Luke 13 - In Depth Bible Commentaries

2658(...continued)John 9:1-2 tells how the closest followers of Jesus held the view that human calamitiessuch as blindness were a direct result of sinfulness: "As Jesus walked along, he saw a man blindfrom birth. His disciples asked him: Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was bornblind?” Jesus' answer rejected their simple conclusion that calamity is a direct result of humansinfulness: "Jesus answered, Neither this man nor his parents sinned; he was born blind so thatGod's works might be revealed in him. (John 9:3)However, on another occasion recorded in John 5:14, Jesus told the man He had justhealed at the Sheep Gate Pool to “no longer miss the mark (or, ‘sin’), in order that a worsecalamity not come upon him.”Here, in the present incident being described by Luke, we can see how easy it would be toargue that the Galileans whose blood Pilate had mixed with their sacrifices were greater missersof-the-mark,greater "sinners," than other Galileans who had not so suffered. Nolland commentsthat Jesus does not reject this idea of the connection between human sinfulness and the experienceof tragedy, "But Jesus will...dispute the possibility of determining the degree of sinfulnessfrom the experience of calamity and will shift the focus away from the passing of judgment onothers to the need to put one's own house in order." (2, p. 718)2659Jesus does not hesitate to answer the question being asked Him. Knox comments that"Jesus cut across the current belief: 'I tell you, No.' That was a radical stroke. But Jesus was arealist: He confronted the truth that calamity is no respecter of persons, even though that truthmight double the mind's questionings." (P. 239) Gilmour states in like manner, "Jesus repudiatedthe popular theory that suffering was the consequence of sin, but did not concern himself in thisinstance with any other answer to the problem." (Ibid.)2660 ndThe 2 person plural present subjunctive active verb metanoh/te, "you may turn around,"nd"you may repent," is changed to the 2 person plural, aorist subjunctive active verb metanoh,shte,with the same meaning, by Alexandrinus, Bezae, Gamma, Theta, Families 1 and 13 of Minuscules,Minuscules 579 (see), 892 (margin), 1241, 1424, 2542, some other Greek manuscriptsand Epiphanius of Constantia (who died 403 A.D.).The change in tense does not change the meaning of Jesus' warning, although it changesfrom a continuing repentance to a momentary, once-for-all repentance. Either way, Jesusteaches that without "turning around," or "repentance," there can be no salvation from perishing.In so teaching, Jesus unites his voice with that of the great spokespersons of Israel who sopowerfully proclaimed the divine demand for repentance to Northern Israel and to Judah prior tocoming of the day of YHWH on the northern kingdom by the Assyrian invasion in 722-21 B.C.,and on the southern kingdom by the Babylonian invasion in 587-86 B.C.See, for example the statement of king Solomon in 1 Kings 8:47-50, "If they miss-the-mark(‘sin’) against You--for there is no one who does not miss-the-mark (‘sin’)--and You are angry withthem and give them to an enemy, so that they are carried away captive to the land of the enemy,(continued...)1268

2662(...continued)30; 10:28, 39, 39; 16:25, 25; 21:41; 22:7; Mark 8:35, 35; 12:9; Luke 9:24, 24, 25; 13:3, 3(here); 17:27, 29, 33, 33; 20:16; John 3:16; 10:28; 12:25. In addition, see Romans 2:12; 2Corinthians 2:15, where similar language occurs.The same God Who is Savior, and Who comes to the rescue of those who are lost andperishing, is also described in the Jewish Bible as the God Who "destroys" those who will notrepent. See for example, Genesis 18:24, 28, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32 and 19:13, where YHWH isdepicted as destroying the cities of the plain. The verb occurs some 378 times in the LXX, andmany times refers to divine destruction of human beings--see Exodus 19:24 and many otheroccurrences.Nolland comments that "In one way or another disaster will strike all those who will notrepent in the face of the new situation created by the presence and the ministry of Jesus and byHis proclamation of the coming of the kingdom of God. The coming destruction of Jerusalem isnot especially anticipated here...but takes its place in connection with this kind of thinking." (2, p.718)Jesus here answers their question with a sharp negative, and turns the statement upon thequestioners themselves. When bad things happen to people, Jesus seems to say, don't startphilosophizing concerning whether or not those involved are sinful, and being punished, destroyedby God. Instead, ask the question of yourself, "Am I ready to face death, am I prepared forsudden calamity and disaster?"The same lightning that struck one church during a thunder-storm, can well strike ourchurch in the next storm. The same tornado that ripped through the heart of one city can just asdevastatingly rip through our own city. The terrorists that struck at the Twin Towers and thePentagon in New York City and in Washington, D.C., can strike again at targets scatteredthroughout the world. The tsunami that took more than 150,000 lives along the shores of theIndian Ocean can strike the coastlands of the United States, or any other coastlands.And so, instead of uttering words of proud self-righteousness, saying that "God really gotthem, didn't he?", let us realize how fragile all of life is, and how easily the calamities and tragediesthat have struck others can strike us next. None of us are exempt; none of us carry divineguarantees that we will not suffer a like disaster.And the fact is, according to Jesus, "judgment day," or the coming of the "Day of YHWH" isimminent in all of our lives. The only proper response to tragedy that we observe happening inthe lives of others around us is to turn to God in whole-hearted repentance, to get our own heartsand lives right with God, realizing how deeply all of us are in need of divine grace and forgiveness!We conclude that whatever tragedy strikes human beings–whether those inflicted intentionallyby others, or those that we call “natural disasters”--we should not use their occurrence toreflect on the sinfulness of those who suffer–but rather, we should realize that we too are vulner-1270(continued...)

2663 2664 2665Siloam fell, and killed them, do you think that they were debtors beyond all the people2666 2667 2668 2669that are living in Jerusalem? 13:5 No, I tell you, but rather, unless you turn around,2662(...continued)able, and that such tragedies can come our own way as well. And because of that fact, that truth,we should humbly repent of all our sinfulness, turning our lives around, repenting before God.We cannot mine the depths of human tragedy–whatever its cause–but we can get our ownlives in order, being ready for whatever may come our way. That’s what Jesus teaches us.2663This name "Siloam" occurs only four times in the Greek Bible: Isaiah 8:6; Luke13:4 (here); John 9:7, 11 (Jesus tells a blind man to go and wash in the Pool of Siloam, andwhen he does, his eyesight is restored). See footnote 2667.2664Nolland comments that "While in verses 2-3 we were dealing with the act of a cruelleader and perhaps of people who 'asked for it' by their political activity, now we are probably tothink of an 'act of God' falling randomly on those who just happen innocently to be present. Thesame judgments apply." (2, p. 719)2665The noun ovfeile,tai, "debtors," "those who are under obligation," is used as a synonymfor a`martwloi., "missers-of-the-mark," or "sinners," in verse 2.The word "debtor" occurs only some seven times in the entire Greek Bible (never in theLXX). In the Greek New Testament: Matthew 6:12; 18:24; Luke 13:4 (here); Romans 1:14;8:12; 15:27; Galatians 5:3). By contrast, "missers-of-the-mark" occurs some 226 times in theGreek Bible, including some 47 occurrences in the Greek New Testament.Nolland comments that "[debtors] probably reflects Aramaic idiom (chayyabh, which hasan idiomatic use in connection with those who have fallen into 'debt' in connection with God)." (2,p. 718)2666The present participle katoikou/ntaj, "living," "dwelling," "inhabiting," is changed toevnoikou/ntaj, "living in," etc., by Bezae. This is a typical "editorial" change by this copyist, whichdoes not effect the meaning of Luke.2667What we take to be the original text of Luke reads katoikou/ntaj VIerousalh,m, literally"inhabiting Jerusalem," with only the prefixed preposition in the participle, is read by P75 (probably),Vaticanus, Bezae, L, Family 1 of Minuscules, Minuscule 892, some other Greek manuscripts,the Old Latin Manuscripts e, i and some manuscripts of the Latin Latin Vulgate.The preposition evn, "in," is interpolated into the text between these two words bySinaiticus, Alexandrinus, W, Theta, Psi, Uncial Manuscript 070, Family 13 of Minuscules,Minuscule 1241 (see) and the "Majority Text." The interpolated word does not change the(continued...)1271

2670 2671you all in the same way will perish!"2667(...continued)meaning of Jesus' teaching, but does make it slightly more explicit.We have no extra-biblical information concerning this tragedy to which Jesus refers.Siloam was the name of a pool located at the end of the Gichon tunnel which Hezekiah built inpreparation for the invasion of the Assyrians under Sennacherib, hundreds of years before thefirst century. The pool is still there, and is visited by tourists to Jerusalem daily. It was located inan area of the city particularly vulnerable to attack from the south, and probably the tower waslocated along the nearby wall, as a defensive structure.As Nolland notes, this mention of a tragedy in Jerusalem without any mention of Galileans,"provides a happy counter to any who would wish to set Galilee and Judea against each other."(2, p. 718)What Jesus refers to is an experience common to people throughout the world, whereman-made buildings such as towers are never totally safe, and especially in times of earthquake,or war, can fall upon those within them, trapping them under the rubble if not killing them, as hadhappened to these eighteen person to whom Jesus refers. We need only think of the bombing ofthe Murrah Federal Building in Oklahoma City, with the loss of some 180 lives, or the fall of theTwin-Towers in New York City with the resulting deaths of thousands of persons.When such things happen--as they constantly do--we immediately begin to ask the question"Why?" "Why those particular people, not others?" Was God singling them out, punishingthem because of a heavy debt they owed to God? Jesus insists that this is the wrong question.Such an experience, which may well be a divine judgment, but not necessarily so, is no occasionfor questioning the integrity of others--rather, it is a time for self-examination, for getting our ownlives in tune with the divine will.2668Verse 5 is identical to verse 3, except for the difference between the two synonyms,o`moi,wj (verse 3), and w`sau,twj (verse 5), both of which mean "in the same way," "similarly," or"likewise."2669 ndHere again (see footnote 2660), the 2 person plural present subjunctive active verbmetanoh/te, "you people may turn around," "you people may repent," is read by P75, a corrector ofSinaiticus, Vaticanus, W, Psi, Minuscule 33 and the "Majority Text."ndIt is changed to the 2 person plural aorist subjunctive active verb, metanoh,shte by the firstwriter and a later corrector of Sinaiticus, Alexandrinus, Bezae, L, Theta, Uncial Manuscript070, Families 1 and 13 (see) of Minuscules, Minuscules 579, 1241, 1424, 2542, some otherGreek manuscripts and Epiphanius of Constantia (who died 403 A.D.). This variant readinghardly changes the teaching of Luke.2670Here again, in a similar manner to verse 3 (see footnote 2661), the adverb w`sau,twj,hosautos, meaning "likewise," "similarly," "in the same way," is read by Sinaiticus, Vaticanus, L,Family 1 of Minuscules, Minuscules 33, 579, 892, 1241 and a few other Greek manuscripts.(continued...)1272

267213:6 But then He was speaking this comparison / parable: A certain person had a fig-2673tree which had been planted in the vineyard of his; and he came, seeking fruit in it, and did not2670(...continued)It is changed to the adverb o`moi,wj, homoios, with the same meaning, by P75, Alexandrinus,Bezae, W, Theta, Psi, Uncial Manuscript 070, Family 13 of Minuscules and the "MajorityText." Again, this variant reading makes no difference for the meaning of Luke.2671The same conclusion is given by Jesus as that which He gave in verse 3, repeating thatstatement here in verse 5. When such tragic accidents (or purposeful destructions) occur, don'tstart trying to analyze why it happened, and begin drawing conclusions concerning the moral /spiritual condition of those who have perished. Instead, look at your own human frailty, and turnto God in trembling penitence, resolving to use your short time upon this earth in doing God's will.Jesus says, “Don't get involved in the 'blame game.' Instead, get involved in the much more importantmatter of aligning your own life with the divine will. That's the important thing!"2672Gilmour holds the meaning of the comparison / parable to be, "Israel has only a shortperiod left for repentance." (P. 240) That was certainly the case for first century Israel, as the oncomingdestruction of Jerusalem and its temple in 70 A.D. would prove conclusively. But if thatwas true for Israel, as history proved it to be, it is also true for all of us! The end of our lives is notfar off–within a century, almost every one of our lives will have met their end, whether throughintentional tragedies inflicted by others, or through natural disasters, or simply through the agingprocess. Our deep need is not to assess blame to others, but to prepare ourselves!2673For fig-trees in connection with vineyards, see 1 Kings 4:25; Jeremiah 8:13; Micah 4:4and Zechariah 3:10. For the use of figs, both good figs and bad figs, as metaphors for the goodand bad Jewish people, see Jeremiah 24:1-10.24:1 After Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon had taken into exile from Jerusalem Jeconiahthe son of Jehoiakim, king of Judah, together with the officials of Judah, the craftsmen, and themetal workers, and had brought them to Babylon, YHWH showed me this vision: behold, twobaskets of figs placed before the temple of the YHWH. 2. One basket had very good figs, likefirst-ripe figs, but the other basket had very bad figs, so bad that they could not be eaten. 3. AndYHWH said to me, What do you see, Jeremiah? I said, Figs, the good figs very good, and thebad figs very bad, so bad that they cannot be eaten.4. Then the word of YHWH came to me: 5. Thus says YHWH, the God of Israel: Likethese good figs, so I will regard as good the exiles from Judah, whom I have sent away from thisplace to the land of the Chaldeans. 6. I will set My eyes on them for good, and I will bring themback to this land. I will build them up, and not tear them down; I will plant them, and not uprootthem. 7. I will give them a heart to know that I am YHWH, and they shall be My people and I willbe their God, for they shall return to Me with their whole heart. 8. But thus says YHWH: Like thebad figs that are so bad they cannot be eaten, so will I treat Zedekiah the king of Judah, his officials,the remnant of Jerusalem who remain in this land, and those who dwell in the land of Egypt.9. I will make them a horror to all the kingdoms of the earth, to be a reproach, a byword, a taunt,and a curse in all the places where I shall drive them. 10. And I will send sword, famine, and(continued...)1273

2674find (any). 13:7 But then he said to the vineyard-keeper, Look–(it has been) three years since2675 2676 2677 2678I am coming seeking fruit in this fig-tree, and I am not finding (any); [therefore] cut it2679 2680out –for what reason should it also waste the ground? 13:8 Then he, answering, says to2673(...continued)pestilence upon them, until they shall be utterly destroyed from the land that I gave to them andtheir fathers."2674This accusative case noun avmpelourgo,n, is the combination of av,mpeloj, "vine," andev,rgon, "work," meaning "vine-dresser," or one occupied in caring for a vineyard, hired by theowner of the vineyard to do such work.2675 stNolland translates the 1 person singular present middle verb ev ,rcomai, literally "I amcoming" by "I began coming." (2, p. 716).2676Nolland comments that "We should understand that the tree had been growing quitelong enough to reach fruit-bearing maturity before the first visit." (2, p. 719) See Leviticus 19:23-25, which legislates for Israel that a fruit-tree cannot be eaten from for the first three yearsafter its planting; the fruit of its fourth year is to be an offering to YHWH; and only then, in the fifthyear, was it permissible to eat the tree's fruit. We should, in the light of this legislation, think of theowner's coming in the fifth, sixth, and seventh years of the tree's life, expecting to find fruitsuitable for eating, or selling--but finding none on the mature fig-tree.2677The phrase fe,re th.n avxi,nhn, "bring the ax," is interpolated into the text at this point byBezae. The interpolation is another of this copyist's typical editorial "enhancements" of the originaltext, that does not change its meaning.Nolland translates the phrase ouvc eu`ri,skw, literally "I am not finding," by "I have not beenfinding" (2, p. 716).2678The conjunction ou=n, "therefore," is read by P75, Alexandrinus, L, Theta, Psi, UncialManuscript 070, Family 13 of Minuscules, Minuscules 33, 579, 892, some other Greek manuscripts,the Latin Vulgate, a part of the Old Latin witnesses, the Harclean Syriac and the Coptictradition.It is omitted by Sinaiticus, Vaticanus, Bezae, W, Family 1 of Minuscules, the "MajorityText," the Old Latin Manuscript e, the Sinaitic Syriac (see), the Curetonian Syriac and the PeshittaSyriac. Because of the apparent balance in the textual evidence, the word has been placed in thetext, but surrounded by brackets, to indicate uncertainty as to its originality. Whether read or notmakes little difference for the meaning of Luke.2679Compare Luke 3:9, where John the Immerser states, "Even now the ax is lying at theroot of the trees; every tree therefore that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into thefire." For other occurrences of the verb evkko,ptw, see Deuteronomy 20:19-20 (fruit-bearing treesmay not be cut down in time of war; trees for building siege-works may be cut down); Job 14:7-9(trees cut down will sprout again); 19:10 (Job’s hope is like an uprooted tree); Isaiah 6:13 (the(continued...)1274

him, Master, leave it this year also, until (the time) when I can dig around it, and throw (in)2681 2682manure; 13:9 and perhaps indeed it will make fruit for the coming (year); but then if not,2679(...continued)remaining stump of a felled tree is its seed of the future); Jeremiah 22:7 (Judah’s choicest cedarswill be cut down and thrown into the fire); Daniel 4:14 in the LXX, the mighty tree is cut down andits branches chopped off) and in the Greek New Testament see Matthew 3:10 (same as Luke3:9); 7:19 (trees that don’t bear good fruit are cut down and thrown into the fire); Luke 13:7 (here;the non-fruit-bearing fig tree is to be cut down), 9 (similar); Romans 11:13-24 (the cultivated andthe wild olive trees; branches cut off and grafted in).2680The phrase th.n gh,n, "the earth," or "the ground," is changed to to.n to,pon, "the place,"by the first writer of Vaticanus and Minuscule 1424. This variant reading does not change themeaning of Luke.Marshall comments, "Unfruitful itself, why should [the fig-tree] also waste ground that couldbe put to fruitful use?...The tree not only takes up space, but in fact exhausts the ground by takingnourishment from it." (P. 555) Knox comments that "The purpose of a fig tree is to bear figs.Leaves and shade are no substitute for fruit." (P. 241)Fitzmyer comments that "The Galileans may have died by the malice of some humanbeing; the eighteen Jerusalemites by chance (they happened to be in the wrong place at thewrong time). But the fig tree dies expressly because of inactivity and unproductiveness. In thelong run this becomes 'the greater sin.' The guilt that comes from one's own procrastination orlack of decision is greater than that implied by death at someone else's hands or unexpectedcalamity." (2, p. 1005)2681The noun ko,pria, "manure," is changed to the phrase ko,finon ko,priwn, "a manurebasket,"by Bezae and a majority of the Old Latin witnesses. As is typical for the copyist of Bezae,this is an "editorial enhancement" of the text, that does not change its meaning.For similar treatment of fruitless grape-vines as a metaphor for people whose lives arebarren of "fruits," see Isaiah 5:1-7:Let me sing for my beloved my love-song concerning his vineyard:My beloved had a vineyard on a very fertile hill.He dug it and cleared it of stones,and planted it with choice vines;he built a watchtower in the midst of it,and hewed out a wine vat in it;he expected it to yield grapes,but it yielded wild grapes.And now, inhabitants of Jerusalem and people of Judah,judge between me and my vineyard.(continued...)1275

indeed, you will cut it out. 26832681(...continued)What more was there to do for my vineyardthat I have not done in it?When I expected it to yield grapes,why did it yield wild grapes?And now I will tell you what I will do to my vineyard.I will remove its hedge,and it shall be devoured;I will break down its wall,and it shall be trampled down.I will make it a waste;it shall not be pruned or hoed,and it shall be overgrown with briers and thorns;I will also command the cloudsthat they rain no rain upon it.For the vineyard of YHWH of Armies is the house of Israel,and the people of Judah are his pleasant planting;he expected justice, but saw bloodshed;right-relationship, but heard a cry (of oppression)!There is little difference between grapes and figs. Both are fruits which are expected to beproduced by their plants for the benefit of their owner. When there is no fruit, the vine or the treeloses its reason for being, and is subject to destruction. That is the tragic condition of Israel,YHWH’s vineyard. YHWH has done everything possible to make His vineyard fruitful, but to noavail. Instead of justice He has found bloodshed; instead of right-relationship, He has heard a cryof oppression. There can be no question of the outcome. Israel must be removed, devoured,broken down trampled upon, made a dry waste!This is exactly the condition that Jesus has found in Israel in His day, and which He isdoing everything in His power to change, with His call to repentance, to turning around–but to noavail. Israel once again faces the inescapable coming of YHWH’s judgment! And that divinejudgment on Israel came in the form of the Roman armies in with their destruction of Jerusalemand its temple culminating in 70 A.D. It was the Babylonian destruction of 586 B.C. over again!2682The phrase eivj to. me,llon\ eiv de. mh, ge, "for the coming (year); then if not indeed," isread by P75, Sinaiticus, Vaticanus, L, Uncial Manuscript 070 (see), Minuscules 33 (probably),579, 892, 1241, a few other Greek manuscripts and the Coptic tradition.It is changed to read in a different order, eiv de. mh, ge, eivj to. me,llon, "then if not, indeed,for the coming (year)" by P45 (probably), Alexandrinus, Bezae, W, Theta, Psi, Families 1 and 13of Minuscules, the "Majority Text," the entire Latin tradition and the Syriac tradition. This changein word-order makes no difference for the meaning of Luke.1276

2683The additional statement, tau/ta le,gwn evfw,nei o` ev,cwn wv ,ta avkou,ein avkoue,tw, literally"these things saying, he was crying, 'The one has ears to hear, let him hear!"' is interpolatedinto the text at this point by Gamma and some other Greek manuscripts. The interpolation doesnot change the meaning of Luke, but only gives additional emphasis to it.The conclusion of Isaiah's "Song of the Vineyard" is that judgment is unavoidably comingupon Jerusalem and Judah. YHWH has sought for fruit from the vineyard he has planted andcared for so carefully--and because only wild-grapes have grown there, judgment is coming.But Jesus' comparison / parable goes beyond that "Song of the Vineyard." It speaks of theintercession of the vine-worker, who pleads with the owner to wait one more year. There is nodenying the truth that he has already waited for three years, but, the vine-worker intercedes, “Justgive the fig-tree one more year, while I dig around it and feed it with fertilizer, to see if perhaps itwill become fruitful!”John Knox notes that "The startling matter in our life [and in the life of Israel] is not thatdisaster overtakes our transgression, but that the disaster is so long delayed... Despite man'salways postponed obedience, God is still patient." (P. 241)Perhaps Jesus has subtle reference to Himself as the Vine-Worker, Who like Abraham ofold (see Genesis 18:16-33) intercedes on behalf of a sinful people, digging around Israel, "thefig-tree," with his sharp, probing teaching, feeding all who would listen with His powerful, lifeimpartingteaching, hopeful that somehow that message from God would break through thehardened rock of Israel's heart, and lead it to repentance. This was his message, "Repent--turnaround--for the kingdom of God has drawn near!"As Knox points out, "He meant it: a man or nation can turn again, and by act of faithreceive power for creative life..." (Ibid.)But, as Marshall notes, "The day [should he not say 'the year'?] of grace will come to anend, despite the intercession of the vine dresser which could only be for a limited remission ofjudgment." (P. 556)Nolland comments that "The lack of fruit in the parable corresponds to the need for repentancein verses 1-5. The parable sets a limit on the time available for the required repentance.The image is of judgment graciously held back [through the intercession of one familiar with thetree]." Then Nolland asks, "Is it over-interpretation to identify Jesus' ministry with the specialnurture offered to the tree in its final year?" (2, p. 719)Our answer is that it is not, for this is a "comparison," a "parable," and some kind of interpretationis called for. In the context of what Jesus was doing in Israel, it can certainly be understoodthat Jesus, in His teaching and pleading with the Jewish leadership, was attempting toforestall the coming judgment.But even that "digging" of Jesus, and that feeding of Israel with His life-imparting words,was to be of little avail. Israel was quickly sliding down the steep slope to the judgment that would(continued...)1277

