GOSPEL OF LUKE

Luke

The Gospel of Luke was written somewhere around AD 60 to a resident of Antioch named Theophilus.

CHAPTER 1

CHAPTER 1

1 Forasmuch as many have taken in hand to set forth in order a declaration of those things which are most surely believed among us,
2 Even as they delivered them unto us, which from the beginning were eyewitnesses, and ministers of the word;
3 It seemed good to me also, having had perfect understanding of all things from the very first, to write unto thee in order, most excellent Theophilus,¹
4 That thou mightest know the certainty of those things, wherein thou hast been instructed.
5 There was in the days of Herod, the king of Judaea, a certain priest named Zacharias, of the course of Abia: and his wife was of the daughters of Aaron, and her name was Elisabeth.
6 And they were both righteous before God, walking in all the commandments and ordinances of the Lord blameless.²
7 And they had no child, because that Elisabeth was barren, and they both were now well stricken in years.³
8 And it came to pass, that while he executed the priest's office before God in the order of his course,
9 According to the custom of the priest's office, his lot was to burn incense when he went into the temple of the Lord.⁴
10 And the whole multitude of the people were praying without at the time of incense.
11 And there appeared unto him an angel of the Lord standing on the right side of the altar of incense.
12 And when Zacharias saw him, he was troubled, and fear fell upon him.
13 But the angel said unto him, Fear not, Zacharias: for thy prayer is heard; and thy wife Elisabeth shall bear thee a son, and thou shalt call his name John.
14 And thou shalt have joy and gladness; and many shall rejoice at his birth.
15 For he shall be great in the sight of the Lord, and shall drink neither wine nor strong drink; and he shall be filled with the Holy Ghost, even from his mother's womb.
16 And many of the children of Israel shall he turn to the Lord their God.
17 And he shall go before him in the spirit and power of Elias, to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children, and the disobedient to the wisdom of the just; to make ready a people prepared for the Lord.
18 And Zacharias said unto the angel, Whereby shall I know this? for I am an old man, and my wife well stricken in years.
19 And the angel answering said unto him, I am Gabriel, that stand in the presence of God; and am sent to speak unto thee, and to shew thee these glad tidings.
20 And, behold, thou shalt be dumb, and not able to speak, until the day that these things shall be performed, because thou believest not my words, which shall be fulfilled in their season.⁵
21 And the people waited for Zacharias, and marvelled that he tarried so long in the temple.⁶
22 And when he came out, he could not speak unto them: and they perceived that he had seen a vision in the temple: for he beckoned unto them, and remained speechless.⁷
23 And it came to pass, that, as soon as the days of his ministration were accomplished, he departed to his own house.
24 And after those days his wife Elisabeth conceived, and hid herself five months, saying,
25 Thus hath the Lord dealt with me in the days wherein he looked on me, to take away my reproach among men.⁸
26 And in the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God unto a city of Galilee, named Nazareth,
27 To a virgin espoused to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David; and the virgin's name was Mary.⁹
28 And the angel came in unto her, and said, Hail, thou that art highly favoured,¹⁰ the Lord is with thee: blessed art thou among women.
29 And when she saw him, she was troubled at his saying, and cast in her mind what manner of salutation this should be.
30 And the angel said unto her, Fear not, Mary: for thou hast found favour with God.
31 And, behold, thou shalt conceive in thy womb, and bring forth a son, and shalt call his name JESUS.¹¹
32 He shall be great, and shall be called the Son of the Highest: and the Lord God shall give unto him the throne of his father David:
33 And he shall reign over the house of Jacob for ever; and of his kingdom there shall be no end.
34 Then said Mary unto the angel, How shall this be, seeing I know not a man?
35 And the angel answered and said unto her, The Holy Ghost shall come upon thee, and the power of the Highest shall overshadow thee: therefore also that holy thing which shall be born of thee shall be called the Son of God.¹²
36 And, behold, thy cousin Elisabeth, she hath also conceived a son in her old age: and this is the sixth month with her, who was called barren.
37 For with God nothing shall be impossible.
38 And Mary said, Behold the handmaid of the Lord; be it unto me according to thy word. And the angel departed from her.
39 And Mary arose in those days, and went into the hill country with haste, into a city of Judah;
40 And entered into the house of Zacharias, and saluted Elisabeth.
41 And it came to pass, that, when Elisabeth heard the salutation of Mary, the babe leaped in her womb; and Elisabeth was filled with the Holy Ghost:
42 And she spake out with a loud voice, and said, Blessed art thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb.
43 And whence is this to me, that the mother of my Lord should come to me?
44 For, lo, as soon as the voice of thy salutation sounded in mine ears, the babe leaped in my womb for joy.
45 And blessed is she that believed: for there shall be a performance of those things which were told her from the Lord.
46 And Mary said, My soul doth magnify the Lord,
47 And my spirit hath rejoiced in God my Saviour.¹³
48 For he hath regarded the low estate of his handmaiden: for, behold, from henceforth all generations shall call me blessed.
49 For he that is mighty hath done to me great things; and holy is his name.
50 And his mercy is on them that fear him from generation to generation.
51 He hath shewed strength with his arm; he hath scattered the proud in the imagination of their hearts.
52 He hath put down the mighty from their seats, and exalted them of low degree.
53 He hath filled the hungry with good things; and the rich he hath sent empty away.
54 He hath holpen his servant Israel, in remembrance of his mercy;
55 As he spake to our fathers, to Abraham, and to his seed for ever.
56 And Mary abode with her about three months, and returned to her own house.
57 Now Elisabeth's full time came that she should be delivered; and she brought forth a son.
58 And her neighbours and her cousins heard how the Lord had shewed great mercy upon her; and they rejoiced with her.
59 And it came to pass, that on the eighth day they came to circumcise the child; and they called him Zacharias, after the name of his father.
60 And his mother answered and said, Not so; but he shall be called John.
61 And they said unto her, There is none of thy kindred that is called by this name.
62 And they made signs to his father, how he would have him called.
63 And he asked for a writing table, and wrote, saying, His name is John. And they marvelled all.
64 And his mouth was opened immediately, and his tongue loosed, and he spake, and praised God.
65 And fear came on all that dwelt round about them: and all these sayings were noised abroad throughout all the hill country of Judaea.
66 And all they that heard them laid them up in their hearts, saying, What manner of child shall this be! And the hand of the Lord was with him.
67 And his father Zacharias was filled with the Holy Ghost, and prophesied, saying,
68 Blessed be the Lord God of Israel; for he hath visited and redeemed his people,
69 And hath raised up an horn of salvation for us in the house of his servant David;
70 As he spake by the mouth of his holy prophets, which have been since the world began:
71 That we should be saved from our enemies, and from the hand of all that hate us;
72 To perform the mercy promised to our fathers, and to remember his holy covenant;
73 The oath which he sware to our father Abraham,
74 That he would grant unto us, that we being delivered out of the hand of our enemies might serve him without fear,
75 In holiness and righteousness before him, all the days of our life.
76 And thou, child, shalt be called the prophet of the Highest: for thou shalt go before the face of the Lord to prepare his ways;
77 To give knowledge of salvation unto his people by the remission of their sins,¹⁴
78 Through the tender mercy of our God; whereby the dayspring from on high hath visited us,
79 To give light to them that sit in darkness and in the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the way of peace.
80 And the child grew, and waxed strong in spirit, and was in the deserts¹⁵ till the day of his shewing unto Israel.
1 Since many have attempted to write an account of the things that we certainly believe about the life of Jesus,
2 Through the stories passed down to us by those who were eyewitnesses from the beginning and ministers of the Message,
3 I also thought it a good idea that, since my knowledge of the events comes from first-hand sources and exhaustive research, I write you this account, most excellent Theophilus,
4 So you too can know the absolute truth of the things you’ve been taught.
5 In the days of Herod the Great, king of Judea, there was a priest named Zacharias, who was one of the priests in the division of Abijah (established by David). Zacharias’ wife Elizabeth was descended from Aaron (the first High Priest).
6 Now these two were highly religious and devoted before God, obeying all of the Torah in a blameless manner.
7 Even so, they had no children, for Elizabeth was barren, and now they were both very old.
8 Now it came to pass that during one of the two times a year that Zacharias was called upon to serve at the Temple with the other priests of the division of Abijah,
9 For the first time in his life, when they enacted the ritual to cast lots to determine which priest would have the honor of burning incense before the Holy of Holies, it fell to him.
10 At the appointed time while he was inside burning incense, the Temple courts outside were filled with a multitude of people praying.
11 As he was doing this, an angel of the Lord appeared to the right of the altar of incense!
12 When Zacharias saw him, he was stunned and greatly afraid.
13 But the angel said: Don’t be afraid, Zacharias! Your prayer (for a son) has been heard, and your wife Elizabeth will bear a son whom you are to name John (Yochannon).
14 You will have great joy and gladness at this, and many will rejoice with you at his birth.
15 This child will be great in the Lord’s sight (and will be consecrated to God as a Nazirite from his birth). He must never drink wine or strong drink; and he will be filled with the Holy Spirit even from his mother’s womb.
16 He will bring revival to the children of Israel, and turn many sinners to the Lord their God.
17 He will go before Him, walking in the spirit and power of Elijah to: turn the hearts of the fathers to the children, and the disobedient to the wisdom of the just; to make ready a people prepared for the Lord.
18 Zacharias replied to the angel: How do I know this is true? I am an old man, and my wife too is getting on in years.
19 The angel then answered: I am Gabriel, who stands in the presence of God, and who was sent to give you these glad tidings.
20 Because you did not believe my words that will be fulfilled in the due course of time, you will be made (deaf and) dumb, unable to speak!
21 Now while this was going on, the people waited for Zacharias, and couldn’t understand why he was taking so long in the Temple (so they repeated their prayer over and over again until he came out).
22 When he finally did emerge, he could not speak--he could only make hand signs--and they knew he must have had some sort of vision in the Temple.
23 Now when his period of service was over, he went home to his wife.
24 Elizabeth then conceived, and hid herself for five months. And she said,
25 “The Lord has been good and merciful to me to look upon me in my old age, and take away the disgrace of being childless!”
26 Now in the sixth month of Elizabeth’s pregnancy, the same angel Gabriel was sent by God to the village of Nazareth in Galilee,
27 To a young virgin who was engaged to a man named Joseph, a descendant of David. The young woman’s name was Miriam (meaning Rebel).
28 The angel came to her, and said: Greetings, you who have been greatly graced! The Lord is with you! Blessed are you among women!
29 When Miriam saw the angel, she was troubled and perplexed, wondering what sort of greeting this was.
30 But the angel said to her: Don’t be afraid, Miriam--for you have found favor with God!
31 You are going to become pregnant, and give birth to a son whom you will name Jesus (Yeshua).
32 He will be a great man, and shall be called the Son of the Highest; and the Lord God will give him the throne of his ancestor David!
33 He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and his kingdom will never have an end!
34 Then Miriam asked: How can such a thing happen since I am a virgin?
35 The angel answered: The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Highest will overshadow you. For this reason, the holy child born of you will be called the Son of God (--and he will be more than merely the King of Israel through that title).
36 Your relative Elizabeth has also conceived a son in her old age, and this is the sixth month of a pregnancy for a woman who was called “barren.”
37 For no command or decree of God is without power!
38 And Miriam replied: Behold the handmaid of the Lord. Let it happen as you have said. The angel then departed from her.
39 Miriam left her home and speedily made her way to the hill country of Judea and the village where Elizabeth lived.
40 Upon entering Zacharias’ home, she called out for Elizabeth.
41 When Elizabeth heard the sound of her voice, the baby leapt for joy in her womb, and the Holy Spirit filled her, causing her to prophesy.
42 She cried out: Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb!
43 And why is it that the mother of my Lord has honored me by coming here?
44 For as soon as I heard your voice and greeting, the baby inside me leapt for joy!
45 Blessed is she who believed what the Lord told her, for what she has believed will come to pass!
46 And Miriam exclaimed: My soul exalts the Lord!
47 And my spirit rejoices in God my Savior!
48 For He has regarded the humble state of His handmaid--for from this point, all generations will call me blessed!
49 For the Mighty One has done great things to me, and Holy is His name!
50 His mercy is on them that fear him from generation to generation.
51 His mighty arm has scattered to the wind those who are arrogant in their hearts’ intentions.
52 He has thrown down the mighty from their thrones, and replaced them with the humble.
53 He has filled the starving with delicacies, and the rich have been turned away with nothing.
54 He has come to the rescue of His servant Israel, remembering the promise He made out of mercy for us,
55 The promise He made to our ancestors, and Abraham, and his descendants forever!
56 After this, Miriam remained with Elizabeth for around three more months. Then she went back home.
57 Now Elizabeth’s time had come, and she delivered a male child,
58 And all her neighbors and relatives heard of the great mercy God had shown her by this miracle, and they rejoiced with her.
59 And after eight days, according to custom, they came to circumcise the child and give him a name. They assumed it would be Zacharias, after his father.
60 But Elizabeth said: No--name him John!
61 They answered back: But there are none of your relatives (or ancestors) with that name.
62 So they made signs to (the deaf) Zacharias, trying to get him to communicate what the child should be named.
63 Zacharias then gestured for a writing tablet, and when given one, wrote: His name is John. And everyone was amazed.
64 Then his affliction immediately left him, and Zacharias opened his mouth to praise God.
65 And a great fear came about everyone in the area, and word of these events circulated about all the Judean hill country.
66 Everyone who heard, wondered what sort of child this would grow up to be. And sure enough, God’s hand was with him.
67 The Holy Spirit also filled his father Zacharias, and he prophesied, saying:
68 Blessed be the Lord God of Israel, for He has come to the aid of his people, and redeemed them.
69 He has raised up a hero of deliverance for us in the house of his servant David,
70 As He said He would do through the prophecies of the holy prophets, who have been saying this since the world began!
71 He will save us from our enemies and from the hands of all who hate us,
72 So He can enact the mercy promised to our ancestors, and remember His holy covenant,
73 The oath He made to our father Abraham:
74 That He would deliver us out of the hands of our enemies so we could serve Him freely, without fear,
75 In all holiness and righteousness before Him, all the days of our lives.
76 And you, child, shall be called a prophet of the Highest, for you will go before the face of the Lord to set the stage;
77 To teach the way of salvation to God’s people through the remission of sins,
78 Accomplished through the tender mercy of our God, by whom the rising sun itself has descended to earth and come to us,
79 To give light to those trapped in darkness and the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the way of peace!
80 And so the child grew and became very bold and wise, and was in the deserts until the day he was revealed to Israel.

