Luke

13:10-21

The teachings of Messiah, 9:51-19:44

3. The kingdom and judgment, 12:35-13:21

vi] Inevitable victory of the kingdom

Jesus is teaching in a synagogue on the Sabbath and acts to heal a woman crippled for eighteen years. The ruler of the synagogue suggests that Jesus has just broken Sabbath law. Jesus responds by pointing out that he has restored its proper meaning, a meaning hidden behind a maze of scribal regulations. The ruler is furious, but the congregation is overjoyed. Luke follows up this incident with two of Jesus' kingdom parables, the mustard seed and the yeast.

God's Sabbath-rest is upon us, so now is the time to repent before it's too late.

i] Context: See 12:35-40. The inevitable victory of the kingdom, is the final episode in a set of six covering the topic of The Kingdom and Judgment, 12:35-13:21. These episodes first examined the issue of discipleship from an eschatological perspective / judgment: first, watchfulness, then stewardship, and then a warning on the fire of testing and trouble - the gospel divides and disturbs. Jesus, having turned his attention from the disciples to the uncommitted crowd, confronts the crowd with the news of God's coming kingdom and the necessity of repentance. Luke now reinforces the need for repentance with the truth that the kingdom is a present reality, 13:10-21. The presence and power of the coming kingdom is evident in a miracle which proclaims that God's sabbath-rest is upon us, and in two kingdom parables (judgment crisis riddles) Luke reinforces the immediacy of this reality.

ii] Structure: The inevitable victory of the kingdom:

iii] Interpretation:

iv] Synoptics:

v] Exposition: A simple exposition of this passage may be found in the linked pew-level Sermon Notes.

The presence and power of the coming kingdom: i] The healing of the cripple woman, v10-17. a) Setting, v10-11: Jesus, functioning as a Rabbi, "teaching in one of the synagogues", uses a healing for teaching purposes. In typical style, Luke, with the eye of a doctor, details the crippled woman's complaint. She has "a spirit of infirmity" which Luke tells us is demonic in origin, but not a symptom of demon possession.

de "-" - but/and. Transitional, indicating a step in the narrative; "Now he was teaching in one of the synagogues on the Sabbath", ESV.

en + dat. "On [a Sabbath]" - in, on [the sabbaths]. Indefinite, as NIV. The preposition here is adverbial, temporal, as NIV.

didaskwn (didaskw) pres. part. "Jesus was teaching" - he was teaching. The participle, with h\n, the imperfect verb to-be, forms a periphrastic imperfect construction, probably serving to accentuate durative action in the past. Berkeley opts for a temporal sense; "While he was teaching", so also Moffatt, "When ....."

twn sunagwgwn (h) gen. "of the synagogues" - [in one] of the synagogues. Indefinite, so "in a synagogue." The genitive is adjectival, partitive.

hn (eimi) "was there" - [and behold a woman] was there. The Textus Receptus adds the imperfect verb to-be after woman, probably to fix up the grammar. "There was a woman", Moffatt.

ecousa (ecw) pres. part. "who had been" - having. The participle is adjectival, attributive, limiting "the woman", as NIV. "Have" here may mean "possessing", or "experiencing" ..., see below.

asqeneiaV (a) "crippled by [a spirit]" - [a spirit] of infirmity, weakness, illness. The genitive is adjectival, either attributive, or epexegetic, or idiomatic / of material or product, "sickness caused by a spirit", NASB, limiting "spirit" by describing, explaining / defining, the "spirit" at work. The simplest explanation is that the "spirit" is her spirit, so she "suffered from a weakening spirit", Berkeley, she had "been ill from some psychological cause", Phillips. Luke does not describe the healing as an exorcism, so it is unlikely that she is possessed by an evil "spirit", the symptom of which is her illness; "who had a spirit in her that had made her a cripple", NCV. If an evil "spirit", possibly better, "having a sickness caused by a spirit (an evil spirit)", TNT. At least we can say that she had a "debilitating ailment", Nolland.

