Luke 1:17

1:17 And he will go as forerunner before the Lord in the spirit and power of Elijah, to turn the hearts of the fathers back to their children and the disobedient to the wisdom of the just, to make ready for the Lord a people prepared for him.”

Luke 5:17

Healing and Forgiving a Paralytic

5:17 Now on one of those days, while he was teaching, there were Pharisees and teachers of the law sitting nearby (who had come from every village of Galilee and Judea and from Jerusalem), and the power of the Lord was with him to heal.

Luke 6:17

The Sermon on the Plain

6:17 Then he came down with them and stood on a level place. And a large number 10  of his disciples had gathered 11  along with 12  a vast multitude from all over Judea, from 13  Jerusalem, 14  and from the seacoast of Tyre 15  and Sidon. 16  They came to hear him and to be healed 17  of their diseases,

Luke 7:44

7:44 Then, 18  turning toward the woman, he said to Simon, “Do you see this woman? I entered your house. You gave me no water for my feet, 19  but she has wet my feet with her tears and wiped them with her hair.

Luke 8:10

8:10 He 20  said, “You have been given 21  the opportunity to know 22  the secrets 23  of the kingdom of God, 24  but for others they are in parables, so that although they see they may not see, and although they hear they may not understand. 25 

Luke 9:33

9:33 Then 26  as the men 27  were starting to leave, 28  Peter said to Jesus, “Master, it is good for us to be here. Let us make three shelters, 29  one for you and one for Moses and one for Elijah” – not knowing what he was saying.

Luke 12:58

12:58 As you are going with your accuser before the magistrate, 30  make an effort to settle with him on the way, so that he will not drag you before the judge, and the judge hand you over to the officer, 31  and the officer throw you into prison.

Luke 13:7

13:7 So 32  he said to the worker who tended the vineyard, ‘For 33  three years 34  now, I have come looking for fruit on this fig tree, and each time I inspect it 35  I find none. Cut 36  it down! Why 37  should it continue to deplete 38  the soil?’

Luke 13:25

13:25 Once 39  the head of the house 40  gets up 41  and shuts the door, then you will stand outside and start to knock on the door and beg him, ‘Lord, 42  let us in!’ 43  But he will answer you, 44  ‘I don’t know where you come from.’ 45 

Luke 14:10

14:10 But when you are invited, go and take the least important place, so that when your host 46  approaches he will say to you, ‘Friend, move up here to a better place.’ 47  Then you will be honored in the presence of all who share the meal with you.

Luke 14:12

14:12 He 48  said also to the man 49  who had invited him, “When you host a dinner or a banquet, 50  don’t invite your friends or your brothers or your relatives or rich neighbors so you can be invited by them in return and get repaid.


tn Grk “before him”; the referent (the Lord) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

sn These two lines cover all relationships: Turn the hearts of the fathers back to their children points to horizontal relationships, while (turn) the disobedient to the wisdom of the just shows what God gives from above in a vertical manner.

tn Grk “And it happened that on.” The introductory phrase ἐγένετο (egeneto, “it happened that”), common in Luke (69 times) and Acts (54 times), is redundant in contemporary English and has not been translated.

sn Pharisees were members of one of the most important and influential religious and political parties of Judaism in the time of Jesus. There were more Pharisees than Sadducees (according to Josephus, Ant. 17.2.4 [17.42] there were more than 6,000 Pharisees at about this time). Pharisees differed with Sadducees on certain doctrines and patterns of behavior. The Pharisees were strict and zealous adherents to the laws of the OT and to numerous additional traditions such as angels and bodily resurrection.

tn That is, those who were skilled in the teaching and interpretation of the OT law. These are called “experts in the law” (Grk “scribes”) in v. 21.

sn Jesus was now attracting attention outside of Galilee as far away as Jerusalem, the main city of Israel.

map For location see Map5-B1; Map6-F3; Map7-E2; Map8-F2; Map10-B3; JP1-F4; JP2-F4; JP3-F4; JP4-F4.

tc Most mss (A C D [K] Θ Ψ Ë1,13 33 Ï latt bo) read αὐτούς (autous) instead of αὐτόν (auton) here. If original, this plural pronoun would act as the direct object of the infinitive ἰᾶσθαι (iasqai, “to heal”). However, the reading with the singular pronoun αὐτόν, which acts as the subject of the infinitive, is to be preferred. Externally, it has support from better mss (א B L W al sa). Internally, it is probable that scribes changed the singular αὐτόν to the plural αὐτούς, expecting the object of the infinitive to come at this point in the text. The singular as the harder reading accounts for the rise of the other reading.

tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence of events within the narrative.

tn Or “on a plateau.” This could refer to a message given in a flat locale or in a flat locale in the midst of a more mountainous region (Jer 21:13; Isa 13:2). It is quite possible that this sermon is a summary version of the better known Sermon on the Mount from Matt 5-7.

10 tn Grk “large crowd.”

11 tn There is no verb in Greek at this point, but since “a large crowd” (see preceding tn) is in the nominative case, one needs to be supplied.

12 tn Grk “and.”

13 tn Grk “and from,” but καί (kai) has not been translated since English normally uses a coordinating conjunction only between the last two elements in a series of three or more.

14 map For location see Map5-B1; Map6-F3; Map7-E2; Map8-F2; Map10-B3; JP1-F4; JP2-F4; JP3-F4; JP4-F4.

15 map For location see Map1-A2; Map2-G2; Map4-A1; JP3-F3; JP4-F3.

16 sn These last two locations, Tyre and Sidon, represented an expansion outside of traditional Jewish territory. Jesus’ reputation continued to expand into new regions.

map For location see Map1-A1; JP3-F3; JP4-F3.

