{"id":14312,"date":"2011-01-30T17:45:08","date_gmt":"2011-01-30T22:45:08","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/timesandseasons.org\/?p=14312"},"modified":"2011-01-30T17:45:47","modified_gmt":"2011-01-30T22:45:47","slug":"nt-sunday-school-lesson-6-luke-414-32-5-612-16-matthew-10","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/timesandseasons.org\/index.php\/2011\/01\/nt-sunday-school-lesson-6-luke-414-32-5-612-16-matthew-10\/","title":{"rendered":"NT Sunday School Lesson 6: Luke 4:14-32; 5; 6:12-16; Matthew 10"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n

\"Ms\"Before we look at some individual verses from this lesson, consider the overall structure of Luke\u2019s narrative and think about how Luke\u2019s story of the calling of the Twelve compares to Matthew\u2019s.<\/p>\n

I have put in bold the parts that the lesson focuses on, but I have outlined all four chapters so that you can think about how Luke tells the story as a whole. Because of the length of the materials, I have created study questions only for the first part of the lesson, Luke 4:14-32.<\/p>\n

Luke\u2019s story<\/em>:<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
\u2022<\/td>\nJohn\u2019s preaching and message (Luke 3:1-20<\/a>)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\u2022<\/td>\nJesus\u2019s baptism (Luke 3:21-22<\/a>)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
<\/td>\n\u2022<\/td>\nHis genealogy (Luke 3:23-38<\/a>)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\u2022<\/td>\nThe forty-day sojourn in the desert and the temptation of Christ (Luke 4:1-13<\/a>)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\u2022<\/td>\nJesus\u2019s first recorded sermon, on\u00a0Isaiah 61:1-2<\/a>, and its reception in Nazareth (Luke 4:14-32<\/strong><\/a>)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
<\/td>\n\u2022<\/td>\nJesus casts a devil out of a man in the synagogue (Luke 4:33-37<\/a>)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
<\/td>\n\u2022<\/td>\nHe cures Peter\u2019s mother-in-law of a fever (Luke 4:38-39<\/a>)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
<\/td>\n\u2022<\/td>\nHe cures many others of various diseases, and the evil spirits witness that he is the Christ (Luke 4:40-41<\/a>)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
<\/td>\n\u2022<\/td>\nThe people beg him to stay with them, but he says he must preach in other places as well (Luke 4:42-44<\/a>)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\u2022<\/td>\nJesus calls Peter, James, and John (Luke 5:1-11<\/strong><\/a>)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
<\/td>\n\u2022<\/td>\nHe heals a leper (Luke 5:12-15<\/strong><\/a>)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
<\/td>\n\u2022<\/td>\nHe heals a man of palsy by saying \u201cThy sins are forgiven thee\u201d (Luke 5:16-26<\/strong><\/a>)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\u2022<\/td>\nHe calls Levi (usually assumed to be Matthew), a tax collector (Luke 5:27-28<\/strong><\/a>)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
<\/td>\n\u2022<\/td>\nLevi throws a feast for Jesus, and the scribes and Pharisees question why he would eat with the unclean and with sinners (Luke 5:29-32<\/strong><\/a>)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
<\/td>\n\u2022<\/td>\nThe scribes and Pharisees question why his disciples do not fast (Luke 5:33-35<\/strong><\/a>)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
<\/td>\n<\/td>\n\u2022<\/td>\nHe tells them the parables of patching a new garment with old cloth, of putting new wine into old bottles, and of the superiority of old wine (Luke 5:36-39<\/strong><\/a>)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
<\/td>\n\u2022<\/td>\nSome Pharisees question why his disciples prepare food on the Sabbath (Luke 6:1-5<\/a>)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
<\/td>\n\u2022<\/td>\nHe heals a man with a withered hand on the Sabbath, with Pharisees observing and looking for something to accuse him of (Luke 6:6-11<\/a>)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\u2022<\/td>\nJesus calls the Twelve (Luke 6:12-16<\/strong><\/a>)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Notice that, after telling of the first sermon and after telling of the call, Luke tells us of various miracles that Jesus performed. Why do you think he does that? How are those miracles related to the events that precede them? What is the symbolic significance of healing the sick and casting out devils? Is there a sense in which the symbolic significance of healing and its literal significance come together in the healing of the palsied man?<\/p>\n

After calling Levi as a disciple, Jesus tells us several stories about Jesus\u2019s interaction with the scribes (the religious teachers) and the Pharisees. What is the significance of these stories? Why do they come after the story of Levi? What do they show us about Jesus and his teachings?<\/p>\n

How do these major stories, beginning with Jesus calling Peter James and John, and the stories of healing and of confrontation with the scribes and Pharisees, lead us to the story of the calling of the Twelve?<\/p>\n

