Word Pictures in the New Testament - David Cox

Word Pictures in the NT [Luke: Chapter 4].
(\tethrausmenous\). Perfect passive participle of \thrau•\, an
old verb, but here only in the N.T. It means to break in pieces
broken in heart and often in body as well. One loves to think
that Jesus felt it to be his mission to mend broken hearts like
pieces of broken earthenware, real rescue-mission work. Jesus
mends them and sets them free from their limitations.
4:19 {The acceptable year of the Lord} (\eniauton Kuriou
dekton\). He does not mean that his ministry is to be only one
year in length as Clement of Alexandria and Origen argued. That
is to turn figures into fact. The Messianic age has come, Jesus
means to say. On the first day of the year of Jubilee the priests
with sound of trumpet proclaimed the blessings of that year (Le
25:8-17). This great passage justly pictures Christ's conception
of his mission and message.
4:20 {He closed the book} (\ptuxas to biblion\). Aorist active
participle of \ptuss•\. Rolled up the roll and gave it back to
the attendant who had given it to him and who put it away again
in its case. {Sat down} (\ekathisen\). Took his seat there as a
sign that he was going to speak instead of going back to his
former seat. This was the usual Jewish attitude for public
speaking and teaching (Lu 5:3; Mt 5:1; Mr 4:1; Ac 16:13). {Were
fastened on him} (\•san atenizontes aut•i\). Periphrastic
imperfect active and so a vivid description. Literally, the eyes
of all in the synagogue were gazing fixedly upon him. The verb
\ateniz•\ occurs in Aristotle and the Septuagint. It is from the
adjective \aten•s\ and that from \tein•\, to stretch, and
copulative or intensive \a\, not \a\ privative. The word occurs
in the N.T. here and in 22:56, ten times in Acts, and in 2Co
3:7,13. Paul uses it of the steady eager gaze of the people at
Moses when he came down from the mountain when he had been
communing with God. There was something in the look of Jesus here
that held the people spellbound for the moment, apart from the
great reputation with which he came to them. In small measure
every effective speaker knows what it is to meet the eager
expectations of an audience.
4:21 {And he began to say} (\•rxato de legein\). Aorist
ingressive active indicative and present infinitive. He began
speaking. The moment of hushed expectancy was passed. These may
or may not be the first words uttered here by Jesus. Often the
first sentence is the crucial one in winning an audience.
Certainly this is an arresting opening sentence. {Hath been
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