#43 Jesus Heals a Withered Hand

#43 Jesus Heals a Withered Hand

Please first read: Matthew 12:9-14; Mark 3:1-6; Luke 6:6-11

In posts #41.1, #41.2, and #42, we have seen our Saviors’ ministry shift into a higher gear.   Everything is now moving on a much larger scale; his widespread influence and popularity is affecting many areas. This has been noticed by the Jewish leadership and is causing them great concern. They are making efforts to stop what they perceive as a danger to their entire religion and traditional culture.

There is another problem for the leaders … fear that if there is too much public commotion among the Jewish society, the Romans can be quick to step in and clamp down on the freedoms they now enjoy. Between the Jews and their captors there are always issues to deal with. Judea is not an easy province to govern and the Roman governors move swiftly to stop any possible uprising before it can get started and word of it get back to Rome. Large crowds visiting on the feast days are always watched very carefully and these are days on which Jesus will draw big crowds. Also, some hostility among Jewish groups and sects seems to be escalating.

President J. Reuben Clark Jr.:

“Jesus enters a synagogue  on the Sabbath in which there is a man who has a withered hand;  the Pharisees and scribes watch to see if he will heal on the Sabbath, that they may find an accusation against him; knowing their thoughts, he asks what man among them would not on the Sabbath save a sheep which has fallen into a pit, and how much better is a man than a sheep; he then heals the hand; the Pharisees take counsel with the Herodians how they may destroy Jesus.”

Apostle Bruce R. McConkie:

“By their religious forms and practices men reveal whether they have pure religion in their souls or not. These Jews bore record of their own apostasy by exhibiting their false and fanatical views about Sabbath observance. To them the Sabbath had become a day of restrictions and petty prohibitions. In large measure their very religion was the rabbinical interpretations surrounding it. The formalities of Sabbath observance had come to outweigh the basic virtues of revealed religion … faith, charity, love, integrity, mercy, healings, and gifts of the Spirit.”

“But it is difficult to see how even these Jews could have construed this healing to be a Sabbath violation. Jesus had performed no physical labor, administered no medicine, and required no exertion on the part of the healed person, except that of stretching forth his hand. Jesus totally discomfited his detractors and added to their hatred and madness.”

Apostle James E. Talmage:

“How much then is a man better than a sheep?” “As the Pharisees could not or would not reply, He summed up the whole matter thus: ‘Wherefore it is lawful to do well on the sabbath days.’  He called upon the man with the withered hand to stand forth before the congregation. Grief and anger were mingled in His penetrating and sweeping glance; but, turning with compassion toward the afflicted one, He commanded him to stretch forth his hand; the man obeyed, and lo!  The hand ‘was restored whole, like as the other.’

The discomfited Pharisees were furious, ‘filled with madness’ Luke says; and they went out to plot anew against the Lord. So bitter was their hatred that they allied themselves with the Herodians, a political party generally unpopular among the Jews. The rulers of the people were ready to enter into any intrigue or alliance to accomplish their avowed purpose of bringing about the death of the Lord Jesus. Aware of the wicked determination against Him, Jesus withdrew Himself from the locality.”

Holzaphel:

Jesus is again in a synagogue teaching and it is another Sabbath. He now has Scribes and Pharisees watching and following him to see if he will again heal on the Sabbath so they can accuse him. They are convinced the Law is on their side and they will soon have cause to accuse.

Jesus is aware of their actions and engages them in conversation, asking them challenging questions involving their own laws: Is it proper to do good or evil, to save life or to destroy it on the Sabbath? He takes them to task for the hardness of their hearts. It is only after he has set this stage that he then heals the man’s hand. Jesus thus chooses to make a statement about the purpose and meaning of the Sabbath … he here directly opposes the interpretation the Pharisee and other leaders have made of the laws governing Sabbath behavior and activity.

