Luke 06.01-11 | The Lord of the Sabbath

Luke 06.01-11 What we will study this morning in The Lord of the Sabbath: 01. The Sabbath Regulations (Luke 06); 02. In the Grainfields (Luke 06.01-05); and 03. In the Synagogue (Luke 06.06-11).

01. The Sabbath Regulations

The fourth commandment, given by God to Moses and the children of Israel is about the Sabbath (Exodus 20.08-11). The word “Sabbath” means, “rest” and it begins at sundown Friday night and ends on sundown Saturday night. The Sabbath has its beginning in creation (Genesis 02.02-03). For the Jew’s, resting on the seventh day was not only a beneficial thing for their bodies, but also for their animals that did work (Exodus 20.10; Deuteronomy 05.14). There was to be no work done (Exodus 20.10; Leviticus 23.03), nothing could be bought or sold (Nehemiah 10.31; Nehemiah 13.15-17), no one could bear any burdens  (Nehemiah 13.19; Jeremiah 17.21). The idea of making the Sabbath a day of rest was so that God’s people would not have anything hindering them from worshipping God. The only work that God allowed His people to do on the Sabbath was anything that was associated with worshipping God (Numbers 28.09; Matthew 12.05; John 07.23). Worship and prayer were to be done (Ezekiel 46.03; Acts 16.13) as well as reading from the Scriptures (Acts 13.27; Acts 15.21) and teaching from the Word of God (Acts 13.14-15, 44; Acts 17.02; Acts 18.04).

Keeping the Sabbath was to be a great testimony to the surrounding pagan nations, for to them, it was just another day. Not working for one day can mean not making money, which can be scary, but as the people of God, they needed to trust in God for everything and that He will provide all that we need (Psalm 23.01; Philippians 04.19). Its trusting that He knows what is best for us. Nehemiah dealt with this after he rebuilt the wall of Jerusalem (Nehemiah 10.31; Nehemiah 13.15-22). This is the only commandment that is not repeated in the New Testament as a commandment for us today.

The writer of Hebrews tells us that the Sabbath was a foreshadowing of the rest that we find in Jesus (Hebrews 04.01-16).

The reason that we now worship on Sunday is because Jesus rose from the dead on a Sunday (Matthew 28.01-08; Mark 16.01-11; Luke 24.01-12 John 20.01-10). Dr. Luke records for us in Acts 20.07 that the early church gathered on the “On the first day of the week”. Paul, writing to the Corinthian church encouraged the saints to take up a collection for the saints in need in Jerusalem when they gathered for worship “On the first day of the week” (1Corinthians 16.01-04). Paul does state though that it really doesn’t matter what day we worship on (Romans 14.05-06; Colossians 02.16-17), for every day we ought to worship Jesus.

Through time, the Pharisees added their interpretations of the Law and actually onto the Law itself. Some of the restrictions that the Rabbis put on the people regarding the Sabbath: In the book of Acts we are told about “a Sabbath day’s journey” (Acts 01.12), which the Pharisees declared to be 2,000 cubits, or 3,000 feet. This dictated that a person could not travel more than 3,000 feet from his home, (Exodus 16.29), and they got this distance from Numbers 35.05 and Joshua 03.04. But, there was a way around this. What a person could do before the start of the Sabbath was to take a plate of food and carry it 3,000 feet away from your house. Thus making that place where they put the food was another home! If you took a piece of wood or a rope and strung it across the end of a narrow street or alley, it formed a doorway, thus making it your home. If you lifted something in a public place, you could only set it down in a private place, and vice versa. If you tossed something in the air and caught it with the other hand, this was prohibited, yet if you catch it with the same hand that tossed it, that was ok. If a person reached out to get some food just as the Sabbath started, you had to drop the food, and bring the arm back, because you were forbidden to carry anything on the Sabbath. It was not allowed to carry something heavier them a dried fig, but if the fig was divided into two pieces, you can carry them one at a time. You could not shake our your clothes before getting dresses because you might accidently kill an insect. Warm water could not be poured into cold water, but cold water could be poured into warm water. You were not allowed to bathe on the Sabbath because if you spilled water on the floor, the floor would be cleaned and that was work. Moving a chair was not allowed since it might make a rut in the dirt floor, which is similar to plowing and thus not allowed. A lamp could not be lit or extinguished on the Sabbath. Women were forbidden to look into a mirror on the Sabbath because they might see that they have a white hair and try to pull it out! If a person had false teeth, they were not allowed to wear them because if the teeth fall out, that person will bend down to get them and carry them, and you are not allowed to bear a burden of the Sabbath. You couldn’t tie knots and untie knots; you couldn’t sweep dirt up and could not break up a clod of dirt. A radish may be dipped into salt, but not left in too long, since this would be to make pickle. If you break a bone on the Sabbath, it cannot be set, and there was to be no medical procedures done, unless it was a life-threatening situation. If a person had chickens for the purpose of getting eggs, and a hen laid an egg on the Sabbath, the egg was forbidden. But if the reason you had the hen was to fatten her up and eventually eat her, and she laid an egg on the Sabbath, the egg could be eaten because now it was a part of the chicken that had fallen off! (cf. Alfred Edersheim, The Life and Times of Jesus the Messiah [Peabody; Hendrickson, 1993], Appendix 17, p1046-56, 2.777-87)

The Pharisees also taught that before you sat down to eat, the proper way to wash your hands was to wash all the way up to the elbow (Mark 07.01-05). To fail to do so was a grievous crime and inviting Shibta, an evil spirit to have permission to sit on the food of the one who failed to properly wash, and cause great harm to him.

Jesus addressed these traditions of men in Mark 07.07-09, stating: “IN VAIN DO THEY [the Pharisees] WORSHIP ME, TEACHING AS DOCTRINES THE PRECEPTS OF MEN.’ “Neglecting the commandment of God, you hold to the tradition of men…You are experts at setting aside the commandment of God in order to keep your tradition.”