e[th dekaoktw "eighteen years" - eighteen years. The accusative is adverbial, temporal, extent of time.

sugkuptousa (sugkuptw) pres. part. "she was bent over" - [and] she was having been bent over. As with the negated participle mh dunamenh, "not being able", the imperfect verb to-be h\n with the present participle forms a paraphrastic imperfect construction, treated as a simple finite verb, possibly emphasising the durative nature of the condition. The condition may be scoliosis, or spondylitis, or even psychological, as above.

anakuyai (anakuptw) aor. inf. "straighten" - [and not being able] to stand up, straighten up, raise up [into the complete = completely]. The infinitive is complementary, completing the sense of the negated verb "she was not able" - not able to straighten up, or raise her head up. The adverbial prepositional phrase eiV to panteleV, "into all / completely", is somewhat unclear. Is she completely unable, ie., can do nothing about straightening herself, or is she unable completely to straighten herself, ie., she can straighten herself up a bit? "She was bent over double and quite unable to straighten herself", Barclay.

b) The healing, v12-13: As usual, Jesus heals with a word of authority. He also uses his hands to signify that he is transmitting power to the paralysed woman, although this is not a necessary element of the healing.

idwn (eidon) aor. part. "when [Jesus] saw [her]" - [but/and] having seen [her]. The participle is adverbial, best treated as temporal, as NIV.

auth/ dat. pro. "[said] to her" - [jesus called out and said] to her [woman]. Dative of indirect object.

apolelusai (apoluw) perf. pas. + gen. "you are set free from" - you have been set free, released. The perfect tense expressing an action with ongoing results, namely, "the permanent nature of the cure", Marshall.

thV asqeneiaV (a) gen. "infirmity" - of the infirmity, weakness, sickness [of you]. The genitive may be classified as a genitive of direct object after an apo prefix verb where separation is being expressed, "set free from", or ablative, of separation. The genitive pronoun sou, "your", is adjectival, possessive, she was characterised by her infirmity.

epeqhken (epitiqhmi) aor. "he put" - [but/and] he placed [the = his hands] on. Another example of Jesus touching a person, obviously not an essential element in healing, but one often used, probably for psychological reasons - reassurance, intimacy, involvement....

auth/ dat. pro. "her" - her. Dative of direct object after the epi prefix verb "to put upon."

paracrhma adv. "immediately" - [and] at once. Immediacy is often used to indicate the validity of an evidential sign.

anwrqwqh (anaorqow) aor. pas. "she straightened up" - she was restored, made straight, set upright, made to recover. Divine passive??? "Suddenly she was standing straight and tall", Peterson.

edoxazen (doxaqw) imperf. "praised [God]" - [and] she was glorifying [god]. The imperfect expressing durative action; she wouldn't stop praising God, or inceptive, "she began to praise God."

c) The ruler of the synagogue applies Exodus 20:9 literally, v14. As a typical legalist, he fails to understand what is meant by "work", and more particularly, he fails to understand the significance of the Sabbath. The day of rest signifies the good and proper end of creation. For a creation, now bound in the curse of sin and under Satan's control, this "rest" is but a future hope. The healing (the release) of the paralysed woman on the Sabbath day, serves as a sign that the day of God's rest is close at hand and therefore her healing should prompt rejoicing rather than condemnation.

apokriqeiV (apokrinomai) aor. pas. part. "-" - [and the synagogue ruler] having answered. Redundant attendant circumstance participle expressing action accompanying the main verb "he was saying. So, "The synagogue ruler, indignant because Jesus had healed on the Sabbath, said (having answered was saying) to the people."

aganaktwn (aganaktew) pres. part. "indignant" - being indignant, annoyed, angry (at a perceived wrong). The participle is best taken as adjectival, attributive, limiting by describing the ruler of the synagogue, "who was indignant because Jesus had healed on the Sabbath day."

oJti "because" - that = because. Introducing a causal clause explaining why the synagogue leader was indignant.

tw/ sabbatw/ (on) dat. "on the Sabbath" - [jesus healed] on the sabbath. The dative is adverbial, temporal.