2683(...continued)destroy Jerusalem and its temple in 70 A.D. Instead of listening to Jesus' teaching, and enteringinto the newness of life that teaching could impart, Israel shut its ears to Jesus, and called for Hisdeath upon a Roman post, refusing to heed His call to repentance. And when the judgmentcame, Israel had no one to blame but itself, for its careless, heartless rejection of God’s word inJesus!Here was an occasion in the life of the founder of the Christian movement which could testwhether or not He had Zealot-like tendencies, and was a critic or opponent of the Roman Government.Asked about Pilate, the Roman governor's putting a number of Jesus' fellow-countrymen todeath, Jesus utters not a word of opposition to Pilate, or to Rome.Quite the contrary, He turns the attention of His hearers to their own need for repentance,for turning around, for reformation of their own lives in the light of God's demand, and the judgmentthat comes upon all humanity. This is not the teaching of a revolutionary, or a Zealot.Jesus, and the movement that follows him, are no enemies of Rome! Let the Roman judges whosit in judgment on Paul, take notice of this reality!1278

JESUS HEALS A WOMAN ON THE JEWISH DAY-OF-RESTVIOLATING JEWISH TRADITIONS, BUT BRINGING JOY TO THE PEOPLE !Luke 13:10-17, Greek Text with Translation13.10 +Hn de. dida,skwn evn mia/| tw/n sunagwgw/n evn toi/j sa,bbasinÅ 13.11 kai. ivdou.gunh. pneu/ma e;cousa avsqenei,aj e;th dekaoktw. kai. h=n sugku,ptousa kai. mh. duname,nhavnaku,yai eivj to. pantele,jÅ 13.12 ivdw.n de. auvth.n o` VIhsou/j prosefw,nhsen kai. ei=pen auvth/|\gu,nai( avpole,lusai th/j avsqenei,aj sou( 13.13 kai. evpe,qhken auvth/| ta.j cei/raj\ kai. paracrh/maavnwrqw,qh kai. evdo,xazen to.n qeo,nÅ13:10 But then he was teaching in one of the gathering-places on the Days-of-Rest. 13:11And look--a woman having a spirit of weakness (for) eighteen years; and she had become bentover, and was not being able to stand erect at all. 13:12 But then the Jesus, having seen her,called to and said to her, "Woman--you have been released from your weakness!" 13:13 And heplaced the hands on her. And immediately she was made erect; and she was glorifying the God.13.14 avpokriqei.j de. o` avrcisuna,gwgoj( avganaktw/n o[ti tw/| sabba,tw| evqera,peusen o`VIhsou/j( e;legen tw/| o;clw| o[ti e]x h`me,rai eivsi.n evn ai-j dei/ evrga,zesqai\ evn auvtai/j ou=nevrco,menoi qerapeu,esqe kai. mh. th/ | h`me,ra| tou/ sabba,touÅ 13.15 avpekri,qh de. auvtw/| o` ku,riojkai. ei=pen\ u`pokritai,( e[kastoj u`mw/n tw/| sabba,tw| ouv lu,ei to.n bou/n auvtou/ h' to.n o;non avpo.th/j fa,tnhj kai. avpagagw.n poti,zeiÈ 13.16 tau,thn de. qugate,ra VAbraa.m ou=san( h]n e;dhsen o`satana/j ivdou. de,ka kai. ovktw. e;th( ouvk e;dei luqh/nai avpo. tou/ desmou/ tou,tou th/ | h`me,ra| tou/sabba,touÈ 13.17 kai. tau/ta le,gontoj auvtou/ kath|scu,nonto pa,ntej oi` avntikei,menoi auvtw/|(kai. pa/j o` o;cloj e;cairen evpi. pa/sin toi/j evndo,xoij toi/j ginome,noij u`pV auvtou/Å13:14 But then the gathering-place ruler, answering--being angry that the Jesus healed onthe Day-of-Rest--was saying to the crowd that "There are six days in which it is necessary to work;on them, therefore, coming, be healed--and not on the Day of the Rest-Day!" 13:15 But then theLord answered him and said, "Play Actors! Each one of you, on the Day-of-Rest does he notloose the ox of his or the donkey from the stall, and having led it away, give it drink? 13:16 Butthen this one, being a daughter of Abraham, whom the Satan bound (for) look--ten and eightyears--was it not necessary (for her) to be loosed from this bond on the Day of the Rest-Day?"13:17 And as he was saying these things, all those withstanding him were being ashamed; andall the crowd was rejoicing over all the glorious things being done by him.Luke 13:10-17, Translation with Footnotes 26842684Luke 13:10-17 has no parallel in Mark or in Matthew, and therefore we label thepassage as "L." However, there are two other passages in Luke that are closely related tothis story: 6:6-11 and 14:1-6, both of which have to do with Jesus' controversy with the Jews overobservance of the Day-of-Rest. See also Mark 3:1-6, and the parallels in Matthew.Whether this passage begins an entirely new section in Luke, or is to be seen as theconclusion of the preceding material beginning at 12:1 is unclear. Marshall comments that if this(continued...)1279

2684(...continued)section is taken as the conclusion of what Luke has just related, "The story of the healing of thewoman with the bent back is then presented from two aspects. It is an illustration of thehypocritical attitude of the Jewish leaders which has already been castigated in 11:37-54. At thesame time it exemplifies the saving power of God in delivering his people from the power ofSatan, and thus provides the kind of sign that should have been recognized by the Jews. In suchsigns as this the power of the kingdom is to be seen; even though it may seem tiny and almostunrecognizable, it is the evidence that something tremendous is in progress, as the following pairof parables illustrates. Thus the section closes with a powerful stress on the saving work ofJesus." (P. 556)Nolland holds that "A new major section begins here and runs through 14:35." (2, p. 722)The fact seems to be that the passage is both related to what has preceded, and at the sametime related to the material that follows. The Lucan text can be divided in different ways, anddogmatism concerning these matters is unwise.Fitzmyer comments that "Coming on the heels of the parable of the barren fig tree, theepisode has given rise to considerable discussion as to its place and meaning...A. Loisy preferredthe patristic view that the cured woman symbolized the church and is contrasted with the barrenfig tree, the symbol of the synagogue...[But] there is not the slightest suggestion in the text thatsuch allegory is at work." (2, p. 1010)"The episode depicts Jesus once again making use of his 'power' (recall 4:14, 36; 5:17) toheal an unfortunate human being afflicted with physical evil. This rare miracle-story in the travelaccount tells of his conquest of evil on his journey up to Jerusalem, the city of destiny, where hewill meet evil in another form in his own life [and, we add, not use his miracle-working power tosave his own life!]. He uses that power to heal not only in a synagogue, but even on a Sabbath...The impersonal verb dei/ literally 'it is necessary' (verse 16), alludes to the necessary realizationof God's plan of salvation-history, working itself out in Jesus' ministry...The irony in the episode isseen in that the opposition to Jesus' curing act comes from a 'leader of the synagogue,' whohimself uses the same impersonal verb dei/ (verse 14) to express the human obligation of work(on six other days)."The episode is but another one in the Lucan Gospel in which Jesus is portrayed stressingthat the welfare of a human being takes precedence over even such religious obligations as theobservance of the Sabbath. Recall [the two incidents with regards to the disciples of Jesuspulling off grain, rubbing it in their hands, and eating it on the Day-of-Rest, and then Jesus'healing of man with a withered hand on the Day-of-Rest in] 6:1-11...Coming on the heels of thepreceding episode in the travel account, which dealt with the need of repentance and timelyreform, this episode implicitly singles out the 'leader of the synagogue' (verse 14) and 'all his (=Jesus') opponents' (verse 17) as prime examples of those who stand in need of such reform." (2,p. 1011)Nolland summarizes by stating that "No amount of pious protection of the sanctity of thesabbath can stand in the way of Jesus' release of this crippled woman from her longstanding(continued...)1280

2685 268613:10 But then he was teaching in one of the gathering-places on the Days-of-Rest.2687 2688 268913:11 And look--a woman having a spirit of weakness (for) eighteen years; and she had2684(...continued)bondage, the more so when it is recognized that even the most fastidious will not let their animalsgo one sabbath day without being given the freedom to go and get water." (2, p. 723)2685Fitzmyer comments that "Jesus' cure of the woman takes place in the context of histeaching, on which the major emphasis in the travel account falls." (2, p. 1012) For mentionsof Jesus' teaching ministry in Luke, see 4:15, 31; 5:3, 17; 6:6; 11:1; 13:10, 22; 19:47; 20:1, 21,21; 21:37 and 23:5.2686It is important to recognize that here Jesus is depicted as following his normal practiceof observing the Jewish Days-of-Rest. Like all orthodox Jews were supposed to do, Jesus waspresent in the gathering-place, and was teaching in it. John Knox comments that "We shouldcarefully note that Jesus never broke the sabbath; he broke only the scrupulosity of Jewish law [infact, some of the legalistic traditions that would later be encoded in the Mishnah] concerning thesabbath. We affront his truth if we try to twist this story into an excuse for sabbath laxities.” (P.243)The phrase evn toi/j sa,bbasin, is literally “in (or 'on') the Days-of-Rest," and may be sounderstood by Luke, with his "periphrastic conjugation," "he was teaching," i.e., on the differentDays-of-Rest. However, the plural form can also be understood as meant to describe a singular,"in (or 'on') the Day-of-Rest."The phrase is shortened to toi/j sa,bbasin, without the preposition evn, by P45 (which hasthe phrase in the reverse order, sa,bbasin toi/j), Psi, Uncial Manuscript 070, Families 1 and 13of Minuscules and a few other Greek manuscripts. It is changed to the one word sabba,tw|, "in (or'on') a Day-of-Rest," by Bezae, the Old Latin Manuscripts aur, i, the Sahidic Coptic and theBohairic Coptic (in part). Once again, the reading of Bezae is of the nature of editorialcommentary on the original text, and probably a correct one (note how later in this passage thesingular is used, verses 14, 15 and 16). None of the variant readings changes the meaning ofthe text. We think that the reading of P45 is simply a mistake.As Marshall and other commentators note, this is the last place in Luke where Jesus isdescribed as teaching in a Jewish gathering-place (p 557). Compare Luke 4:15 where thebeginning of Jesus' teaching activity in the Jewish gathering-places is recorded, and then 4:31,where the imperfect verb “he was teaching" is said to take place in the gathering-place inNazareth.2687Fitzmyer comments that "It is characteristic of Luke that in this episode he makes awoman the object of Jesus' compassion on the Sabbath; it contributes to the universalism ofJesus' message in this Gospel...He will do the same for a man in 14:1-6." (2, p. 1012)2688The phrase pneu/ma e;cousa avsqenei,aj, literally “a spirit having of weakness," is(continued...)1281

2690become bent over, and was not being able to stand erect at all. 13:12 But then the Jesus,2691 2692 2693having seen her, called to and said to her, "Woman--you have been released from your2688(...continued)changed to read evn avsqenei,a h=n pneu,matoj, literally "in weakness she was being of spirit," byBezae, in what appears to be an attempt by the copyist to explain what the original text meant.Marshall explains that "a spirit of weakness" means "a spirit causing an infirmity" (p. 557),and compares Luke 11:14. See also 1QapGen 20:16-17, 21-29 where Pharaoh's illness isattributed to evil spirits. "Certainly the illness is attributed ultimately to the evil power of Satan, butthe cure is not described as an exorcism, but as a release from a fairly literal 'bond.' Perhaps weshould not try to give too definite a meaning for pneu/ma and think of it simply as an evil influence.Medically the illness has been diagnosed as spondylitis ankylopoietica (a fusion of the spinalbones) or as skoliasis hysterica...i.e., a hysterical rather than an organic paralysis. Since adisease lasting eighteen years would have produced organic changes, the former diagnosis ispreferable..." (P.557) Fitzmyer translates the phrase by one word, "infirm and afflicted by a spirit"(2, p. 1009).This is another example in biblical studies of how the attempt to read modern scientificdiagnoses out of ancient, pre-scientific documents is problematic at best. We think it better toacknowledge the passage as coming from pre-scientific times, and as describing human illness inthe ways it was described in those times, without going to such extremes as claiming that womenwith scoliosis or paralysis of the spine are afflicted by an "evil spirit," and that such a condition isbest treated by being sent to an "exorcist." Fitzmyer mentions how this story was taken by W. K.Hobart (The Medical Language of St. Luke) in an unsuccessful attempt to show that the authorwas a physician. (2, p. 1012)2689The numeral dekaoktw, eighteen, occurs only in this chapter in the entire Greek Bible,in verses 4 and 11 (here). In verse 16 it is spelled in an alternative way, de,ka kai. ovktw, literally"ten and eight (years)."2690Marshall comments that "The woman was bent over...and unable to raise herself...orpossibly to raise her head...[perhaps] 'unable to raise herself completely'...or 'completely unable toraise herself." ' (P. 557) Fitzmyer notes that the phrase means literally "being bent double and notable to lift up (the head)," or possibly "to straighten (her back)." (2, p. 1012)2691Marshall comments that "The action of Jesus is spontaneous (compare 6:8; 14:3-4) andarises out of natural pity for the woman." (P. 558) The woman, as far as Luke's story goes, isnot depicted as having come to the gathering-place expecting healing, or even as expecting tomeet Jesus there. She is not depicted as making any request of Jesus. She is simply thefortunate recipient of his compassion and healing power.2692 The phrase o` VIhsou/j prosefw,nhsen kai, "the Jesus called to and," is shortened to o`(continued...)1282

2694 2695 2696weakness!" 13:13 And he placed the hands on her. And immediately she was made2697 2698 2699erect; and she was glorifying the God.2692(...continued)VIhsou/j, omitting the next two words, by Bezae, the Old Latin Manuscript e and a few manuscriptsof the Sahidic Coptic. These two words, "the Jesus," are omitted by P45, the Old LatinManuscripts b and i, and the last half of the phrase is retained in the text, "called to and." Neitherof these two variant readings changes the meaning of the original text, which is obviously "wordy."2693The preposition avpo, "from," is interpolated into the original text at this point bySinaiticus, Alexandrinus, Bezae, Minuscules 33, 892 and a few other Greek manuscripts. Theinterpolated word does not alter the meaning of the story, and is in fact unnecessary.2694Jesus "pronounces her cured: the perfect passive indicative avpole,lusai, 'you havebeen released,' emphasizes the total and permanent nature of the healing–compare 5:20 and7:48 for similar uses of the perfect passive verb avfe,wntai, "(missings-of-the-mark) have beenforgiven." Fitzmyer holds that this is an example of the "theological passive," implying that Godhas released her from her condition.2695We have translated the text by "he placed the hands upon her," because of the verbevpe,qhken, which has the preposition evpi, prefixed to the verb. The preposition is interpolated atthis point by P75, Theta and a few other Greek manuscripts, to make it even clearer that this iswhat is meant. The interpolation is unnecessary, but does serve to enhance the original text. ForJesus' "placing hands upon" (13:13) compare Luke 4:40; 5:13 and 8:54.2696The adverb paracrh/ma, "immediately," occurs some 18 times in the Greek NewTestament, and 16 of those occurrences are in Luke I Acts, especially in descriptions ofreactions to miraculous acts of Jesus in Luke--see 4:39; 5:25; 8:44, 47, 55; 13:13 (here); 18:43;in Acts see 3:7; 5:10; 12:23; 13:11; 16:26, 33; elsewhere only in Matthew 21:19, 20. Theadverb occurs 20 times in the LXX.2697Marshall holds that the action of Jesus in laying his hands on the woman should beunderstood as accompanying the words that he has just been described as speaking--followingwhich there is immediate healing. (P.558) Here again Luke uses the passive form of a verb,avnwrqw,qh, "she was straightened up," which Fitzmyer thinks is a "theological passive," i.e.,meaning by God. Compare footnote 2694.2698 rdThe 3 person singular imperfect indicative active verb evdo,xazen, "she was glorifying," isrdchanged to the 3 person singular aorist indicative active verb, evdo,xasen, "she glorified," byP45, Bezae, Minuscule 2542 and the Bohairic Coptic (in part). The variant reading slightlychanges the meaning of the original text, making the woman's glorifying God a singular event,rather than a continuing event. But this is not a very significant change.2699Marshall comments that "The praising of God by the healed person is a motif not foundin the similar stories in 6:10; 14:4, but is found in Acts 3:8-9..." (P.558) We think Marshall has(continued...)1283

270013:14 But then the gathering-place ruler, answering–being angry that the Jesus healed2701on the Day-of-Rest--was saying to the crowd that "There are six days in which it is necessary2702 2703to work; on them, therefore, coming, be healed--and not on the Day of the Rest-Day!"2699(...continued)overlooked Luke 5:25-26, where not only does the healed man glorify God, but also theobservers. Fitzmyer comments that "God's salvific bounty, manifested to her through Jesus'words and deed, elicits from her the praise of him who is the source of her benefaction." (2, p.1013)Much of the worship reflected in the biblical materials is rooted in just such experiences, forexample the "Song of Moses" following the deliverance at the Sea of Reeds (Exodus 15), thesong of Deborah (Judges 5) and the song of Hanna (1 Samuel 2:1-10). Many of the Psalms arerooted in like experiences. It is when we humans recognize the saving, healing power of God inour own lives that our hearts well up with praise, "glorifying" God.2700For the occurrences of this noun, avrcisuna,gwgoj in the Greek New Testament (it doesnot occur in the LXX), see Mark 5:22, 35, 36, 38; Luke 8:49; 13:14 (here), 15; Acts 18:8 and 17.Nolland comments that "It fits with his role that he should be concerned about a disturbance of theorder of worship. Concern about healing on the sabbath has been an issue already at 6:6-11."(2, p. 724)2701Marshall comments that "The ruler is indignant avganaktw/n, present active participle, acontinuing state] at the breaking of the Sabbath by Jesus, but he hesitates to attack him to hisface and instead makes a comment [or should we say, 'gives a warning'] to the crowd." (P. 558)2702The dative plural pronoun auvtai/j, "('in' or 'on') them,” is read by P45, P75, Sinaiticus,Alexandrinus, Vaticanus, L, N, W, Psi, Uncial Manuscript 070, Families 1 and 13 ofMinuscules, Minuscules 579, 892 and some other Greek manuscripts. It is changed to tau,taij,"('in' or 'on') these," by Bezae, Theta and the "Majority Text." The variant reading does notchange the meaning of Luke.2703The phrase used by Luke here, th/| h`me,ra| tou/ sabba,tou, literally “on the day of theDay-of-Rest," is found elsewhere at 2 Esdras 20:32; 23:15, 17, 19, 22; Psalm 91:1 (Greekenumeration, Psalm 90 in English, in a title not given in the English Bible); 2 Maccabees 5:25(the much more common phrase in the LXX is th/| h`me,ra| tw/n sabbatw/n); Luke 13:14, 16; 14:5and John 19:31. Greek writers were unfamiliar with the Hebrew tB"v;, shabbath, and differedover whether to treat it as a singular or a plural. Luke uses both the plural form and the singularform.The words of the ruler of the gathering-place are echoes of Exodus 20:9-10 [andDeuteronomy 5:13-14], e]x h`me,raj evrga/| kai. poih,seij pa,nta ta. e;rga sou th/| de. h`me,ra| th/|(continued...)1284

2704 2705 2706 270713:15 But then the Lord answered him and said, "Play Actors! Each one of you, on2703(...continued)e`bdo,mh| sa,bbata kuri,w| tw/| qew/| sou ouv poih,seij evn auvth/| pa/n e;rgon,... literally, "Six days you(singular) shall work and shall do all your works. But on the seventh (day), Days-of-Rest for Lordthe God of yours, you shall not do on it any work..." Both passages say the same thing, and it ison this basis that the ruler of the gathering-place tells the people to come on weekdays forhealing, but not on the Day-of-Rest. The ruler of the gathering-place is right--this divine law thatgoverns Israel's life says that all work should be done on the six work-days of the week, but thaton the Days-of-Rest no such work should be done. From his standpoint, and from the standpointof this passage alone, Jesus is violating the Torah, the Ten Commandments (specifically, thefourth commandment).2704The title given to Jesus by Luke, "the Lord" (see Luke 7:13 with footnote 1274) isespecially appropriate in this passage, since it implies his authority to speak to such a matter; inthe passages from Exodus and Deuteronomy, it is "Lord" (without the definite article) who isgiving the laws concerning rest and no work on the Day of Rest. Fitzmyer comments that "...Thereader of this episode cannot fail to note the way it says something about how the Lucan Jesusperceives himself. Having cured this unfortunate 'daughter of Abraham' on a Sabbath in asynagogue, it implicitly depicts him acting with authority toward the Sabbath and the traditions ofold and upbraiding the hypocrisy of reactions which would criticize him for so acting." (2, p. 1012)The title is changed to "Jesus" by Bezae, N, Theta, Families 1 and 13 of Minuscules,Minuscule 2542, some other Greek manuscripts, some manuscripts of the Latin Latin Vulgate,the Sinaitic Syriac, the Curetonian Syriac, the Peshitta Syriac and the Bohairic Coptic (in part).The variant reading does not change the meaning of Luke, but does away with the connotationsof authority which are involved in using the title.2705 rdThe 3 person singular aorist passive indicative verb avpekri,qh, "he answered," ischanged to the nominative singular masculine first aorist passive participle of the verb,avpokriqei,j, "answering," by P45, Minuscule 1424, a few other Greek manuscripts, a majority ofthe Old Latin witnesses and the Clementine Latin Vulgate. Along with this change to the participlegoes the later omission of the conjunction kai, "and"--see the next footnote. These variants areof the nature of grammatical enhancement of the original text, and do not change its meaning.2706This is the conjunction that is omitted by the witnesses who change the verb to aparticiple. See the preceding footnote.2707The nominative and vocative plural noun u`pokritai, "Play-Actors!" or "Hypocrites!" (seethe earlier usage of the same vocative plural at Luke 12:56; compare 6:42, where the vocativesingular is used) is changed to the vocative singular u`pokrita, "Play-Actor!", "Hypocrite!" by P45,Bezae, W, Family 1 of Minuscules, Minuscules 579, 2542, some other Greek manuscripts, theOld Latin Manuscripts f, I, the Sinaitic Syriac, the Curetonian Syriac and the Peshitta Syriac. Thechange from plural to singular changes the meaning of the story slightly, making Jesus addressthe ruler of the gathering-place rather than including others with him.1285

