24:44 Then 72 he said to them, “These are my words that I spoke to you while I was still with you, that everything written about me 73 in the law of Moses and the prophets and the psalms 74 must be fulfilled.”
1 tn Grk “behold.”
2 sn The predicted fulfillment in the expression my words, which will be fulfilled in their time takes place in Luke 1:63-66.
3 sn Silent, unable to speak. Actually Zechariah was deaf and mute as 1:61-63 indicates, since others had to use gestures to communicate with him.
4 tn This phrase is a descriptive comparison. The Spirit is not a dove, but descends like one in some type of bodily representation.
5 tn Grk “my beloved Son,” or “my Son, the beloved [one].” The force of ἀγαπητός (agaphtos) is often “pertaining to one who is the only one of his or her class, but at the same time is particularly loved and cherished” (L&N 58.53; cf. also BDAG 7 s.v. 1).
6 tc Instead of “You are my one dear Son; in you I take great delight,” one Greek ms and several Latin
tn Or “with you I am well pleased.”
sn The allusions in the remarks of the text recall Ps 2:7a; Isa 42:1 and either Isa 41:8 or, less likely, Gen 22:12,16. God is marking out Jesus as his chosen one (the meaning of “[in you I take] great delight”), but it may well be that this was a private experience that only Jesus and John saw and heard (cf. John 1:32-33).
7 tn Grk “having soldiers under me.”
8 sn I say to this one, ‘Go,’ and he goes. The illustrations highlight the view of authority the soldier sees in the word of one who has authority. Since the centurion was a commander of a hundred soldiers, he understood what it was both to command others and to be obeyed.
9 tn The word “it” is not in the Greek text, but is implied. Direct objects were frequently omitted in Greek when clear from the context.
10 sn How one responds now to Jesus and his teaching is a reflection of how Jesus, as the Son of Man who judges, will respond then in the final judgment.
11 tn This pronoun (τοῦτον, touton) is in emphatic position in its own clause in the Greek text: “of that person the Son of Man will be ashamed…”
12 tn Grk “in the glory of him and of the Father and of the holy angels.” “Glory” is repeated here in the translation for clarity and smoothness because the literal phrase is unacceptably awkward in contemporary English.
13 tn This verb, δέχομαι (decomai), is a term of hospitality (L&N 34.53).
14 sn Children were very insignificant in ancient culture, so this child would be the perfect object lesson to counter the disciples’ selfish ambitions.
15 tn Grk “among you all, this one is great.” The absence of a comparative term here makes the point that comparison should not be done.
16 sn This verse has been noted for its conceptual similarity to teaching in John’s Gospel (10:15; 17:2). The authority of the Son and the Father are totally intertwined.
17 tn Or “wishes”; or “intends”; or “plans” (cf. BDAG 182 s.v. βούλομαι 2.b). Here it is the Son who has sovereignty.
18 tn Κἀκεῖνος (kakeino") has been translated “Then he.”
19 tn Grk “answering, he will say.” This is redundant in contemporary English and has been simplified to “he will reply.”
20 tn Grk “my children are with me in the bed.” In Jewish homes in the time of Jesus, the beds were often all together in one room; thus the householder may be speaking of individual beds (using a collective singular) rather than a common bed.
21 tn The syntax of vv. 6-7 is complex. In the Greek text Jesus’ words in v. 6 begin as a question. Some see Jesus’ question ending at v. 6, but the reply starting in v. 8 favors extending the question through the entire illustration. The translation breaks up the long sentence at the beginning of v. 7 and translates Jesus’ words as a statement for reasons of English style.
22 tn In the Greek text this is a third class condition that for all practical purposes is a hypothetical condition (note the translation of the following verb “should say”).
23 tn The term “that” (ἐκεῖνος, ekeino") is used as a catchword to list out, in the form of a number of hypothetical circumstances, what the possible responses of “that” servant could be. He could be faithful (vv. 43-44) or totally unfaithful (vv. 45-46). He does not complete his master’s will with knowledge (v. 47) or from ignorance (v 48). These differences are indicated by the different levels of punishment in vv. 46-48.
24 tn Grk “should say in his heart.”
25 tn Or “is taking a long time.”
26 sn The slave’s action in beginning to beat the other slaves was not only a failure to carry out what was commanded but involved doing the exact reverse.
27 tn The word “other” is not in the Greek text, but is implied.
28 tn Grk “the menservants and the maidservants.” The term here, used in both masculine and feminine grammatical forms, is παῖς (pais), which can refer to a slave, but also to a slave who is a personal servant, and thus regarded kindly (L&N 87.77).
29 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “but” to indicate the contrast present in this context.
30 tn The participle πορευθέντες (poreuqente") has been taken as indicating attendant circumstance.
31 sn That fox. This is not fundamentally a figure for cleverness as in modern western culture, but could indicate (1) an insignificant person (Neh 4:3; 2 Esd 13:35 LXX); (2) a deceiver (Song Rabbah 2.15.1 on 2:15); or someone destructive, a destroyer (Ezek 13:4; Lam 5:18; 1 En. 89:10, 42-49, 55). Luke’s emphasis seems to be on destructiveness, since Herod killed John the Baptist, whom Luke calls “the greatest born of women” (Luke 7:28) and later stands opposed to Jesus (Acts 4:26-28). In addition, “a person who is designated a fox is an insignificant or base person. He lacks real power and dignity, using cunning deceit to achieve his aims” (H. W. Hoehner, Herod Antipas [SNTSMS], 347).
