Luke 13 - In Depth Bible Commentaries

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