The Jewish Annotated New Testament (216 page)

6.17
–49: Sermon on the plain
(Mt 5–7).

17
:
Level place
, contrasts Matthew’s “Sermon on the Mount.”

6.20
–23: Beatitudes
(Mt 5.3–12). For the form, see Ps 1.1; 34.8; etc.;
blessed
(Gk “makarioi”) corresponds to Heb “‘ashrei,” “fortunate”; see Ps 1.1.

20
:
You poor
, compare Matthew’s “poor in spirit.” Jewish tradition regards the poor, the hungry, etc. not as cursed or impure but as deserving recipients of divine and earthly care (e.g., Deut 15.11; Isa 49.10; Jer 31.25; Ezek 34.29).

22
:
Exclude you
, see Isa 66.5.
Son of Man
, 5.24n.; here, Jesus.

23
:
Their ancestors
, e.g., Neh 9.26; 2 Chr 13.15–16.

6.24
–26: Woes. 24:
Luke descries the
rich
who refuse to give alms (6.30n.) and encourages extreme generosity (11.41; 12.13–21,33–34; 16.13,19–31; 18.18–30; see
1 En
. 94.8); the condemnation of wealth is stronger in this Gospel than in, e.g., 1 Tim 6.10 and Heb 13.5 (where the issue is “love of money”; see also, e.g., Hab 2.5). See 6.30n.

6.27
–36: Avoiding violence
(Mt 5.38–48; 7.12).

27
:
Love your enemies
, Jewish teaching commands helping enemies (see e.g., Ex 23.4–5; Prov 24.17; 25.21); rabbinic commentary speaks of aiding (not “loving”) enemies in order to “subdue the evil inclination” (
b. B. Metz
. 32b). See “Parable of the Good Samaritan” p.
123
.

28
:
Pray for those who abuse
, see 23.34.

29
:
Takes away your coat
, Mt 5.40 suggest a lawsuit; Luke suggests robbery.

30
:
Give to everyone
, Luke sanctions voluntary poverty (see also 6.24n.; 12.33; 18.22); rabbinic sources do not, as personal impoverishment would create greater hardships for the community. Jewish sources mandate the giving of alms (“tzedakah”); see e.g., Deut 15.11. Rav Assi (third century) called almsgiving “equal in value to all other commandments” (
b. B. Bat
. 9a).

31
:
Do to others
, compare Hillel’s “What is hateful to you, do not do to anyone else” (
b. Shabb
. 31a; Tob 4.15).

32
–34:
What credit
, Luke reflects the reciprocal system of benefaction.

35
:
Expecting nothing in return
, Ex 22.25; Lev 25.36–37.
Children of the Most High
, see 1.32,35; 8.28.

36
:
Be merciful
, compare Mt 5.48, where the injunction is perfection; for imitating divine compassion (Ex 34.6), see
b. Shabb
. 133b;
Mek
. 15.2;
Sifre Deut
. 11.22; 49 (“As God is called compassionate and gracious, so you too must be compassionate and gracious, giving gifts freely”).

6.37
–42: Judging
(Mt 7.1–5; 12.36–37; 15.14; Mk 4.24–25).

37
:
Do not judge
, see
b. Rosh Ha-Shanah
16b;
b. Meg
. 28a.

41
–42:
Log in your own eye
,
b. Arak
. 16b;
b. Hor
. 3b.
Hypocrite
, see Ps 26.4; Sir 1.29; 32.15.

6.43
–45: Bearing good fruit
(Mt 7.15–20; 12.33–35). See also Jas 3.11–12.

45
:
Heart
, the moral center (see Gen 8.21; Deut 6.5–6; etc.). On the relation of heart (Heb “lev”) to lips (Heb “peh”) see Ps 19.15.

6.46
–49: Wise and foolish builders
(Mt 7.21–27). See also Jas 1.22–25.

46
:
Lord, Lord
, confession without attendant works is meaningless. For the invocation, see Ex 34.6 and compare the recitation of the thirteen “midot ha-ra
ḥ
amim” (“attributes of [divine] mercy”) in the
Seli ḥot
(penitential prayers).