tw/ oclw/ (oV) dat. "to the people" - [he was saying] to the crowd. Dative of indirect object.

oJti "-" - that. Introducing an object clause / dependent statement of direct speech expressing what the synagogue leader said.

ergazesqai (ergazomai) pres. inf. "for work" - [there are six days in which it is necessary] to work [on them]. The infinitive serves as the subject of the verb "is necessary", "to work is necessary." For a complementary classification see grayai, 1:3.

oun "so" - therefore. Inferential, drawing a logical conclusion.

ercomenoi (ercomai) pres. part. "come [and be healed]" - coming [be healed]. Attendant circumstance participle expressing action accompanying the imperative verb, "be healed", so "come and be healed."

th/ hJmera/ (a) dat. "on the" - [and not] in/on the day. The dative is adverbial, temporal.

tou sabbatou (on) gen. "Sabbath" - of the sabbath. The genitive is adjectival, attributive, limiting "day"; "the Sabbath day."

d) Jesus' response, v15-16: The Qumran sect strictly applied the letter of the Law, but even they would give water to a thirsty animal on the Sabbath. In the final analysis, the religious authorities are "hypocrites" - play-actors, good on form, but poor on substance. As a "daughter of Abraham", this woman can rightly look forward to her sabbath-rest in the coming messianic kingdom. Sadly, the synagogue ruler and his associates, fail to recognise her healing as a deliverance from Satan's bondage and thus, a sign of the new age of the kingdom.

autw/ dat. pro. "him" - [the lord replied] to him [and said]. Dative of indirect object. The use of the verb "to answer, reply" is Semitic, redundant.

uJpakritai (hV ou) pl. voc. "you hypocrites" - hypocrites. Vocative. Those who pretend to be other than what they are. The person is plural indicating that Jesus is speaking to a wider group than just the ruler of the synagogue. "Your religion is no more than a facade of conventional piety", Barclay.

ou luei (luw) pres. "doesn't .... untie" - does not he untie, loosen. This negation in a question expects a positive answer.

uJmwn gen. pro. "of you" - [each] of you. The genitive is adjectival, partitive.

tw/ sabbatw/ (on) dat. "on the Sabbath" - on the sabbath. Temporal dative.

apo + gen. "from [the stall]" - [the ox of him or the donkey] from [the manger]. Expressing separation; "away from."

apagagwn (apagw) aor. part. "lead it out" - [and] having led it out, away, [it drinks]. Possibly attendant circumstance participle expressing action accompanying the verb "to drink", so "doesn't each of you ...... lead it out and give it a drink?", but it may be adverbial, temporal, with the verb "to drink" carrying a final, or causative sense, "doesn't each of you ....... then lead it away (in order to, for / because it needs) water"; "lead it away to water it", TNT.

ouk edei (dei) imperf. "should not" - was it not necessary. This negation in a question produces an affirmative answer. The verb dei, "it is necessary", is often used to imply a divine necessity. If not a divine necessity, at least Jesus is making the point that, irrespective of it being the Sabbath day, he is bound to "set her loose", given that he is able to do so and she is a daughter of Abraham.

tauthn acc. pro. "this" - this one. Emphatic by position. The pronoun here functions as a substantive, being the accusative subject of the infinitive "to be set free" = "that this woman ............ be set free was necessary ..."

ousan (eimi) pres. part. "[a daughter of Abraham]" - being [a daughter of abraham]. The participle is adjectival, so "the one being" = "who is a daughter of Abraham." The argument seems to be that if it is proper to untie an animal to give it a drink, then it is obviously proper to "untie", release from an illness, a woman who is a Jew. "Daughter of Abraham" may refer to a person who possesses the faith of Abraham, but is more likely a reference to birthright.

oJ SatanaV "Satan" - [whom] satan. Nominative subject of the verb "to bind." Identified as the source of all sickness, although, as noted above, her condition is probably not the consequence of demon possession, as such.