The Twelve<\/em>:<\/p>\n

We have four lists of the Twelve, with some variation among them:<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
Matthew 10:2-4<\/a><\/td>\nMark 3:16-19<\/a><\/td>\nLuke 6:14-16<\/a><\/td>\nActs 1:13<\/a><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
<\/td>\n<\/td>\n<\/td>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Simon (Peter)<\/td>\nSimon Peter<\/td>\nSimon (Peter)<\/td>\nPeter<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Andrew<\/td>\nJames (of Zebedee)<\/td>\nAndrew (Peter’s brother)<\/td>\nJames<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
James (of Zebedee)<\/td>\nJohn (brother of James)<\/td>\nJames<\/td>\nJohn<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
John (brother of James)<\/td>\nAndrew<\/td>\nJohn<\/td>\nAndrew<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Philip<\/td>\nPhilip<\/td>\nPhilip<\/td>\nPhilip<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Bartholomew<\/td>\nBartholomew<\/td>\nBartholomew<\/td>\nThomas<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Thomas<\/td>\nMatthew<\/td>\nMatthew<\/td>\nBartholomew<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Matthew<\/td>\nThomas<\/td>\nThomas<\/td>\nMatthew<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
James (of Alpheus)<\/td>\nJames (of Alpheus)<\/td>\nJames (of Alphaeus)<\/td>\nJames (of Alphaeus)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Lebbaeus Thaddaeus<\/td>\nThaddaeus<\/td>\nSimon (Zelotes)<\/td>\nSimon Zelotes<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Simon (the Canaanite)<\/td>\nSimon (the Canaanite)<\/td>\nJudas (brother of James)<\/td>\nJudas (brother of James)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
<\/td>\n<\/td>\n<\/td>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Judas Iscariot<\/td>\nJudas Iscariot<\/td>\nJudas Iscariot<\/td>\n\u2014<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Notice that these occur in three groups of four, for example, in Matthew\u2019s list: Peter, Andrew, James, and John; Philip, Bartholomew, Thomas, and Matthew; James, Thaddeus, Simon, and Judas. Though the order of the persons in each group of four varies from list to list, each person always appears in the same group. What might explain that?<\/p>\n

Here is how the differences between the names on these lists are traditionally resolved:<\/p>\n

Peter = Simon Peter = Simon, Bar Jonas (son of Jonas) = Cephas<\/p>\n

James = son of Zebedee = Boanerges = son of Thunder<\/p>\n

John = son of Zebedee = Boanerges = son of Thunder = John the Beloved = the disciple Jesus loved<\/p>\n

Andrew =\u00a0 the brother of Peter<\/p>\n

Matthew = Levi<\/p>\n

Philip<\/p>\n

Nathanael = Bartholomew<\/p>\n

Thomas = Didymus (meaning \u201ctwin\u201d) = Doubting Thomas<\/p>\n

James = the son of Alphaeus = James the Less = James the Younger<\/p>\n

Thaddeus = Lebbaeus Thaddeus = Judas, brother of James<\/p>\n

Simon the Zealot = Simon the Canaanite (\u201cCanaanite\u201d doesn\u2019t refer to the Canaanite people of the Old Testament; it is a transliteration of an Aramaic word meaning \u201czealot.\u201d)<\/p>\n

Judas Iscariot<\/p>\n

We cannot be sure, but a popular explanation of Judas\u2019s name, an explanation with scholarly backing, is that \u201cIscariot\u201d means \u201cman of Kerioth,\u201d a town south of Judah; hence Judas may be the only non-Galilean among the twelve. Other less popular explanations of the name, also with scholarly backing: \u201cIscariot\u201d\u00a0means that he is a member of the Sicarii, a group of Zealots who assassinated using daggers (sica<\/em> in Latin); \u201cIscariot\u201d is derived from a Hebrew word meaning \u201cbetrayer\u201d; the name is derived from a Greek word meaning \u201cto hand over\u201d\u2014he handed Jesus over to the temple priests; the name refers to his occupation, either a red dyer or a fruit grower; \u201cIscariot\u201d is an Aramaic word meaning \u201cthe man from the city,\u201d in other words, \u201cthe man from Jerusalem\u201d; like the first and the last explanation, the final proposal assumes that the name refers to his hometown, but instead of Kerioth or Jerusalem, it argues that the name refers to Askaroth or Askar, near Shechem.<\/p>\n

Look at the number of relatives among the first Twelve: Peter and Andrew are brothers; James and John are brothers; James, son of Alphaeus, and Thaddeus seem to be brothers. In addition, some have argued that some of the Twelve were Jesus\u2019s cousins. Do you think these relations are significant? If so, what is the significance?<\/p>\n

