20:27 Now some Sadducees 15 (who contend that there is no resurrection) 16 came to him.
1 tn Grk “And it happened that while.” 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 tn The words “her child” are not in the Greek text, but have been supplied to clarify what was being delivered. The wording here is like Luke 1:57. Grk “the days for her to give birth were fulfilled.”
3 tn Grk “And whatever.” Here καί (kai) has not been translated because of differences between Greek and English style.
4 sn Jesus telling his disciples to stay there in one house contrasts with the practice of religious philosophers in the ancient world who went from house to house begging.
5 tn Grk “and depart from there.” The literal wording could be easily misunderstood; the meaning is that the disciples were not to move from house to house in the same town or locality, but remain at the same house as long as they were in that place.
6 sn Seeking heavenly treasure means serving others and honoring God by doing so; see Luke 6:35-36.
7 tn Grk “And there.” Here καί (kai) has not been translated because of differences between Greek and English style.
8 tn Grk “behold.” The Greek word ἰδού (idou) at the beginning of this statement adds interest and emphasis (BDAG 468 s.v. 1). Here it has been translated as “right” in the phrase “right in front of him,” giving a similar effect of vividness in the translation.
9 sn The condition called dropsy involves swollen limbs resulting from the accumulation of fluid in the body’s tissues, especially the legs.
10 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the order of events within the parable.
11 sn And still there is room. This comment suggests the celebration was quite a big one, picturing the openness of God’s grace.
12 tn Grk “at the same place.” According to L&N 46.16, this refers to a hand mill normally operated by two women.
13 tn Grk “And behold.” Here καί (kai) has been translated as “now” to indicate the introduction of a new character. The Greek word ἰδού (idou) at the beginning of this statement has not been translated because it has no exact English equivalent here, but adds interest and emphasis (BDAG 468 s.v. 1).
14 sn This is the one place in the NT the office of chief tax collector is noted. He would organize the other tax collectors and collect healthy commissions (see also the note on the word tax collector in 3:12).
15 sn The Sadducees controlled the official political structures of Judaism at this time, being the majority members of the Sanhedrin. They were known as extremely strict on law and order issues (Josephus, J. W. 2.8.2 [2.119], 2.8.14 [2.164-166]; Ant. 13.5.9 [13.171-173], 13.10.6 [13.293-298], 18.1.2 [18.11], 18.1.4 [18.16-17], 20.9.1 [20.199]; Life 2 [10-11]). They also did not believe in resurrection or in angels, an important detail in v. 36. See also Matt 3:7, 16:1-12, 22:23-34; Mark 12:18-27; Acts 4:1, 5:17, 23:6-8.
16 sn This remark is best regarded as a parenthetical note by the author.
17 tn Grk “took a wife” (an idiom for marrying a woman).
18 tn Or “and the scribes.” See the note on the phrase “experts in the law” in 5:21.
19 sn Luke portrays the Jewish leadership as driving events toward the cross by vehemently accusing Jesus.
20 sn Mention of the inscription is an important detail, because the inscription would normally give the reason for the execution. It shows that Jesus was executed for claiming to be a king. It was also probably written with irony from the executioners’ point of view.