first with any terms, customs, institutions, places, and beliefs which might be unfamiliar to the modern reader. We will therefore offer brief introductions to Herod Antipas, first-century eating customs, messianic beliefs, and dozens of other matters with which Luke's readers would already be familiar. Our second and most important concern will be to discover the function of each section in the larger story. Does it further the plot, teach a lesson on what it means to be a disciple, encourage deeper faith, or function in some other way?
A third feature of the present commentary is the attempt to summarize Luke's teaching on a variety of topics. Luke had several areas of special concern, evidenced by his dealing with them again and again. The reader will find in the table of contents a list of one- or two-page treatments of special topics such as women, the poor, the Law, the Holy Spirit, prayer, the kingdom of God, and many others.
A final special interest (to be explained further in the introduction below) is the effort to relate the Gospel of Luke to its companion volume, the book of Acts. The reader gains inspired insight into what Luke thinks about the teachings of Jesus when he or she sees Jesus' disciples in Acts carrying out those teachings. We will regularly look ahead to Acts to understand what Jesus means in the Gospel of Luke.
I am greatly indebted to the fine commentaries on Luke's Gospel by Johnson, Nolland, Stein, and Tiede. These works, which have different purposes and perspectives, have been tremendously helpful in my writing. I have tried to footnote them when appropriate. However, having used them for several years, I am no longer sure whether many ideas are my own or borrowed from them. I recommend these four commentaries to the reader who wants more than I have provided herein. I have directed the reader to Stein's work more than the others, because his will prove easiest to understand for the nonspecialist.
AUTHORSHIP
The Gospel of Luke is anonymous. Like the other three Gospels, it makes no claim regarding authorship. However, from the late second century until the 19th, no one seems to have questioned that Luke the physician wrote Luke and Acts.
The Third Gospel was known as "The Gospel of Luke" by at least the late second century in order to distinguish it from the other three. It is impossible to know just why the early church attributed the book to Luke. Some would argue that he indeed wrote the book, and that his name was therefore associated with it from the beginning. Others argue that early Christians derived its authorship from evidence within the book of Acts (to be discussed below).
Supporting this early tradition are the Muratorian Canon (A.D. 170-180), Irenaeus (late 2nd century), the earliest actual copy of the Gospel (Bodmer Papyrus XIV, 175-225), an ancient Prologue to the Gospel written against the heretic Marcion (late 2nd), Tertullian (207-208), and later Origen (254), Eusebius (303), and Jerome (398). Such is the external evidence for Lukan authorship, and it is quite strong.
The internal evidence is also strong, and it comes from volume two, the book of Acts. There the author uses the first person plural pronoun ("we") in narrating the events in the life of Paul on three occasions (16:10-17; 20:5-15; 21:1-18; 27:1-28:16; often called the "we-passages" of Acts). These sections imply that the author was with Paul in Asia Minor, Macedonia, Judea, on the Mediterranean, and in Rome.
This of course does not point directly to Luke, but it does encourage some detective work on the part of the reader. Who was with Paul during these times? Paul's letters and Acts suggest a number of traveling companions (see the relevant portions of Acts and especially Col 4, Phlm, and 2 Tim 4). When one eliminates those whom the author mentions by name in Acts, and if one assumes that the author of Luke-Acts was a Gentile (see below), Luke emerges as the most likely author, given the strong weight of tradition.
Given strong external and internal evidence for Lukan authorship, one may wonder why much of contemporary scholarship rejects the notion entirely. The answer is based on internal evidence which is said to disallow Lukan authorship. Quite simply, the book of Acts presents a view of Paul the Christian who appears to be quite different from the Paul who wrote the letters, especially Galatians. The book of Acts does not cite or even mention Paul's letters. More significantly, it is argued that the theological portrait of Paul in Acts could not have been painted by a companion of Paul. Luke's portrait is especially problematic with regard to Paul's stance on keeping the Law. We must admit that it is somewhat surprising when Paul, who wrote that, "All who rely on observing the Law are under a curse," (Gal 3:10), consistently upholds the Law in Acts. Most notably, James in Acts 21:24 encourages Paul to help the four men under a vow in order to show that "you yourself are living in obedience to the Law."
At the risk of oversimplifying a very complex discussion, several points should be noted. First, we should admit and not apologize for the fact that Luke and Paul have very different agendas in writing their works. This has necessarily influenced which events they narrate and what they emphasize theologically. Paul is writing for churches in crises and tends to address only those areas where the church in question needs instruction. Luke on the other hand writes in order to show the unity within the early church and therefore stresses that which all churches shared. So Paul in Galatians writes against Judaizers (those who want Gentiles to keep the Law), whereas Luke writes to Gentiles who may not have enough understanding or appreciation of the Jewish heritage of Christianity. The difference may well be one of audience and perspective rather than theological position. One should remember that Paul in his letters does write that his policy is, "To the Jews I became like a Jew," and, "To those under the Law I became like one under the Law" (1 Cor 9). In other words, Luke in Acts may be showing a side of Paul that the letters largely do not show: Paul customarily lived as a Jew, especially around Jews.
Efforts to argue that the Third Gospel demonstrates that its author was a doctor have been abandoned today. Hobart argued that the sheer number of healing stories and the vocabulary demonstrated that Luke was a physician. However, Cadbury later refuted these claims by proving that Luke showed no more "medical" language than other educated writers of his day. Of course, the healing stories and "medical" vocabulary are consistent with authorship by a physician. They simply do not prove it.
While it can never be proven absolutely, I have taken the view that Luke, the companion of Paul, wrote Luke and Acts. This is largely because I accept the "we-sections" at face value. The author intended to represent himself as a companion of Paul, and the best candidate is Luke. However, we still know very little about our author, because the New Testament says little about Luke. What can be known about this author other than that he was a companion of Paul (Acts 16-28), a physician (Col 4:14), and a Gentile (Col 4:11)?