47
–49
, See R. Eleazar b. Azariah’s similar story concerning trees with weak vs. strong roots (
m. Avot
3.22).

7.1
–10: The centurion’s slave
(Mt 8.5–13; see also Jn 4.46–54).

1
:
Capernaum
, 4.23n.

2
:
Centurion
, officer in charge of a company of soldiers; either attached to the customs service under Antipas’s jurisdiction, or pensioned. No Roman troops occupied Galilee under Antipas. For centurions in Luke-Acts see also 23.47; Acts 10.1; 22.25–26; 24.43; 27.43.

2:
Valued highly
(Gk “entimos,” from “timē,” “honor”), suggesting honorable service (Phil 2.29; 1 Pet 2.4,6), and used in contemporary papyri for soldiers who performed honorably.

5
:
Built our synagogue
, one of several historically attested Gentile patrons of synagogues (e.g., Tation [
CIJ
2.738]; Julia Severa [
CIJ
2.766]). The comment belies Peter’s statement (Acts 10.28) that it is unlawful for Jews to associate with Gentiles. Tacitus (
Hist
. 3.24) comments on soldiers adapting the religions of areas where they were stationed.

9
:
Not even in Israel
, Luke hails this Gentile’s piety.

10
:
They found the slave
, for rabbinic healings at a distance, see, e.g.,
b. Ber
. 34b on Rabbi Ḥanina ben Dosa’s healing children; see “Jewish Miracle Workers,” p.
536
.

7.11
–17: The widow’s son. 11:
Nain
, about 23 miles (37 km) southwest of Capernaum.

12
:
Gate of the town
, cemeteries were usually located outside residential areas.
Widow
, a Lukan concern (see 2.37; 4.26; 18.3; 20.28,47; 21.2–3; Acts 6.1; 9.39–41). Her economic condition is not mentioned.

13
:
Compassion
, see 15.20.

16
:
Great prophet
, Jesus’ healing evokes those attributed to Elijah (1 Kings 17.17–24; see Lk 4.25–26) and Elisha (2 Kings 4.32–37).

7.18
–35: Jesus and John the Baptist
(Mt 11.2–19).

18
:
John
, Luke does not mention that John was imprisoned (cf. Mt 11.2–9).

19
:
One who is to come
, the messiah.

21
:
Jewish sources do not traditionally speak of the messiah as a miracle worker.

22
:
Echoing Lk 4.18–19 and evoking Isa 29.18; 42.18; 26.19; see also Isa 35.5–6; 61.1; no reference to freeing captives is made (see 4.18). Jesus does not answer the Baptist’s disciples directly (see 5.14n.; 22.70; 23.3).

27
:
Mal 3.1, connecting John to Elijah’s role (see Mal 3.23).

29
:
Tax collectors
, see 3.12n.

30
:
Pharisees and the lawyers
, conventional opponents of Jesus (11.39,42–43,53; 12.1; etc.; on their rejection of John, see 20.5).

31
:
Generation
, see 9.41.

33
:
Eating no bread
, Jews recognized fasting as a spiritual discipline but did not generally promote asceticism.
Has a demon
, explaining unconventional behavior.

34
:
Son of Man
, 5.24n.
Glutton and a drunkard
, evoking the rebellious son, punished with death (Deut 21.18–21).

35
:
Wisdom
(Gk “Sophia”; Heb “
Ḥ
okhmah”), here personified; cf. Prov 1–9; Wis passim.
Vindicated
(Gk “dikaiō”), lit., “justified,” demonstrated to be in the right.

7.36
–50: The Pharisee and the woman who loved much. 36:
To eat with him
, the first of three dinners with Pharisees (see 11.37; 14.1).

37
:
Sinner
, no specific sin is mentioned or need be inferred.

38
:
Behind him at his feet
, Jesus reclined on a dining couch.
Dry them with her hair
, an intimate and hardly common practice. Loosened hair indicated grief, gratefulness, propitiation of a god, or pleading, and need not be taken as erotic.
Anointing
, see Mt 26.6–13; Mk 14.3–9; Jn 12.1–8. Later tradition associated this unnamed woman with Mary Magdalene (see 8.2).