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0 The Sermon on the Plain (Luke 4-8)

Episode 257: The Sermon on the Plain

Luke 4-8

Jesus is rejected in his hometown (they try to throw him off a cliff)

4 16 Jesus returned home to Nazareth in Galilee, where he had been brought up.

17 On the sabbath day, he went to the synagogue, and stood up to read from the book of Isaiah, which said,

18-19 The spirit of God is upon me, to preach the gospel to the poor, to heal the brokenhearted, to preach freedom to the captives, to restore sight to the blind, to free those who are bruised, and to say that this is the year of God.

20 When he was finished reading, he closed the book, and said, "Today this scripture is fulfilled in your ears."

22 They said, “Isn't this Joseph's son?”

24 Jesus said, “No prophet is accepted in his home country.”

28 The people were angry when they heard Jesus's words.

29 They dragged him out of the city and led him to a cliff where they could throw him down.

30 But he somehow managed to escape.

Jesus, the master fisherman

5 1 Jesus boarded Simon's boat on the lake of Gennesaret and began to preach to the people.

4 When he finished speaking, he said to Simon, “Go out into deep water and put down your nets.“ Simon said, “We've fished all night and caught nothing. But, OK, I'll let down a net.”

6-7 As soon as he did this, the net caught so many fish that it broke. So they called another boat over to help. But there were so many fish that both boats began to sink.

8 Simon Peter fell down at Jesus's knees, and said, “Get away from me, for I'm a sinful man.”

James Tissot (first miracle), c. 1886/94

The Sermon on the Plain

6 17 Jesus went to a plain, where a great crowd of people came to listen to him.

19 The whole crowd tried to touch him, for virtue went out of him. And he healed them all.

20 Jesus looked at his disciples and said,

Blessed are you who are poor, for the kingdom of God belongs to you.

21 Blessed are you who are hungry, for you will eat.

Blessed are you who weep, for you will laugh.

22 Blessed are you are hated because of the Son of man.

23 Jump for joy, because you'll get a big reward in heaven.

24 But woe to you who are rich! You've had your good times.

25 Woe to you who have eaten well! You will be hungry.

Woe to you who laugh now! You will mourn and cry.

26 Woe to you when people speak well of you!

30 Give to anyone who asks. And if someone takes your things, don't ask for them back.

36 Be merciful, as God is merciful.

Don't condemn, and you won't be condemned. Forgive, and you'll be forgiven.

38 Give, and you'll receive even more.

The widow's son

7 11 The next day, Jesus and his disciples went to the city of Nain.

12 At the city gate, a dead man was being carried out by his mother.

13 When Jesus saw her, he said, "Don't cry."

14 And he said to her dead son, “Young man, stand up.”

15 And the dead man stood up and began to speak.

Mary Magdalene (and her seven devils)

8 1 Jesus and his twelve disciples went through every city and village, preaching and showing glad tidings. Certain women, who had been healed of evil spirits and illnesses, followed them.

2-3 Among these were Mary Magdalene, who had seven devils removed from her, Joanna, Susanna, and many others, who served Jesus and his disciples.

A few more words about this episode

Jesus is rejected in his hometown (4:16-30)
The same story is told in Mark (Mk 6:1-6, Episode 251) and Matthew (Mt 13:54-58, Episode 240), but without the Isaiah quote. Another difference is that Luke doesn't mention of Jesus's siblings. Also Matthew calls Jesus the son of Joseph instead of the son of Mary, and neither Mark nor Matthew mention the attempted murder of Jesus by his hometown community.
Jesus read from the book of Isaiah (4:17)

The verses that Jesus read are not the same as those in Isaiah 61:1-2, which say nothing about restoring sight to the blind.

Did Jesus add the part about the blind to the verses he read from Isaiah? Or did Luke add them later?

This is, however, the only clear indication in the Bible that Jesus knew how to read.

