Exegetical Summary – Luke 7:11-17

A.Critical Analysis of the Text

1.The Language of the Text

  1. Text Criticism:There is only one textual variant with potentialexegetical significance. In v.13, κύριος is replaced by Ἰησοῦςin a number of manuscripts. This is interesting because the narrator himself has not referred to Jesus as “Lord”up to this point, although other characters have addressed him in that way.[1] A similar variation, differing only in case, also occursin v. 19.In this instance, Bruce Metzger argues that κύριον is more likely the original reading because it is in accordance with Lukan style and because it is not likely that Ἰησοῦνwould have been replaced.[2] The same arguments are applicable to v. 13.
  2. Vocabulary and Grammar:In keeping with the supposition that the author of Luke was well-educated, most of the verbs are in the aorist tenseand there are no historical presents. The sentences are somewhat complex, but compact.There are several items of interest in the area of vocabulary.
  • The widow’s son is described as μονογενὴςin v. 12. This word is used two other times in Luke to describe children who are healed (8:42 and 9:38). It is also used in John’s Gospel in reference to Jesus (1:14, 18 and 3:16,18).
  • The narrator refers to Jesus as “Lord” (κύριος)for first time in v. 13.
  • Jesus is described as “having compassion” (ἐσπλαγχνίσθη) for the dead man’s mother in v. 13. This is the only place in Luke where σπλαγχνίζομαιis used outside of a parable.
  • The verb ἐγείρωis used in Jesus’ command to the dead man in v. 15 and when the crowd says a great prophet has arisen in v. 17.[3]
  • The phrase καὶ ἔδωκεν αὐτὸν τῇ μητρὶ αὐτοῦ which is used in v. 15is also used in the story of Elijah raising the widow’s son in IKings 17:23.
  • When the crowd reacts to the miracle in v. 16, the verb ἐπισκέπτομαι is used. The same verb was used in Zechariah’s song in 1:68 and 1:78.

2.The Organization of the Text

  1. Boundaries and Flow of the Text:This text is a complete unit. It is a narrative which moves rapidly from the initial encounter between Jesus and the funeral processionto the description of Jesus’ compassion for the mother, then the raising of her son, and finally the crowd’s reaction. The most significant rhetorical device is the irony in the crowd’s declaring Jesus to be a “great prophet”.
  2. Literary Context:This narrative is part of the account of Jesus’ ministry in Galilee. In particular, it is in a section in which Luke is trying to establish “the identity of Jesus as the Messiah greater than a prophet.”[4] It is preceded by the story of the healing of the centurion’s servant. The story which follows points back to this one when Jesus instructsJohn’s disciples to tell him about the miracles they have seen, including the raising of the dead.
  3. Use of Scripture:The text uses allusions to stories in which Elijah (IKings 17:17-24) and Elisha (IIKings 4:32-37) raisedonly sons from the dead. The connection with Elijah is particularly strong because the mother is also a widow and because Luke quotes a phrase from the Old Testament story. The author is using these parallels to reinforce the crowd’s declaration that Jesus is a great prophet in v. 16.

3.Critical Tools

  1. Source Criticism:This text is unique to Luke in the New Testament.In spite of allusions and parallels to similar stories involving Elijah and Elisha, strictly speaking these accounts are not sources for the story in Luke.
  2. Form Criticism:The text is a healing miracle narrative and includes all the parts expected in such a story as described by Felix Just. The introduction and reaction are expanded relative to the conflict, action, and confirmation sections since they each have two verses devoted to them, while the other parts have only one verse each.
  3. Redaction Criticism:Luke’s story differs in some intriguing ways from those in Kings. Jesus raised the young man simply by speaking to him, and a crowd witnessed the event. Elijah and Elisha used prayer and physical contact with the body and performed the miracles in the privacy of their own rooms.
  4. Socio-Historical Criticism:The major social issue in this text centers in the woman, who is marginalized first because of her gender. In addition, she is a widow who has now lost her only son; she has no family and is without social and economic support. She essentially has no status and is in an extremely vulnerable situation.Another possible social issue is Jesus’ touching the bier. This makes him ceremonially unclean and an outcast as far as the Jews are concerned.
  5. Narrative Criticism:The story is told in the third person by an omniscient narrator. There are no suspicious or hostile characters, and sympathy toward Jesus and the widow is encouraged.

B.Interpretive Summary

This text claims that Jesus is a prophet who is not only comparable to Elijah and Elisha but is, in fact, greater than they were. Luke used a variety of models for Jesus because he wanted both Jewish and Gentile readers to be able to relate to his Gospel.A model that would resonate with Jewish readers is that of a prophet in the tradition of Moses or Elijah. Since Hebrew prophets served as communication links between the human and divine world, portraying Jesus in this rolemeans thathespeaks for God and has the authority to inaugurate God’s reign.Jesus assumed this role for himself at the beginning of his ministry when he preached in Nazareth (Luke 4:16-30). But it was not until he raised the young man at Nain that others recognized it.

