Luke

9:37-45

The mission of the Messiah, 1:5-9:50

6. The nature of the Messiah's kingdom, 9:1-50

v] Healing an epileptic boy

The healing of an epileptic boy exposes the disciples' lack of faith and thus serves to remind us that membership in the kingdom of God rests on faith.

The episodes contained within the section The Nature of Messiah's Kingdom, 9:1-50, serve to expand our understanding of the messiah and his eternal reign. The mission of the twelve sets the stage by promoting questions as to the identify of Jesus, v1-9. In the feeding of the five thousand we are introduced to Jesus' real identity, the prophet like unto Moses, v10-17, while in the confession of Peter we are confronted by God's messiah in the terms of Isaiah's suffering servant, v18-27, a fact confirmed in the transfiguration, v28-36. We are then reminded that membership of the kingdom rests on faith, v37-45, a faith which issues in humble service, v46-50.

katelqontwn (katercomai) aor. part. "when [they] came down" - having come down [them]. A genitive absolute participle, which construction usually a temporal clause, specifying when, on the next day. A similar construction is found in Mark. It is when Jesus comes down from the mountain that he is confronted by a questioning crowd which includes an embarrassed group of disciples.

apo + gen. "[a man] from [the crowd]" - the preposition here functions as a partitive genitive ie. identifying a particular part of the "crowd", so "a man in the crowd", NEB.

ebohsen (boaw) aor. "called out" - cried out, shouted out. This is a passionate appeal, made loudly to gain attention.

epibleyai (epiblepw) aor. inf. "to look [at]" - to look on with care/attentiveness [on/at/to]. The infinitive forms a dependent statement / object clause, expressing the content of the request, "I ask that you take a look at my son." The sense is "take an interest in", "have regard for", possibly "look with compassion upon", Nolland, although we do still tend to say"take a look at."

monogenhV adj. "only [child]" - only, unique, one and only. A statement particular to Luke, serving to underline the father's distress.

idou "-" - look, behold, pay attention. Emphatic interjection

pneuma (a atoV) "a spirit" - An evil spirit, a demonic power, an unclean spirit, but of course this may just be the way a first century person would describe a neurological condition, here epilepsy

lambanei (lambanw) pres. "seizes" - takes hold of. Present tense underlines the continuing nature of the condition.

krazei (krazw) pres. "screams" - cries out, shouts out. Either the boy, or the spirit through the boy.

sparassei (sparassw) pres. "it throws [him] into convulsions" - tears apart, pulls to and fro, convulses

meta afrou "with foam" - "Foam" is used in a negative sense of seizures. A hapax legomenon.

mogiV adv. "scarcely" - hardly, scarcely (with toil and pain). It hardly ever both leaves/withdraws from him or stops bruising/wearing out/destroying him. Underlining the continuing, possibly regular, nature of the condition. Rather than the NIV "destroying", a literal "bruising" may be intended.

suntribon (suntribw) pres. part. "destroying [him]" - mauling, crushing , breaking. Attendant circumstance participle expressing action accompanying the verb "departs"; "it rarely departs and mauls him". "It is only with a struggle that it leaves him, and it is wearing him out", TNT.

edehqhn (deomai) aor. "I begged" - I besaught, asked. Luke emphasizes the urgency of the Father's request.

iJna + subj. "to [drive it out]" - Forming a dependent statement, indirect speech, expressing what they "asked / begged".

ouk hdunhqhsan (dunamai) aor. pas. "they could not" - they were not able, they were unable. Aorist implies a specific attempt to do something. The disciples tried to help the boy, but failed. "They were not able to do what I asked." Note that both Matthew (little faith) and Mark (no effective prayer of faith) provide a reason for this failure, but Luke doesn't (in so many words). Verse 41 provides the only clue, "unbelieving", but who are the unbelieving ones?

apistoV adj "unbelieving" - disbelieving, lacking faith. Seeing it is a disbelieving and perverse/perverted/crooked generation, the "unbelieiving" ones are possibly the "people" as a whole, so TEV. Yet, it is more likely that Jesus intends this rebuke for his disciples. They are the ones who possess the promised of authority/power over the demons and so clearly they have doubted the effectiveness of this promise. So, the disciples represent this generation. apokriqeiV (apokrinomai) aor. pas. part. "[Jesus] replied" - having answered [Jesus said]. Attendant circumstance participle expressing action accompanying the main verb "said", virtually redundant. A common expression.

eJwV pote + fut. "how long" - until when. Forming a interogative temporal clause, future time; "How much longer"

proV + acc. "with" - toward. A positional sense (at/with rather than movement toward) is surely intended, although the preposition would then be followed by a dative.

anexomai (anecomai) fut. "put up with" - will I endure [you]. "How long must I be patient with you?" Israel's failure to rely on God's promises, particularly during the wilderness journey, prompts a similar divine exasperation/weariness. Jesus may be speaking from the divine perspective, but also from the perspective of the faithful Israelite who must carry his brother's little faith.

prosercomenou (prosercomai) pres. part. "while [the boy] was coming" - approaching. The participle is adverbial, temporal, as NIV. The subject of the verb is obviously the boy, "while the son was still coming." It is possible that the attack is prompted by the boys coming to Jesus, although this may just be another regular convulsion.

