Luke
9:46-50
The mission of the Messiah, 1:5-9:50
6. The children of the Messiah, 9:1-50
vi] Meaning of greatness in the kingdom of God.
SynopsisIn the context of an argument among the disciples over who, among them, is the greatest, Luke records a set of two sayings on humility: first, on welcoming little children, and second, the least is the greatest. Luke follows up with the incident of the unofficial exorcist.
Teaching
In the messianic age of the kingdom, the rejected stone came not to be served but to serve, thus discipleship entails humble service, not precedence.
Issues
i] Context: See 9:1-9. The meaning of greatness in the kingdom of God is the sixth episode of The kingdom dawns in the children of the Messiah, 9:1-50, a section which reveals something of the disciple's part in the inauguration / realisation of Messiah's kingdom. The section closes with Jesus' teaching on the meaning of greatness, and the incident of the unofficial exorcist. This serves to conclude Jesus' Galilean mission. In these six episodes we have witnessed the glory of the suffering messiah and the consequences of a failure to identify with / express faith in his cross-bearing on our behalf.
ii] Structure: The meaning of greatness in the kingdom of God:
The issue of greatness, v46-48:
Setting, v46:
a dispute over who is the greatest.
A lesson, v47-48:
"whoever welcomes me welcomes the one who sent me."
"he who is least among you all is the one who is great."
The unofficial exorcist, v49-50:
"whoever is not against you is for you."
iii] Interpretation:
The disciples have been discussing the issue of precedence, and Jesus immediately confronts their flawed understanding. Mark has Jesus counter with "the man who would be first must be last ......" before getting into the example of a child and its linked narrative, the unofficial exorcist. Luke holds the saying back, and uses it to nail the point that the least is the greatest, v48b, before developing this idea in the account of the unofficial exorcist.
The episode is fraught because it is unclear who the child represents (Jesus, or believers, or broken humanity) and who "the least" represents (Jesus, or believers, or broken humanity). With respect to the child, it is unclear if "in my name" modifies the verb "receive", so Bovon, or the child, but probably Mr./Ms. "whoever" receives the child "as my representative"? Just to add to the confusion, Nolland argues that "in my name" means "as though he (the child) were I."
If the child and "the least" represent Jesus, then a believer ("whoever") is "great" in their receiving / welcoming Jesus. If this is the case, then this episode, like the sayings on cross-bearing discipleship, 9:23-26, is about our identification with Christ, rather than our imitation of Christ; See Leaney p.57-59. "Humility is not served by rivalry. In fact, greatness for a disciple does not come through stature, but through knowing Jesus", Bock.
If, on the other hand, the child and "the least" represent believers / Christ's representatives, then a believer ("whoever") is "great" in their receiving / welcoming their fellow believer / representative of Christ. If this is the case, then this episode addresses the fruit of cross-bearing, the fruit of faith in the suffering Son of Man, namely, humility (acceptance, forgiveness, ......, love), and as such, it addresses our imitation of Christ rather than our identification with Christ, ie., it concerns the fruit of identification with Christ.
Of course, other permutations and combinations present themselves. None-the-less, it seems likely that true greatness is found, not in worldly precedence, but in the acceptance of a brother or sister in the Lord, apart from worldly criteria (an acceptance not evident in the disciples' reaction to the unofficial exorcist). Such lowliness, such servanthood, so evident in the Man of Sorrows, is "great" in the eyes of God.
Alternate views on welcoming a little child. The following are the three main approaches taken by commentators as to who the child represents and for what purpose. As is evident by the variety of approaches, the analogy is not overly clear. Bovon notes that the saying is in tension with the question of greatness. The saying "does not aim at the child's 'greatness', but at the child's 'receptivity' (acceptance). .... The debate no longer concerns whom the Lord considers to be the 'great one', but ...... who accepts God and his ambassador." So, this episode is fraught!
•iHumanity in general, and / or humanism: "Greatness lies not in receiving preferential treatment from others or in having more authority than others. On the contrary, it involves serving others, especially the outcasts of society as represented by a little child", Stein, so Geldenhuys, Melinsky, Creed, Green, Marshall, Miller, Erdman, Thompson, Caird, Browning ("They must serve the lowly and the dependent, and in so doing they will be receiving Christ himself"), Black, Tinsley ("Where there is simplicity and humility there is Christ, and to act on this is an encounter with God"), Bock ("Jesus' illustration prohibits all comparison between disciples. ..... The child does not have greatness, but receiving it in the name of Jesus is the same as receiving Jesus. .... A disciple's relationship with God enhances the value of other persons. Jesus is calling on the disciples to change the way they see people: be kind to the lowly. .... Beyond that, to receive such a one is to receive Jesus").