We actually learn more about Luke from his writing than from other sources. First, he was not an eyewitness to the ministry of Jesus (1:1-4). He got his information from "eyewitnesses and ministers of the word." Second, he was a man of some education, as is clearly evidenced by his learned Greek (see esp. 1:1-4) and his ability to imitate the style of the Greek Old Testament. Third, he does appear to have been a Gentile. While this cannot be proven with certainty, his references to "the Jews" probably imply that he was not one of them, especially the reference to "their language" in Acts 1:19. This is, of course, consistent with the statement of Colossians 4:14 (which implies that Luke was a Gentile). Fourth, he was thoroughly conversant with the Scriptures. Although he has been called a Gentile writing to Gentiles, we must not overlook his constant references to every section of the Old Testament (esp. Psalms), his overriding fulfillment theme, and his great concern to show that all of his Jewish characters continue to observe the Law of Moses (even those who become Christians). This Gentile, for example, is the only Gospel writer who tells us of Jesus' circumcision on the eighth day, of Mary's purification on the fortieth day, of the disciples' observance of the Sabbath "according to the commandment" after the death of Jesus (24:1), and of Paul's taking vows (18:18) and participating in the sacrificial system long after becoming a Christian (Acts 21). Perhaps Luke had for some time been a "God-fearer," a Gentile who worshiped God, appreciated Judaism, and attended the synagogue. God-fearers are an important group in Acts who very often become Christians (see 13:16; 16:14; 18:7).
Fortunately, we need not know the author's name to interpret his narrative. In fact, the narrative tells us much more about the author than any theory about the author tells us about the narrative.
DATE
It is fortunate also that the interpreter need not know the date of Luke's writing, because no one knows exactly when it was written. Though some argue that Luke wrote his Gospel long before he wrote Acts, there are many reasons to think the two volumes were written at the same time. If so, the Gospel was written after A.D. 60-62, the date of Paul's imprisonment in Acts 28. Thus the earliest possible date for Luke's Gospel is 62. A few scholars argue that Luke must have written at that time, and that this accounts for the abrupt and frustrating (did Paul live or die?) ending of Acts. Most, however, believe that Luke had other reasons than lack of information for ending Acts as he did. I concur with those who think Luke had simply accomplished his purpose in Acts 28. He wrote to give an account of the spread of the gospel from Jews (only) in Jerusalem to Gentiles (predominantly) in Rome. He did not intend to give a biography of Paul.
Most argue that Luke had to have been written after Mark, because, in their opinions, Luke used Mark's Gospel in writing his own. However, this opinion is not universally accepted; and even if it were, one then has to answer the equally difficult question, When was Mark written? On the other hand, Luke 1:1 does suggest that Luke was probably written relatively late among early Gospels.
Many would argue that the earliest date of writing must be at least A.D. 70 on the basis of likely allusions to the destruction of Jerusalem. Of course, Jesus alludes to the coming destruction of Jerusalem in the first two Gospels as well as in Luke. However, in Luke Jesus says, "When you see Jerusalem surrounded by armies," (21:20) instead of, "When you see 'the abomination that causes desolation' standing where it does not belong," (Mark 13:14). Many believe that this more specific language suggests that Luke was looking back at the destruction and interpreting for his audience the meaning of Jesus' statement. This is likely, but it is far from certain.
The latest possible date for the writing of Luke's Gospel would be the first allusion to it in other literature. But even that is difficult to determine because allusions are notoriously difficult to ascertain. It could be 1 Clement (95-96), Ignatius (110), Polycarp (135), or 2 Clement (clear allusion but uncertain date, anywhere from 120-170).
The evidence tends to point to the period of A.D. 65-85 for the composition of the Gospel of Luke. Some might like to be more exact, but it matters little for the interpretation of Luke's work.
AUDIENCE
As suggested above, the Gospel of Luke appears to be addressed to Gentile Christians. Though Theophilus is the named recipient and was certainly an intended reader, Luke undoubtedly wrote for a much larger audience. Just as modern "letters to the editor" are meant for the larger public, so was Luke's work. Numerous hints within the work point to a larger audience which is predominantly Gentile. The most important are these: (1) He relates his work to a Greco-Roman literary tradition (1:1-4). (2) He dedicates the work to Theophilus, most likely a Gentile. (3) He is profoundly interested in the Gentile mission. (4) He uses Greek and Roman terms when other Gospel writers use Hebrew ("teacher" for "rabbi;" "lawyer" for "scribe;" "Skull" for "Golgotha"). (5) He refers to the Jews in the third person.
Most agree that the original readers were Christian and that Luke-Acts is intended to build up faith rather than help create it. This is perhaps more difficult to prove, but two factors seem to lead in this direction. First, it appears that the named reader, Theophilus, had already heard the story (1:4). Second, there are simply too many matters left unexplained which would have been far too confusing for the non-Christian. Almost every episode assumes that Luke's readers had a basic knowledge about Jesus and that Luke writes to provide certainty and various additional details.
PURPOSE
Luke tells us his purpose in Luke 1:4: he wants Theophilus to have "certainty" regarding the things he has been taught. This statement is at the same time helpful and ambiguous. On the one hand, it suggests that Luke is written with a quasi-apologetic motive. What it does not tell us, on the other hand, is in what area(s) his readers needed certainty. Did they simply need to be assured of the historicity of the events narrated? Or is it possible that they needed certainty regarding their own position before God? Or could it be that they needed certainty that God was behind all of the events they had heard about and witnessed? Might it even mean that they needed certainty about the proper response to the gospel message?
Luke's purpose has been called apologetic (to defend Christianity to Rome, or, in another sense, to defend God's actions), evangelistic (to engender faith among non-Christians), anti-heretical (to combat Gnosticism), and didactic (to teach Christians what to believe and how to act), to name only the most commonly suggested. In light of the many credible suggestions offered by scholars, we should be very careful about settling upon one purpose. The question of Luke's purpose must be answered by looking not only at Luke's Gospel but also at the Acts of the Apostles, and it can only be answered with reference to the themes which keep recurring throughout both volumes.
