Contextual Meaning

A farmer’s son convinced him to get a computer to keep track of his farm animals and accounts. Hesitantly, the farmer went to a computer store and told an attendant, “I would like to buy a computer.” The attendant happily agreed to help him. As they browsed a few models, she asked him, “How much RAM do you need?” Puzzled, the farmer said, “I don’t need any rams.” The attendant protested, “But sir, you must have at least 4 RAMs.” Frustrated, the farmer said, “No, ma’am, I already have two healthy rams for my flock; I need only a computer.” Saying that the farmer got in his Dodge RAM, drove home, and rammed into his barn.

A small word like ram has several meanings based on the context. Ignoring it can cause unnecessary confusion.

Finishing his teachings in towns and villages, Jesus made his way toward Jerusalem from Galilee (Luke 13:22). Just then, a person asked him,

“Lord, only a few are being saved (sozo)?” (Luke 13:23)

When we hear the word “saved,” we assume that person was asking Jesus about the eternal salvation of one’s soul. The word sozo did refer to such spiritual salvation. But it also referred to a rescue from a disaster or one’s healing or deliverance. Up to this point in Luke, sozo has been used eight times. Of these, four are clear references to someone being healed from an illness: the healing of a man with a withered hand, who was saved on a sabbath (6:9), the man among the tombs who was saved from his demon possession (8:36); the woman with blood disorder saved because of her faith (8:48); and Jairus’s daughter saved from her death because of his faith (8:50). In one instance, it might refer to a person’s sin: the forgiveness of a street lady of her sins; her faith has saved her of what, we are not sold (7:50). In three places, perhaps, sozo refers to the salvation of one’s soul: in the parable of the sower where the devil takes away the word from some people’s hearts so that they might not believe and be saved (8:12), and Jesus’s statement: “Whoever wishes to save one’s soul will destroy/lose it, and whoever destroys/loses one’s soul, for my sake, will save it” (9:24). Both 7:50 and 9:24 could refer to “death” instead of eternal condemnation.

All these to say, that person was perhaps asking Jesus, “Are only a few being saved from their illnesses?” “Are only a few being saved from their sufferings?” “Are only a few being saved from their death?” or “Are only a few being saved from eternal destruction?” The last of the question, about eternal destruction, seems unlikely in this context.

Further, that person wasn’t asking about a future possibility – “going to be saved” (NIV) or “will . . . [be] saved” (ESV) – but s/he was asking about a present reality: are being saved (σῳζομενοι is a present participle). That person wanted to know if Jesus’s salvation or deliverance was for only a few people or if his generosity extended to all. Jesus’s answer was that the healing, rescue, or salvation rested in their hands, not his:

“You strive to enter . . .” (13:24a)

All the previous examples of sozo illustrated this: the man with the withered hand entered the synagogue seeking healing, the man among the tombs cried out to Jesus for help, the woman with the blood issue touched his garment, and Jairus begged Jesus to heal his daughter. Their faith – strives to enter – brought them the desired results.