LUKE 18:2-5
A–“In a certain city there was a judge who did not fear (phobeo)[1] God and did not respect (entrepo)[2] man.” v. 2
B–“And there was a widow in that city who kept coming (ercheto: erchomai)[3] to him and saying, ‘Give me justice (ekdikeo:ekdikos–to carry out justice) against my adversary.’” v. 3 (The widow’s wish)
C–“For a while he refused, but afterward he said to himself (eipen en heauto–said within himself). . .” v. 4a
A–“‘Though I neither fear (phobeo) God nor respect (entrepo) man. . .” v. 4b
B–“‘. . . yet because this widow keeps bothering me, I will give her justice (ekdikos), so that she will not beat me down by her coming (erchomene: erchomai).’” v. 5 (The judge’s wish)
Explaining the Chiasm
Pastor Andy Basilio has coined a phrase: A text cannot mean what it never meant. To me, this is a critical foundation piece for the study of Scripture. Concerning the New Testament, this principle obliges us to visit the textual meaning to the 1st-Century believer to whom the text was originally given, taking into account the history and culture of those times, and perhaps most importantly, the literary organization of the text used by the writers in those times.