1. “Theophilus” means Friend of God. Just who this person was is unknown, though he is believed to have lived in Antioch. There was a Sadducee High Priest, a son of Annas, named Theophilus who was High Priest from 37-41 AD, but almost certainly he is not to whom this Gospel was penned. Luke may be using “Theophilus” as a general term for anyone who wishes to learn of God and Christ.

2. An important verse often misunderstood both by cultists and my fellow evangelicals who (correctly) teach that the only true righteousness imparting eternal life is that which comes from faith. However, there is a lesser level of righteousness which is dealt with here: a righteousness of character, or a temporal righteousness. However, the righteousness that one may appropriate through lifestyle is insufficient to save the soul from death, for only the foreign spiritual righteousness imparted through faith in Messiah can allow one to dwell in the presence of God. Even Judaism comes near to understanding this idea when it teaches that an evil man may do a mitzvah (good deed) and reap an immediate reward from God for the act, yet the man still has his name written in the Book of the Unrighteous because he is evil. Where Judaism (and Islam) miss it, is in failing to comprehend that no amount of good deeds and righteous lifestyle will permit God to accept a man on that basis alone, for “all our righteousness is as filthy rags” (Isaiah 64:6).

3. Luke’s purpose in bringing up how “righteous” Zacharias and Elisabeth were is to counter the belief in that time that being childless was a result of sin.

4. During the time of David, there were so many priests that he divided them into 24 “courses” (groups). In this time period, each would minister twice a year in the Temple for a week. During the Festivals of Pentecost, Sukkot (Tabernacles) and Unleavened Bread, they would also be active in their ministrations and then return to their appointed schedules after the end of each Festival. Zacharias’ course would have been active in the Temple during May or June, and it is at this time that he encounters Gabriel. John would have been born around April, at or near Passover, an emphasis of which is the coming of Elijah. This would also place Jesus’ birth around the Festival of Sukkot as shown in the commentary for the next chapter.

After being chosen by lot, the winner selected two friends, the first of whom entered the Holy Place (outside the Holy of Holies) and removed the remains of the offering left upon the altar. The second prepared the coals to receive the next. The winner then entered with a golden censor and spread the incense upon the altar before the curtain sealing off the Holy of Holies.

5. Apparently, God was holding Zacharias to a higher standard of faith, as an experienced priest, than he did a teenage Mary who asks a similar question. Also, the word translated as “dumb” is possibly an error that has crept into the text, for the Syrian version of the New Testament uses the word “deaf” instead. We see absolute confirmation of this in verse 62, where the people “made signs” to Zacharias, who obviously must be deaf. Apparently, Zacharias was struck both deaf and dumb.

6. As Zacharias performed his function, the people outside would recite a prayer from the Psalms, repeating it if the priest failed to complete his tasks before they finished. By the third recitation they would have definitely begun to wonder what was taking so long.

7. Why Zacharias doesn’t write down what happened is puzzling and unexplained.

8. In the culture, as mentioned, to be childless was viewed as a curse from God, and was usually presumed to be the result of sin.

9. Mary’s age is unknown, but probably she was 13-15.

10. The strong Greek word here for highly favored (charitoo), is often appealed to by Catholics as a proof text that Mary was graced in such a way as to have been preserved from Original Sin. However, the same word is used of all believers by Paul in Ephesians 1:6, where it is translated “accepted.”

11. Yeshua in the actual language, although in Galilee it was pronounced Yeshu.

12. For the first time, the term Son of God takes on a meaning beyond that of “Messiah” or “King of Israel.” Keep in mind that as you see people other than Jesus refer to Him as the “Son of God,” in their minds they are equating the term not with a virgin-born man, but as a euphemism for “Messiah.”

13. A verse showing that Mary is not sinless, for the sinless need no savior.

14. Josephus on John’s Baptism

Now some of the Jews thought that Herod’s army had been destroyed by God, and that it was a very just penalty to avenge John, surnamed the Baptist. For Herod had killed him, though he was a good man, who bade the Jews practice virtue, be just one to another and pious toward God, and come together in baptism. He taught that baptism was acceptable to God provided that they underwent it not to procure the remission of certain sins, but for the purification of the body, if the soul had already been purified by righteousness. Antiquities 18.5.2

This is a verse causes some controversy. The New Testament seems to say that John's baptism was directly concerned with the washing away of sin, yet Josephus apparently contradicts this. In Jewish culture, baptism--a ritual immersion--was practiced on a regular basis. Then, as now, there was a disagreement on whether baptism merely symbolized purification, or whether there was a literal spiritual purification bestowed by the act. It would thus be perfectly orthodox for John to hold that baptism was to be performed as the concluding act of repentance as Josephus indicates; or he could have taught the sin was literally washed away by it. The Essenes themselves appear to have believed that baptism symbolized a spiritual purification performed by the Holy Spirit.

15. This probably indicates that John spent considerable time with the Essenes, who dwelt in the desert, and also that he was a member of their community. John was baptizing at Bethabara, only a few miles from Qumran, and there is no question that he had to have had exposure to Essene teaching and culture, at least some of which must have been incorporated into his ministry. The Hebrew version of Josephus calls John a “High Priest,” and this may indicate he actually headed the Essenes at some point. Alternatively, John’s popularity and following (confirmed by the Gospels when the religious leaders fear being stoned by the masses if they deny John was a prophet) could suggest he headed an entire organized religious movement specifically created as a counter to the Judaism practiced by the Pharisees and Sadducees.