2708 2709the Day-of-Rest does he not loose the ox of his or the donkey from the stall, and having led2710 2711 2712it away, give it drink? 13:16 But then this one, being a daughter of Abraham, whom2708 rdThe verb used by Jesus is the 3 person singular present indicative active lu,ei, "helooses." See the same verb in passive form in verse 16, ouvk e;dei luqh/nai, "was it not necessaryto be loosed?" Jesus obviously makes the direct parallel between "loosing" the physical restraintsof the animals, enabling them to leave their stall, and his "loosing" the afflicted woman from her"bond," enabling her to stand up straight and be loosed from her sickness.2709The genitive singular feminine noun fa,tnhj means "manger," or "stall." Fitzmyertranslates it "manger," and says that it means "feeding-trough" (2, p. 1013). The noun comesfrom the verb pate,omai, which means "to feed," "to eat," "to taste." The noun is, we think,ambiguous, and can mean either the "stall" where animals are kept, or the "feeding-trough" fromwhich they eat. In the LXX, see 2 Chronicles 32:28; Job 6:5; 39:9; Proverbs 14:4; Isaiah 1:3;Joel 1:17; Habakkuk 3:17; Ode of Solomon 4:17. In the Greek New Testament, only Lukeuses the noun--at 2:7, 12, 16 and 13:15--we think it means “feeding-trough" in the first threepassages, and probably means "stall" in this last passage (here).2710The aorist participle avpagagw,n, "leading away," is changed to the present participleavpagw,n, with the same meaning, by the first writer of Sinaiticus, the first writer of Vaticanus,Theta, Minuscule 1 and a few other Greek manuscripts. The change from aorist to presentparticiple does not change the meaning of the story.2711Marshall comments that "The question asks whether it is not true that any of them wouldloose his ox (bou/j)...or ass (ov,noj)...from its stall...in order to take it to a source of water and give ita drink [and that would mean their doing a forbidden 'work'--the untying of knots in the ropes thatheld their animals in place, or the tying of knots in the halters used to lead them; both the tying ofknots and the untying of knots on the Day-of-Rest were forbidden]...The Mishnah presupposesthat cattle may go out on a Sabbath--provided that they do not carry burdens (Shabbath 5:1-4).There was dispute as to what kinds of knots might be tied or untied on the Sabbath; despite thegeneral prohibition (Shabbath 7:2; 15:1), it was permissible to tie up cattle lest they stray(Shabbath 15:2). Moreover, special provisions were made so that cattle might be watered atwells without transgressing the limits for Sabbath travel (Erubin 2:1-4)." (P. 558)These were things that went with the tending of animals--the animal owners would have tolead their animals to the place of watering, and they could not be left to wander anywhere theypleased--so the exception was made to the prohibition of tying or untying knots, whenevernecessary. Ropes that were confining animals, or that were necessary in order to lead them towater, were permitted to be tied with knots. The Jews knew that, and were quite accustomed tothe practice, even though it was a "work" that was specifically forbidden in their traditions, whichwould later be encoded in the Mishnah.But if concern for their animals justified their breaking of that traditional law [or, as the Jewswould say, 'over-rode' that law], should they not be willing to loose, to untie the bonds that hadbound this suffering woman for eighteen years, thereby freeing her from her long-time bondage?See Luke 14:5, where Jesus asks, "If one of you has a child or an ox that has fallen into a well,(continued...)1286

2711(...continued)will you not immediately pull it out on a Day-of-Rest?" That's "work," but the Jews knew that insuch cases, love for their child, or concern for the welfare of their animal, "over-rode the law."Also see Matthew 12:11-12, where Jesus asks, "...Suppose one of you has only one sheep and itfalls into a pit on the Day-of-Rest; will you not lay hold of it and lift it out? How much morevaluable is a human being than a sheep..."When Jesus began his ministry in the Jewish gathering-place in Nazareth, he had quotedthe words of Isaiah 61:1-2a, "(The) Lord's Spirit (is) upon me, on account of which he anointedme to proclaim good news to poor people; he sent me forth, to herald release to captives, andrecovery of sight to blind people; to send forth downtrodden people in freedom, to proclaim (the)Lord's acceptable year." (Luke 4:18-19)Jesus obviously took that commissioning very seriously. His ministry was aimed at bringingrelease to captive people, by breaking every bond that held them down, that kept them fromfulfilling their potential. In him, a grand new "Exodus" was occurring, as the oppressed peoples ofthe earth were hearing Good News, and being sent forth into freedom. If you re-read Luke fromthe standpoint of that commissioning, you will see how dedicated to that mission Jesus truly was,and how he did everything in his power to break the bonds that tied people down. Here, in thisJewish gathering-place, when Jesus broke the bond that had bent this woman down for eighteenyears, enabling her to stand upright, and walk proud and tall, he was doing nothing other thanwhat he was constantly doing throughout his ministry.And when Jesus made his stinging criticisms of the Jewish leaders, this was at the heart ofhis criticisms. The Jewish leaders were failing to loosen the burdens, to enable the people to befreed from their bonds. Remember Luke 11:46, "And how sad for you people, the lawyers,because you load the people (with) burdens that are hard to bear, and you yourselves do nottouch the burdens with one of your fingers." In our study of that passage, we quoted the greattext Isaiah 58:1-14, in which YHWH asks concerning the kind of worship he wants (includingobservance of the Day-of-Rest): YHWH's own answer to his question includes the words, "Is notthis [the kind of worship]...I will choose: to loosen the bonds of wickedness; to unfasten chains ofyokes; and to send forth oppressed people [as] free people; and that you tear apart every yoke?"That's the kind of worship and ministry and observance of the Day-of-Rest that Jesus wasdedicated to, and which filled up his hours and his days on this earth--it was a matter of"loosening the bonds of wickedness; of unfastening the yokes that weighed people down; itwas a matter of sending forth oppressed people into freedom; of tearing apart every yoke.” That'swhy it was so natural for Jesus to act as he did in that Jewish gathering-place on that Day-of-Rest, breaking the bond that had held that poor woman bent double for eighteen years.2712We suspect that Jesus saw in the eyes of the ruler of the gathering-place that all toocommon male chauvinism and sneering put-down of women, as if they were less than men andespecially this bent-over, sick woman, who could so easily be stereotyped as a sinner, and beexcluded from the fellowship of healthy and wealthy religious people. But Jesus emphasizes thatshe is just as much a member of the family of Abraham as any other Jew (compare Luke 19:9,(continued...)1287

2713 2714 2715the Satan bound (for) look--ten and eight years--was it not necessary (for her) to be2712(...continued)where a similar statement is made concerning the tax-collector Zaccheus)--such people, lookeddown upon by orthodox Judaism are human beings too.2713See our Endnote 1 on pages 269-285, where we discuss the radically differentmeanings of "Satan" as it can be and is understood in "Dualism" and in "Radical Monotheism."Fitzmyer notes that "This is the closest that Luke comes to associating an evil 'spirit' (verse 11)with Satan. (2, p. 1013) He states that "Jesus' words stress that God's activity is now present tocounteract the worst of evil afflicting human beings." (Ibid.)2714Fitzmyer translates "Satan has kept her tied up..." (2, p. 1010), and adds on p. 1013,"like an animal tethered to a trough, but even worse. The figurative expression characterizes hercrippling infirmity (compare Luke 8:29; Mark 7:35); the evil which afflicts her is worse than bondstethering animals to troughs." He notes that "Jesus' argument is an example of reasoning aminori ad maius ['from lesser to greater']--what the later rabbinical tradition called qal wahomer('light and heavy,' i.e., from the light instance to the more grave). If it is permitted to care for thehousehold animals on the Sabbath, it is also permitted to care for human infirmity; if one canloose the tether of animals to lead them from the feeding-trough to water, one can loose thebonds of an afflicted human being and bring her to health." (2, pp. 1011-12)How thankful we are to Jesus for so teaching, and by such teaching showing people allaround the world how much more important loving care for human need is than legalisticobedience to traditional laws! Compare Montefiore's criticism of Jesus in footnote 2715, and alsothe Mosaic law concerning work on the Day of Rest in footnote 2702.2715 rdThe 3 person singular imperfect indicative active verb e;dei, "it was being necessary,"implies that Jesus is fulfilling a divine plan for his life and ministry. The verb (sometimes in theform of the phrase de,on evsti,n, "it is being necessary (using the neuter singular present activerdparticiple with the verb eivmi,)" or dei/, "it is necessary (3 person singular, present indicativeactive)," or other forms, over 100 times in the Greek New Testament, 8 times in Matthew, 6times in Mark, 19 times in Luke, 10 times in John, 22 times in Acts, and 37 times elsewhere.Walter Grundmann states that "Of the 102 occurrences of dei/ or de,on evsti,n, 41 are to befound in the Lucan writings...As in the LXX, it sometimes expresses the will of God as He knows it(Luke 13:16; compare verse 14). The term may thus be used as a general expression for the willof God...Jesus sees His whole life and activity and passion under this will of God comprehendedin a dei/. Over Him there stands a dei/ which is already present in His childhood...lt has its basis inthe will of God concerning Him which is laid down in Scripture and which He unconditionallyfollows...His disciples, apostles and community are also laid under this dei/ which derives from thewill of God." (Theological Dictionary of the New Testament 2, p.22)1288

2716loosed from this bond on the Day of the Rest-Day?" 13:17 And as he was saying these2717 2718 2719things, all those withstanding him were being ashamed; and all the crowd was rejoicingover all the glorious things being done by him. 27202716Nolland comments that "The woman's restriction is compared to that of an animal that isnot free to get to the drinking water that it needs. The animal is not left tethered for one day; thewoman has been restricted in this way for eighteen years!" (2, p. 724)Marshall comments that Jesus draws the conclusion: "What is right for cattle is all themore right for [a human being]..." The Jewish scholar Montefiore questioned Jesus' reasoning,stating that the crippled woman who had been in this tragic condition for eighteen years couldsurely wait one more day, until the Day-of-Rest was over, before coming to Jesus for healing. Herneed was not as great, or as pressing, as that of thirsty cattle.But the woman hadn't come to Jesus for healing, Jesus had come to her, and had givenher release from her paralyzing bond that had held her for those many years. And Jesus did so,then and there, on the Jewish Day-of-Rest, and in the Jewish house of worship, on the Day ofRest--because he wanted to emphasize that this is the kind of "worship" and "ministry" in whichthe people of God ought to be engaged, every day of the week, but especially on their days ofhonoring God--if they want to be true to the Word of God revealed to Israel by the Spokespersons(see footnote 2710, especially the quotation from Isaiah 58). And if a cow's, or an ox's needscould be met on the Day-of-Rest, how much more should that unfortunate woman's long-timeneed be met, and not put off one day longer. If Jesus was to fulfill the ministry to which he hadbeen called, it was necessary (e;dei) that the Satanic, evil bond that was holding her down, andfrustrating her life, be broken.2717The phrase tau/ta le,gontoj auvtou/, literally "these things saying he," or ''as he wassaying these things," is omitted by Bezae and the Old Latin Manuscript e. This is once again aneditorial enhancement of the original text, in which the words are unnecessary for the meaning,and seem somewhat awkward; the omission does not change the meaning of Luke.2718The nominative masculine plural adjective pa,ntej, "all," is omitted by P45, Bezae and amajority of the Old Latin witnesses, thereby avoiding at least part of the obvious "all-fallacy" of theoriginal text.2719Compare Isaiah 45:16, the shame and confounding that comes upon idolaters in theface of YHWH's mighty actions in history: aivscunqh,sontai kai. evntraph,sontai pa,ntej oi`avntikei,menoi auvtw/| kai. poreu,sontai evn aivscu,nh|... "They are put to shame, and they are madeashamed, all of those opposing him, and they will go in shame..." which is very similar to Luke'slanguage, kath|scu,nonto pa,ntej oi` avntikei,menoi auvtw/, "they were being put to shame, all ofthose withstanding him..."2720The phrase toi/j evndo,xoij toi/j ginome,noij u`pV auvtou/, literally "the glorious things, theones happening by him," is changed to read oi-j evqew,roun evndo,xoij u`p v auvtou/ ginome,noij, "inthings they were seeing, glorious things by him happening," by Bezae, the Old Latin Manuscript e(continued...)1289

2720(...continued)and a majority of the Old Latin witnesses (see), in an attempt to clarify a rather difficult phrase inthe original text, but without changing its meaning.Compare Exodus 34:10, where YHWH promises Moses, evnw,pion panto.j tou/ laou/ soupoih,sw e;ndoxa a] ouv ge,gonen evn pa,sh| th/| gh/| kai. evn panti. e;qnei kai. o;yetai pa/j o` lao,j evnoi-j ei= su, ta. e;rga kuri,ou o[ti qaumasta, evstin a] evgw. poih,sw soi, "Before all your people Iwill do glorious things, such as have not happened in all the earth and in any nation; and all thepeople among whom you are, shall see the works of Lord; because they are marvelous thingsthat I will do for you." Luke's language is similar to this: kai. pa/j o` o;cloj e;cairen evpi. pa/sintoi/j evndo,xoij toi/j ginome,noij u`pV auvtou/, “And all the crowd was rejoicing over all the gloriousthings, the ones happening by him.”A similar reaction to Jesus is recorded in Luke 7:16, "Fear seized all of them; and theyglorified God, saying, 'A great prophet has risen among us!' and 'God has looked favorably onhis people!"'There can be no doubt that Luke wants readers to recognize that just as YHWH God actedso wondrously and powerfully in delivering Israel from Egyptian captivity, and in granting thementrance into the "promised land," so the same God was now active in Jesus, accomplishingmighty acts of salvation that would likewise call forth the praise of all who saw and recognizedwhat was happening. And, in actual fact, this is what has happened all around the world for some2,000 years, as people have read and put confidence in this story.Again we ask, why should Rome be afraid of the Christian movement and its leaders? Itsgreat founder and leader, and those who follow in his footsteps, have nothing to do with armedrevolution against Rome--neither he nor they are "Zealots," or "revolutionaries." Rather, theirmovement is a deeply religious and spiritual movement, dedicated to breaking away from thelegalistic narrowness of Judaism, and reaching out to all the hurting, suffering peoples of the earthwith acceptance, love, and healing, as the story of this woman who had suffered for eighteenyears, and was now released from her bond illustrates.Rome will not be hurt in any way by this movement--instead, Rome itself will be greatlybenefitted if she will quit opposing such a spiritual, life-transforming movement, and welcome itinstead of persecuting it.1290

THE FUTURE OF THE KINGDOMTHAT JESUS IS ANNOUNCING AND BRINGINGLuke 13:18-21, Greek Text with Translation13.18 :Elegen ou=n\ ti,ni o`moi,a evsti.n h` basilei,a tou/ qeou/ kai. ti,ni o`moiw,sw auvth,nÈ13.19 o`moi,a evsti.n ko,kkw| sina,pewj( o]n labw.n a;nqrwpoj e;balen eivj kh/pon e`autou/( kai.hu;xhsen kai. evge,neto eivj de,ndron( kai. ta. peteina. tou/ ouvranou/ kateskh,nwsen evn toi/jkla,doij auvtou/Å13:18 He was saying, therefore, "To what is the Kingdom of the God similar? And to whatshall I liken it? 13:19 It is similar to a seed of mustard, which a person, taking, threw into his owngarden; and it grew, and became a tree. And the birds of the heaven nested in its branches."13.20 Kai. pa,lin ei=pen\ ti,ni o`moiw,sw th.n basilei,an tou/ qeou/È 13.21 o`moi,a evsti.nzu,mh|( h]n labou/sa gunh. ÎevnÐe,kruyen eivj avleu,rou sa,ta tri,a e[wj ou- evzumw,qh o[lonÅ13:20 And again he said, "To what shall I liken the Kingdom of the God? 13:21 It is similarto leaven, which a woman, taking, hid in three measures of flour, until the whole was leavened."Luke 13:18-21, Translation with Footnotes 27212721There are parallels to Luke 13:18-19 in Mark 4:30-32 and in Matthew 13:31-32.Mark 4:30-32 Kai. e;legen\ pw/j o`moiw,swmen th.n basilei,an tou/ qeou/ h' evn ti,ni auvth.nparabolh/| qw/menÈ 4.31 w`j ko,kkw| sina,pewj( o]j o[tan sparh/| evpi. th/j gh/j( mikro,teron o'npa,ntwn tw/n sperma,twn tw/n evpi. th/j gh/j( 4.32 kai. o[tan sparh/ |( avnabai,nei kai. gi,netaimei/zon pa,ntwn tw/n laca,nwn kai. poiei/ kla,douj mega,louj( w[ste du,nasqai u`po. th.n skia.nauvtou/ ta. peteina. tou/ ouvranou/ kataskhnou/nÅ4:30 And he was saying, "How shall we liken the Kingdom of the God, or in whatcomparison / parable shall we place it? 4:31 (It is) like a seed of mustard which when it isplanted upon the earth--being smaller than all the seeds that are upon the earth 4:32 --and whenit is may be sown, it comes up, and becomes greater than all the vegetables, and makes largebranches, so that the birds of the heaven are able to build nests under its shade."Matthew 13:31-32 :Allhn parabolh.n pare,qhken auvtoi/j le,gwn\ o`moi,a evsti.n h`basilei,a tw/n ouvranw/n ko,kkw| sina,pewj( o]n labw.n a;nqrwpoj e;speiren evn tw/| avgrw/| auvtou/\13.32 o] mikro,teron me,n evstin pa,ntwn tw/n sperma,twn( o[tan de. auvxhqh/| mei/zon tw/nlaca,nwn evsti.n kai. gi,netai de,ndron( w[ste evlqei/n ta. peteina. tou/ ouvranou/ kai.kataskhnou/n evn toi/j kla,doij auvtou/Å13:31 He placed another comparison ('parable') before them saying, "The Kingdom of theHeavens is similar to a seed of mustard, which having taken, a person sowed in his field, 13:32which is indeed smaller than all the seeds; then when it may be grown, is greater than the(continued...)1291

272213:18 He was saying, therefore, "To what is the Kingdom of the God similar? And to2721(...continued)vegetables, and becomes a tree, so that the birds of the heaven come and make nests in itsbranches."See also the Gospel of Thomas # 20, "The disciples said to Jesus: Tell us what theKingdom of Heaven is like. He said to them: It is like a grain of mustard seed, smaller than allseeds. But when it falls on the earth which has been cultivated, it puts forth a great branch (and)becomes a shelter for (the) birds of heaven."Here both Luke and Matthew are once again following their major source-document,Mark, but once again with slight differences. Matthew includes this comparison / parable amongmany others, and so introduces it with the phrase "He placed another comparison ('parable')before them, saying..." which is not paralleled in Luke. Mark has simply "And he was saying,"which Luke follows, but changes to "Therefore he was saying." Where Mark has the pluraldouble question, "How shall we liken the Kingdom of the God, or in what comparison / parableshall we place it?", Matthew shortens to the affirmation, "the Kingdom of the Heavens is similarto...", while Luke retains Mark's double interrogative, but changes it to the singular, "To what isthe Kingdom of the God similar, and to what shall I liken it?" Luke follows Mark in using thephrase "the Kingdom of the God," while Matthew changes, as is its custom, to "the Kingdom ofthe Heavens."Where Mark has simply "like," both Matthew and Luke have "it is similar to..." WhereMark has "which, when it may be sown upon the earth," Matthew has "which a person, havingtaken, sowed in his field," while Luke has "which a person having taken, threw into his owngarden." Where Mark has, literally, "smaller being than all the seeds, the ones upon the earth,"Matthew changes to "which indeed is smaller than all the seeds," partially eliminating Mark's "allfallacy."Luke abbreviates, having nothing parallel to these statements, thereby completelyavoiding the "all-fallacy."Where Mark has "And when it may be sown, it comes up and becomes greater than all thevegetables, and it makes ('produces') great branches," Matthew has "Then when it may begrown, it is greater than the vegetables, and becomes a tree..." Luke has "And it grew, andbecame into a tree."Where Mark has ". ..so that the birds of the heaven are able to nest beneath its shadow,"Matthew has "so that the birds of the heaven come and nest in its branches," while Luke has"And the birds of the heaven nested in its branches."2722Luke uses the connective ou=n, "therefore," to imply that these comparisons / parableswere spoken in the gathering-place where the stooped woman has just been loosed from herbond. Jesus rebuked the play-acting / hypocrisy of the legalistic Jews who were unwilling for himto loose a suffering woman from her bond, but who themselves quickly loosened the bonds oftheir animals on the Day-of-Rest to lead them to water. As the people have rejoiced in whatJesus was doing and saying, and the Jewish leaders have been ashamed, so now Jesus speaks(continued...)1292

what shall I liken it? 13:19 It is similar to a seed of mustard, which a person, taking, threw into2723 2724 2725his own garden; and it grew, and became a tree. And the birds of the heaven nested inits branches." 27262722(...continued)to the Jews in the gathering-place concerning the nature of the kingdom that he is proclaiming asboth present in his actions, and coming in the future, as a sort of commentary on what has justhappened. No such connection is found in either Mark or Matthew; this is Luke's unique way oftelling the story of Jesus.2723The reflexive pronoun e`autou/, "his own," is changed to the shorter pronoun, auvtou/,"his," by P45, Sinaiticus, Bezae, K, L, Theta, Psi, Minuscules 579, 700, 892, 1241, 1424 andsome other Greek manuscripts. This variant does not change the meaning of Jesus' comparison/ parable in the least.2724The accusative singular definite article to,n is interpolated into the text before theaccusative masculine singular noun kh/pon, "garden," so that the text reads "the garden," by P45,a corrector of Sinaiticus, Bezae, Minuscules 579, 700 and a few other Greek manuscripts.Whether read or not makes no significant difference for the meaning of Luke.2725The accusative singular neuter adjective me,ga, "great," is interpolated into the text at thispoint by P45, Alexandrinus, W, Theta, Psi, Families 1 (see) and 13 of Minuscules, Minuscule33, the "Majority Text," the Latin Vulgate, a part of the Old Latin witnesses, the Peshitta Syriac,the Harclean Syriac and the Bohairic Coptic (in part). It is not read by P75, Sinaiticus,Vaticanus, Bezae (see), L, Uncial Manuscript 070, Minuscules 892 (see), 1241, 2542, a fewother Greek manuscripts, a majority of the Old Latin witnesses, the Sinaitic Syriac, the CuretonianSyriac, the Sahidic Coptic or the Bohairic Coptic (in part). Whether read or not makes littledifference for the meaning of Jesus' comparison. However, that a mustard plant is a "great tree"is rather absurd, since the largest of these plants hardly reaches a height of ten feet.2726 For the background of this phrase, kai. ta. peteina. tou/ ouvranou/ kateskh,nwsen evntoi/j kla,doij auvtou/, "and the birds of the heaven nested in the branches of it," see the followingpassages in the Jewish Bible:Ezekiel 17:23, where the description is of the future greatly improved condition of Israel,that has been carried away into Babylonian captivity, but that YHWH promises will be returned,and like a branch taken from a cedar tree, will be replanted on a high mountain:17.23 Evn o;rei metew,rw| tou/ Israhl kai. katafuteu,sw kai. evxoi,sei blasto.n kai.poih,sei karpo.n kai. e;stai eivj ke,dron mega,lhn kai. avnapau,setai u`poka,tw auvtou/ pa/nqhri,on kai. pa/n peteino.n u`po. th.n skia.n auvtou/ avnapau,setai ta. klh,mata auvtou/avpokatastaqh,setai17.23 "On a mountain of Israel I will carry it, and I will plant it well, and it will produceshoot(s), and it will bear fruit, and it will become a great cedar tree. And every beast will rest(continued...)1293