They are “filled with madness”, leave the synagogue, and hold “a council against him, how they might destroy him.” (p. 144-146) (Luke 6:11; Matthew 12:14; Mark 3:6)

Glenn R. McGettigan

November 2015

References:   

“Our Lord of the Gospels.” Clark  

“Doctrinal New Testament & Commentary.” McConkie    

“Jesus The Christ.” Talmage

 “Life and Teachings of Jesus Christ.” Holzaphel

#42 The Disciples Pick Corn on the Sabbath

#42 The Disciples Pick Corn on the Sabbath

Please first read: Matthew 12:1-8; Mark 2:23-28; Luke 6:1-5

J. Reuben Clark Jr.:

The disciples, hungry and going through a field of corn, pluck the ears of corn and eat them; the Pharisees charge them with violating the Sabbath; in justification Jesus cites David’s eating of the shewbread, that the priests in the Temple profane the Sabbath and are blameless; declares that in this place  there is one greater than the Temple, and that the “Son of Man is Lord even of the Sabbath day.

Apostle Bruce R. McConkie:

After a number of days at Jerusalem for his second Passover Feast (some authorities believe this is a different feast than the Passover) Jesus and his disciples leave Judea and walk back again to Galilee. Judea is no longer a safe place for them, especially in Jerusalem. Jesus’ various teachings during the days there have caused serious animosity and hatred among various Jewish leaders … to the point of some seeking to put him to death. (See post #41.1 and #41.2) They have objected to most of his teachings, but especially to his accusations that they desecrate the Sabbath, and that he makes himself the equal with God. These are two of the main law violations that call for the death penalty. Many in Galilee are of this same opinion, but not to the degree as in Jerusalem.

It is again the Sabbath and Jesus is again in violation of their sacred Sabbath. As he and the others with him walk through cornfields they are hungry, so they pluck some ears of corn and eat the kernels. Under Jewish law it is permissible to do this from fields of others to satisfy one’s hunger, just not on the Sabbath. They are accused of both reaping (picking the corn) and harvesting (rubbing off the kernels) both of which violate Rabbinic (not biblical) law. Both of these could be considered capital offenses. It appears that Jesus was not so engaged and is not accused thereof, but his disciples.

Jesus defends his friends … they have done no wrong. By the Jews own traditions Sabbath observance becomes secondary to a higher law in proper cases. He cites when David and those with him went into the house of God and partook of the priest’s shewbread. Hunger and being on the Lord’ errand supersedes the Sabbath law. He also reminds them how temple priests do all the works involved to offer sacrifices on the Sabbath and are held blameless. Then he turns to their own scriptures stating that mercy is more important than ritualistic sacrifices. (Hosea 6:6)   Probably the most objectionable and distasteful words for them to finally hear (as recorded by the scriptures) would be that he (Jesus) “the Son of Man is also Lord of the Sabbath” (Matthew and Luke) and he “is one greater than the Temple.” (Matthew)

Albright and Mann:

Plucking ears of grain was one of 39 major kinds of work forbidden on the Sabbath by Rabbinic law. The disciples technically are breaking the law but out of pressure of hunger, which can be allowed.

Apostle James E. Talmage:

Mosaic Law provides that when traveling through another’s field one is allowed to pick sufficient corn, grapes, fruit etc. to satisfy hunger.

Ludlow:

David and the Shewbread. The bread the priests had was consecrated for their use only.   Because of the urgent need of David and the hungry men with him the priests gave the bread to them. The Jewish leaders listening knew that Jesus was declaring himself to be the Messiah, the Anointed One when he used the phrase … “one greater than the Temple.”

The JST of Mark 2:27 clarifies: “For the Son of Man made the Sabbath day, therefore the Son of Man is Lord also of the Sabbath.”

Howick:

It had been some 400 years since the last of the Old Testament prophets. Over time the Rabbis had become the spiritual leaders and teachers of the Law. As they increasingly interpreted and made rulings and gave detailed instructions, the volume of law (now Rabbinic rulings) grew as layer was added to layer. Over time the words of the Rabbis were given precedent/priority over most everything else. At the time of Jesus the scribes were also much involved in influencing these activities.

The traditional law had three parts:

1.      The written Law of Moses.

2.      The oral law: traditional teachings implied or deduced from the Law of Moses.

3.      Oral teachings of the Rabbis: the “Hedge” placed around the law “to prevent any breach of the law or customs, to ensure exact observance” in all circumstances. This volume of rules was ever increasing.

Rules for the Sabbath had grown into a law controlling all other laws … requiring even stricter interpretation governing Jewish activities on the Sabbath.

