translation_id: net-engnet

book_id: LUK

label: NET study note

text: The combination of preaching and proclaiming the good news is a bit emphatic, stressing Jesus’ teaching ministry on the rule of God.


text: The kingdom of God is a major theme of Jesus. It is a realm in which Jesus rules and to which those who trust him belong. See Luke 6:20; 11:20; 17:20-21 .


text: There is an important respect shown to women in this text, as their contributions were often ignored in ancient society.


text: This Mary is not the woman mentioned in the previous passage (as some church fathers claimed), because she is introduced as a new figure here. In addition, she is further specified by Luke with the notation called Magdalene , which seems to distinguish her from the woman at Simon the Pharisee’s house.


text: Cuza is also spelled “Chuza” in many English translations.


text: Herod ’ s refers here to Herod Antipas. See the note on Herod Antipas in 3:1 .


text: A sower went out to sow. The background for this well-known parable is a field through which a well-worn path runs in the Palestinian countryside. Sowing would occur in late fall or early winter (October to December) in the rainy season, looking for sprouting in April or May and a June harvest. The use of seed as a figure for God’s giving life has OT roots: Isa 55:10-11 .


text: The rock in Palestine would be a limestone base lying right under the soil.


text: Palestinian weeds like these thorns could grow up to six feet in height and have a major root system.


text: That is, crowded out the good plants.


text: Unlike the parallel accounts in Matt 13:8 and Mark 4:8 , there is no distinction in yield in this version of the parable.


text: A quotation from Isa 6:9 . Thus parables both conceal or reveal depending on whether one is open to hearing what they teach.


text: Interestingly, the synoptic parallels each use a different word for the devil here: Matt 13:19 has “the evil one,” while Mark 4:15 has “Satan.” This illustrates the fluidity of the gospel tradition in often using synonyms at the same point of the parallel tradition.


text: The word of Jesus has the potential to save if it germinates in a person’s heart, something the devil is very much against.


text: This time of temporary faith represented by the description believe for a while is presented rather tragically in the passage. The seed does not get a chance to do all it can.


text: Fall away. On the idea of falling away and the warnings against it, see 2 Tim 3:1 ; Heb 3:12 ; Jer 3:14 ; Dan 9:9 .


text: That is, their concern for spiritual things is crowded out by material things.


text: On warnings about the dangers of excessive material attachments, described here as the worries and riches and pleasures of life , see Luke 12:12-21; 16:19-31 .


text: There is a tenacity that is a part of spiritual fruitfulness.


text: In an ancient context, the qualifier good described the ethical person who possessed integrity. Here it is integrity concerning God’s revelation through Jesus.


text: Given the pressures noted in the previous soils, bearing fruit takes time ( steadfast endurance ), just as it does for the farmer. See Jas 1:2-4 .


text: This is probably an ancient oil burning lamp or perhaps a candlestick. Jesus is comparing revelation to light, particularly the revelation of his ministry; see 1:78-79 .


text: Nothing is hidden. Light also exposes, and Jesus was suggesting that his teaching likewise revealed where people are and where they will be. Truth will be manifest in the future, just as it was declared by him then. Nothing will be concealed.


text: The phrase what he thinks he has is important, because it is not what a person thinks he has that is important but whether he actually has something or not. Jesus describes the person who does not heed his word as having nothing. The person who has nothing loses even that which he thought was something but was not. In other words, he has absolutely nothing at all. Jesus’ teaching must be taken seriously.


text: The issue of whether Jesus had brothers (siblings) has had a long history in the church. Epiphanius, in the 4th century, argued that Mary was a perpetual virgin and had no offspring other than Jesus. Others argued that these brothers were really cousins. Nothing in the text suggests any of this. See also John 7:3 .


text: Hearing and doing the word of God is another important NT theme: Luke 6:47-49 ; Jas 1:22-25 .


text: A boat that held all the disciples would be of significant size.