edhsen (dew) aor. "has kept bound" - bound. The aorist expresses punctiliar action, so the immediacy of her being bound and now no longer bound, is in mind.

idou "-" - behold [ten and eight years]. This interjection is used here to emphasise how long this woman has been affected by her illness. This emphasis can be brought in a number of ways, eg., "For eighteen long years", NRSV.

luqhnai (luw) aor. pas. inf. "be set free" - to be loosed. The infinitive serves as the subject of the impersonal verb "it is necessary"; "this one, [being a daughter of Abraham whom Satan bound behold ten and eight years], to be set free was necessary." For a complementary classification see grayai, 1:3. The passive may be a divine passive, God does the loosing.

apo + gen. "from" - from [this bond on the day of the sabbath]? Expressing separation, "away from."

e) Response of the onlookers, v17: In the face of the coming kingdom, Jesus "reduced his opponents to shame" and "the people rejoiced." The healing miracle displays the presence and power of the coming reign of God in Christ; it reminds us of the day when God will break Satan's power to enslave and usher in an eternal heavenly rest. The following two parables remind us of the immediacy of this reality, namely the kingdom of God is upon us.

legontoV (legw) pres. part. gen. "when [he] said [this]" - [and he] saying [these things]. The genitive participle and its genitive subject "he", forms a genitive absolute construction, temporal, as NIV, but means (instrumental), "by means of", or causal, "because of", are also possible; "his opponents were all shamed by what he said", Barclay.

oiJ antikeimenoi (antikeimai) pres. part. "opponents" - [all] the ones being opposed to [him]. The participle serves as a substantive, nominative subject of the verb "to put to shame." The dative pronoun autw/, "him", serves as a dative of direct object after the anti prefix participle "being opposed to."

kathscunonto (kataiscunw) imperf. pas. "were humiliated" - were being put to shame. The imperfect may serve to emphasise durative action, probably in the sense of "confused"; "were covered with confusion", REB.

epi + dat. "with" - [and all the crowd were rejoicing] over. Probably expressing ground or cause; "on the basis of / because of."

toiV endoxoiV dat. adj. "the wonderful things" - [all] the glorious things. Adjective used as a substantive, so "the glorious / wonderful ???", possibly "deeds", or "words".

uJp (uJpo) + gen. "he" - by [him]. Here the preposition expresses agency.

toiV ginomenoiV (ginomai) dat. pres. part. "was doing" - becoming = being accomplished. The participle is adjectival, attributive, limiting "the glorious / wonderful things / deeds / words"; "the wonderful deeds which he was accomplishing. "Accomplished" generally expresses what Jesus was doing, but in the immediate context it is "debating". Still, the reference may well be to the healing, cf., Isa.45:16. "His critics were looking quite silly and red-faced. The congregation was delighted and cheered him on", Peterson.

ii] Two Kingdom Parables, v18-21: It is likely that oun serves to link these two parables with the sign of God's Sabbath rest / the healing of the cripple woman - Luke is "commenting on what has just happened", Marshall. The crowd rightly rejoices because they have witnessed the dawning of the long-promised kingdom of God / reign of God - his Sabbath-rest. What they have witnessed is a sign of the coming kingdom: it is now "at hand", the tree has reached maturity, the yeast is leavened, the kingdom is at hand / upon us.

a) The parable of the mustard seed, v18-19. This parable proclaims the immediacy of God's kingdom, of the inauguration of God's eternal reign in Christ. It proclaims that "the day" is upon us; a mighty tree stands before us with birds flocking to its branches. The powers of darkness have been defeated, God's Sabbath rest is here - "the kingdom of God is at hand, repent and believe the gospel."

