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Nazarene Commentary 2000©

21^st Century Paraphrase of the Hebrew Scriptures© –
21^st Century Version of the Christian Scriptures© [NCMM]

THE GOSPEL OF LUKE

CHAPTER THIRTEEN:
JERUSALEM, JERUSALEM!

Key word: Saved

Luke 13:1-5 – Those Who Do Not Repent Will Perish

LK13:1 Now at this time there were some present who reported to Jesus regarding the Galileans whose blood Pilate mixed in their sacrifices. LK13:2 Jesus responded to them and said: “Do you think that these Galileans suffered these things because they were worse sinners 582 than other Galileans? 583

582	Because they were worse sinners: Sin is not the cause of these calamities. Compare the book of Job.

583	Galileans: The Pharisaical Jews of Judea and Jerusalem looked upon the Galileans with a jaundiced eye because they were not so rigorous in their observance of the Law of Moses. The Talmud [Megillah 75a] accuses them of not observing Jewish tradition.

LK13:3 No, I tell you. However, if you do not repent you will also perish. LK13:4 Or do you suppose those eighteen persons killed when the tower in Siloam collapsed upon them were worse sinners than all the people living in Jerusalem? LK13:5 No, I tell you, but unless you all repent you will perish in the same way.” 584

584	You will perish in the same way: Based on the prophet Daniel Jesus knows Jerusalem will be destroyed. Those who did not listen to Jesus and got out of Jerusalem at the appointed time died along with one million Jews in 70 AD.

Luke 13:6-9 – A Fig Tree with One More Year

LK13:6 While talking with them Jesus gave this parable: “A certain man 585 planted a fig tree 586 in his vineyard, and when he came to the tree 587 looking for figs on it he found none.

585	Man: Likely meaning God.

586	Fig tree: Either Israel or Jerusalem.

587	When he came to the tree: Beginning first in 29 AD through His representative Jesus.

LK13:7 So he told the vinedresser: 588 ‘Look, for three years 589 I kept coming here looking for figs and have never found any. 590 So cut it down! Why should it take up space in this soil?’

588	Vinedresser: Possibly Christ.

589	Three years: The Law of Moses allowed a period of three years and in the fourth year could expect fruitage. [Leviticus 19:23, 24] It is now the fourth year of Jesus’ ministry to Israel. This should be kept in mind in this parable.

590	Never found any: Though a few hundreds of Jews have responded to John the Baptist and the Nazarene in general the Jewish generation has rejected Christ and will soon be calling for his execution. The nation will be punished by God during the great oppression of 66-70 AD.

LK13:8 But the vinedresser said to him: ‘Lord, leave it in place for another year, 591 until I may dig around it and fertilize it. 592

591	Another year: This is the final year of Christ’s three and a half year ministry which began in the fall of 29 AD.

592	Until I may dig around it and fertilize it: Christ’s final year will be filled with his most powerful teachings as all Israel becomes aware of his presence.

LK13:9 And if it bears figs next year, 593 good. But if not then you can cut it down.’” 594

593	Bears figs next year: Christ is hopeful for a general repentance and acceptance of Messiah.

594

If not then you can cut it down: This did occur between 66-73 with the desolation of Judea in the Jewish war with the Romans. One million died and 100,000 were led away as Roman slaves. In fulfillment of Moses’ curse against a disobedient Israel the nation of Israel was rejected. [Deuteronomy chapter 28.] For details see notes in Nazarene Commentary 2000 on Romans 9 and 11. [Deuteronomy 28:21]

Luke 13:10-17 – A Woman with a Weakness

LK13:10 Now Jesus was teaching in one of the synagogues on the Sabbath. LK13:11 And, look, there was a woman with a demon of weakness 595 and for eighteen years she was bent double and unable to stand completely upright.

595	A demon of weakness: Or, KJV: spirit of infirmity; GDS: a sickness caused by a spirit; BER: weakening spirit; KNX: suffered under some influence that disabled her; PME: ill from some psychological cause; NEB: possessed by a spirit that had crippled her; LAM: afflicted with rheumatism.