2726(...continued)beneath it, and every bird will rest beneath its shade; its cuttings will be restored."Walther Eichrodt comments on this passage that "In effective contrast to the actions ofearthly rulers [who have conquered Israel, and reduced it to captive status], comes the news thatYahweh himself takes action by planting a cedar shoot, thus displaying to all nations his power toguide the course of history...He plants the shoot in its native soil...There is a deliberate insistenceon the inconspicuousness of the shoot chosen by Yahweh so as to display the miracle of thedivine saving work through the way in which it thrives...That the birds dwell in its branches showsthat it is a refuge to all who seek protection...The outlines of the world-embracing salvation aredeliberately left vague..." (Ezekiel, p. 228)Ezekiel 31:3-6, where the description is of Assyria, a cedar of Lebanon, towering above allother trees:31.3 ivdou. Assour kupa,rissoj evn tw/ | Liba,nw| kai. kalo.j tai/j parafua,sin kai.u`yhlo.j tw/| mege,qei eivj me,son nefelw/n evge,neto h` avrch. auvtou/ 31.4 u[dwr evxe,qreyen auvto,nh` a;bussoj u[ywsen auvto,n tou.j potamou.j auvth/j h;gagen ku,klw| tw/n futw/n auvtou/ kai. ta.suste,mata auvth/j evxape,steilen eivj pa,nta ta. xu,la tou/ pedi,ou 31.5 e[neken tou,tou u`yw,qh to.me,geqoj auvtou/ para. pa,nta ta. xu,la tou/ pedi,ou kai. evplatu,nqhsan oi` kla,doi auvtou/ avfVu[datoj pollou/ 31.6 evn tai/j parafua,sin auvtou/ evno,sseusan pa,nta ta. peteina. tou/ ouvranou/kai. u`poka,tw tw/n kla,dwn auvtou/ evgennw/san pa,nta ta. qhri,a tou/ pedi,ou evn th/| skia/| auvtou/katw,|khsen pa/n plh/qoj evqnw/n31.3 Look-Assyria, a cypress-tree in the Lebanon (Mountains), and beautiful in (its)branches and exalted in (its) greatness--its top came into the midst of (the) clouds. 31.4 Waternourished it, the deep exalted it, its rivers flowed around its planting, and it sent out its channels toall the trees of the field. 31.5 Because of this its greatness was exalted beyond all the trees ofthe field, and its branches were extended as a result of (having) much water. 31.6 In itsbranches all the birds of the heaven (nested and) hatched, and beneath its branches all the wildbeasts of the field gave birth; in its shadow a whole multitude of nations lived.There can be no question that this is Ezekiel's description of the great Kingdom of Assyriaat the height of its power and influence, meant as a warning to the haughty Pharaoh of Egypt,who should take a lesson from the magnificence and might of Assyria, that was suddenly andoverwhelmingly destroyed. Assyria is depicted as a great cypress-tree (or "cedar-tree") inLebanon, that is greater than all other trees, and that exercises influence over all other trees,giving them nourishment. It is a world-wide kingdom, and the birds of the heaven nesting andhatching in its branches, and the wild beasts giving birth beneath its branches, are symbols of itsuniversal influence--"in its shadow a whole multitude of nations lived."Daniel 4:12 (Theodotian) describes the great King Nebuchadnezzar, who has had atroubling dream, and who calls upon Daniel (or "Belteshazzar") to interpret that dream for him. He(continued...)1294

2729 2730similar to leaven, which a woman, taking, hid in three measures of flour, until the whole wasleavened." 27312729Marshall comments that "zu,mh, 'leaven'...is old, fermented dough which is added to thenew baking in order to start off the process of fermentation. Its working cannot be seen...But asmall quantity will pervade three measures of wheat flour...The quantity is surprisingly large(sufficient to feed about 160 people)..." (P. 561)2730The verb evne,kruyen, "she hid (it) in," is read by P75, Sinaiticus, Alexandrinus, Bezae,W, Theta, Psi, Uncial Manuscript 070, Family 13 of Minuscules, Minuscule 2542, a few otherGreek manuscripts, and the Old Latin Manuscripts a, a2 and r1, probably from a desire to makeLuke's text conform to that of Matthew 13:33. The shorter verb, without the prefixed preposition,e,kruyen, is read by Vaticanus, K, L, N, Minuscules 892, 1424, 2542 and some other Greekmanuscripts. Either form of the verb means the same thing. However, because of the parallel inMatthew, we think this latter form of the verb was original in Luke. See footnote 2727.2731Gilmour comments, "God is already asserting his sovereignty, and the mightyconsequences of that fact will shortly be evident." (P. 245) Knox comments that "This is atwin parable with that of the mustard seed...[lt depicts] the unstoppable spread of unseeninfluence...Compare this description of the cause of Christ with the then-prevalent conception ofthe Jewish law. The latter kept itself aloof, fearing contact with an alien world; the kingdom,conversely, invades the world in gentle might." (Ibid.)This is an important point with reference to Jesus' ministry, and with reference to theKingdom of God which comes through him. Jesus does not pull apart from the wicked, sinfulworld, but willingly and freely comes into that world, to influence it, to minister to it, even to theextent of giving himself as a willing sacrifice on its behalf. He plants the seed of that Kingdom inthe earth, in human history; and its subsequent growth, in spite of all the surrounding evil seekingto squelch and retard its growth, cannot successfully stop it. It is like leaven, with its unseeninfluence, that constantly reaches out, influencing every bit of the dough it touches, until finally theentire lump of dough is fermented.Jesus and his followers are not afraid of contact with this world; they do their work in thebold confidence that what they are doing cannot be stopped, no matter the earthly powersarrayed against them--and they live in the hope that one day the entire world will be influencedand enriched by the Kingdom of God.Later, in the second and third centuries, some of the followers of Jesus began to pull apartfrom the world, moving out of the cities into the barren deserts, forming monasteries and conventswhich would keep them from being contaminated by the evils of the world around them. But thiswas far from what Jesus did, and what he taught his followers to do (even though proof-textscould be quoted for their action, such as 2 Corinthians 6:17). Jesus himself was, and he taughthis followers to be, the "salt of the earth," the "light of the world," and he taught them not to hidetheir light, but to let it shine out boldly and clearly, so that all humanity could be illuminated by itslight (see Luke 8:16; 11:33, and the much fuller elucidation of this simile of light in Matthew and(continued...)1298

2731(...continued)John). No, light is not afraid of darkness--in the face of light, darkness is dissipated. In theKingdom of God which Jesus announces and plants as a seed, humanity can find both its rightfulhome and its life enriched.Nolland comments that "The presence of the kingdom of God in the ministry of Jesus has apotency that belies its small-scale operation. In the end, because of this beginning, the wholeworld will be transformed." (2, p. 730) He adds on p. 731 that "...The end-time kingdom of Godwill come." But, we must ask, where is there anything said in either of these two comparisons /parables about the "end-time kingdom"? We think the comparison / parable speaks about thefuture, but not about the "end-time"!Fitzmyer likewise comments that "The Lucan parable compares the kingdom of God withleaven and alludes to its power to affect the whole lump of dough into which it is mixed (or'hidden'). The kingdom, once present in human history--even in a hidden way, cannot help butleaven the whole of it because of its characteristic active ingredients." (2, p. 1019)These two comparisons / parables must be taken seriously in any study of the teaching ofJesus concerning the future. Some scholars have held that Jesus expected the world to come toa sudden end in a few months, at the most in one or two years; and all sorts of views have beenheld concerning the belief that Jesus taught the sudden, apocalyptic coming of the Kingdom,bringing human history to a halt. Anyone who knows church history, especially American churchhistory, will be well-acquainted with the movements set in motion by William Miller in the 19thcentury, and continued in the work of the Seventh-Day Adventists, the Jehovah's Witnesses, andHerbert W. Armstrong--predicting the sudden coming of the Kingdom of God at various dates inthe 19th and 20th centuries. Today that way of viewing history has been continued in theteaching of "Dispensationalism," which holds that the "Rapture" and the "Second Coming ofJesus" are about to occur (see the enormous influence of the “Left Behind” series of books).But such views can hardly be squared with the teaching of these comparisons / parables.We agree with Marshall in his comment on them that "The presupposition that Jesus expected thekingdom to come suddenly and soon without any preparation leads to grave misinterpretation ofthe Synoptic material (p. 560).No, Jesus believed that in his life and teaching, and in what he was accomplishing throughhis sacrificial death, the Kingdom of God was actively at work, being planted in human history.And in spite of its tiny, seemingly insignificant beginnings, what he was beginning would becomea powerful, growing, unstoppable movement that would in time become a "tree"--not like thepowerful militaristic kingdoms of Assyria, or Babylon, or even Israel in its militaristic past (i.e.,mighty cedars or cypresses on a mountain-top, wielding great power and domineering authority)--but a Kingdom, nonetheless (even though more like a "vegetable-tree," in a garden), which wouldoffer haven, a spiritual home to the nations of the earth, and that would enrich--bring spiritualnourishment and blessings--to the nations and peoples of the earth (in accordance with thepromise given to Abram / Abraham in the Book of Genesis).1299(continued...)

2731(...continued)There should be no denying that this is what Jesus taught--and history has proven his viewto be remarkably true. The Christian movement, which had such tiny, inconspicuous beginningsin the ministry of Jesus, in spite of his being rejected by the Jewish leaders, and put to death atthe hand of the Romans, has become a world-wide movement, influencing peoples and nationsall across the earth, a movement that today, twenty centuries later, is still earth's most dynamic,hope-filled religious movement.Let the Roman officials consider this fact. They may fight against the Christian movement,and condemn its prominent leaders such as Paul to capital punishment. But just as the death ofJesus did not stop the movement he had started, neither will the death of his followers such asPaul. But why should they try to stop a movement, that obviously has such transforming power,and offers such hope to human history, without in any way being a threat to Rome or itsgovernment? Will Rome not be much wiser to join in with that movement, and share in itsblessings?1300

WILL MANY PEOPLE, OR FEW PEOPLE BE SAVED?Luke 13:22-30, Greek Text with Translation13.22 Kai. dieporeu,eto kata. po,leij kai. kw,maj dida,skwn kai. porei,an poiou,menojeivj ~Ieroso,lumaÅ13:22 And he was going through cities and villages, teaching and making (his) journeytowards Jerusalem.13.23 Ei=pen de, tij auvtw/|\ ku,rie( eiv ovli,goi oi` sw|zo,menoiÈ o` de. ei=pen pro.j auvtou,j\13.24 avgwni,zesqe eivselqei/n dia. th/j stenh/j qu,raj( o[ti polloi,( le,gw u`mi/n( zhth,sousineivselqei/n kai. ouvk ivscu,sousinÅ 13.25 avfV ou- a'n evgerqh/| o` oivkodespo,thj kai. avpoklei,sh| th.nqu,ran kai. a;rxhsqe e;xw e`sta,nai kai. krou,ein th.n qu,ran le,gontej\ ku,rie( a;noixon h`mi/n( kai.avpokriqei.j evrei/ u`mi/n\ ouvk oi=da u`ma/j po,qen evste,Å 13.26 to,te a;rxesqe le,gein\ evfa,gomenevnw,pio,n sou kai. evpi,omen kai. evn tai/j platei,aij h`mw/n evdi,daxaj\ 13.27 kai. evrei/ le,gwnu`mi/n\ ouvk oi=da Îu`ma/jÐ po,qen evste,\ avpo,sthte avpV evmou/ pa,ntej evrga,tai avdiki,ajÅ 13.28 evkei/e;stai o` klauqmo.j kai. o` brugmo.j tw/n ovdo,ntwn( o[tan o;yhsqe VAbraa.m kai. VIsaa.k kai.VIakw.b kai. pa,ntaj tou.j profh,taj evn th/| basilei,a| tou/ qeou/( u`ma/j de. evkballome,nouj e;xwÅ13.29 kai. h[xousin avpo. avnatolw/n kai. dusmw/n kai. avpo. borra/ kai. no,tou kai.avnakliqh,sontai evn th/| basilei,a| tou/ qeou/Å 13.30 kai. ivdou. eivsi.n e;scatoi oi] e;sontaiprw/toi kai. eivsi.n prw/toi oi] e;sontai e;scatoiÅ13:23 But then someone said to him, "Lord, are the ones being saved few?" But then hesaid to them, 13:24 "Struggle to enter in through the narrow door. Because many people, I tellyou, will seek to enter in and will not be able. 13:25 From that time when the home owner hasrisen and shut the door, and you may begin to stand outside and to knock (at) the door, saying,'Lord, open to us!' And answering, he will say to you people, 'I don't know you, where you arecoming from!' 13:26 Then you will begin to say, 'We ate in your presence, and we drank, andyou taught in our streets!' 13:27 And he will say, speaking to you, 'I do not know [you], where youare coming from! Depart from me, all you workers of wrong-relatedness!' 13:28 There, there willbe the weeping and the gnashing of the teeth, when you people may see Abraham and Isaacand Jacob, and all the Spokespersons in the Kingdom of the God, but then you people beingthrown outside. 13:29 And they will come from east and west, and from north and south, and willbe caused to recline (to eat) in the Kingdom of the God. 13:30 And look--there are last peoplewho will be first, and there are first people who will be last."Luke 13:22-30, Translation with Footnotes 27322732There is no parallel to Luke 13:22-23 in the other Gospels, leading us to concludethat this is material formulated by the author of Luke ("L"). There is a parallel to Luke 13:24 inMatthew 7:13-14, leading us to conclude that this materia] has been taken from "Q," but notword-for-word, since there are great differences between the two passages.(continued...)1301

2732(...continued)Matthew 7:13-14 Eivse,lqate dia. th/j stenh/j pu,lhj\ o[ti platei/a h` pu,lh kai.euvru,cwroj h` o`do.j h` avpa,gousa eivj th.n avpw,leian kai. polloi, eivsin oi` eivserco,menoi diVauvth/j\ 13.14 ti, stenh. h` pu,lh kai. teqlimme,nh h` o`do.j h` avpa,gousa eivj th.n zwh.n kai.ovli,goi eivsi.n oi` eu`ri,skontej auvth,nÅ7.13 "Enter in through the narrow gate. Because wide (is) the gate, and broad (is) theroad, the one leading away into destruction; and many are the ones entering in through it. 7.14How narrow the gate, and confined the road, the one leading away into the life; and few are theones finding it!"Luke has greatly abbreviated this saying of Jesus. Where Matthew has "Enter in throughthe narrow gate," Luke has "Struggle (avgoni,zesqe, 'strive,' 'make every effort') to enter in throughthe narrow door." Instead of Matthew's "Because wide (is) the gate, and broad (is) the road, theone leading away into destruction; and many are the ones entering in through it," Luke has"Because many people, I tell you, will seek to enter in and will not be able," leaving out the themeof the "two ways." Where Matthew has "How narrow the gate, and confined the road, the oneleading away into life; and few are the ones finding it!," Luke has nothing parallel to thisstatement. We think that both Gospels are teaching the same thing, but each one in its ownparticular way. The sayings of Jesus are not treated as "sacred words" that cannot be edited oradapted by the authors of the Gospels. Rather, they are stated in a way that fits the individualwriter's purpose--while maintaining the basic thrust of that teaching.There is no real parallel to Luke 13:25, and so we label it as coming from "L." Comparethe similar teaching in Matthew 25:10-12, at the close of the comparison / parable of the tenbridesmaids, five wise, five foolish, in which the foolish bridesmaids have to go and buy oil fortheir lamps, while the five wise enter into the marriage festivities, and the door to the festival islocked. When the foolish bridesmaids finally arrive, it is too late for them, and they stand outsidebegging for entrance, but are refused entry.There is a parallel to Luke 13:26-27 in Matthew 7:22-23, leading us to conclude that thismaterial has also been taken from "Q."Matthew 7:22-23 polloi. evrou/si,n moi evn evkei,nh| th/| h`me,ra|\ ku,rie ku,rie( ouv tw/| sw/|ovno,mati evprofhteu,samen( kai. tw/| sw/ | ovno,mati daimo,nia evxeba,lomen( kai. tw/| sw/ | ovno,matiduna,meij polla.j evpoih,samenÈ 7.23 kai. to,te o`mologh,sw auvtoi/j o[ti ouvde,pote e;gnwn u`ma/j\avpocwrei/te avpV evmou/ oi` evrgazo,menoi th.n avnomi,anÅ7:22 "Many will say to me in that (the) day, 'O Lord, O Lord, did we not by your namespeak for (God), and by your name cast out demons, and by your name do many mighty works?'7.23 And then I will confess to them that 'I never knew you people; depart from me, you peoplewho are working lawlessness!'"1302(continued...)

2732(...continued)Luke's treatment seems to be based on the teaching in Matthew 25, in the comparison /parable's picture of a locked door, and people coming too late to gain entry. Both Matthew andLuke depict people standing outside, begging for entrance, and being rejected, but both in theirown ways.Where Matthew has "Many will say to me in that (the) day, 'O Lord, O Lord, did we not byyour name speak for (God), and by your name cast out demons, and by your name do manymighty works?'", Luke has "From that time when the home owner has risen and may shut thedoor, and you will begin to stand outside and to knock at the door, saying, 'Lord, open tous!'...Then you will begin to say, 'We ate in your presence, and we drank, and you taught in ourstreets!'" In Matthew the claims for the right to entry are based on the religious deeds such asprophecy, exorcism, and mighty works that they have done. In Luke the claims for the right toentry are based on personal acquaintance with Jesus during his ministry, sharing in meals withhim, eating and drinking with him, hearing him teach in their streets. Both Gospels have similarstatements of rejection: Matthew has "And then I will confess to them that 'I never knew youpeople; depart from me, you people who are working lawlessness!"', while Luke has "And he willsay, speaking to you people, 'I do not know [you people], where you are coming from. Departfrom me, all you workers of wrong-relatedness!"', with this statement of rejection repeated onceagain.There is a parallel to Luke 13:28-29 in Matthew 8:11-12, and we conclude that thismaterial, though in a different order, should be labeled "Q."Matthew 8:11-12 le,gw de. u`mi/n o[ti polloi. avpo. avnatolw/n kai. dusmw/n h[xousin kai.avnakliqh,sontai meta. VAbraa.m kai. VIsaa.k kai. VIakw.b evn th/| basilei,a| tw/n ouvranw/n( 8.12oi` de. ui`oi. th/j basilei,aj evkblhqh,sontai eivj to. sko,toj to. evxw,teron\ evkei/ e;stai o` klauqmo.jkai. o` brugmo.j tw/n ovdo,ntwnÅ8.11 "But then I say to you people that many people, from east and west will come, andthey will be caused to recline (to eat) with Abraham and Isaac and Jacob in the Kingdom of theHeavens. 8.12 But then the sons of the Kingdom will be thrown out into the darkness, thefarthest out. There, there will be the weeping and the gnashing of the teeth.The two passages are given in reverse order in the two Gospels, with Luke mentioning theweeping and gnashing of teeth first, and Matthew mentioning it last. Where Matthew has theintroductory words, "But then I say to you people," Luke has no introductory statement of Jesus.Where Matthew has "many people...will come," Luke has only "And they will come..." WhereMatthew has "from east and west," Luke has the fuller "from east and west, and from north andsouth." Where Matthew has "And they will be caused to recline (to eat) with Abraham and Isaacand Jacob in the Kingdom of the Heavens," Luke has "and (they) will be caused to recline (to eat)in the Kingdom of the God," with this typical difference in way of describing the Kingdom. WhereMatthew has "But then the sons of the Kingdom will be thrown out into the darkness, the farthestout," Luke has only "but then you people being thrown outside." Compare also Matthew 22:13-14 for similar imagery of the "outer darkness" and for the "weeping and gnashing of teeth."(continued...)1303

2732(...continued)There is a similar statement of exclusion found in Matthew 25:41, but in a quite differentcontext: o,te evrei/ kai. toi/j evx euvwnu,mwn\ poreu,esqe avpV evmou/ Îoi`Ð kathrame,noi eivj to. pu/rto. aivw,nion to. h`toimasme,non tw/| diabo,lw| kai. toi/j avgge,loij auvtou/Å "Then he will say also tothe ones on (the) left, 'Go away from me, [the] cursed ones, into the fire, the long-Iasting one, theone having been prepared for the Adversary and his messengers!'" In Luke 13:28, the statementof exclusion is "Depart from me, all you workers of wrong-relatedness! There, there will be theweeping and the gnashing of the teeth..." Instead of the cursed ones going into the fire, the long-Iasting one...here it is a different picture, one of terrified anguish as a result of having been thrownoutside the banquet of God's chosen people. Both are striking depictions of rejection by the Lord.There is a parallel to Luke 13:30 in Mark 10:31 and in Matthew 19:30; 20:16, leading usto conclude that both Luke and Matthew are following their main source, Mark, at this point.Mark 10:31 polloi. de. e;sontai prw/toi e;scatoi kai. Îoi`Ð e;scatoi prw/toiÅ "But thenmany they will be--first ones, last ones; and [the] last ones, first ones."Matthew 19:30 polloi. de. e;sontai prw/toi e;scatoi kai. e;scatoi prw/toiÅ "But thenmany they will be--first ones, last ones; and [the] last ones, first ones."Matthew 20:16 ou[twj e;sontai oi` e;scatoi prw/toi kai. oi` prw/toi e;scatoiÅ "In thisway, the last ones will be first ones, and the first ones last ones."Luke's statement is essentially the same as those in Mark and Matthew, with a slightdifference, "And look--there are last people who will be first, and there are first people who will belast." Compare also the Oxyrhnchus Papyrus 654, # 3, and the Gospel of Thomas # 4.This is a very complex relationship between Mark, Matthew, and Luke, and again we notethat the Gospel writers feel the freedom to re-word and adapt the sayings of Jesus in order to telltheir story in their own ways--without being slaves to the exact form of the sayings of Jesus--butstill, not changing that teaching's basic thrust. Legalists will not be satisfied with this, nor thosewho insist on an infallible Bible, in which every word has come down from heaven, with no humanelement involved. But the evidence from the biblical text demands such a conclusion.This is the reason that Nolland states, "The present unit [13:22-30] is a complex mix ofLukan formulation and the linking together of traditional elements." (2, p. 732) Marshall in likemanner notes that "The origins of this section are particularly obscure. There are parallels...but...the wording varies considerably...The metaphorical picture of the narrow door...differsconsiderably from that of the narrow gate and difficult way in Matthew...No certain answer to theproblem of priority can be given, and the possibility of separate developments in the tradition isperhaps most likely...Luke has probably taken over a set of sayings from "Q" which wereavailable to Matthew in a variant form. Their theme was the judgment on Israel for refusal ofJesus' message; Luke has underlined the ethical emphasis of the passage." (Pp. 563-64)1304(continued...)

