LUKE CHAPTER 19, COMMENTARY
WORD AND PHRASE STUDY NASB (UPDATED) TEXT: LUKE 19:1-10
Vs 1 – “He entered Jericho and was passing through.
Vs 2 – “And there was a man called by the name of Zaccheus; he was a chief tax collector and he was rich.
Vs 3 – “Zaccheus was trying to see who Jesus was, and was unable because of the crowd, for he was small in stature.
Vs 4 – “So he ran on ahead and climbed up into a sycamore tree in order to see Him, for He was about to pass through that way.
Vs 5 – “When Jesus came to the place, He looked up and said to him, "Zaccheus, hurry and come down, for today I must stay at your house."
Vs 6 – “And he hurried and came down and received Him gladly.
Vs 7 – “When they saw it, they all began to grumble, saying, "He has gone to be the guest of a man who is a sinner."
Vs 8 – “Zaccheus stopped and said to the Lord, "Behold, Lord, half of my possessions I will give to the poor, and if I have defrauded anyone of anything, I will give back four times as much."
Vs 9 – “And Jesus said to him, "Today salvation has come to this house, because he, too, is a son of Abraham.
Vs 10 – “For the Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which was lost."
19:1 - "Jericho" Jericho is one of the most ancient cities in the world. It is located about nineteen miles northeast of Jerusalem on the western side of the Jordan River close to the mouth of the Dead Sea. It was noted for its balsam wood and date palms (cf. Josephus, Antiq. 15.4.2). It was once Anthony's gift to Cleopatra. There were apparently an old town and a new town, which helped explain the apparent discrepancy in the Synoptics between "entering" (Luke 18:35; 19:1) and "leaving" (Matt. 20:29; Mark 10:46).
■ "Was passing through" Luke uses this term often. It is a compound of dia and
erchomai. Here it is an imperfect middle (deponent) indicative, which denotes the
beginning of an action. This same tense can emphasize repeated action in past time,
but this meaning does not make sense in this context. Context, not lexicons or
Greek grammar, is the key to authorial intent. Words and forms have meaning only
in a specific literary context.
A. Here are some examples of how Luke uses this term:
Luke Ch. 19 Commentary Page 2
1."To proceed," Luke 2:15 (cf. Acts 9:38)
2."To pierce through," Luke 3:35
3."To pass through," Luke 4:30
4."To spread abroad a rumor," Luke 5:15
5."To pass over," Luke 8:22
6."To pass along," Luke 9:4
7."To travel through a country," Luke 9:6
19:2 - "Zaccheus" This is a Hebrew term meaning "pure" or "innocent" (cf. BDB 269). He will fulfill his name in this encounter with Jesus.
■ "He was a chief tax collector" The term architelōnēs is very unusual and is not
found in the Septuagint, Koine Papyri, or Greek literature, but it seems to mean
that he was a tax commissioner over the district of Jericho. He would have
purchased this position from the Roman authorities. The local Jews hated and
ostracized those who worked for Rome because they often, if not always, overtaxed
them. This is how they made their salaries.
■ "And he was rich" Although he had wealth, he was not happy. He seems to be a
perfect example of the truth found in Luke 18:24-27. Zaccheus is a literary foil to
the rich, young ruler of Luke 18.
19:3 "Was trying to see who Jesus was" -This imperfect tense here means continual action in past time. The Holy Spirit had already done His work drawing this man.
■ "For he was small in stature" This term usually means "age" (cf. Luke 2:52; John
9:21,23; Heb. 11:11), but in the NT it can also mean "height" (cf. Luke 12:25; and
possibly 2:52 and Eph. 4:13; Matt. 6:27). In this context the phrase can refer to
the height or stature of Zaccheus or Jesus, but most probably of Zaccheus.
19:4 - "He ran on ahead and climbed up into a sycamore tree" This is highly unusual for an Oriental of great wealth. His pride was gone. He had heard that Jesus accepted and fellowshipped with tax collectors. One was even one of His close associates (i.e., Levi, Matthew).