Comparing Luke and Matthew<\/em>:<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
Luke<\/td>\nMatthew<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
It is clear that \u201capostle\u201d is a title, and the apostles are mentioned several times in his book (9:10, 17:5, 22:14, and 24:10).<\/td>\nThe Twelve are called \u201capostles\u201d only in Matthew 10:2, and it is not clear that he uses the word a title.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\u2014<\/td>\nPeter is said to be \u201cfirst.\u201d<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
The Twelve are arranged in pairs, perhaps reflecting the missionary arrangement we see in Mark 6:7.<\/td>\nThe same.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\u2014<\/td>\nThe list is prefaced with mention of the power given them and is followed by a charge to them.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\u2014<\/td>\nWe are told that James and John are brothers.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Do these differences tell us anything about the different foci of Matthew\u2019s and Luke\u2019s testimonies?<\/p>\n

Some questions about particular verses in <\/em>Luke 4:14-32<\/em><\/a>:<\/p>\n

Verse 17<\/a>: Why do you think Jesus chooses\u00a0Isaiah 61<\/a> for the scriptural passage that he will use for his sermon? (\u201cEsais\u201d is the Greek form of the Hebrew \u201cIsaiah.\u201d Remember that the name \u201cIsaiah\u201d means almost the same thing as the name \u201cJesus,\u201d \u201cthe Lord is salvation.\u201d)<\/p>\n

We don\u2019t know how synagogue worship in Christ\u2019s day was conducted, but a century or so later it was like this: two formal prayers, a reading from the Torah and a reading from the Prophets, a sermon that consisted of an explanation of a scriptural passage, and a priestly blessing on the congregation (See\u00a0Jerome Biblical Commentary<\/em> 2:131). We assume it was similar in Christ\u2019s time. It seems, then, that Jesus was asked to give the sermon. Presumably following custom, he stands to read from the Old Testament prophets, then he seats himself to comment on the passage. Why would the custom be to stand when they read the scriptures but sit when they commented on them? What is there in these verses that reinforces Luke\u2019s themes in his gospel?\u00a0 Why might Luke want to draw these themes to the attention of his readers near the beginning of his gospel?<\/p>\n

Verse 18<\/a>: As you read this quotation from Isaiah, think of how its parts apply to Jesus. What does it mean to say that the Spirit of the Lord is on him? (See\u00a0Luke 3:22<\/a>,\u00a04:1<\/a> and\u00a04:14<\/a>). Remember that \u201cChrist\u201d\u00a0and \u201cMessiah\u201d are the Greek and Hebrew words, respectively, for \u201canointed one.\u201d The Greek work translated \u201cpoor\u201d in this quotation, does not refer to individual poor people. Instead, it refers to the state of being poor. The phrase \u201che hath sent me\u201d uses a verb that indicates that the action is completed: he has sent me and I have arrived. What does that tell us about Jesus\u2019 preaching? This is one of the few places, perhaps the only one, where Luke uses the Greek word translated \u201cheal\u201d for anything other than physical ailments. What does \u201cheal the brokenhearted mean\u201d in a Gospel context? What does it mean to free the captives? To whom or what are they captive? Who are the blind whom Jesus says he has come to heal? What can they not see?<\/p>\n

Notice that Jesus has inserted a line that is not in our version of\u00a0Isaiah 61:1-2<\/a>: \u201cto preach deliverance to the captives.\u201d As we have it, that line comes from a variation of\u00a0Isaiah 58:6<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Verse 19<\/a>: Here is another way to translate this verse: \u201cTo proclaim the Lord\u2019s year of grace [i.e., the Jubilee year; see\u00a0Leviticus 25:8-55<\/a>].\u201d How are the practice of the Jubilee year and the preaching of the Gospel related? How is the message that Christ has come the message of a Jubilee year?<\/p>\n

Verse 21<\/a>: Jesus begins his commentary with \u201cThis day is this scripture fulfilled in your ears.\u201d What would his listeners have understood him to say? As with the verb translated \u201chath sent\u201d (verse 18<\/a>), the verb translated \u201cis fulfilled\u201d indicates that the fulfillment has been completed. Luke gives us only the beginning of his sermon. Many ancient writers did this as a way of naming an entire work, though usually they did so when the material they referred to was well know, just as we often refer to hymns by their first line rather than by their title. Jesus\u2019 sermon may have been well known in Luke\u2019s time, so he didn\u2019t feel he needed to repeat it. Or it may have been interrupted and not finished. Which do you think likely? Why?<\/p>\n

Verse 22<\/a>: How do the people respond to his sermon? The verb translated \u201cbear witness\u201d means \u201cto testify,\u201d \u201cto acknowledge the truth of something,\u201d or \u201cto speak well of.\u201d How those who hear him bear witness of him? The verb translated \u201cwonder\u201d is in a tense that means that its action continued indefinitely. We might translate this \u201ccontinued to wonder.\u201d What point is Luke making? The word translated \u201cgracious\u201d also means \u201cfavorable, pleasurable, beneficial, pleasing,\u201d but this isn\u2019t so much a comment about Jesus\u2019 preaching style as it is about the content of his preaching: \u201cwords of grace\u201d rather than \u201cgraceful words.\u201d What do his hearers find truthful and pleasing? Why are they surprised? If they are surprised that Joseph\u2019s son can do what he has done in their synagogue, how do you think they are most likely to explain what has happened?<\/p>\n

