Who Is Greatest and a Servant's Ministry
Luke 9:46-50
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Luke.9.46 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- Εισηλθεν: VERB,aor,act,ind,3,sg
- δε: CONJ
- διαλογισμος: NOUN,nom,sg,m
- εν: PREP
- αυτοις: PRO,dat,pl,3
- το: ART,acc,sg,n
- τις: PRON,nom,sg,?
- αν: PART
- ειη: VERB,pres,act,opt,3,sg
- μειζων: ADJ,comp,nom,sg,m
- αυτων: PRON,gen,pl,m
Parallels
- Mark 9:33-34 (verbal): Parallel pericope: the disciples debate among themselves about who is the greatest; Mark's wording closely parallels Luke's report.
- Matthew 18:1 (thematic): Disciples ask Jesus who is greatest in the kingdom — a related incident addressing concern for status among Jesus' followers.
- Luke 22:24 (structural): A later Luke passage records the same kind of dispute about greatness among the disciples, echoing the theme within Luke's Gospel.
- Mark 10:35-45 (thematic): James and John request places of honor and Jesus teaches that true greatness is servanthood, developing the theme of what 'greatness' means in Jesus' teaching.
Alternative generated candidates
- Now there arose a dispute among them about which of them would be greatest.
- And there arose a dispute among them as to which of them should be greatest.
Luke.9.47 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- ο: ART,nom,sg,m
- δε: CONJ
- Ιησους: NOUN,nom,sg,m
- ειδως: PART,perf,act,nom,sg,m
- τον: ART,acc,sg,m
- διαλογισμον: NOUN,acc,sg,m
- της: ART,gen,sg,f
- καρδιας: NOUN,gen,sg,f
- αυτων: PRON,gen,pl,m
- επιλαβομενος: VERB,pres,mid,part,nom,sg,m
- παιδιον: NOUN,nom,sg,n
- εστησεν: VERB,aor,act,ind,3,sg
- αυτο: PRON,acc,sg,neut
- παρ᾽εαυτω: PREP+PRON,dat,sg,3,m
Parallels
- Mark 9:36-37 (verbal): Jesus takes a child and sets him in the midst, then teaches that receiving a child is receiving Jesus — nearly identical action and teaching to Luke 9:47-48.
- Matthew 18:2-5 (structural): Jesus places a little child among the disciples and uses the child to teach about humility and entering the kingdom, paralleling Luke's scene and its pedagogical purpose.
- Matthew 9:4 (verbal): Jesus perceives the thoughts of others (here, scribes questioning his authority), paralleling Luke's statement that he knew the reasoning of their hearts before acting.
- Mark 2:8 (verbal): Mark records Jesus' knowledge of people's thoughts in response to the scribes, a parallel verbal motif to Luke's 'knowing the reasoning of their hearts.'
- Luke 18:16-17 (thematic): Jesus welcomes little children and teaches that the kingdom belongs to those like them, thematically linked to Luke 9:47's use of a child to illustrate discipleship/humility.
Alternative generated candidates
- But Jesus, perceiving the thoughts of their hearts, took a child and set him beside him and said to them,
- But Jesus, perceiving the thought of their hearts, took a child and set him beside him.
Luke.9.48 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- και: CONJ
- ειπεν: VERB,aor,act,ind,3,sg
- αυτοις·Ος: PRON,dat,pl,m
- αν: PART
- δεξηται: VERB,pres,mid,subj,3,sg
- τουτο: PRON,nom,sg,n
- το: ART,acc,sg,n
- παιδιον: NOUN,nom,sg,n
- επι: PREP
- τω: ART,dat,sg,m
- ονοματι: NOUN,dat,sg,n
- μου: PRON,gen,sg,1
- εμε: PRON,acc,sg,1
- δεχεται: VERB,pres,mid/pass,ind,3,sg
- και: CONJ
- ος: PRON,nom,sg,m
- αν: PART
- εμε: PRON,acc,sg,1
- δεξηται: VERB,pres,mid,subj,3,sg
- δεχεται: VERB,pres,mid/pass,ind,3,sg
- τον: ART,acc,sg,m
- αποστειλαντα: PART,aor,act,acc,sg,m
- με·ο: PRON,acc,sg,1
- γαρ: PART
- μικροτερος: ADJ,comp,nom,sg,m
- εν: PREP
- πασιν: ADJ,dat,pl,m
- υμιν: PRON,dat,pl,2
- υπαρχων: VERB,pres,act,part,nom,sg,m
- ουτος: PRON,nom,sg,m
- εστιν: VERB,pres,act,ind,3,sg
- μεγας: ADJ,nom,sg,m
Parallels
- Mark 9:37 (verbal): Nearly identical wording: welcoming a child in Jesus' name is equivalent to welcoming Jesus (and by implication his sender).
- Matthew 18:5 (verbal): Explicit parallel language: 'Whoever receives one such child in my name receives me.' Same teaching linking reception of a child with reception of Christ.