■ "Sycamore" This is not the same as the sycamore tree in America. This tree is of
the nettle family, which also includes the mulberry and fig. In Greek the term
sukomorea is made up of "fig" (sukon) and "mulberry" (moron). It was a large tree
with low branches, which made it easy to climb (cf. United Bible Societies, Fauna
and Flora of the Bible, pp. 179-182).
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19:5 - "He looked up and said to him, 'Zaccheus, hurry and come down’" This is an
aorist active participle (used in the sense of an imperative) combined with an aorist active imperative which means "come down quickly." I wonder how Jesus knew his name. Some commentators use John 1:47-48 as a parallel of Jesus' supernatural knowledge.
■ "I must stay at your house" Jesus had a divine appointment with this man (use of
dei). I am so glad Jesus loved outcasts, both rich and poor, male and female, slave
and free, Jew and Gentile!
19:6 - Zaccheus was surprised but thrilled! The NET Bible (p. 1864 footnote 29) mentions that "joy as a response to what God was doing" is characteristic of Luke's Gospel (cf. Luke 1:14; 2:10; 10:20; 13:17; 15:5, 32; 19:37; 24:41, 52).
19:7 - "When they saw it, they all began to grumble" - This is another imperfect tense. The root word for "grumble" is from the buzzing of bees (cf. Luke 5:30). It was used in the Septuagint to describe the griping (murmuring) of Israel (cf. Exod. 15:24; 16:2, 7, 8; Num. 14:2). It is found only twice in the NT, both in Luke's Gospel (cf. Luke 15:2; 19:7). The local Jews felt that Jesus' fellowship with sinners (those unable or unwilling to observe the Oral Traditions) made him ceremonially unclean and theologically suspect (i.e., 5:30-32; 7:37-50; 15:1-2).
19:8 - "Zaccheus stopped and said" - Zaccheus must have heard the murmuring! This is his public statement of confession, repentance, and restitution as a sign that a brand new relationship of love and forgiveness had been established with God through this encounter with Jesus, the Messiah.
■ "Half of my possessions I will give to the poor" - This was a large amount of money.
Being right with God opens one's eyes to the needs of the poor!
A. Some think this refers to his regular actions, like Cornelius (cf. Acts 10:2), but in
context it seems that it refers to his accumulated wealth. This man is an antithesis
to the rich man in Luke 18.
■ "If" This is a first class conditional sentence, which is assumed to be true. He was
publicly admitting that he had defrauded the people.
■ "I will give back four times as much" He was using the OT standard from Exod.
22:1 and the example in 2 Sam. 12:6 as restitution for a violent robbery. This was a
much larger sum than Lev. 6:5 and Num. 5:7 required, where only an added one fifth
was required as restitution. His restitution was a proof of a changed heart, not a
Luke Ch. 19 Commentary Page 4
means to it. This statement, combined with the previous promise, meant he was not
a wealthy man anymore. What a contrast to Luke 18!
19:9 - "And Jesus said to him, 'Today salvation has come to this house'" - A new relationship with God was evidenced by this man's changed attitude and actions, which impacted his whole family (cf. Acts 10:2; 11:14; 16:15, 31-33; 18:8). This salvation was a present reality (cf. 2 Cor. 6:2), as well as a future consummation.
The phrase "to this house" implies that the other members of the extended family and servants would be affected by Zaccheus' conversion. Household evangelism is seen several times in Acts (cf. Acts 10:2; 11:14; 16:15, 31-34; 18:8). Western individualism is not the only biblical model.
■ "Because he, too, is a son of Abraham" -Apparently he was already a racial Jew, but
now through faith in Jesus, he had become a true descendant of Abraham by faith
(cf. Rom. 2:28-29; 3:22; 4:11-12; 10:12; Gal. 3:9, 26, 28, 29; 4:5, 12; 5:6; 6:15). His
lineage did not bring salvation, but his faith, evidenced by his public confession and
restitution, surely did!