Jesus in our text this morning address the Pharisees, showing them that He is the Lord of the Sabbath and that their traditions are just that; traditions.  Traditions are good when you remember why you do them. Most like to keep traditions because it makes them feel like they are close to God, hence the rise in the Emergent Church and more Protestants going to the Roman Catholic Church.

02. In the Grainfields (Luke 06.01-05)

Luke 06.01 “1 Now it happened that He was passing through some grainfields on a Sabbath” The King James Version (KJV) and New Kings James (NKJV) have this written as “on the second Sabbath after the first” and Dr. Luke uses a unique word in the Greek, and it has given Bible expositors great difficulty. The Greek word that Dr. Luke uses for “Sabbath” here is (G1207) deuteroprwtov and it means the second-first, specifically it is referring to the first Sabbath after the second day of Passover. This means that the text that we are studying this morning took place a day before the Feast of Weeks, which was commanded to the Jews by God to “bring in the sheaf of the first fruits of your harvest to the priest. ‘He shall wave the sheaf before YHWH for you to be accepted; on the day after the sabbath the priest shall wave it.” (Leviticus 23.10-11) Most people seem to be in agreement that this took place on a Sabbath between Passover and Shavuot  (Pentecost) (Leviticus 23.15; Deuteronomy 16.09)

The disciples of Jesus were following behind Jesus as He went along a path that wound its way through a field of grain. We are not told what type of grain this is that they are walking through. Matthew tells us in his gospel account that the disciples were hungry (Matthew 12.01), so they “were picking the heads of grain, rubbing them in their hands, and eating the grain.” (Luke 06.01). Any other day of the week this was allowed under the Mosaic Law (Deuteronomy 23.25), but because it was the Sabbath, the disciples were sinning according to the rabbinic regulations.

Luke 06.02 According to Rabbinical beliefs, picking the heads of grain was reaping, rubbing the husks together to separate the grain was threshing, winnowing was done by throwing the husks away, and therefore preparing food. So, according to the Pharisees, these disciples were guilty of breaking the Sabbath. This violation of the law committed by the disciples was according to the Rabbinic law, which was not Biblical, but the traditions of men (Mark 07.08-09).

We see this same attitude today in the church, where modern day Pharisees try to make others feel guilty for not reading their Bible every day. Or they condemn you for how you dress at church, saying that the only proper way to dress is to dress up…good thing these modern day Pharisees weren’t around, for they would kick Jesus and His disciples out of the church for not conforming to their man-made traditions!

Taking the grain like the disciples did was not stealing, in fact the Law of Moses (Deuteronomy 23.25) stated that if you were traveling through a field and were hungry, you were allowed to pick off what you need to fill you up, but you were not allowed to harvest it for yourself.

Luke 06.03-04 Jesus didn’t argue with the Pharisees, but instead took them to the Word of God. Always go to the Word of God for your answers, never what is the popular opinion, never what your experience was and what you think should be done. Always do the opposite of what Oprah tells you to do! Know the Word so that you can use the Word in response (1Peter 03.15).

Jesus answered the Pharisees in a typical Jewish way, answering the question with a question. Jesus reminds them about what David did when he was fleeing from King Saul in 1Samuel 21.01-09. David came to the priests at Nob and David asked Ahimelech for some bread to feed him and his men. The only food that was available was the Showbread, that was to be set apart.

The showbread was placed every Sabbath on the Table of the Showbread located in the inner court of the Temple. Every Sabbath the showbread would be replaced with fresh bread, and the high priest had the right to take half of the old showbread. (cf. Alfred Edersheim, The Temple—Its Ministry and Services, Ch 04, p30, pdf version)

Ahimelech then gave David and his men the showbread, and it must have been on the Sabbath that this happened because we are told that “there was no bread there but the bread of the Presence which was removed from before YHWH, in order to put hot bread in its place when it was taken away.” (1Samuel 21.06; Leviticus 24.08)

Mark tells us that Jesus also said to the Pharisees, “The Sabbath was made for man, and not man for the Sabbath.” (Mark 02.27) and Matthew records Jesus rebuking them, “But if you had known what this means, ‘I DESIRE COMPASSION, AND NOT A SACRIFICE,’ you would not have condemned the innocent.” (Matthew 12.07) quoting (Hosea 06.06). Jesus adds one last statement about this, by “saying to them, “The Son of Man is Lord of the Sabbath.”” (Luke 06.05) Using the example of David, Jesus told the Pharisees that mercy, kindness and meeting basic human needs is more important than keeping the letter of the Law. And that if the priest allowed David to eat of the consecrated bread and David committed no sin by eating of the bread, then the same is true about His disciples eating the grain on the Sabbath.

By stating that He is the “Lord of the Sabbath.” (Luke 06.05), Jesus was stating that He is equal with God, since God in Exodus 20.08-11 established the Sabbath. As the Son of God, He is the final authority on the Law, and only He has the right to decide what is acceptable on the Sabbath because He is the “Lord of the Sabbath.” (Luke 06.05) Jesus was not the slave of the Sabbath, but the master (G2962. kuriov) of it.

The comparison that Jesus makes was obvious to the Pharisees. David and his men were permitted to break the Law because the priest gave them permission to, for the Law was not to be above basic human need. Jesus and His disciples were not bound to the man-made law of the Pharisees. The incumbent king of Israel, Saul was pursuing God’s anointed king of Israel (1Samuel 16.13), David and his men. The Pharisees much like Saul, were pursuing Jesus, the Son of David (Isaiah 11.01; Matthew 01.01; Matthew 09.27; Matthew 12.23; Matthew 15.22; Matthew 20.30-31; Matthew 21.09; Matthew 22.42; Mark 10.47-48; Luke 18.38-39; Revelation 05.05), God’s Anointed Son and His disciples. Saul saw David as a threat to his kingdom, just as the Pharisees saw Jesus as a threat to their man-made laws.