Holzapfel and Wayment:

To the Jewish leaders, when Jesus here defends his disciples by comparing what had just occurred to David’s eating of the shewbread at the temple, the analogy makes Jesus the equal of David, the king of Israel. He explains his actions by, in effect, declaring himself to be a king and a priest. Then Jesus takes it one step further, he asserts that holiness was not in the law itself but rather in the lawgiver. “The Son of Man is Lord also of the Sabbath.” (Mark 2:28; Luke 6:5)

Jesus is now challenging and questioning the leader’s interpretation of these laws and rules, thus disparaging their authority to do so.

Glenn R. McGettigan

November 2015  

References:   

“Our Lord of the Gospels.” Clark

“The Mortal Messiah.” Volume 2. McConkie

“Doctrinal New Testament Commentary.” Volume 1. McConkie  

“Study of the New Testament.” Ludlow

“The Miracles of Jesus the Messiah.” Howick

“The Life and Teachings of Jesus Christ.” Volume 2. Holzaphel and Wayment

“The Gospel of Matthew.” Albright & Mann

“Jesus the Christ.” Talmage

#41.2 Jesus Heals a Man on the Sabbath

#41.2 Jesus Heals a Man on the Sabbath

Please first read: John 5:1-16

From very early in Israel’s history observing the Sabbath as a holy day was a top priority for the Jews as a nation. The commandment to celebrate the Sabbath was very definite and explicit. The holiness of the Sabbath was a mark of the covenant between the chosen people and their God; a day of rest and worship from ordinary toil which distinguished Israel from pagan peoples; a national characteristic. Its roots went back to the creation … God created the earth in six days (periods,) rested on the seventh, and blessed and hallowed that day. This would be very notable to the pagan societies (menial workers, slaves) for whom the seven-day week was seven days of work.

Also, during Israel’s exodus the seventh day was set apart as one of rest. (Manna was received each day, with a double portion on the sixth day, for the Sabbath.) The required observance was the very opposite of affliction and burden. It was consecrated for rest, spiritual feasting, and righteous enjoyment. “It was not established as a day of abstinence.”

Apostle James E. Talmage:

Long before the birth of the Savior, “the original purpose of the Sabbath had come to be largely ignored in Israel; and the spirit of its observance had been smothered under the weight of rabbinical injunction and the formalism of restraint. In the time of the Lord’s ministry, the technicalities prescribed as rules appended to the law were almost innumerable; and the burden thus forced upon the people had become well- nigh unbearable. Among the many wholesome requirements of the Mosaic law, which the teachers and spiritual rulers of the Jews had made thus burdensome, that of Sabbath observance was especially prominent. Even trifling infractions of traditional rules were severely punished, and the capital penalty was held before the eyes of the people as a supreme threat for extreme desecration.”

Apostle Bruce R. McConkie:

Jesus seems to have “deliberately sought out a man worthy to be healed so that he might exercise his curative powers on the Sabbath day. The interest and animosity resulting from this Sabbath miracle were such that our Lord gained an attentive, though largely disbelieving congregation of hearers.”

“No doubt the pool of Bethesda was a mineral spring whose waters had some curative virtue but any notion that an angel came down and troubled the waters was pure superstition … healing miracles are not wrought in any such manner.”

“Few things illustrate more pointedly the direful apostasy of the Jewish nation than their perverted concepts about Sabbath observance. What had once been a holy and sacred law, which stood as a sign identifying the Lord’s own peculiar people, had been turned into a hollow mockery of the original intent. The Scribes had elaborated from the command of Moses, a vast array of prohibitions and injunctions, covering the whole of social, individual, and public life, and carried it to the extreme of ridiculous caricature.”

                                                                          

Many of the restrictions centered on the definition of “work.” By Jesus’ time many volumes had been written by Jewish teachers, scholars, and leaders in defining and fine-tuning various rules and definitions as to what constituted work. It seems that this subject was always open to further study and refining. One list had thirty-nine principle types of work forbidden on the Sabbath.  Eleven of these had to do with preparing bread. Can medicine be given to a sick person? Can a lame man use his crutches? Can an author write a single sentence? How much is one allowed to read, walk, etc.? If a man stumbles and falls must he lie prone until the Sabbath’s end? Can anyone help him get up? A radish could be dipped into salt but if left too long the person was guilty of making pickles. Carry no burden greater than the weight of a fig and no food larger than the size of an olive. To kindle or extinguish a fire on the Sabbath was a great desecration of the day, nor was even sickness allowed to violate Rabbinical rules. It was forbidden to set a broken bone, or put back a dislocated joint. If a house caught on fire it was forbidden to put it out.   There were different degrees of severity of penalty on all such issues, depending on who was the authority making the ruling.

