whole = in health (Matt. and Mark have "strong "). This (hugiaino) is the medical word (Colossians 4:14 ), as in Luke 7:10 ; Luke 15:27 . 3 John 1:2 . Paul uses it in a moral sense (1 Timothy 1:10 ; 1 Timothy 6:3 . 2 Timothy 1:13 ; 2 Timothy 4:3 .Titus 1:9 , Titus 1:13 ; Titus 2:1 , Titus 2:2 ). not . Greek. ou. App-105 . are = have themselves. sick = sickly, in an evil condition. Greek. kakos. Adverb of kakos. App-128 . read more
And after these things he went forth, and beheld a publican, named Levi, sitting at the place of toll, and said unto him, Follow me. And he forsook all, and rose up and followed him.Levi ...This son of Alphaeus was a Hebrew with two names, a common thing in Galilee at that time. Mark and Luke speak of him as Levi, but Matthew himself used the name that has been loved throughout the Christian era.[1]The speculation that Jesus gave Levi the name "Matthew," meaning "gift of God," is not... read more
And Levi made him a great feast in his house: and there was a great multitude of publicans and of others that were sitting at meat with them. And the Pharisees murmured against his disciples, saying, Why do ye eat and drink with the publicans and sinners? And Jesus answering said unto them, They that are in health have no need of a physician; but they that are sick. I am not come to call the righteous but sinners to repentance.For additional comment on this episode, see my Commentary on... read more
Luke 5:27. A publican named Levi,— There were at this time in the Roman empire two sorts of people, who might be called publicans, (τελωναι .) First, such as farmed the taxes of whole provinces. These generally were Roman knights, men of very honourable characters, as we learn from the commendations which Cicero gives of them. It was this sort of tax-gatherers, who were properly termed publicans by the Romans; but it does not appear that they are ever mentioned in the Gospels. These did not... read more
30. their scribes—a mode of expression showing that Luke was writing for Gentiles. :-. FASTING. (See on :-.) The incongruities mentioned in Luke 5:36-38 were intended to illustrate the difference between the genius of the old and new economies, and the danger of mixing up the one with the other. As in the one case supposed, "the rent is made worse," and in the other, "the new wine is spilled," so by a mongrel mixture of the ascetic ritualism of the old with the spiritual freedom of the new... read more
Levi (Matthew) was a tax collector ("publican," AV). However he was not a chief tax collector, as Zaccheus was (Luke 19:2), nor does the text say that he was rich, though he appears to have been. Nevertheless the Pharisees and most of the ordinary Jews despised him because of his profession. He collected taxes from the Jews for the unpopular Roman government, and many of his fellow tax collectors were corrupt."It is of importance to notice, that the Talmud distinguishes two classes of... read more
3. Jesus’ attitude toward sinners 5:27-32 (cf. Matthew 9:9-13; Mark 2:13-17)Luke painted Jesus bestowing messianic grace on a variety of people: a demoniac, a leper, a paralytic, and now a tax collector. He liberated these captives from a malign spirit, lifelong uncleanness, a physical handicap, and now social ostracism and materialism. Again the Pharisees were present. In Levi’s case, Jesus not only provided forgiveness but fellowship with Himself. The incident shows the type of people Jesus... read more
The joy of Levi and his outcast guests contrasts with the grumbling of the Pharisees and scribes. The religious leaders objected to Jesus and His disciples’ eating and drinking with these tax gatherers and sinners because of the risk of ceremonial defilement they ran by doing so. They focused their criticism on Jesus’ disciples rather than on Jesus, perhaps because Jesus was so popular. read more
Jesus used a proverb to summarize His mission (cf. ch. 15). He used the word "righteous" in a relative sense and perhaps a bit sarcastically since no one is truly righteous, though the Pharisees considered themselves righteous. A person must acknowledge his or her need for Jesus and His righteousness before that one will benefit from the Great Physician’s powers. This acknowledgment of need is what Jesus meant by repentance. Repentance leads to joy in Luke as well as to life (cf. Luke 15:7;... read more
Get Bible verse every day in your inbox
Read on Mobile
E.W. Bullinger's Companion Bible Notes - Luke 5:30
their scribes and Pharisees = the scribes and Pharisees among them: "their" referring to Galilean scribes, as distinguished from those of Jerusalem (Matthew 15:1 ). Note the same distinction as to synagogues in Matthew 4:23 ; Matthew 9:35 , &c. against . Greek. pros. App-104 . publicans = the publicans. See Luke 5:27 . read more