CHAPTER 2

CHAPTER 2

1 And it came to pass in those days, that there went out a decree from Caesar Augustus, that all the world should be taxed.¹
2 (And this taxing was first made when Cyrenius was governor of Syria.)²
3 And all went to be taxed, every one into his own city.³
4 And Joseph also went up from Galilee, out of the city of Nazareth, into Judaea, unto the city of David, which is called Bethlehem; (because he was of the house and lineage of David:)
5 To be taxed with Mary his espoused wife, being great with child.
6 And so it was, that, while they were there, the days were accomplished that she should be delivered.
7 And she brought forth her firstborn son, and wrapped him in swaddling clothes, and laid him in a manger; because there was no room for them in the inn⁴.
8 And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night.⁵
9 And, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them: and they were sore afraid.
10 And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy⁶, which shall be to all people.
11 For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord.
12 And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger.
13 And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying,
14 Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.
15 And it came to pass, as the angels were gone away from them into heaven, the shepherds said one to another, Let us now go even unto Bethlehem, and see this thing which is come to pass, which the Lord hath made known unto us.
16 And they came with haste, and found Mary, and Joseph, and the babe lying in a manger.
17 And when they had seen it, they made known abroad the saying which was told them concerning this child.
18 And all they that heard it wondered at those things which were told them by the shepherds.
19 But Mary kept all these things, and pondered them in her heart.
20 And the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things that they had heard and seen, as it was told unto them.
21 And when eight days were accomplished for the circumcising of the child, his name was called JESUS, which was so named of the angel before he was conceived in the womb.
22 And when the days of her purification according to the law of Moses were accomplished, they brought him to Jerusalem, to present him to the Lord;
23 (As it is written in the law of the Lord, Every male that openeth the womb shall be called holy to the Lord;)
24 And to offer a sacrifice according to that which is said in the law of the Lord, A pair of turtledoves, or two young pigeons.⁷
25 And, behold, there was a man in Jerusalem, whose name was Simeon; and the same man was just and devout, waiting for the consolation of Israel: and the Holy Ghost was upon him.
26 And it was revealed unto him by the Holy Ghost, that he should not see death, before he had seen the Lord's Christ.
27 And he came by the Spirit into the temple: and when the parents brought in the child Jesus, to do for him after the custom of the law,
28 Then took he him up in his arms, and blessed God, and said,
29 Lord, now lettest thou thy servant depart in peace, according to thy word:
30 For mine eyes have seen thy salvation,
31 Which thou hast prepared before the face of all people;
32 A light to lighten the Gentiles, and the glory of thy people Israel.
33 And Joseph and his mother marvelled at those things which were spoken of him.
34 And Simeon blessed them, and said unto Mary his mother, Behold, this child is set for the fall and rising again of many in Israel; and for a sign which shall be spoken against;
35 (Yea, a sword shall pierce through thy own soul also,) that the thoughts of many hearts may be revealed.
36 And there was one Anna, a prophetess, the daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Aser: she was of a great age, and had lived with an husband seven years from her virginity;
37 And she was a widow of about fourscore and four years, which departed not from the temple, but served God with fastings and prayers night and day.
38 And she coming in that instant gave thanks likewise unto the Lord, and spake of him to all them that looked for redemption in Jerusalem.
39 And when they had performed all things according to the law of the Lord, they returned into Galilee, to their own city Nazareth.⁸
40 And the child grew, and waxed strong in spirit, filled with wisdom: and the grace of God was upon him.
41 Now his parents went to Jerusalem every year at the feast of the passover.⁹
42 And when he was twelve years old, they went up to Jerusalem after the custom of the feast.
43 And when they had fulfilled the days, as they returned, the child Jesus tarried behind in Jerusalem; and Joseph and his mother knew not of it.
44 But they, supposing him to have been in the company, went a day's journey; and they sought him among their kinsfolk and acquaintance.
45 And when they found him not, they turned back again to Jerusalem, seeking him.
46 And it came to pass, that after three days they found him in the temple, sitting in the midst of the doctors, both hearing them, and asking them questions.
47 And all that heard him were astonished at his understanding and answers.¹⁰
48 And when they saw him, they were amazed: and his mother said unto him, Son, why hast thou thus dealt with us? behold, thy father and I have sought thee sorrowing.
49 And he said unto them, How is it that ye sought me? wist ye not that I must be about my Father's business?
50 And they understood not the saying which he spake unto them.
51 And he went down with them, and came to Nazareth, and was subject unto them: but his mother kept all these sayings in her heart.
52 And Jesus increased in wisdom and stature, and in favour with God and man.¹¹
1 And it came to pass in that time that Augustus Caesar issued an edict throughout the Roman Empire to take a census for purposes of taxation.
2 This first affected Judea when Cyrenius was controlling Syria.
3 So everyone went to register for the census at the town his ancestors were from.
4 Joseph also came from Nazareth in Galilee to Bethlehem of Judea, the city of David his ancestor,
5 To be counted with his betrothed wife, Miriam, who was now in her ninth month of pregnancy. (This took place in early fall, during the Feast of Tabernacles, called the Festival of Sukkot by the Jews.)
6 It happened that while they were in Bethlehem, she was ready to give birth.
7 And she brought forth her firstborn son, and wrapped him up in swaddling, laying him inside a manger because there was no room for them in (Joseph’s family’s tabernacle).
8 In the same region, one night some shepherds were out in the fields, keeping watch on flocks of lambs (used for Temple sacrifices).
9 The angel of the Lord appeared to them, shining with God’s radiance, and they were terrified.
10 But the angel said to them: Fear not! For look--I bring you news of great joy that shall bless all people!
11 For this night is born to you in the city of David, a Savior, who is Messiah the Lord!
12 Here is how you will know him: You will find the baby wrapped in swaddling, lying in a manger!
13 Suddenly the angel was joined by a host of other angelic beings who were praising God, saying:
14 Glory to God in the highest! On earth, peace and good will to men!
15 As the angels left them and ascended into the sky, the shepherds said to each other: Let’s go into Bethlehem,and see this thing the Lord has made known to us!
16 So they rushed toward town and found Miriam, Joseph, and the baby, who was lying in a manger.
17 After they had seen this, they spread word to others about what they had been told about the child they saw.
18 And everyone who heard this wondered about what the shepherds said about the child.
19 But Miriam remembered all of these events, and pondered them in her heart.
20 Meanwhile, the shepherds returned to their flocks, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen as a result of what the angel had told them.
21 Now after eight days, when they came to circumcise the child, he was named Jesus because of what the angel had told Miriam before he was conceived in the womb.
22 And when the period of ritual defilement according to the Law of Moses was over, they brought the child to Jerusalem to present him to the Lord.
23 As it is written in the Torah of the Lord: Every male that openeth the womb shall be called holy to the Lord.
24 They also made the required (sin) sacrifice in the Torah of the Lord (for the mother): A pair of two turtledoves or pigeons.
25 Now in Jerusalem at that time was a man named Simeon. This man was just and religious, waiting for the redemption of Israel, and the Holy Spirit was upon him.
26 The Holy Spirit had revealed to him that he would not die before he had seen the Lord’s Messiah.
27 Led by the Spirit one day, Simeon came to the Temple, and when Jesus’ parents came to present him and offer up the required sacrifice,
28 He took the babe into his arms and blessed God, saying:
29 Lord, You have let your servant die in peace as you promised,
30 For my eyes have now seen your salvation,
31 Which you have prepared in the sight of all people;
32 A light to enlighten the Gentiles, and the glory of Your people Israel!
33 Joseph and Miriam were amazed at the things that had been spoken about the child.
34 And Simeon blessed them, and said to Miriam his mother: Behold--this child is fated to be the fall of some, and the rising up of many others in Israel; a sign that will be spoken against,
35 So that what is in men’s hearts will be revealed for all to see. A sword will pierce your own soul also!
36 Now also there was a prophetess named Anna, daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Asher. She was very, very old, and had been widowed after seven years of marriage.
37 She was now eighty-four years old, and spent day and night in the Temple, serving God (as an intercessor,) praying and fasting.
38 She happened to approach while this was going on, and when she had seen the child, she also gave prophetic praise to God for him, and spread word about him to everyone in Jerusalem faithfully awaiting deliverance.
39 When Joseph and Miriam had completed the requirements of the Law of the Lord, they returned to their own town of Nazareth, in Galilee.
40 And the child grew and became bold in spirit, and was filled with wisdom, for God was with him.
41 Now every year his parents would go to Jerusalem for the Feast of Passover as was customary (for devout Jews).
42 And when Jesus was twelve (by Jewish reckoning), they journeyed to Jerusalem for the Feast.
43 After it was over, as they returned in a caravan to Galilee, the young Jesus slipped away and remained in Jerusalem, but his parents didn’t realize it.
44 They thought he was with friends or relatives in the caravan, and it was a full day before they started asking their family and friends if they had seen him.
45 When they realized he wasn’t there, they rushed back to Jerusalem, trying to find him.
46 On the third day they found him at the Temple sitting amidst the sages of Israel, listening to them and asking them questions.
47 Everyone there was amazed at the boy’s wisdom of understanding, and the questions he answered.
48 When his parents saw him, they were amazed, and his mother said: Son--why have you done this?! Your father and I have been going out of our minds with worry! We couldn’t find you anywhere!
49 Jesus replied: How is it that you didn’t know where to find me? Where else would I be but doing my Father’s business in His house?
50 But they did not understand what he meant.
51 So Jesus returned home with them, and was obedient to them. Meanwhile, his mother kept all these things in her heart.
52 And in the years that followed, Jesus grew in wisdom and in size (for he was a large man), and increased in favor with both God and man.

1. “Taxed” is a bad translation; “enrolled,” or “counted for a census,” would be closer to the correct understanding of the text.

2. Skeptics like to point out Cyrenius (or Quirinius) was governor of Syria in 6 AD, long after the most liberal dating for Christ’s birth. First, these skeptics either ignore or are ignorant of the fact that the word translated as governor (hegemon) is a broad term that can refer to a variety of positions including that of a “governor.” (Luke even uses it about Tiberius.) Quirinius was active in military pursuits in the Middle East for years before he became governor (Tacitus, Annals 3.48), and Tertullian states that censuses were conducted in Palestine under Sentius Saturninus, governor from 4 BC to 2 BC. Quirinius would have been subordinate to Saturninus (an acceptable term for which would indeed be hegemon), and would have overseen matters of internal security, which may have involved the census, given the fact that Herod was loathe to carry it out due to the hostility of the Jews toward it (because they knew taxation followed). Another reasonable scenario is that the census took place in several stages, beginning with Quirinius as subordinate to Saturninus (or Quintilius Varus according to some scholars), culminating in 6 AD--when Quirinius formally became governor--with the accompanying heavy taxation that caused the formation of the Zealots under Judas the Galilean. Alternatively, archeological evidence from Tivoli dating to 14 AD suggests that someone may twice have been made governor in the region in this timeframe, and while the person’s name is obliterated, Quirinius would seem to be a candidate. In any event, there is no good reason to doubt the historicity of the account given the factors that can reasonably account for any alleged contradiction with known historical fact.

3. The skeptics further claim that there is no historical confirmation of such a worldwide census, nor that the Romans would have required citizens to return to their ancestral homes for registration. Against this, first of all, is the fact that for Luke to attempt such a massive distortion of history when masses of people still lived who had been alive during these events is unthinkable. (It would be akin to someone today claiming that President Kennedy had instituted a countrywide census requiring all US citizens to return to their cities of birth to be counted. And even if one takes the view that the story is contrived by Luke, he must explain why Luke would make up such a distortion of what would be known recent history when all he had to do was to invent a simple “lie” and make Joseph a resident of Bethlehem as Matthew seems to, since he omits mention of a census compelling Joseph to travel to Bethlehem in the first place. There would be neither problem nor controversy with that.) Such an assertion would immediately be denounced as a hoax, and we have no record whatever of any ancient denial of Luke’s account. Secondly, it is recorded by Orosius that Augustus instituted a census (in 3 BC), requiring an oath of loyalty be taken. Josephus (Ant. I7.41-45) confirms that an oath of obedience to Augustus was required in Judea prior to the death of Herod in 4 BC, and archeological evidence from approximately 3 BC in Turkey likewise shows that a similar oath was taken by the people in their temples, while the ancient Armenian historian Misrop confirms that the census involving Joseph and Mary was held in Armenia and required the people to register in the local temples. Added to this is a parchment from Egypt dating to early in the second century which reads: Because of the approaching census it is necessary that all those residing for any cause away from their home should at once prepare to return to their own governments in order that they may complete the family registration of the enrollment. A plaque on Augustus’ tomb also boasted that he thrice conducted a census of the Empire. All this evidence reasonably supports Luke’s claim of an empire-wide registration that required people to register in their homes of origin. If there is an error, it is in our translation or understanding of Luke’s text, not with the claims made by the text.

4. “Inn” is definitely a mistranslation. The word means a living space or room, and possibly refers to the Hebrew word for sukkah, the tabernacles built by the Jews for the Festival of Sukkot. Joseph and Mary may have appeared at Bethlehem during the Festival, and had to find a place to stay, for if they had arrived at either the first or last day at the Festival they would have been forbidden to erect their own sukkah, and would have had to find preexistent shelter--i.e. the stable with its manger (which tradition, starting with Justin Martyr, claims was a nearby cave, and which may have been considered the equivalent of a sukkah in a pinch). All this speculation aside, it would not have been impossible for them to have wound up staying on the lower floor of a relative’s house, where animals would also have been stabled.

5. Joseph and Mary may not have been in Bethlehem proper, but just outside of it in the valley of Migdol Eder, where the people often built their tabernacles. It is here in Migdol Eder that lambs were raised for the Passover sacrifices, and during Sukkot they are present in the fields, unlike in December when they are usually housed in shelter despite the fact that there is more grass available in winter than summer. Interestingly, Migdol Eder, though treated as a part of Bethlehem (Micah 4:8 , the “Tower of the Flock,” which arguably prophesies about Christ), was just barely within the rabbinic distance limit from Jerusalem in order to be a valid sacrificial lamb, while Bethlehem proper was just barely outside that distance. All this speculation aside, it would not have been impossible for them to have wound up staying on the lower floor of a relative's house where animals would also have been stabled.

6. Sukkot is also known as the season of our joy, and is a Festival for Jew and Gentile alike, for 70 bullocks are sacrificed for the sins of the Gentiles during the Festival.

7. Showing that the Magi had yet to visit, for this is the offering made by the poor, not those who have received “gold, frankincense, and myrrh.” It should also be noted that this is a sin-offering for the mother.

8. There is no good explanation why Luke omits the flight into Egypt, a fact skeptics pounce upon. Some possibilities follow:

It is generally accepted that he was not writing to a Jewish audience as was Matthew, and thus he may have had no reason to bring up the event to confirm a very liberal interpretation of prophecy Matthew held to.

He was cutting to the chase and moving the story along, omitting a detail he felt unnecessary to relate. Luke does this at the end of his Gospel when he condenses the 40-day ministry of Christ after the Resurrection into only one verse.

