10:23 Then 11 Jesus looked around and said to his disciples, “How hard it is for the rich to enter the kingdom of God!” 10:24 The disciples were astonished at these words. But again Jesus said to them, 12 “Children, how hard it is 13 to enter the kingdom of God!
1 tn Because of the length and complexity of the Greek sentence, a new sentence was started here in the translation.
2 sn The kingdom of God is a reference to the sovereign activity of God as he rules over his creation and brings his plans to realization.
3 tn Grk “the mystery.”
sn The key term secret (μυστήριον, musthrion) can mean either (1) a new revelation or (2) a revealing interpretation of existing revelation as in Dan 2:17-23, 27-30. Jesus seems to be explaining how current events develop old promises, since the NT consistently links the events of Jesus’ ministry and message with old promises (Rom 1:1-4; Heb 1:1-2). The traditional translation of this word, “mystery,” is misleading to the modern English reader because it suggests a secret which people have tried to uncover but which they have failed to understand (L&N 28.77).
4 tn This is an example of a “divine passive,” with God understood to be the source of the revelation (see ExSyn 437-38).
5 tn Grk “throw it out.”
6 tn Grk “than having.”
7 tn Grk “Truly (ἀμήν, amhn), I say to you.”
8 sn On receive see John 1:12.
9 sn The point of the comparison receive the kingdom of God like a child has more to do with a child’s trusting spirit and willingness to be dependent and receive from others than any inherent humility the child might possess.
10 tn The negation in Greek (οὐ μή, ou mh) is very strong here.
11 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence of events within the narrative.
12 tn Grk “But answering, Jesus again said to them.” The participle ἀποκριθείς (apokriqeis) is redundant and has not been translated.
13 tc Most
14 tn Grk “Truly (ἀμήν, amhn), I say to you.”
15 tn Grk “the produce” (“the produce of the vine” is a figurative expression for wine).