03. In the Synagogue (Luke 06.06-11)

Luke 06.06 We are not told how much time has passed between Luke 06.05 and Luke 06.06, but all three Synoptic Gospels (Matthew 12.09-14, Mark 03.01-06 and Luke 06.06-11) all have this immediately after the grainfield incident.

Luke 06.06 “He entered the synagogue and was teaching;” We are not told the content of His teaching, but we know it would have been with authority (Luke 04.32), “TO PROCLAIM THE FAVORABLE YEAR OF THE LORD.” (Luke 04.19; Isaiah 61.01-02), preaching the Gospel to the poor, release to the captives, sight for the blind and to set free those who are oppressed (Luke 04.18)

Luke 06.06 “and there was a man there whose right hand was withered.” Of the three Gospels that record this account (Matthew 12.09-14, Mark 03.01-06), only Dr. Luke mentions that it was the right hand of this man that was withered, having atrophied because it was paralyzed.

Luke 06.07 The scribes and the Pharisees were there in the synagogue “watching Him closely”, or in the Greek (G3906) parathrew which means to spy.

There are some people who think that this man was brought to the synagogue on purpose to see what Jesus would do. If Jesus would heal the man, then they could in their eyes rightfully charge Jesus with breaking their Law of no healing on the Sabbath.

The Rabbis at this time stated that in order to keep the fourth commandment, and do no work on the Sabbath (Exodus 20.08-11), there could be no healing done by a doctor. It was not allowed to even bind up a broken leg. For to do so meant that work was done, thus violating the Sabbath. The only exception to this was if it was a matter of life or death, or if a woman who was pregnant went into labor on a Sabbath. There was no room for compassion or mercy, for to do so made you a lawbreaker.

Luke 06.08 “But He knew what they were thinking,” Jesus knew that they wanted Him to heal this man so that they could catch Him breaking their laws for the Sabbath. Jesus knows the thoughts of man (1Chronicles 28.09; Psalm 44.21; Hebrews 04.13; Revelation 02.23), nothing is hidden from Him because He is God. It is interesting to point out that the Pharisees wanted and expected Jesus to heal this man, just so that they would have a reason to accuse Him of breaking the Sabbath. In Matthew’s Gospel he tells us that the Pharisees asked Jesus “Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath?”--so that they might accuse Him.” (Matthew 12.10)

Luke 06.08 “and He said to the man with the withered hand, “Get up and come forward!” And he got up and came forward.” Jesus had the man get up and come forward, so that everyone there in the synagogue could see him.

Now that the man has come forward, Jesus doesn’t address the man, but the Pharisees.

Luke 06.09 Jesus bluntly asked them if it was all right to heal and do something good on the Sabbath. This mans problem was not life-threatening, so according to the teachings he could not be healed on the Sabbath. To leave a sick person in a state of misery was just plain evil, and the Pharisees were willing to not help just because it was the Sabbath.

The Pharisees knew that the trap they laid for Jesus was now turned on them. To answer that it was lawful to heal on the Sabbath would undermine what they had been teaching for years and in a sense put their stamp of approval on Jesus to heal the man, and thus not being able to bring charges against Him for healing on the Sabbath. But to say that it was not lawful to heal on the Sabbath would reveal the wickedness and evil in their hearts in front of everyone there in the Synagogue. Being the self-righteous, prideful men that they were, they refused to admit that they were wrong so they stayed silent. By asking this question, Jesus made it clear that refusing to do good on the Sabbath was the same as doing evil.

Luke 06.10 “After looking around at them all,” Mark tells us in his Gospel that “After looking around at them with anger, [Jesus was} grieved at their {the Pharisees} hardness of heart” (Mark 03.05).

Luke 06.10 “He said to him, “Stretch out your hand!” And he did so; and his hand was restored.” Jesus then commanded the man to do something that was physically impossible, to “Stretch out your hand!” In faith, that man stretched out his hand “and his hand was restored.” (Luke 06.10). The Greek word that Dr. Luke uses for “restored” here is (G600) apokayisthmi and is written in the Aorist Passive Indicative, essentially meaning that there was a complete restoration of the hand.

One other interesting note to highlight is that Jesus physically did no work here, all He did was command the man to stretch forth his hand, and Jesus healed his hand without touching it! Jesus didn’t wave His coat around or wave His arms around, He simply spoke and it was healed. Jesus healed the man without breaking the laws of the Pharisees.

Luke 06.11 “But they themselves were filled with rage,” The Greek word that Dr. Luke uses here for “rage” is anoiav from (G454) anoia and it means insanity expressing itself in rage.

Luke 06.11 “and discussed together what they might do to Jesus.” Mark tells us in his Gospel: “The Pharisees went out and immediately began conspiring with the Herodians against Him, as to how they might destroy Him.” (Mark03.06). They wanted Him dead.

Here we see the double standard of the Pharisees, for they obviously thought that it was unlawful for Jesus to heal on the Sabbath, yet they thought nothing of it that they wanted to kill a Godly man who had done nothing wrong, which is murder, the sixth commandment (Exodus 20.13)! The Pharisees were filled with anoiav (G454-rage) but they needed metanoia (G3341), which is Greek for “a change of mind” and often used of someone who repents of their sins.

Luke 05.27-39 | The Saviour of Sinners

Luke 05.27-39 Most religious systems throughout time stand in strake contrast to true, Orthodox Christianity. Most religious systems state that in order to achieve godhood or some higher plane, you need to rid yourself of sin and other hindrances that keep you from advancing in that religious system. They require that an individual works and earns his way to the top. They first make him sorry for what he has done, and then the god of that religious system welcomes him, which is a works-based faith. The Mormons seek godhood of their own planet by going through temple ceremonies (marriage, baptism, etc.). The Jehovah’s Witness seek to earn eternal life here on earth by going door-to-door trying to convert unbelievers. The Roman Catholics seek salvation through the Mass, prayers to the saints, keeping the sacraments and doing indulgences. Muslims hope to enter paradise by following the Five Pillars of Islam, and will gain immediate access if they die fighting (Jihad) for Allah. Hindu’s seek godhood by doing yoga postures that are designed to form your body into the image of animals, and each of the poses are gods in Hinduism. So by doing yoga (which means to yoke, to become one with) it is the Hindu’s best attempt to not have to go through what’s called the “wheel of samsara” (wheel of sorrows) this constant reincarnation where you try to reach perfection. Yoga is comparable to these previous religions as a way to get to paradise.