Jesus violated Jewish law by: 

1. Healing on the Sabbath
2. Telling the healed to carry his bed
3. Forgiving sin 
4. Making himself the equal of God

The Jewish leaders wanted to put Jesus to death for healing on the Sabbath. There was no violation of law for speaking on the Sabbath, and that was all Jesus did to heal the man, so where is the violation?

Belief in miracles was very much a part of Jewish history from the beginning. This had evolved into superstitions which were common in Jesus’ day. The Jews believed in many kinds of angels and what was unexplained was attributed to the supernatural.  

Glenn R. McGettigan

October 2015; Revised November 2015

References:    

“Jesus the Christ.” Talmage

“Doctrinal New Testament Commentary.” McConkie

“Gospel According to John.” Volume 1. Brown

“Our Lord of the Gospels.” Clark

“The Life of Christ.” Farrar   

“The Sermons of Jesus the Messiah.” Howick   

“Book of Jewish Knowledge.” Ausubel      

#41.1 The Second Passover

#41.1 The Second Passover

Please first read: JST John 5:1-47

Note: This post, #41.1, will consider matters pertaining to the Second Passover itself. Jesus Healing on the Sabbath will be covered in post #41.2. 

  

President J. Reuben Clark Jr.:

“Jesus goes to Jerusalem to the Passover (the second of his ministry) goes on the Sabbath to the pool of Bethesda and heals there a man with an infirmity of thirty-eight years’ standing; Jesus slips away without before the man can tell who Jesus is; the man tells those asking who healed him that he does not know; later the man sees Jesus in the Temple and knows him as Jesus warns him to sin no more; the Jews seek to kill Jesus because he has healed on the Sabbath (this is the first record of a desire by the Jewish authorities to kill Jesus.) Jesus preaches to them, proclaiming his Sonship, for which they again seek his life; he says he does whatever the Father does; preaches knowing the Father and the Son; he declares his powers, but can do nothing of himself; he tells of John’s mission; he is greater than John; tells of work the Father has given him to do; explains relationship of the Father and himself; tells how they will be accused.”

John is the only gospel writer that tells of these six events. (John 5) As Elder Clark also points out, it is the first record we have of Jewish leaders desiring to kill Jesus. As their nation is now captive to Rome they can only execute someone with the approval of the Roman authorities.

Every one of the following six topics resulted in immediate hostility and objection from virtually all phases of Jewish leadership. 

·         John 5:1-16: Jesus Heals a Man on the Sabbath.

·         John 5:17-24: Men Must Honor the Son, unto whom the Father has given equal power.

·         John 5:25: Jesus Promises to Take the Gospel to the Dead.

·         John 5:26-30: All Will Be Resurrected, Judged, and Assigned Their Glory By the Son, Jesus, the Messiah.

·         John 5:31-38: Jesus Obeys the Divine Law of Witnesses required by Jewish Law.

·         John 5:39-47: Search the Scriptures For They Testify of Jesus as the Messiah

The Passover

The following excerpt is from Smith’s Bible Dictionary:

Passover, the first of the three great annual festivals of the Israelites, celebrated in the month of Nisan (March-April.) Strictly speaking the Passover only applied to the paschal supper, and the feast of unleavened bread followed thereafter. This feast was instituted by God to commemorate the deliverance of the Israelites from Egyptian bondage and the sparing of their first-born when the destroying angel smote the first-born of the Egyptians. The deliverance from Egypt was regarded as the starting-point of the Hebrew nation. The Israelites were then raised from the condition of bondmen under a foreign tyrant to that of a free people owing allegiance to no one but Jehovah. The prophet in a later age spoke of the event as a creation and a redemption of the nation. God declares himself to be the “Creator of Israel.” The Exodus was thus looked upon as the birth of the nation; the Passover was its annual birthday feast. It was the yearly memorial of the dedication of the people to him who had saved their first-born from the destroyer, in order that they might be made holy to Himself.

