“They could not
Reply
To this.”
καὶ οὐκ ἴσχυσαν ἀνταποκριθῆναι πρὸς ταῦτα.
Luke uniquely showed that this response of Jesus shut them up. The lawyers and Pharisees could not reply or respond to this saying of Jesus (καὶ οὐκ ἴσχυσαν ἀνταποκριθῆναι πρὸς ταῦτα). Thus, Luke ended this conversation with the Pharisees about this cured dropsy man. How do you end a conversation?
“Then Jesus
Said to them.
‘If one of you
Has a child
Or an ox
That has fallen
Into a well,
Will you not
Immediately
Pull him out
On a Sabbath day?’”
καὶ πρὸς αὐτοὺς εἶπεν Τίνος ὑμῶν υἱὸς ἢ βοῦς εἰς φρέαρ πεσεῖται, καὶ οὐκ εὐθέως ἀνασπάσει αὐτὸν ἐν ἡμέρᾳ τοῦ σαββάτου;
Luke uniquely indicated that Jesus said to the lawyers and the Pharisees (καὶ πρὸς αὐτοὺς εἶπεν) that if anyone of them had a child or an ox (Τίνος ὑμῶν υἱὸς ἢ βοῦς) that had fallen into a well or pit (εἰς φρέαρ πεσεῖται), would they not immediately pull him out (καὶ οὐκ εὐθέως ἀνασπάσει αὐτὸν) even on a Sabbath day (ἐν ἡμέρᾳ τοῦ σαββάτου)? Jesus turned the question of the Sabbath around. He wondered what these lawyers and Pharisees would do if their son or their ox fell into a pit or well. He pointed out that they would immediately pull him out of the well, no matter what day of the week it was. Would you help someone in distress on Sunday?
“But they were silent.
Then Jesus
Took hold of him.
He healed him.
He sent him away.”
οἱ δὲ ἡσύχασαν. καὶ ἐπιλαβόμενος ἰάσατο αὐτὸν καὶ ἀπέλυσεν.
Luke uniquely stated that the lawyers and Pharisees were silent (οἱ δὲ ἡσύχασαν). Then Jesus took hold of the man with dropsy (καὶ ἐπιλαβόμενος) and healed him (ἰάσατο αὐτὸν). Then Jesus sent him away (καὶ ἀπέλυσεν). Apparently, this was a perplexing problem for the Pharisees since helping people on the Sabbath was not unlawful as indicated in chapter 13:14-16 with the crippled woman. Besides, it would be hard to tell if the fluid retention in the body of this person with dropsy had stopped. Are you perplexed about anything?
“Jesus asked
The lawyers
And the Pharisees.
‘Is it lawful
To cure people
On the Sabbath,
Or not?’”
καὶ ἀποκριθεὶς ὁ Ἰησοῦς εἶπεν πρὸς τοὺς νομικοὺς καὶ Φαρισαίους λέγων Ἔξεστιν τῷ σαββάτῳ θεραπεῦσαι ἢ οὔ;
Luke uniquely indicated that Jesus asked (καὶ ἀποκριθεὶς ὁ Ἰησοῦς εἶπεν) the lawyers (πρὸς τοὺς νομικοὺς) and the Pharisees (καὶ Φαρισαίους λέγων) whether it was lawful (Ἔξεστιν) to cure people on the Sabbath (τῷ σαββάτῳ θεραπεῦσαι) or not (ἢ οὔ). This was not a new question. Jesus had brought up this question at the other healings on the Sabbath in chapter 6:9, with the man with the withered hand, and in chapter 13:14-16, with the crippled woman. He was well aware of the problem. Should doctors have Sunday office hours?
“They were
Watching Jesus,
To trap him
In something
He might say.”
ἐνεδρεύοντες αὐτὸν θηρεῦσαί τι ἐκ τοῦ στόματος αὐτοῦ.
Luke uniquely said that these Scribes, Pharisees, and lawyers were watching Jesus (ἐνεδρεύοντες αὐτὸν) to trap him (θηρεῦσαί) in something that that he might say or might come out of his mouth (τι ἐκ τοῦ στόματος αὐτοῦ). Once again, Luke used a word that only appears here in all the Greek biblical literature, θηρεῦσαί, that means to hunt, seek, catch, entrap, or lay hold of. This section ended with greater hostility between Jesus and the Jewish religious leaders. They were going to be aware of Jesus and try to catch him saying something in public. Are you careful about what you say?
