Luke 5:17

Luke 5:17-25 . And on a certain day, as he was teaching — Not on a sabbath day, as it appears, but on a week-day; and not in the synagogue, but in a private house. Preaching and hearing the word of God is good work, if it be performed properly, on any day in the week, as well as on the sabbath days; and in any convenient place, as well as in a place peculiarly set apart for divine worship: even there where we ordinarily converse with our friends, it is not improper to give and receive good instruction. There were Pharisees and doctors of the law sitting by — As being more honourable than the bulk of the congregation, who stood. These men of learning and influence had come from all quarters, on hearing the report of his miracles, to see his works, and scrutinize his pretensions of being a divinely-commissioned teacher. And the power of the Lord was present to heal — Namely, as many as then applied to him for the cure of their diseases. The sense is, that Christ not only preached such awakening sermons as might have converted them to righteousness, but his mighty and miraculous power was there to perform such cures as ought to have removed all their scruples with respect to his divine mission.

Accordingly he embraced an opportunity, which now offered, of showing his power on a man afflicted with the palsy to such a degree that he could neither walk, nor stand, nor sit, nor move any member of his body, nor utter so much as a word importing the least desire of relief; but seemed a carcass rather than a man. This miserable object was carried in his bed, or couch, by four persons, who, when they could not bring him in at the door because of the crowd that was gathered to see how Jesus would behave before such learned judges, they bare him up, by some stairs on the outside, to the roof of the house, which, like other roofs in that country, was flat, with a battlement round it, and had a kind of trap-door, it seems, by which the members of the family could come out upon it to walk, and take the air, or perform their devotions. Through this they let him down with his couch, into the midst of the company assembled, before Jesus — Who, knowing the man to be a true penitent, and observing the faith of those who brought him, immediately gave him the consolation of knowing that his sins were all forgiven; and as a proof that he had authority to announce to him such glad tidings, he immediately so perfectly healed him of his disorder, as to enable him instantly to rise up before all that were present, take up his couch, and walk. For a more particular elucidation of the circumstances of this remarkable miracle, see notes on Mark 2:3-12 .

He was teaching The pronoun has a slightly emphatic force: he as distinguished from the Pharisees and teachers of the law. Doctors of the law (νομοδιδάσκαλοι) Only in Luke and 1 Timothy 1:7. Luke often uses νομικὸς, conversant with the law, but in the other word the element of teaching is emphasized, probably in intentional contrast with Christ's teaching. Judaea and Jerusalem The Rabbinical writers divided Judaea proper into three parts - mountain, sea-shore, and valley - Jerusalem being regarded as a separate district. "Only one intimately acquainted with the state of matters at the time, would, with the Rabbis, have distinguished Jerusalem as a district separate from all the rest of Judaea, as Luke markedly does on several occasions (Acts 1:8; Acts 10:39)" (Edersheim, "Jewish Social Life"). Was present to heal them The A. V. follows the reading, αὐτούς, them; i.e., the sufferers who were present, referring back to Luke 5:15. The best texts, however, read αὐτόν, him, referring to Christ, and meaning was present that he should heal; i.e., in aid of his healing. So Rev.

Luke 5:17-26 . See on Matthew 9:1-8 ; Mark 2:1-12 . Between this and the foregoing history Matthew has a series of other transactions, the sequence of which he accurately indicates. Luke vaguely says: ἐν μιᾷ τῶν ἡμέρων , which, however, specifies approximately the time by means of the connection (“ on one of those days ,” namely, on the journey entered upon at Luke 4:43 f.). Comp. Luke 8:22 . καὶ αὐτός ] and He , as Luke 5:1 , but here in opposition to the Pharisees, etc., who were surrounding Him. ἐκ πάσης κώμης κ . τ . λ .] popularly hyperbolical. As to νομοδιδάσκ ., see on Matthew 22:35 . δύναμις κυρίου κ . τ . λ .] and the power of the Lord (of God) was there ( praesto erat , as at Mark 8:1 ) in aid of His healing . So according to the reading αὐτόν (see the critical remarks). According to the reading αὐτούς , this would have to be taken as a vague designation of the sufferers who were present, referring back to Luke 5:15 ; αὐτόν the subject , αὐτούς would be the object . Others, as Olshausen and Ewald, have incorrectly referred κυρίου to Jesus , whose healing power was stirred up ( Luke 6:19 ). Wherever Luke in his Gospel calls Christ the Lord, and that, as would here be the case, in narrative , he always writes ὁ κύριος with the article. See Luke 7:13 (31), Luke 10:1 , Luke 11:39 , Luke 12:42 , Luke 13:15 , Luke 17:5-6 , Luke 18:6 , Luke 19:8 , Luke 22:31 ; Luke 22:61 .