The first celebration of the Passover: On the tenth day of the month the head of each family was to select from the flock either a lamb or a kid, a male of the first year, without blemish. The lamb was then roasted whole. Unleavened bread and bitter herbs were to be eaten with the flesh. Everyone was to have his loins girt, to hold a staff in his hand, and to have shoes on his feet. They were to eat in haste and, it would seem, to stand during the meal. At midnight the first-born of the Egyptians were smitten. The king and his people were now urgent that the Israelites should start immediately, and readily bestowed on them supplies for the journey. In haste did the Israelites depart on that very day.

Ausubel:

  

The most beloved of all Jewish holy days is the festival of Passover. Symbolically, it represents a cherished traditional Jewish value … a love of freedom. The memory of the Bondage of Egypt, although it occurred at least thirty-two centuries ago, has continued to rankle in the consciousness of the Jew. In reality he has never considered … except for the Golden Age of his people’s greatness in the land of Israel … that the Bondage ever came to an end. This idea is touchingly projected in the Aramaic prayer at the Seder (the home-service that opens the celebration of the Passover,) “Behold! This is as the bread of affliction that our fathers ate in the land of Egypt … Now we are slaves … may we be free men in the year to come.” And so it has been a firm tradition since the days of the Mishnah Sages (200 BC) after the destruction of the Second Temple, that Jewish families throughout the world gather for the performance of the Seder home-service at Passover time. It is to be eaten in haste, with “loins girded” and staff in hand, as the Israelites themselves had been when they departed from Egypt.

Geike:

Advance preparations were very demanding, beyond meticulous in every detail. A few examples:

·         Specific lines of travel.

·         Whitewashed headstones.

·         Removal of unclean plants in certain fields.

·         Special services in the temple and synagogues on preceding Sabbath.

·         Meal only male lambs or goats without blemish.

·         Every particle of leaven removed from house.

·         Purification of all vessels used in the feast.

·         Personal purification rites.

·         Detailed preparation of water and flour used in the feast.

Apostle James E. Talmage:

The usual attendance at the temple celebration in the days of Jesus was undoubtedly enormous. It was, in fact, the great yearly fair of Jerusalem, and the crowds added to the din and tumult, till the services in the neighboring courts were sadly disturbed.  Persons going across the city with all kinds of burdens, shortened their journey by crossing the temple grounds. The temple courts were a witness that the temple, which should be a House of Prayer for all nations, had been degraded into a place which, for foulness, was more like shambles, and for bustling commerce more like a densely-crowded bazaar; while the lowing of oxen, the bleating of sheep, the Babel of many languages, the huckstering and wrangling, and the clinking of money and of balances, might be heard in the adjoining courts, disturbing the chant of the Levites and the prayers of priests.      

                                                                                                                                          

Further defilement of the temple courts occurred by traffickers acting under the priestly license.

The sale of the doves was, secretly, in the hands of the priests themselves. Hannas, the high priest, especially, gained great profits from his dove cotes. Five per cent exchange was charged to obtain money that was acceptable for payment to the temple, but this was increased by tricks and chicanery, for which the class had everywhere earned so bad a name that like the publicans, their witness would not be taken before a court.

Glenn R. McGettigan

September 2015 

References:

“Our Lord of the Gospels.” Clark 

“Smith’s Bible Dictionary.”   

“Book of Jewish Knowledge.” Ausubel

“Jesus the Christ.” Talmage

“The Life and Words of Christ.” Geike 

#30 Rejected at Nazareth

#30 Rejected at Nazareth

Please first read: Isaiah 61:1-2.; Luke 4:16-31

President J.R. Clark, Jr.:

“Jesus comes to Nazareth; he goes to the synagogue on the Sabbath day, as was his custom; he reads and expounds the scriptures; all the people are surprised at his ‘gracious words.’ He continues preaching and shows how God has blessed others than the Israelites, he charges them with expecting him to do his works there; and he shows how few have been ministered to in the past, and says no prophet is accepted in his own country; angered, they thrust him out of the synagogue and the city, then take him to the brow of a hill to cast him down headlong, but he passes through their midst and goes his way.”   

After Samaria Jesus continues to Galilee; he has been away for several months. He first goes to Cana, recognizing that the people in Nazareth will probably see him only as the carpenter … “a prophet hath no honor in his own country.” Jesus had grown up and worshiped as a youth in this very synagogue. Jesus considers they will only accept his miracles and this is not a sufficient foundation for their faith.