Jesus, the master fisherman (5:1-8)
I usually avoid looking ahead, but compare this fish story to that in John 21:1-14.
The Sermon on the Plain (6:20-49)
The language and content of the Sermon on the Plain is similar to that of the more familiar (and much longer, 30 vs. 111 verses) Sermon on the Mount in Matthew's gospel. (Matthew 5, 6, and 7; Episode 235, 236) They are thought by many Bible scholars to be two made-up versions of a sermon that Jesus never delivered. Neither sermon exists in Mark's gospel; the source is likely the Q Source, which was available to the authors of Luke and Matthew. They included many of the same sayings (like the beatitudes), with slightly different wording. The sermons take place at different times and in different locations, and the sermon in Luke's gospel leaves out most of the sayings in Matthew's (especially those that require obedience to the laws of Moses). Still most scholars believe the two sermons were derived from the sayings in Q, modifying them as needed to make Jesus say what they wanted him to say.

Things I left out that were presented in previous episodes:

4:1-13 Jesus is tempted by the devil
Same as in Matthew (4:1-11, Episode 234), except the order of the last two temptation events is reversed. The three temptations are not present in Mark. This passage is thought by many scholars to have come from the Q source in the "Two-source Hypothesis."
4:31-36 A man with an unclean devil
See Mark 1:23-28, Episode 249
4:38-39 Simon's mother-in-law
See Matthew 8:14-15, Episode 237; Mark 1:23-28, Episode 249
4:40-41 Jesus heals the sick (and tells the devils not to tell anyone who he is)
See Mark 1:32-34, Episode 249

The lake of Gennesaret (5:1)
This the author of Luke's name for the Sea of Galilee.
5:10-11 Jesus calls his first disciples
Same as in Matthew (Matthew 4:12-25, Episode 234) and Mark (Mark 1:14-22, Episode 249), except Luke doesn't include the call of Andrew, Simon's brother.
5:12-13 Jesus cleans a leper
See Matthew 8:1-4, Episode 237, Mark 1:40-45, Episode 249
5:17-26 Jesus heals a paralytic
Same as in Mark (2:1-12, Episode 249), except Luke doesn't mention the through the roof entrance. (Neither did Matthew, see Matthew 9:1-4, Episode 237.)
5:27-28 The call of Levi
Same as in Matthew (Matthew 9:9-10, Episode 237), except the tax collector's name is Matthew, not Levi. Mark (2:1-12, Episode 249)
5:29-39 Why Jesus and his disciples didn't fast
See Matthew 9:14-17, Episode 237 and Mark 2:15-22, Episode 249.
6:1-5 The disciples pluck grain on the sabbath
Same as in Mark 2:15-22, Episode 249, except Luke omits Jesus's error about Abiathar, as does Matthew (12:1-18, Episode 239.)
6:6-11 A man with a withered hand
See Matthew 12:9-14, Episode 240; Mark 3:1-6, Episode 250
6:12-15 The twelve apostles
Same list as in Matthew (10:1-4, Episode 238) and Mark (Mark 3:13-19, Episode 250), except they each differ about the name of one of the last (tenth or eleventh) on their lists: Luke has a second Judas (besides the famous one), whereas Matthew and Mark have a Thaddeus (or Lebbaeus, whose surname was Thaddeus).
7:1-10 The centurion's servant
The story is the same, except in Matthew (8:5-13, Episode 237), the centurion spoke to Jesus directly , whereas in Luke, the centurion sends a messenger to ask Jesus for help.
7:18-23 John the Baptist: Should we look for another?
See Matthew 11:1-5, Episode 238
7:24-35 John the Baptist is the greatest prophet
Jesus says the same thing in Matthew (11:7-19, Episode 238) except that Jesus doesn't say explicitly that John the Baptist was Elijah.
7:36-49 Simon the Pharisee
See Mt 11:7-19, Episode 238; Mk 14:3-9, Episode 238

8:4-8 The parable of the sower
See Matthew 13:1-9, Episode 240; Mark 4:1-9, Episode 250
8:9-10 The purpose of the parables
See Matthew 13:10-17, Episode 240; Mark 4:10-12, Episode 250
8:11-15 Jesus explains the parable of the sower
See Matthew 13:18-23, Episode 240; Mark 4:13-20, Episode 250
8:16-18 Candles, secrets, haves, and have nots
See Mark 4:21-25, Episode 250
8:19-21 Jesus: Who is my mother?
See Matthew 12:46-50, Episode 240; Mark 3:31-35, Episode 250
8:22-25 Jesus calms a storm
See Matthew 8:23-27, Episode 240; Mark 4:35-41, Episode 250
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