Because of influences like these false religions, many people have a hard time with Jesus because they think that they should do something to deserve the grace, forgiveness and love from God (Ephesians 02.01-22). Many will often say that when they get their life in order is when they will get serious for God! Salvation is completely all about the grace of God through faith. It is through God’s grace that “justifies the ungodly”, not the godly (Romans 04.05).

As we continue in our study of the life of the Son of Man who is Jesus, we see that He welcomes sinners and calls them to follow Him. After they follow Him is when they repent of their sins, for meeting Jesus reveals the utter depravity of man. What we will study today in The Saviour of Sinners is 01. The Sinner Called (Luke 05.27-28); 02. Calling Sinners to Repentance (Luke 05.29-32); 03. The Saviour Responds (Luke 05.33-39).

01. The Sinner Called (Luke 05.27-28)

After healing of the paralytic (Luke 05.17-26), Mark tells us in his Gospel account that Jesus went to the shore of the Sea of Galilee and that “all the people were coming to Him, and He was teaching them.” (Mark 02.13) Mark also tells us that Levi was “the son of Alphaeus” (Mark 02.14). Matthew though in his Gospel account tells us that his name is Matthew (Matthew 09.09). Many think that Matthew was his surname.

While Jesus is walking by the Sea of Galilee, He “and noticed a tax collector named Levi sitting in the tax booth” (Luke 05.27). Capernaum was a customs post on the caravan route from Damascus to the Mediterranean Sea. Being located on the shores of the Sea of Galilee, the tax collectors were also in position to collect taxes on boats. Levi Matthew was a tax-official in the service of Herod Antipas who ruled over the Galilee. The way that the tax system was set up here at this time was that the Romans would hire Jews to collect taxes throughout the land. These Jewish tax collectors directly reported to Gentiles; they collected taxes so that their superiors wouldn’t have to work. The main requirement that the tax collectors had to fulfill was to collect the taxes from the people. The tax collector was allowed to collect more than what was required and keep the extra.

There were two classes of tax collectors: The Gabbai, who collected general taxes such as ground tax, income tax and poll tax. The ground tax was one-tenth of all grain and one-fifth of the fruit and wine grown. The income tax was one percent, and the poll tax was collected from everyone, the slave and the free, starting on men who were the age of fourteen and women starting at the age of twelve until the age of sixty-five. The other class of tax collectors was the Mokhes. The Mokhes were further divided into the Great Mokhes and the Little Mokhes. The Great Mokhes stayed behind the scenes and hired others, the Little Mokhes to collect taxes for them. The Mokhes were usually the ones who would collect more than what was required by Rome, and they would make life extremely difficult especially for the poor. They would place a tax on all exports and imports and all that was bought and sold. They would charge a tax to cross a bridge, to go on a road, to go into the harbor, entering and leaving town, the number of axels on a cart, how many animals you were using etc. To make matters worse, they could stop the traveler, make them unpack all of their goods, impose a tax on them for all that they had, and of course charge them more than what was required by Rome. It’s not hard to see why the Jews despised the tax collectors for all the physical and financial hardships that they placed on people, and that they were Jews working for Gentiles. The Rabbis taught that repentance was nearly impossible for a tax collector. Tax collectors were also banned from being judges, witnesses and from worshipping in the synagogue. (cf. Alfred Edersheim, The Life and Times of Jesus the Messiah [Peabody; Hendrickson, 1993], Bk 03, Ch 17, p351-58, 1.507-19) Many believe that Levi Matthew was one of these Little Mokhes tax collectors because he manned a tax booth, which means he was the one who dealt with people, thus making him the most hated of all tax collectors.

So far in the Gospel of Luke, Dr. Luke records for us that Jesus has interacted a demoniac (Luke 04.31-37), the sick (Luke 04.38-41), a man with leprosy (Luke 05.12-16), and a man who was paralyzed (Luke 05.17-26). Now He deals with one of the dregs of society, the tax collector.

Luke 05.27 “and He said to him, “Follow Me.”” It was to this despised tax collector named Levi Matthew, who the Rabbis taught that repentance was nearly impossible; this very man is who Jesus graciously called him to follow Him. The Greek word that is used for “Follow” (G190) is akolouyew and it means to join one as a disciple and it is written in the Present Active Imperative, meaning that it is a command that involves continuous or repeated action. It was the common practice at this time for a Rabbi to gather for himself his disciples. A Rabbi would walk up and choose men by basically saying, “Follow me”, and that man would immediately understand what that meant, and would drop all things to be a disciple of the Rabbi.

Luke 05.28 Levi Matthew’s response to this gracious call of our Saviour was to immediately get up, leave his tax job and follow Jesus. Jesus gave Him the command (Luke 05.27), and he obeyed. He began at once to follow Him and he didn’t stop. Levi Matthew forsook all, leaving behind his very profitable job as a tax collector and now he is following the Son of Man who (Matthew 08.20; Luke 09.58) “has nowhere to lay His head.” Levi Matthew immediately got up and left his tax job and started to follow Jesus. Jesus gave Him the command (Luke 05.27), and he obeyed. He began at once to follow Him and he didn’t stop. To follow Jesus means to be willing to leave it all behind. Levi Matthew wasn’t just physically following Jesus, but also spiritually and became one of the twelve disciples (Luke 06.15) We saw this same leaving it all behind at the beginning of this chapter when Jesus was By The Lake (Luke 05.01-11), when He called the fishermen to follow Him and when they “brought their boats to land, they left everything and followed Him.” (Luke 05.11) This same leaving it all behind action was displayed by Elisha who has plowing oxen when Elijah came by “and threw his mantle on him” (1Kings 19.19), which was symbolic of passing the authority from one to another. Immediately Elisha confirmed his decision by killing his oxen and burned the plow and followed Elijah (1Kings 19.20-21).

