Discovery BoxLuke 1:29-30 
Context1:29 But 1 she was greatly troubled 2 by his words and began to wonder about the meaning of this greeting. 3 1:30 So 4 the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, 5 Mary, for you have found favor 6 with God!
Luke 1:65
Context1:65 All 7 their neighbors were filled with fear, and throughout the entire hill country of Judea all these things were talked about.
Luke 2:9
Context2:9 An 8 angel of the Lord 9 appeared to 10 them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were absolutely terrified. 11
Luke 5:8-10
Context5:8 But when Simon Peter saw it, he fell down at Jesus’ knees, saying, “Go away from me, Lord, 12 for I am a sinful man!” 13 5:9 For 14 Peter 15 and all who were with him were astonished 16 at the catch of fish that they had taken, 5:10 and so were James and John, Zebedee’s sons, who were Simon’s business partners. 17 Then 18 Jesus said to Simon, “Do not be afraid; from now on 19 you will be catching people.” 20
Luke 9:34
Context9:34 As 21 he was saying this, a cloud 22 came 23 and overshadowed 24 them, and they were afraid as they entered the cloud.
Luke 24:38
Context24:38 Then 25 he said to them, “Why are you frightened, 26 and why do doubts 27 arise in your hearts?
1 tc Most
2 sn On the phrase greatly troubled see 1:12. Mary’s reaction was like Zechariah’s response.
3 tn Grk “to wonder what kind of greeting this might be.” Luke often uses the optative this way to reveal a figure’s thinking (3:15; 8:9; 18:36; 22:23).
4 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “so” to indicate that Gabriel’s statement is a response to Mary’s perplexity over the greeting.
5 sn Do not be afraid. See 1:13 for a similar statement to Zechariah.
6 tn Or “grace.”
sn The expression found favor is a Semitism, common in the OT (Gen 6:8; 18:3; 43:14; 2 Sam 15:25). God has chosen to act on this person’s behalf.
7 tn Grk “And all.” Here καί (kai) has not been translated because of differences between Greek and English style.
sn Fear is the emotion that comes when one recognizes something unusual, even supernatural, has taken place.
8 tn Here καί (kai) has not been translated because of differences between Greek and English style.
9 tn Or “the angel of the Lord.” See the note on the word “Lord” in 1:11.
10 tn Or “stood in front of.”
11 tn Grk “they feared a great fear” (a Semitic idiom which intensifies the main idea, in this case their fear).
sn Terrified. See similar responses in Luke 1:12, 29.
12 sn Lord is a term of high respect in this context. God’s presence in the work of Jesus makes Peter recognize his authority. This vocative is common in Luke (20 times), but does not yet have its full confessional force.
13 sn Peter was intimidated that someone who was obviously working with divine backing was in his presence (“Go away from me”). He feared his sinfulness might lead to judgment, but Jesus would show him otherwise.
14 sn An explanatory conjunction (For) makes it clear that Peter’s exclamation is the result of a surprising set of events. He speaks, but the others feel similarly.
15 tn Grk “he”; the referent (Peter) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
16 sn In the Greek text, this term is in an emphatic position.
17 tn Or “business associates.”
18 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence of events within the narrative.
19 sn From now on is a common Lukan expression, see Luke 1:48.
20 tn The Greek term ἄνθρωπος (anqrwpo") is used here in a generic sense, referring to both men and women, thus “people.”
sn The kind of fishing envisioned was net – not line – fishing, which involved a circular net that had heavy weights around its perimeter. The occupation of fisherman was labor-intensive. The imagery of using a lure and a line (and waiting for the fish to strike) is thus foreign to this text. Rather, the imagery of a fisherman involved much strain, long hours, and often little results. Jesus’ point may have been one or more of the following: the strenuousness of evangelism, the work ethic that it required, persistence and dedication to the task (often in spite of minimal results), the infinite value of the new “catch” (viz., people), and perhaps an eschatological theme of snatching people from judgment (cf. W. L. Lane, Mark [NICNT], 67; D. L. Bock, Luke [BECNT], 1:461). If this last motif is in view, then catching people is the opposite of catching fish: The fish would be caught, killed, cooked, and eaten; people would be caught so as to remove them from eternal destruction and to give them new life. With the statement “You will be catching people” Jesus turns the miracle into a metaphor for mission.
21 tn Here δέ (de) has not been translated.
22 sn This cloud is the cloud of God’s presence and the voice is his as well.
23 tn Or “appeared.”
24 tn Or “surrounded.”
25 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence of events within the narrative.
26 tn Or “disturbed,” “troubled.”
27 tn The expression here is an idiom; see BDAG 58 s.v. ἀναβαίνω 2. Here καρδία (kardia) is a collective singular; the expression has been translated as plural in English.
sn Jesus calls the disciples to faith with a gentle rebuke about doubts and a gracious invitation to see for themselves the evidence of his resurrection.