19:10 - "The Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which was lost" - This may be an allusion to the Septuagint of Ezek. 34:16 and it certainly relates to Luke 1:68-79. It is the theological emphasis of Luke 15's parables. It is also similar to the central summary statement of the Gospel of Mark (cf. Mark 10:45 and 1 Tim. 1:15). Theologically Jesus came for several reasons:
1.To reveal the Father
2.To die for sin
3.To give converted humans an example to follow
A. In this context the redemptive theme is emphasized. Both verbals "seek" and
"save" are aorist active infinitives.
B. The word "lost" is a perfect active participle of apollumi, which means to destroy.
Here it is used as a metaphor of permanent spiritual loss (see Matt. 10:6).
NASB (UPDATED) TEXT: LUKE 19:11-27
Vs 11 – “While they were listening to these things, Jesus went on to tell a parable, because He was near Jerusalem, and they supposed that the kingdom of God was going to appear immediately.
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Vs 12 – “So He said, "A nobleman went to a distant country to receive a kingdom for himself, and then return.
Vs 13 – “"And he called ten of his slaves, and gave them ten minas and said to them, 'Do business with this until I come back.'
Vs 14 – “But his citizens hated him and sent a delegation after him, saying, 'We do not want this man to reign over us.'
Vs 15 – “When he returned, after receiving the kingdom, he ordered that these slaves, to whom he had given the money, be called to him so that he might know what business they had done.
Vs 16 – “The first appeared, saying, 'Master, your mina has made ten minas more.'
Vs 17 – “And he said to him, 'Well done, good slave, because you have been faithful in a very little thing, you are to be in authority over ten cities.'
Vs 18 – “The second came, saying, 'Your mina, master, has made five minas.'
Vs 19 – “And he said to him also, 'And you are to be over five cities.'
Vs 20 – “Another came, saying, 'Master, here is your mina, which I kept put away in a handkerchief;
Vs 21 –“for I was afraid of you, because you are an exacting man; you take up what you did not lay down and reap what you did not sow.'
Vs 22 – “He said to him, 'By your own words I will judge you, you worthless slave. Did you know that I am an exacting man, taking up what I did not lay down and reaping what I did not sow?
Vs 23 – “Then why did you not put my money in the bank, and having come, I would have collected it with interest?'
Vs 24 – “Then he said to the bystanders, 'Take the mina away from him and give it to the one who has the ten minas.'
Vs 25 – “And they said to him, 'Master, he has ten minas already.'
Vs 26 – “I tell you that to everyone who has, more shall be given, but from the one who does not have, even what he does have shall be taken away.
Vs 27 – “But these enemies of mine, who did not want me to reign over them, bring them here and slay them in my presence."
19:11 - "A parable" See the Introduction to Luke 8 for the hermeneutical principles for interpreting parables.
■ Jesus gives two reasons for telling this parable at this time and place:
1.He was approaching Jerusalem
2.The crowd was expecting an immediate coming of the Kingdom
A. Many commentators assert that Luke's Gospel accentuates a delayed Second
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Coming. This parable is one evidence (cf. Robert H. Stein, The Method and Message
of Jesus' Teachings, pp. 54-55).
■ "The Kingdom of God was going to appear immediately" The Jews only expected
one climactic coming of God in history through the Messiah and the setting up of
the Age of Righteousness with Jews in charge! Many thought this would happen
when Jesus came to Jerusalem at Passover.
19:12 -This is similar to Matt. 25:14-30. Obviously Jesus used the same themes and teachings in different settings for different purposes.
NASB, NRSV,
NJB "a nobleman"
NKJV "a certain nobleman"
TEV "there was once a man"
A. This parable is introduced with tis, which is normally translated "a certain." Many
of Luke's parables are introduced with this textual marker (cf. Luke 7:41; 10:30;
14:16; 15:11; 16:1, 19; 19:12).
■ "A nobleman went to a distant country to receive a kingdom for himself, and
then return" Many historians see this as an allusion to Herod the Great's death
and his son Archelaus's attempted succession (cf. Luke 19:14, which is an unusual
footnote). This historical incident is recorded in Josephus' Antiq. 17.
19:13 - "He called ten of his slaves" Although he called ten, only three are mentioned specifically. The term doulos would denote a household servant.
■ "And gave them ten minas" This is the Greek term maneh (Semitic loan word mena),