Since Mark and John likewise omit the event, apparently the Gospel writers apart from Matthew didn’t feel it noteworthy to mention, perhaps because the flight and return took place in a very short space of time. If this is the case, then the Magi may arrive after baby Jesus’ presentation in the Temple, and then the flight and return occur immediately thereafter. Otherwise, they arrive after about a year has passed, based on the fact that they tell Herod they first saw the star about a year previously. The flight and return then take place, with Jesus being around a year to 18 months old.

9. Showing this was a very religious family, for many Jews outside of Jerusalem by this time did not regularly journey for the three great Festivals.

10. Jesus was almost certainly interacting with Hillel and Shammai, the two most important sages of the era. There is also no question as to how a child could be allowed into such a discussion, for it was a Jewish custom for a sage to bring up a question for debate and then ask the youngest person there to comment.

11. A very important verse showing that Jesus was not born with infinite knowledge and understanding as some believe, but had to learn as a human being under the anointing of the Holy Spirit.

CHAPTER 3

CHAPTER 3

1 Now in the fifteenth year of the reign¹ of Tiberius Caesar, Pontius Pilate being governor of Judaea, and Herod being tetrarch of Galilee, and his brother Philip tetrarch of Ituraea and of the region of Trachonitis, and Lysanias the tetrarch of Abilene²
2 Annas and Caiaphas being the high priests³, the word of God came unto John the son of Zacharias in the wilderness.
3 And he came into all the country about Jordan, preaching the baptism of repentance for the remission of sins;
4 As it is written in the book of the words of Esaias the prophet, saying, The voice of one crying in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the Lord, make his paths straight.
5 Every valley shall be filled, and every mountain and hill shall be brought low; and the crooked shall be made straight, and the rough ways shall be made smooth;
6 And all flesh shall see the salvation of God.
7 Then said he to the multitude that came forth to be baptized of him, O generation of vipers, who hath warned you to flee from the wrath to come?⁴
8 Bring forth therefore fruits worthy of repentance, and begin not to say within yourselves, We have Abraham to our father: for I say unto you, That God is able of these stones to raise up children unto Abraham.⁵
9 And now also the axe is laid unto the root of the trees: every tree therefore which bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire.
10 And the people asked him, saying, What shall we do then?
11 He answereth and saith unto them, He that hath two coats, let him impart to him that hath none; and he that hath meat, let him do likewise.
12 Then came also publicans to be baptized, and said unto him, Master, what shall we do?
13 And he said unto them, Exact no more than that which is appointed you.
14 And the soldiers likewise demanded of him, saying, And what shall we do? And he said unto them, Do violence to no man, neither accuse any falsely; and be content with your wages.⁶
15 And as the people were in expectation, and all men mused in their hearts of John, whether he were the Christ, or not;
16 John answered, saying unto them all, I indeed baptize you with water; but one mightier than I cometh, the latchet of whose shoes I am not worthy to unloose: he shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost and with fire: ⁷
17 Whose fan is in his hand, and he will thoroughly purge his floor, and will gather the wheat into his garner; but the chaff he will burn with fire unquenchable.
18 And many other things in his exhortation preached he unto the people.
19 But Herod the tetrarch, being reproved by him for Herodias his brother Philip's wife, and for all the evils which Herod had done,
20 Added yet this above all, that he shut up John in prison.
21 Now when all the people were baptized, it came to pass, that Jesus also being baptized, and praying, the heaven was opened,
22 And the Holy Ghost descended in a bodily shape like a dove upon him, and a voice came from heaven, which said, Thou art my beloved Son; in thee I am well pleased.
23 And Jesus himself began to be about thirty years of age, being (as was supposed) the son of Joseph, which was the son of Heli,⁸
24 Which was the son of Matthat, which was the son of Levi, which was the son of Melchi, which was the son of Janna, which was the son of Joseph,
25 Which was the son of Mattathias, which was the son of Amos, which was the son of Naum, which was the son of Esli, which was the son of Nagge,
26 Which was the son of Maath, which was the son of Mattathias, which was the son of Semei, which was the son of Joseph, which was the son of Juda,
27 Which was the son of Joanna, which was the son of Rhesa, which was the son of Zorobabel, which was the son of Salathiel, which was the son of Neri,
28 Which was the son of Melchi, which was the son of Addi, which was the son of Cosam, which was the son of Elmodam, which was the son of Er,
29 Which was the son of Jose, which was the son of Eliezer, which was the son of Jorim, which was the son of Matthat, which was the son of Levi,
30 Which was the son of Simeon, which was the son of Juda, which was the son of Joseph, which was the son of Jonan, which was the son of Eliakim,
31 Which was the son of Melea, which was the son of Menan, which was the son of Mattatha, which was the son of Nathan, which was the son of David,
32 Which was the son of Jesse, which was the son of Obed, which was the son of Booz, which was the son of Salmon, which was the son of Naasson,
33 Which was the son of Aminadab, which was the son of Aram, which was the son of Esrom, which was the son of Phares, which was the son of Juda,
34 Which was the son of Jacob, which was the son of Isaac, which was the son of Abraham, which was the son of Thara, which was the son of Nachor,
35 Which was the son of Saruch, which was the son of Ragau, which was the son of Phalec, which was the son of Heber, which was the son of Sala,
36 Which was the son of Cainan, which was the son of Arphaxad, which was the son of Sem, which was the son of Noe, which was the son of Lamech,
37 Which was the son of Mathusala, which was the son of Enoch, which was the son of Jared, which was the son of Maleleel, which was the son of Cainan,
38 Which was the son of Enos, which was the son of Seth, which was the son of Adam, which was the son of God.⁹
1 Now in the fifteenth year Tiberius Caesar ruled Rome (27 AD), Pontius Pilate was governor of Judea, Herod Antipas was Tetrarch of Galilee, his brother Philip was Tetrarch of Ituraea and the region of Trachonitis; and Lysanias was the Tetrarch of Abilene.
2 Caipahas was then the reigning High Priest (though his father-in-law, Annas, was still alive and had occupied that position before him). It was at this time that John, the son of Zacharias, received a revelation from God out in the deserts.
3 And he went throughout Jordan, preaching the baptism of repentance for the remittance of sins,
4 Fulfilling the prophecies of Isaiah the prophet: The voice of one crying in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the Lord, make his paths straight.
5 Every valley shall be filled, and every mountain and hill shall be brought low; and the crooked shall be made straight, and the rough ways shall be made smooth;
6 And all flesh shall see the salvation of God.
7 And he railed against many (Pharisees and Sadducees) who sought baptism from him, saying: You generation of snakes! Who warned you to repent and escape God’s coming wrath?
8 If you want to repent, prove it by changing the way that you think and act--and don’t feel secure because you’re physically descended from Abraham (and think that guarantees your being accepted by God). I tell you that God can take these rocks (erected by Joshua) and turn them into children of Abraham if He wants to!
9 God’s ax is ready to fell the trees that bear no good fruit, and those trees will be cast into the fire!
10 The people, meanwhile, asked John: What shall we do then?
11 He answered: Let the man with two coats give one to someone without any; and let the man with food on his table share with him who is starving!
12 Even some hated tax collectors came to be baptized, and they asked: Rabbi--what should we do?
13 John’s answer was: (Live off your salary, and) take no more than the minimal taxes Rome demands.
14 Some soldiers likewise asked: What should we do? And John answered: Do violence to no man unnecessarily; do not make a false accusation against anyone; and don’t extort money, but be content with your wages.
15 Now since the people were in heightened expectation that the Messiah might come in their lifetime, they debated whether John could be he.
16 But John denied it, saying: I am indeed baptizing you with water, but one mightier than I is coming whose sandal straps I am unworthy to untie--and he will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with fire!
17 His fan is in his hand, and he will thoroughly clean out the threshing floor, gathering the wheat into his storage bin while burning the chaff with everlasting fire!
18 John taught and exhorted many other things to the people as well.
19 But Herod Antipas, Tetrarch of Galilee, was a target of John’s criticism for taking his brother Philip’s wife Herodias for himself, and for his many other atrocities.
20 Bad as all these crimes were, even worse was that he cast John into a dungeon!
21 Now when all the people had been baptized, Jesus also came to be baptized, and when he arose from the water and prayed, the heavens parted,
22 And the Holy Spirit descended in the form of a dove upon him, and a voice from heaven said: You are my beloved Son! In you, I am well pleased!
23 Jesus was now about thirty years old, being (as was supposed) the son of Joseph (Let Him Add), who became son of Heli (Ascending),
24 Who was son of Matthat (Gift of God), who was son of Levi (Joined), who was son of Melchi (My King My Counsel), who was son of Janna (Flourishing), who was son of Joseph (Let Him Add),
25 Who was son of Mattathias (Gift of Yahweh), who was son of Amos (Burden), who was son of Naum (Consolation), who was son of Esli (Reserved of Yahweh), who was son of Nagge (Illuminating),
26 Who was son of Maath (Small), who was son of Mattathias (Gift of Yahweh), who was son of Semei (Harkeners--My Report), who was son of Joseph (Let Him Add), who was son of Judah (He Shall Be Praised),
27 Who was son of Joanna (Gift of God), who was son of Rhesa (Head), who was son of Zorobabel (Born in Babylon), who was son of Salathiel (I Have Asked of God), who was son of Neri (Yahweh is my Lamp),
28 Who was son of Melchi (My King, My Counsel), who was son of Addi (Ornament), who was son of Cosam (Divining), who was son of Elmodam (Measure), who was son of Er (Watchful),
29 Who was son of Jose (He Will be Sustained by Yahweh), who was son of Eliezer (God is His Help), who was son of Jorim (Whom Yahweh Has Exalted), who was son of Matthat (Gift of God), who was son of Levi (Joined),
30 Who was son of Simeon (Harkening), who was son of Judah (He Shall be Praised), who was son of Joseph (Let Him Add), who was son of Jonan (Yahweh is a Gracious Giver), who was son of Eliakim (Raising up by God),
31 Who was son of Melea (My Dear Friend), who was son of Menan (Soothsayer), who was son of Mattatha (Givingness), who was son of Nathan (A Giver), who was son of David (Beloved),
32 Who was son of Jesse (Wealthy), who was son of Obed (Serving), who was son of Booz (In Him is Strength), who was son of Salmon (A Garment), who was son of Naasson (Enchanter),
33 Who was son of Aminadab (One of the Prince’s People), who was son of Aram (High), who was son of Esrom (Enclosed), who was son of Phares (a Breach), who was son of Judah (He Shall be Praised),
34 Who was son of Jacob (Heel-catcher or Supplanter), who was son of Isaac (Laughter), who was son of Abraham (Father of a Multitude), who was son of Thera (Station), who was son of Nahor (Snorting),
35 Who was son of Saruch (Intertwined), who was son of Ragau (You Associate and Feed), who was son of Phalec (Division), who was son of Heber (The Region Beyond), who was son of Sala (Sprout),
36 Who was son of Cainan (Their Smith), who was son of Arphaxad (Stronghold of Chaldees), who was son of Shem (Name), who was son of Noe (Rest), who was son of Lamech (Powerful),
37 Who was son of Methuselah (Man of the Spear), who was son of Enoch (Mortal Man), who was son of Jared (Descent), who was son of Maleleel (Praise of God), who was son of Cainan (Their Smith),
38 Who was son of Enos (Mortal Man), who was son of Seth (Compensation), who was son of Adam (Of the Red Earth), who was son of God (I Will Be).

1. 28-29 AD, or 26-27 AD if Luke is dating Tiberius’ reign from his co-regency with Augustus, which occurred two years before he became Caesar (Suetonius De Vita Caesarum--Tiberius XXI). The latter is a strong possibility since Luke uses a weak word for “reign” (a form of the word hegemon, that we noted previously indicates a governorship).