Perhaps it is best to suggest that Luke-Acts was written primarily for Gentiles who needed "assurance" in a number of areas, both historical and theological. Perhaps they did need the account of a careful and educated historian to give them confidence that events they heard about had actually occurred. There also may have been some among them who had not yet decided to become Christians. Most likely those who were Christians needed Luke to explain how God had kept his promises to the Jews in light of the fact that there seemed to be fewer and fewer Jews among those being converted. Probably these same Gentile Christians simply needed to understand better their own place in God's plan. And surely these readers, whoever they were, needed to be reminded that being Christian meant sharing possessions, undergoing persecution, welcoming the outcast, serving one another, and generally walking as Jesus walked.
LUKE AND ACTS
Eighteen hundred fifty years ago it was apparent that Luke's first volume was very much like the works of Matthew and Mark. At that time the Gospel was placed beside its peers in the New Testament. John, assumed to be the last Gospel written, was placed between Luke and Acts, and the two works by Luke have been separated ever since. While everyone acknowledges that one author wrote both, few have truly noted the import of that fact. Luke wrote not two independent documents, but a two-volume story, as he well explains.
When Luke is read along with Acts, Acts reads quite differently. No longer do we have the self-contained story of the spread of the Gospel from Jerusalem Jews to Roman Gentiles. We have nothing less than the story of Jesus, from his ministry in Galilee to his death and resurrection in Jerusalem to his continuing ministry in the Mediterranean world.
In the tradition of the Restoration Movement it has long been argued that the book of Acts provides a pattern for the later church. My thesis is that there is indeed an intended pattern in Acts, but the pattern is not rooted primarily in the practice of the early church. The pattern is that established by Jesus. Quite simply, the early church does what Jesus did and what Jesus commanded it to do. In fact, Luke insists that it is still Jesus who is carrying out his ministry through the church. In Acts 1:1 when Luke writes of the former book in which he "wrote about all that Jesus began to do and to teach," what he implies is that Acts will narrate what Jesus continues to do and to teach.
This is especially clear in certain passages: it is Jesus himself who calls Paul on the road to Damascus in Acts 9. Later in that chapter Peter says, "Aeneas, Jesus Christ heals you." In Acts 16:7 Paul and his companions attempt to enter Bithynia, "but the Spirit of Jesus would not allow them." And in 18:9 Jesus himself speaks to Paul, encouraging him to have no fear. It should also be noted that Jesus had already said in Luke 21:15, "I will give you words and a wisdom that none of your opponents will be able to withstand." It is clear, of course, that in Acts Jesus is at the right hand of God, but he is active and very much in control as he directs the new movement through his Spirit. Jesus is so bound up with his church that he can tell Paul in 9:5, "I am Jesus whom you are persecuting."
Consider the following parallels or "patterns" in the ministry of Jesus and that of the early church:
(1) Luke shows Jesus praying at nearly every major event (baptism, choosing disciples, confession, transfiguration, Gethsemane, and on the cross). The early church does the same (waiting before Pentecost, choosing Matthias, Peter before going to Cornelius, sending Paul, healing, and many others).
(2) In Luke Jesus is empowered when the Holy Spirit descends upon him at his baptism. Only then does he begin his ministry of preaching and healing (3:22; see 1:35; 4:1). In Acts the apostles are told to wait until they are baptized with the Holy Spirit (1:5, 8). After the Spirit descends upon them (2:4), they also do signs and wonders and preach, just as did Jesus. All the major characters in Acts, like Jesus, are said to be filled with the Holy Spirit (Peter - 4:8; Stephen - 6:5; Paul - 13:9, and dozens of other references to the guidance of the Spirit).
(3) In Luke Jesus performs various miracles as part of his ministry. The church leaders in Acts not only perform miracles - they perform miracles which are remarkably similar to those of Jesus. For example, just as Jesus heals the mother-in-law of Peter who had a fever (Luke 4:38), Paul heals the father of Publius, who also had a fever (Acts 28:8). Just as Jesus casts out unclean spirits (Luke 4:36; 6:18, etc.), so do Peter (Acts 5:16), Philip (8:7), and Paul (16:18; 19:13). Jesus heals the lame (Luke 7:22), as do Peter and John (Acts 3:2), Philip (8:7), and Paul (14:8-10).
(4) The message of Jesus and that of the leaders in Acts is the same, emphasizing the kingdom of God (30 times in Luke; see Acts 1:3; 8:12; 14:22; 19:8; 20:25; 28:23), repentance, and forgiveness of sins. Jesus and the apostles on occasion even use the same Old Testament texts, such as Psalm 110 (Luke 20:42; Acts 2:34).
(5) Jesus suffers at the hands of his own people and the Gentiles, and so do the disciples. Of course, Jesus predicted that they would (12:11-12; 21:12-14). Jesus teaches in the synagogue at Nazareth and is rejected and almost killed. The same will happen on numerous occasions in Acts, as Paul enters synagogue after synagogue, only to be eventually rejected. Suffering is especially the lot of Paul, whose story Luke parallels in detail with that of Jesus. The journeys to Jerusalem and treatment there of both Jesus and Paul occupy the large final sections of Luke and Acts. In 18:32 Jesus announces that he "will be delivered to the Gentiles." In Acts 21:11, speaking of Paul the prophet Agabus predicts that the Jews will "deliver him into the hands of the Gentiles." Of Jesus, Luke later records that the people "all cried out together, 'Away with this man,'" and of Paul Luke writes, "for the mob of the people followed, crying, 'Away with him!'" Both Jesus and Paul face Jewish accusers, including the High Priest; both appear before Herodian princes as well as Roman procurators; and both are said to be innocent by the Roman leaders.
The Jesus/Stephen parallels are even more obvious. Both are full of the Holy Spirit; both are recipients of wisdom, grace and power; both do signs and wonders; both are led to the council, the eyes of whose members are fixed on them; both are cast outside the city; both pray that God will forgive their accusers; both commit their spirits to God; both are killed; and both are buried by devout persons.
