The Ignatius Catholic Study Bible New Testament (88 page)

5:11 they left everything:
Luke's Gospel stresses that Christian discipleship demands a loose attachment to worldly possessions and a willingness to part with them if necessary (5:28; 12:33; 14:33; 18:22). 
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5:12 leprosy:
An infectious skin disease that was damaging at several levels.
(1)
Physically, the disease could be painful and sometimes fatal.
(2)
Socially, the Law required lepers to be quarantined outside of Israelite society (Lev 13:45-46).
(3)
Religiously, lepers were ritually unclean and thus unable to participate in worship (Lev 13:3, 8). The combined weight of these burdens was extreme, and nothing would be more welcome than healing and cleansing. 
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5:13 touched him:
It was unthinkable for a Jew to touch a leprous outcast. Jesus nevertheless crosses this boundary and reverses the expected outcome: instead of contracting ritual uncleanness himself, he cleanses the leper of his ailment by the very act of touching him. This shows that Jesus brings into the world a new form of holiness that overpowers even defilement and disease.
See note on Mt 8:1-9:38
. 
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5:14 as Moses commanded:
The Law required lepers to be examined by a Levitical priest (Lev 14:1-9). Once a healing was verified, the former leper would offer a sacrifice tailored to his financial situation (Lev 14:10-32). This procedure restored him to full covenant participation in Israel.
See note on Mt 8:4
. 
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5:16 he withdrew:
Jesus does not want people to think he is merely a wonder-worker.
See note on Mk 1:44
.
prayed:
Solitary prayer is part of Jesus' teaching (Mt 6:5-6) and constant practice (9:18; Mk 1:35) (CCC 2602).
See note on Lk 3:21
. •
Morally
(St. Gregory Nazianzen): Christ serves as a model for both the active and the contemplative life, since we see in his example both the dignity of labor and the higher duty of laying aside work for prayer. 
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5:17 Pharisees:
Members of a Jewish renewal movement in Palestine, stringent in their obedience to the Law and concern for legal purity. They are often the accusers and enemies of Jesus (5:30; 6:2, 7; 11:37-54; 16:14). See topical essay:
Who Are the Pharisees?
at Mk 2.
teachers of the law:
Also called "scribes" (Mt 9:3; Mk 2:6). 
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5:21 forgive sins:
Jerusalem's Temple and priesthood were the official channels of forgiveness under the Old Covenant. Jesus challenges this system, offering reconciliation with God by his own authority and on his own terms. This is part of his mission to inaugurate the New Covenant (Jer 31:31-34).
God only:
A doctrine implicit in the OT (Ps 103:2-3; Is 43:25) that hints at Jesus' divine authority to remit sins (Eph 1:7; 1 Jn 1:7; CCC 1441). 
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5:24 I say to you, rise:
The skepticism of the crowd moves Jesus to demonstrate his authority. It is because sickness is often linked with sin that Jesus can display his forgiving power through a physical healing (Ps 107:17; Is 33:24). The outward miracle thus manifests the inward cleansing of the man's soul. 
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5:26 they glorified God:
Luke often notes this reaction to Jesus' work (7:16; 13:13; 17:15; 18:43; 23:47). 
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5:27 tax collector:
An occupation despised by many Jews.
See note on Mk 2:14
.
Levi:
Also named "Matthew" (6:15; Mt 9:9). 
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5:31 a physician:
A familiar analogy used by Jewish and Hellenistic teachers. For Jesus, it explains his ministry of extending mercy to outcasts (CCC 1503).
those who are sick:
Jesus' table-fellowship scandalized certain Jews, such as the Pharisees. Enjoying the company of those considered "unclean" implies that God opens the doors of mercy to everyone, pious and sinners alike (Mt 5:43-48; CCC 545, 588). 
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5:32 not . . . to call the righteous:
Jesus did not come to perpetuate Old Covenant standards of righteousness, which were designed to separate Israel from the sins and uncleanness of their Gentile neighbors (Lev 20:26). Jesus brings a new standard of righteousness that tears down the wall that barricades Israel from other nations, as he stretches the boundaries of God's covenant family to include everyone in need of mercy, even tax collectors and sinners.