2733 273413:22 And he was going through cities and villages, teaching and making (his)2735 2736journey towards Jerusalem.2732(...continued)Fitzmyer likewise observes that "The material in verses 24-29 has some parallels inMatthean passages, but the relationship differs with each verse...Though I ascribe verses 24-29to 'Q'... along with a number of others...I have to admit that the parallel Matthean material is attimes quite diverse..." (2, p. 1021 ) Gilmour had earlier observed that "Points of similarity withmaterial in Matthew indicate the use of a common source, but both evangelists have dealt freelywith it." (P. 245)As to the overall teaching of the passage, Fitzmyer states that "ln the course of histeaching, while en route to Jerusalem, Jesus is asked how many will share in the salvationpromised in the kingdom: 'Are only a few to be saved?' The question comes out of a backgroundbelief among Palestinian Jews that 'all Israelites have a share in the world to come' (MishnahSanhedrin 10:11 which states that 'All Israelites have a share in the world to come, for it iswritten, Your people also shall be all rightly-related, they shall inherit the land for ever; the branchof my planting, the work of my hands that I may be glorified, Isaiah 60:21. And these are theythat have no share in the world to come: he that says that there is no resurrection of the deadprescribed in the Law, and that the Law is not from Heaven, and an Epicurean, meaning Gentilesand Jews opposed to the rabbinical teachings).'What, then, would be the relation of human beings to the kingdom that Jesus waspreaching? Jesus does not answer the question directly [so Fitzmyer concludes, but we think thisis mistaken; Jesus in fact answers the question by showing that few will be saved, while many willbe lost], he gives rather a practical warning that people should strive or struggle to enter thekingdom by its 'narrow door.' This is Jesus' concern, he leaves to God himself the answer abouthow many will find salvation. He puts emphasis instead on the effort that human beings will haveto exert to get in." (2, p. 1022)2733 rdThe 3 person singular imperfect indicative middle verb dieporeu,eto,"he was goingthrough," occurs only 5 times in the Greek New Testament, and four of those occurrences are inLuke / Acts: Luke 6:1; 13:22 (here); 18:36; Acts 16:4. In addition, the verb occurs at Romans15:24.2734For the use of po,lij and ko,mh, "city and village," in the Greek New Testament, seeMatthew 9:35; 10:11; Luke 8:1, and here, 13:22. The first and last passages use the nouns inthe plural, while the other two passages use the nouns in the singular. Nolland translates "fromtown to town and village to village." (2, p. 731).2735The phrase porei,an poiou,menoj, literally "journey making," is found only here at Luke13:22. The noun porei,a is found elsewhere in the Greek New Testament at Jacob (“James")1:11, but also some 32 times in the Septuagint.1305(continued...)

273713:23 But then someone said to him, "Lord, are the ones being saved few?" But then2735(...continued)By the mention of Jesus "going through cities and villages," and "journey-making" towardsJerusalem, Luke reminds its readers of the context in which all of these teachings are being given--on the road to certain death in Jerusalem.2736The name of the City of Jerusalem is spelled ~Ieroso,luma, by P75, Sinaiticus,Vaticanus, L, Minuscules 579, 892, 1241, 2542, a few other Greek manuscripts and the OldLatin Manuscripts a and a2. It is spelled vIerousalh,m by Alexandrinus, Bezae, W, Theta (see),Psi, Uncial Manuscript 070, Families 1 and 13 of Minuscules, the "Majority Text," the Latin LatinVulgate, a part of the Old Latin witnesses and the Coptic tradition. With this verse, compare Luke9:51, "When the days drew near for him to be taken up, he set his face to go to Jerusalem."2737The question which Luke depicts Jesus as being asked, is concerning oi` sw|zo,menoi,literally, "the ones being delivered (or 'saved')" (nominative plural masculine present passiveparticiple), and the question is concerning how many people are to be included in this category.The verb sw,zein occurs some 470 times in the Greek Bible; the present participle occurssome 39 times. The present plural participle which is used here occurs only at Isaiah 37:32;45:20; Tobit 14:7; Luke 13:23 (here); Acts 2:47; 1 Corinthians 1:18 and 2:15. The meaning ofthe participle is that those who are so described are participating in the divine deliverance, thesaving action of God in their lives. Marshall holds that it refers to "the obtaining of eschatologicalsalvation" (p. 564), but if this is so, the phrase implies that this can be obtained here and now, inthe present world.This is the only passage in the canonical Bible where this specific question is raised,concerning the number of those "being saved." But in the Jewish Apocrypha andPseudepigrapha, see 2 Esdras 8:1 ("The Most High made this world for the sake of many, butthe world to come for the sake of only a few"), 3 ("Many have been created, but only a few shallbe saved"); 9:15-16 ("...There are more who perish than those who will be saved, as a wave isgreater than a drop of water"); 2 Apocalypse Baruch 44:15; 48:45.It is interesting to ask this question in terms of the entire Bible. For example, in the days ofNoah (Genesis 6-9), and in the overthrow of the Cities of the Plain (Genesis 18-19), were thosebeing saved "few" or "many"? The resounding answer of those stories is, "Few!" Or if we ask thequestion concerning the number of those among the "wilderness generation" who were allowed toenter into the promised land under Joshua, again the answer comes "Few!" See Matthew 7:14;22:14; 1 Corinthians 10:5; 1 Peter 3:20.Also see the discussion of this very matter in 4 Ezra 7:45-61, where Ezra states in dialoguewith God, "And now I see that the world to come will bring delight to few, but torments to many.For an evil heart has grown up in us, which has alienated us from God, and brought us into thecorruption and the ways of death, and has shown us the paths of perdition and removed us farfrom life--and that not just a few of us but almost all who have been created!" The divine answerthat comes to Ezra is about the comparison between precious stones (which are few), and lead(continued...)1306

2738 2739 2740he said to them, 13:24 "Struggle to enter in through the narrow door. Because many2737(...continued)and clay (which are abundant). Just as a human being rejoices over finding a few preciousstones, so God says, "So also will be the judgment which I have promised; for I will rejoice overthe few who shall be saved, because it is they who have made my glory to prevail now, andthrough them my name has now been honored. And I will not grieve over the multitude of thosewho perish; for it is they who are now like a mist; and are similar to a flame and smoke--they areset on fire and burn hotly, and are extinguished." (The Old Testament Pseudepigrapha 1, pp.732-33; compare 4 Ezra 9:15)2738The phrase ei=pen pro.j auvtou,j, "he said to them," is changed to the one word ei=pen,"he said," by Family 13 of Minuscules. It is changed to avpokriqei,j ei=pen, "answering he said," byBezae. It is changed to ei=pen pro.j auvto,n, "he said to him," by Minuscule 71, a few other Greekmanuscripts, the Sinaitic Syriac (see), the Curetonian Syriac (see) and a few manuscripts of theBohairic Coptic. The last variant makes Jesus respond to the individual alone, rather than to thelarger group, but is obviously wrong because Jesus uses the plural in the material that follows.2739The verb used here is avgwni,zesqe, "struggle," "do everything in your power," "be aparticipant in the contest." In the Greek Bible, this verb is found at Daniel 6:15 (verse 14 inEnglish; Darius the King made every effort to save Daniel from the den of lions); 1 Maccabees7:21 (Alcimus struggled to maintain his high-priesthood); 2 Maccabees 13:14 (Judas exhorts histroops to fight, struggle bravely); 15:27 (used concerning the troops of Judas who struggled inbattle with their hands, as they prayed to God in their hearts); 4 Maccabees 17:13 (the elderlyEleazar, the seven brothers and their mother all "struggled" against the persecutors, as theywillingly faced death); Sirach 4:28 (struggle to the death for truth);Luke 13:24 (here); John 18:36 (Jesus' Kingdom is not of this world; if it were, his servantswould struggle to keep him from being handed over to the Jews); 1 Corinthians 9:25 (Paul usesthe participle to mean the "contestant" who exercises self-control in all things in order to win aprize); Colossians 1:29 (Paul states that he works hard, "struggling," in order to presenteveryone mature in King Jesus) and 4:12 (Epaphroditus is always "struggling" in his prayers ontheir behalf); 1 Timothy 4:10 (Paul and his companions struggle to attain the Christian hope);6:12 (struggle in the good contest of faith); 2 Timothy 4:7 (Paul claims that he has struggled inthe good contest). John Knox comments on this imperative verb used by Jesus with regards toentering the Kingdom, that no person can enter "except by the struggle of self-denial." (P. 246)This is probably too specific, and Jesus more probably means the struggle in much broader waysthan simply this, perhaps more in line with the Pauline usage, which is to enter the contest, anddo all in one's power to win.Fitzmyer comments that "Jesus' warning makes use of the language of a contest (avgw,n) orstruggle in order to stress the need of effort to walk into the kingdom through the narrow door.The path to salvation is not through a wide, open entrance." (2, p. 1024) Marshall comments that"The question is not answered directly...lnstead the point is applied existentially to Jesus' hearers:rather than speculate about the fate of others, let them make sure now that they enter by thedoor, however narrow and difficult it is..." (Pp.564-65)(continued...)1307

2741 2742people, I tell you, will seek to enter in and will not be able. 13:25 From that time when the2743 2744 2745home owner has risen and shut the door, and you may begin to stand outside and to2739(...continued)Nolland comments that "By setting 14:15-24 (with its rounding up of totally unlikely guestsfor the banquet of the kingdom of God) in parallel with 13:22-30, Luke establishes a dialecticbetween human responsibility stressed here and the priority of God's grace and initiative." (2, p.734)2740The genitive feminine singular noun qu,raj, "door," is read by P45, P75, Sinaiticus,Vaticanus, Bezae, L, Theta, Uncial Manuscript 070 (see), Family 1 of Minuscules, Minuscules892, 1241, 2542 and a few other Greek manuscripts. It is changed to the genitive femininesingular noun pu,lhj, "gate," by Alexandrinus, W, Psi, Family 13 of Minuscules, the "MajorityText" and the Sahidic Coptic, in an attempt to make the text of Luke conform to that of Matthew7:13.Knox emphasizes that according to this imagery, "...The gate is now open. God precondemnsno man." (P.246) Marshall holds that "The imagery is akin to that of the camelpassing through the needle's eye, and suggests the difficulty of facing up to the demands ofJesus in self-denial. Verse 27 indicates that (at least for Luke) the difficulty of repenting andturning from evil is in mind..." (P. 565)2741This is Jesus' answer to the question "Are they many that are being saved?" Theanswer is, no. The fact is, Jesus teaches, many will seek to enter in, but will not be able. Here"being saved" and "entering in by the narrow door" are used as synonyms.2742Here, especially, it is clear that different sayings of Jesus are being combined, and theteaching concerning the "narrow gate" is being combined with Jesus' teaching concerning the"closed (or 'locked') door" at a wedding feast with which compare the comparison / parable ofJesus in Matthew 25:1-12. This is the way Luke wants its readers to understand these sayings,as both teaching something similar, which indeed, they do, in spite of the difference in imageryinvolved. (See Nolland, 2, p. 734)2743The phrase evgerqh/ | o` oivkodespo,thj, literally "is risen the home-owner," is changed toevgerqh/ | o` despo,thj, "is risen the owner," by P75; it is changed to o` oivkodespo,thj eivse,lqh|, "thehome-owner may enter," by Bezae, Family 13 of Minuscules (see; with a different word-order),the Latin Latin Vulgate (see; with a different word-order) and a part of the Old Latin witnesses(see; with a different word-order). These variant readings indicate that copyists and translatorsfelt a certain difficulty with reading the original text, and adapted it accordingly, but withoutchanging its meaning.2744The "narrow door" of verse 24 has now become a "shut (or 'locked') door" in verse 25,and this is a clear sign that Luke is combining different sayings of Jesus in this passage, as isalready clear from our comparisons in footnote 2731, and see footnote 2741. The combination ofthe sayings is based on the word "door," which Jesus mentioned a number of times in histeaching, but with slightly different connotations, just as in this passage. Fitzmyer comments that(continued...)1308

2746 2747 2748knock at the door, saying, 'Lord, open to us!' And answering, he will say to you people, 'I2749 2750don't know you, where you are coming from!' 13:26 Then you will begin to say, 'We ate in2744(...continued)"It is a door not only to the kingdom of salvation, but to the joys of its festive banquet." (2, p.1022) He later comments that "Now it becomes apparent that the door is also controlled by themaster within. To the narrowness of the door is added a warning not to wait until the last minute,for salvation in the kingdom is gained through a door that the master opens for those whom heknows. Jesus' words add a temporal dimension. All human striving may be too late, if it comesonly at the last minute." (2, p. 1025) And, as Knox says, while the door is now open, "The time isshort...[and] the door is always being shut. When each day ends, the opportunity of that day isgone." (Pp. 246-47)2745The phrase e;xw e`sta,nai kai., literally "outside to stand and," is omitted by the firstwriter of Sinaiticus and a few manuscripts of the Bohairic Coptic. The omission does not changethe meaning of Luke.2746The phrase th.n qu,ran, "the door," is omitted by Bezae and a majority of the Old Latinwitnesses. The omission does not change the meaning of the original text; this is a typical"editorial" treatment of the text by Bezae, omitting words not necessary for the meaning.2747The vocative singular ku,rie, "O Lord!" is repeated, ku,rie, ku,rie, "O Lord, O Lord!" byAlexandrinus, Bezae, W, Theta, Psi, Uncial Manuscript 070, Families 1 and 13 of Minuscules,the "Majority Text," a majority of the Old Latin witnesses, the Curetonian Syriac, the PeshittaSyriac, the Harclean Syriac and the Bohairic Coptic (in part), in an attempt to make the text ofLuke conform to that of Matthew. Only the one noun is read by P75, Sinaiticus, Vaticanus, L,Minuscules 892, 1241, a few other Greek manuscripts, the Latin Latin Vulgate, a part of the OldLatin witnesses, the Sinaitic Syriac, the Sahidic Coptic and the Bohairic Coptic (in part). Thevariant reading does not change the meaning of Luke.Fitzmyer comments that "The master is indirectly identified as Jesus himself...for thoseoutside appeal to him as contemporaries who shared food with him and listened to histeaching." (2, p. 1022)2748Compare the cry of the foolish bridesmaids as depicted in the comparison / parable ofMatthew 25:1-13, especially verse 11. As Marshall notes, "The picture is of an oivkodespo,thj(12:39; 14:21) who closes the door...of his house once he knows that all his guests are present...The late-comers stand outside." (P. 566)2749 ndThe 2 person plural future indicative middle verb a;rxesqe, "you people will begin," isread by P75, Vaticanus, Family 1 of Minuscules, Minuscules 565, 700, 892 and many moreGreek manuscripts. It is changed to the subjunctive form of the verb a;rxhsqe, arksesthe, "youpeople may begin," by Sinaiticus, Alexandrinus, Bezae, K, L, N, W, Gamma, Delta, Theta, Psi,1309(continued...)

2751your presence, and we drank, and you taught in our streets!' 13:27 And he will say, speaking2752 2753to you, 'I do not know [you], where you are coming from! Depart from me, all you workers of2749(...continued)Uncial Manuscript 070, Family 13 of Minuscules, Minuscules 579, 1241, 1424, 2542 and manymore Greek manuscripts. The change in tense does not change the meaning.2750The vocative singular Ku,rie, "O Lord," is interpolated into the text at this point byBezae. The interpolation does not change the meaning of Luke.2751Fitzmyer comments that the statement of these people pleading at the closed doormeans "We are your acquaintances and contemporaries, seen by you at table and taught by youin the streets. What do you mean, You do not know us! The master's answer stresses that morethan superficial acquaintance is needed." (2, p. 1025)As Knox comments, some people "would plead at heaven's door that they were thecontemporaries of Christ, and had heard him preach, but that plea would not save them. Whatuse had they made of that golden chance? Was his word dwelling in them? Others would pleadlineal descent from Abraham and the prophets, but their claim would be no passport..."Do we notsay when judgment comes, 'But my parents reared me in godliness. Though I have not gone tochurch very much, I believe in it. At least I would not like to live in a place without a church. Ihave always argued that the best in our culture comes from Bible tradition, and I've lived arespectable life. I've always meant to do well, and I've given more to charity than most folks..."(P.247) Such empty claims will be to no avail according to Jesus. Marshall comments that"...There is something hollow about their claim. They had only eaten in the presence of Jesus;the language does not necessarily describe a real fellowship. Likewise, although Jesus hadtaught in their presence, it is not said that they had responded to his teaching..." (P. 566)2752The phrase le,gwn u`mi/n, "speaking to you people," is read by a corrector of P75,Vaticanus, Minuscule 892 and a few other Greek manuscripts. It is changed to the one wordu`mi/n, "to you people," by Sinaiticus, Minuscule 579, a few other Greek manuscripts, the LatinLatin Vulgate, a part of the Old Latin witnesses, the Peshitta Syriac, the Sahidic Coptic and theBohairic Coptic (in part). The phrase is omitted by Minuscule 1195, a few other Greekmanuscripts and the Bohairic Coptic (in part). The phrase is changed to le,gw u`mi/n, "I say to youpeople," by the first writer of P75, Alexandrinus, Bezae, L, W, Theta, Psi, Uncial Manuscript070, Families 1 and 13 of Minuscules, the "Majority Text," the Sinaitic Syriac, the CuretonianSyriac, the Harclean Syriac and a few manuscripts of the Bohairic Coptic. We think that this arrayof variant readings indicates a problem in the primitive text, which copyists and translators haveresolved in their individual ways. None of the variants changes the meaning of Luke.2753The phrase ouvk oi=da Îu`ma/jÐ po,qen evste, "I do not know [you people], where you arecoming from," is read by Sinaiticus, Alexandrinus, W, Theta, Psi, Families 1 and 13 ofMinuscules, the "Majority Text," the Latin Latin Vulgate, a part of the Old Latin witnesses, theSyriac tradition, 2 Clement (2nd century A.D.), Origen (who died 254 A. D.) and the Didache (c.100 A.D.). The phrase is read without the word u`ma/j by P75, Vaticanus, L, Uncial Manuscript070, Minuscules 1241, 2542, a few other Greek manuscripts, and the Old Latin Manuscripts b,(continued...)1310

2754 2755wrong-relatedness!' 13:28 There, there will be the weeping and the gnashing of the teeth,2753(...continued)ff2, i and I. It is changed to read ouvde,pote eivdon u`ma/j, "I never saw you people," by Bezae andthe Old Latin Manuscript e (see). The variant reading slightly changes the meaning of Luke, butnot in a very significant way.The sentence of rejection, "I don't know you..." is repeated twice in the saying as Lukegives it (verses 25 and 27). Fitzmyer comments that "Jesus' teaching in these utterances playsupon the Old Testament idea of people being known by God (see Jeremiah 1:5; Amos 3:2;Hosea 5:3...), i.e. those who are his chosen ones (Psalm 138:6)." (2, p. 1022) Compare similarlanguage in Isaiah 63:16 concerning Abraham and Israel not knowing the people, but YHWH istheir Father; Matthew 7:23, "Then will l declare to them, 'I never knew you; go away from me, youevil-doers!"; 2 Timothy 2:19, "The Lord knows those who are his..." and John 9:29-30. In Knox'sinterpretation of the passage, this last statement is taken to mean that there is "no favoritism" inthe Kingdom." He states that“Jewish thought pictured the reward of the faithful at history's climax as a messianicbanquet or a bridal feast. That picture is the background of verses 23-30. The Jews werechildren of the covenant. God had chosen them to make known to the world the good tidings ofhis nature and will. But the covenant could become a snare; they could construe it selfishly as afavor rather than as a mission. They often fell into the snare; they deemed themselves God'sfavorites, and regarded pagan lands as beyond the pale. Over and again Jesus took sharp issuewith them on that score..." (P.247) Compare Luke 3:28 and 4:23-29.2754The word avdiki,aj, "of wrong-relatedness," is read by P75, Sinaiticus, Vaticanus, L,Psi, Minuscule 892 and a few other Greek manuscripts. It has the genitive definite articlepreceding it in Alexandrinus, W, Theta, Uncial Manuscript 070, Families 1 and 13 ofMinuscules and the "Majority Text." It is changed to the synonym avnomi,aj, "of lawlessness," byBezae, Minuscule 1424 (see), some manuscripts of the Bohairic Coptic and Epiphanius ofConstantia (who died 403 A.D.), in an attempt to make Luke's text conform to that of Matthew.The variant readings do not change the meaning of the text. Here "the Lord" (Jesus) is depictedas not only not knowing these people, but as positively excluding them from that kingdom /salvation.The words of the Greek translation of Psalm 6:9 (verse 8 in English) are here quoted byJesus: avpo,sthte avpV evmou/ pa,ntej oi` evrgazo,menoi th.n avnomi,an , "stand away from me, all theones who are working the lawlessness." Marshall comments that with this quotation, "...The realreason for the rejection comes out...a clear assertion that lack of righteousness excludes menfrom the heavenly banquet." (P. 567)2755This phrase concerning weeping and gnashing (or 'grinding') of teeth is found in theparallel text to Luke 13:28 (here), Matthew 8:12, but also in Matthew 13:42, 50; 22:13; 24:51;25:30. According to this saying of Jesus, life can end up in terrible misery, rather than in joy and1311(continued...)