02. Calling Sinners to Repentance (Luke 05.29-32)

More than likely there was some amount of time that passes between Luke 05.28 and Luke 05.29, as it would take some time to organize a massive feast.

Luke 05.29 “And Levi gave a big reception for Him in his house;” Levi Matthew has this great feast to honor Jesus.

Luke 05.29 “and there was a great crowd of tax collectors and other people who were reclining at the table with them.” Levi Matthew invited many of the tax collectors that he knew through the years, all of who needed Jesus. A man whose sins have been forgiven wants the same for those who he loves. Levi Matthew obviously wants his friends to follow Jesus as well. Remember, the Rabbis taught that repentance was nearly impossible for the tax collectors. So because of this, no one but the social outcasts would interact with the tax collectors.

Luke 05.30 The word for “grumbling” in the original Greek (G1111) gogguzw is used of the cooing of doves and is written in the Imperfect Active Indicative, meaning that they were continuously murmuring.

According to the custom of the day, people would gather at the homes of the rich when they were having feasts with the hopes that they would be invited in. These Pharisees and their scribes were not invited to the feast, and they wouldn’t have showed up if they were! But because they weren’t invited, they would hang out on the outside and condemn Jesus and the disciples for being in the presence of the wicked, vile tax collectors. The Pharisees launched an indirect attack on Jesus through His disciples, hoping to discourage them and cause them to stop following Jesus. It is interesting to point out that people today indirectly attack Jesus through His disciples today.

Luke 05.31 “And Jesus answered and said to them,” Jesus knew that their questioning of the disciples was about Him and trying to undermine His authority, so Jesus answered them.

Luke 05.31 “It is not those who are well who need a physician, but those who are sick.”

The answer of Jesus to the questioned asked by the Pharisees reveals to us that only people who recognize their need for salvation are the only kind of people who are willing to come to Him. In their own opinion, the Pharisees thought themselves to be spiritually well and in no need for the Saviour of Sinners. Jesus is the Great Physician, for only He knows all of our sins, and He is our Saviour, for He is the remedy of mankind’s sin, redeeming us by His blood on the cross (Titus 02.11-14; 1Peter 01.18-19).

Luke 05.32 The Greek word for “repentance” is (G3341) metanoia and it literally means a change of mind. Only those who are sinners are those who are in need of repentance. Remember, the Rabbis taught that repentance was nearly impossible for the tax collectors. In Luke 04.18-21, when Jesus was teaching in the Nazareth synagogue, He read from Isaiah 61.01-02 saying that He came to “TO PROCLAIM THE FAVORABLE YEAR OF THE LORD.” (Luke 04.19), preaching the Gospel to the poor, release to the captives, sight for the blind and to set free those who are oppressed (Luke 04.18) and that “Today this Scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing.” (Luke 04.21). Jesus speaking directly at the Pharisees is essentially saying that those who are only righteous on the outside are not whom He came for, but to the sinners, those who recognize that they are sinners in need of a Saviour. Paul writes that Jesus died to reconcile the ungodly, the sinners to God (Romans 05.06-10).

03. The Saviour Responds (Luke 05.33-39)

Matthew and Mark tell us in their Gospel accounts that the disciples of John were there with the Pharisees asking this question (Matthew 09.14-17; Mark 02.18-22). So undoubtedly the Pharisees and John’s disciples were together asking this question of Jesus. So the question is really a veiled attempt to rebuke Jesus for not having His disciples fast like the Pharisees and John’s disciples did. The Pharisees had a tradition of fasting twice a week, on Monday and Thursday, for it was taught by them that Moses ascended Mt. Sinai the second time to get the Law (Exodus 34.01-35; Deuteronomy 10.01-05) on a Thursday and came down on a Monday. (cf. Alfred Edersheim, The Life and Times of Jesus the Messiah [Peabody; Hendrickson, 1993], Bk 03, Ch 28, p445, 1.663) Mark tells us that “John’s disciples and the Pharisees were fasting” (Mark 02.18) when they came to Jesus here. So this feast that Levi Matthew threw for Jesus was probably on a Monday or Thursday. Jesus essentially answers them saying that the old way of Judaism does not mix with His way.

Luke 05.34 Most English versions miss what is being said in the original Greek, though the NASB95 seems to do a fair job but still doesn’t completely capture what is being said here.

The phrase found in the NKJV is “Can you make” and in the Greek it is “mὴ δύνασθε”. In Greek, when “mὴ” is before a verb (G1410 dunamai which means “can or able”) it implies a negative answer. in this case the Greek verb. Luke 05.34 “ὁ δὲ εἶπεν πρὸς αὐτούς mὴ δύνασθε τοὺς υἱοὺς τοῦ νυμφῶνος ἐν ᾧ ὁ νυμφίος μετ᾽ αὐτῶν ἐστιν ποιῆσαι νηστεύειν” (Textus Recpetus) So when Jesus says “You cannot make the attendants of the bridegroom fast while the bridegroom is with them, can you?” (Luke 05.34) He is saying it with the understanding by all who are there that the answer to His question is no.

In the Jewish culture, a wedding feast was a weeklong festival. During that time it was understood that joy of all there was more important than keeping any of the religious festivals, including fasting on Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement. Jesus of course is the bridegroom, and His disciples are the attendants, and He is saying that during His short time here on Earth his followers were to be happy and joyful, and not burdened with fasting.