(6) There are also many examples of the apostles obeying the directives of Jesus (Luke 6:22-23: "rejoice [when people persecute you] in that day and leap for joy"- see Acts 5:41; Luke 9:5: "shake the dust off your feet . . . as a testimony against them"- see Acts 13:51; 18:6). In fact, the entire plan of Acts was commanded by the risen Jesus in Acts 1:8, where he says, "You will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth."
One of the most important areas in which the church in Acts carries out the teaching of Jesus is that related to wealth and poverty. In Luke as in no other Gospel Jesus encourages the sharing of possessions and condemns the greedy and selfish. Many of these stories and sayings appear only in Luke: Zacchaeus; the rich man and Lazarus; "blessed are you poor;" the parables about inviting the poor, lame, maimed, and blind; the dishonest steward; and the command to all of the disciples, "sell your possessions and give alms." It is not surprising, then, that Acts contains many examples, both positive and negative, of the use of possessions in the early church: the selling of possessions for the needy in chapters 2 and 4; the generosity of Barnabas, Dorcas, Paul, and the Antioch church; and the negative examples of Ananias and Sapphira, Simon the Sorcerer, Felix, and Judas (who bought a field with his money (1:18), over against Barnabas, who sold a field in Acts 4:36).
Having argued this case, it would be a mistake to suggest that Luke had no notion of the church of his day being like the church which he writes about - he surely did. But the goal is not to replicate the church of the earliest decades; it is rather to be like Jesus, and the picture of a church that looked like Jesus could only further that goal. The intent may be very much like that of Paul, who tells the churches, "Imitate me as I imitate Christ." Paul knows the advantage of giving his readers an example which is easily grasped and will lead them toward the goal. Yet he also knows quite well that he has not yet reached the goal (Phil 3:12-13), and he never makes the imitation of himself the primary goal. Luke seems to have the same intent in Acts: the early church is well worthy of imitation, insofar as its members imitate Christ.
This commentary will be written from this perspective. The best commentary on Acts is the Gospel of Luke. And conversely, Luke has made clear what Jesus' statements mean in a later generation. Therefore, to read Acts is to read an inspired commentary on the Gospel of Luke. We will refer to Luke's two-volume work as "Luke-Acts."
HISTORY AND THEOLOGY
Luke has been accused often of being careless as a historian, at least by modern standards. His treatment of the census under Quirinius (Luke 2), the rebellion under Theudas (Acts 5), and several other matters have led many to argue that Luke is a better theologian than historian. While the present commentary cannot look in detail at these matters (there will be brief comments in the appropriate sections), one should keep in mind several things. First, there are many matters about which we will never have enough information to make a final judgment. However, the silence of extrabiblical sources should never be taken as proof that an event never occurred. Secondly, each passage must be evaluated independently. The number of cases in which Luke is clearly out of step with other ancient sources is very small, and those sources always had their own agenda, just as did Luke. Thirdly, most would concede that Luke proves to be accurate when there is sufficient evidence with which to compare his writing. Luke has obviously gone to great lengths in order to have accurate information on John the Baptist and on rulers in Judea and Galilee. Considering the large number of events and people in his narrative, the surprising thing is that there are not more alleged historical inaccuracies. There can be little doubt that Luke went to much trouble to ensure accuracy. Luke is both historian and theologian.
SOURCES
Luke got his information from various sources, as he tells us in 1:1-4. However, we do not know for certain the identity of any of these. Most scholars think that Luke (and Matthew) are somehow dependent on the Gospel of Mark. I have made no such assumption in this commentary. While there is undoubtedly some advantage in knowing any writer's sources, there is no final proof for any theory regarding the relationships between the Gospels. I have, however, made two assumptions about Luke's Gospel. First, I believe it to be inspired and thus completely reliable. Second, I believe that Luke had a great deal of information about Jesus from which to choose and that we gain a great deal by simply comparing what Luke wrote to what other Gospel writers wrote. In other words, Luke has selected and adapted his material, and while we do not have access to all the information he had at his disposal, we will learn a great deal through a comparative reading.
THEMES
There may be no clearer insight into Luke's purpose than that gained by examining those themes which recur with some frequency in Luke-Acts. Narrative writers express what their readers need most by returning to a point again and again. When looked at from this perspective, Luke has many concerns. It is clear that he has much to tell his readers, and there can be no more effective way for them to hear it than from the lips of Jesus. The following list is far from exhaustive, but it at least will steer the reader into some of those areas which apparently were close to Luke's heart. The following topics receive special attention in the commentary at the place where Luke first mentions them (see p. 11 for page numbers). They are listed here in order to give the reader a preview of some of Luke's major themes and in order to show the reader where to look in the commentary for more information.
Anti-Semitism Parables Baptism Pharisees Destruction of Jerusalem Poor and Rich and End of Time Prayer Forgiveness and Grace Prophet Theme Fulfillment of Scripture Repentance Holy Spirit Sadducees Kingdom of God Samaritans Law Son of Man Messiah Table Fellowship Miracles and Sign-Seeking Tax Collectors Outcasts and Untouchables Women
A FINAL WORD ABOUT
INTRODUCTORY QUESTIONS
Traditional introductory questions are being given less attention today than they were a generation ago. The reason is twofold. First, it is very difficult to give "sure" answers to many questions of introduction. The evidence is often insufficient to offer more than probabilities, and what is "probable" is evaluated differently by every scholar. Second, the interpretation of many New Testament works and especially the Gospels is not significantly aided by having answers to most of these questions. For example, knowing that the author of Luke was the companion of Paul does not change the understanding of any passage in the Gospel. Similarly, knowing the date aids interpretation very little. The following commentary does not assume sure answers to any of these questions for its interpretation.
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BIBLIOGRAPHY
PRIMARY SOURCES
Charlesworth, James H., ed. The Old Testament Pseudepigrapha , 2 vols. Garden City, NY: Doubleday & Co., 1983, 1985.
