2:15 When 1 the angels left them and went back to heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let us go over to Bethlehem 2 and see this thing that has taken place, that the Lord 3 has made known to us.”
7:24 When 15 John’s messengers had gone, Jesus 16 began to speak to the crowds about John: “What did you go out into the wilderness 17 to see? A reed shaken by the wind? 18
8:16 “No one lights 19 a lamp 20 and then covers it with a jar or puts it under a bed, but puts it on a lampstand so that those who come in can see the light. 21
11:33 “No one after lighting a lamp puts it in a hidden place 24 or under a basket, 25 but on a lampstand, so that those who come in can see the light.
1 tn Grk “And it happened that when.” 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 not been translated because of differences between Greek and English style.
2 map For location see Map5-B1; Map7-E2; Map8-E2; Map10-B4.
3 sn Note how although angels delivered the message, it was the Lord whose message is made known, coming through them.
4 tn Or “The scribes.” See the note on the phrase “experts in the law” in 5:21.
5 sn See the note on Pharisees in 5:17.
6 sn The term translated watched…closely is emotive, since it carries negative connotations. It means they were watching him out of the corner of their eye or spying on him.
7 tn Grk “him”; the referent (Jesus) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
8 tn This is a first class condition in the Greek text; Jesus’ opponents anticipated he would do this.
9 sn The background for this is the view that only if life was endangered should one attempt to heal on the Sabbath (see the Mishnah, m. Shabbat 6.3; 12.1; 18.3; 19.2; m. Yoma 8.6).
10 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “so” to indicate the relationship to Jesus’ miraculous cures in the preceding sentence.
11 tn Grk “answering, he said to them.” This is redundant in English and has been simplified in the translation to “he answered them.”
12 sn The same verb has been translated “inform” in 7:18.
13 sn What you have seen and heard. The following activities all paraphrase various OT descriptions of the time of promised salvation: Isa 35:5-6; 26:19; 29:18-19; 61:1. Jesus is answering not by acknowledging a title, but by pointing to the nature of his works, thus indicating the nature of the time.
14 tn Grk “and the,” 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.
15 tn Here δέ (de) has not been translated.
16 tn Grk “he”; the referent (Jesus) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
17 tn Or “desert.”
18 tn There is a debate as to whether one should read this figuratively (“to see someone who is easily blown over?”) or literally (Grk “to see the wilderness vegetation?…No, to see a prophet”). Either view makes good sense, but the following examples suggest the question should be read literally and understood to point to the fact that a prophet drew them to the desert.
19 tn The participle ἅψας ({aya") has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.
20 sn This is probably an ancient oil burning lamp or perhaps a candlestick. Jesus is comparing revelation to light, particularly the revelation of his ministry; see 1:78-79.
21 tn Or “its light,” if the Greek article is translated as a possessive pronoun (for such usage, cf. ExSyn 215).
22 tn Here δέ (de) has been translated as “so” to indicate the people’s response to the report.
23 tn Grk “Jesus, and they.” Here καί (kai) has not been translated because of differences between Greek and English style. Because of the length and complexity of the Greek sentence, a new sentence was started here in the translation.
24 tn Or perhaps “in a cellar” (L&N 28.78). The point is that the light of Jesus’ teaching has been put in public view.
25 tc The phrase “or under a basket” is lacking in some important and early
tn Or “a bowl”; this refers to any container for dry material of about eight liters (two gallons) capacity. It could be translated “basket, box, bowl” (L&N 6.151).
26 sn Your house is forsaken. The language here is from Jer 12:7 and 22:5. It recalls exilic judgment.
27 sn A quotation from Ps 118:26. The judgment to come will not be lifted until the Lord returns. See Luke 19:41-44.
28 tn Or “all unanimously” (BDAG 107 s.v. ἀπό 6). "One after another" is suggested by L&N 61.2.
29 sn To make excuses and cancel at this point was an insult in the culture of the time. Regardless of customs concerning responses to invitations, refusal at this point was rude.
30 sn I have bought a field. An examination of newly bought land was a common practice. It was this person’s priority.
31 sn The expression Please excuse me is probably a polite way of refusing, given the dynamics of the situation, although it is important to note that an initial acceptance had probably been indicated and it was now a bit late for a refusal. The semantic equivalent of the phrase may well be “please accept my apologies.”
32 tn The participle καθίσας (kaqisas) has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.
33 tn The first illustration involves checking to see if enough funds exist to build a watchtower. Both ψηφίζω (yhfizw, “compute”) and δαπάνη (dapanh, “cost”) are economic terms.