32 sn The third day is a figurative reference to being further on in time, not a reference to three days from now. Jesus is not even in Jerusalem yet, and the events of the last days in Jerusalem take a good week.
33 tn Or “I reach my goal.” The verb τελειόω (teleiow) is a key NT term for the completion of God’s plan: See Luke 12:50; 22:37; John 19:30; and (where it has the additional component of meaning “to perfect”) Heb 2:10; 5:8-9; 7:28.
34 tn This figurative use operates on a relative scale. God is to be loved more than family or self.
35 tn Grk “his own soul,” but ψυχή (yuch) is frequently used of one’s physical life. It clearly has that meaning in this context.
36 tn Grk “came to himself” (an idiom).
37 tn Grk “bread,” but used figuratively for food of any kind (L&N 5.1).
38 tn Grk “but answering, he said.” This is somewhat redundant in contemporary English and has been simplified to “but he answered.”
39 tn Or simply, “have served,” but in the emotional context of the older son’s outburst the translation given is closer to the point.
40 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “yet” to bring out the contrast indicated by the context.
41 sn You never gave me even a goat. The older son’s complaint was that the generous treatment of the younger son was not fair: “I can’t get even a little celebration with a basic food staple like a goat!”
42 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “so” to indicate the result of the reports the man received about his manager.
43 tn Grk “him”; the referent (the manager) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
44 sn Although phrased as a question, the charges were believed by the owner, as his dismissal of the manager implies.
45 tn Or “stewardship”; the Greek word οἰκονομία (oikonomia) is cognate with the noun for the manager (οἰκονόμος, oikonomo").
46 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “so” to indicate the implied result of previous actions in the narrative.
47 tn Grk “calling out he said”; this is redundant in contemporary English style and has been simplified to “he called out.”
48 sn The rich man had not helped Lazarus before, when he lay outside his gate (v. 2), but he knew him well enough to know his name. This is why the use of the name Lazarus in the parable is significant. (The rich man’s name, on the other hand, is not mentioned, because it is not significant for the point of the story.)
49 sn The dipping of the tip of his finger in water is evocative of thirst. The thirsty are in need of God’s presence (Ps 42:1-2; Isa 5:13). The imagery suggests the rich man is now separated from the presence of God.
50 tn Or “in terrible pain” (L&N 24.92).
51 sn Fire in this context is OT imagery; see Isa 66:24.
52 tn The question includes a Greek particle, οὐχί (ouci), that expects a positive reply. The slave is expected to prepare a meal before eating himself.
53 tn Grk “he”; the referent has been specified in the translation for clarity.
54 tn Grk “and gird yourself” (with an apron or towel, in preparation for service).
55 tn BDAG 423 s.v. ἕως 2.b, “to denote contemporaneousness as long as, while… w. subjunctive… Lk 17:8.”
56 tn Grk “after these things.”
57 sn Zacchaeus was a penitent man who resolved on the spot to act differently in the face of Jesus’ acceptance of him. In resolving to give half his possessions to the poor, Zacchaeus was not defending himself against the crowd’s charges and claiming to be righteous. Rather as a result of this meeting with Jesus, he was a changed individual. So Jesus could speak of salvation coming that day (v. 9) and of the lost being saved (v. 10).
58 tn This is a first class condition in the Greek text. It virtually confesses fraud.
59 tn Here δέ (de) has not been translated.
60 tn Or “Be on guard.”
61 tn That is, “I am the Messiah.”
62 sn But before all this. Another note of timing is present, this one especially important in understanding the sequence in the discourse. Before the things noted in vv. 8-11 are the events of vv. 12-19.
63 tn Grk “will lay their hands on you.”
64 sn Some of the persecution is of Jewish origin (the synagogues). Some fulfillment of this can be seen in Acts. See the note on synagogues in 4:15.
65 tn Because of the length and complexity of the Greek sentence, a new sentence was started here in the translation.
66 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence of events within the narrative.
67 tc Some important Western
68 sn The language of the phrase given for you alludes to Christ’s death in our place. It is a powerful substitutionary image of what he did for us.
69 tn The words “he took” are not in the Greek text at this point, but are an understood repetition from v. 19.
70 tn The phrase “after they had eaten” translates the temporal infinitive construction μετὰ τὸ δειπνῆσαι (meta to deipnhsai), where the verb δειπνέω (deipnew) means “to eat a meal” or “to have a meal.”
71 sn Jesus’ death established the forgiveness promised in the new covenant of Jer 31:31. Jesus is reinterpreting the symbolism of the Passover meal, indicating the presence of a new era.
72 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence of events within the narrative.
73 sn Everything written about me. The divine plan, events, and scripture itself are seen here as being one.
74 sn For a similar threefold division of the OT scriptures, see the prologue to Sirach, lines 8-10, and from Qumran, the epilogue to 4QMMT, line 10.