In those days he departed to the mountain to pray, and he spent the night in prayer to God. 13 When day came, he called his disciples to himself, and from them he chose Twelve, whom he also named apostles: 14 Simon, whom he named Peter, and his brother Andrew, James, John, Philip, Bartholomew, 15 Matthew, Thomas, James the son of Alphaeus, Simon who was called a Zealot, 16 and Judas the son of James, and Judas Iscariot, who became a traitor. 17 And he came down with them and stood on a stretch of level ground. A great crowd of his disciples and a large number of the people from all Judea and Jerusalem and the coastal region of Tyre and Sidon 18 came to hear him and to be healed of their diseases; and even those who were tormented by unclean spirits were cured. 19 Everyone in the crowd sought to touch him because power came forth from him and healed them all.
Jesus often withdrew to pray in solitary places. Praying on a mountain recalls Old Testament encounters of humanity with the Divine (Ex. 19:3). After Jesus spent the night in prayer he called his disciples, he selected Twelve to serve as his apostles, the ones he would send out with a special mission. The Twelve symbolized a restoration of the 12 tribes of Israel in the Messianic age, a renewal of Israel (Lk. 22:30). When Jesus ascended to Heaven, the Apostles would continue Jesus’ kingdom proclamation by preaching God’s word.
When Jesus came down from the mountain many of his disciples and a vast crowd from various regions including Judea, Jerusalem, and parts of Phoenicia came to hear his teaching and experience his healing power. Jesus’ Divine power was evident when he healed everyone who came to him of their physical and spiritual ailments.
It is generally believed that Luke’s Gospel was intended to appeal to a Gentile audience and Jewish Christians. His sermon was placed on level ground (Lk. 6:17-49) and the themes were universal. Luke emphasized Jesus' compassion for all people and included details not found in the other Gospels that would have been of interest to non-Jewish readers. Matthew was writing to a mainly Jewish Christian audience and his Gospel portrayed Jesus as the new Moses. Matthew places Jesus’ sermon on a mountain (Mt. 5-7). Jesus is the authoritative teacher about the Kingdom of God, echoing Moses' reception of the Law on Mount Sinai and giving it to the Israelites. Matthew emphasizes Jesus' divine authority and continuity with the Old Testament. The choice of setting by each evangelist reflects the theological emphases of each Gospel writer.
Heavenly Father, teach us to pray to you in solitude and to discern your will for our lives. Help us to embrace your Word so that we might experience the healing touch and compassion of your Son, Jesus Christ. This we pray through the same Christ our Lord. Amen!
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Sources:
- Brown, Raymond Edward, et al. The New Jerome Biblical Commentary. Prentice Hall, 1990.
- Chiu, José Enrique Aguilar, et al. The Paulist Biblical Commentary. Paulist Press, 2018.
- Faculty of the University of Navarre. The Navarre Bible: New Testament Expanded Edition. Four Courts / Scepter, 2008.
- Orchard, Bernard, et al. A Catholic Commentary on Holy Scripture. Feb. 1953.
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