Danby, Herbert. The Mishnah . Trans. from the Hebrew with Introductory and Brief Explanatory Notes. London: Oxford University Press, 1933.
Epstein, I., ed. The Babylonian Talmud . London: Soncino Press, 1935-48.
Freedman, H., and Maurice Simon, eds. Midrash Rabbah . London: Soncino Press, 1939-.
Loeb Classical Library. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press; London: Heinemann.
Martínez, Florentino García. The Dead Sea Scrolls Translated: The Qumran Texts in English . Trans. Wilfred G.E. Watson. Leiden and New York: E.J. Brill, 1994.
SECONDARY SOURCES
Bock, Darrell. Luke . Baker Exegetical Commentary on the New Testament. 2 vols. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1995-96.
Craddock, Fred B. Luke . Interpretation. Louisville: John Knox, 1990.
Danker, F.W. Luke . Proclamation Commentaries, 2nd ed. Philadelphia: Fortress, 1987.
Ellis, E.E. The Gospel of Luke . New Century Bible, 2nd ed. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1974.
Evans, Craig A. Luke . New International Biblical Commentary. Peabody, MA: Hendrickson, 1990.
Fitzmyer, Joseph A. The Gospel according to Luke . Anchor Bible 28, 28A. 2 vols. Garden City, NY: Doubleday, 1981, 1985.
Green, Joel B., and Scot McKnight, eds. Dictionary of Jesus and the Gospels . Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity, 1992.
Jervell, Jacob. Luke and the People of God . Minneapolis: Augsburg, 1972.
Johnson, Luke T. The Gospel of Luke . Sacra Pagina 3. Collegeville, MN: Liturgical Press, 1991.
Marshall, I. Howard. The Gospel of Luke: A Commentary on the Greek Text . The New International Greek Testament Commentary. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1978.
. Luke: Historian and Theologian . Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1970.
Morris, Leon. Luke . Revised edition. Tyndale New Testament Commentary. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1983.
Nolland, John. Luke . Word Biblical Commentary, vols. 35A, 35B, 35C. Dallas: Word Books, 1989, 1993.
O'Toole, Robert F. The Unity of Luke's Theology: An Analysis of Luke-Acts . Good News Studies 9. Wilmington, DE: Michael Glazier, 1984.
Stein, Robert H. Luke . The New American Commentary 24. Nashville: Broadman, 1992.
Tannehill, Robert C. The Narrative Unity of Luke-Acts: A Literary Interpretation . Vol. I: The Gospel According to Luke. Philadelphia: Fortress, 1986.
Tiede, David L. Luke . Augsburg Commentary on the New Testament. Minneapolis: Augsburg, 1988.
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ABBREVIATIONS
DJG Dictionary of Jesus and the Gospels
LXX Septuagint (Greek translation of the Old Testament)
NIV New International Version
NRSV New Revised Standard Version
RSV Revised Standard Version
Main Biblical Manuscript Texts:
A Codex Alexandrinus (5th century A.D.)
B Codex Vaticanus (4th century A.D.)
D Codex Bezae (5th-6th century A.D.)
69 Papyrus 69 (3rd century A.D.)
75 Papyrus 75 (early 3rd century A.D.)
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College: Luke (Outline) OUTLINE
There is general agreement among serious students of Luke's Gospel regarding its structure.
I. Prologue Luke 1:1-4
II. Infancy Narrative...
OUTLINE
There is general agreement among serious students of Luke's Gospel regarding its structure.
I. Prologue Luke 1:1-4
II. Infancy Narrative 1:5-2:52
III. The Preparation for Jesus' Ministry 3:1-4:13
IV. Jesus' Ministry in Galilee 4:14-9:50
V. Jesus' Journey to Jerusalem 9:51-19:27
VI. Jesus' Ministry in Jerusalem 19:28-21:38
VII. Jesus' Suffering and Death 22:1-23:56
VIII. Jesus' Resurrection and Ascension 24:1-53
(The Book of Acts)
IX. From Easter to Pentecost (Acts 1)
X. From Jerusalem to Samaria (Acts 2-9)
XI. From Judea to Rome (Acts 10-28)
Those who are familiar with the other Gospels notice immediately several similarities and differences. Like Matthew, Luke begins with birth stories (although Luke's are very different than Matthew's). Like Matthew and Mark, Luke includes Jesus' temptation and baptism and has a large section in which Jesus teaches and heals in Galilee. And like all three other Gospels, Luke has Jesus go to Jerusalem for the final week and ends the Gospel with the trial, suffering, death, and resurrection of Jesus.
What is most distinctive about the Gospel of Luke, however, is section V in the above outline, the journey to Jerusalem. It is the largest section in Luke's Gospel and contains a great number of stories found only in Luke. Luke uses this long journey to Jerusalem primarily to teach what it means to be a disciple of Jesus. It means doing what Jesus does: teaching, healing, serving, suffering, and dying to self. In other words, it means following Jesus - all the way to Jerusalem.
Finally, the greatest difference between Luke's writing and that of Matthew, Mark, and John is that Luke continues the story. The book of Acts tells how Jesus continues to teach and heal as he leads the growing kingdom throughout the Mediterranean world.
