Expositor's Bible Commentary Commentary Luke 5:17

"And it came to pass on one of those days, that he was teaching; and there were Pharisees and doctors of the law sitting by, who were come out of every village of Galilee and Judaea and Jerusalem: and the power of the Lord was with him to heal." — Luke 5:17 (ASV)

Jesus was teaching over a period of some time, and this event occurred on one of those days. It seems that Jesus’ reputation had aroused the attention of the Jewish religious authorities, who considered it important to hear what he was teaching. By doing this Luke lays stress on the crucial nature of the religious issues soon to be raised. This is his first mention of the “Pharisees and teachers of the law.” The “Pharisees” (GK 5757) had, earlier in their history, helped the Jews maintain the purity of their religion by teaching how the Mosaic Law and the traditions that grew up alongside it ought to be applied in daily life. Many of them became rigid, imbalanced, and hypocritical .

The “teachers of the law” (GK 3791), most of whom were Pharisees, had expert knowledge of the details of the Jewish legal tradition and so would be expected to form an opinion about the correctness of Jesus’ teaching.

Luke then turns from Jesus’ teaching ministry to that of healing. These two elements, doctrine and healing power, serve as a climax to this narrative.