2756 2757 2758when you people may see Abraham and Isaac and Jacob, and all the Spokespersons in2759 2760the Kingdom of the God, but then you people being thrown outside. 13:29 And they will2755(...continued)peace. This is a far cry from teaching that all will eventually be saved! Marshall holds that "Thethought here is of anger directed against the master, rather than of 'despairing remorse."' (P.567)2756 ndThe 2 person plural aorist subjunctive verb o;yhsqe, "you people may see," is read byP75, Alexandrinus, a corrector of Vaticanus, L, W, Psi, Uncial Manuscript 070, Family 1 ofMinuscules, Minuscule 33 and the "Majority Text." It is changed to the future tense, o;yesqe, "youpeople will see," by the first writer of Vaticanus, Bezae, Family13 of Minuscules, Minuscule 1241ndand some other Greek manuscripts. It is changed to the 2 person plural aorist subjunctive verbiv ,dhte, "you people may see," by Sinaiticus and Theta. Neither of the variants changes themeaning of the text.2757For this combination of the three patriarchs, Abraham, Isaac and Jacob in the LXX, see:Genesis 50:24; Exodus 2:24; 3:6, 15, 16; 4:5; 6:3, 8; 32:13; 33:1; Numbers 32:11;Deuteronomy 1:8; 6:10; 9:5, 27; 29:12; 30:20; 34:4; 2 Kings 13:23; Judith 8:26; Tobit 4:12(includes Noah); 2 Maccabees 1:2; 4 Maccabees 7:19; 13:17; 16:25 (adds to the threesome thephrase "and all the patriarchs"); Ode of Solomon 12:2, 9; Baruch 2:34; Matthew 8:11; 22:32;Mark 12:26; Luke 13:28 (here); 20:37; Acts 3:13; 7:32. For the combination Abraham, Isaacand Israel, see 1 Kings 18:36; 1 Chronicles 29:18; 2 Chronicles 30:6.2758This reference to "all the Spokespersons" as a group is not found oftentimes in theGreek Bible. See 1 Kings 18:20 (the spokespersons of Baal); 22:6, 10, 12, 13, 22, 23 (300 falsespokespersons, who speak what King Ahab wants to hear); 2 Kings 10:19, 21, 21(spokespersons of Baal); 2 Kings 17:13, 23; 2 Chronicles 18:9, 11, 21, 22 (same as 1 Kings22); Jeremiah 7:25; Baruch 1:21; Matthew 11:13; Luke 11:50; 13:28 (here); 18:31; 24:27;Acts 3:18, 24 and 10:43.2759Fitzmyer comments that "Thus Luke (and his source) have related the forebears ofIsrael to the main theme of Jesus' preaching. Inside the house of the kingdom all is joy, quitedifferent from the weeping and grinding of teeth, the condition of those 'outside' and 'there'..." (2,p. 1026) Marshall comments that "The kingdom of God is here the transcendent future realm inwhich the righteous dead are present. The force of the utterance, however, lies in the secondpart: while the Old Testament saints are present, the contemporaries of Jesus are cast out..." (P.567)2760The phrase u`ma/j de. evkballome,nouj e;xw, literally "you people then, being thrown outoutside," is omitted by Minuscule 69, a few other Greek manuscripts and the Sinaitic Syriac. Wesee no reason for this omission unless it is on the part of more liberal copyists, who want toeliminate this harsh sentence on the Jews of Jesus' day. But this is to miss the whole point of thesaying--which is that the joyous heavenly banquet of the future, so longed for by Jewish believers,will not be theirs to enjoy (if they continue on in their refusal to follow Jesus)--instead, they willexperience being cast outside, and the agony of weeping and grinding of teeth.1312(continued...)

2761 2762come from east and west, and from north and south, and will be caused to recline (to eat) in2760(...continued)Fitzmyer asks concerning the identity of those being "thrown out." His answer is that "TheMatthean counterpart of verses 28-29 (Matthew 8:11-12) envisages evil Christian disciples. Butthe Lucan form of the sayings envisages some of Jesus' Palestinian contemporaries." (2, p.1023) Marshall notes that "The word evkba,llw does not quite fit the preceding picture, for theoutsiders were never actually in the banquet; the thought is rather of the last judgment." (P. 568)This is another indication that originally different sayings of Jesus are being combined here.Knox states that "For the chosen to be barred from the door was darkness enough; that'lesser breeds without the Law' should take their place was bitterness piled on midnight. Any Jewwould shrink in dismay from the mere thought of the patriarchs and prophets feasting at themessianic banquet with pagan strangers...'There outside the door'...they would see, in onerevealing glance, strangers from the ends of the earth feasting with the elect of God, and thenwould be thrust out to grind their teeth and weep in helpless anger of remorse." (Pp.247-48)2761The phrase kai. avpo, "and from," is read by Vaticanus, L, Family 13 of Minuscules,Minuscule 892, a few other Greek manuscripts and a majority of the Old Latin witnesses. It isshortened to simply "and" by Sinaiticus, Alexandrinus, Bezae, W, Theta, Psi, Family 1 ofMinuscules, the "Majority Text," the Latin Latin Vulgate, a part of the Old Latin witnesses and theHarclean Syriac. It is shortened to simply "from" by P75 and Uncial Manuscript 070. Neither ofthese variant readings changes the meaning of Luke.2762The words of Psalm 107:3 are being quoted by Jesus, The Hebrew text is:`~Y")miW !ApïC'mi br'_[]M;mi(W xr'îz>Mimi ~c'îB.qiñ tAcªr'a]meW*, ume)aratsoth qibbetsammimmizrach umimma(arabh mitstsaphon umiyyam, literally "and from lands he gatheredthem, from east and from west, from north and from sea (oftentimes also meaning 'west')."The Greek translation (106:3) is: evk tw/n cwrw/n sunh,gagen auvtou.j avpo.avnatolw/n kai. dusmw/n kai. borra/ kai. qala,sshj, literally "out of the countries (or'places') he gathered them together, from east and west and north and sea."Even though the last direction mentioned by the Psalmist is confusing, it is obvious that thisis a universal gathering of the people, from all directions, just as is seen in the next passage:Isaiah 43:5-6,ynIa"+-^T.ai yKiä ar' ÞyTi-la;^[,êr>z: aybi äa' xr'z>Mimi`&'c

2763the Kingdom of the God. 13:30 And look--there are last people who will be first, and there are2762(...continued)ynITeê ‘!ApC'l; rm: Üaoyail'_k.Ti-la; !m"ßytel.WqAxêr'me ‘yn:b' yaiybi ÛiÛh'`#r,a'(h' hceîq.mi yt;ÞAnb.WDon’t you (singular) be afraid, because I am with you;from (the) east I will bring your descendant(s),and from (the) west I will gather you,saying to the north, Give!,and to (the) south, Do not be exhausted!Bring my sons from far away,and my daughters from the earth’s end!mh. fobou/ o[ti meta. sou/ eivmiavpo. avnatolw/n a;xw to. spe,rma soukai. avpo. dusmw/n suna,xw seevrw/ tw/| borra/| a;gekai. tw/| libi, mh. kw,luea;ge tou.j uiòu,j mou avpo. gh/j po,rrwqenkai. ta.j qugate,raj mou avpV a;krwn th/j gh/jDon't be afraid, because I am with you.From (the) east I will bring your descendant(s),and from (the) west I will gather you together.I will say to the north, Lead on!,and to southwest wind, Don't hinder!Lead on my sons from a land far away,and my daughters from the earth's corners!Jesus obviously believes that through what he is doing, and the work of the Kingdom thathe announces and brings, there is a new "gathering-together" of God's people, from all across theearth, who will be welcomed into the joyful celebration of that Kingdom. See the next footnote.2763Fitzmyer comments that "In verses 28-29 the notion of the door, narrow or closed, hascompletely disappeared; the theme has become the joyous banquet of the kingdom at whichthose admitted recline with the master, the patriarchs of Israel of old, and all the prophets. Thoseadmitted will be people who come not only from Jesus' contemporaries who have striven to walkthrough the narrow door while it was still open, but also people from east and west, north andsouth...The joy of those admitted to the banquet of the kingdom is contrasted with the weeping(continued...)1314

first people who will be last." 27642763(...continued)and grinding of teeth of those locked out. Verse 28 expresses in terms of exclusion what verse29 does in terms of inclusion." (2, p. 1023)For the biblical background of this motif, that YHWH God intends to gather together hispeople for a joyous banquet, see Isaiah 25:6-8 (from the Greek text): "And Lord of Armies willact (possibly, even 'create') for all the nations upon this mountain. They will drink (with)merriment, they will drink wine, they will anoint with perfume. On this mountain you gave all thesethings to the nations; for this desire (or 'purpose') (is) over all the nations. The death swallowedup; and again the God took away every tear from every face; the shame of the people he tookaway from all the earth--for the mouth of Lord spoke!" (See the Hebrew text, which is muchclearer, describing a huge banquet.)Isaiah 55:1-2 (from the Greek text): "You who are thirsting, come to (the) water, andwhoever of you does not have money, going, purchase and drink without money and price, wineand fat-meat. For what reason do you spend money and the hard labor of yours, not for fullness?Listen to me, and eat good things, and your innermost being will revel in good things!" We notethat this is not talking about something that will only occur at the end of time, but rather somethingthat occurs when human beings return to the Lord, and as the passage continues, includes callingthe nations to share in this joyous banquet.Isaiah 65:13-14 (from the Greek text): "For this reason these things says Lord: Look,those who are serving me will eat, but then you people will be hungry. Look, those who areserving me will drink, but then you people will be thirsty. Look, those who are serving me will befilled with joy, but then you people will be put to shame. Look, those who are serving me willrejoice exceedingly with merriment, but then you people will cry out because of pain of your heart,and from brokenness of innermost being you will howl!" This passage looks out to the future, asthe Lord God creates a new heaven and earth for his people who serve him, and who are filledwith satisfaction and long life. See also Ezekiel 39:17-20, for an extremely crude depiction ofsuch a feast.In the Greek New Testament, see Luke 13:29 (here), "And they will come from east andwest, and from north and south, and will be caused to recline (to eat) in the Kingdom of the God."Luke 14:15, "One of the dinner guests...said to him, 'How fortunate those who eat bread in theKingdom of God!' (following which Jesus gives his comparison / parable of the great dinner, towhich many are invited, but who make excuses not to come, and the master of the feast sendshis servants out into the streets and lanes of the town to bring in the poor, the crippled, the blindand the lame to share in the dinner). Luke 22:16, Jesus says he will not eat the Passover "until itis fulfilled in the Kingdom of God." Luke 22:29-30, Jesus says, "I confer on you people...aKingdom, so that you may eat and drink at my table in my Kingdom." Revelation 3:20, the risenLord Jesus says to the church at Laodicea, "Look! I am standing at the door, knocking; if you hearmy voice and open the door, I will come in to you and eat with you, and you with me." Revelation19:9, "...How fortunate those who are invited to the marriage supper of the Little Lamb!"1315

2764Fitzmyer comments that this verse "shows that the kingdom brings into human relationsa reversal, for it turns upside down all human calculations...This reversal echoes in its own waywhat was said by Simeon about the child Jesus, destined for the fall and rise of many in Israel..."(2, p. 1023)Compare the Gospel of Thomas # 4, "Jesus said: The man old in his days will nothesitate to ask an infant of seven days concerning the place of life, and he will live. For many ofthe first will be last, and they will become a single one."Knox comments that "Verse 30 must have been a memorable and frequent saying [ofJesus]...The reversals will be staggering. Not only shall outcast Gentiles, believing in the light ofChrist [note that this is not stated by Jesus, but interpolated by Knox], take the place of chosenJews, but the publican shall be justified while the Pharisee is left disconsolate (18:10-14), and thesimple-minded shall receive God's secret while the brilliantly learned wander in darkness (10:21)...The judge perchance shall be judged by those whom he sentenced on earth, leaders ofgovernment and trade be ruled by those whom they dismissed as 'only average men,' and thepreacher be barred from the door while some unruly man with a hidden love for God findswelcome..."The behest in verse 24 is thus made urgent in thunders and lightnings: a man mustagonize to enter the narrow gate, and count everything else well lost to gain the kingdom joy.Likewise the question in verse 23 is answered: The number of the elect is not arbitrarilypredetermined, nor is the chosen Jew the sole candidate, but all men may come by acceptance ofChrist." (P. 248)Marshall comments that "It may mean here that those who regard themselves asoppressed and hopeless will gain entry to the kingdom, while those who think that they alone areworthy will be excluded (compare 1:51-53)." (P. 568)No, Jesus and his followers are not criminals. They proclaim a heavenly Kingdom of God,that is open to all people, regardless of religious background or nationality or race. But entranceinto that Kingdom will not be easy--it demands serious effort, and struggle in order to enter itssalvation. In spite of this severe demand, it also offers glorious hope beyond this present world--in an eternal, joyous gathering of the people of God, to which all are invited, and into which all canenter--if they will only struggle to do so.What can there be that is really criminal in such teaching? What is there that deservespunishment of those who follow such teaching? Would it not be a blessing to Rome and itsmultitudes of people of different races and languages, to have such a powerful motivatingteaching and hope in its midst?1316

JESUS AND JERUSALEM--HIS DESTINY AND HERSLuke 13:31-35, Greek Text with Translation13.31 VEn auvth/| th/ | w[ra| prosh/lqa,n tinej Farisai/oi le,gontej auvtw/ |\ e;xelqe kai.poreu,ou evnteu/qen( o[ti ~Hrw, |dhj qe,lei se avpoktei/naiÅ 13.32 kai. ei=pen auvtoi/j\ poreuqe,ntejei;pate th/| avlw,peki tau,th|\ ivdou. evkba,llw daimo,nia kai. iva,seij avpotelw/ sh,meron kai. au;rionkai. th/ | tri,th| teleiou/maiÅ 13.33 plh.n dei/ me sh,meron kai. au;rion kai. th/| evcome,nh|poreu,esqai( o[ti ouvk evnde,cetai profh,thn avpole,sqai e;xw VIerousalh,mÅ13.31 At this very hour certain ones of the Separatists approached saying to Him, "Depart,and go from this place, because Herod is desiring to kill you!" 13.32 And He said to them,"Going, say to this fox, 'Look–I am casting out demons, and I am accomplishing healings todayand tomorrow and on the third (day) I am finished. 13.33 Nevertheless it is necessary for metoday, and tomorrow, and the coming (day) to go (on), because it is not possible (for a) spokespersonto be destroyed outside Jerusalem.13.34 VIerousalh.m VIerousalh,m( h` avpoktei,nousa tou.j profh,taj kai. liqobolou/satou.j avpestalme,nouj pro.j auvth,n( posa,kij hvqe,lhsa evpisuna,xai ta. te,kna sou o]n tro,pono;rnij th.n e`auth/j nossia.n u`po. ta.j pte,rugaj( kai. ouvk hvqelh,sateÅ 13.35 ivdou. avfi,etai u`mi/no` oi=koj u`mw/nÅ le,gw Îde.Ð u`mi/n( ouv mh. i;dhte, me e[wj Îh[xei o[teÐ ei;phte\ euvloghme,noj o`evrco,menoj evn ovno,mati kuri,ouÅ13.34 "Jerusalem, Jerusalem--the (city) that murders the spokespersons, and stones theones sent authoritatively to her! How often I desired to gather together your children like a hen(gathers together) her brood under the wings, and you people were not desiring. 13.35 Lookyour home is left to you people (deserted). [But then] I say to you, you may not see me until (thetime) [will come when] you may say, 'Well spoken of, the one coming in (the) Lord's name!"'Luke 13:31-35, Translation with Footnotes 27652765There is no parallel to Luke 13:31-33, leading us to conclude that this material shouldbe labeled “L." Fitzmyer comments that "It is better to regard this episode as derived by theevangelist from his source 'L,' which he has embedded in material from 'Q' both preceding (13:24-29) and following (13:34-35)." (2, p. 1028)There is a parallel to Luke 13:34-35, in Matthew 23:37-39:23.37 VIerousalh.m VIerousalh,m( h` avpoktei,nousa tou.j profh,taj kai. liqobolou/satou.j avpestalme,nouj pro.j auvth,n( posa,kij hvqe,lhsa evpisunagagei/n ta. te,kna sou( o]n tro,pono;rnij evpisuna,gei ta. nossi,a auvth/j u`po. ta.j pte,rugaj( kai. ouvk hvqelh,sateÅ 23.38 ivdou.avfi,etai u`mi/n o` oi=koj u`mw/n e;rhmojÅ 23.39 le,gw ga.r u`mi/n( ouv mh, me i;dhte avpV a;rti e[wj a'nei;phte\ euvloghme,noj o` evrco,menoj evn ovno,mati kuri,ouÅ1317(continued...)

2766 276713.31 At this very hour certain ones of the Separatists approached saying to Him,2765(...continued)23.37 "Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the (city) that kills the spokespersons, and stones the onessent authoritatively to her! How often I desired to gather together your children, like a hen gatherstogether her young under the wings, and you people were not desiring. 23.38 Look--your homeis left to you people, deserted. 23.39 For I say to you, me you may not see from now until whenyou may say, 'Well-spoken of, the one coming in (the) Lord's name!"'These parallel passages are remarkably similar, and it seems clear that both Luke andMatthew are quoting almost verbatim from their second main source-document, "Q." The onlydifferences are that where Luke uses the first aorist infinitive evpisuna,xai, "to gather together,"Matthew uses the second aorist infinitive evpisunagagei/n, with the same meaning (a differencewithout a difference!). Where Luke assumes the reader will supply the verb to describe what ahen does to her brood ("gather it together"), Matthew supplies the verb evpisuna,gei, "gatherstogether." Where Luke has th.n e`authj nossia,n, literally "the of her own brood," Matthew hasta. nossi,a auvth/j, "the young of hers," using a slightly different spelling for the noun "brood" (bothforms are found in classical Greek, and are apparently synonyms). Where Luke has de, "then,"Matthew has ga,r, "for." Where Luke has "may see me," Matthew has "me may see." WhereLuke has e[wj h[xei o[te, "until He (or 'it') comes when," Matthew has avpV a;rti e[wj a'n, "from nowuntil when." They both quote the saying from Psalm 118 exactly the same as it is given in theGreek translation (and which is an exact translation of the Hebrew). For Matthew, the statementof Jesus is located in Jerusalem itself, after His journey has reached its destination. For Luke,the statement is made earlier, while Jesus is still on His way to Jerusalem.2766The dative singular feminine reflexive pronoun auvth/|, "in this very (hour)," is changed totau,th|, "in this," a synonym, by Bezae, K, W, Theta, Uncial Manuscript 070, Minuscule 579 anda few other Greek manuscripts. This variant reading does not change the meaning of the text.With this, the text appears to make a definite statement concerning when this incidentoccurred, but in fact it does not enable any chronological conclusions, but only relates the incidentto what has just happened in that Jewish gathering-place, where Jesus has healed a man on theDay-of-Rest, linking the two events, but giving no further indication of date when this occurred,other than it was while Jesus was still on His way to Jerusalem.The probability is that Jesus is being depicted as still in territory controlled by HerodAntipas, the son of Herod the Great (see footnote 2768). That would mean that Jesus is beingdepicted as still in Galilee, or on the eastern side of the Jordan, in "Perea" (the areas under HerodAntipas' control). Gilmour commented that "It is not clear that Luke thinks of Jesus' itinerary atthis time as wholly within Samaritan territory...This incident at any rate must have taken placeeither in Galilee or Perea, Herod's territories."2767The noun w[ra|, "in (the) hour," is read by P75, Sinaiticus, Alexandrinus, the first writerof Vaticanus, Bezae, L, Families 1 and 13 of Minuscules, Minuscules 579, 700, 892, a few otherGreek manuscripts, the Harclean Syriac margin and some manuscripts of the Sahidic Coptic. It is(continued...)1318

2768"Depart, and go from this place, because Herod is desiring to kill you!" 13.32 And He said to2769 2770them, "Going, say to this fox, 'Look–I am casting out demons, and I am accomplishing2767(...continued)changed to h`me,ra|, "in (the) day," by a corrector of Vaticanus, W, Theta, Psi, Uncial Manuscript070, the "Majority Text," the Latin Latin Vulgate, a part of the Old Latin witnesses, the SinaiticSyriac (see), the Curetonian Syriac (see), a few manuscripts of the Sahidic Coptic and theBohairic Coptic. The variant reading does not significantly change the meaning of Luke.Fitzmyer comments that "Precisely at the time when Jesus had warned His contemporariesthat they would not be guaranteed access to the kingdom merely because of superficial acquaintancewith Him (13:26-28), He is warned about a contemporary's desire to do away with Him.Herod had already imprisoned and beheaded John the Baptist (3:19-20; 9:9a).” (2, p. 1029)2768The "Herod" being spoken of here is Herod Antipas, the son of Herod the Great, and thetetrarch whose territories included Galilee and Perea, the region of Israel east of the JordanRiver--see Luke 3:1, which reports his rule in Galilee, while Josephus reports his rule in Perea.Different views are taken with reference to the motivation of these "Separatists"("Pharisees"). Are they truly coming to Jesus as His friends, to warn Him of impending danger, orare they using the threat of Herod as a pretext to get rid of Jesus from their territory, or even as areason to go to Jerusalem where they can arrest Him and put Him to death? Gilmour was of theopinion that "Probably these Pharisees were friendly men who wished to warn Jesus of thedanger in which He stood. It is unnecessary to think of them as commissioned by the Galileantetrarch to deliver an expulsion order." (P. 248) Knox agreed with this, asking "Why not assumethat the Pharisees came as friends?...Nicodemus and Joseph of Arimathaea may have beenrepresentative of a considerable number of Pharisees who believed in Jesus..." (Ibid.)Marshall, by contrast, holds that "It is most likely that their action here is motivated by malice,and that they were trying (like Herod) to get Jesus to make Himself scarce. For Jesus thewarning presented itself as a temptation to follow human advice and ignore God's plan for Hisministry." (P. 571)However, there is simply no way to go behind the story, and uncover the motivations ofthose involved. The advice could be friendly, and it could also just as well be hostile. Lukeleaves the matter ambiguous, and open to either interpretation.2769Gilmour commented that "Jews as well as Greeks could use 'fox' as a metaphor fora cunning man, but it occurs more often in rabbinical literature to mean an unimportant individual--as a term of contempt." (P. 249) Fitzmyer comments on this statement attributed to Jesus that"This is not a command that Jesus gives to the Pharisees whom He would send back, but ratherHis rhetorical comment on their warning and the situation that faces Him. He sees throughHerod's character...ln both Classical and Hellenistic Greek avlw,phx, 'fox,' was an epithet for acrafty or sly person..." (2, p. 1031)1319(continued...)

