Sermon Tone Analysis

Introduction

We have seen Luke’s emphasis, even since Jesus first announced the certainty of his death, on the spiritual immaturity of Jesus’ closest disciples.

If we take into account entirely of the Gospel accounts, Luke especially, we might consider that Jesus’ closest apostles regressed in their understanding of His person and work over time.

One of the most difficult things for us to do is to make the transition from having an academic interest in the Word of God to living our lives and subjecting our thoughts in light of its truths.

This is at the center of any struggle with our faith.

If we are unwilling to see the world from the perspective of the Bible, we are destined to live a life filled with confusion, loss of expectation, and flailing in search of meaning.

We will never become people of unwaivering faith if we refuse to accept that the Bible is true.

44 θέσθε ὑμεῖς εἰς τὰ ὦτα ὑμῶν τοὺς λόγους τούτους· ὁ γὰρ υἱὸς τοῦ ἀνθρώπου μέλλει παραδίδοσθαι εἰς χεῖρας ἀνθρώπων.

Jesus appears to “throw water” on the situation yet a second time.

(Note the contrast with 9:18-21).

37.111 παραδίδωμιb; παρίστημιe: to deliver a person into the control of someone else, involving either the handing over of a presumably guilty person for punishment by authorities or the handing over of an individual to an enemy who will presumably take undue advantage of the victim—‘to hand over, to turn over to, to betray.’

To hand over is often used of someone’s arrest.

In the New Testament it can have a negative connotation, but Paul also says that it was done by God (see ).

Notice the future nature of this statement.

This will happen.

45 οἱ δὲ ἠγνόουν τὸ ῥῆμα τοῦτο καὶ ἦν παρακεκαλυμμένον ἀπʼ αὐτῶν ἵνα μὴ αἴσθωνται αὐτό,* καὶ ἐφοβοῦντο ⸀ἐρωτῆσαι αὐτὸν περὶ τοῦ ῥήματος τούτου.*

Notice the progression here.

They are misunderstanding the utterance.

It was hidden away from them.

they were afraid to ask him about it.

Despite much debate over the meaning here, the point must be simple.

It was the disciples’ own misinformed assumptions that prevented them from understanding Jesus’ point.

32.28 αἰσθάνομαι; αἴσθησις, εως f; αἰσθητήριον, ου n: to have the capacity to perceive clearly and hence to understand the real nature of something—‘to be able to perceive, to have the capacity to understand, understanding.’

32.28 αἰσθάνομαι; αἴσθησις, εως f; αἰσθητήριον, ου n: to have the capacity to perceive clearly and hence to understand the real nature of something—‘to be able to perceive, to have the capacity to understand, understanding.’

32.28 αἰσθάνομαι; αἴσθησις, εως f; αἰσθητήριον, ου n: to have the capacity to perceive clearly and hence to understand the real nature of something—‘to be able to perceive, to have the capacity to understand, understanding.’

They feared to ask Jesus to explain his meaning because they were afraid that his response would contradict their own assumptions about his presence and their association with him.

It is one thing not to be intellectually prepared to grasp divine truth.

It is another entirely to avoid divine truth because of fear that it will expose our assumptions to be wrong.

Jesus' own disciples do not differ too much from the crowd that wished to make Jesus king because of what he could do for them.

Ignorance of the meaning of the Word of God is self-imposed.

The greatest obstacle to our spiritual maturity is our own arrogance.

We don’t want to face that we are wrong.

We don’t want to see the world, or ourselves, from the Bible’s point of view.

It is one thing not to be intellectually prepared to grasp divine truth.

It is another entirely to avoid divine truth because of fear that it will expose our assumptions to be wrong.

Jesus' own disciples do not differ too much from the crowd that wished to make Jesus king because of what he could do for them.

46 Εἰσῆλθεν δὲ διαλογισμὸς ἐν αὐτοῖς,* τὸ τίς ἂν εἴη μείζων αὐτῶν.*

47 ὁ δὲ Ἰησοῦς ⸀εἰδὼς τὸν διαλογισμὸν τῆς καρδίας αὐτῶν ἐπιλαβόμενος ⸁παιδίον ἔστησεν αὐτὸ παρʼ ἑαυτῷ 48 καὶ εἶπεν °αὐτοῖς·* ὃς ἐὰν δέξηται ⸉τοῦτο τὸ παιδίον⸊ ἐπὶ τῷ ὀνόματί μου, ἐμὲ δέχεται· καὶ ⸋ὃς ἂν ἐμὲ δέξηται, δέχεται⸌ τὸν ἀποστείλαντά με·* ὁ γὰρ μικρότερος ἐν πᾶσιν ὑμῖν ὑπάρχων οὗτός ⸀ἐστιν ⸆ μέγας.

44 θέσθε ὑμεῖς εἰς τὰ ὦτα ὑμῶν τοὺς λόγους τούτους· ὁ γὰρ υἱὸς τοῦ ἀνθρώπου μέλλει παραδίδοσθαι εἰς χεῖρας ἀνθρώπων.

45 οἱ δὲ ἠγνόουν τὸ ῥῆμα τοῦτο καὶ ἦν παρακεκαλυμμένον ἀπʼ αὐτῶν ἵνα μὴ αἴσθωνται αὐτό,* καὶ ἐφοβοῦντο ⸀ἐρωτῆσαι αὐτὸν περὶ τοῦ ῥήματος τούτου.*

*46 Εἰσῆλθεν δὲ διαλογισμὸς ἐν αὐτοῖς,* τὸ τίς ἂν εἴη μείζων αὐτῶν.*

47 ὁ δὲ Ἰησοῦς ⸀εἰδὼς τὸν διαλογισμὸν τῆς καρδίας αὐτῶν ἐπιλαβόμενος ⸁παιδίον ἔστησεν αὐτὸ παρʼ ἑαυτῷ 48 καὶ εἶπεν °αὐτοῖς·* ὃς ἐὰν δέξηται ⸉τοῦτο τὸ παιδίον⸊ ἐπὶ τῷ ὀνόματί μου, ἐμὲ δέχεται· καὶ ⸋ὃς ἂν ἐμὲ δέξηται, δέχεται⸌ τὸν ἀποστείλαντά με·* ὁ γὰρ μικρότερος ἐν πᾶσιν ὑμῖν ὑπάρχων οὗτός ⸀ἐστιν ⸆ μέγας.

Every Gospel account includes this incident.

This illustrates that Jesus’ closest disciples did not yet fully grasp the point of his presence or his teaching in the Sermon on the Plain.