•iBelievers, or specifically new believers, flawed believers, cf., Evans, Johnson (specifically, the child is "any one, however insignificant, sent out on mission"), Gooding ("The importance did not reside in the child itself, or in the apostles themselves, but in the fact that they represented Christ and Christ represented God. In this sense there were no degrees of importance: even the least among them, if he represented Christ and the Father, was great, and could anyone ever attain to a more magnificent greatness than to represent, never mind in what lowly mission, the Majestic Glory").
•iJesus himself - welcoming Jesus as one would welcome a child, cf., Fitzmyer, Leaney, Danker, Nolland ("in my name" = "as though he were I").
iv] Synoptics:
See 3:1-20.. This episode is paralleled in Matthew 18:1-5, although Matthew introduces it with the story of the half-shekel tax and doesn't follow up with the incident of the unofficial exorcist. Other than Luke's reversal of the two sayings, Mark's sequence of events aligns with Luke up to the unofficial exorcist, but then parts company, Mark 9:33-40.
Most commentators see Mark's account as closest to the oral tradition of the early church. It entails the linking of two pieces of tradition: first, the tradition concerning the disciples' discussion regarding precedence and its attached saying the least is the greatest; and second, the tradition concerning Jesus with a little child, the receiving a child saying, and the narrative which is linked to the saying by "in my name / in your name." It seems likely that humility is the theme of this pericope and this is brought out in Mark's version of the least is the greatest, "If any man would be first, he shall be last of all and the minister of all", Mk.9:35b (a doublet?? cf., 10:16, 22:26). Yet, the intent of the following incident of the child, the receiving a child saying, and its attached narrative, is not overly clear. In fact, an original mission context is likely, and this does not easily address the theme of humility. Matthew's reworking of the tradition clearly emphasises humility, of becoming childlike, humbling oneself "as this little child", by "receiving one such little child", an action which marks greatness in the kingdom. Having made the case, Matthew chooses not to record the incident of the unofficial exorcist. It is likely that Luke also recognises the theme of humility and draws it out by placing the least is the greatest saying between the receiving a child saying and its attached narrative, the unofficial exorcist. This serves to specify the intended meaning of the receiving a child saying and the narrative of the unofficial exorcist.
Luke closely links this episode to Jesus' suffering-servant saying by not including any information on the setting, cf., Mk.9:33. Luke did the same thing when he closely linked the suffering-servant saying with the exorcism of the boy (Mk.9:30), and the exorcism to the transfiguration (Mk.9:10-13). This purposeful editing of the tradition by Luke closely links the themes "hear him", faith in Christ, and humility in Christ.
Fitzmyer argues that "Luke's version depends on Markan form", while more critical commentators see no evidence of a separate tradition influencing Luke at this point, although this is most unlikely.
v] Exposition: A simple exposition of this passage may be found in the linked pew-level Sermon Notes.
Text - 9:46
The meaning of greatness, v46-50: i] The question concerning greatness, v46-48. a) Setting, v46: Teaching on discipleship always follows each passion prediction, so Luke here records the disciples' discussion about "greatness" and Jesus' response.
de "-" - but/and. Transitional, indicating a step in the narrative. Luke, more so than Mark, ties the disciples' question on greatness to Jesus' prediction of his humiliation.
dialogismoV (oV) "an argument [started]" - an opinion / a discussion, debate [entered = arose]. Nominative subject of the verb "to discuss." "A dispute developed between the disciples."
en autoiV pl. dat. "among the disciples" - in, with, among them. Expressing space / place. The plural points to "among" rather than an inward reasoning of an issue.
to "-" - the. Technically the article functions as a nominalizer serving to introduce a noun clause standing in apposition to dialogismoV, "an argument"; "a dispute arose among them, namely, who might be the greatest of them", Culy. Note though, Luke often uses a neuter article to introduce an indirect question.
autwn gen. pro. "of them" - [who] of them. Partitive genitive, ie., the part (member) which "of them" is the greatest, or the part (member) greater "of them", depending whether the genitive is related to tiV, "which" or meizwn, "greatest".
tiV an ei[h "would be" - might be. This construction, with a potential optative, introduces an indirect question expressing a modest assertion. Only Luke uses this construction in the NT. The more common construction takes the future tense, cf., Zerwick #356.
