In the previous post, I argued for the Farrer hypothesis, namely, that Luke had both Mark and Matthew in mind (and probably in hand) as he wrote his gospel. Matthew had used Mark directly, and Luke used them both. In that post I focused on Luke's rewrite of the nativity story in Matthew. It was a complete rewrite, and I wouldn't have necessarily concluded that Luke had rewritten Matthew's nativity were it not for the extensive examples throughout Luke where one can find traces of both Mark and Matthew in the same story. Most telling, to me, is that the changes Luke makes improves the narrative. Improvements include omitting non sequiturs (points that don't lead anywhere), giving reasons for why things happened, rewording things so his non-Jewish audience would better understand the story, and removing hyperbole (exaggerations that make a rhetorical point). Below I describe several stories throughout Luke that are Triple Tradition material (i.e., found in all three Synoptic gospels) that illustrate how Luke improves the narrative.
Parable of the Mustard Seed
Mark 4
30 He also said, “With what can we compare the kingdom of God, or what parable will we use for it? 31 It is like a mustard seed, which, when sown upon the ground, is the smallest of all the seeds on earth; 32 yet when it is sown it grows up and becomes the greatest of all shrubs, and puts forth large branches, so that the birds of the air can make nests in its shade.”
Matthew 13
31 He put before them another parable: “The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed that someone took and sowed in his field; 32 it is the smallest of all the seeds, but when it has grown it is the greatest of shrubs and becomes a tree, so that the birds of the air come and make nests in its branches.”
Matthew improves upon Mark: the mustard seed is sown in his field, not just on the ground. “Puts forth large branches” is changed to simply “becomes a tree”. The birds make nests in the branches of the tree, not in its shade.
Luke 13
8 He said therefore, “What is the kingdom of God like? And to what should I compare it? 19 It is like a mustard seed that someone took and sowed in the garden; it grew and became a tree, and the birds of the air made nests in its branches.”
Luke improves upon both: the mustard seed is sown in the “garden”, where herbs and spices are grown, not on the ground or in the field. The hyperbole about the mustard seed being the “smallest of all the seeds on earth” is dropped, as it is not true. And Luke drops the reference to the mustard plant being the "greatest of shrubs”, which is a non-sequitur, but retains Matthew’s modification that it “became a tree” and that birds make their nests “in its branches”. In English Luke’s version is 31 words; Matthew’s is 51 and Mark’s 55. In this case I think Luke had both; but directly adapted Matthew’s corrections to be even better.
This parable of the mustard seed is an example of Matthew improving on Mark, and Luke improving on Matthew while retaining some of Matthew’s changes to Mark
The Transfiguration
Mark 9
2 Six days later, Jesus took with him Peter and James and John, and led them up a high mountain apart, by themselves. And he was transfigured before them, 3 and his clothes became dazzling white, such as no one[b] on earth could bleach them. 4 And there appeared to them Elijah with Moses, who were talking with Jesus. 5 Then Peter said to Jesus, “Rabbi, it is good for us to be here; let us make three dwellings,[c] one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah.” 6 He did not know what to say, for they were terrified. 7 Then a cloud overshadowed them, and from the cloud there came a voice, “This is my Son, the Beloved;[d] listen to him!” 8 Suddenly when they looked around, they saw no one with them any more, but only Jesus.
Matthew 17
Six days later, Jesus took with him Peter and James and his brother John and led them up a high mountain, by themselves. 2 And he was transfigured before them, and his face shone like the sun, and his clothes became dazzling white. 3 Suddenly there appeared to them Moses and Elijah, talking with him. 4 Then Peter said to Jesus, “Lord, it is good for us to be here; if you wish, I[a] will make three dwellings[b] here, one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah.” 5 While he was still speaking, suddenly a bright cloud overshadowed them, and from the cloud a voice said, “This is my Son, the Beloved;[c] with him I am well pleased; listen to him!” 6 When the disciples heard this, they fell to the ground and were overcome by fear. 7 But Jesus came and touched them, saying, “Get up and do not be afraid.” 8 And when they looked up, they saw no one except Jesus himself alone.
Matthew improves Mark’s wording, changing the redundant “apart, by themselves” to simply “by themselves”. He adds that Jesus’s face “shone like the sun”, in addition to his clothing becoming dazzling white. He drops the hyperbolic “such as no one on earth could bleach them”. He changes the figures talking with Jesus from “Elijah with Moses” to be “Moses and Elijah”. He drops the dig at Peter for not knowing what to say because he was terrified. The cloud that overshadowed them becomes a “bright” cloud, and the voice that was heard also says “with whom I am well pleased”. And Jesus comes and touches them to break them out of their trance, and tells them to not be afraid.
