Lange Commentary - Luke 9:1 - 9:6

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Lange Commentary - Luke 9:1 - 9:6


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This Chapter Verse Commentaries:

4. The Son of Man proclaimed by the Twelve, feared by Herod, honored by the Company which He had fed

Luk_9:1-17

(Parallels: Mat_10:5-15; Mat_14:1; Mat_14:13-21; Mar_6:7-16; Mar_6:31-46; Joh_6:1-14.)

a. The Sending Forth Of The Twelve Apostles (Luk_9:1-6)

1Then he called his twelve disciples [the twelve; om., disciples] together, and gave 2them power and authority over all devils [the demons], and to cure diseases. And he 3sent them to preach [proclaim] the kingdom of God, and to heal the sick. And he said unto them, Take nothing for your journey, neither staves, nor scrip [wallet], neither bread, neither money; neither have two coats [tunics] apiece. 4And whatsoever house ye enter into, there abide, and thence depart. 5And whosoever will not receive you, when ye go out of that city, shake off the very dust from your feet for a testimony against them. 6And they departed, and went through the towns, preaching the gospel, and healing every where.

EXEGETICAL AND CRITICAL

Harmony.—The raising of Jairus’ daughter is immediately followed by two other miracles, which Matthew alone relates, Luk_9:27-34. Hereupon the Saviour appears to have undertaken a new journey through Galilee, and to have convinced Himself repeatedly of the exceeding spiritual necessity of the people. (Ibid. Luk_9:35-36.) He therefore exhorts His disciples to entreat the Lord of the harvest for laborers (Luk_9:37-38), and gives them finally opportunity with this praying to unite working, and themselves to lay their hand to the plough.

In the narrative of the sending out of the twelve apostles, also, the briefer account of Luke must be complemented by that of Matthew and Mark. It then appears that the Saviour sent them out two and two, and in their instructions, according to the statement of all the Synoptics, adduces the expulsion of the demons as a special and main part of their activity, clearly distinguished from the healing of ordinary illnesses. The discourse given on this occasion is communicated by Matthew far more in detail and more precisely than by the two others. Luke merely, Luk_9:3-6, communicates somewhat of the first part of it (Mat_10:5-15), while we find again some elements of the continuation in the tenth and twelfth chapters.

Luk_9:1. The Twelve.—Although weighty testimonies declare for the reading ôïὺò äþäåêá ìáèçôὰò áὐôïῦ , it must not be overlooked that Luke usually uses ïἱ äþäåêá as a standing formula, and that other manuscripts use the word ἀðïóôüëïõò , which appears to be an interpolation by a later hand, as well as the former, which is borrowed from a parallel passage in Mat_10:1. At the same time, Matthew here gives the names of the twelve apostles, which Luke had earlier communicated in another connection (Luk_6:12-16). Luke, on the other hand, is more particular in stating the substance of their instruction, and mentions also the êçñ . ôὴí âáó . ôïῦ è ., while the two others speak only of miraculous acts. As to the manner in which the äὐíáìéò êáὶ ἐîïõóßá may have been imparted to them, comp. Lange on Mat_10:1.

Luk_9:3. Take nothing,—There is some difference among the Synoptics in reference to the instruction given to the Twelve as to their preparations for the journey. According to all three, they were to take no money in their purses, no change of coats, and no provision of food. According to Mark and Luke, the taking of bread with them is also not permitted, as to which Matthew is silent. But while according to Matthew and Mark, Luk_9:8, they might take a staff alone, we find according to Matthew and Mark, this also forbidden them (for the reading ῥÜâäïõò is apparently not genuine). We believe that Mark, who here alone gives the narration in an oratio obliqua, expresses himself more freely than the two others. The spirit of the command is, however, according to all, the same. The Saviour speaks of that which they must procure for the journey. If they already had a staff they were permitted to take it with them (Mark), but if they possessed none, they were not to buy one (Matthew and Luke). Nothing were they to take with them, nothing were they to take to them in requital of their benefits. Their history instructs us how the apostles understood these commands: the last literally, as the curse of Peter upon Simon Magus shows, Act_8:20, the former in the spirit of wisdom, e.g. 2Co_11:12; 2Ti_4:13.

Luk_9:4. There abide.—Comp. Luk_10:7. Wander not from house to house.—Thence depart.—From thence continue your journey without having capriciously chosen another abode.

Luk_9:5. And whosoever will not receive you.—Comp. Mat_10:14. With Lachmann and Tischendorf, it seems that we must unquestionably read äÝîùíôáé , since äÝ÷ùíôáé is borrowed from parallel passages. The shaking off of the dust, a symbolical action, as a testimony against them, as Theophylact says: åἰò ἔëåã÷ïí áὐôῶí êáὶ êáôÜêñéóéí . From Act_13:51, we see how the apostles casu quo followed this command of the Saviour literally.