2771 2772 2773 2774healings today and tomorrow and on the third (day) I am finished. 13.332769(...continued)For the occurrences of this noun avlw,phx in the Greek Bible, see Judges 1:35 (in theGreek text; not in English); 15:4 (Samson catches 300 foxes, tying them tail to tail with torches offire between their tails! There must have been an abundance of foxes in ancient Israel); 1 Kings21:10 (the Greek text is 20:10; the phrase "for foxes" is not found in the Hebrew or in theEnglish); 2 Esdras 13:35; Psalm 62:11 (63:10 in English; enemies of the psalmist will be givenover to the sword and become food for foxes); Song of Solomon 2:15 (an appeal to catch thelittle foxes that are spoiling the vineyards); Lamentations 5:18 (foxes prowl in devastated MountZion); Ezekiel 13:4 (Israel's spokespersons have been like foxes among ruins); Matthew 8:20(foxes have holes in which to live, and birds have nests); Luke 9:58 (same) and here, 13:32.Perhaps the closest usage is that of Ezekiel 13:4, where the name is used as a simile("like foxes") for Israel's misleading spokespersons as a group, which means that they areseeking only their own advantage, not the good of Israel. Marshall comments that "In rabbinicliterature the fox was typical of low cunning...but it was also portrayed as an insignificant creaturein comparison with the lion..." (P. 571)2770The present tense verb avpotelw/, "I am accomplishing," "I am finishing," is read by P75,Sinaiticus, Vaticanus, L, Minuscules 33, 1241, a few other Greek manuscripts and Clement ofAlexandria (who died before 215 A.D.). It is changed to evpitelw/, a synonym with the samemeaning, by Alexandrinus, W, Theta, Psi, Families 1 and 13 of Minuscules and the "MajorityText." It is changed to the future form, avpotelou/mai, "I will accomplish," or "I will finish," byBezae. It is changed to poiou/mai kai, "I am doing and..." by P45 and the Peshitta Syriac. Thevariant readings do not change the meaning of the text.2771Fitzmyer comments that "So Jesus sums up His ministry in contrast to the threat on Hislife; He will not stop the ministry to others out of fear of Herod. The present tense is used herewith a future nuance..." (2, p. 1031)1031)2772Fitzmyer comments that this idiomatic phrase means "for a time yet, day by day." (2, p.2773Just as we have interpolated the word "day" into the text, so the Greek noun h`me,ra|,"day," is interpolated into the text at this point by Vaticanus, a few other Greek manuscripts, amajority of the Old Latin witnesses, the Clementine Latin Vulgate and some manuscripts of theBohairic Coptic. Literally, "on the third" is the equivalent of "day after tomorrow." If Jesus'language is pressed in a literal sense, then He is mistaken--for it will be far more than three daysbefore He meets His end in Jerusalem.Marshall states that "The significance then is that Jesus is going to carry on His beneficentwork for an uncertain, but limited period. The decisive point comes on the 'third day."' (Pp. 571-72) We think that the language implies that Jesus is rapidly approaching the end of His journey,and He will not let anything or anyone deter Him from His ministry or from His goal.1320

2775Nevertheless it is necessary for me today, and tomorrow, and the coming (day) to go (on),2774Fitzmyer translates "I shall reach my goal," changing the present tense into the futuretense, and introducing the metaphor of "goal" or end of a race / journey. (2, p. 1028) Hecomments that "The Pharisees who report this desire of Herod to Jesus now urge Him to moveon. Jesus' uncompromising reply makes use of an unflattering term about the tetrarch of Galilee,the holder of political power, summing up His estimate of Herod's character and expressing Hisdefiance of Herod's pretensions. Though Jesus does not trust Herod, He uses the warning tomake a fundamental declaration about His own ministry and journey. He will go on teaching andfreeing human beings from evil until He reaches His 'goal' or destiny (verse 32). His ministry hasno political connotations (recall 4:43), and He will continue, not out of fear of Herod, a politicalauthority, but because He must--because He is subject to another authority." (2, p. 1029) Foxesare sly, and cunning--but they make little contribution to society, especially in contrast with thekind of ministry to which Jesus is devoted.Nolland in like manner comments that "Herod can offer no threat to Jesus' ministry. Jesushas a God-ordained ministry laid out for Him. He goes to His destiny in Jerusalem and not to Hisdemise at the hands of Herod." (2, p. 739) Gilmour states, "The main meaning of Jesus' words isclear: He will not interrupt His ministry because of any fear of Herod." (P. 249) Knox added that"Jesus' reply goes far beyond any Herod. It is the sign of Jesus' courage; no Herod or host ofdemons could bar Him from His duty. More deeply it is the sign of His trust in God, who alonedetermines the times and the seasons, and who will keep His own until their word is spoken andtheir work is done. Thus Jesus teaches us a doctrine of providence: we may not understandGod's dealings, but His hand is not shaken, and His throne is not usurped. Those who obey arein His care. They may walk undismayed." (P. 249)Jesus sets the example for His followers who may have to live under oppressive governingauthorities. He does not rise up in armed rebellion, but on the other hand He will not flatter theoppressive authority, nor will He back down from accomplishing His mission of mercy andproclamation in the world. Whenever in history His followers find themselves living under suchoppressive governments, they must determine to continue on in their mission of mercy andproclamation to their world, refusing to back down, refusing to act as if human governments haveultimate authority.2775Jesus asserts the divine necessity for what He is accomplishing in His ministry, and onthis journey to Jerusalem, where He will face death. Fitzmyer comments that "H. Conzelmann(Theology, 68) recognizes the importance of this episode for the geographical perspective of theLucan Gospel...lt may even reflect the reason for Jesus' departure from Galilee and the journeyto Jerusalem in the first place...lt expresses the theological necessity of the journey...lts purposeis not merely to note a change of locale, but to stress the inevitability of Jesus' reaching a place ofsuffering (and of death). This is part of His destiny, and someone like Herod is not to stand in theway of it. The note of necessity leads to the lament of Jesus over Jerusalem in the next episodebecause' Jesus will not only be killed in Jerusalem but through Jerusalem' (G. Schneider...) Thisgives to the present episode its real significance in the Lucan travel account." (2, p. 1029)1321

2776 2777because it is not possible (for a) spokesperson to be destroyed outside Jerusalem.2778 277913.34 "Jerusalem, Jerusalem--the (city) that murders the spokespersons, and stones2776This is the only place in the Greek New Testament that this verb evnde,cesqai, "to (not)be possible" occurs. In classical Greek the verb evnde,cetai means "it may be possible," or in thenegative "it is impossible." In the Greek Bible, the verb occurs only at Daniel 2:11 (in Greek, notin English); 2 Maccabees 11:18 (verse 17 in English) and Luke 13:33 (here). We think thatJesus here uses hyperbole, and that it is in fact possible or a prophet / spokesperson to killedelsewhere than in Jerusalem–for example the deaths of Peter and Paul in Rome, only a few yearslater. What do you think? See the second paragraph of the next footnote, for the biblicalreference to prophets / spokespersons being killed by Jezebel in Northern Israel rather than inJerusalem.2777Fitzmyer comments that "Jesus' role as a prophet moving along His way to Jerusalemthus emerges very clearly in this episode...There is a clear intimation of Jesus' end as a prophet'sdeath. This is the picture of the Lucan Jesus..." (2, pp. 1029-30) He adds that "It is not destinedthat Herod will kill me, but that Jerusalem will. Behind this statement lies a traditional belief aboutthe fate of various prophetic figures in the city of Jerusalem..." (2, p. 1032)See 1 Kings 18:4, 13 (Jezebel was killing off YHWH’s spokespersons / prophets); 19:10,14 (the Israelites have put YHWH’s spokespersons / prophets to death by the sword); Jeremiah26:20-24 (King Jehoiakim kills Uriah the prophet / spokesperson); 38:4-6 (Jeremiah lowered intoa muddy cistern to face certain death); 2 Chronicles 24:20-22 (the prophet / spokespersonZechariah stoned to death by order of the king in the temple courtyard) and Nehemiah 9:26(Israel has killed the prophets / spokespersons sent to them by YHWH)."Whatever the allusion may be, the Lucan Jesus refers to Himself in these words as aProphet, as One Who is to perish in Jerusalem. Herod will not interfere, for Jerusalem, Jesus'goal, has the first claim on Him as a heaven-sent Mouthpiece of God." (Ibid.)2778Marshall states, "The thought of Jesus' death as a prophet at Jerusalem merges into alament over the city which had rejected God's messengers. Speaking in a manner reminiscent ofwisdom literature, Jesus states how He had longed to gather the people of Jerusalem into Hisarms, like a mother bird, but found Himself rejected. He could only pronounce the judgment ofGod on the city which would be abandoned by God's presence...The broad background is to befound in the Deuteronomistic tradition of the violent fate of the prophets coupled with the conceptof wisdom as the sender of divine messengers to Israel. The rejection of God's messengersleads to judgment upon Israel, here pronounced in an emphatically final manner. " (Pp. 573-74)Jesus' words are undoubtedly emphatic, but are expressed in the form of a lament--theheart of Jesus is burdened and grieving over the rejection by His people / children whom Helonged to take within His grasp of love and provision. There is no harsh, cruel attitude in Hiswords--rather, He speaks with a broken heart, in words of "lament."2779The two participles are in the present tense, avpoktei,nousa, "kills," or "is killing" andliqobolou/sa, "stones" or "is stoning." Fitzmyer comments that "The participles are...expressive(continued...)1322

2780 2781the ones sent authoritatively to her! How often I desired to gather together your children like2782 2783 2784a hen (gathers together) her brood under the wings, and you people were not desiring.2779(...continued)of Jerusalem's ever-present attitude toward heaven-sent messengers." (2, p. 1036) CompareLuke 11:49-51.2780Fitzmyer comments that "The lament which the Lucan Jesus utters here echoes OldTestament lamentations pronounced over Jerusalem of old; compare the lament over the deathof Josiah, traditionally ascribed to Jeremiah (2 Chronicles 35:25 [we add, see the entirety of theBook of Lamentations, which weeps bitterly over the devastation of Jerusalem under theBabylonians!] The irony in Jesus' plaintive cry is evident. What a glorious destiny this city ofDavid might have had and might still have; but how it is turning out instead. The metropolis of thepeople of God, which should be most receptive to Jesus and His preaching, will turn out to be thecity which refuses Him--in spite of an initial, enthusiastic welcome, really superficial--and will oneday rue His coming to it in another capacity." (2, p. 1035) We think it is better to say, "Jerusalemwill not see Him again until their attitude changes radically, acknowledging Him as God'smessenger, the victor over evil and death."Knox asks, "Why should Jerusalem, crowned by the temple, be the slaughterhouse ofprophets? Ecclesiastical pride is the worst form of pride, and issues in the worst cruelty." (P.249) We Christians have to bow our heads in shame, admitting that the murderous “Crusades”and “Inquisition” and murderous bigotry against dissidents have far too often marked our historyas well. We can ask, “Why should the Christian Church, crowned by the Prince of Peace, be theslaughterhouse of those who refuse to accept its message?” “What real gain has ever beenachieved by stifling the voice of dissidents, and refusing to listen to those who speak words ofjudgment to us?”2781The adverb posa,kij means "how often?" or "how many times?" It is commonly statedby commentators that this implies a number of previous visits of Jesus to Jerusalem, which arenot mentioned in the Synoptic Gospels, but which are mentioned in John's Gospel. Marshallcomments that "If taken literally, it implies several visits by Jesus to Jerusalem (as attested inJohn)..." (P. 575) Gilmour had earlier stated that "If Jesus spoke such words of poignantmelancholy, we must assume--with the Gospel of John--an extended ministry in Jerusalem, ofwhich the Synoptic Gospels have preserved no record ." (P. 250)However, Fitzmyer holds that "This is to be understood, not of numerous visits of Jesus tothe city of Jerusalem, but of His untold desires, expressive of His abiding concern to spread themessage of God's kingdom in Jerusalem and see its inhabitants respond to this heaven-sentmessage." (2, p. 1036) We think Marshall and Gilmour are more likely correct.2782The Attic Greek spelling of the noun o;rnij, "hen," or simply "bird," is changed to itsDoric Greek spelling o;rnix by Sinaiticus, Bezae and W. The change in spelling does not changethe meaning of Luke in the least.2783The phrase th.n eàuth/j nossia.n u`po. ta.j pte,rugaj, “the brood of her own beneath the(continued...)1323

2783(...continued)wings," is omitted by P75, perhaps because of the eye of the copyist skipping from the finalsigma of o;rnij to the final sigma of pte,rugaj. Even this accidental omission hardly changes themeaning of Jesus' statement, which implies the motherly care of a hen for her brood withoutexplicitly saying so.Gilmour notes that "The metaphor of a bird and her young to describe God's relationship toHis people occurs occasionally in the Old Testament...and frequently in rabbinical literature." (P.250) Consider the following passages:Deuteronomy 32:11-12, "As an eagle [literally, 'griffon-vulture'] stirs up its nest, and hoversover its young; as it spreads its wings, takes them up, and bears them aloft on its pinions, YHWHalone guided [His people through the wilderness]..."Isaiah 31:5, "Like birds hovering overhead, so YHWH of Armies will protect Jerusalem; Hewill protect and deliver it, He will spare and rescue it."Psalm 17:8, "Guard me like the apple of the eye; hide me in the shadow of Your wings.”Psalm 36:7, "How precious is your steadfast love, O God! All people may take refuge inthe shadow of your wings!"Psalm 57:1, "Be merciful to me, O God, be merciful to me, for in you my innermost beingtakes refuge; in the shadow of Your wings I will take refuge, until the destroying storms pass by."Psalm 61:2b-4, "Lead me to the rock that is higher than I; for You are my refuge, a strongtower against the enemy. Let me abide in Your tent forever, find refuge under the shelter of Yourwings!”Psalm 63:5-8, "My innermost being is satisfied as with a rich feast, and my mouth praisesyou with joyful lips when I think of you on my bed, and meditate on you in the watches of thenight; for You have been my help, and in the shadow of Your wings I sing for joy. My innermostbeing clings to You; Your right hand upholds me."Psalm 91:1-4, "You who live in the shelter of the Most High, who abide in the shadow ofthe Almighty, will say to YHWH, 'My refuge and my fortress; my God in whom I trust.' For He willdeliver you from the snare of the fowler and from the deadly pestilence; He will cover you with Hispinions, and under His wings you will find refuge; His faithfulness is a shield and buckler."Ruth 2:12, where Boaz tells Ruth, "May YHWH reward you for your deeds, and may youhave a full reward from YHWH, the God of Israel, under whose wings you have come for refuge!”Gilmour, among others, has suggested that "These sayings [of Jesus]...were originallythose of the divine 'Wisdom,' who had called men to herself in vain, and who abandons herfruitless task until the advent of the Messiah." (P. 250) There is a similarity to the language of(continued...)1324

2785 2786 278713.35 Look--your home is left to you people (deserted). [But then] I say to you, you may2783(...continued)"Lady Wisdom" in Jesus' sayings here, but no specific mention of "Wisdom." Marshall commentsthat "It should be noted that the saying does not speak of 'wisdom' finding a home among men,but of the care exercised by Jesus like a mother bird." (Pp. 575-76)2784Fitzmyer comments that "In comparing Himself to a mother-bird, Jesus uses a readilyunderstood figure for His own love and concern for His contemporaries, manifesting thereby in anew way the [saving, delivering] interest of God Himself, which He was sent to proclaim (4:43).But Jerusalem will not seek its security in the protective wings of heaven-sent wisdom [we wouldchange this to say, 'in the protective wings of God's heaven-sent messenger, Jesus']. So it will beleft like a helpless fledgling, its 'house' will be left abandoned." (2, p. 1035) Marshall commentsthat "Over against the hvqe,lhsa ['I desired'] of Jesus is deliberately placed the ouvk hvqelh,sate['you people did not desire'] of the people of Jerusalem." (P. 576) God comes to save in Jesus--but He does not override the freedom of the human will.Knox states, "No words are more poignant, except perhaps those from Gethsemane andthe Cross. Here is a picture of divine love...The repetition, 'Jerusalem, Jerusalem,' is like theheartbroken 'O my son Absalom, my son, my son Absalom! Would God I had died for you!' (2Samuel 18:33). The indifferent crowds in the city were Jesus' children, the brood whom He [hadlonged to gather] beneath wings of love. 'Jerusalem, Jerusalem' is a yearning and sob as well.Our casual worldliness breaks His heart, yet we neither know nor care." (P. 250)Knox adds "Here is a picture of human willfulness. Jesus' 'I would' is answered by man's 'Iwill not.' Yet if God compelled our obedience He would destroy us, for we would then be but clayin His hands. Only a willed obedience is real. In that fact is the dread possibility of disobedience,to God's grief and man's desolation. Jerusalem, home of the temple, is here called prophet-killer.Worship can become encrusted with pride. Then it is worse pride, with more cruel weapons ofselfishness, for it falls from the greatest height...Always we must cleave to the prophets. Withoutthem we have no standard from God and no movement toward God; life stagnates into foulness.Yet we kill the prophet. He would cure us, but we say, with sores upon us, 'We are not sick.' Sowe kill Him who is more than a prophet. Calvary is always at the gates of Jerusalem." (P. 250)2785The noun ev,rhmoj, "a deserted place," is interpolated into the text at this point by Bezae,N, Delta, Theta, Psi, Family 13 of Minuscules, Minuscules 33, 700, 892, 1241, 1424, many otherGreek manuscripts, a majority of the Old Latin witnesses, the Clementine Latin Vulgate, theCuretonian Syriac, the Peshitta Syriac, the Harclean Syriac and the Latin translation of Irenaeus(before 395 A.D.). The interpolation may have been influenced by the language of Jeremiah 22:5, eva.n de. mh. poih,shte tou.j lo,gouj tou,touj katV evmautou/ w;mosa le,gei ku,rioj o[ti eivjevrh,mwsin e;stai o` oi=koj ou-toj, literally, "But then if you people do not do these words, bymyself I swore, says (the) Lord, that for a devastation place (evrh,mwsin, closely related to ev,rhmoj)will be the house, this one." The text without this interpolated word is read by P45 (probably),P75, Sinaiticus, Alexandrinus, Vaticanus, K, L, W, Gamma, Family 1 of Minuscules,Minuscules 565, 579, 2542, many other Greek manuscripts, the Latin Latin Vulgate, a part of theOld Latin witnesses, the Sinaitic Syriac, the Sahidic Coptic and a variant reading in the Latin(continued...)1325

2788 2789not see Me until (the time) [will come when] you may say, 'Well spoken of, the One coming2785(...continued)translation of Irenaeus (before 395 A.D.).It is claimed (for example by Fitzmyer, 2, p. 1036) that the words of Jesus, avfi,etai u`mi/n o`oi=koj u`mw/n, literally “it is left to you people, the house of yours,” are possibly an allusion to thelanguage of Jeremiah 22:5 (see the preceding paragraph). Jesus’ language is not a quotationfrom Jeremiah, although the overall thought is similar. Compare Jeremiah 12:7, “I haveforsaken my house, I have abandoned my heritage; I have given the beloved of my heart into thehands of her enemies." Psalm 69:26, (verse 25, English) "May their camp be a desolation; let noone live in their tents." 1 Kings 9:7-8, "(If you disobey...) then I will cut Israel off from the landthat I have given them; and the house that I have consecrated for my name I will cast out of mysight...This house will become a heap of ruins; everyone passing by it will be astonished, and willhiss, and they will say, 'Why has YHWH done such a thing to this land and to this house?"'In these passages, YHWH speaks in judgment against Judah and Jerusalem, and tells thepeople that their city and their temple will be abandoned by YHWH to their enemies because oftheir rejection of His word. This is very similar to what Jesus is saying concerning Jerusalem inthis passage, and will be further elaborated upon in Luke 21.Knox comments that "Here is a picture of the wretchedness that always haunts the abuseof man's freedom in his denial of God...'Left unto you' means left only to man's wit, deserted byGod. Destruction did overtake Jerusalem. The terrible revenge that Rome took for insurrectionwas thus a whip in God's hand--the outward sign of a desolation that already had blighted thesoul." (Pp. 250-51)2786The particle de, "but then," is read by P75, a corrector of Sinaiticus, Alexandrinus,Vaticanus, Bezae, W, Theta, Psi, Families 1 and 13 of Minuscules, the "Majority Text," the LatinLatin Vulgate, a part of the Old Latin witnesses, the Peshitta Syriac, the Harclean Syriac and theBohairic Coptic. It is omitted by P45, the first writer of Sinaiticus, L, Minuscule 2542, a fewother Greek manuscripts, a majority of the Old Latin witnesses, the Curetonian Syriac, the SahidicCoptic and some manuscripts of the Bohairic Coptic. The evidence is fairly evenly balanced,making a decision as to whether or not the particle is original difficult--and so the word has beenincluded in the text, but surrounded by brackets as an indication of this textual uncertainty.2787The conjunction o`,ti, "that," is interpolated into the text at this point by Alexandrinus,W, Psi, Family 13 of Minuscules, the "Majority Text," the Latin Vulgate, apart of the Old Latinwitnesses and the Syriac tradition. It is not read by P45 (probably), P75, Sinaiticus, Vaticanus,Bezae, L, Theta, Family 1 of Minuscules, Minuscules 1241, 2542, a few other Greekmanuscripts and a majority of the Old Latin witnesses. Whether read or not makes no differencefor the meaning of Luke.2788The phrase i;dhte, me, "you may (not) see me," is read by Sinaiticus, Alexandrinus,Vaticanus, K, W, Theta, Family 13 of Minuscules (see) and some other Greek manuscripts. It isread in the reverse order by P45, P75, Bezae, L, Psi, Family 1 of Minuscules and the "Majority(continued...)1326

in (the) Lord's name!"' 27902788(...continued)Text," in an effort to make Luke's text conform to that of Matthew 23:29. The reverse word-orderdoes not change the meaning of Luke.2789The phrase h[xei o[te, "it will come when," is read by Bezae. It is omitted by P75,Vaticanus, L, Minuscule 892 and a few other Greek manuscripts. It is changed to the one word,the particle av,n, by P45, Sinaiticus, N, Theta (see), Family 13 of Minuscules, Minuscules 1241(see), 2542 and a few other Greek manuscripts. It is changed to the phrase av,n h[xei o[te, "until itwill come when,” by Alexandrinus, W, Psi (see), Family 1 of Minuscules (see) and the "MajorityText." These variants are of the nature of "editorial" refinements of the text, and do not change itsmeaning.2790The statement, euvloghme,noj o` evrco,menoj evn ovno,mati kuri,ou, is an exact quotation ofthe words of Psalm 118:26 (in Greek, 117:26), literally "well-spoken of, the one who comes inname of Lord." The Greek translation is an exact representation of the Hebrew text: %WråB'hw"+hy> ~veäB. aB'h;, baruk habba) beshem yhwh, "Blessed (is) the one coming in YHWH'sname." See the later use of this quotation in Luke 19:38, where it specifically applied to the“king" (i.e., to Jesus as such), upon His coming into Jerusalem.See the end-note commentary on Psalm 118.The implication of this passage in Luke is that Jesus understood Himself in terms ofPsalm 118, as facing a terrifying struggle to the death, but one that would issue in life both forHimself and for the people of God, enabling the completion of the great new "Temple" that wouldarise out of His suffering ministry.Here in the New Testament's use of Psalm 118 is set forth the principle that holds inIsrael's dealings with the Anointed One, Jesus, sent by God to be the Cornerstone of His spiritualbuilding--the so-called "builders" reject Him as flawed and worthless; but God nonetheless raisesHim up, and makes of Him the "Chief Corner-stone" of the great new spiritual "building" or"temple."We should take Luke 13:35 to mean that only when Jerusalem welcomes Him as such avictorious King will they see Jesus as He truly is, enabling their nation once again to be filled withthe divine presence. The statement of Jesus does not place a "time-frame" on when this willhappen, but simply states that it will happen.Nolland becomes very specific about this, interpreting the passage to mean that "Afterrejection by Jerusalem's children, Jesus will be taken off into heaven (via death), there to awaitthe time for His role at the end. He will not be seen again before that day when He comes to bewelcomed into Jerusalem as the end-time Messiah (see Acts 3:17-21)." (2, pp. 743-44)1327(continued...)