DETAILED OUTLINE
(Episode Titles Based on NIV Headings)
I. Prologue Luke - 1:1-4
II. Infancy Narrative - 1:5-2:52
A. The Birth of John the Baptist Foretold - 1:5-25
B. The Birth of Jesus Foretold - 1:26-38
C. Mary Visits Elizabeth - 1:39-45
D. Mary's Song - 1:46-56
E. The Birth of John the Baptist - 1:57-66
F. Zechariah's Song - 1:67-80
G. The Birth of Jesus - 2:1-7
H. The Shepherds and the Angels - 2:8-20
I. Jesus Presented in the Temple - 2:21-40
J. The Boy Jesus at the Temple - 2:41-52
III. The Preparation for Jesus' Ministry - 3:1-4:13
A. John the Baptist Prepares the Way - 3:1-20
B. The Baptism and Genealogy of Jesus - 3:21-38
C. The Temptation of Jesus - 4:1-13
IV. Jesus' Ministry in Galilee - 4:14-9:50
A. Jesus Rejected at Nazareth - 4:14-30
B. Jesus' Ministry in Capernaum - 4:31-44
1. Jesus Drives Out an Evil Spirit - 4:31-37
2. Jesus Heals Many - 4:38-44
C. The Calling of the First Disciples - 5:1-11
D. The Man with Leprosy - 5:12-16
E. The Beginning of Conflict - 5:17-6:11
1. Jesus Heals a Paralytic - 5:17-26
2. The Calling of Levi - 5:27-32
3. Jesus Questioned About Fasting - 5:33-39
4. Lord of the Sabbath - 6:1-11
F. The Sermon on the Plain - 6:12-49
1. The Twelve Apostles - 6:12-16
2. Blessings and Woes - 6:17-26
3. Love for Enemies - 6:27-36
4. Judging Others - 6:37-42
5. A Tree and Its Fruit - 6:43-45
6. The Wise and Foolish Builders - 6:46-49
G. Jesus the Prophet - 7:1-50
1. The Faith of the Centurion - 7:1-10
2. Jesus Raises a Widow's Son - 7:11-17
3. Jesus and John the Baptist - 7:18-35
4. Jesus Anointed by a Sinful Woman - 7:36-50
H. Jesus Teaches in Parables - 8:1-21
1. The Parable of the Sower - 8:1-15
2. A Lamp on a Stand - 8:16-18
3. Jesus' Mother and Brothers - 8:19-21
I. Jesus Shows His Divine Power - 8:22-56
1. Jesus Calms a Storm - 8:22-25
2. The Healing of a Demoniac - 8:26-39
3. A Dead Girl and a Sick Woman - 8:40-56
J. Jesus and His Apostles - 9:1-50
1. Jesus Sends Out the Twelve - 9:1-6
2. Jesus Feeds the Five Thousand - 9:7-17
3. Peter's Confession of Christ - 9:18-27
4. The Transfiguration - 9:28-36
5. The Healing of a Boy with a Demon - 9:37-45
6. Who Will Be the Greatest? - 9:46-50
V. Jesus' Journey to Jerusalem - 9:51-19:27
A. Jesus Faces Toward Jerusalem - 9:51-13:21
1. Samaritan Opposition - 9:51-56
2. The Cost of Following Jesus - 9:57-62
3. Jesus Sends Out the Seventy-Two - 10:1-24
4. The Parable of the Good Samaritan - 10:25-37
5. At the Home of Mary and Martha - 10:38-42
6. Jesus' Teaching on Prayer - 11:1-13
7. Jesus and Beelzebub - 11:14-28
8. The Sign of Jonah - 11:29-32
9. The Lamp of the Body - 11:33-36
10. Six Woes - 11:37-54
11. Warnings and Encouragements - 12:1-12
12. The Parable of the Rich Fool - 12:13-21
13. Do Not Worry - 12:22-34
14. Watchfulness - 12:35-48
15. Not Peace but Division - 12:49-53
16. Interpreting the Times - 12:54-59
17. Repent or Perish - 13:1-9
18. A Crippled Woman Healed - 13:10-17
19. Parables of Mustard Seed and Yeast - 13:18-21
B. Jesus Journeys Toward Jerusalem - 13:22-17:10
1. The Narrow Door - 13:22-30
2. Jesus' Sorrow for Jerusalem - 13:31-35
3. Jesus at a Pharisee's House - 14:1-14
4. The Parable of the Great Banquet - 14:15-24
5. The Cost of Being a Disciple - 14:25-35
6. The Parable of the Lost Sheep - 15:1-7
7. The Parable of the Lost Coin - 15:8-10
8. The Parable of the Lost Son - 15:11-32
9. The Parable of the Shrewd Manager - 16:1-15
10. Teachings on the Law and Divorce - 16:16-18
11. The Rich Man and Lazarus - 16:19-31
12. Sin, Faith, Duty - 17:1-10
C. Jesus Approaches Jerusalem - 17:11-19:27
1. Ten Healed of Leprosy - 17:11-19
2. The Coming of the Kingdom of God - 17:20-37
3. The Parable of the Persistent Widow - 18:1-8
4. The Parable of the Pharisee and the Tax Collector - 18:9-14
5. The Little Children and Jesus - 18:15-17
6. The Rich Ruler - 18:18-30
7. Jesus Again Predicts His Death - 18:31-34
8. A Blind Beggar Receives His Sight - 18:35-43
9. Zacchaeus the Tax Collector - 19:1-10
10. The Parable of the Ten Minas - 19:11-27
VI. Jesus' Ministry in Jerusalem - 19:28-21:38
A. The Triumphal Entry - 19:28-34
B. Jesus at the Temple - 19:45-48
C. The Authority of Jesus Questioned - 20:1-8
D. The Parable of the Tenants - 20:9-19
E. Paying Taxes to Caesar - 20:20-26
F. The Resurrection and Marriage - 20:27-40
G. Whose Son Is the Christ? - 20:41-47
H. The Widow's Offering - 21:1-4
I. Signs of the End of the Age - 21:5-38
VII. Jesus' Suffering and Death - 22:1-23:56
A. Judas Agrees to Betray Jesus - 22:1-6
B. The Last Supper - 22:7-38
C. Jesus Prays on the Mount of Olives - 22:39-46
D. Jesus Arrested - 22:47-53
E. Peter Disowns Jesus - 22:54-62
F. The Guards Mock Jesus - 22:63-65
G. Jesus Before Pilate and Herod - 22:66-23:25
H. The Crucifixion - 23:26-43
I. Jesus' Death - 23:44-49
J. Jesus' Burial - 23:50-56
VIII. Jesus' Resurrection and Ascension - 24:1-53
A. The Resurrection - 24:1-12
B. On the Road to Emmaus - 24:13-35
C. Jesus Appears to the Disciples - 24:36-49
D. The Ascension - 24:50-53
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Lapide: Luke (Book Introduction) S. LUKE'S GOSPEL
Third Edition
JOHN HODGES,
AGAR STREET, CHARING CROSS, LONDON.
