Luke 6:9

6:9 Then 1  Jesus said to them, “I ask you, 2  is it lawful to do good on the Sabbath or to do evil, to save a life or to destroy it?”

Luke 7:20

7:20 When 3  the men came to Jesus, 4  they said, “John the Baptist has sent us to you to ask, 5  ‘Are you the one who is to come, or should we look for another?’” 6 

Luke 9:45

9:45 But they did not understand this statement; its meaning 7  had been concealed 8  from them, so that they could not grasp it. Yet 9  they were afraid to ask him about this statement.

Luke 11:13

11:13 If you then, although you are 10  evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will the heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit 11  to those who ask him!”

1 tn Here δέ (de) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence of events within the narrative.

2 sn With the use of the plural pronoun (“you”), Jesus addressed not just the leaders but the crowd with his question to challenge what the leadership was doing. There is irony as well. As Jesus sought to restore on the Sabbath (but improperly according to the leaders’ complaints) the leaders were seeking to destroy, which surely is wrong. The implied critique recalls the OT: Isa 1:1-17; 58:6-14.

3 tn Grk “And when.” Here καί (kai) has not been translated because of differences between Greek and English style.

4 tn Grk “him”; the referent (Jesus) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

5 tn Grk “to you, saying,” but since this takes the form of a question, it is preferable to use the phrase “to ask” in English.

6 tn This question is repeated word for word from v. 19.

7 tn Grk “it”; the referent (the meaning of the statement) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

8 sn The passive verb had been concealed probably indicates that some force was preventing them from responding. It is debated whether God or Satan is meant here. By 24:25 it is clear that their lack of response is their own responsibility. The only way to reverse this is to pay careful attention as v. 44a urges.

9 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “yet” to indicate that in spite of their lack of understanding, the disciples were afraid to ask about it. Because of the length and complexity of the Greek sentence, a new sentence was started here in the translation.

10 tn The participle ὑπάρχοντες (Juparconte") has been translated as a concessive participle.

11 sn The provision of the Holy Spirit is probably a reference to the wisdom and guidance supplied in response to repeated requests. Some apply it to the general provision of the Spirit, but this would seem to look only at one request in a context that speaks of repeated asking. The teaching as a whole stresses not that God gives everything his children want, but that God gives the good that they need. The parallel account in Matthew (7:11) refers to good things where Luke mentions the Holy Spirit.