1:76 And you, child, 5 will be called the prophet 6 of the Most High. 7
For you will go before 8 the Lord to prepare his ways, 9
4:5 Then 13 the devil 14 led him up 15 to a high place 16 and showed him in a flash all the kingdoms of the world.
22:54 Then 17 they arrested 18 Jesus, 19 led him away, and brought him into the high priest’s house. 20 But Peter was following at a distance.
1 tn Grk “this one.”
2 sn Compare the description of Jesus as great here with 1:15, “great before the Lord.” Jesus is greater than John, since he is Messiah compared to a prophet. Great is stated absolutely without qualification to make the point.
3 sn The expression Most High is a way to refer to God without naming him. Such avoiding of direct reference to God was common in 1st century Judaism out of reverence for the divine name.
4 tn Or “ancestor.”
5 sn Now Zechariah describes his son John (you, child) through v. 77.
6 tn Or “a prophet”; but since Greek nouns can be definite without the article, and since in context this is a reference to the eschatological forerunner of the Messiah (cf. John 1:17), the concept is better conveyed to the English reader by the use of the definite article “the.”
7 sn In other words, John is a prophet of God; see 1:32 and 7:22-23, 28.
8 tc Most
9 tn This term is often translated in the singular, looking specifically to the forerunner role, but the plural suggests the many elements in that salvation.
sn On the phrase prepare his ways see Isa 40:3-5 and Luke 3:1-6.
10 sn Use of the singular high priesthood to mention two figures is unusual but accurate, since Annas was the key priest from
11 tn The term translated “word” here is not λόγος (logos) but ῥῆμα (rJhma), and thus could refer to the call of the Lord to John to begin ministry.
12 tn Or “desert.”
13 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence of events within the narrative.
sn The order of Luke’s temptations differs from Matthew’s at this point as numbers two and three are reversed. It is slightly more likely that Luke has made the change to put the Jerusalem temptation last, as Jerusalem is so important to Luke’s later account. The temporal markers in Matthew’s account are also slightly more specific.
14 tn Grk “he.”
15 tc Most
16 tn “A high place” is not in the Greek text but has been supplied for clarity.
17 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence of events within the narrative.
18 tn Or “seized” (L&N 37.109).
19 tn Grk “he”; the referent (Jesus) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
20 sn Putting all the gospel accounts together, there is a brief encounter with Annas (brought him into the high priest’s house, here and John 18:13, where Annas is named); the meeting led by Caiaphas (Matt 26:57-68 = Mark 14:53-65; and then a Sanhedrin meeting (Matt 27:1; Mark 15:1; Luke 22:66-71). These latter two meetings might be connected and apparently went into the morning.
21 tn Grk “sending on you.”
22 tn Grk “the promise of my Father,” with τοῦ πατρός (tou patros) translated as a subjective genitive. This is a reference to the Holy Spirit and looks back to how one could see Messiah had come with the promise of old (Luke 3:15-18). The promise is rooted in Jer 31:31 and Ezek 36:26.
23 sn The city refers to Jerusalem.
24 sn Until you have been clothed with power refers to the coming of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost. What the Spirit supplies is enablement. See Luke 12:11-12; 21:12-15. The difference the Spirit makes can be seen in Peter (compare Luke 22:54-62 with Acts 2:14-41).