Luke uses a carefully constructed narrative which evokes Old Testament stories about Elijah (I Kings 17:17-24) and Elisha (II Kings 4:32-37).and draws the reader into comparing those prophets with Jesus. Similarities and differences can be found throughout Luke’s account.

The setting for Luke’s story is Nain, a small town only a few miles from Nazareth that is located on the northwestern slope of the Hill of Moreh. The town of Shunem, where Elisha raised the young man, isnot far away on the southwestern slope of the same hill.

Just outside the gate of the town, Jesus, his disciples, and the crowd whichwas with them encountered the funeral procession for a young man, who was the only son of his widowed mother. This is a clear parallel with the Elijah story, which also involves the only son of a widowed mother, whomthe prophet had met at the gate of the town. (I Kings 17:10). As if coping with the loss of a child were not enough, the deaths of their sons put both of these women in a difficult situation socially and economically.Without a family they had no status or means of support in their society. There are similar parallels with the Elisha story which also involves an only son. Although his mother was not a widow, she must have been younger than her husband who is described as a πρεσβύτης, an old or elderly man; therefore, she must have had some concern for her future in spite of her wealth.

There is an important difference between Luke’s story and the two Old Testament narratives at this point. Both Elijah and Elisha knew the woman whose son they raised; both had, in fact, lodged in her house and enjoyed her hospitality. When their sons died, each of these women approached the prophet and asked for his help. Certainly the relationships between them must have motivated the prophets’ responses, especially in the case of Elisha, who had already befriended the woman. Nevertheless, Elisha was reluctant to go with the woman, preferring to send his servant with his staff instead, until her persistence won him over.

In Luke’s story, Jesus and the widow were strangers.She did not appeal to Jesus for help. No one did. The motivation for raising the young mancame entirely from within Jesus. The narrator says that he was moved by compassion, an unusual thing since Luke normally does not portray Jesus as showing emotion. This is the only time Luke uses the verb σπλαγχνίζομαιin connection with Jesus, although Matthew and Mark each use it several times. Not only wasJesus willing to raise the young man, he also did not hesitate to touch the bier and make himself ceremonially unclean in order to stop the procession.

The ways in which the young menwere raised also differ markedly. This part of the narrative is greatly elaborated in both Old Testament stories. Elijah cried out to God, stretched himself out over the young man three times, and then cried out to God again. In the Elisha story, a number of steps were taken to revive the young man. First, Elisha’s servant laid his staff on the young man’s face. When this failed, the prophet prayed and then laid himself on the young man twice before his life was restored. Both prophets did these things alone in their rooms. Jesus, in contrast, merely commanded the dead man to arise in the full view of the crowds.

At this point, Luke does something which makes it highly unlikely that the parallels between his story and the Elijah story are coincidental.He describes what happened after the dead man sat up and began to speak by usingan exact quote from the story in the Septuagint: καὶ ἔδωκεν αὐτὸν τῇ μητρὶ αὐτοῦ.

All three miracles elicit similar responses. In Elijah’s case the widow acknowledges that he is a person of God and “that the word of the Lord in your mouth is true.” (I Kings 17:24) In Elisha’s case, the mother falls down and worships him. (II Kings 4:37) Luke uses the crowds, which are absent in the Old Testament stories, to explicitly state the point he is trying to make. They recognize that Jesus is a great prophet and that through him God has come to help his people.

The similarities in the three narratives show that Jesus is a prophet comparable to Elijah and Elisha. What Jesus has done is like what the two Old Testament prophets did, but the way in which he did it is superior. This is shown in the areas where the accounts differ. Jesus took the initiative in response to the unspoken grief and need of the widow, not in response to a request or even to a demonstration of faith. His compassion moved him to do what was necessary without any concern for himself. His raising of the young man by the spoken word alone without any dramatic ritual, even prayer, overshadows the actions of Elijah and Elisha.

The crowd’s response is ironic because Jesus is actually more than a great prophet. Luke has hinted at that by referring to Jesus as “Lord” (κύριος) in v. 13.At this point in the Gospel,Jesus’ true identity is a matter of speculation. (Only the demons know for sure, and they aren’t talking! (4:41)) But Luke is moving the story toward the point where the disciples recognize Jesus as the Messiah. He is doing it by gradually and logically expanding the nature of Jesus’ authority and identity so that this steady progression will strengthen the faith of the readers.This text, which claims that Jesus is a prophet who is comparable to Elijah and Elisha but is, in fact, greater than they were, is part of that process.