Luke 05.35 Here Jesus is referencing His coming death on the cross, prophesied by Daniel (Daniel 09.26) and Zechariah (Zechariah 13.07).

Luke 05.36 A new piece of cloth that has not been shrunk is not put on an old garment because the patch will shrink and make the tear worse. The old garment is a picture of righteousness by works, which is what the Pharisees taught and believed. The new patch is a picture of the grace given to us freely by Jesus. If anyone trusts in works righteousness and then attempts to cover his sins by the grace of God will soon find out that the two don’t fit together. For a person who trusts in his own good works will be condemned for we are “saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not as a result of works, so that no one may boast. For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them.” (Ephesians 02.08-10)

Luke 05.37 New wine is never put in old wineskins for the wine will ferment and break the old skins because the old wineskins have lost their flexibility, and both the wine and wineskins will be ruined.

Luke 05.38 The new wine is the good news of the forgiveness of sins and God’s grace, and this cannot be found in the carnal man. If we accept the Gospel message of God’s grace and forgiveness, we must also accept the fact that in our old way of works righteousness is not good enough, for it is based solely on that which Jesus our Saviour did for us on the cross (1Corinthians 15.01-04).

You can’t fit the new life that is found in Jesus into your old life. Too many people try to shove Jesus into their lives instead of letting Him change their life (Ezekiel 36.26; 2Corinthians 05.17; Galatians 04.09-11; Galatians 05.01-06).

Luke 05.39 This was a proverb at the time, and Jesus used it to illustrate that the carnal man has drunk the old wine and likes the richness and smoothness of the old wine and thus have no desire for the new wine which is usually sharper and less agreeable. This is a perfect picture of the Pharisees as well as many people today who are set in their ways and become offended at even the thought of the new wine of Jesus. The Pharisees looked to the Law for their salvation and looked disapprovingly on Jesus. Levi Matthew’s duties as a tax collector left him ostracized from Jewish society, not allowed to worship in the synagogue, could not be a witness in court and repentance was nearly impossible according to the religious leaders of the day.  And yet he was a perfect candidate to be a disciple of Jesus. Why? Because Jesus came to “TO PROCLAIM THE FAVORABLE YEAR OF THE LORD.” (Luke 04.19), preaching the Gospel to the poor, release to the captives, sight for the blind and to set free those who are oppressed (Luke 04.18) for He has called “sinners to repentance.” (Luke 05.32).

Luke 05.17-26 | Healing and Forgiveness

Luke 05.17-26 What we will study today is Healing and Forgiveness 01. The Players (Luke 05.17-19); that 02. The Power to Forgive (Luke 05.20-24); and in how 03. The Paralytic Healed (Luke 05.25-26).

01. The Players (Luke 05.17-19)

Luke 05.17 “One day He was teaching,” Both Matthew and Mark record for us (Matthew 09.01-08; Mark 02.01-20) that Jesus was in Capernaum and He must have been in a large house because Mark tells us in Mark 02.02 that “And many were gathered together, so that there was no longer room, not even near the door; and He was speaking the word (G3056. logov) to them.”

Luke 05.17 “and there were some Pharisees”

Dr. Luke mentions the Pharisees for the first time in his gospel, and they were one of the five main sects at this time. The Pharisees have their origin between the Old and New Testaments and from the Chasidim, the “pious ones”, who opposed the Greek culture influencing the Jews under the evil and wicked Seleucid, King Antiochus Epiphanes. They get their name from the Hebrew word (H6567) vrp which means to separate, and they were called this because they were the “separated ones” when it came to their strictness on obeying the Law of Moses. They had only about 6,000 members at the time of Herod the Great (Josephus Antiquities 17.2.4) and they believed in the strictest observance of the law and to be meticulous in all religious duties, especially tithing. They would tithe what they ate, what they sold, what they bought, and not be a guest of the Am ha-arets (country people), those who didn’t care to know the law and thus they were cursed in the eyes of the Pharisees. They also believed in the Jewish thought of the predestination of God towards mankind, but they also taught that man has freedom of choice to do good or evil. They believed in angels (Acts 23.08), the resurrection of the dead (Acts 23.06-08) and demons. They were looking for the Messiah to come, but because of their zeal for the Law of Moses, they became focused on the outward keeping of the rituals of the Law and not on the heart. They were generally made up of the middle class and popular with the common people, who ironically they looked down upon. They were the minority in the Sanhedrin, but their popularity gave them great influence on the general population (Acts 05.34-40). After the destruction of the Temple in 70ad and the dissolution of the Sadducees, they became the prevailing influence in Judaism. (cf. Alfred Edersheim, The Life and Times of Jesus the Messiah [Peabody; Hendrickson, 1993], Book 01, Ch 08, p67, 1.97; Book 03, Ch 02, p215-24, 1.311-25)

Paul the apostle was a Pharisee, which he mentions in his letter to the Philippians (Philippians 03.04-11).

Luke 05.17 “and teachers of the law sitting there,” These were not the modern day lawyers that you and I are familiar with. These were most likely scribes, and they were professional students of the Law, with their specialty being the explanation and application of the Law. There were many Pharisees who were scribes, so they often worked together.

Dr. Luke then tells us that these Pharisees and scribes came “from every village of Galilee and Judea and from Jerusalem;” (Luke 05.17) This tells us that they were aware and concerned about the teaching and ministry of Jesus. Dr. Luke doesn’t record for us, but one of the first public acts by Jesus was when He overturned the Sadducees temple business by driving out the money changers and vendors selling merchandise that was highly marked up and ripping off the people (John 02.14-16). So Jesus was a marked man by all the religious leaders.

Luke 05.17 “and the power of the Lord was present for Him to perform healing.” Paul tells us that when Jesus came, He “emptied Himself, taking the form of a bond-servant, and being made in the likeness of men.” (Philippians 02.07) Jesus gave up the rights to the independent use of His Divine power, and ministered instead under the submission and will of the Heavenly Father, not clinging to His rights (Philippians 02.05-11).

