What Does Luke 9:50 Mean?
And Jesus said to him, Do not hold him back, for the one who is not against us is for us.
Key words are shown with the Hebrew or Greek and what each word meant.
Selah Decoded Version The Selah Decoded Version renders what the Hebrew and Greek words meant to the people who first heard them.
King James wording
King James Version
And Jesus said unto him, Forbid him not: for he that is not against us is for us.THE KEY
Being outside your circle does not make someone your opponent; Jesus measures the person by whether they oppose the good at hand.
THE MEANING
Jesus interrupts the urge to treat someone as an enemy simply because he stands outside the disciples’ circle. Here, not opposing them counts as being for them. Belonging is measured by the direction of the person’s actions, not by the circle that claims him.
WHAT THIS UNDOES
The belief that someone must carry your group’s label to be for you.
THE ROOT
κωλύω
kōlyō
GROWS FROM
κωλυ-
To hinder, prevent, or hold back.
“hold back” in this verse is kōlyō. The Greek word κωλύω (kōlyō, to hinder) brings the act of obstruction into focus: Jesus is stopping the disciples from blocking someone else’s work. The question is not whether the man carries their label, but whether he is acting against them.
ALSO GROWS
kṓlyma: Hindrance, obstacle.
κώλυμα
This branch names the barrier the disciples are trying to place between the man and his work.
akṓlytos: Unhindered, unimpeded.
ἀκώλυτος
Its opposite shows what Jesus’ words make possible: the man’s work is allowed to proceed without their obstruction.
THE PATTERN
The boundaries people set do not determine who may take part in God’s work or come near.
And Moses said to him, "Are you burning for my sake? Would that all the LORD's people were prophets, and that the LORD would set his breath upon them!"For whoever is not against us is for us.But Jesus called them to his side and said, Let the little children come to me, and do not hold them back, for the governance of God belongs to such as these.THE THREAD
But Jesus called them to his side and said, Let the little children come to me, and do not hold them back, for the governance of God belongs to such as these.The same verb κωλύω (kōlyō, to hinder) appears in Jesus’ words, “forbid them not.” In both verses, Jesus identifies the barrier people impose as an obstruction to someone already moving toward his work or presence.
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