Luke 9
8 Now about eight days after these sayings Jesus[f] took with him Peter and John and James, and went up on the mountain to pray. 29 And while he was praying, the appearance of his face changed, and his clothes became dazzling white. 30 Suddenly they saw two men, Moses and Elijah, talking to him. 31 They appeared in glory and were speaking of his departure, which he was about to accomplish at Jerusalem. 32 Now Peter and his companions were weighed down with sleep; but since they had stayed awake,[g] they saw his glory and the two men who stood with him. 33 Just as they were leaving him, Peter said to Jesus, “Master, it is good for us to be here; let us make three dwellings,[h] one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah”—not knowing what he said. 34 While he was saying this, a cloud came and overshadowed them; and they were terrified as they entered the cloud. 35 Then from the cloud came a voice that said, “This is my Son, my Chosen;[i] listen to him!” 36 When the voice had spoken, Jesus was found alone. And they kept silent and in those days told no one any of the things they had seen.
Luke greatly improves this story. Six days becomes eight days, reflecting the Roman way of counting days. Jesus takes Peter, James, and John up on the mountain “to pray”; neither Mark nor Matthew state a reason they were going up on the mountain. He simply says that the appearance of Jesus’s face changed, not the hyperbolic “shone like the sun” per Matthew. Luke also omits the reference to bleach. Moses and Elijah are described as “two men, Moses and Elijah.” But Luke adds a significant explanation of this whole event: Moses and Elijah appear in glory and are discussing Jesus’s imminent departure, which he was about to accomplish in Jerusalem. That is, Luke tells us why Moses and Elijah came to talk to Jesus. The dig at Peter is somewhat retained – Peter was “not knowing what he said”, rather than Mark’s “didn’t know what to say”. The voice says that Jesus is “my Chosen” rather than “my Beloved”, and Luke doesn’t add “with whom I am well pleased” per Matthew.
So in Mark this was a weird event, part of Mark’s plot pivot to get Jesus out of Galilee and into Jerusalem. Luke gives it a purpose: Jesus went up on the mountain to pray, and Moses and Elijah appeared to him in that context to discuss what was about to happen in Jerusalem.
This story is an example of Luke using Matthew’s version, but keeping some of the Markan contents that Matthew left out (primarily the dig at Peter). But the main improvements are stating a reason they went up on the mountain in the first place, and stating a reason Moses and Elijah came to talk to Jesus.
The Temptation in the Wilderness
Mark 1
12 And the Spirit immediately drove him out into the wilderness. 13 He was in the wilderness forty days, tempted by Satan; and he was with the wild beasts; and the angels waited on him.
Matthew 4
1 Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. 2 He fasted forty days and forty nights, and afterwards he was famished. 3 The tempter came and said to him, “If you are the Son of God, command these stones to become loaves of bread.” 4 But he answered, “It is written,
‘One does not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.’”
5 Then the devil took him to the holy city and placed him on the pinnacle of the temple, 6 saying to him, “If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down; for it is written,
‘He will command his angels concerning you,’
and ‘On their hands they will bear you up,
so that you will not dash your foot against a stone.’”
7 Jesus said to him, “Again it is written, ‘Do not put the Lord your God to the test.’”
8 Again, the devil took him to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their splendor; 9 and he said to him, “All these I will give you, if you will fall down and worship me.” 10 Jesus said to him, “Away with you, Satan! for it is written,
‘Worship the Lord your God, and serve only him.’”
11 Then the devil left him, and suddenly angels came and waited on him.
Matthew takes Mark’s event – Jesus being driven (Mark) or led (Matthew) there – and greatly expands on the story. He adds that Jesus fasted for 40 days, omits the reference to Jesus being with the wild beasts, and has the angels minister to Jesus after the temptations were over. But most significantly, Matthew tells us what the temptations were: The devil somehow talks to Jesus and challenges him with 2 different “If you are the Son of God...”, first to command these stones to be turned to bread, then to jump off the pinnacle of the temple. For that second temptation, the devil takes Jesus to the holy city and places him on the pinnacle of the temple. For the third, he takes Jesus up on a high mountain and shows him all the kingdoms of the world and offers them to Jesus, if he will only worship the devil. Jesus rebuffs all three temptations by quoting scripture, then after the third one, commands Satan to depart.
Luke 4
1 Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan and was led by the Spirit in the wilderness, 2 where for forty days he was tempted by the devil. He ate nothing at all during those days, and when they were over, he was famished. 3 The devil said to him, “If you are the Son of God, command this stone to become a loaf of bread.” 4 Jesus answered him, “It is written, ‘One does not live by bread alone.’”
5 Then the devil[a] led him up and showed him in an instant all the kingdoms of the world. 6 And the devil[b] said to him, “To you I will give their glory and all this authority; for it has been given over to me, and I give it to anyone I please. 7 If you, then, will worship me, it will all be yours.” 8 Jesus answered him, “It is written,
‘Worship the Lord your God, and serve only him.’”