See note on Mt 5:20
. 
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5:33 yours eat and drink:
Fasting in the company of Jesus would be as insulting as fasting at a wedding feast. It would nevertheless become important after his departure (5:35; Mt 6:16-18). 
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5:35 the bridegroom:
Yahweh was the divine husband of Old Covenant Israel (Is 54:5; Jer 3:20; Hos 2:14-20). Jesus now assumes this role as the divine spouse of the Church (Mt 25:1-13; Eph 5:25; Rev 19:7-9). 
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5:36-39
Just as
new
garments and wine are incompatible with
old
garments and wineskins, so God's New Covenant cannot coexist with the Old.
See note on Mk 2:21-22
. •
Allegorically
(St. Augustine,
De Quaest. Evang.
2, 18): the old wineskins signify the disciples, who would more easily burst than contain Jesus' heavenly teaching. Only after Pentecost do they become new skins, enabled by the Spirit to store in themselves a greater fullness of grace and truth. 
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6:1 sabbath:
Under the Old Covenant, every seventh day (Saturday) was set aside for worship and rest; and no man, woman, slave, or beast was permitted to work (Gen 2:3; Ex 20:8-11; Deut 5:12-15). By NT times, Sabbath observance was greatly emphasized as a symbol of Israel's unique relationship with God. The Pharisees made Sabbath observance a benchmark of Jewish faithfulness and added a multitude of precepts that differentiated between lawful and unlawful behavior. Even the slightest infraction of these Sabbath standards would bring one's religious commitment into question in the eyes of the Pharisees. Jesus, though frequently accused of disregarding the Sabbath, acts out the true meaning of the Sabbath by restoring and giving rest to suffering individuals on this day. 
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6:2 not lawful:
The Pharisees equate plucking grain with harvesting it. In their view, the disciples violated God's commandment to abstain from gathering crops (Ex 34:21). 
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6:3 Have you not read:
The question is intentionally sarcastic and would be taken as an insult by the well-educated Pharisees.
what David did:
Jesus appeals to a scriptural precedent from 1 Sam 21:1-6. • The legal exception once made for King David and his men to eat holy bread permits Jesus and his disciples to eat grain on the holy day of Sabbath. In both cases the strict regulations of the Torah were allowed to bend to meet a pressing need (hunger) and to serve the anointed king of Israel (David and Jesus). 
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6:4 showbread:
Twelve cakes of bread were replaced weekly in the Temple (Ex 25:30). When new loaves were set out on the Sabbath, Levitical priests ate the old ones (Lev 24:5-9). David and his men were permitted to breach this Levitical legislation by eating the bread reserved only for priests (1 Sam 21:6). 
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6:5 Son of man:
Hints at Jesus' messianic authority. See topical essay:
Jesus, the Son of Man,
at Lk 17. 
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6:9 is it lawful:
Jesus unmasks his opponents with a question: Is the Sabbath day for
good
or
harm?
The implied answer is obvious (for good) and designed to expose the malice of the Pharisees (6:7). For regardless of what Jesus does, they are already planning to harm him. In the end, it is the Pharisees who violate the Sabbath and walk straight into their own trap. 
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6:10 his hand was restored:
Jesus looks to the Sabbath as the most suitable day to relieve the oppressed of their burdens. •
Allegorically
(St. Bede,
In Lucam):
the crippled man signifies mankind corrupt and fallen from grace. His hand is withered in sin because it stretched forth to eat the forbidden fruit in paradise. Christ now comes with forgiveness to restore man to spiritual health. 
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6:12 all night:
Jesus undertakes a prayer vigil to prepare for his selection of the twelve apostles in the morning (6:13).
See note on Lk 3:21
. 
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6:13 apostles:
Those who will preach the gospel and lead the early Church. They are emissaries invested with Christ's royal and priestly authority (9:1-6; Mt 28:16-20) (CCC 765, 1577). See chart:
The Twelve Apostles
at Mk 3. • Like the 12 patriarchs of Israel (Gen 35:22-26), Jesus chooses 12 men to be the father figures of the renewed kingdom of Israel, the Church (22:28-30; Gal 6:16; Rev 21:14). 
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