17 sn To hear him and to be healed. Jesus had a two-level ministry: The word and then wondrous acts of service that showed his message of God’s care were real.

18 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence of events within the narrative.

19 sn It is discussed whether these acts in vv. 44-46 were required by the host. Most think they were not, but this makes the woman’s acts of respect all the more amazing.

20 tn Here δέ (de) has not been translated.

21 tn This is an example of a so-called “divine passive,” with God understood to be the source of the revelation (see ExSyn 437-38).

22 tn Grk “it has been given to you to know.” The dative pronoun occurs first, in emphatic position in the Greek text, although this position is awkward in contemporary English.

23 tn Grk “the mysteries.”

sn The key term secrets (μυστήριον, musthrion) can mean either (1) a new revelation or (2) a revealing interpretation of existing revelation as in Dan 2:17-23, 27-30. Jesus seems to be explaining how current events develop old promises, since the NT consistently links the events of Jesus’ ministry and message with old promises (Rom 1:1-4; Heb 1:1-2). The traditional translation of this word, “mystery,” is misleading to the modern English reader because this English word suggests a secret which people have tried to uncover but which they have failed to understand (L&N 28.77).

24 sn The kingdom of God is a major theme of Jesus. It is a realm in which Jesus rules and to which those who trust him belong. See Luke 6:20; 11:20; 17:20-21.

25 sn A quotation from Isa 6:9. Thus parables both conceal or reveal depending on whether one is open to hearing what they teach.

26 tn Grk “And it happened that as.” The introductory phrase ἐγένετο (egeneto, “it happened that”), common in Luke (69 times) and Acts (54 times), is redundant in contemporary English and has not been translated. Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence of events within the narrative.

27 tn Grk “as they”; the referent (“the men,” referring to Moses and Elijah) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

28 tn Grk “to leave from him.”

29 tn Or “booths,” “dwellings” (referring to the temporary booths constructed in the celebration of the feast of Tabernacles).

sn By making three shelters Peter apparently wanted to celebrate the Feast of Tabernacles or Booths that looked forward to the end and to treat Moses, Elijah, and Jesus as equals. It was actually a way of expressing honor to Jesus, but the remark at the end of the verse makes it clear that it was not enough honor.

30 sn The term magistrate (ἄρχων, arcwn) refers to an official who, under the authority of the government, serves as judge in legal cases (see L&N 56.29).

31 sn The officer (πράκτωρ, praktwr) was a civil official who functioned like a bailiff and was in charge of debtor’s prison. The use of the term, however, does not automatically demand a Hellenistic setting (BDAG 859 s.v.; K. H. Rengstorf, TDNT 8:539; C. Maurer, TDNT 6:642).

32 tn Here δέ (de) has been translated as “so” to indicate the man’s response as a result of the lack of figs in the preceding clause.

33 tn Grk “Behold, for.”

34 sn The elapsed time could be six years total since planting, since often a fig was given three years before one even started to look for fruit. The point in any case is that enough time had been given to expect fruit.

35 tn The phrase “each time I inspect it” is not in the Greek text but has been supplied to indicate the customary nature of the man’s search for fruit.

36 tc ‡ Several witnesses (Ì75 A L Θ Ψ 070 Ë13 33 579 892 al lat co) have “therefore” (οὖν, oun) here. This conjunction has the effect of strengthening the logical connection with the preceding statement but also of reducing the rhetorical power and urgency of the imperative. In light of the slightly greater internal probability of adding a conjunction to an otherwise asyndetic sentence, as well as significant external support for the omission (א B D W Ë1 Ï), the shorter reading appears to be more likely as the original wording here. NA27 puts the conjunction in brackets, indicating some doubts as to its authenticity.

37 tn Grk “Why indeed.” Here καί (kai) has not been translated.

38 sn Such fig trees would deplete the soil, robbing it of nutrients needed by other trees and plants.

39 tn The syntactical relationship between vv. 24-25 is disputed. The question turns on whether v. 25 is connected to v. 24 or not. A lack of a clear connective makes an independent idea more likely. However, one must then determine what the beginning of the sentence connects to. Though it makes for slightly awkward English, the translation has opted to connect it to “he will answer” so that this functions, in effect, as an apodosis. One could end the sentence after “us” and begin a new sentence with “He will answer” to make simpler sentences, although the connection between the two sentences is thereby less clear. The point of the passage, however, is clear. Once the door is shut, because one failed to come in through the narrow way, it is closed permanently. The moral: Do not be too late in deciding to respond.

40 tn Or “the master of the household.”

41 tn Or “rises,” or “stands up.”

42 tn Or “Sir.”

43 tn Grk “Open to us.”

44 tn Grk “and answering, he will say to you.” This is redundant in contemporary English and has been simplified to “he will answer you.”

45 sn For the imagery behind the statement “I do not know where you come from,” see Ps 138:6; Isa 63:16; Jer 1:5; Hos 5:3.

46 tn Grk “the one who invited you.”

47 tn Grk “Go up higher.” This means to move to a more important place.

48 tn Here δέ (de) has not been translated.

49 sn That is, the leader of the Pharisees (v. 1).

50 tn The meaning of the two terms for meals here, ἄριστον (ariston) and δεῖπνον (deipnon), essentially overlap (L&N 23.22). Translators usually try to find two terms for a meal to use as equivalents (e.g., lunch and dinner, dinner and supper, etc.). In this translation “dinner” and “banquet” have been used, since the expected presence of rich neighbors later in the verse suggests a rather more elaborate occasion than an ordinary meal.