9 Then the devil[c] took him to Jerusalem, and placed him on the pinnacle of the temple, saying to him, “If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down from here, 10 for it is written,
‘He will command his angels concerning you, to protect you,’
11 and ‘On their hands they will bear you up, so that you will not dash your foot against a stone.’”
12 Jesus answered him, “It is said, ‘Do not put the Lord your God to the test.’” 13 When the devil had finished every test, he departed from him until an opportune time.
Here Luke adapts Matthew to better fit his Gentile audience, and reorganizes the temptations to be a better narrative. The rewordings are slight, but telling. Matthew says Jesus fasted for 40 days and 40 nights, Luke says he ate nothing at all during those days. This would have been more clear to non-Jewish readers, as “fasting” meant different things to different groups (and still does- in Ramadan, people don’t eat during the day but eat as much as they wish after dark or before dawn, and this is called fasting). The first temptation is common to both; but Matthew has the devil say to “turns these stones into loaves of bread” whereas Luke has him say “turn this stone into a loaf of bread”. The switch to the singular helped focus the reader to understand the direct link between Jesus being famished from lack of food for 40 days and the temptation to prove to himself that he was the Son of God. But then Luke switches the order of the other two temptations. In Luke’s second temptation, the devil led Jesus “up”, whereas Matthew has him on a very high mountain. From that perch Luke says he showed Jesus all the kingdoms of the world “in an instant”, and his offer to Jesus is much more carefully worded than in Matthew. Matthew has the devil simply say, “ All these I will give you, if you will fall down and worship me.” Luke makes it a more credible offer, having the devil say, “To you I will give their glory and all this authority; for it has been given over to me, and I give it to anyone I please. 7 If you, then, will worship me, it will all be yours.”
The final temptation, according to Luke, was to jump down from the pinnacle of the temple. There is only one wording change: Matthew has the devil take Jesus to the “holy city”, Luke changes it to “Jerusalem” so his audience will be completely clear.
As to why Luke changed the order of the last two: this is pure speculation. If he was just copying a source there would have been no need to change the order. So why change it? Perhaps because it was a geographical progression: from the wilderness, to “up” from where he could see all the kingdoms in the world, to Jerusalem, the very center of the of the spiritual/religious world Jesus was to challenge. In any event, the fact that he rewrote the order shows he was doing something other than purely copying.
The Baptism of Jesus
Mark 1
9 In those days Jesus came from Nazareth of Galilee and was baptized by John in the Jordan. 10 And just as he was coming up out of the water, he saw the heavens torn apart and the Spirit descending like a dove on him. 11 And a voice came from heaven, “You are my Son, the Beloved; with you I am well pleased.”
Matthew 3
13 Then Jesus came from Galilee to John at the Jordan, to be baptized by him. 14 John would have prevented him, saying, “I need to be baptized by you, and do you come to me?” 15 But Jesus answered him, “Let it be so now; for it is proper for us in this way to fulfill all righteousness.” Then he consented. 16 And when Jesus had been baptized, just as he came up from the water, suddenly the heavens were opened to him and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and alighting on him. 17 And a voice from heaven said, “This is my Son, the Beloved, with whom I am well pleased.”
Matthew takes Mark’s story and adds an explanation why John, the inferior, baptized Jesus, his superior: it was because Jesus commanded him to do so!. Otherwise his editing of Mark is superficial: Mark says Jesus came from Galilee and was baptized, Matthew says Jesus came from Galilee to be baptized. Mark says “he [Jesus} saw the heavens torn apart”, Matthew says “Suddenly the heavens were opened to him”.
Luke 3
21 Now when all the people were baptized, and when Jesus also had been baptized and was praying, the heaven was opened, 22 and the Holy Spirit descended upon him in bodily form like a dove. And a voice came from heaven, “You are my Son, the Beloved; with you I am well pleased."
Luke largely sticks with Mark here, omitting Matthew’s account of the conversation with John in which Jesus instructed John to baptize him. But Luke adds an extraordinary feature: the descent of the Spirit in the form of a dove, alighting on Jesus, didn’t happen immediately, as it did in Mark and Matthew (both have it as he was coming up out of the water). Rather, in Luke, it happened after all the people and Jesus had been baptized, when Jesus was praying. Luke depicts Jesus as a Spirit-filled man, a man of prayer. The important events in Jesus’s life happen when he is praying. Interestingly, what the voice said from heaven may have been different in the original Luke. Some old manuscripts have the voice say, “You are my Son, this day have I begotten you”. This quote from the Psalms would have been “adoptionist” and probably fits Luke’s outlook. But of course this alternate wording is hard to establish as original.
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