The Nazarenes are aware of the reported fame and miracles and doings of Jesus and will expect to see these things for themselves … they will want to test Jesus. The Galileans and those of Cana, however, gladly receive him … he is “glorified by all.”

For over seven centuries various Jewish prophets have foretold their people in detail of the events, actions, and locations regarding the coming of the Messiah. This has been a primary message of Isaiah, one of their most read and revered prophets. Many, if not all, of those attending the synagogue this day, and certainly their leaders would immediately recognize in Jesus’ words that he was announcing himself as the long-anticipated Messiah … this was blasphemy!

Synagogue worship on the Sabbath was mandatory for the faithful of these people and, as was his custom, Jesus is here to attend. In Nazareth there is probably only one synagogue. It would be simple in its appointments, features, and size, and face towards Jerusalem. Seating is segregated … women on one side, men on the other. The whole congregation will stand (including the reader) for the reading of the scripture, which for today is from Isaiah. The Jewish rule was for the audience to listen in silence and then be vocal with questions or objections, and react to their feelings after the reader gives his commentary on what he has read. Today that reaction will be one of indignation and rebellion.

A typical Sunday service presided over by the President or Minister would be something like this:

Singing a psalm

Reading of scriptures, rules, and blessings

Reading from the Torah (Law), and the Prophets … two main Bible pieces

Jesus was then handed a scroll of the prophet Isaiah with a passage of scripture probably marked for him to read. As required he stands and reads what is in our Bible as Isaiah 61:1-2, and Luke 4:18-19, 21. Jesus, as was the custom, then sits down to expound on what he has just read.

Points to Consider:

The faithful knew and understood what and who these scriptures meant. All Jewry knew this referred to the Messiah, their deliverer (verses 18-19 and 21.) This was blasphemy!  “The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me.”  “‘Anointed’ by God.”  “The acceptable year of the Lord.”  “This day is this scripture fulfilled in your ears.” Jesus knew in advance what their thoughts and reactions would be. They expected to see signs, wonders, and miracles, as they had recently been hearing about, instead they heard this. In our speaking it is as if he said, “I am here, I am your Deliverer, Messiah, your Savior.” Blasphemy! And their reactions would be as expected.

Probably as in our day, when a general authority or visiting church leader comes to visit we are excited to hear what they have to tell us. So it was in that day. Preaching was engraved in their history and the visiting authority was given free rein as to what he would say. Jesus first states what the work is that he is called to do; how he is qualified to do this work; and how he has been commissioned by God to this labor.

“Physician heal thyself,” was a well-known proverb among the Jews, and was especially used by the rabbis. A physician must heal himself of his diseases or he cannot have power to heal others. Their thoughts would be: you have performed wonderful works elsewhere but not here, and you are a native son of Nazareth … show us signs of your power and authority.

Symbolisms used by Jesus and understood by the Jews:

·         “poor” … the meek, humble

·         “broken hearted” … spiritually broken

·         “bruised and captive” … departed souls now in spirit prison

·         “blind” … spiritually, have had no chance yet to hear the gospel

·         “Acceptable year of the Lord” … the Father has said now is the time, day and place for the coming of the Messiah.  

Seeing their unfriendly reactions to his words of joy, healing and deliverance, he then turned to their long history of rejecting their prophets. He tells them because they have done this blessings have been withheld from them, the Lord’s chosen people; not only withheld but given instead to others.

Jesus picks two good examples of this: two ancient prophets dishonored by the Jews. (Elijah-Luke 4:25 Elijah, and Elisha-Luke 4: 27). They then gave great blessings upon other people … gentiles and foreigners. The implication here is that the Nazarenes are following the same pattern with Jesus. The audience upon hearing all these things was “filled with wrath” and “thrust him out of the city.”

What irony here: as Jesus slipped through the crowd and disappeared he gave them precisely the miracle/sign they were asking for. He will now use Capernaum as his home city.

Glenn R. McGettigan   

December 2014

References:

“Our Lord of the Gospels.” J.R. Clark    

“Doctrinal New Testament Commentary.” McConkie

“The Mortal Messiah.” McConkie

“The Life of Christ.” Farrar    

“Jesus the Christ.” Talmage  

“The Life and Times of Jesus the Messiah.” Edersheim     

“The Gospel According to Luke, I-IX.” Fitzmyer    

 “Bethany Parallel Commentary of the New Testament.”     

“Smith’s Bible Dictionary.”