2. Some people confuse this Lysanias with one executed by Cleopatra years earlier, and claim the text is in error. In fact, archeological evidence has shown a Lysanias did rule in Abilene up to 30 AD.

3. This dual priesthood reference traces itself to the fact that the Romans were bartering off the priesthood to the highest bidder on a yearly basis. The Torah, of course, forbade this and allowed the High Priest to serve for life.

4. This hostile tone, other Gospels show, is directed toward the religious leaders of Jerusalem who, perhaps hypocritically, come for baptism. If John were an Essene, his hatred for the Pharisees would certainly be in keeping with how Essenes felt toward the Pharisees.

5. The stones in all likelihood were the 12 stones erected by Joshua to commemorate the crossing of the Jordan River, for he crossed in this area near Bethabara (Bethany). The area was also famous for Naaman's being cleansed here, and for Elijah's ascent to heaven.

6. A verse directly contradicting the theology of some denominations that teach it is sinful to be in the military.

7. Those ‘baptized with fire’ are the enemies of God as the next verse shows.

8. As noted in the Matthew commentary, this is probably Mary’s genealogy, which, according to custom, places Joseph as “the son of Heli” since he, as the husband, is head of the family and passes on the birthright. (The text in Greek also is worded differently when we come to Joseph: “…being the son of Joseph, of the Heli, of the Matthat,” etc.) David Stern suggests this is the genealogy of Joseph’s mother, which is a possibility for some reason never considered by skeptics. Julius Africanus claimed that descendants of Jesus’ relatives asserted that Luke’s genealogy is also that of Joseph, but traced through different males because of Levirate marriages in the line that Matthew does not list. Against this, for one thing, is the fact that the Jerusalem Talmud appears to confirm that Mary was the daughter of Heli, although some dispute that the woman spoken of therein is the Mary.

9 Though the name of God (YHVH) is traditionally rendered as “I AM,” a more precise translation is “HE WHO WILL BE,” for it is not possible to say “I am” in ancient Hebrew. In Exodus 3:14, when God speaks to Moses, He technically says, “I WILL BE WHO I WILL BE,” not “I AM THAT I AM.”

CHAPTER 4

CHAPTER 4

1 And Jesus being full of the Holy Ghost returned from Jordan, and was led by the Spirit into the wilderness,
2 Being forty days tempted of the devil. And in those days he did eat nothing: and when they were ended, he afterward hungered.
3 And the devil said unto him, If thou be the Son of God, command this stone that it be made bread.¹
4 And Jesus answered him, saying, It is written, That man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word of God.
5 And the devil, taking him up into an high mountain, shewed unto him all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time.
6 And the devil said unto him, All this power will I give thee, and the glory of them: for that is delivered unto me; and to whomsoever I will I give it.
7 If thou therefore wilt worship me, all shall be thine.
8 And Jesus answered and said unto him, Get thee behind me, Satan: for it is written, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve.
9 And he brought him to Jerusalem, and set him on a pinnacle of the temple, and said unto him, If thou be the Son of God, cast thyself down from hence:
10 For it is written, He shall give his angels charge over thee, to keep thee:
11 And in their hands they shall bear thee up, lest at any time thou dash thy foot against a stone.
12 And Jesus answering said unto him, It is said, Thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God.
13 And when the devil had ended all the temptation, he departed from him for a season.
14 And Jesus returned in the power of the Spirit into Galilee: and there went out a fame of him through all the region round about.
15 And he taught in their synagogues, being glorified of all.
16 And he came to Nazareth, where he had been brought up: and, as his custom was, he went into the synagogue on the sabbath day, and stood up for to read.
17 And there was delivered unto him the book of the prophet Esaias. And when he had opened the book, he found the place where it was written,
18 The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; he hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised,
19 To preach the acceptable year of the Lord.²
20 And he closed the book, and he gave it again to the minister, and sat down. And the eyes of all them that were in the synagogue were fastened on him.
21 And he began to say unto them, This day is this scripture fulfilled in your ears.
22 And all bare him witness, and wondered at the gracious words which proceeded out of his mouth. And they said, Is not this Joseph's son?
23 And he said unto them, Ye will surely say unto me this proverb, Physician, heal thyself: whatsoever we have heard done in Capernaum, do also here in thy country.
24 And he said, Verily I say unto you, No prophet is accepted in his own country.
25 But I tell you of a truth, many widows were in Israel in the days of Elias, when the heaven was shut up three years and six months, when great famine was throughout all the land;
26 But unto none of them was Elias sent, save unto Sarepta, a city of Sidon, unto a woman that was a widow.
27 And many lepers were in Israel in the time of Eliseus the prophet; and none of them was cleansed, saving Naaman the Syrian.
28 And all they in the synagogue, when they heard these things, were filled with wrath,³
29 And rose up, and thrust him out of the city, and led him unto the brow of the hill whereon their city was built, that they might cast him down headlong.⁴
30 But he passing through the midst of them went his way,
31 And came down to Capernaum, a city of Galilee, and taught them on the sabbath days.
32 And they were astonished at his doctrine: for his word was with power.
33 And in the synagogue there was a man, which had a spirit of an unclean devil⁵, and cried out with a loud voice,
34 Saying, Let us alone; what have we to do with thee, thou Jesus of Nazareth? art thou come to destroy us? I know thee who thou art; the Holy One of God.
35 And Jesus rebuked him, saying, Hold thy peace, and come out of him. And when the devil had thrown him in the midst, he came out of him, and hurt him not.
36 And they were all amazed, and spake among themselves, saying, What a word is this! for with authority and power he commandeth the unclean spirits, and they come out.
37 And the fame of him went out into every place of the country round about.
38 And he arose out of the synagogue, and entered into Simon's house. And Simon's wife's mother⁶ was taken with a great fever; and they besought him for her.
39 And he stood over her, and rebuked⁷the fever; and it left her: and immediately she arose and ministered unto them.
40 Now when the sun was setting, all they that had any sick with divers diseases brought them unto him; and he laid his hands on every one of them, and healed them.
41 And devils also came out of many, crying out, and saying, Thou art Christ the Son of God. And he rebuking them suffered them not to speak: for they knew that he was Christ.
42 And when it was day, he departed and went into a desert place: and the people sought him, and came unto him, and stayed him, that he should not depart from them.
43 And he said unto them, I must preach the kingdom of God to other cities also: for therefore am I sent.
44 And he preached in the synagogues of Galilee.
1 And Jesus, filled with the Holy Spirit, returned from Jordan and was led by the Spirit into the deserts,
2 Where he was tempted for forty days by the devil. During this time he ate nothing, and at the end he was very hungry.
3 Then the devil came to him, and said: Since you’re the Son of God, command that a rock become bread!
4 Jesus answered him by saying: It is written that, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from God’s mouth!
5 The devil took him up to a high mountain where he showed Jesus all the empires of the world in a moment of time.
6 He said: I will give you the power and people of all these kingdoms, for they have been handed over to me to bestow upon whomever I wish.
7 If you will do an act of worship to me, all of it will be yours!
8 Jesus answered by saying: Get behind me, Satan! It is written, You shall worship the Lord your God, and Him only shall you serve!
9 Then the devil brought him to the highest pinnacle of the Temple in Jerusalem, and said: Since you’re the Son of God, jump off from here (for the people to see),
10 For it is written, He shall give his angels charge over thee, to keep thee:
11 And in their hands they shall bear thee up, lest at any time thou dash thy foot against a stone.
12 But Jesus answered him: It is said, You shall not tempt the Lord your God!
13 When the devil had finished his temptations, he left Jesus until a more opportune time.
14 Then Jesus returned with the power of the Spirit into Galilee, and word of his exploits spread throughout the region.
15 And he taught in the synagogues, being highly honored by all who heard him.
16 Eventually he came to Nazareth, where he had grown up; and as he usually did, he went into the synagogue one Sabbath and stood up to give the Torah reading.
17 It happened that he was given the scroll of Isaiah that Sabbath, and he unrolled the scroll to a certain place, and read:
18 The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; he hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised,
19 To preach the acceptable year of the Lord.
20 Jesus stopped reading at that point, and rolled up the scroll, handing it to the attendant to be put away. Then he sat down with every eye in the synagogue on him.
21 He began saying to the assembly: This day, the Scriptures you have heard are being fulfilled.
22 Everyone knew there was something unique about him, and that he spoke with brilliance and authority, but still they said: Isn’t this Joseph’s son?
23 And Jesus replied: You will no doubt quote me the saying, “‘Doctor, heal yourself’! Let’s see you do the same miracles at home that you did in Capernaum!”
24 Truly, no prophet is accepted in his own country!
25 But I tell you truthfully, there were many Jewish widows in Israel during the days of Elijah when the rain was shut up in the heavens for three-and-a-half years, causing a great famine in the land.
26 But Elijah was sent to none of these, but to Sarepta in Sidon, to a Gentile widow there!
27 There were also many lepers in Israel when Elisha had his ministry, yet none were healed except Naaman, a Syrian!
28 When the men in the synagogue heard these words (about Gentiles being preferred over Jews), they were enraged!
29 And they rose up, and forced Jesus out of the city to the edge of a cliff the city was built on, planning to throw him off (as a precursor to stoning him).
30 But he (became invisible, and) passed through the crowd. Then he left the area,
31 And came to Capernaum, in Galilee, where he began teaching each Sabbath.
32 Everyone was amazed at his teachings, for he spoke with unquestioned authority.
33 Now in the synagogue was a man possessed by a demon, and he cried out loudly:
34 Leave us alone! What have you to do with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us? I know who you are--the Holy One of God!
35 Jesus rebuked the spirit, saying: Shut up, and come out of him! And after the demon cast the man onto the ground in the midst of the assembly, it came out of him and left the man unharmed.
36 All the synagogue was amazed, and spoke amongst themselves, saying: What new sort of preaching is this?! He commands demons with power and authority, and they come out!
37 And his reputation spread to every part of the region.
38 Jesus left the synagogue and went into Shimon’s house. There, Shimon’s mother-in-law had a serious fever, and they asked him to heal her.
39 He stood over her and rebuked the fever, and immediately it left her. The woman then arose and prepared food for everyone.
40 Now at dusk, people brought the sick and diseased to him, and he laid hands on them and healed every one!
41 Demon spirits came out of many of them, crying out: “You are the Anointed, the Son of God!” as they did. But Jesus rebuked them, and commanded them not to speak, for they knew he was the Messiah.
42 At dawn, Jesus left the house and went out to a deserted place to pray, and the people sought him out. When they found him, they begged him not to not leave them.
43 But he said: I must preach the message of the Kingdom of God to other cities as well, for that is why I have been sent.
44 So he went about Galilee, preaching in the synagogues.

1. Better understood as: “Since you are the son of God,” a sarcastic challenge.

2. This quotation from Isaiah 61 omits the last portion of verse 2, which promises the day of God’s vengeance, for Jesus will not come to enact that prophecy until the end of the Age.

3. They would indeed be filled with wrath, for Jesus has just suggested that God’s blessing is being poured out on the pagan Gentiles rather than the Chosen People.

4. They are actually trying to stone Jesus, for this was the usual manner. If one survived the fall, he was finished off with rocks.

5. It is noteworthy that the first demon Jesus casts out is from a person in church as he should be.

6. Showing Peter was indeed married, as probably were all the apostles (1 Cor. 9:5).

7. The word here for “rebuked” is the same word used for casting out a demon, and suggests the fever could have been demonic in origin. Certainly, the Gospels show that demons caused physical problems (Matthew 9:32, Luke 13:11), and the Dead Sea Scrolls (4Q560: “I command you who enter the body, the male and female sickening demon... demon of fever, chills, and chest pains...”) likewise record an exorcism formula attributing fevers to demons.