meizwn (megaV) comp. adj. "greatest" - greater. Although a comparative, "greater", it is best rendered as a superlative, "greatest". Possibly, but unlikely, "who is greater than they." Either way, the disciples are concerned with their own importance, even ranking of importance, and this in contrast to Christ's role as servant.
v47
b) A lesson, v47-48: Given the disciples' discussion on greatness, Jesus illustrates something of greatness by taking a little child and standing it beside him. Receiving such a one illustrates something of greatness. Two sayings explain the point of the illustration.
eidwV (oida) perf. part. "knowing" - [but/and jesus] having perceived, understood. The participle may be adjectival, attributive, limiting by describing "Jesus", "who knew what was going on in their minds", REB, but adverbial, causal, is also possible, "because he knew what was in their minds."
thV kardiaV (a) gen. "thoughts" - [the thought] of the heart [of them]. The genitive is ablative, expressing source / origin, "the thoughts that stem from the heart (mind)." Possibly indicating that the disciples were not verbalising their thoughts, but it is more likely that they were discussing the issue of greatness, but doing so in a loving way, while at the same time, hiding their selfish ambitions.
epilabomenoV (epilambanomai) aor. part. "took [a little child]" - having taken hold of [a child]. The participle is possibly adverbial, temporal, "then, Jesus ....... took a little child ...", or simply attendant circumstance, "he took a child and put it by his side." As the people of Israel were often described as God's children, so disciples can similarly be described as Jesus' children; "Truly I say to you, whoever does not accept the kingdom of God as a child shall not enter into it", Mk.10:15, cf., Luke 3:8, 6:35, 10:21, 13:34, 18:16, 20:36. John's "born again" draws on a similar image, cf., Jn.3:3, 5. The Christian sect, known as The Children of God, had little going for them, but they were right when they said "You Gotta be a baby!"
par + dat. "beside [him]" - [stood it] beside [himself]. Spatial, expressing nearness, "beside". Unlike Mark, where the child is placed in the midst of the disciples, Luke has the child standing prominently beside Jesus. It is likely the child is used to illustrate the act of receiving / welcoming a fellow believer, apart from self-interest.
v48a
Saying #1. To counter the disciple's assumption that greatness is achieved through precedence (a worldly assumption), this saying is used to progress the view that acceptance of Jesus' representative, no matter how weak, ineffectual, or flawed, is the true mark of greatness, for such behaviour aligns a person with God and the way he deals with humanity; See "Alternate views on welcoming a little child" above.
autoiV dat. pro. "to them" - [and he said] to them. Dative of indirect object.
o}V ean + subj. "whoever" - whoever. As with o}V an, this construction introduces an indefinite relative clause which, in the present context, is conditional, 3rd. class; "whosoever, as the case may be ........, then me he welcomes." To receive / welcome a child - a person who is a representative of Jesus - is to receive / welcome Jesus, and to receive / welcome Jesus is to receive / welcome the Father.
dexhtai (decomai) aor. subj. "welcomes" - receives [this child]. To "honour and respect / recognise their value."
epi + dat. "in [my name]" - in, on, upon [the name of me, me receives]. Probably causal, basis, ground, with "name" taking the sense of "person / authority", so "under my authority / as my representative." Nolland suggests "as though he were I. "
ton aposteilanta (apostellw) aor. part. "the one who sent [me]" - [and whoever receives me, receives] the one having sent [me]. The participle serves as a substantive, accusative direct object of the verb "to receive."
v48b
Saying #2. Unlike Mark, Luke inserts this saying between the little child saying and the story of the unofficial exorcist, both of which are linked by "in my name / in your name." This is a particularly audacious move and probably indicates that in Luke's mind, the last is the greatest saying explains the little child saying. This may help us understand who the "least among you" is.. The child is usually identified as "the least", either in the terms "he who is lowliest is greatest", Creed, so Plummer etc., or for the more modern commentators (influenced by Marx???), all believers are the lowliest and therefore are all the greatest. Yet, given Luke's placement of the least is the greatest saying, "the least" is likely to be "whoever", the one doing the receiving. The unofficial exorcist was serving as Christ's representative, in Christ's name, but was not received, welcomed, accepted, .... by the disciples. For a believer, the mark of greatness is not found in worldly precedence, but in Christ-like humility - the lesser status of a servant who accepts a brother or sister for who they are in Christ, not where they stand in the social pecking order. Receiving, accepting, forgiving ....., loving a brother or sister, despite their tribal affiliations, or flaws and failures, is the true mark of greatness.