errhxen (rJhssw) aor. "threw him to the ground" - break, tear, burst out .... The meaning "throw down" is best. The boy falls to the ground and has a convulsion.

epetimhsen (epitimaw) aor. "[Jesus] rebuked [the evil spirit]" - Probably in the sense of "checked". Jesus' words are instantaneously effective.

iasato (iaomai) aor. "healed" - Jesus "cured" the boy. Luke normally uses this word of a physical healing rather than an exorcism. This may well indicate that Luke understands the ailment more in terms of a physical complaint than demon possession.

exeplhssonto (ekplhssw) imperf. "they were [all] amazed" - Who, the disciples or the crowd? Both!!!

magaleiothti (hV) "greatness" - majesty/magnificence. Another word for "glory", hinting at divine glory. Note how Luke's account is far shorter than Mark's. Luke's brevity serves to compare the disciples' failure with Jesus' "glorious" success.

qaumazontwn (qaumazw) pres. part. "while [everyone] was marveling" - wondering, marveling. The participle is adverbial, forming a temporal clause, as NIV. The typical response of crowds ("everyone") is to marvel at, be amazed at, Jesus' mighty works ("everything he was doing"), although Luke does not feature this response as clearly as Mark does. Note how Luke contrasts this response by the crowd with Jesus' prediction of his death, a contrast not found in Matthew or Mark.

qesqe uJmeiV eiV ta wJta uJmwn touV logouV "listen carefully to what I am about to tell you" - put in your ears these words. "Memorize the words I am about to say to you", "listen carefully", Phillips, "let these words sink in", "take these words to heart." Bock suggests that the phrase parallels "he who has ears to hear, let him hear."

gar "-" - for, since, then, indeed. Here expressing cause/reason. "Namely" ie. the clause is an explanation of what we need to hear.

uiJoV tou anqrwpou "Son of Man" - Jesus' adoption of the mysterious messianic title "Son of Man" from Daniel 7, serves to restrict his messianic claims to those with eyes to see. The crowds hear nothing more than Jesus' claim to be "the man." The secret, revealed to the disciples only, is that he is a suffering Son of Man. It seems clear that Jesus sees his messianic role in terms of both Isaiah's suffering servant and Daniel's glorious Son of Man (the one who receives dominion from the Ancient of Days). Yet, Nolland notes that in Daniel 7, the saints of the Most High are delivered up into the hands of the fourth beast. Luke certainly paints Jesus' corporate role, representing the journey of faithful Israel from Egypt to the promised land. In this journey, the faithful child does not put the Lord to the test. It is for this reason we do well to identify with Jesus, stand in the shadow of his faithfulness. Of course, as identification alters our status (ie. we are regarded as faithful sons), so it should also alter our state (ie. we are no longer concerned with precedence over others). So, the humiliation of the Son of Man may find its origin in Daniel rather than Isaiah. Note also, unlike Mark, Luke makes no mention of the resurrection, further underlining the Son of Man's humiliation.

mellei (mellw) pres. "is going" - Rather than the more common meaning of "about to come" (Jesus is about to be humiliated), the sense here is more likely expressing the inevitable handing over of the Son of man in the future, therefore "must be, has to be." This probably concerns divine intention, and certainly of Jesus' intention to fulfill the divine plan of salvation.

paradidosqai (paradidwmi) pas. inf. "to be betrayed" - to be delivered over, given over, handed over. The infinitive is complementary, completing the sense of the verb "is about." Possibly "betrayed", but if the "delivered over" is referring to the divine plan of salvation, then either the passive sense "handed over", or the active sense of "taken into custody", along with "must be / it is necessary", may be a better rendering.

eiV ceiraV anqrwpwn "into the hands of men" - into hands of men. The phrase illustrates human power and is negative rather than positive, therefore, the sense may be "[hand over to] the authorities" or even "the mob."

h\n parakekalummenon (parakaluptw) perf. pas. pat. "it was hidden [from them]" - had been hidden. A periphrastic pluperfect construction probably serving to emphasize the durative nature of their lack of understanding. Any understanding of Jesus' necessary humiliation was concealed from the disciples. Circumstances, rather than divine intervention, is the likely reason. A humiliated messiah was beyond their comprehension and so it was only after Jesus' death and resurrection that they understood why the Son of Man must suffer. Some commentators suggest a Satanic blinding is responsible.

iJna + subj. "so that" - This construction usually forms a final clause expressing purpose, but sometimes consecutive, expressing result, or at least a hypothetical result, as here. An understanding of Jesus humiliation was hidden from the disciples so as a result they were not able to understand the meaning of Jesus' prediction. Their lack of perception hindered them from understanding God's plan of salvation in the humiliation of the Son of Man.

efobounto (fobew) imperf. pas. "they were afraid" - Matthew has the disciples filled with grief, hinting that the disciples do understand that Jesus is predicting his death, but unable to understand why God's messiah should be overwhelmed by the forces of evil. Therefore, "ashamed to ask" my be a better rendering.

erwthsai (erwtew) aor. inf. "to ask [him]" - to ask. The infinitive forms an object clause, probably epexegetic the nature of their fear - they were too afraid to ask Jesus the meaning of his comment.

Luke Introduction

lectionarystudies.com