Discovery BoxLuke 2:15 
Context2:15 When 1 the angels left them and went back to heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let us go over to Bethlehem 2 and see this thing that has taken place, that the Lord 3 has made known to us.”
Luke 3:22
Context3:22 and the Holy Spirit descended on him in bodily form like a dove. 4 And a voice came from heaven, “You are my one dear Son; 5 in you I take great delight.” 6
Luke 9:16
Context9:16 Then 7 he took the five loaves and the two fish, and looking up to heaven he gave thanks 8 and broke them. He gave them to the disciples to set before the crowd.
Luke 12:33
Context12:33 Sell your possessions 9 and give to the poor. 10 Provide yourselves purses that do not wear out – a treasure in heaven 11 that never decreases, 12 where no thief approaches and no moth 13 destroys.
Luke 15:7
Context15:7 I tell you, in the same way there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner 14 who repents than over ninety-nine righteous people 15 who have no need to repent. 16
Luke 18:13
Context18:13 The tax collector, however, stood 17 far off and would not even look up 18 to heaven, but beat his breast and said, ‘God, be merciful 19 to me, sinner that I am!’ 20
Luke 18:22
Context18:22 When Jesus heard this, he said to him, “One thing you still lack. Sell all that you have 21 and give the money 22 to the poor, 23 and you will have treasure 24 in heaven. Then 25 come, follow me.”
1 tn Grk “And it happened that when.” The introductory phrase ἐγένετο (egeneto, “it happened that”), common in Luke (69 times) and Acts (54 times), is redundant in contemporary English and has not been translated. Here καί (kai) has not been translated because of differences between Greek and English style.
2 map For location see Map5 B1; Map7 E2; Map8 E2; Map10 B4.
3 sn Note how although angels delivered the message, it was the Lord whose message is made known, coming through them.
4 tn This phrase is a descriptive comparison. The Spirit is not a dove, but descends like one in some type of bodily representation.
5 tn Grk “my beloved Son,” or “my Son, the beloved [one].” The force of ἀγαπητός (agaphtos) is often “pertaining to one who is the only one of his or her class, but at the same time is particularly loved and cherished” (L&N 58.53; cf. also BDAG 7 s.v. 1).
6 tc Instead of “You are my one dear Son; in you I take great delight,” one Greek ms and several Latin
tn Or “with you I am well pleased.”
sn The allusions in the remarks of the text recall Ps 2:7a; Isa 42:1 and either Isa 41:8 or, less likely, Gen 22:12,16. God is marking out Jesus as his chosen one (the meaning of “[in you I take] great delight”), but it may well be that this was a private experience that only Jesus and John saw and heard (cf. John 1:32-33).
7 tn Here δέ (de) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence of events within the narrative.
8 sn Gave thanks adds a note of gratitude to the setting. The scene is like two other later meals: Luke 22:19 and 24:30. Jesus gives thanks to God “with respect to” the provision of food. The disciples learn how Jesus is the mediator of blessing. John 6 speaks of him in this scene as picturing the “Bread of Life.”
9 sn The call to sell your possessions is a call to a lack of attachment to the earth and a generosity as a result.
10 tn Grk “give alms,” but this term is not in common use today.
11 tn Grk “in the heavens.”
12 tn Or “an unfailing treasure in heaven,” or “an inexhaustible treasure in heaven.”
13 tn The term σής (shs) refers to moths in general. It is specifically the larvae of moths that destroy clothing by eating holes in it (L&N 4.49; BDAG 922 s.v.). See Jas 5:2, which mentions “moth-eaten” clothing.
14 sn There will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents. The pursuit of the sinner is a priority in spite of the presence of others who are doing well (see also Luke 5:32; 19:10). The theme of repentance, a major Lukan theme, is again emphasized.
15 tn Here δικαίοις (dikaioi") is an adjective functioning substantivally and has been translated “righteous people.”
16 tn Or “who do not need to repent”; Grk “who do not have need of repentance.”
17 tn Grk “standing”; the Greek participle has been translated as a finite verb.
18 tn Grk “even lift up his eyes” (an idiom).
19 tn The prayer is a humble call for forgiveness. The term for mercy (ἱλάσκομαι, Jilaskomai) is associated with the concept of a request for atonement (BDAG 473-74 s.v. 1; Ps 51:1, 3; 25:11; 34:6, 18).
20 tn Grk “the sinner.” The tax collector views himself not just as any sinner but as the worst of all sinners. See ExSyn 222-23.
21 sn See Luke 14:33.
22 tn The words “the money” are not in the Greek text, but are implied. Direct objects were frequently omitted in Greek when clear from the context.
23 sn See Luke 1:50-53; 6:20-23; 14:12-14.
24 sn The call for sacrifice comes with a promise of eternal reward: …you will have treasure in heaven. Jesus’ call is a test to see how responsive the man is to God’s direction through him. Will he walk the path God’s agent calls him to walk? For a rich person who got it right, see Zacchaeus in Luke 19:1-10.
25 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence of events within the conversation.