- Matthew 18:4 (thematic): Connects the child motif with humility and greatness: 'Whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven,' echoing 'the least... is great.'
- Mark 9:35 (structural): Closely related teaching about status in the community: 'If anyone would be first, he must be last of all and servant of all,' paralleling the inversion 'the least... is great.'
- John 13:20 (allusion): Reciprocal reception formula: 'Whoever receives anyone I send receives me,' which corresponds to Luke's chain—receive the child, receive Jesus, receive the Sender.
Alternative generated candidates
- “Whoever receives this child in my name receives me; and whoever receives me receives him who sent me. For the one who is least among you all will be great.”
- Then he said to them, “Whoever receives this child in my name receives me; and whoever receives me receives him who sent me. For the one who is least among you all is greatest.”
Luke.9.49 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- Αποκριθεις: VERB,part,aor,act,nom,sg,m
- δε: CONJ
- Ιωαννης: NOUN,nom,sg,m
- ειπεν·Επιστατα: VERB,aor,act,ind,3,sg
- ειδομεν: VERB,aor,act,ind,1,pl
- τινα: PRON,acc,sg,m
- εν: PREP
- τω: ART,dat,sg,m
- ονοματι: NOUN,dat,sg,n
- σου: PRON,gen,sg,2
- εκβαλλοντα: VERB,pres,act,part,acc,sg,m
- δαιμονια: NOUN,acc,pl,n
- και: CONJ
- εκωλυομεν: VERB,impf,act,ind,1,pl
- αυτον: PRON,acc,sg,m
- οτι: CONJ
- ουκ: PART,neg
- ακολουθει: VERB,pres,act,imp,2,sg
- μεθ᾽ημων: PREP+PRON,gen,pl,1
Parallels
- Mark 9:38-41 (verbal): Near-verbatim parallel: John reports someone casting out demons in Jesus' name and the disciples' attempt to stop him; Jesus defends the stranger and gives the same teaching.
- Luke 9:50 (structural): Immediate literary continuation in Luke: Jesus' reply—'Do not stop him... whoever is not against you is for you'—directly answers the complaint in 9:49.
- Matthew 12:30 (thematic): Related teaching about alignment and ministry—'Whoever is not with me is against me' / 'not against you is for you'—echoes the question of who may act in Jesus' name.
- Acts 19:13-16 (thematic): A later episode where men use Jesus' name to invoke exorcisms (the sons of Sceva); contrasts use of the name apart from true allegiance and raises questions about authority and identity in exorcistic activity.
Alternative generated candidates
- John answered, “Teacher, we saw someone casting out demons in your name, and we tried to stop him, because he does not follow us.”
- John answered, “Teacher, we saw someone casting out demons in your name, and we tried to stop him, because he does not follow with us.”
Luke.9.50 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- ειπεν: VERB,aor,act,ind,3,sg
- δε: CONJ
- προς: PREP
- αυτον: PRON,acc,sg,m
- ο: ART,nom,sg,m
- Ιησους·Μη: PROPN,nom,sg,m
- κωλυετε: VERB,pres,act,imp,2,pl
- ος: PRON,nom,sg,m
- γαρ: PART
- ουκ: PART,neg
- εστιν: VERB,pres,act,ind,3,sg
- καθ᾽υμων: PREP+PRON,gen,pl,m
- υπερ: PREP
- υμων: PRON,gen,pl,2
- εστιν: VERB,pres,act,ind,3,sg
Parallels
- Mark 9:38-40 (quotation): Direct parallel account of the same incident; Jesus tells the disciples not to stop someone casting out demons in his name, saying whoever is not against you is for you.
- Luke 11:23 (verbal): Uses the antithetical formulation 'whoever is not with me is against me,' providing a contrasting verbal principle about allegiance that illuminates Luke 9:50's reverse affirmation.
- Luke 10:16 (thematic): Affirms the theme of reception and authority: listening to/receiving Jesus' messengers is equivalent to receiving Jesus, related to allowing others' ministries rather than forbidding them.
- Matthew 12:30 (verbal): Parallel verbal saying 'whoever is not with me is against me'; contrasts with Luke 9:50 and helps highlight Jesus' nuanced teaching about inclusion and opposition.
Alternative generated candidates
- But Jesus said to him, “Do not stop him; for whoever is not against you is for you.”
- But Jesus said to him, “Do not hinder him; for the one who is not against you is for you.”
And a dispute arose among them as to which of them was greatest. But Jesus, knowing the thoughts of their hearts, took a child and set him beside him,
and said to them, "Whoever receives this child in my name receives me; and whoever receives me receives the one who sent me. For the one who is least among you all is great."
John answered, "Teacher, we saw someone driving out demons in your name, and we forbade him because he does not follow us." But Jesus said to him, "Do not forbid him, for whoever is not against you is for you."