Jesus always has the power to heal, but the conditions were not always constructive. For example, Matthew tells us that when Jesus taught in the Nazareth synagogue and said that “A prophet is not without honor except in his hometown and in his own household.” (Matthew 13.57; Luke 04.24), that He didn’t “do many miracles there (Nazareth) because of their unbelief.” (Matthew 13.58)

While Jesus was teaching, “some men were carrying on a bed a man who was paralyzed” (Luke 05.18). In Mark’s Gospel (Mark 02.03) he tells us that four men were carrying the paralyzed man. We are not told about how this man became paralyzed, if it was a birth defect or some accident that happened to him. Unlike with leprosy (Luke 05.12-16), paralytics were not outcasts in society, though they were often look down upon because the prevailing teaching of that time was that God would punish those who sin with physical ailments (John 09.02), which is not always true. Jesus responded to that belief by saying that some people go through hardship and ailments “so that the works of God might be displayed in him.” (John 09.03) When these four men got to the house where Jesus was preaching the word (Mark 02.02), the four men “were trying to bring him in and to set him down in front of Him.” (Luke 05.18) But they could not find “any way to bring him in because of the crowd,” (Luke 05.19)

Dr. Luke then tells us “they went up on the roof” (Luke 05.19) Houses at this time were built with flat roofs with short walls on the outside (Deuteronomy 22.08). The rooftop, or upper room in larger houses, would be used as a place to pray (Matthew 10.27; Matthew 24.17; Mark 13.15; Acts 10.09). It was from the rooftop that King David saw Bathsheba, the wife of Uriah the Hittite bathing when he should have been on the frontlines of the battle (2Samuel 11.01-02). Outside of the house and the upper room, there would a set of stairs leading to the top. This was used for the guests who stayed in the upper room so that they would not bother the inhabitants in the main house floor. The place where it seems that Jesus was at was in the upper room, because we are told that there was a big crowd (Mark 02.02) and the upper room was usually a place for people to meet and hear a rabbi teach (Acts 01.13; Acts 20.08). In the roof on the upper room, there was a small trapdoor. So when the men carrying the paralytic brought him to the roof, they removed the surrounding tiles around the trapdoor “and let him down through the tiles with his stretcher, into the middle of the crowd, in front of Jesus.” (Luke 05.19)

02. The Power to Forgive (Luke 05.20-24)

One can only imagine what the people in that upper room was thinking as the men on top started to move about. Then as they started to tear the tiles to fit the stretcher through the trapdoor, tiles and roofing materials start to fall on their heads. Then this man is lowered right in front of Jesus, and there is no record that the paralytic or the four friends who carried him said anything to Jesus, but His response would catch everyone there by surprise.

Luke 05.20 “Seeing their faith” When Jesus saw the faith of the paralytic and the four who carried him, “He said, “Friend, your sins are forgiven you.”” Matthew and Mark record for us that Jesus called the paralytic “Son” in Matthew 09.02 and Mark 02.05, and in Matthew 09.02 Jesus says, “Take courage, son; your sins are forgiven.” or “be of good cheer” in the King James Version, adding more of a personal touch between the Creator and the creation. There are some who speculate that the reason that Jesus said, “your sins are forgiven you.” (Luke 05.20) was to show to all that were present that though the man was guilty of some sin that made him paralyzed was forgiven, so take courage, and be of good cheer! The Rabbis considered disease in general was the result of sin. “No death without sin, and no pain without transgression” (Shabbat 55a) and “the sick is not healed, till all his sins are forgiven him” (Nedar. 41a). There are those who say that when Jesus said, “your sins are forgiven you.” (Luke 05.20), He was simply addressing the greatest need of man, that which is the source of all pain and suffering, sin in general.

If Jesus told this man that “your sins are forgiven you.” (Luke 05.20) because of a specific sin caused by the man made him paralyzed (like the prevailing thought of the day), or because this was a situation that sin in this world caused this man to be paralyzed, the grace of God is seen here so clearly, and “the works of God might be displayed in him.” (John 09.03), yet this man didn’t speak of his need, for the Lord knew what he needed, the forgiveness of his sins. More than the healing of his paralyzed legs, this man needed the forgiveness of his sins. There are many Christians, churches and parachurch organizations that believe the greatest need is to take care of the physical needs of people, much like what Richard Stearns, the president of World Vision said in an interview in 2007, “As a Christian organization, we are motivated by our commitment to Christ to love our neighbors and care for the less fortunate. That’s why we do what we do. We don’t proselytize.”

No tinkering with superficial discomforts, or culture of intellect and taste, or success in worldly pursuits, will avail to stanch the deep wound through which our life-blood is ebbing out. We need something that goes deeper than all these styptics. Only a power which can deal with our sense of sin, and soothe that into blessed assurance of pardon, is strong enough to grapple with our true root of misery. It is useless to give a man dying of cancer medicine for pimples. That is what all attempts to make man happy and restful while sin remains unforgiven, are doing. Social reformers need this lesson. Many voices proclaim many gospels to-day. Culture, economical or social reconstruction, is trumpeted as the panacea. But it matters comparatively little how society is organised. If its individual members retain their former natures, the former evils will come back, whatever its organisation. The only thorough cure for social evils is individual regeneration. Christ deals with men singly, and remoulds society by renewing the individual. (Alexander MacLaren, Alexander MacLaren’s Exposition of Holy Scripture, Luke 5)

These people need to hear the Good News that Jesus came as man, died, and rose from the grace three days later so that our sin will be forgiven and we can have eternal life in Heaven (1Corinthians 15.01-04)! Lack of forgiveness can be a cause so weighty upon mans heart, that when that burden is lifted, your soul is set free.

