¹ tn Grk “he”; the referent (Jesus) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

² tn Grk “said,” but what follows is a question.

³ sn The kingdom of God is a major theme of Jesus. It is a realm in which Jesus rules and to which those who trust him belong. See Luke 6:20; 11:20; 17:20-21.

⁴ sn What is the kingdom of God like? Unlike Mark 4 or Matt 13, where the kingdom parables tend to be all in one location in the narrative, Luke scatters his examples throughout the Gospel.

⁵ tn Grk “And to.” Here καί (kai) has not been translated because of differences between Greek and English style.

⁶ tn Here δέ (de) has not been translated.

⁷ tn Grk “said to.”

⁸ sn The warnings earlier in Jesus’ teaching have led to the question whether only a few will be saved.

⁹ tn Here δέ (de) has been translated as “so” to indicate that Jesus’ reply was triggered by the preceding question.

¹⁰ tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “so” to indicate the result of the older son hearing the noise of the celebration in progress.

¹¹ tn The Greek term here, παῖς (pais), describes a slave, possibly a household servant regarded with some affection (L&N 87.77).

¹² tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “now” to indicate the transition to a new topic.

¹³ sn Only Luke states this man is a ruler (cf. the parallels in Matt 19:16-22 and Mark 10:17-22, where the questioner is described only as “someone”). He is probably a civic leader of some kind, a leader in the society.

¹⁴ sn The rich man wanted to know what he must do to inherit eternal life, but Jesus had just finished teaching that eternal life was not earned but simply received (18:17). See the similar question about inheriting eternal life in Luke 10:25.

¹⁵ tn Here καί (kai) has not been translated because of differences between Greek and English style.

¹⁶ tn Grk “said to them.”

¹⁷ tn Here καί (kai) has not been translated because of differences between Greek and English style.

¹⁸ tn The verb ἐπηρώτων (ephrwtwn) has been translated as an iterative imperfect. The participle λέγοντες (legontes) is redundant in English and has not been translated here.

¹⁹ tn Grk “Who is the one who hit you?”

sn Who hit you? This is a variation of one of three ancient games that involved blindfolds.

²⁰ tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “so” to indicate the implied result of the charges brought in the previous verse.

²¹ tn Grk “him”; the referent (Jesus) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

²² sn “Are you the king of the Jews?” Pilate was interested only in the third charge, because of its political implications of sedition against Rome.

²³ sn The reply “You say so” is somewhat enigmatic, like Jesus’ earlier reply to the Jewish leadership in 22:70.

²⁴ sn Joseph went to Pilate and asked for the body because he sought to give Jesus an honorable burial. This was indeed a bold move on the part of Joseph of Arimathea, for it clearly and openly identified him with a man who had just been condemned and executed, namely, Jesus. His faith is exemplary, especially for someone who was a member of the council that handed Jesus over for crucifixion (cf. Mark 15:43).