2790(...continued)This reads a great deal into the present text, especially in the term "the end-time Messiah."In fact, the passage only predicts that the day will come when Jerusalem welcomes Jesus as thegreat Victor who has won decisive victory for the people of God; and promises that when it doesso, it will once again be filled with the divine presence.As used here by Jesus, the words are obviously a prediction that Jerusalem will not seeHim again until they welcome Him as the One Who comes in God's name (that is, as the OneWho speaks and acts for God, and through Whom YHWH God has won eternal victory for Hispeople). However we may interpret this Psalm, its use by Jesus here is indeed a prediction thatsuch a glorious future awaits Jerusalem. Knox comments that "Here is a picture of the ultimatetriumph of God's purpose...By any interpretation it spells God's victory..." (P. 251)The question that faces the Roman judges, who sit in trial over Paul, deciding whether ornot to put the Christian leader to death, is the same question that confronted the Jewish leaderswith reference to Jesus. Will they reject this One Who can become the "Cornerstone" of a greatspiritual building in their midst, bringing victory over sin and death to their Empire, and whichholds no threat for Rome?1328

End-Note:THE VICTORIOUS ONE WHO HAS SUFFERED,BUT WHOSE VICTORY IS THE CORNERSTONE FOR YHWH’S BUILDINGPsalm 118:1-29, Hebrew Text with Translation and Footnotes118:1 hw"åhyl; WdåAhbAj+-yKi`AD)s.x; ~l'äA[l. yKiÞ1 2Give thanks / praise to the YHWH,because (He is) good; 34 5because His steadfast-love (is) to long-lasting time!1The verb WdåAh is the hiphil masculine plural imperative from hd'y", which means “tothrow” or “to cast” in the qal, but in the hiphil means “to give thanks,” or “to praise.” It is animperative command–to give thanks, to praise YHWH. Why? Because of Who He Is! Weisertranslates by “Testify to the Lord” (p. 722).YHWH.”2The Hebrew text has the definite article with the name of YHWH, hw"åhyl;, literally “to the3This is a powerful affirmation concerning the character of YHWH: “He (is) good!” We arereminded of the theology of Genesis 1:1-2:3, in which YHWH God creates everything there isand pronounces it all “good,” “very good”–and then is depicted in the story of Joseph as a hiddenGod Who is working in the midst of life’s evils to bring about good (see Genesis 45:5 and 50:20.See Exodus 33:19; Psalm 16:2, “I said to YHWH, You are my Lord; my good...”; 25:8; 27:13;34:8; 86:5; 100:5; 106:1; 107:1; 118:1 (here), 29; 119:68; 135:3; 136:1; 145:7, 9; Jeremiah31:12; 33:11; Hosea 3:5; Nahum 1:7; 2 Chronicles 7:3; Ezra 3:11;Matthew19:17; Mark 1:14; 10:18; Luke 18:19; John 10:11, 14; 1 Timothy 4:4; Titus3:4; 1 Peter 2:3; 2 Peter 1:3. Any theology that ends with a God Who is half-monster, Who isnot genuine goodness, is an inadequate theology! And even when the Bible teaches that the oneGod, Creator of all, is responsible for evil (see, for example, Isaiah 45:7) in the face ofZoroastrian dualism, it constantly affirms that the evil that God allows, even creates, is for Hisgood purposes in the long run. God is good!4Weiser translates by “grace” (p.722).5New International Version (NIV) has “His love endures forever.,” while Allen translatesby “the everlastingness of His loyal love.” (P. 118). Kraus translates by “His goodness enduresforever!” (P. 392)1329(continued...)

118:2 lae_r"f.yI an"ï-rm;ayO*`AD)s.x; ~l'äA[l. yKiÞ6Let Israel now say,that To long-lasting time (is) His steadfast-love!118:3 !ro+h]a;-tybe( an"ï-Wrm.ayO*`AD)s.x; ~l'äA[l. yKiÞLet Aharon’s household now say,that To long-lasting time (is) His steadfast-love!118:4 hw"+hy> yaeär>yI an"â-Wrm.ayO*`AD)s.x; ~l'äA[l. yKiÞLet those who tremble in awe at YHWH now say,that To long-lasting time (is) His steadfast-love! 78118:5 HY"+ ytiar"åq' rc;îMeh;â-!mi(5(...continued)A part of what we call the “basic creed of Israel” states the following: YHWH guardssteadfast love for thousands (of generations).” (Exodus 34:7)This is the reason for thanksgiving and praise–our God is good, and His steadfast lovecontinues on into long-lasting time!text.6The Greek translation interpolates the noun oi=koj, “house (of Israel),” at this point in the7The thanksgiving and praise rises up from all Israel, and from all of Israel’s priests, andfrom all people everywhere, who tremble in awe before the reality of God. It is a worship service,a thanksgiving holiday, a time of praise that encircles the entire earth, and that every person onearth is commanded, invited, encouraged to join. We are God’s creatures–He has made usall–and His nature is that of goodness and steadfastl-love! Why then, not join in the worship!8In verses 5-21, an unidentified individual speaks, giving his testimony, telling of hispersonal experience of YHWH’s goodness and answer to his cry. He identifies himself as havingbeen engaged in a great battle with numerous nations–and the most probable conclusion is that itis an Israelite king who is speaking–and who has experienced the presence of YHWH as his(continued...)1330

`Hy") bx'är>M,b; ynIn"ß['9 10From the distress I cried out to Yah,11 12in the broad, roomy place Yah answered me!118:6 ar"+yai al{å yliâ hw"åhy>`~d")a' yliä hf,Þ[]Y:-hm;13 14YHWH is mine; I will not be afraid!8(...continued)refuge and source of strength and victory. As you read these verses, who do you think isspeaking?9NIV translates “In my anguish,” and Kraus has “From affliction” (p. 392). Weiser has “Outof my distress” (p. 722). The definite noun rc;îMeh;â means “the straits” (i.e., “narrow places”), orthe distress.10Most English translations do not make it evident, but Psalm 118 uses both YHWH (some22 times) and Yah (some six times) as alternative names for God. Obviously, Yah is simply ashortened (or “abbreviated”) name for YHWH, and helps to show that the proper pronunciation ofYHWH is Yahweh.11The phrase bx'är>M,b; is literally “in the broad (or ‘roomy’) place,” i.e., the opposite ofstraits, or narrow places in which the psalmist finds himself.12The psalmist gives an individual testimony. He has found himself in distress–in a narrowconfine, where he was hemmed in, with seemingly no way to escape. It was in just such asituation that he cried out to YHWH–and found his answer coming from a broad, roomy place. Toenter into communication with YHWH is to find yourself entering into just such a place!NIV translates, “by setting me free” (Weiser similarly, p. 722), which is a commentary onthe actual wording of the Hebrew text–but, we think, a good one. Allen translates by “Yah(weh)answered me with spacious freedom” (p. 119), while Kraus has “made room for me.” (P. 392)13NIV translates by “The Lord is with me...” Allen has “Yahweh is on my side.” (P. 119), asdoes Weiser (p. 722).14Kraus translates by “I am not afraid,” although the Hebrew has the future tense, al{åar" +yai, “I will not be afraid.” Weiser, similarly to Kraus, has “I do not fear” (p. 722).1331

What shall a human being do to me? 15118:7 yr"+z>[oB. yliâ hw"åhy>`ya'(n>f{b. ha,îr>a, ynI©a]w:÷18118:8 hw"16YHWH is mine as my Helper,17and I, I will look upon those who hate me!+hyB; tAsïx]l; bAjª`~d")a'B' x:joªB.mi÷(It is) better to seek refuge in the YHWH, 1915Or, “YHWH is for me.” YHWH acknowledges all who call upon Him as His people, asbelonging to Him. And this knowledge that the Creator God, the God of goodness and steadfastlove claims us as His own, and belongs to us as our God, delivers us from all fear. There isnothing that any human being can do to us that can ultimately harm us. Allen comments that“The sequence in verses 8-9 stresses the contrast between Yahweh and men by indicating thatno men, not even rulers, are reliable.” (P. 120)Many Christian believers have learned what this Psalm is teaching from Paul, in Romans8:31, where he asks, “If God is for us, who can be against us?” This is exactly what Psalm 118 issaying. Compare Psalm 27:1.Weiser comments that “The fear of men diminishes in proportion to consciousness of thegreatness of God; but so does trust in men and in human help.” (P. 726)16NIV again translates by “The Lord is with me...” Kraus has “Yahweh is on my side” (p.392), as does Weiser (p. 722)..17NIV interpolates the phrase “in triumph,” while Kraus interpolates the adverb “down” (p.392). Weiser interpolates the phrase “(without fear).” (P. 722)18Weiser comments on verses 8-9 that “In the form of a general principle of practicalwisdom the psalm expresses, and so makes fruitful for the whole congregation, a truth based onpersonal experience. There is only one place where we can take our stand without ever beingshaken and that is at God’s side. This truth is universally valid because it quite soberly reckonswith the ultimate reality and takes this with that utmost seriousness which it demands. Genuinefaith can grow only where man has completely ceased to trust in men and hanker after earthlypowers and temporal means of power, only where every human support has broken down andtrust in God has become the only living force. This is the spiritual atmosphere in which thecourage and the clarity of such an attitude of faith can be gained and preserved.” (P. 726)19Kraus translates by “to shelter oneself with Yahweh” (p. 393).1332

118:9 hw"than placing trust in the human being! 20+hyB; tAsïx]l; bAjª`~ybi (ydIn>Bi x:joªB.mi÷(It is) better to seek refuge in the YHWH,than placing trust in noble people! 2122118:10 ynIWb+b's. ~yIïAG-lK'`~l;(ymia] yKiä hw"©hy>÷ ~veîB.All nations surrounded me;23(it is) in YHWH’s name that I will cut them off! 2420The phrase ~d")a'B' is literally “in the man / human,” but Kraus translates by “in humanbeings” (p. 393). It is easy to hear in such a phrase the connotation of “the man in charge,” i.e.,the emperor, the boss, the party leader. Note the parallel phrase in the next verse, “in noblepeople.”21NIV, Weiser (p. 722) and Kraus (p. 393) translate by “princes,” and Allen translates by“rulers” (p. 119). Verses 8 and 9 say approximately the same thing. Wisdom teaches us to seekrefuge in YHWH, not in human beings, even in the most noble of human beings! In God, our truegood will be found, that nothing can destroy or take away from us.22Weiser comments on verses 10-12 that “In powerful rhythms, strengthened by theantithetic form of these sentence and by the hammer-blows of the four times repeated refrain, theking describes his engagement with the adversary. He still trembles at the burden of those hoursin which life and death hung in the balance...It is characteristic of the king’s position that in spite ofthe flush of victory he does not speak with presumptuous pride, but in humility bows down beforeHim Who helped him to gain the victory.” (Pp. 726-27)23Kraus unnecessarily translates by “the heathen” (p. 393).24NIV translates by the past tense, “I cut them off,” and Allen likewise translated by “Iwarded them off” (p. 119), while Kraus has “I drove them off” (p. 393), and Weiser translates by ‘Idestroyed them” (p. 722), but the Hebrew text has the hiphil imperfect without the wawconsecutive, and should be translated as a future verb, ~l;(ymia], “I will cut them off,” or perhaps “Iwill circumcise them,” i.e., make them members of Israel. The root of this verb is lWm, “tocircumcise.”1333

118:11 ynIWb+b's.-~g: ynIWBïs;`~l;(ymia] yKiä hw"©hy>÷ ~veîB.They surrounded me, yes, they surrounded me; 25(it is) in YHWH’s name that I will cut them off! 26118:12 ~yrI ªAbd>ki ynIWBÜs;~yci_Aq vaeäK. Wk[]Doâ`~l; (ymia] yKiä hw"©hy> ÷ ~veîB.118:13 lPo27 28They surrounded me like bees ;they were extinguished like a fire of thorns– 29(it is) in YHWH’s name that I will cut them off! 30+n>li ynIt:åyxid> hxo åD:`ynIr")z"[] hw"åhyw:ßPushing, they pushed me to fall, 31and YHWH helped me! 3225NIV and Weiser (p. 722) paraphrase this last phrase by “on every side.”26Compare footnotes 24 and 30.27NIV translates by “swarmed.”28Weiser interpolates the phrase “the honeycomb” at this point in the text (p. 722).29NIV translates this line by “but they died out as quickly as burning thorns,” while Kraushas “burned about like a fire of thorns” (p. 393), and Weiser has “they blazed like fire of thorns.”(P. 722)30Compare footnotes 24 and 26.31NIV translates by “I was pushed back and about to fall.” Allen has “I was forcibly pushedinto falling.” (P. 119) Weiser has “I was pushed hard that I might fall.” (P. 722)32Verses 10, 11, 12 and 13 are all closely related, saying approximately the same thing.The language is apparently that of a ruler, perhaps a Judean or Israelite king, whose country issurrounded by enemies, under attack, who is being pushed and is in danger of falling, and whofinds strength to fight and defend his people in YHWH, even in the midst of such difficultconditions. We automatically think of King David, and the numerous battles in which he was(continued...)1334

118:14 Hy"+ tr"åm.zIw> yZIå['`h['(Wvyli( yliª÷-yhiy>w:)33My strength and my song (is) Yah;and He became mine for salvation! 34118:15 h[' ªWvywI) hN"írI ŸlAqÜ~yqI+yDIc; yleîh\a'B.`lyIx'( hf'[oå hw"hy> ÷ !ymiîy>(There is) a sound of ringing cries and salvation 35in the tents of rightly-related people– 36YHWH’s right hand working (with) strength! 3732(...continued)engaged, and the way he found strength in YHWH to fight and win victory. The devout soldier,who puts his trust in YHWH God, will find a source of strength and security even in the midst ofmassive opposition, surrounded on every side, being pushed toward certain death. That’s one ofthe many blessings that comes from intimate relationship with YHWH!33Allen translates this noun by “protection” (p. 119), but we see no justification for such atranslation.34NIV translates “He has become my salvation.” Allen has “my savior” (p. 119).35NIV translates this line by “Shouts of joy and victory.” Allen has “Hark at the shouts ofsalvation” (p. 119).36Allen comments that “~yqI+yDIc; [rightly-related ones] is apparently a reference to thevictorious army, either in general terms as representing the people in covenant relation with Godor, more probably, particularly as those vindicated by Yahweh and recipients of Yahweh’scovenanted aid in the battle.” (P. 121)Weiser thinks that the “tents of the rightly-related” refers to the “festival pilgrims,” that is tothose who are going to Jerusalem to worship YHWH Who has given them victory in battle. Wethink it more likely that the phrase refers to the armies of the victorious king, who live in tents inthe open fields, and whose hearts are filled with rejoicing because of the divinely given victory.37NIV translates the last phrase by “has done mighty things!” Kraus has “works a mightydeed” (p. 393), and Weiser has “gives us victory” (p. 722).1335

118:16 hm'_meAr hw"hy> â !ymiäy>`lyIx'( hf'[oå hw"hy>÷ !ymiîyYHWH’s right hand is raised up; 3839YHWH’s right hand is working (with) strength!40118:17 hy

118:18 HY" + yNIr:åS.yI rSoåy:`ynIn")t'n> al{å tw

I will enter them; I will give thanks / praise to Yah! 46118:20 hw"+hyl; r[;V;îh;-hzAaâ`h['(Wvyli( yliª÷-yhiT.w:I will give thanks to You, because You answered me,and You became mine, for salvation! 48118:22 ~ynI+ABh; Wsåa]m' !b,a,â45(...continued)The most common interpretation is that the psalmist means the gates leading into thetemple where YHWH is worshiped and sacrifices are offered at the altar. As the Psalm movesforward, it seems obvious that a liturgical procession to the altar in the physical temple is involved,but we wonder if in these earlier statements concerning the “gates of right-relationship” and the“gateway to YHWH” there is reference to something “spiritual” and not to literal gates.46Weiser translates by “that I may enter through them and testify to the Lord!”47Weiser comments that verse 20 “is best understood as the response of the gate-keepers,who invite him [the victorious king] to enter the sanctuary.” (P. 728) However, the affirmation canjust as easily be understood as the victorious king’s continuing statement, recommending to allwho hear that it is only through right-relationships that he or anyone else can come into YHWH’spresence. What do you think?48Here again Allen translates by “You...became my savior.” (P. 119) Weiser has “and hastbecome my salvation” (p. 723).We are taking verses 18-21 as reflections by the warrior king on what has happened tohim, and what he has learned while trusting YHWH in the midst of fierce opposition. He haslearned discipline–something every soldier must learn or perish quickly! His experience in battlehas taught him about right-relationships, and their importance as the gates, or gateway that leadto YHWH, through which rightly-related people must enter. He has learned to give thanks toYHWH, realizing that his prayers have been answered, and that YHWH has acted for hissalvation. Although Weiser, Allen, and many other commentators hold that the obvious referenceis to the literal gates / gateway into the Jerusalem temple, we think it just as likely that thepsalmist is describing something “spiritual,” or “social,” or “political,” that he has learnedconcerning right-relationships as the only way to enter into YHWH’s presence.1338

`hN")Pi varoål. ht'ªy>h'÷A stone the builders rejectedbecame a cornerstone! 4949In verses 22-25 there is a marked change of subject, as well as a change from the wordsof an individual (the victorious king) to the language of a body of people, the congregation ofworshipers.Their words are in the form of a tiny parable, or proverb, that has to do with a constructionproject–perhaps a building with need for a corner-stone, or perhaps a gate-way, with need for acap-stone. that will tie the entire project together. Allen translates by “the main corner support” (p.119), and Weiser has “the chief cornerstone” (p. 793).Those who are engaged in the building project have a large shaped stone that seemssuitable for the cornerstone or capstone, but upon examination, they reject the stone, consideringit unfit for use. But then, as the project comes to its completion, they find that the very stone theyhave rejected is exactly the right stone to enable them to finish the project. The psalmist exclaimsthat “the stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone of the building!”Weiser comments that “The chief cornerstone, an ashlar [a squared block of buildingstone],,,hasto be selected with special care, as it has to carry the weight of the building pressingon it from two directions, and only good and strong material can be used for such a purpose...“The parable illustrates the change that has taken place in the fortunes of the saved man[the victorious king].” (P. 728)Kraus comments that “A group expresses amazement at the rescue of the personthreatened by death...The wondrous change in life is commemorated in a graphic picture. Hewho was cast into the realm of death was like a stone which the builders threw away as unfit. Yetthis stone has achieved the honor of becoming the ‘cornerstone.’ hN")Pi varoål. [literally, ‘forhead of a corner’] can describe the insertion of a square-hewn stone that shores up one of thecorners of the house...or the placement as the keystone, or capstone, of the building...In anycase, a despised stone has come to prominent and important position. Verse 22 is very likely aproverb (lvm) that emphatically bears witness to the wondrous change wrought by Yahweh(verse 23). One who was despised has been brought to honors...“That verse 22 is in the New Testament applied to the death and resurrection of JesusChrist is implicitly intelligible on the basis of the Old Testament text...The early church readPsalm 118 as a prophetic witness to the passion and resurrection [and exaltation to God’s righthand] of Jesus Christ.” (Pp. 399-400) And what is the building of which He is the “chiefcornerstone”? It is nothing other than His church, His “spiritual temple”!1339

118:23 taZO= ht'y>h"å hw"hy> â taeäme`WnynE )y[eB. tal'äp.nI ayhiÞThis happened from YHWH; 50it is marvelous in our eyes! 51118:24 hw"+hy> hf'ä[' ~AYh; â-hz

118:25 aN"+ h['îyvi«Ah hw"hy> â aN"åa'`aN") hx' îyli ¬c.h; hw"©hy>÷ aN"ïa'(O please, YHWH, bring salvation now!O please, YHWH, cause (us) to thrive now! 53118:26 hw"+hy> ~veäB. aB'h; â %WråB'`hw" )hy> tyBeîmi ~k,ªWnk.r:)Be÷Blessed (is) the one coming in YHWH’s name! 54We bless you people from YHWH’s house! 55118:27 Wnl'î ra,Y"áw: éhw"hy> ŸlaeÛ53NIV translates the last phrase by “grant us success,” and Weiser similarly; Allen has“prosper (us), please” (p. 120).Verse 25 is an eager cry to YHWH to bring salvation / deliverance / prosperity now, in thepresent time when the psalm is being used in worship. Just as YHWH has acted to deliver theking when surrounded by enemies, and facing certain death, so the congregation prays thatYHWH will continue to be with His people, granting them salvation / deliverance and success intheir endeavors.54Allen translates by “with Yahweh’s name” (p. 120).Weiser comments that “Having reached the interior of the sanctuary those who entertherein are greeted by the blessing pronounced by the priests. We have to think of them as thespeakers in verse 26 and perhaps also in verse 27.” (P. 729)If this is right, we think of the one coming in YHWH’s name as being the victorious king,who is testifying to what YHWH has done for him, and then we think of the plural, “you people,” inthe next line as referring to the soldiers accompanying their victorious king in pilgrimage, whomthe priests welcome into the temple55Allen translates by “from Yahweh’s temple” (p. 120), and this is probably correct, as thetemple is often called “YHWH’s house” in the Hebrew Bible. See especially this usage in 1Kings 8.Verse 26 is evidently a pronouncement by those officiating in the temple, who see pilgrimscoming to join in their worship there. They bless the individual, “the one coming in YHWH’sname,” whom we take to be the victorious king, and they also pronounce blessing upon a largergroup, composed of all of those who are coming with him to worship. That is, Psalm 118expresses an openness to outsiders, to individuals and groups who come in the name of YHWHto join in Israel’s worship.1341

~yti_bo[]B; gx;î-Wrs.ai`x;Be(z>Mih; tAn©r>q;÷-d[;YHWH (is) God, and He caused light to shine for us; 56bind a pilgrimage with the interwoven foliage, 57as far as the altar’s horns! 5859118:28 &'d hT'äa; yliäae`&'m,(m.Ara] yh;ªl{a/÷You are my God, and I will give You thanks / praise--My God, I will exalt You! 60118:29 hw"åhyl; WdåAh56 rdThe verb ra,Y"áw: is hiphil imperfect 3 person singular with waw-consecutive, making theverb the past tense, “and He made light shine upon us.” Allen translates by “He has given uslight” (p. 120). Kraus has “May He give us light!” (P. 393)57Allen translates by “Bind the festival sacrifice with cords” (p. 120). Kraus has “Bind thefestival procession with cords” (p. 393), while Weiser has the same as Kraus, but ending with“branches” (p. 723).58NIV translates the last two lines by “With boughs in hand, join in the festal procession, upto the horns of the altar.”Verse 27 assumes that the worshipers are all gathered in the temple–both the individual,the victorious king coming in YHWH’s name, and the large group that has come with him, andwho together begin their worship by coming as a group to the horns of the altar, tying interwovenfoliage around the altar, where their sacrifices will be offered.Kraus comments that “Very likely a sacred dance is involved, that of circling about the altar(Psalm 26:6 [‘I wash my hands in innocence, and go about Your altar, O YHWH’]). Then onewould have to imagine that at this solemn circuit the ends of ropes were slung about the horns ofthe altar. gh would then be the ‘festival round dance,’ or ‘the solemn dance around.’” (P. 400)59Weiser comments on verses 28-29 that “The thanksgiving of the king (verse 28) and ofthe choir [or congregation] (verse 29) concludes the psalm; it was probably sung as a hymnaccompanying the dance. Thus all feelings unite in a hymn testifying with deep gratitude to God,Whose goodness has once more been brought vividly before them all, on which they can rely andfrom which they can draw comfort in every adversity.” (P. 729)60Allen translates both verbs in these two lines by the present tense (p. 120).1342

Aj+-yKi`AD)s.x; ~l'äA[l. yKiÞGive thanks / praise to the YHWH,61because (He is) good--because His steadfast-love is for long-lasting time!61Weiser again has “testify...” (P. 723)1343