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 8:14

8:14 As for the seed that ³  fell among thorns, these are the ones who hear, but ⁴  as they go on their way they are choked ⁵  by the worries and riches and pleasures of life, ⁶  and their fruit does not mature. ⁷ 

Luke 12:15

12:15 Then ⁸  he said to them, “Watch out and guard yourself from ⁹  all types of greed, ¹⁰  because one’s life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions.”

Luke 14:26

14:26 “If anyone comes to me and does not hate ¹¹  his own father and mother, and wife and children, and brothers and sisters, and even his own life, ¹²  he cannot be my disciple.

Luke 21:34

Be Ready!

21:34 “But be on your guard ¹³  so that your hearts are not weighed down with dissipation and drunkenness and the worries of this life, and that day close down upon you suddenly like a trap. ¹⁴ 

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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 “What”; the referent (the seed) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

⁴ tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “but” to indicate the contrast present in this context.

⁵ sn That is, their concern for spiritual things is crowded out by material things.

⁶ sn On warnings about the dangers of excessive material attachments, described here as the worries and riches and pleasures of life, see Luke 12:12-21; 16:19-31.

⁷ tn The verb τελεσφορέω (telesforew) means “to produce mature or ripe fruit” (L&N 23.203). Once again the seed does not reach its goal.

⁸ tn Here δέ (de) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence of events within the narrative.

⁹ tn See L&N 13.154 for this use of the middle voice of φυλάσσω (fulassw) in this verse.

¹⁰ tn Or “avarice,” “covetousness.” Note the warning covers more than money and gets at the root attitude – the strong desire to acquire more and more possessions and experiences.

¹¹ tn This figurative use operates on a relative scale. God is to be loved more than family or self.

¹² tn Grk “his own soul,” but ψυχή (yuch) is frequently used of one’s physical life. It clearly has that meaning in this context.

¹³ tn Grk “watch out for yourselves.”

sn Disciples are to watch out. If they are too absorbed into everyday life, they will stop watching and living faithfully.

¹⁴ sn Or like a thief, see Luke 12:39-40. The metaphor of a trap is a vivid one. Most modern English translations traditionally place the words “like a trap” at the end of v. 34, completing the metaphor. In the Greek text (and in the NRSV and REB) the words “like a trap” are placed at the beginning of v. 35. This does not affect the meaning.