1:79 to give light to those who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death, 5
to guide our feet into the way 6 of peace.”
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 On the phrases who sit in darkness…and…death see Isa 9:1-2; 42:7; 49:9-10.
6 tn Or “the path.”
7 sn Jesus advocates a generosity and a desire to meet those in dire need with the command give to everyone who asks you. This may allude to begging; giving alms was viewed highly in the ancient world (Matt 6:1-4; Deut 15:7-11).
8 tn Grk “your things,” sometimes translated “what is yours” or “what belongs to you.”
9 sn Do not ask for your possessions back… is an example of showing forgiveness. Paul’s remarks in 1 Cor 6:7 may reflect this principle.
10 tn Here δέ (de) has not been translated.
11 tn Grk “eating and drinking the things from them” (an idiom for what the people in the house provide the guests).
12 sn On the phrase the worker deserves his pay see 1 Tim 5:18 and 1 Cor 9:14.
13 tn Grk “And the.” Here καί (kai) has not been translated because of differences between Greek and English style.
14 tn Grk “the”; in context the article is used as a possessive pronoun (ExSyn 215).
15 tn L&N 57.19 notes that in nonbiblical contexts in which the word οὐσία (ousia) occurs, it refers to considerable possessions or wealth, thus “estate.”
16 tn L&N 57.3, “to belong to or come to belong to, with the possible implication of by right or by inheritance.”
17 tn Here δέ (de) has been translated as “so” to indicate the father’s response to the younger son’s request.
18 tn Grk “the”; in context the article is used as a possessive pronoun (ExSyn 215).
19 sn He divided his assets between them. There was advice against doing this in the OT Apocrypha (Sir 33:20). The younger son would get half of what the older son received (Deut 21:17).
20 sn This widow was not necessarily old, since many people lived only into their thirties in the 1st century.
21 tn Or “town.”
22 tn This is an iterative imperfect; the widow did this on numerous occasions.
23 tn Here δέ (de) has not been translated.
24 sn The prayers have to do with the righteous who cry out to him to receive justice. The context assumes the righteous are persecuted.
25 tn The emphatic particles in this sentence indicate that God will indeed give justice to the righteous.
26 sn The issue of delay has produced a whole host of views for this verse. (1) Does this assume provision to endure in the meantime? Or (2) does it mean God restricts the level of persecution until he comes? Either view is possible.
27 tn Some argue this should be translated “suddenly.” When vindication comes it will be quick. But the more natural meaning is “soon.” God will not forget his elect and will respond to them. It may be that this verse has a prophetic perspective. In light of the eternity that comes, vindication is soon.
28 sn Will he find faith on earth? The Son of Man is looking for those who continue to believe in him, despite the wait.
29 sn A quotation from Exod 20:12-16 and Deut 5:16-20. Jesus cited the parts of the ten commandments that relate to how others should be treated.
30 sn The statement that the owner will come and destroy those tenants is a promise of judgment; see Luke 13:34-35; 19:41-44.
31 sn The warning that the owner would give the vineyard to others suggests that the care of the promise and the nation’s hope would be passed to others. This eventually looks to Gentile inclusion; see Eph 2:11-22.
32 tn Grk “they”; the referent (the people addressed in v. 9) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
33 sn May this never happen! Jesus’ audience got the point and did not want to consider a story where the nation would suffer judgment.
34 tn Here δέ (de) has been translated as “so” to indicate that Jesus’ pronouncement results from the opponents’ answer to his question.
35 sn Jesus’ answer to give to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s and to God the things that are God’s was a both/and, not the questioners’ either/or. So he slipped out of their trap.
36 tn Grk “a mouth.” It is a metonymy and refers to the reply the Lord will give to them.
37 tn Grk “and wisdom.”