In the following narrative the precedence of Mark is indeed to be recognised, but the tracing out of the features of dependence must not be carried too far (in opposition to Weiss in the Stud. u. Krit . 1861, p. 703 f.). Luke 5:19 . εἰσενέγκ .] into the house , where Jesus and His hearers ( Luke 5:17 ) were. Comp. afterwards τὸ δῶμα . ποίας ] qualitative: in what kind of a way . On the ὁδοῦ , which must be supplied in analysing the passage, see Bos, Ellips ., ed. Schaefer, p. 333; on the genitive of place (comp. Luke 19:4 ), see Bernhardy, p. 138; Krüger on Thucyd. iv. 47, 2. Accordingly, although no instance of ποίας and ἐκείνης used absolutely occurs elsewhere, yet the conjecture ποίᾳ and ἐκείνῃ (Bornemann) is not authorized. διὰ τῶν κεράμων ] through the tiles , with which the flat roof was covered, and which they removed from the place in question. Mark 2:4 describes the proceeding more vividly. See the details, sub loco , and Hug, Gutacht . II. p. 21 f. Luke 5:21 . ἤρξαντο ] a bringing into prominence of the point of commencement of these presumptuous thoughts. A vivid description. διαλογίζεσθαι … λέγοντες ] See on Matthew 16:7 . They expressed their thoughts to one another ; hence Luke 5:22 is not inappropriate (in opposition to Weiss). Luke 5:24 . εἶπε τῷ παραλελ .] is not to be put in parenthesis, but see on Matthew 9:6 . σοί ] placed first for the sake of emphasis.

Luke 5:17 . Καθημένοι , sitting ) as hearers that were treated with more especial honour than the rest.— νομοδιδάσκαλοι , doctors of the law ) Scribes , Luke 5:21 .— κώμης , village ) The extremes, Jerusalem on the one hand, and the villages on the opposite, are specified: the towns which constitute the immediate mean between the capital city and the petty villages, are meant to be included.— ἦν ) was present so as to heal. A similar expression occurs in the LXX., ἐσόμεθα τοῦ σῶσαί σε , we shall be present, or ready, for the purpose of saving thee , 2 Samuel 10:11 ; ἔσονται ὥστε ἐργάζεσθαι , they shall be present to perform , Numbers 8:11 ; γενέσθω ἡ χείρ σου τοῦ σῶσαί με , let Thy hand be present for the purpose of saving me , Psalm 119:173 .— αὐτοὺς , them ) namely, those of whom Luke 5:15 speaks.

(17-26) I t came to pass . . . —See Notes on Matthew 9:1-8 . Pharisees and doctors of the law.—The description of the crowd of listeners is peculiar to St. Luke. The fact that many of the doctors of the law had come from Jerusalem is obviously important in its connection with St. John’s account (John 2, 5) of our Lord’s previous work in that city, and as explaining the part now taken by them. Was present to heal them.—If we retain the plural pronoun, it must be taken generally as meaning those who sought healing. The better MSS., however, give the singular, and then it must be taken, “the power of the Lord (i.e., of God) was present for His (work of) healing.”

{4} And it came to pass on a certain day, as he was teaching, that there were Pharisees and doctors of the law sitting by, which were come out of every town of Galilee, and Judaea, and Jerusalem: and the power of the Lord {c} was present to heal them. (4) Christ, in healing him that was sick from paralysis, shows the cause of all diseases, and the remedy. (c) The mighty power of Christ's Godhead showed itself in him at that time.

Luke BLASPHEMER, OR-WHO?Luke 5:17 - Luke 5:26 . Luke describes the composition of the unfriendly observers in this crowd with more emphasis and minuteness than the other Evangelists do. They were Pharisees and doctors, and they were assembled from every part of Galilee, and even from Judea, and, what was most remarkable, from Jerusalem itself. Probably the conflict with the authorities in the capital recorded in John 5:1 - John 5:47 had taken place by this time, and if so, a deputation from the Sanhedrim would very naturally be despatched to Capernaum, and its members would as naturally summon the local lights to sit with them, and watch this revolutionary young teacher, who had no licence from them, and apparently not much reverence for them. One can easily imagine that these heresy-hunters would be much too superior persons to mix with the crowd about the door of Peter’s house, and would, as Luke says, be ‘sitting by,’ near enough to see and hear, but far enough to show that they had no share in the vulgar enthusiasm of these provincial peasants. They were too holy to mingle with the mob, so they kept together by themselves, and waited hopefully for some heresy or breach of their multitudinous precepts. They got more than they expected.