Lukas 4:16

Rejection at Nazareth

4:16 Now ¹  Jesus ²  came to Nazareth, ³  where he had been brought up, and went into the synagogue ⁴  on the Sabbath day, as was his custom. ⁵  He ⁶  stood up to read, ⁷ 

Lukas 4:38

4:38 After Jesus left ⁸  the synagogue, he entered Simon’s house. Now Simon’s mother-in-law was suffering from a high fever, and they asked Jesus ⁹  to help her. ¹⁰ 

Lukas 6:4

6:4 how he entered the house of God, took ¹¹  and ate the sacred bread, ¹²  which is not lawful ¹³  for any to eat but the priests alone, and ¹⁴  gave it to his companions?” ¹⁵ 

[4:16]  ¹ tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “now” to indicate the transition to a new topic.

[4:16]  ² tn Grk “he”; the referent (Jesus) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[4:16]  ³ sn Nazareth was Jesus’ hometown (which is why he is known as Jesus of Nazareth) about 20 miles (30 km) southwest from Capernaum.

[4:16]  map For location see Map1 D3; Map2 C2; Map3 D5; Map4 C1; Map5 G3.

[4:16]  ⁴ sn See the note on synagogues in 4:15.

[4:16]  ⁵ tn Grk “according to his custom.”

[4:16]  ⁶ tn Grk “And he.” Here καί (kai) has not been translated because of differences between Greek and English style.

[4:16]  ⁷ sn In normative Judaism of the period, the OT scripture was read and discussed in the synagogue by the men who were present. See the Mishnah, m. Megillah 3-4; m. Berakhot 2. First came the law, then the prophets, then someone was asked to speak on the texts. Normally one stood up to read out of respect for the scriptures, and then sat down (v. 20) to expound them.

[4:38]  ⁸ tn Grk “Arising from the synagogue, he entered.” The participle ἀναστάς (anastas) has been taken temporally here, and the referent (Jesus) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[4:38]  ⁹ tn Grk “him”; the referent (Jesus) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[4:38]  ¹⁰ tn Grk “they asked him about her.” It is clear from the context that they were concerned about her physical condition. The verb “to help” in the translation makes this explicit.

[6:4]  ¹¹ tn Grk “and took.”

[6:4]  ¹² tn Grk “the bread of presentation.”

[6:4]  sn The sacred bread refers to the “bread of presentation,” “showbread,” or “bread of the Presence,” twelve loaves prepared weekly for the tabernacle and later, the temple. See Exod 25:30; 35:13; 39:36; Lev 24:5-9. Each loaf was made from 3 quarts (3.5 liters; Heb “two tenths of an ephah”) of fine flour. The loaves were placed on a table in the holy place of the tabernacle, on the north side opposite the lampstand (Exod 26:35). It was the duty of the priest each Sabbath to place fresh bread on the table; the loaves from the previous week were then given to Aaron and his descendants, who ate them in the holy place, because they were considered sacred (Lev 24:9). These were the loaves that David requested from Ahimelech for himself and his men (1 Sam 21:1-6; cf. also Matt 12:1-8; Mark 2:23-28).

[6:4]  ¹³ sn Jesus’ response to the charge that what his disciples were doing was not lawful is one of analogy: ‘If David did it for his troops in a time of need, then so can I with my disciples.’ Jesus is clear that on the surface there was a violation here. What is not as clear is whether he is arguing a “greater need” makes this permissible or that this was within the intention of the law all along.

[6:4]  ¹⁴ tc Most mss (א A D Θ Ë¹³ 33 Ï) read “also” here, but this looks like it is a reading made to agree with Mark 2:26. A better combination of witnesses (B L W Ψ Ë¹ lat sa) lacks the word “also.”

[6:4]  ¹⁵ tc The Western ms D adds here a full saying that reads, “On the same day, as he saw someone working on the Sabbath he said, ‘Man, if you know what you are doing, you are blessed, but if you do not know, you are cursed and a violator of the law.’” Though this is not well enough attested to be considered authentic, many commentators have debated whether this saying might go back to Jesus. Most reject it, though it does have wording that looks like Rom 2:25, 27 and Jas 2:11.

[6:4]  sn See 1 Sam 21:1-6.