CHAPTER 5

CHAPTER 5

1 And it came to pass, that, as the people pressed upon him to hear the word of God, he stood by the lake of Gennesaret,
2 And saw two ships standing by the lake: but the fishermen were gone out of them, and were washing their nets.
3 And he entered into one of the ships, which was Simon's, and prayed him that he would thrust out a little from the land. And he sat down, and taught the people out of the ship.
4 Now when he had left speaking, he said unto Simon, Launch out into the deep, and let down your nets for a draught.
5 And Simon answering said unto him, Master, we have toiled all the night, and have taken nothing: nevertheless at thy word I will let down the net.
6 And when they had this done, they inclosed a great multitude of fishes: and their net brake.¹
7 And they beckoned unto their partners, which were in the other ship, that they should come and help them. And they came, and filled both the ships, so that they began to sink.
8 When Simon Peter saw it, he fell down at Jesus' knees, saying, Depart from me; for I am a sinful man, O Lord.
9 For he was astonished, and all that were with him, at the draught of the fishes which they had taken:
10 And so was also James, and John, the sons of Zebedee, which were partners with Simon. And Jesus said unto Simon, Fear not; from henceforth thou shalt catch men.
11 And when they had brought their ships to land, they forsook all, and followed him.²
12 And it came to pass, when he was in a certain city, behold a man full of leprosy: who seeing Jesus fell on his face, and besought him, saying, Lord, if thou wilt, thou canst make me clean.
13 And he put forth his hand, and touched him, saying, I will: be thou clean. And immediately the leprosy departed from him.
14 And he charged him to tell no man: but go, and shew thyself to the priest, and offer for thy cleansing, according as Moses commanded, for a testimony unto them.
15 But so much the more went there a fame abroad of him: and great multitudes came together to hear, and to be healed by him of their infirmities.
16 And he withdrew himself into the wilderness, and prayed.
17 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 was present to heal them.
18 And, behold, men brought in a bed a man which was taken with a palsy: and they sought means to bring him in, and to lay him before him.
19 And when they could not find by what way they might bring him in because of the multitude, they went upon the housetop, and let him down through the tiling with his couch into the midst before Jesus.
20 And when he saw their faith, he said unto him, Man, thy sins are forgiven thee.³
21 And the scribes and the Pharisees began to reason, saying, Who is this which speaketh blasphemies? Who can forgive sins, but God alone?⁴
22 But when Jesus perceived their thoughts, he answering said unto them, What reason ye in your hearts?
23 Whether is easier, to say, Thy sins be forgiven thee; or to say, Rise up and walk?
24 But that ye may know that the Son of man hath power upon earth to forgive sins, (he said unto the sick of the palsy,) I say unto thee, Arise, and take up thy couch, and go into thine house.
25 And immediately he rose up before them, and took up that whereon he lay, and departed to his own house, glorifying God.
26 And they were all amazed, and they glorified God, and were filled with fear, saying, We have seen strange things to day.
27 And after these things he went forth, and saw a publican, named Levi, sitting at the receipt of custom: and he said unto him, Follow me.
28 And he left all, rose up, and followed him.
29 And Levi made him a great feast in his own house: and there was a great company of publicans and of others that sat down with them.
30 But their scribes and Pharisees murmured against his disciples, saying, Why do ye eat and drink with publicans and sinners?⁵
31 And Jesus answering said unto them, They that are whole need not a physician; but they that are sick.
32 I came not to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.
33 And they said unto him, Why do the disciples of John fast often, and make prayers, and likewise the disciples of the Pharisees; but thine eat and drink?
34 And he said unto them, Can ye make the children of the bridechamber fast, while the bridegroom is with them?
35 But the days will come, when the bridegroom shall be taken away from them, and then shall they fast in those days.
36 And he spake also a parable unto them; No man putteth a piece of a new garment upon an old; if otherwise, then both the new maketh a rent, and the piece that was taken out of the new agreeth not with the old.
37 And no man putteth new wine into old bottles; else the new wine will burst the bottles, and be spilled, and the bottles shall perish.
38 But new wine must be put into new bottles; and both are preserved.
39 No man also having drunk old wine straightway desireth new: for he saith, The old is better.
1 In time, as Jesus stood by the shore of the sea of Galilee and the people thronged about him to hear him proclaim the Message of God,
2 He saw a couple of boats beached along the shore as their owners were on land, washing their nets.
3 Jesus climbed into one, which happened to be Shimon’s, and he asked him to row out a few yards into the lake (so the crowd could better hear his voice). Then he sat down and taught the people from the boat.
4 When his teaching was over, he said to Shimon: Row out to a deep place and let your nets down for a catch.
5 But Shimon answered: Rabbi--we fished all night, and caught nothing (and daytime is the wrong time to fish, since they will see and avoid the nets). Nevertheless, I’ll let down a net because you say so.
6 After they did this, the net was filled with so many fish that it started to break!
7 Peter and Andrew then waved for their partners in the other boat to come help them, so they came to their aid. Even so, there were so many fish between the two boats that they were nearly swamped!
8 When Shimon Peter saw this, he fell down at Jesus’ knees and exclaimed: Go away from me, for I am a sinful man, O Lord!
9 For he and the others in the boat were astonished at the great haul of fish they caught,
10 As were James and John, the two sons of Zebedee, who were Shimon’s partners in the other boat. But Jesus replied to Shimon: Fear not, for from now on you will fish for men!
11 After the boats landed, the fishermen left all behind, and followed Jesus.
12 Now it came to pass that Jesus entered into a certain city, and a man with leprosy who saw him fell on his face and pleaded with him, saying: Lord--if you want, you can make me clean!
13 Jesus reached out and touched him, saying: I will--be cleansed! And immediately the leprosy vanished!
14 Jesus warned him: Tell no one about this, but go and show yourself to the High Priest, and offer up the sacrifice for a cleansed leper Moses required, as a testimony to the priests.
15 But after this, his fame spread everywhere, and vast hosts of people came to hear him teach, and to be healed by him of their infirmities.
16 Eventually, Jesus withdrew into the desert, and prayed.
17 Some time after this, Jesus was teaching, and sitting there were Pharisees and masters of Mosaic Law who had come from every part of Israel to listen to him; and on that day the power of God was available to heal them (both in body and spirit).
18 While this was going on, some men arrived carrying a litter upon which lay a paralytic man, and they tried to get him inside the house so they could lay him before Jesus for healing.
19 But when they couldn't get through the crowd, they found a way up to the roof of the house, and pried some tiles off to make a hole. Then they lowered the man and his litter down into the midst of the crowd before Jesus.
20 When Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralytic: Man, the sins you committed (that caused this malady) are forgiven you.
21 Now the Torah teachers and Pharisees were offended at hearing this, and wondered such things as: Why is this man speaking blasphemously (as if he is God)? Who can forgive sins, but God alone?!
22 But when Jesus perceived what was in their minds, he answered: What are you debating in your hearts--
23 Whether it’s easier to say, “Your sins are forgiven,” than it is to say, “Rise up and walk”?
24 But so you can know that the Son of Man has the right on earth to forgive sins (in God’s name), I say: Rise, pick up your bed, and walk home!
25 And the man was immediately healed, picked up his litter, and walked home, glorifying God.
26 Everyone was amazed, and glorified God as well. They were also filled with awe, and said among themselves: We have seen strange things today!
27 After this, Jesus went out and saw a tax collector named (Matthew) sitting at the customs table, and he told him: Follow me!
28 Hearing this, (Matthew) dropped everything, and rose up to follow.
29 Later that night, (Matthew) held a banquet in his honor, and he invited his fellow tax collectors, along with many others, to come sit and dine.
30 But the Torah teachers among the Pharisees grumbled to the disciples, asking: Why do you eat and drink with tax collectors and sinful people?!
31 Jesus heard, and replied: The well don’t need a doctor--the sick do!
32 I came not to call the righteous to repentance, but the sinners!
33 Some (of John’s disciples) asked: Why do John’s followers--and the Pharisees--fast, and pray (and afflict their souls on a regular basis), while your followers feast and drink?
34 Jesus responded: What groomsmen fast (and mourn) in the presence of the bridegroom?
35 But the days will come soon enough when the bridegroom will be taken away, and then they will fast (and mourn).
36 Jesus also spoke a parable to them: No one sews a patch of new cloth on an old, used garment because they are incompatible: The new patch will shrink in the wash, and pull the garment apart!
37 Likewise, no one puts new wine into old, stiff wineskins, or the fermenting wine will split the wineskins and leak out.
38 Fresh wine must be put in fresh wineskins, and both will be preserved!
39 And no man who’s used to drinking old wine wants new wine, for he says, “Old wine is better.”

1. This story is actually quite humorous. Jesus has told Peter to let down his “nets,” but the text indicates the “net” started to break. What probably happened was that the usual nets Peter used for fishing had been laid out on shore to dry and Peter, in his unbelief, didn’t want to reuse them in what seemed to be a fruitless task. So he instead let down an older spare net that filled to capacity and started to break because the better nets were up on shore.

2. A powerful verse when you consider they apparently abandoned their fishing business to follow a man they had just met. They may indeed have left immediately, or possibly as soon as they had sold the fish to pay off their debts.

3. Yet another instance where Jesus connects physical illness with sin, a fact that too many modern denominations and theologians pass over.

4. Their thoughts are not unreasonable, and ultimately show that Jesus was indeed God in the flesh.

5. We cannot possibly understand how politically incorrect Jesus’ dining with this group was in that time and culture. The closest we might come to understanding would be to imagine a religious Jew fellowshipping at the table with Jewish Kapos (Jewish Death Camp guards working for the Nazis against their own people to save their skins). In fact, if a Jew in that day were even touched by a tax collector he would spit, burn his clothes, and then take a ritual baptism to remove the defilement.