1892.
INTRODUCTION.
——o——
THE Holy Gospel of Jesus Ch...
S. LUKE'S GOSPEL
Third Edition
JOHN HODGES,
AGAR STREET, CHARING CROSS, LONDON.
1892.
INTRODUCTION.
——o——
THE Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ, according to S. Luke , that is, the Holy Evangelical History of the words and acts of Jesus, as described by S. Luke. The Arabic says, "In the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost, one God, the Gospel of the Excellent Father, Luke the Evangelist, the laying open of the glorious Gospel." The Syraic, "In the name of the Lord and our God, we Jeschua Mescicho, sign the Gospel, the holy message of Luke the Evangelist, which he spoke and proclaimed in Greek, in Alexandria." From this diversity, it is clear that the above title or inscription was prefixed to the Gospel, not by S. Luke himself, but by the Church which, in like manner, inscribed one Gospel "According to S. Matthew," one "According to S. John," and another "According to S. Mark." Nay, as regards the faith of the future, this title would have been added to no purpose by S. Luke himself, unless the Church had declared his Gospel to be genuine and not supposititious, and had handed it down as such. This speaks for Tradition against the heretics, for why is the Gospel, bearing the name of S. Luke, to be received as truly his, whilst that with the title of "Matthew and Thomas" is not to be considered theirs? Or again, why is the Gospel of S. Luke more canonical than that of Apelles or Basilides? No other reason can be given but the proof, declaration, and tradition of the Church. For we accept it, not because it is written in the sacred books, but because it has been so handed down by the Church. For instance, we believe this to be the Gospel of S. Luke and canonical, not because he wrote it, but because the Church so delivers and teaches. For although its own authority pertains to this Gospel, as to the others, yet this authority would not be plain to us, but for the declaration of the Church. The same is, a pari , to be said of the sense of Scripture. For the true sense of Scripture is not what appears to you or me, for this would be uncertain and doubtful, for Calvin affirms one sense to be the true one, Luther another, and others another, but that which is taught and received by the Church, whose office it is to deliver as well what is the true Scripture as what is its true meaning. For Holy Scripture consists not in the bark (cortice) of letters or words, but in their genuine meaning. So the Fourth Session of the Council of Trent, and the Fathers everywhere, especially Tertullian (B. iv. cap. 5 against Marcion). See what I have said on S. Matthew i. 1.
Observe: I. S. Matthew was the first in order of the Evangelists. He wrote in Hebrew to the Jews in Judæa. S. Mark was the second. He wrote in Greek and Latin to the Romans in Italy; then S. Luke wrote to the Greeks in Greek; and S. John last of all, also in Greek; but S. Luke wrote the more elegantly, because he was the more perfect master of Greek. Hear S. Jerome (Ep. 84 to Paulinus): "Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John, the quadriga of the Lord, and true Cherubim (which is interpreted, the 'multitude of knowledge'), through their whole body they are 'full of eyes,' sparks shine from them, lightnings flash forth, their feet are 'straight,' and point upwards, their backs are winged, and they fly hither and thither. They hold themselves mutually one with another, and are 'enfolded' with one another, and are rolled together, like a wheel, and they go wherever the influence of the Holy Spirit directs them." See Ezekiel i. 9, x. 12; Revelation iv. 6-8.
Moreover, among the faces or forms of the four Cherubim, the third, that of the ox, is ascribed to S. Luke, as well because he begins from the priesthood of Zachariah, whose chief sacrifice was an ox, as because he underwent the labours of an ox in the Gospel, and bore about continually in his own body the mortification of the Cross for the honour of the name of Christ, as the Church sings of him. See what has been said on Revelation iv. 7, and Ezekiel i. 10.
II. S. Luke wrote his Gospel against certain gaping, ignorant, perhaps even false Evangelists, who had written, in Syria or Greece, an imperfect, it may be a lying Gospel, as S. Luke himself signifies in the beginning of his work. So say Origen, S. Ambrose, Theophylact, and S. Epiphanius ( Her . l. i), who, however, when he adds that S. Luke wrote against Cerinthus and Meritus, does not seem to speak correctly. For these two, and especially Basilides, were later than S. Luke, as is clear from Eusebius (Hist. B. iii. ch. 32). Theophylact and Bede think, with more truth, that S. Luke wrote against the Apocryphal Gospels of others, such as pass under the names of "Thomas, Matthew, and the Twelve Apostles."
III. S. Luke was not one of the seventy-two disciples of Christ, as Euthymius and S. Gregory in his preface on Job, chap. i. think, on the authority of Origen; for S. Luke never saw Christ in the flesh, but he wrote what he had heard of Him from the Apostles, as he says himself, i. 2. Hence the Fathers call S. Luke "the disciple of the Apostles," and S. Paul mentions him by name, as his "fellow-labourer." So S. Jerome, on the 65th chapter of Isaiah, and preface to S. Matthew; where he says, "The third" (evangelist) is Luke the physician, by nation a Syrian, of Antioch, whose praise is in the Gospel (2 Cor. viii. 18 and 22), who himself was a disciple of S. Paul. He wrote his Gospel in the neighbourhood of Achaia and Bœotia, relating some things from the beginning, as he says himself, and describing rather what he heard than what he saw. St. Irenæus says the same, i. 20; Theodoret, on the Lives of the holy Fathers; Baronius, and others. Tertullian, also (Book iv. against Marcion, chap. 5), thinks this Gospel not so much S. Luke's as S. Paul's, because S. Luke wrote from the dictation of S. Paul, as S. Mark from that of S. Peter. For he says, "what S. Mark wrote may be ascribed to S. Peter, whose interpreter S. Mark was. And so the Gospel of S. Luke is generally given to S. Paul, for the productions of the disciples began to be ascribed to the masters."