LK13:12 When Jesus saw her he called out and said to her: “Woman, you have been set free from your weakness!” LK13:13 Then Jesus laid his hands on her, and instantly she was restored and began glorifying The God. LK13:14 Then the synagogue presiding officer responded to this, 596 very indignant that Jesus had healed on the Sabbath. He told the crowd: “There are six days to work! Come on those days to be healed! Not on the Sabbath day!”

596	Responded to this: The self-righteous legalist is not happy when others are blessed.

LK13:15 So the Master answered him and said: “Hypocrites! 597 Does not anyone of you untie your ox or donkey 598 from its stall to lead it to water on the Sabbath?

597	Hypocrites: Jesus is not gentle with them, particularly the Jewish hierarchy. This is the third of three occurrences of the derogatory term in Luke. [Luke 6:42; 12:56; 13:15] The word is used most often in Matthew [14 times], only once in Mark, and not at all in John.

598	Donkey: Is not the poor Jewish woman worth more than a donkey?

LK13:16 Should not this person as a daughter of Abraham – whom Satan 599 bound for eighteen years – be released from her bonds on the Sabbath?”

599	Satan: Jesus attributes the woman’s illness to Satan himself.

LK13:17 When Jesus said these things all those opposed to him 600 were put to shame, but the crowd began to rejoice over all these wondrous things accomplished by Jesus.

600	Those opposed to him: Or, his adversaries, opponents, antagonists.

Luke 13:18-21 – Kingdom Comparisons

|| Matthew 13:31, 33; 601 Mark 4:30-32 602

601	Matthew 13:31, 33: For details see notes in Nazarene Commentary 2000 on Matthew.

602	Mark 4:30-32: For details see notes in Nazarene Commentary 2000 on Mark.

LK13:18 So Jesus continued, saying: “What is God’s Realm 603 like, and to what should I compare it?

603	God’s Realm: The parable is an analogy regarding the Church or Congregation of Christ, which is the realm or territory of God’s rule by His Son. [Ephesians 1:19-22] For details see notes in Nazarene Commentary 2000 on Matthew 13:40-42.

LK13:19 God’s Realm is like a mustard seed that someone cast into his garden. And it grew and became a large bush, 604 and the birds of the sky nested in its branches.” 605 [Daniel 4:12]

604

It grew and became a large bush: Or, great tree. The Greek is DENDRON. [English = dendrite, dendritic, dendroid] The point of the parable is the tiny beginning of the congregation Jesus founded and its huge growth through the Church Age to modern times. Of all the miracles Jesus performed, if any had been told this Nazarene rabbi with his “little flock” would one day be the official religion of the Roman Empire – and the object of belief of two billion persons two thousand years later – none have would believe it for a moment. In some ways the analogy of the mustard seed parallels the fruitless fig tree. Because after three years of miracles and wondrous teachings, still only a very few Jews accepted Jesus. For details see notes in Nazarene Commentary 2000 on Matthew 13:32.

605	The birds of the sky nested in its branches: The phrase is identical to Daniel 4:12, 21.

LK13:20 And again he said: “To what shall I compare God’s Realm? LK13:21 It is like leaven that a woman took and hid in three 606 measures of wheat flour until the whole was leavened.” 607

606

Three: It is interesting Jesus would use this number, as it becomes one of the most corrupting numbers in Christendom – the Trinity. For details see notes in Nazarene Commentary 2000 on number three and compare Error of the Trinity. The number may just be used for emphasizing the completeness of the fermentation; or, it may allude to the three doctrines of the Pharisees, Sadducees, and Herodians. [For details see notes in Nazarene Commentary 2000 on Matthew 16:6, 11, 12 and Mark 8:15.

607	Until the whole was leavened: Though Christ’s domain starts small and becomes large, it also undergoes a fermentation as an apostasy to Greek and Jewish philosophies corrupt the whole. For details see notes in Nazarene Commentary 2000 on Matthew 13:33.

Luke 13:22-30 – Are Those Saved Few?

|| Matthew 7:13, 14, 22, 23; 8:12; 19:30; 20:16; 25:10, 12; 608 Mark 10:31 609

608	Matthew 7:13, 14, 22, 23; 8:12; 19:30; 20:16; 25:10, 12: For details see notes in Nazarene Commentary 2000 on Matthew.

