Luke 18:32 - Printer Friendly

ESV: For he will be delivered over to the Gentiles and will be mocked and shamefully treated and spit upon.

NIV: He will be delivered over to the Gentiles. They will mock him, insult him and spit on him;

NASB: For He will be handed over to the Gentiles, and will be ridiculed, and abused, and spit upon,

CSB: For he will be handed over to the Gentiles, and he will be mocked, insulted, spit on;

NLT: He will be handed over to the Romans, and he will be mocked, treated shamefully, and spit upon.

KJV: For he shall be delivered unto the Gentiles, and shall be mocked, and spitefully entreated, and spitted on:

NKJV: For He will be delivered to the Gentiles and will be mocked and insulted and spit upon.

Jesus has warned the disciples that He will be killed. He has explained that the Jewish elders, chief priests, and scribes will reject Him (Luke 9:22), that he will "be delivered into the hands of men" (Luke 9:44), and that this will happen in Jerusalem (Luke 13:33). This is the most graphic warning recorded by Luke.

"Delivered to the Gentiles" refers to when the Sanhedrin will take Jesus to the Roman governor Pilate, falsely accuse Him of sedition, and demand the Romans crucify Him (Luke 23:1–5, 20–21). Both the Jews and the Romans will attempt to humiliate Jesus. The Jews will begin by spitting on Him, hitting Him, blind-folding Him and demanding He prophesy who hit Him (Matthew 26:67–68; Luke 22:63–65). After the Jews convince Pilate to have Jesus crucified, an entire battalion of Roman soldiers will do even worse. They will take His clothes and give him a scarlet robe and a crown of thorns, mocking Him as King of the Jews. They will spit on Him and hit Him over the head with a pole (Mark 15:16–19).

Jesus goes on. They will then flog Him and kill Him. But even this isn't the end: He will rise again on the third day! (Luke 18:33).

Luke 18:31–34 begins the end of the so-called "Travelogue to Jerusalem" (Luke 9:51—19:27) as well as the final comparison of the chapter. For the third time, Jesus clearly warns the disciples that He will be killed (Luke 9:21–22, 44–45). They still can't understand. Conversely, a blind man who could not have traveled with Jesus and heard His teaching recognizes that Jesus is the Son of David: the fulfillment of the Davidic covenant and the King of Israel (Luke 18:35–43). Jesus' prophecy is also recorded in Matthew 20:17–19 and Mark 10:32–34.

Luke continues to arrange Jesus' teachings by their topic. Here, he includes two parables: the persistent widow and the Pharisee and the tax collector. Jesus encourages children to approach Him. He interacts with a moral, wealthy man who can't bear to follow Jesus if it means giving up wealth. After another prediction of His death, Jesus encounters and heals a blind man on His way to Jerusalem.

Luke 18 approaches the end of Jesus' "travelogue" to Jerusalem (Luke 9:51—19:27). Luke has selected miracles, teachings, and events to show how Jesus trained His disciples. His emphasis was explaining the kingdom of God in preparation for their work to build the church. Luke 18 includes several contrasts between those who understand God's kingdom and those who don't. Luke 19 includes the story of Zacchaeus and another parable before Jesus' triumphal entry and the Passion Week. These stories are also found primarily in Matthew 19—20 and Mark 10.

Luke was a traveling companion of Paul (Acts 16:10) and a physician (Colossians 4:14). Unlike Matthew, Mark, and John, Luke writes his gospel as an historian, rather than as a first-hand eyewitness. His extensive writings also include the book of Acts (Acts 1:1–3). These are deliberately organized, carefully researched accounts of those events. The gospel of Luke focuses on the earthly ministry of Jesus Christ. Luke's Gentile perspective presents Christ as a Savior for all people, offering both forgiveness and direction to those who follow Him.