CHAPTER 6

CHAPTER 6

1 And it came to pass on the second sabbath after the first¹ that he went through the corn fields; and his disciples plucked the ears of corn, and did eat, rubbing them in their hands.
2 And certain of the Pharisees said unto them, Why do ye that which is not lawful to do on the sabbath days?²
3 And Jesus answering them said, Have ye not read so much as this, what David did, when himself was an hungred, and they which were with him;
4 How he went into the house of God, and did take and eat the shewbread, and gave also to them that were with him; which it is not lawful to eat but for the priests alone?
5 And he said unto them, That the Son of man is Lord also of the sabbath.³
6 And it came to pass also on another sabbath, that he entered into the synagogue and taught: and there was a man whose right hand was withered.
7 And the scribes and Pharisees watched him, whether he would heal on the sabbath day; that they might find an accusation against him.⁴
8 But he knew their thoughts, and said to the man which had the withered hand, Rise up, and stand forth in the midst. And he arose and stood forth.
9 Then said Jesus unto them, I will ask you one thing; Is it lawful on the sabbath days to do good, or to do evil? to save life, or to destroy it?
10 And looking round about upon them all, he said unto the man, Stretch forth thy hand. And he did so: and his hand was restored whole as the other.
11 And they were filled with madness; and communed one with another what they might do to Jesus.
12 And it came to pass in those days, that he went out into a mountain to pray, and continued all night in prayer to God.
13 And when it was day, he called unto him his disciples: and of them he chose twelve, whom also he named apostles;
14 Simon, (whom he also named Peter,) and Andrew his brother, James and John, Philip and Bartholomew,
15 Matthew and Thomas, James the son of Alphaeus, and Simon called Zelotes,
16 And Judas the brother of James, and Judas Iscariot, which also was the traitor.
17 And he came down with them, and stood in the plain, and the company of his disciples, and a great multitude of people out of all Judaea and Jerusalem, and from the sea coast of Tyre and Sidon, which came to hear him, and to be healed of their diseases;
18 And they that were vexed with unclean spirits: and they were healed.
19 And the whole multitude sought to touch him: for there went virtue out of him, and healed them all.
20 And he lifted up his eyes on his disciples, and said, Blessed be ye poor: for yours is the kingdom of God.
21 Blessed are ye that hunger now: for ye shall be filled. Blessed are ye that weep now: for ye shall laugh.
22 Blessed are ye, when men shall hate you, and when they shall separate you from their company, and shall reproach you, and cast out your name as evil, for the Son of man's sake.
23 Rejoice ye in that day, and leap for joy: for, behold, your reward is great in heaven: for in the like manner did their fathers unto the prophets.
24 But woe unto you that are rich! for ye have received your consolation.
25 Woe unto you that are full! for ye shall hunger. Woe unto you that laugh now! for ye shall mourn and weep.
26 Woe unto you, when all men shall speak well of you! for so did their fathers to the false prophets.
27 But I say unto you which hear, Love your enemies, do good to them which hate you,
28 Bless them that curse you, and pray for them which despitefully use you.
29 And unto him that smiteth thee on the one cheek offer also the other⁵; and him that taketh away thy cloak⁶ forbid not to take thy coat also.
30 Give to every man that asketh of thee; and of him that taketh away thy goods ask them not again.
31 And as ye would that men should do to you, do ye also to them likewise.
32 For if ye love them which love you, what thank have ye? for sinners also love those that love them.
33 And if ye do good to them which do good to you, what thank have ye? for sinners also do even the same.
34 And if ye lend to them of whom ye hope to receive, what thank have ye? for sinners also lend to sinners, to receive as much again.
35 But love ye your enemies, and do good, and lend, hoping for nothing again; and your reward shall be great, and ye shall be the children of the Highest: for he is kind unto the unthankful and to the evil.
36 Be ye therefore merciful, as your Father also is merciful.
37 Judge not, and ye shall not be judged: condemn not, and ye shall not be condemned: forgive, and ye shall be forgiven:⁷
38 Give, and it shall be given unto you; good measure, pressed down, and shaken together, and running over, shall men give into your bosom. For with the same measure that ye mete withal it shall be measured to you again.
39 And he spake a parable unto them, Can the blind lead the blind? shall they not both fall into the ditch?
40 The disciple is not above his master: but every one that is perfect shall be as his master.
41 And why beholdest thou the mote that is in thy brother's eye, but perceivest not the beam that is in thine own eye?⁸
42 Either how canst thou say to thy brother, Brother, let me pull out the mote that is in thine eye, when thou thyself beholdest not the beam that is in thine own eye? Thou hypocrite, cast out first the beam out of thine own eye, and then shalt thou see clearly to pull out the mote that is in thy brother's eye.
43 For a good tree bringeth not forth corrupt fruit; neither doth a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit.
44 For every tree is known by his own fruit. For of thorns men do not gather figs, nor of a bramble bush gather they grapes.
45 A good man out of the good treasure of his heart bringeth forth that which is good; and an evil man out of the evil treasure of his heart bringeth forth that which is evil: for of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaketh.⁹
46 And why call ye me, Lord, Lord, and do not the things which I say?
47 Whosoever cometh to me, and heareth my sayings, and doeth them, I will shew you to whom he is like:
48 He is like a man which built an house, and digged deep, and laid the foundation on a rock: and when the flood arose, the stream beat vehemently upon that house, and could not shake it: for it was founded upon a rock.
49 But he that heareth, and doeth not, is like a man that without a foundation built an house upon the earth; against which the stream did beat vehemently, and immediately it fell; and the ruin of that house was great.
1 One day, during a Sabbath for the Feast of Unleavened Bread, Jesus and the disciples were passing through a wheat field, and the disciples (--but not Jesus--) plucked some of the wheat heads, and rolled them in their palms to loosen some of the kernels to eat.
2 Some Pharisees who saw this said: Why are you breaking the Sabbath by harvesting grain?!
3 Jesus answered: Did you ever read what David did when he and his men were hungry?
4 How he went into the House of God, and brought out the shewbread so they could all eat? As you know, the Law technically says the shewbread is only for the priests to eat. (Yet God wasn’t offended by this, was He?)
5 So I tell you, the Son of Man is also Lord of the Sabbath (and can rule with authority on what may and may not be done on it).
6 On another Sabbath, Jesus entered a synagogue to teach, and in it was a man whose right hand was deformed.
7 The Torah teachers and Pharisees were watching to see if Jesus would heal him on the Sabbath so they could have a basis for criticizing him.
8 But Jesus knew what they were thinking, and said to the man with the deformed hand: Arise, and stand before us. And the man did so.
9 Then Jesus said to the religious leaders: I have just one question for you: Does the Law teach you to do good on the Sabbath, or to do evil? To save life, or to kill?
10 When no one answered, Jesus looked around at all of them, and then told the man: Stretch out your hand! The man did so, and it was healed and made whole just like his other hand!
11 The religious leaders were furious at this so they met together, debating how to destroy Jesus.
12 Around this time, Jesus went up upon a mountain to pray, and he was in prayer all night to God.
13 At dawn, he selected twelve men from his disciples to become apostles. They included:
14 Shimon, whom he also named Peter; and Andrew his brother, James and John, Philip and Bartholomew,
15 Matthew and Thomas, James the son of Alphaeus, and Simon the Zealot,
16 Jude, the brother of James, and Judas Iscariot, who was the traitor.
17 And he came down to a plain with his disciples where a throng of people from Judea and Jerusalem, and the coasts of Tyre and Sidon were waiting. They had all come to hear him, and to be healed of their afflictions,
18 And to be delivered from the influence of demons; and all of them were healed.
19 Everyone tried to touch Jesus, for power went out from him and healed all!
20 Jesus then looked upon his disciples, and said: Blessed are you who are poor, for the Kingdom of God is yours.
21 Blessed are you who hunger now, for you shall eat, and be full. Blessed are you who weep now, for you shall laugh.
22 Blessed are you, when men shall hate, shun, and speak ill of your name for the Son of Man’s sake.
23 Rejoice in that day and leap for joy, for your reward in heaven will be great! Their fathers treated the prophets the same way!
24 But woe to you who are rich, for you have received all the comfort you will ever get!
25 Woe to you who are full, for you shall hunger. Woe to you who laugh now, for you shall mourn and weep.
26 Woe to you when all men speak well of you, for that was how the false prophets were treated by their fathers!
27 But I say to you who hear: Love your enemies, and do good to those who hate you.
28 Bless those who curse you, and pray for those who take advantage of you.
29 And if someone insults you, ignore it and keep silent. If someone takes your coat away, don’t try to stop him from taking your shirt away too.
30 Give to anyone who asks, and don’t seek to recover what someone else has taken from you.
31 And treat men the way you would want them to treat you.
32 For if you do no more than love those who love you back, what good is there in that? Even sinners love their own friends and family!
33 And if you only do good to those who likewise do good to you in return, what merit is there in that? Even sinners do that!
34 And if you lend money or goods only to those you can expect to help you in like manner someday, what good is that? Even sinners loan back and forth to each other.
35 But love your enemies, and do them good. Lend to them when they are in need, and don’t think of repayment. In doing this, your reward will be great, and you will be children of the Highest, for He is kind even to the ungrateful and the evil (in hope they will realize their wrongs, and repent).
36 So be merciful ,as your Father is merciful.
37 Don’t become your own judge and jury (taking vengeance for wrongs done to you)! Don’t condemn someone for what they’ve done to you, and then God won’t condemn you for what you’ve done to Him. Instead, forgive--and God will likewise forgive your wrongdoing.
38 Give to others, and it will be given back to you in great abundance. For the same measure that you give will return to you.
39 Then Jesus spoke this parable: Can the blind lead the blind? Won’t they both fall into a ditch?
40 The student is not above his master, and the true disciple is the one who is just like the master he was taught by.
41 So then--why do some see a splinter in their brother’s eye yet miss the log that is in their own?
42 Or how can one be so foolish as to say, “Brother--let me pull that splinter out of your eye,” when there is a log in his own? You hypocrite--take the log out of your own eye first, and then you will be able to see well enough to take the splinter out of your brother’s!
43 You see, a good tree doesn’t sprout bad fruit, nor does a rotten tree sprout good fruit.
44 A tree--good or bad--is what it is, and reveals what it is by the fruit that it bears. You don’t get figs off thorn vines, nor do you pluck grapes from a bramble bush.
45 Likewise, a good man with a good heart bears good fruit, just as an evil man with an evil heart brings forth bad fruit--and the things you say reveal what sort of heart you have!
46 So why would you pay lip service to me, saying, “Lord! Lord!” and then ignore what I tell you to do?
47 Whoever comes to me and understands my teachings, and does place them into practice in his life, is like this:
48 He’s like a man who built a house with a good, deep foundation laid in the bedrock, and when the flood came and washed against the house, it could not be destroyed because it was founded upon solid rock.
49 But he who hears my teachings and does not put them into practice is like a man who built a house on a flood plain with no foundation. As soon as the storm came and the river rose, it immediately fell and was washed away!

1. The words, “second Sabbath after the first” indicate this was the Feast of Unleavened Bread, which was also called “the day of the Sabbaths.” In Acts 16:13, when Paul goes to the river on “the Sabbath,” the word there is actually “Sabbaths,” showing it also was the Feast of Unleavened Bread.

2. This verse is one commonly seized upon by Jews to accuse Jesus of committing sin and blatantly violating the Torah. As mentioned in the commentary in Matthew, there was a dispute between the Judeans and the Galileans on this point of technicality. David Flusser points out the disciples appear to be following the ruling of the Galilean sage Judah bar Ilai, who held this was a technically permissible means to obtain some morsels of food on the Sabbath. Jesus Himself appears to be moving beyond this issue, and declaring that the reasonable needs of preserving life are permissible on the Sabbath even if doing so profanes the Sabbath. For instance, it is forbidden to kindle a fire on the Sabbath, but rabbinic law permits the starting of a fire the day before, and allows it to keep burning during the Sabbath, thus using a loophole around the commandment to get the benefit of fire while technically not violating the commandment. The Karaites, a Jewish movement of ancient history, were much more conservative than the rabbinic Jews on this, and extinguished their fires on the Sabbath--and many froze to death in winter because of the practice. It is also interesting to note that Jesus Himself is not specifically shown to have been partaking in the practice since the text says that “the disciples” are the ones doing it.

Interestingly, one manuscript has an addendum to this story in which Jesus later that day encounters a man working in the fields, to whom He says that if he knows what he is doing, then he is blessed--but if not, then he is a Law-breaker.

3. If it wasn't clear before, it is clear to them now that Jesus is declaring that He, not the elders, defines how the Torah is to be followed, and what does and does not constitute sin. This would have been a controversial stand to the religious leaders, for in years past, the sage Shimon ben Shatah opposed Alexander Jannaeus, establishing the precedent that a king did not have the right to judge religious law, but that this privilege rested in the hands of the elders who under the system established by Moses represent the authority of God. This concept appears to have taken root and flourished to the point that the elders of Christ's time thus expected (as do some Jews and Moslems today) the Messiah to submit to their authority, a belief Jesus utterly rejected.

4. A verse showing that these are probably Pharisees from the school of Shammai, who unquestionably would see healing on the Sabbath as “work,” in opposition to many from the school of Hillel who may have seen it as a good deed.

5. As noted in the commentary on Matthew, to be “struck on the cheek” meant to suffer a verbal insult.

6. In our language, this would be understood as: “And him that takes away your pants, forbid not to take the shirt off your back also.”

