Ship of Fools: Luke 8:36

Thread: Luke 8:36 - 9:6 Board: Oblivion / Ship of Fools.

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Posted by Moo (# 107) on :

In this post I am focusing very narrowly on the Greek words which all the English translations I have seen translate as 'heal' or 'healing'. The problem is that three different words are used in the Greek text. Here is the passage in the NRSV. All the words translated as 'heal' are in bold.

quote:
Those who had seen it told them how the one who had been possessed by demons had been healed. Then all the people of the surrounding country of the Gerasenes asked Jesus to leave them; for they were seized with great fear. So he got into the boat and returned. The man from whom the demons had gone begged that he might be with him; but Jesus sent him away, saying, ‘Return to your home, and declare how much God has done for you.’ So he went away, proclaiming throughout the city how much Jesus had done for him.

Now when Jesus returned, the crowd welcomed him, for they were all waiting for him. Just then there came a man named Jairus, a leader of the synagogue. He fell at Jesus’ feet and begged him to come to his house, for he had an only daughter, about twelve years old, who was dying.

As he went, the crowds pressed in on him. Now there was a woman who had been suffering from haemorrhages for twelve years; and though she had spent all she had on physicians, no one could cure her. She came up behind him and touched the fringe of his clothes, and immediately her haemorrhage stopped. Then Jesus asked, ‘Who touched me?’ When all denied it, Peter said, ‘Master, the crowds surround you and press in on you.’ But Jesus said, ‘Someone touched me; for I noticed that power had gone out from me.’ When the woman saw that she could not remain hidden, she came trembling; and falling down before him, she declared in the presence of all the people why she had touched him, and how she had been immediately healed. He said to her, ‘Daughter, your faith has made you well; go in peace.’

While he was still speaking, someone came from the leader’s house to say, ‘Your daughter is dead; do not trouble the teacher any longer.’ When Jesus heard this, he replied, ‘Do not fear. Only believe, and she will be saved.’ When he came to the house, he did not allow anyone to enter with him, except Peter, John, and James, and the child’s father and mother. They were all weeping and wailing for her; but he said, ‘Do not weep; for she is not dead but sleeping.’ And they laughed at him, knowing that she was dead. But he took her by the hand and called out, ‘Child, get up!’ Her spirit returned, and she got up at once. Then he directed them to give her something to eat. Her parents were astounded; but he ordered them to tell no one what had happened.

Then Jesus called the twelve together and gave them power and authority over all demons and to cure diseases, and he sent them out to proclaim the kingdom of God and to heal. He said to them, ‘Take nothing for your journey, no staff, nor bag, nor bread, nor money—not even an extra tunic. Whatever house you enter, stay there, and leave from there. Wherever they do not welcome you, as you are leaving that town shake the dust off your feet as a testimony against them.’ They departed and went through the villages, bringing the good news and curing diseases everywhere.

What interests me about this is that when Luke speaks of the healing that Jesus did in 8:36, he used some form of the verb σωζω. However, when speaking of his giving power to the disciples to heal, he uses some form of the verb θεραπευω.

σωζω means to save or preserve. It is much stronger than θεραπευω, which refers to physical healing.

This may seem trivial, but it interested me that the power of healing that Jesus gave his disciples was not the same power that he had.

Moo

Posted by Lyda*Rose (# 4544) on :

I'll be interested in the feedback of others with Greek to share how those two words differ in other literature.

This isn't too Keryg, but my first thought was that people with chrismatic healing ministries should take note: you've inherited the charism of the disciples, so take care to not think yourself in the mantle of the Christ.

Posted by BWSmith (# 2981) on :

I think everything above has parallels in Mark 5.

If, like me, you believe in synoptic theory, then Luke would have used Mark as a source (including his choice of words).

Does Mark also use the same Greek words, or has Luke changed it to use different words?