S. Jerome also states that "S. Luke, in the Gospel and Acts, performed the duties of a physician of souls, as he had before done of bodies" (Ep. 103 to Paulinus); and again (in that to Philom). "Luke the physician left in his Gospel, and the book of the Acts of the Apostles to the Churches, how the Apostles from fishers of fish became fishers of men, and from the bodies of men became concerned with their souls, whose Gospel, as often as it is read in the churches, fails not of its medicine."
IV. Baronius thinks that S. Luke wrote in the companionship of S. Paul, anno 58, because S. Jerome says that he wrote his Gospel that year in Achaia and Bœotia, where S. Paul was. Others, however, are of opinion that S. Luke wrote earlier, as we must certainly admit, if we agree with S. Jerome ( Lib. de Scrip. Eccl. in Luc. ), Tertullian (Book iv. against Marcion, c. 5), Primasius, Anselm, and others, on 2 Cor. viii 18, that by, "the brother whose praise is in the Gospel" S. Paul meant S. Luke—as S. Ignatius, his fellow-citizen and contemporary, plainly asserts in his letter to the Ephesians: "As Luke bears witness, whose praise is in the Gospel." For the Second Epistle of S. Paul to the Corinthians was written in the year 58, so that if the praise of S. Luke was in the Gospel at that time, we must necessarily say that it (the Gospel) had been published previously. Hence Euthymius, and Theophylact in his Preface to S. Luke, say that he wrote fifteen years after the ascension of Christ, that is, about the year 49. But S. Luke had not then joined S. Paul, for he came to him in the Troad in the year 51, as Baronius rightly concludes from Acts xvi. 10. It appears, therefore, that S. Luke wrote subsequently to the year 51, but some years before 58, for, as S. Paul says, in that year he was well known and celebrated.
V. S. Luke, after he had joined S. Paul, passed some time away from him, having been sent by him to other places (as I have shown on Acts xvi. 10), until S. Paul, when he had passed through other countries, came to Greece, thence to Syria, and so to Rome. Acts xx. 3, 4. For S. Paul, with other companions of his voyage, who are named in that verse, took S. Luke also, as S Luke himself states, verses 5, 15. From that time S. Luke became the "diligent" companion of S. Paul, even up to the time of S. Paul's first imprisonment, which was in the second year of Nero, when S. Luke finished the Acts of the Apostles, and, especially, those of S. Paul. Then, as S. Epiphanius says, S. Luke left S. Paul in prison, and went into Dalmatia, Gaul, Italy, and Macedonia, and preached the gospel everywhere till he came to Patara, a city of Achaia, where, in his eighty-fourth year, he was crowned with a glorious martyrdom in the year of Christ 61, the fifth of Nero, and the seventeenth of the session of S. Peter at Rome. So Baronius says, from S. Gregory Nazianzen, Paulinus, Gaudentius, Glyca, Nicephorus and others.
Lastly, who S. Luke was—of what rank and ability, I have described at length in the Book of Acts, where I have said that he appears to be the same as Lucius, whom S. Paul calls his kinsman, Rom xvi. 21. But he seems different to Lucius of Cyrene, mentioned in Acts xiii. 3. For S. Luke was of Antioch, not Cyrene. Again, the Roman Martyrology, on April 22, says that Lucius was among the first disciples of Christ, which cannot be said of S. Luke.
VI. The reason of S. Luke's having written a Gospel after SS. Matthew and Mark, was twofold. 1. To confute the false gospels that were then being published in Syria and Greece, as I have said before. 2. To write at length those words and acts of Christ which had been passed over by the other Evangelists, and especially His Infancy and Childhood, the Annunciation of His forerunner John the Baptist, His Conception, Nativity, Presentation in the Temple, Presence among the Doctors, the Conversion of St. Mary Magdalene, Zacchæus, the thief on the cross, the appearance to the two Disciples at Emmaus, the Parables of the Pharisee and Publican, the Good Samaritan, the Strayed Sheep, the Lost Piece of Money, the Prodigal Son, Lazarus and the Rich Glutton, and others; which show the mercy and pity of Christ to sinners and the miserable. See S. Irenæus, iii. 4, who recounts each. S. Luke also relates, more fully than the others, the Passion, Resurrection, and Ascension.
Lastly, S. Peter Damianus, in his Sermon on S. Matthew, says, "S. Luke observes the proper method and order when he describes the priestly stock of the Lord and His Person, and, with this object and intent, proceeds to describe at length every part of the Temple and the priests, to the end of the history. For, as the Mediator between God and man in His human nature, He pleased to be King and Priest in one, that through His kingly power He might rule, and, by His office of Priest, atone for us. These two "Personæ" of Christ are especially praised by the Fathers, for to Him principally and by singular prerogative God gave the seat of His Father David, that there might be no end of His Kingdom, and that He might be a Priest for ever, after the order of Melchisedek."
S. Anselm again, on Colos. iv., gives two reasons why S. Luke, more than the others, should speak of the mercy of Christ. 1. S. Luke was a physician of bodies; then, when he turned to Christ, he was made a physician of souls. Hence he speaks, more than the other Evangelists, of the mercies of the Redeemer, by which the weaknesses of sins are driven away. 2. In Christ, he describes the person of a Priest, making intercession for the sins of the whole world
Lastly, our own John de la Haye, in his Oparat. Evangel. chap. 68, recounts the twenty-five privileges granted to S. Luke, where, among other things, from S. Jerome, Bede, and Ado, he says that S. Luke never committed mortal sin, but passed a strict life of continual mortification; that he also preserved his virginity to the end, and was therefore beloved by the Blessed Virgin especially and before all others.
S. Ambrose and Titus of Bostra have commented especially on S. Luke. And Tertullian, in his whole work against Marcion (who had declared the Gospel of S. Luke, though adulterated, to be his own), treats of and explains many passages of this Gospel. Cardinal Toletus, also, wrote at length, and with exactness, on the first twelve chapters.