7. This is the only verse of Scripture that most unbelievers know. Jesus has just been speaking of personal wrongdoing done to someone, and the saying must be understood in that context. Thus, when Jesus says to “Judge not, lest ye be judged,” He is saying: “Don’t become your own avenger against someone who commits a wrongdoing against you personally. Instead, forgive them, and God will likewise show mercy to you.” He is certainly not suggesting Christians must “Not judge,” and keep silent in the face of sin and behavior that can only lead to judgment and damnation.

8. A Hebraism Jesus is quoting, not inventing.

9. Verses 43-45 build upon Ecclesiasticus 27:6, which those who claim the Apocrypha is never used by Jesus should realize: As the dressing of a tree showeth the fruit thereof, so a word out of the thought of the heart of man.

CHAPTER 7

CHAPTER 7

1 Now when he had ended all his sayings in the audience of the people, he entered into Capernaum.
2 And a certain centurion's servant, who was dear unto him, was sick, and ready to die.
3 And when he heard of Jesus, he sent unto him the elders of the Jews, beseeching him that he would come and heal his servant.
4 And when they came to Jesus, they besought him instantly, saying, That he was worthy for whom he should do this:
5 For he loveth our nation, and he hath built us a synagogue.
6 Then Jesus went with them. And when he was now not far from the house, the centurion sent friends to him, saying unto him, Lord, trouble not thyself: for I am not worthy that thou shouldest enter under my roof:¹
7 Wherefore neither thought I myself worthy to come unto thee: but say in a word, and my servant shall be healed.
8 For I also am a man set under authority, having under me soldiers, and I say unto one, Go, and he goeth; and to another, Come, and he cometh; and to my servant, Do this, and he doeth it.
9 When Jesus heard these things, he marvelled at him, and turned him about, and said unto the people that followed him, I say unto you, I have not found so great faith, no, not in Israel.
10 And they that were sent, returning to the house, found the servant whole that had been sick.
11 And it came to pass the day after, that he went into a city called Nain; and many of his disciples went with him, and much people.
12 Now when he came nigh to the gate of the city, behold, there was a dead man carried out, the only son of his mother, and she was a widow: and much people of the city was with her.
13 And when the Lord saw her, he had compassion on her, and said unto her, Weep not.
14 And he came and touched the bier: and they that bare him stood still. And he said, Young man, I say unto thee, Arise.
15 And he that was dead sat up, and began to speak. And he delivered him to his mother.
16 And there came a fear on all: and they glorified God, saying, That a great prophet is risen up among us; and, That God hath visited his people.
17 And this rumour of him went forth throughout all Judaea, and throughout all the region round about.
18 And the disciples of John shewed him of all these things.
19 And John calling unto him two of his disciples sent them to Jesus, saying, Art thou he that should come? or look we for another?²
20 When the men were come unto him, they said, John Baptist hath sent us unto thee, saying, Art thou he that should come? or look we for another?
21 And in that same hour he cured many of their infirmities and plagues, and of evil spirits; and unto many that were blind he gave sight.
22 Then Jesus answering said unto them, Go your way, and tell John what things ye have seen and heard; how that the blind see, the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, to the poor the gospel is preached.
23 And blessed is he, whosoever shall not be offended in me.
24 And when the messengers of John were departed, he began to speak unto the people concerning John, What went ye out into the wilderness for to see? A reed shaken with the wind?
25 But what went ye out for to see? A man clothed in soft raiment? Behold, they which are gorgeously apparelled, and live delicately, are in kings' courts.
26 But what went ye out for to see? A prophet? Yea, I say unto you, and much more than a prophet.
27 This is he, of whom it is written, Behold, I send my messenger before thy face, which shall prepare thy way before thee.
28 For I say unto you, Among those that are born of women there is not a greater prophet than John the Baptist: but he that is least in the kingdom of God is greater than he.
29 And all the people that heard him, and the publicans, justified God, being baptized with the baptism of John.
30 But the Pharisees and lawyers rejected the counsel of God against themselves, being not baptized of him.³
31 And the Lord said, Whereunto then shall I liken the men of this generation? and to what are they like?
32 They are like unto children sitting in the marketplace, and calling one to another, and saying, We have piped unto you, and ye have not danced; we have mourned to you, and ye have not wept.
33 For John the Baptist came neither eating bread nor drinking wine; and ye say, He hath a devil.
34 The Son of man is come eating and drinking; and ye say, Behold a gluttonous man, and a winebibber, a friend of publicans and sinners!
35 But wisdom is justified of all her children.
36 And one of the Pharisees⁴ desired him that he would eat with him. And he went into the Pharisee's house, and sat down to meat.
37 And, behold, a woman in the city, which was a sinner, when she knew that Jesus sat at meat in the Pharisee's house, brought an alabaster box of ointment,
38 And stood at his feet behind him weeping, and began to wash his feet with tears, and did wipe them with the hairs of her head, and kissed his feet, and anointed them with the ointment.
39 Now when the Pharisee which had bidden him saw it, he spake within himself, saying, This man, if he were a prophet, would have known who and what manner of woman this is that toucheth him: for she is a sinner.
40 And Jesus answering said unto him, Simon, I have somewhat to say unto thee. And he saith, Master, say on.
41 There was a certain creditor which had two debtors: the one owed five hundred pence, and the other fifty.
42 And when they had nothing to pay, he frankly forgave them both. Tell me therefore, which of them will love him most?
43 Simon answered and said, I suppose that he, to whom he forgave most. And he said unto him, Thou hast rightly judged.
44 And he turned to the woman, and said unto Simon, Seest thou this woman? I entered into thine house, thou gavest me no water for my feet: but she hath washed my feet with tears, and wiped them with the hairs of her head.
45 Thou gavest me no kiss: but this woman since the time I came in hath not ceased to kiss my feet.
46 My head with oil thou didst not anoint: but this woman hath anointed my feet with ointment.⁵
47 Wherefore I say unto thee, Her sins, which are many, are forgiven; for she loved much: but to whom little is forgiven, the same loveth little.
48 And he said unto her, Thy sins are forgiven.
49 And they that sat at meat with him began to say within themselves, Who is this that forgiveth sins also?
50 And he said to the woman, Thy faith hath saved thee; go in peace.
1 After Jesus finished teaching the people, he entered Capernaum.
2 Now there was a chief Roman centurion (--a Principale--) who had a slave that was very dear to him. This same slave was ill, and on the verge of death.
3 When the centurion heard of Jesus, he sent some Jewish elders to beg Jesus to come heal his slave.
4 When the elders found Jesus, they urgently begged him to help, saying that the officer was worthy of his intervention.
5 Because, they said, he loves our people, and even paid for our synagogue to be built.
6 So Jesus went with them, and as he neared the centurion’s house, the officer sent some friends to him, saying: Lord--don’t trouble yourself on account of me, for I am not worthy that you should enter my house (and ritually defile yourself in the eyes of others).
7 Nor did I think myself worthy to come ask your help myself, but just command my boy be healed, and that will be enough.
8 For I am a man under authority, with soldiers under me, and I tell one “Go,” and he goes; or say to another, “Come,” and he comes; and to my servant, “Do this,” and he does.
9 When Jesus heard these things, he was amazed, and turned toward the crowd following, saying: I have yet to find a Jew in Israel with such strong faith!
10 The people then returned to the house and found the slave who had been sick was now healed.
11 The next day, Jesus went into the city of Nain, and many of his disciples followed, along with a large crowd.
12 Now as Jesus approached the city gate, a funeral procession was leaving, for a man had died who was an only child, and his mother--a widow--was leaving to bury him. A large crowd of mourners from the city also accompanied her.
13 When the Lord saw the woman, he had compassion on her, and said: Don’t cry!
14 And he came up and touched the bier, and those carrying it halted. Then he said: Young man, I say to you--arise!
15 Then the man who was dead sat up and started speaking, and Jesus gave him back to his mother.
16 Great fear fell upon the people, and they gave glory to God, saying: “A great prophet has arisen among us!”; and, “God has visited His people!”
17 This story spread throughout Judea and everywhere near it.
18 Meanwhile, John the Baptist’s disciples told him about all Jesus was doing (along with reports of his teachings not to use violence, but to love one’s enemies).
19 So John summoned and sent two of these disciples to ask Jesus: Are you the only Messiah coming, or is there another Messiah coming after you (who will deliver the people from Rome)?
20 When the men arrived, they said: John the Baptizer has sent us to ask: Are you the one who was prophesied to come? Or should we look for another coming after you (who will fulfill all the promises regarding the Messianic Age)?
21 Jesus said nothing, but turned about, healing everyone in sight, casting out demons, and giving sight to the blind. He did this for quite a few minutes.
22 Then Jesus returned to John’s disciples and told them: Go back and tell John what you just saw--how the blind see, the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the Gospel is preached to the poor.
23 And tell him: “Blessed is he who is not offended (if I don’t do what he wants or expects me to do)!”
24 As the two disciples of John departed, Jesus began to speak to the crowd about him: What did you go out into the wilderness to see? A reed blowing back and forth in the wind?
25 Or man clothed in costly garments? No--those who wear regal robes, and live in comfort, are found in the king’s courts.
26 So what did you go out to see? A prophet? Yes, he was, I tell you--and much more!
27 John was he about whom it was written, Behold, I send my messenger before thy face, which shall prepare thy way before thee.
28 For I tell you, among all the children ever born of women, there has not been a greater prophet than John the Baptist! Even so, the lowest ranking member in the Kingdom of God is greater than he!
29 Now everyone who believed John, including the tax collectors, found acceptance with God, receiving his baptism of repentance.
30 But the Pharisees and the Torah teachers rejected the plan God had for them because they rejected John’s baptism.
31 And (regarding these groups,) Jesus said: What shall I liken the men of this generation to?
32 They are like spoiled brats sitting in a marketplace, calling out to each other: “You didn‘t dance to our tune, so we played a funeral dirge, and you wouldn‘t respond to that either. (What‘s your problem?)“
33 For John the Baptist was (a Nazirite,) living a Spartan existence in the deserts, neither eating bread nor drinking wine--and you accused him of being insane!
34 But then the Son of Man came, willing to eat and drink with you in your houses, and yet you say: “This is a gluttonous drunkard who wants to get in good with tax collectors and sinners!”
35 As all wise people display what they are, so all witless people display what they are too!
36 One of the Pharisees asked Jesus to dine with him, so he went to the man’s house and reclined to eat.
37 A woman in the town who was a sinner, after hearing that Jesus was having dinner at the Pharisee’s house, came and brought an alabaster vial.
38 She stood at his feet behind him, weeping, and began to wash his feet with her tears, and then dried them with her long hair. Then she kissed his feet and anointed them with perfumed oil from the vial.
39 When the Pharisee who invited him saw this, he was offended by such an inappropriate act, and thought to himself, If this man were truly a prophet, he‘d know who and what sort of woman he is letting touch him, for she is a sinner.
40 Jesus knew what he was thinking, and so he spoke, saying: Simon--I have something to tell you. Simon replied: Rabbi, say on!
41 Once, there was a banker that had two debtors who owed him money. One owed him five hundred coins, and the other fifty.
42 Neither could repay the debt, and he decided to forgive both of them, and write the debts off. Now--which of the two do you think would be more grateful, and love him the most?
43 Simon answered: I suppose the one who was forgiven the greater debt. And Jesus replied: You have answered correctly.
44 Then Jesus turned to the woman, and said: See this woman? I entered into your house and you didn’t even offer me some water to wash my feet, but she came and washed my feet with her tears, and dried them with the hair of her head.
45 You gave me no kiss of greeting, but she has not stopped covering my feet with kisses.
46 You didn&