Sin is the cause of all misery, sickness, and death in the world. By removing the cause, the consequences were, in effect, taken away. The sick man’s faith knew this; he knew that the greatest earthly gift became his by these comforting words of Jesus. (Paul E. Kretzmann, The Popular Commentary, Luke 5)

Forgiveness is God’s greatest gift for man’s greatest need. This is why Jesus came to “save His people from their sins.” (Matthew 01.21) and “to open their eyes so that they may turn from darkness to light and from the dominion of Satan to God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins and an inheritance among those who have been sanctified by faith in Me.’” (Acts 26.18). Forgiveness is always paired with a sacrifice of redemption. When Adam and Eve sinned, Moses records for us that “YHWH God made garments of skin for Adam and his wife, and clothed them.” (Genesis 03.21) The killing of animals throughout the Old Testament, especially the offerings in the Temple, were all foreshadowing the ultimate sacrifice made by Jesus, the Messiah (HaMashiach).

David declared, “Iniquities prevail against me; As for our transgressions, You forgive them.” (Psalm 65.03) and “Who pardons all your iniquities, Who heals all your diseases; But there is forgiveness with You, That You may be feared.” (Psalm 103.03-04) and that “As far as the east is from the west, So far has He removed our transgressions from us.” (Psalm 103.12)

In Nehemiah 09.17, Nehemiah said that God is “a God of forgiveness, Gracious and compassionate, Slow to anger and abounding in lovingkindness” The Old Testament, the one that many think is filled with an angry God describes His forgiveness as casting “all my sins behind Your back.” (Isaiah 38.17) that He is “the one who wipes out your transgressions for My own sake, And I will not remember your sins.” (Isaiah 43.25) that “He will tread our iniquities under foot.” And “will cast all their sins Into the depths of the sea.” (Micah 07.19) As John the Baptist declared about Jesus, “Behold, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!” (John 01.29)

You know all of this would cause a stir, as Dr. Luke now tells us that “The scribes and the Pharisees began to reason,” (Luke 05.21). The Greek word for “reason” (G1260 dialogizomai) means to reckon thoroughly or to deliberate by discussion. The statement by Jesus of the forgiveness of the paralytic caused the scribes and the Pharisees to be disgusted, “saying, “Who is this man who speaks blasphemies? Who can forgive sins, but God alone?” (Luke 05.21) They were absolutely right, for it is only God who can forgive sins. We can’t even forgive ourselves because we don’t have that power and authority.  Only God can forgive sins because when mankind sins, it is ultimately against God that we sin against (Psalm 51.01-04). Now today, we can tell someone that their sins are forgiven based off of the Word of God, but as a created being we have no power to declare on our own authority that sins are forgiven (John 20.23) If Jesus was not God, He could not forgive sins in His own power, and thus He would be blaspheming like the scribes and Pharisees said. But because Jesus is God, they were wrong in saying that He was blaspheming, because in their mind He was just a man, not the Son of God.

Blasphemy was the most scandalous crime in the Jewish mind because it was a disrespectful act by a person towards God and its punishment was death according to the Law of Moses (Leviticus 24.16). You were considered a blasphemer if you spoke evil of God’s Law as Stephen (Acts 06.13) and Paul (Acts 21.27-28) was falsely accused of doing. It was even worse to speak evil of God or curse Him (Exodus 20.07; Leviticus 24.10-16). But the penultimate form of blasphemy was to claim that you were God, which is what we see the scribes and Pharisees accusing Jesus of doing here.

Luke 05.22 “But Jesus, aware of their reasonings,” because He was God omniscient. Jesus would not have known what they were thinking unless He is God. Luke 05.22 “answered and said to them, “Why are you reasoning in your hearts?” Scripture tells us that only God knows the heart of man in 1Samuel 16.07 and 1Kings 08.39.

Luke 05.23 “23 “Which is easier, to say, ‘Your sins have been forgiven you,’ or to say, ‘Get up and walk’?”

In one way it is just as easy to say one as the other, but it is entirely different to do either one since they both are impossible from a human point of view. It seems to be easier to say ‘Your sins have been forgiven you,’ (Luke 05.23) because there is no way of knowing that the sins really are forgiven.  If you say ‘Get up and walk’ (Luke 05.23) then it is easy to see if the man gets up and walks! Pronouncing the forgiveness of sins and telling a man to get up and walk are just as easy to God who is all-powerful. The Pharisees could not see that the sins of the man were forgiven, so they would not believe. Jesus then performed a miracle in healing the man so he could walk so that they could see that Jesus had truly forgiven the sins of the man.

Luke 05.24 “But, so that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins,” He was God manifest in the flesh. Son of Man is a description of Jesus as a Man according to God, the One who is morally perfect, One who would suffer, bleed, and die, and One to whom universal headship has been given (Daniel 07.13). Luke 05.24 “--He said to the paralytic--“I say to you, get up, and pick up your stretcher and go home.” In healing the paralyzed man, Jesus showed that He is the remedy for the cause of all disease, which is sin. We need forgiveness of sins more than physical healing!

03. The Paralytic Healed (Luke 05.25-26)

This is amazing! The man now was carrying the stretcher that carried him! When this man got up, the paralyzed man needed no physical therapy, he was able to get up and immediately walk! All right in front of the scribes, the Pharisees and all the people! As he got up to leave, Dr. Luke tells us that he “went home glorifying God.” (Luke 05.25) He was glorifying God not only because he was healed but more importantly that his sins were forgiven. Seeing this, all the people “were all struck with astonishment and began glorifying God; and they were filled with fear, saying, “We have seen remarkable things today.”” (Luke 05.26) The crowd recognized that they had seen amazing things, but not all of them would acknowledge Jesus as God.

The healing of the paralytic man again shows us that Jesus has the power over disease, as well that He has the authority to forgive sin and save mankind from eternity in Hell, which only God can do.

King David committed many sins (lust, covet, lying, murder, name of YHWH in vain) walking on the rooftop (2Samuel 11.01-12.31), the Son of David forgave the sins of the paralytic let down through the rooftop (Luke 05.20-24).