text: A violent windstorm came down on the lake. The Sea of Galilee is located in a depression some 700 ft (200 m) below sea level and is surrounded by hills. Frequently a rush of wind and the right mix of temperatures can cause a storm to come suddenly on the lake. Storms on the Sea of Galilee were known for their suddenness and violence.


text: Who has authority over the seas and winds is discussed in the OT: Ps 104:3; 135:7; 107:23-30 . When Jesus rebuked the wind and the raging waves he was making a statement about who he was.


text: “ Where is your faith? ” The call is to trust God and realize that those who exercise faith can trust in his care.


text: The combination of fear and respect ( afraid and amazed ) shows that the disciples are becoming impressed with the great power at work in Jesus, a realization that fuels their question. For a similar reaction, see Luke 5:9 .


text: Jesus’ authority over creation raised a question for the disciples about who he was exactly ( “Who then is this?” ). This verse shows that the disciples followed Jesus even though they did not know all about him yet.


text: B D latt) have “Gerasenes,” the reading followed in the translation. The difference between Matthew and Luke may well have to do with uses of variant regional terms. The region of the Gerasenes would be in Gentile territory on the (south)eastern side of the Sea of Galilee across from Galilee. Matthew 8:28 records this miracle as occurring “in the region of the Gadarenes.” “Irrespective of how one settles this issue, for the Third Evangelist the chief concern is that Jesus has crossed over into Gentile territory, ‘opposite Galilee’” (J. B. Green, Luke [NICNT], 337). The region of Gadara extended to the Sea of Galilee and included the town of Sennabris on the southern shore – the town that the herdsmen most likely entered after the drowning of the pigs.


text: That is, across the Sea of Galilee from Galilee.


text: On the title Most High see Luke 1:35 .


text: The demons’ plea “ do not torment me ” is a recognition of Jesus’ inherent authority over evil forces. The request is that Jesus not bother them. There was an appointed time in which demons would face their judgment, and they seem to have viewed Jesus’ arrival on the scene as an illegitimate change in God’s plan regarding the time when their sentence would be executed.


text: This is a parenthetical, explanatory comment by the author.


text: The name Legion means “thousands,” a word taken from a Latin term for a large group of soldiers. The term not only suggests a multiple possession, but also adds a military feel to the account. This is a true battle.


text: Many have discussed why Jesus gave them permission , since the animals were destroyed. However, this is another example of a miracle that is a visual lesson. The demons are destructive: They were destroying the man. They destroyed the pigs. They destroy whatever they touch. The point was to take demonic influence seriously, as well as Jesus’ power over it as a picture of the larger battle for human souls. There would be no doubt how the man’s transformation had taken place.


text: Again there is great fear at God’s activity, but there is a different reaction. Some people want nothing to do with God’s presence. Mark 5:16 hints that economic reasons motivated their request.


text: Jesus instructs the man to declare what God has done for him, in contrast to the usual instructions (e.g., 8:56; 9:21 ) to remain silent. Here in Gentile territory Jesus allowed more open discussion of his ministry. D. L. Bock ( Luke [BECNT], 1:781) suggests that with few Jewish religious representatives present, there would be less danger of misunderstanding Jesus’ ministry as political.


text: Note that the man could not separate what God had done from the one through whom God had done it ( what Jesus had done for him ). This man was called to witness to God’s goodness at home.


text: See the note on synagogues in 4:15 .


text: Pressed is a very emphatic term – the crowds were pressing in so hard that one could hardly breathe (L&N 19.48).


text: The edge of his cloak refers to the kraspedon , the blue tassel on the garment that symbolized a Jewish man’s obedience to the law (cf. Num 15:37-41 ). The woman thus touched the very part of Jesus’ clothing that indicated his ritual purity.


text: Pressing is a graphic term used in everyday Greek of pressing grapes. Peter says in effect, “How could you ask this? Everyone is touching you!”


text: This group probably includes outside or even professional mourners, not just family, because a large group seems to be present.


text: In other words, she came back to life; see Acts 20:10 .


text: Jesus ordered them to tell no one because he desired that miracles not become the center of his ministry.