As already noted, this parable is often treated as a parable of growth, or comparison, eg., the church growing from humble beginnings. It is also often approached allegorically, eg., the birds represent the incoming of the Gentiles (the "children of faith") cf., Dan.4:20ff.

oun "then" - therefore [he was saying]. Possibly as a continuative, so not translated, or better explanatory, "he said therefore." "Then he went on", Phillips.

tivni dat. pro. "what" - to what [is the kingdom of god similar, like]? Dative complement of the adjective oJmoia, "like". Introducing a rhetorical question, "to what comparison is the kingdom of God?"

tou qeou "of God" - [the kingdom] of god. See tou qeou, 4:43.

oJmoiwsw (oJmoiow) aor. subj. "shall I compare" - [to what] will I make like, compare [it]? Deliberative subjunctive. The double question sets up v19

oJmoia "[it is] like" - [it is] like. An example of short-talk / semantic density. The kingdom of God is not actually like a mustard seed, rather, it is like the situation where a man takes a mustard seed and plants it in his field and it grows and becomes a tree .....

kakkw/ sinapewV "mustard seed" - a mustard seed. The dative kakkw/, "seed", is the dative complement of oJmoia, "like". The genitive sinapweV, "mustard", is adjectival, attributive, limiting "seed". The seed in mind is possibly the Sinapis Nigra, a very small seed growing to a large shrub around 2 metres tall, or a Salvadora Persica, the Khardel tree, local to Palestine, the seeds of which were used in mustards, a tall tree, 5 + metres.

labwn (lambanw) aor. part. "took and [planted]" - [which a man] having taken [planted (threw = put)]. Attendant circumstance participle expressing action accompanying the main verb "planted". A bit redundant so "plants a mustard seed in a garden", CEV.

khpon (oV) acc. "garden" - [into] a garden [of himself]. The mustard bush was planted in the orchard with the fruit trees rather the vegetable garden, so possibly, "put it in his orchard", Moffatt.

eiV dendron (on) "became a tree" - [and it grew and it became] into a tree. The preposition eiV + acc., serving as a predicate nominative, is a Semitic construction, cf., Wallace 47; "it became a tree" = "It grew till it was a big tree", Barclay.

tou ouranou (oV) gen. "of the air" - [and the birds] of the heaven, sky [nested in the branches of it]. The genitive is probably ablative, expressing source, but possibly adjectival, possessive in that the sky is their domain. The birds perching on the branches illustrate that the tree has reached its maturity.

b) The parable of the yeast, v20-21. A kingdom parable encapsulating the abstraction that the kingdom of God is at hand / upon us, a fact which is described in the terms of a lump of dough now fully leavened.

kai palin "again" - and again [he said, to what will i compare the kingdom of god]? Expressing both continuation and repetition. So, "let me put it another way."

zumh/ (h) dat. "yeast" - [it is like] leaven. Dative complement of the adjective oJmoia. Bread, at this time, was a version of sourdough formed with a wild yeast leaven, part of which is held back and fed and then used to leaven the next day's bread-mix. This mixture is cultivated until the day of unleavened bread, after which celebration, a new batch of leaven is grown. A piece of rhubarb is often used as a starter. "The kingdom of heaven may be compared to the situation where a woman takes a portion of yeast and mixes it into three cups of flower until the whole batch is leavened all the way through."

labousa (lambanw) aor. part. "took [and mixed]" - [which a woman] having taken. Attendant circumstance participle expressing action accompanying the verb "hid / mixed"; "took and mixed."

aleurou (on) gen. "of flour" - [hid into three measures] of grain, meal, flour. The genitive is adjectival, idiomatic / content, "full of / containing", or material, "consisting of", if the grain, rather than the measure, is in mind. Unlike the paraphrase above, the three measures are not "three cups" but three Hebrew measures equalling some 50 pounds. To knead such a quantity of dough would be some task, but such an exaggeration may well be intended. Yet, Evans notes that in Gen.18:6 this is the quantity used to make bread for three guests, so we may have a weights and measure issue here.

eJwV ou| "until" - until [whole was leavened]. Introducing a temporal clause, extent of time up to. The addition of the gen. pro. ou| produces the idiomatic phrase "at which time / until the time when", Culy. The use of the genitive pronoun makes the temporal clause "more forceful", Culy.

Luke Introduction

Exposition

Exegetical Commentaries

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