“Thus,
You are witnesses.
You approve
Of the deeds
Of your ancestors.
They killed them.
But you built
Their tombs.”
ἄρα μάρτυρές ἐστε καὶ συνευδοκεῖτε τοῖς ἔργοις τῶν πατέρων ὑμῶν, ὅτι αὐτοὶ μὲν ἀπέκτειναν αὐτοὺς, ὑμεῖς δὲ οἰκοδομεῖτε.
Luke indicated that Jesus continued this same idea. Jesus said that the Pharisees and lawyers were witnesses (ἄρα μάρτυρές ἐστε). They approved of the deeds of their fathers or ancestors (καὶ συνευδοκεῖτε τοῖς ἔργοις τῶν πατέρων ὑμῶν), who killed the prophets (ὅτι αὐτοὶ μὲν ἀπέκτειναν αὐτοὺς), by building their tombs (ὅτι αὐτοὶ μὲν ἀπέκτειναν αὐτοὺς). There is something similar in Matthew, chapter 23:31. Jesus said that these Pharisees and Scribes testified or witnessed against themselves, since they admitted that they were the descendants or sons of those people who murdered the prophets. Jesus then told them to finish up their work, using the measuring rod of their ancestors. Thus, they had the same attitude as their ancestors. However, there was very little evidence of Jewish prophets being killed. Do you have the same attitudes of your parents and grandparents?
“Jesus said.
‘Woe to you!
Lawyers!
You load people
With burdens
Hard to bear!
You,
Yourselves,
Do not lift
A finger
To ease them.’”
ὁ δὲ εἶπεν Καὶ ὑμῖν τοῖς νομικοῖς οὐαί, ὅτι φορτίζετε τοὺς ἀνθρώπους φορτία δυσβάστακτα, καὶ αὐτοὶ ἑνὶ τῶν δακτύλων ὑμῶν οὐ προσψαύετε τοῖς φορτίοις.
Then Luke indicated that Jesus turned on these lawyers, also. Jesus cursed them also (ὁ δὲ εἶπεν Καὶ ὑμῖν τοῖς νομικοῖς οὐαί). They had loaded people with hard burdens to bear (ὅτι φορτίζετε τοὺς ἀνθρώπους φορτία δυσβάστακτα). At the same time, they did not lift a finger to ease their burdens (καὶ αὐτοὶ ἑνὶ τῶν δακτύλων ὑμῶν οὐ προσψαύετε τοῖς φορτίοις). There is something similar in Matthew, chapter 23:4, where Jesus said that the Pharisees and the Scribes, not the lawyers, tied up heavy burdens on the people that were hard or oppressive to bear. They put these burdens on the shoulders of other men, but they themselves were unwilling to lift a finger to help them remove these burdens. These heavy burdens of the Torah may have been their multiple perplexing oral interpretations of the law rather than the law itself that was usually considered a blessing. Here in Luke, Jesus was talking about lawyers, who may have been Pharisaic lawyers of the Law of Moses, who also would not help others in any way. Do you know any religious lawyers?
“One of the lawyers
Answered him.
‘Teacher!
When you say
These things,
You insult us too.’”
Ἀποκριθεὶς δέ τις τῶν νομικῶν λέγει αὐτῷ Διδάσκαλε, ταῦτα λέγων καὶ ἡμᾶς ὑβρίζεις.
This appears to be a unique saying of Luke. He said that one of the lawyers (δέ τις τῶν νομικῶν), who might have been at this dinner party, responded to Jesus (Ἀποκριθεὶς…λέγει αὐτῷ). He respectfully called him “Teacher (Διδάσκαλε)”. However, he said that some of these things that Jesus was saying was an insult to the lawyers also (ταῦτα λέγων καὶ ἡμᾶς ὑβρίζεις), since they followed the law. Apparently, one of the lawyers felt that Jesus was offending them also along with the Pharisees. These may have been Mosaic law lawyers, friends of the Pharisees. Have you ever insulted a lawyer?
Eugene Finnegan Bible Project 