Bibliography

Culpepper, R. Alan, “The Gospel of Luke” in The New Interpreter’s Bible, vol. IX. Nashville: Abingdon Press, 1995.

Kruger Gaudino, Rebecca J., “Second Sunday after Pentecost” in New Proclamation: Year C, 2007, Easter through Christ the King.Minneapolis: Fortress Press, 2006.

Metzger,Bruce M., A Textual Commentary on the Greek New Testament. Stuttgart: Deutsche Bibelgesellschaft, 1994 (included in BibleWorks 7).

Powell, Mark Allan, Fortress Introduction to the Gospels. Minneapolis: Fortress Press, 1998.

The HarperCollins Study Bible: New Revised Standard Version. New York: HarperCollins Publishers, 1993.

The NET Bible Nestle-Aland27 Diglot. Dallas: NET Bible Press, 2003.

Tiede, David L., Luke. Augsburg Commentary on the New Testament.Minneapolis: Augsburg Publishing House, 1988.

********************************************

In his description of Jesus’ ministry up to this point, the author has given hints about who Jesus is through his words and deeds.

This text is a narrative which tells of

He does this through a nearrative about Jesus which has many parallels with stories about Elijah (I Kings 17:17-24?) and Elisha (II kings ??)

  1. How Jesus acts like a prophet – “a person who serves as a channel of communication between the human and divine worlds” (prophet) “God’s salvific will was often executed through the deeds of individuals specially gifted with God’s Spirit and power. These ‘miracle workers’ of the OT, such as Moses, Joshua, Elijah, and Elisha, were empowered with this Spirit to act as agents of God on behalf of God’s people.” (miracle)
  2. How Jesus acts like Elisha and ElijahLook at the OT stories again!
  3. Parallels with Elisha
  4. Raises the only son; although the woman is not a widow, her husband is older so the death of the son would probably mean hard times to come.
  5. Nain is near Shumen
  6. Parallels with Elijah
  7. the mother is a widow
  8. Jesus meets the mother and the funeral procession at the gates of the town, where Elijah met his widow.
  9. Both Jesus and Elijah make the first move, but with different motives
  10. “gave him to his mother”
  11. widow/crowd recognizes him as man of God/great prophet
  12. How Jesus is greater that Elisha
  13. Elisha is motivated by past favors.
  14. Jesus did not know the widow; Elisha had a room in her house.
  15. The woman asks Elisha for help. He wants to send Gehazi instead, but goes when she persists.
  16. Calls out to God and touches the young man to raise him.
  17. How Jesus is greater than Elijah
  18. Elijah is looking for something for himself (water and bread). Jesus is moved by compassion for the woman.
  19. Jesus did not know the widow; Elijah was lodging with her.
  20. The woman asks Elijah for help; Jesus acts on his own volition.
  21. Elijah raises the young man by stretching himself over him three times and calling out to God. Jesus raises him simply by giving a command.

and points toward the fact that he is more

and lays groundwork for his identification as the Messiah (by Peter in 9:20).

(Lengthened intro and conclusion) This indicates that Luke wishes to draw attention to the widow and to the crowd’s reaction to the miracle.

Tiede, p. 28 – “This is a word of assurance and consolation, declaring the ultimate lordship of Jesus the Messiah in the midst of difficult times.” (p. 28)

by implicitly and explicitly comparing Jesus to both Elijah and Elisha. He shows that Jesus is not only equal to these two prophets but surpasses them.

This story occurs near the beginning of a portion of the Gospel which culminates in the disciples’ recognition that Jesus is the Messiah. The story itself does not identify Jesus as the Messiah, but it moves in that direction by

Use this? Important for healilng and preching ministry and for death (13:13)Beginning in chapter 7, however, the question of the authority and identity of Jesus is emphasized, building up to the disciples’ recognition of him as the Messiah(move to end?).

Bibliography/references

1

[1]Rebecca J. Kruger Gaudino in New Proclamation: Year C, 2007, Easter through Christ the King (Minneapolis: Fortress Press, 2006) 95 and R. Alan Culpepper in The New Interpreter’s Bible, vol. IX (Nashville: Abingdon Press, 1995) 158.

[2] Bruce M. Metzger, A Textual Commentary on the Greek New Testament (Stuttgart: Deutsche Bibelgesellschaft, 1994) 119 (included in BibleWorks 7).

[3]Rebecca J. Kruger Gaudino in New Proclamation: Year C, 2007, Easter through Christ the King (Minneapolis: Fortress Press, 2006) 95.

[4]R. Alan Culpepper in The New Interpreter’s Bible, vol. IX, Nashville: Abingdon Press, 1995, p. 153.