609	Mark 10:31: For details see notes in Nazarene Commentary 2000 on Mark.

LK13:22 Now as Jesus traveled throughout the towns and villages he continued to teach as he made his way toward Jerusalem. 610

610	He made his way toward Jerusalem: Toward the final conflict with the Jewish hierarchy leading to Christ’s execution. Jesus has concentrated on Galilee during the beginning of his ministry, and now he devotes his whole attention to Jerusalem.

LK13:23 And someone asked him: “Master, are only a few going to be saved?” 611 Then Jesus said to them all:

611

Are only a few going to be saved: We cannot know for a certainty the meaning of the question. It is unlikely the questioner comprehends God’s will clearly. It is possible the question refers to the final number of those saved following the Judgment. This is not the way Jesus answers it, however. In the Christian Bible there are two parts to salvation: a] the initial saving from the world and a former sinful life; and, b] the final salvation following the judgment. For details see notes in Nazarene Commentary 2000 on save, saved, and salvation. Jesus only used the word “salvation” twice in all of his ministry.

LK13:24 “You must agonize 612 to enter through the narrow door, 613 because many I tell you will seek to enter 614 and will not be strong enough. 615

612

You must agonize: Or, KJV: strive to enter; GDS: you must strain every nerve; WMS: you must struggle; KNX: fight your way in; PME: do your utmost; NWT: exert yourselves vigorously. The Greek is AGONIZESTHE. Whatever it takes to be “saved” it will not be an easy thing Jesus here teaches. A form of this Greek word occurs several times in Paul’s own writings. Compare the Greek at 1 Corinthians 9:25; Colossians 1:29; 4:12; 1 Timothy 6:12; 2 Timothy 4:7. Salvation as part of the Christian Church is not a matter of merely accepting Christ and then living life as one did before. There is no agony in that.

613

To enter through the narrow door: Or, KJV: strait gate. A narrow door is restrictive and limiting compared to “a broad way.” [Compare notes on Matthew 7:13.] Jesus said: “I am the door.” [John 10:1, 7, 9] Those entering that door will be saved. This is that initial step in salvation mentioned above. This narrow, restrictive door is discipleship to Jesus the Nazarene. It means a person who has heard his teachings with “a good and honest heart” and who then retains and responds to what is learned from the Sayings of Christ. [Compare notes on Luke 8:15.] This BEGINS the course of discipleship and membership within the Body of Christ. To those Jews to whom Jesus spoke this acceptance of him as the Messiah was an agonizing decision, as it went against the Jewish hierarchy. To become a member of the original Nazarene community would present a life of great struggle. If one endures in this agony to the end, then upon the parousia-judgment final and complete salvation will be attained. [2 Corinthians 5:10; 1 John 2:28]

614	Many I tell you will seek to enter: Or, WEY: will try to find a way in. It may be correctly stated that billions of persons have entered the Christian Church throughout two thousand years. However, joining a church and becoming a “genuine disciple” are two different things. [John 8:31]

615

Will not be strong enough: Or, KJV: will not be able; GDS: will not succeed; RIE: will not have the power; NOR: will not be able to make it. Jesus teaches that the majority of those who attempt to enter the narrow door will not have the spiritual or moral strength. Are these condemned? The answer may lie in the parable of the four slaves in Luke 12. Christ will be the judge of each individual Christian. [2 Corinthians 5:10]

LK13:25 After the master of the house has risen he closes the door, 616 and all of you will begin to stand outside 617 and continue to knock on the door, saying: ‘Master, open to us!’ And he will tell you: ‘I have no idea who you are!’ 618

616

Has risen he closes the door: A possible allusion to his rising as Messiah at his parousia when the door to the Church is finally closed. The Jews of Jesus’ generation will rise in the judgment together with the non-Jews and some of the latter will condemn some of the former. [Matthew 10:15; 11:21-24; 12:41, 42] Both the righteous and unrighteous among mankind in general will be raised together. [Acts 17:31; 24:15] They will all be judged at the end of the Thousand Years. [Revelation 20:12-14] Likely then many will say, “Master, Master.” [Matthew 7:21-23]

617

You will begin to stand outside: Jesus is speaking to Jews. His language seems to be in the context of the judgment. They once had the opportunity to enter the narrow door but were not able. Now, after the door is locked, they change their minds. Now that they want in, the Master declares he never had any kind of relationship with them.