Verse 23<\/a>: Given the villagers\u2019 response to his sermon, what is surprising about his response to them? How do you explain his response? What does \u201cPhysician, heal thyself\u201d mean and how is it related to the sentence that follows: \u201cDo here in your region whatever we have heard that you did in Capernaum\u201d? Isn\u2019t that a reasonable request? Of what is Jesus accusing them?<\/p>\n

Verse 24<\/a>: Why does Jesus begin this pronouncement with \u201camen,\u201d translated \u201cverily\u201d? Haven\u2019t we, in\u00a0verse 22<\/a>, seen them accept him? What point is he making? How does this apply to us today, or does it?<\/p>\n

Verses 25-26<\/a>: Jesus compares himself to Elijah (\u201cElias\u201d in Greek). Notice that\u00a01 Kings 18:1<\/a> says that the drought lasted three years, but Luke has Jesus say that it lasted for three years and six months. (Compare\u00a0James 5:17<\/a>.) Three years and six months is a standard number used in apocalyptic literature for times of persecution, stress, and struggle. (Compare Daniel\u00a07:25<\/a> and\u00a012:7<\/a>; and\u00a0Revelation 11:2<\/a>, and\u00a012:6<\/a> and\u00a014<\/a>.) Either Luke or Jesus seems to be using the standard number to make a point rather than to be historically accurate. What is that point? How does this story illustrate Jesus\u2019 relation to Nazareth? Does it also say something about his relation to Israel?<\/p>\n

Verse 27<\/a>: Jesus compares himself to Elisha (\u201cEliseus\u201d in Greek). What is the significance of the fact that in the story of Elijah the woman to whom he goes is a Sidonite? (Where is Sidon?) Why is it significant that Naaman is a Syrian? What do these stories say to those who hear them?<\/p>\n

Verses 28-30<\/a>: What part of Jesus\u2019 sermon seems to have angered his fellow villagers enough to make them want to kill him? Why? Notice the restraint of Luke\u2019s description of Jesus\u2019 escape: he simply passed through their midst and went on his way. What do you make of that restraint? What is its effect in the story as a whole?<\/p>\n

Verse 31<\/a>: Jesus moves from Nazareth to Capernaum (which means \u201cvillage of Nahum\u201d), a reasonably large fishing village on the northwest coast of the Sea of Galilee. Archaeologists are quite certain that they have uncovered the house of Peter in Capernaum, which they think might have included a room in which Jesus lived.<\/p>\n

Verse 32<\/a>: Does the people\u2019s reaction in Capernaum differ from that in Nazareth? Why?<\/p>\n

To respond to this post, go to Feast upon the Word<\/a><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Before we look at some individual verses from this lesson, consider the overall structure of Luke\u2019s narrative and think about how Luke\u2019s story of the calling of the Twelve compares to Matthew\u2019s. I have put in bold the parts that the lesson focuses on, but I have outlined all four chapters so that you can think about how Luke tells the story as a whole. Because of the length of the materials, I have created study questions only for the first part of the lesson, Luke 4:14-32. Luke\u2019s story: \u2022 John\u2019s preaching and message (Luke 3:1-20) \u2022 Jesus\u2019s baptism (Luke 3:21-22) \u2022 His genealogy (Luke 3:23-38) \u2022 The forty-day sojourn in the desert and the temptation of Christ (Luke 4:1-13) \u2022 Jesus\u2019s first recorded sermon, on\u00a0Isaiah 61:1-2, and its reception in Nazareth (Luke 4:14-32) \u2022 Jesus casts a devil out of a man in the synagogue (Luke 4:33-37) \u2022 He cures Peter\u2019s mother-in-law of a fever (Luke 4:38-39) \u2022 He cures many others of various diseases, and the evil spirits witness that he is the Christ (Luke 4:40-41) \u2022 The people beg him to stay with them, but he says he must preach in other places as well (Luke 4:42-44) […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":13,"featured_media":14313,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1671],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-14312","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-sunday-school-lesson-new-testament"],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/timesandseasons.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/01\/Ms4.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/timesandseasons.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14312","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/timesandseasons.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/timesandseasons.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/timesandseasons.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/13"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/timesandseasons.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=14312"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/timesandseasons.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14312\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":14319,"href":"https:\/\/timesandseasons.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14312\/revisions\/14319"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/timesandseasons.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/14313"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/timesandseasons.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=14312"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/timesandseasons.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=14312"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/timesandseasons.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=14312"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}