6:20 Then 7 he looked up 8 at his disciples and said:
“Blessed 9 are you who are poor, 10 for the kingdom of God belongs 11 to you.
But while the entire crowd 14 was amazed at everything Jesus 15 was doing, he said to his disciples,
12:8 “I 16 tell you, whoever acknowledges 17 me before men, 18 the Son of Man will also acknowledge 19 before God’s angels.
16:16 “The law and the prophets were in force 20 until John; 21 since then, 22 the good news of the kingdom of God 23 has been proclaimed, and everyone is urged to enter it. 24
1 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence of events within the narrative.
2 tn Or “Then the scribes.” The traditional rendering of γραμματεύς (grammateu") as “scribe” does not communicate much to the modern English reader, for whom the term might mean “professional copyist,” if it means anything at all. The people referred to here were recognized experts in the law of Moses and in traditional laws and regulations. Thus “expert in the law” comes closer to the meaning for the modern reader.
3 tn Or “to reason” (in a hostile sense). See G. Schrenk, TDNT 2:97.
4 tn The participle λέγοντες (legontes, “saying”) has not been translated because it is redundant in contemporary English.
5 tn Grk “this one” (οὗτος, Joutos).
6 sn Uttering blasphemies meant to say something that dishonored God. To claim divine prerogatives or claim to speak for God when one really does not would be such an act of offense. The remark raised directly the issue of the nature of Jesus’ ministry.
7 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence of events within the narrative.
8 tn Grk “lifting up his eyes” (an idiom). The participle ἐπάρας (epara") has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.
9 sn The term Blessed introduces the first of several beatitudes promising blessing to those whom God cares for. They serve as an invitation to come into the grace God offers.
10 sn You who are poor is a reference to the “pious poor” for whom God especially cares. See Ps 14:6; 22:24; 25:16; 34:6; 40:17; 69:29.
11 sn The present tense (belongs) here is significant. Jesus makes the kingdom and its blessings currently available. This phrase is unlike the others in the list with the possessive pronoun being emphasized. Jesus was saying, in effect, “the kingdom belongs even now to people like you.”
12 tn Here δέ (de) has been translated as “then” to indicate the response at the conclusion of the account.
13 sn The revelation of the mighty power of God was the manifestation of God’s power shown through Jesus. See Acts 10:38.
14 tn Grk “all”; the referent (the crowd) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
15 tc Most
tn Grk “he”; the referent (Jesus) has been specified in the translation for clarity. Some
16 tn Here δέ (de) has not been translated.
17 tn Or “confesses.”
18 tn Although this is a generic reference and includes both males and females, in this context “men” has been retained because of the wordplay with the Son of Man and the contrast with the angels. The same is true of the occurrence of “men” in v. 9.
19 sn This acknowledgment will take place at the judgment. Of course, the Son of Man is a reference to Jesus as it has been throughout the Gospel. On Jesus and judgment, see 22:69; Acts 10:42-43; 17:31.
20 tn There is no verb in the Greek text; one must be supplied. Some translations (NASB, NIV) supply “proclaimed” based on the parallelism with the proclamation of the kingdom. The transitional nature of this verse, however, seems to call for something more like “in effect” (NRSV) or, as used here, “in force.” Further, Greek generally can omit one of two kinds of verbs – either the equative verb or one that is already mentioned in the preceding context (ExSyn 39).
21 sn John refers to John the Baptist.
22 sn Until John; since then. This verse indicates a shift in era, from law to kingdom.
23 sn The kingdom of God is a major theme of Jesus. It is a realm in which Jesus rules and to which those who trust him belong. See Luke 6:20; 11:20; 17:20-21.
24 tn Many translations have “entereth violently into it” (ASV) or “is forcing his way into it” (NASB, NIV). This is not true of everyone. It is better to read the verb here as passive rather than middle, and in a softened sense of “be urged.” See Gen 33:11; Judg 13:15-16; 19:7; 2 Sam 3:25, 27 in the LXX. This fits the context well because it agrees with Jesus’ attempt to persuade his opponents to respond morally. For further discussion and details, see D. L. Bock, Luke (BECNT), 2:1352-53.