Posted by Nigel M (# 11256) on :

Luke does seem to reserve the verb “to save” for Jesus' activity alone. He uses “save” to refer to anything that delivers from destruction – whether natural death or by judgement. Those strong words – save and destruction – appear together, for example, in Lk. 6:9 (“Then Jesus said to them, “I ask you, is it lawful to do good on the Sabbath or to do evil, to save a life or to destroy it?”). An example of faith 'saving' in instances not associated with physical healing is at Luke 7:50 – the woman who anointed Jesus' feet (“Your faith has saved you...”).

There are other examples of Jesus healing someone where Luke uses the 'save' verb: the grateful leper (17:19), and the blind man (18:42). In these faith is said “to save” yet English versions tend to use heal / made well / cured etc.

Luke reserves the more clinically focussed verbs for healing to human activity, but not exclusively. There are a few exceptions where Jesus is the agent; e.g., 4:40 (“He placed his hands on every one of them and healed [verb therapeuo = θεραπεύω] them”) and 7:21 (“Jesus cured [verb therapeuo again] many people of diseases, sicknesses, and evil spirits, and granted sight to many who were blind”).

This suggests that Luke uses some occasions when Jesus healed to up the stakes a bit by referring to a wider saving activity (the verb "sozo"). Might be worth testing that in each of the healing contexts where he uses “save” to see if there is more at stake than mere physical healing.

Mark's version of the healing of the haemorrhaging woman pretty much matches Luke's in the use of the verbs, but Mark blurs the Lukan distinction even more, using a variety of words to refer to healing. Generally, though, he too limits the “save” verb to Jesus' activity.

Posted by pimple (# 10635) on :

There is another place in this passage where Jesus - but not Luke, or the translators of Luke! - uses the word to heal - the strongest one you refer to.

quote:
But Jesus, hearing him, answered, "Do not be afraid. Only believe and she will be

healed "

There is something a little disingenuous in my RSV rendering of this as "saved", though in the literal word for word translation it reads "healed" [Luke 8.50]

The point here is totally theological, isn't it? Jesus said she was only sleeping, but the crowds laughed at him. They knew better, God help us! If she wasn't dead, it wasn't a resurrection, and the dogma demands a resurrection, in plain contradiction of Jesus himself. But he had the humility not to argue the toss. What mattered was saving the girl, which he did - saved her -= from being buried alive.

[ 04. December 2014, 19:08: Message edited by: pimple ]

Posted by Lamb Chopped (# 5528) on :

I know you've got a bee in your bonnet about all the dead people really being comatose or something, but let that go. It's still really cool that there's this difference between sozo and therepeuo that Moo noted. Wish I had a Greek concordance here!

What might or might not be useful is keeping in mind that the Hebrew / Aramaic concept which may lie behind this is associated with the word "shalom", wholeness, health, integrity, peace. That matches rather nicely with "sozo" in both "heal" and "save" meanings.

But given Jesus' crucial role in all sorts of bringing-to-wholeness, physical or spiritual, it makes sense for him to get "sozo" all the time. The disciples are a bit more limited, as they may heal with God's power ("therapeuo") but their spiritual role is limited to bringing people to Jesus, who then "sozo"s them.

Posted by pimple (# 10635) on :

Well, you certainly took the sting out of the bee in my bonnet! [Big Grin]

Posted by Lamb Chopped (# 5528) on :

[Snigger]

Posted by Adam. (# 4991) on :

quote:
Originally posted by Lyda*Rose:

This isn't too Keryg, but my first thought was that people with chrismatic healing ministries should take note: you've inherited the charism of the disciples, so take care to not think yourself in the mantle of the Christ.

I don't think this can be pushed this far. In Acts, Peter's healing of the cripple is described using sozo (Acts 4:9), as is a healing of Paul's (Acts 14:8-10).

Making one could make the point that the disciples don't get this power until after Pentecost. Powers that were inaugurated by Christ during his incarnation are entrusted to the Church, once his Spirit dwells there.

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