6:17 Then 1 he came down with them and stood on a level place. 2 And a large number 3 of his disciples had gathered 4 along with 5 a vast multitude from all over Judea, from 6 Jerusalem, 7 and from the seacoast of Tyre 8 and Sidon. 9 They came to hear him and to be healed 10 of their diseases,
1 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence of events within the narrative.
2 tn Or “on a plateau.” This could refer to a message given in a flat locale or in a flat locale in the midst of a more mountainous region (Jer 21:13; Isa 13:2). It is quite possible that this sermon is a summary version of the better known Sermon on the Mount from Matt 5-7.
3 tn Grk “large crowd.”
4 tn There is no verb in Greek at this point, but since “a large crowd” (see preceding tn) is in the nominative case, one needs to be supplied.
5 tn Grk “and.”
6 tn Grk “and from,” 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.
7 map For location see Map5-B1; Map6-F3; Map7-E2; Map8-F2; Map10-B3; JP1-F4; JP2-F4; JP3-F4; JP4-F4.
8 map For location see Map1-A2; Map2-G2; Map4-A1; JP3-F3; JP4-F3.
9 sn These last two locations, Tyre and Sidon, represented an expansion outside of traditional Jewish territory. Jesus’ reputation continued to expand into new regions.
map For location see Map1-A1; JP3-F3; JP4-F3.
10 sn To hear him and to be healed. Jesus had a two-level ministry: The word and then wondrous acts of service that showed his message of God’s care were real.
11 tn Here δέ (de) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence of events within the narrative.
12 sn “Where is your faith?” The call is to trust God and realize that those who exercise faith can trust in his care.
13 sn The combination of fear and respect (afraid and amazed) shows that the disciples are becoming impressed with the great power at work in Jesus, a realization that fuels their question. For a similar reaction, see Luke 5:9.
14 sn Jesus’ authority over creation raised a question for the disciples about who he was exactly (“Who then is this?”). This verse shows that the disciples followed Jesus even though they did not know all about him yet.