Chapter # 6 Paragraph # 4 Study # 1
September 23, 2007
Lincolnton, NC
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AV Translation:
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.
1901 ASV Translation:
17 and he came down with them, and stood on a level place, and a great multitude of his disciples, and a great number of the people from all Judaea and Jerusalem, and the sea coast of Tyre and Sidon, who came to hear him, and to be healed of their diseases;
18 and they that were troubled with unclean spirits were healed.
19 And all the multitude sought to touch him; for power came forth from him, and healed them all.
Luke's Record:
- I. The Larger Context.
- A. The prior paragraph focuses upon Jesus' selection of The Twelve.
- B. The following material runs from 6:20-49 and consists of instructions for living.
- II. The Present Paragraph.
- A. It appears to be a "stage-setting" introduction to the large block of teaching material that follows it.
- 1. The focus is upon the issue of Jesus' massive "crowd appeal" (a great crowd, a large multitude).
- a. Judea and Jerusalem figure prominently.
- b. For the first time, the coasts of Tyre and Sidon come into focus.
- c. There is no mention whatever of Galilee (this may be assumed in the description of the great crowd of His disciples).
- d. Geographically, these places are at the southern and northern extremities of the nation. This may well be Luke's method of expressing the greatness of Jesus' reputation.
- 2. The "draw" is His ability to heal both physical and spiritual problems.
- a. This is not new "news".
- b. This is, however, a reiteration of the thesis of Jesus' "power" to do good.
- c. The text does tell us that these folks came "to hear" Jesus, but there is no emphasis upon this reason for their coming together; the emphasis is upon their desire to be delivered. It is rather amazing that people do not easily see the connection between "Truth" (that needs to be heard) and "deliverance" (which returns as a need over and over if the Truth is not heard -- under the covenant of the Law, sickness and demonization did not occur to those who "heard" and followed through). This "problem" of the inability to see and believe the connections between the actions taken and the consequences that come is the problem of humanity enslaved to sin. That Jesus provided a temporary deliverance was not really about that temporary deliverance; it was about His ability to provide a real deliverance -- an ability which was foreshadowed by His power to heal and exorcise). Human beings tend to do two things continuously: they magnify their temporal problems (blowing them completely out of proportion) so that the real problem does not even come into focus; and they overlook the reality of eternity so that their final state does not even enter their imagination. This is Satan's objective and he manipulates Sin to bring it to pass as the "spirit" who works in the sons of disobedience (Ephesians 2:2).
- B. It also follows a deliberate a night in prayer on the mountain and the selection of The Twelve who will ultimately be shepherds of Israel in the Kingdom of Messiah.
- C. It has overtones of another "Moses" event: coming off of the mountain from God with the "Law" for His Kingdom.