gar "for" - for. Probably causal, explaining something about the saying v48a, although, as already noted, the connection between the two sayings and the original question about greatness, is fraught. It well may be that Luke intends gar here as a stitching device between two sayings on a related theme, rather than introducing an explanation.
oJ ..... uJparcwn (uJarcw) pres. part. "it is the one who is" - the one being. The participle serves as a substantive, introducing a nominal construction linked to the resumptive substantive pronoun ou|toV, "this one", which serves as the subject of the verb to-be; "he who is least among you all, this one is the greatest."
mikroteroV (mikroV) adj. comp. "least" - lesser. Predicate adjective. Best rendered with the superlative "least". In koine Greek, the comparative does at times wonder into the superlative. In eternal terms, true greatness is found in a personal relationship with Jesus, but the matter at hand is not our relationship with Jesus, but rather, our relationship with one another. In the Christian fellowship, greatness is not evident in precedence, but in humble service. We can, of course, get ourselves into knots applying such a proposition. For Anglicans, determining the order of a processional can be very complex, because the last cannot be first!!! It is worth noting that some commentators argue that spiritual enlightenment / blessing is found in human degradation, as though by honouring the poor, destitute, etc. we somehow honour, even find God - this view is strongly contested.
en "among" - in [you all]. Here expressing association, as NIV.
megaV (mega) adj. "is the greatest" - [this one is] great. Here a positive predicate adjective is rendered as a superlative. Again, unusual, particularly without its own article.
v49
ii] The unofficial exorcist, v49-50. For the disciples, discipleship is marked by official status, precedence. How dare someone, other than the officially appointed followers of Jesus, act for Jesus. They have yet to learn that the mark of discipleship is humility in service, of receiving Jesus' children, irrespective of their social status, failures and flaws.
de "-" - but/and. Transitional, but given the presence of "having answered", it is clear that Luke ties this short episode to the episode on greatness. This incident serves as an example of the disciples' understanding of greatness, in the terms of status, position.
apokriqeiV (apokrinomai) aor. pas. part. "said" - [john] having answering [said]. Attendant circumstance participle, redundant, Semitic idiom; See apokriqeiV, 1:19.
ekballonta (ekballw) pres. part. "driving out [demons]" - [we saw someone] casting out, driving away [demons]. The participle serves as the accusative complement of the direct object tina, "someone", standing in a double accusative construction. For historic Israel, the dawning of the messianic age was evident both in word (the gospel) and sign, and the sign par excellence was the casting out of demons.
en + dat. "in [your name]" - in, by, with [the name of you]. Instrumental, "by"; local, space, "under"; accompaniment / association, "with." As above, "by /under / with your authority", probably with the sense "in your place" = something like "as if he had your authority to do this", "as if he were your representative" = "as your representative" He is obviously Jesus' representative, since he is casting out demons, unlike some of the apostles who have just made a hash of it.
ekwluomen (kwluw) imperf. "we tried to stop [him]" - [and] we were hindering him. This imperfect verb is often translated as if conative, expressing attempted, uncompleted action, as NIV; "we attempted to prevent him", so Fitzmyer. Of course, it may just be durative expressing a process over time; "we had to put some pressure on him to get him to stop." A variant aorist exists; "we got him to stop."
oJti "because" - because. Introducing a causal clause explaining why the disciples sought to obstruct the unofficial exorcist.
ouk akolouqei (akolouqew) "he is not" - he does not follow. John is saying that this disciple is not a member of the permanent apostolic band who travel with Jesus.
meq + gen. "one of [us]" - with [us]. Expressing association.
v50
mh kwluete (kwluw) pres. imp. "do not stop him" - [but/and jesus said toward him] do not stop. The present tense, being durative, even iterative, may give the sense "do not try again to prevent him", Zerwick.
gar "for" - because. Introducing a causal clause explaining why the disciples should not hinder the unofficial exorcist.
o}V rel. pro. "whoever" - who. "He", the subject of the verb to-be, estin, "he is", = "whoever is not against you."
kaq (kata) + gen. "against" - [is not] against. Here expressing opposition, as NIV.
uJmwn pro. "you" - you. Unlike Mark, who uses "us" in the proverb, Luke has "you", and so underlines the lesson for the disciples who are struggling with the issue of status. If they weren't so bound up by their own self-importance they would include the other brother, rather than exclude him.
uJper + gen. "for" - [is] for [you]. Here expressing representation / advantage, benefit; "the man who is not your opponent is your supporter", Barclay.
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