DOCTRINAL AND ETHICAL

1. In investigating the purpose of this missionary journey of the Twelve, too little notice perhaps has been taken of the word of the Saviour, Mat_9:38. With no warrant whatever has this journey been often considered as a kind of practising for the future work of the Twelve. The Saviour at least gives not a single hint that He will have it so understood. Nor was the practice of having probationary sermons by destined preachers of the gospel at His time as yet in use. As little did this mission serve to prepare for the personal arrival of Jesus in some towns and villages of Galilee. It is at least not to be proved that the apostles came into towns where He was wholly unknown; moreover, it would have little accorded with His wisdom to have let the gospel even during His life to be brought into places, and that by inexperienced men, where as yet they did not know Himself. No. The Twelve were not to go before, but here and there to return upon His track; not in order to sow but in order first to reap, does He bid them to go forth: not to begin what He will continue, but rather to continue what He Himself has already begun. Thus does all become clear. Thus does it appear why they had at each time to inquire who was worthy to receive them; in other words, who was favorably disposed in reference to the Saviour and the cause of His kingdom. Thus does their right to shake off the dust become manifest, which for the rejection of a first preaching was almost too stern, but for the spurning of a renewed essay, was fully justified. Thus first do we get a true light as to the prohibition of extensive preparations for journeying. For they were not going as strangers among enemies, but as friends unto a region where the Saviour Himself had already prepared a way for them. And thus does it at the same time become plain why He let them just now undertake this journey. Already had He denounced against the impenitent cities of Galilee the judgment threatened them, Mat_11:20-24, but now He will through His apostles make a last attempt to win the apostates to Himself. The more He beholds in the spirit the unfolding of the great drama of His life, the more does He proceed with the thundering tread of decision. Ever more threateningly do the parties begin to stand over against one another; in order that now the thoughts of hearts may become more manifest does He now send forth His apostles. They are to water the seed already sown by Him for the kingdom of heaven: to tend with care what promises fruit: and what shows itself as tares to make known to Him as such: in a word, to be workers for the harvest.

2. As respects the duration of this journey, it can be as little determined as the names of the towns and villages visited. But surely it endured longer than a day (against Wieseler, l. c. p. 291), as certainly some time is always required to go from town to town, to seek out the worthy, and abide there, &c. But if we consider that they, divided into six pairs, traversed only one part of Galilee, and were as yet in no way adapted to get on independently, it is not then probable that the Saviour was many days or weeks separated from the Twelve. Apparently He waited for them meanwhile at Capernaum, and when, after their return, the miracle of the Loaves took place, the second passover was no longer far distant, Joh_6:4. As we hold the view that the sermon at Nazareth only took place once, and that at the time indicated by Luke, Luk_4:16-30, it is therefore not necessary for us to intercalate immediately after this mission of the Twelve the narrative Mat_13:54-58; Mar_6:1-6.

3. Although the exercising of the apostles was not here the main matter, yet even on our view there is displayed in this mission, in a lovely light, as well the wisdom of the Saviour in the training of His witnesses, as also His love to the lost sheep of the house of Israel. The healing activity for which power is bestowed upon them, is at the same time a striking symbol of that which evangelization and missionary labor must even now everywhere accomplish wherever it directs its steps. And the spirit which the Saviour, even according to the brief redaction of Luke, has here commended to His witnesses, unconcern about earthly matters, freedom from pretension, but also holy zeal where their word is obstinately disdained, must even now not be missing in any one who will bear His name with honor among baptized or unbaptized heathen.

4. “Love to a convenient life is a great hinderance to the work of God in an evangelist, for it is with the poor who cannot afford it him that he has most to do, Luk_7:22, and the rich are far more apt to draw him into such a life than he to draw them from it. The world must know that one does not seek it for its goods, and that he has no communion with it but for its salvation. If it will not hear of that, then we must go forth from it.” O. Von Gerlach.

HOMILETICAL AND PRACTICAL

The apostolic authority: 1. Its extent, 2. its grounds, 3. its purpose, 4. its limits.—The missionary of the gospel at the same time the physician of souls.—The evangelizing journey of the witnesses of the Lord, their equipment, aim, fruit.—Who first seeks the kingdom of God and its righteousness may trust that all other things shall be added to him.—Freely ye have received, freely give.—The testimony for the believing and against the unbelieving world.—How the faithful servant cares for the honor of the Lord, the Lord for the necessity of His faithful servant.—The gospel of the kingdom must everywhere be preached.—The preaching of the gospel an act of the obedience of faith.—The spirit of domestic missions.

Starke:—Cramer:—The sacred ministry still delivers man from the power of Satan.—To the ministry pertains a regular call, both internal and external.—Hedinger:—Whoever serves the gospel is to live therefrom, 1Co_9:14.—Canstein:—If the disciples of Christ, for the sake of convenience, were not to go from one house to another, much less should preachers, for greater accommodation, seek after better parishes.—The ministry not an otium, but a gravissimum negotium.

Footnotes:

Luk_9:2.—Tischendorf, supported by Meyer, has simply ἰᾶóèáé , without a following accusative. The variations: ôïõò áóèåíïõíôáò , ôïõò áóèåíåéò , ôïõò íïóïõíôáò , ðáíôáò ôïõò áóèåíïõíôáò , and omnes infirmitates (Brix.), are so numerous, that it is almost certain that they were introduced by different transcribers as natural complements of ἰᾶóèáé . Tregelles brackets the accusative. B. is the only uncial, however, which omits it.—C. C. S.]