618	I have no idea who you are: Or, I do not know you.

LK13:26 Then you will start saying: ‘We ate and drank in your presence and you taught in our streets!’ 619

619	You taught in our streets: There were Jews who actually heard Jesus teach and witnessed his healings.

LK13:27 And he will tell you: ‘I have no idea who you are or from where you came! Get away from me, 620 all you workers of unrighteousness!’ [Psalm 6:8]

620	Get away from me: Jesus alludes to Psalm 6:8. He means the “many” from among the Jews mentioned earlier.

LK13:28 That is when you will continue to grind your teeth and mourn as you see Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob 621 – as well as all the prophets – in God’s Realm, while you are cast outside. 622

621	Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob: These patriarchs stand as symbols for their offspring who later became those Jews who did enter the narrow door, such as Christ’s own apostles. For details see notes in Nazarene Commentary 2000 on Matthew 8:11.

622	While you are cast outside: The majority of Jews from Jesus’ own generation will never enter the Church, though they will stand in the judgment with the non-Jews and be judged according to their own Law. [For details see notes in Nazarene Commentary 2000 on Romans 2:12-16.]

LK13:29 For they will come 623 from east and west, [Isaiah 49:12] from north and south, and they will recline at the table in God’s Realm.

623	They will come: These are the “other sheep” of John 10:16. That is, the non-Jewish believers who did enter the narrow door. Jesus uses language from Isaiah 49:12. For details see notes in Nazarene Commentary 2000 on Ephesians 2:11-18.

LK13:30 And, behold, those who are ‘last’ 624 will be ‘first’ and those who are ‘first’ will be ‘last’.”

624	Last: Those considered ‘last’ by the Jewish hierarchy – Jesus disciples and the non-Jews.

Luke 13:31-35 – Your House Is Abandoned

|| Matthew 23:37-39 625

625	Matthew 23:37-39: For details see notes in Nazarene Commentary 2000 on Matthew.

LK13:31 At that same time some Pharisees approached Jesus and said to him: “Get out of here, because Herod wants to kill you!” LK13:32 So Jesus said to them: “Go tell that fox – behold, I will expel demons and perform healings today and tomorrow, then the third day I will be done. LK13:33 So, today, tomorrow, and the following day I must continue on my way, because it is impossible for a prophet to die outside of Jerusalem. LK13:34 Jerusalem, 626 Jerusalem – the one killing the prophets and stoning those sent forth to her – how often I wanted to gather your children 627 like a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but you were unwilling.

626	Jerusalem: Compare Isaiah 1:21.

627	Often I wanted to gather your children: Jesus has a deep yearning and empathy for his own people and that city he often visited throughout his life. The problem is not with his affections. [Isaiah 40:11]

LK13:35 Behold, your house is abandoned to you! 628 [Jeremiah 22:5] But, I tell you all, you will by no means see me 629 until the time comes when all of you say, ‘“Blessed is the One coming in YHWH’s Name!”’” 630 [Psalm 118:26]

628

Your house is abandoned to you: Or, KJV: your house is left unto you desolate; GDS: now I leave you to yourselves; RSV: your house is forsaken; NEB: there is your temple, forsaken by God. Jesus alludes to Jeremiah 22:5 where it is the royal dynastic house of Zedekiah. Some see the temple in this house. It is likely Jesus means the “house of Israel” and his generation of Jews who are to be rejected as having any part in Christ’s Church and their future rule. This is not a blanket judgment, for any individual Jew – as millions did – throughout the Gospel Age may enter that narrow door. God condemned the Hebrews and their temple in the 6th Century BC and He intends to destroy that temple and city in Jesus’ day. [Daniel 9:25-27; Matthew 22:7] Moses prophesied the outcome to all of Israel if they did not obey the Law. [Deuteronomy 28:15-68]

629	See me: It is possible Jesus means “experience” me in the sense of having an intimate relationship with him. In order to do that they will have to respond in the words of the Hallel Psalm 118:26.

630	YHWH’s Name: The Tetragram occurs in Psalm 118:26 and the Greek construct here may suggest Yehowah originally occurred here.

Review Questions on Chapter Thirteen