Discovery BoxLuke 2:48 
Context2:48 When 1 his parents 2 saw him, they were overwhelmed. His 3 mother said to him, “Child, 4 why have you treated 5 us like this? Look, your father and I have been looking for you anxiously.” 6
Luke 3:22
Context3:22 and the Holy Spirit descended on him in bodily form like a dove. 7 And a voice came from heaven, “You are my one dear Son; 8 in you I take great delight.” 9
Luke 6:48
Context6:48 He is like a man 10 building a house, who dug down deep, 11 and laid the foundation on bedrock. When 12 a flood came, the river 13 burst against that house but 14 could not shake it, because it had been well built. 15
Luke 7:32
Context7:32 They are like children sitting in the marketplace and calling out to one another, 16
‘We played the flute for you, yet you did not dance; 17
we wailed in mourning, 18 yet you did not weep.’
Luke 12:36
Context12:36 be like people 19 waiting for their master to come back from the wedding celebration, 20 so that when he comes and knocks they can immediately open the door for him.
Luke 13:19
Context13:19 It is like a mustard seed 21 that a man took and sowed 22 in his garden. It 23 grew and became a tree, 24 and the wild birds 25 nested in its branches.” 26
Luke 15:29
Context15:29 but he answered 27 his father, ‘Look! These many years I have worked like a slave 28 for you, and I never disobeyed your commands. Yet 29 you never gave me even a goat 30 so that I could celebrate with my friends!
Luke 20:46
Context20:46 “Beware 31 of the experts in the law. 32 They 33 like walking around in long robes, and they love elaborate greetings 34 in the marketplaces and the best seats 35 in the synagogues 36 and the places of honor at banquets.
Luke 21:34
Context21:34 “But be on your guard 37 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. 38
Luke 22:52
Context22:52 Then 39 Jesus said to the chief priests, the officers of the temple guard, 40 and the elders who had come out to get him, “Have you come out with swords and clubs like you would against an outlaw? 41
1 tn Grk “And when.” Here καί (kai) has not been translated because of differences between Greek and English style.
2 tn Grk “when they”; the referent (his parents) has been supplied in the translation for clarity.
3 tn Grk “And his.” Here καί (kai) has not been translated because of differences between Greek and English style.
4 tn The Greek word here is τέκνον (teknon) rather than υἱός (Juios, “son”).
5 tn Or “Child, why did you do this to us?”
6 tn Or “your father and I have been terribly worried looking for you.”
7 tn This phrase is a descriptive comparison. The Spirit is not a dove, but descends like one in some type of bodily representation.
8 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).
9 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).
10 tn Here and in v. 49 the Greek text reads ἄνθρωπος (anqrwpo"), while the parallel account in Matt 7:24-27 uses ἀνήρ (anhr) in vv. 24 and 26.
11 tn There are actually two different Greek verbs used here: “who dug (ἔσκαψεν, eskayen) and dug deep (ἐβάθυνεν, ebaqunen).” Jesus is placing emphasis on the effort to which the man went to prepare his foundation.
12 tn Here δέ (de) has not been translated.
13 sn The picture here is of a river overflowing its banks and causing flooding and chaos.
14 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “but” to indicate the contrast present in the context.
15 tc Most
16 tn Grk “They are like children sitting…and calling out…who say.”
17 sn ‘We played the flute for you, yet you did not dance…’ The children of this generation were making the complaint (see vv. 33-34) that others were not playing the game according to the way they played the music. John and Jesus did not follow “their tune.” Jesus’ complaint was that this generation wanted things their way, not God’s.
18 tn The verb ἐθρηνήσαμεν (eqrhnhsamen) refers to the loud wailing and lamenting used to mourn the dead in public in 1st century Jewish culture.
19 tn That is, like slaves (who are mentioned later, vv. 37-38), although the term ἀνθρώποις (anqrwpoi") is used here. Since in this context it appears generic rather than gender-specific, the translation “people” is employed.
20 sn An ancient wedding celebration could last for days (Tob 11:18).
21 sn The mustard seed was noted for its tiny size.
22 tn Grk “threw.”
23 tn Grk “garden, and it.” Here καί (kai) has not been translated because of differences between Greek and English style. Because of the length and complexity of the Greek sentence, a new sentence was started here in the translation.
24 sn Calling the mustard plant a tree is rhetorical hyperbole, since technically it is not one. This plant could be one of two types of mustard popular in Palestine and would be either 10 or 25 ft (3 or 7.5 m) tall.
25 tn Grk “the birds of the sky” or “the birds of the heaven”; the Greek word οὐρανός (ouranos) may be translated either “sky” or “heaven,” depending on the context. The idiomatic expression “birds of the sky” refers to wild birds as opposed to domesticated fowl (cf. BDAG 809 s.v. πετεινόν).
26 sn The point of the parable seems to be that while the kingdom of God may appear to have insignificant and unnoticeable beginnings (i.e., in the ministry of Jesus), it will someday (i.e., at the second advent) be great and quite expansive. The kingdom, however, is not to be equated with the church, but rather the church is an expression of the kingdom. Also, there is important OT background in the image of the mustard seed that grew and became a tree: Ezek 17:22-24 pictures the reemergence of the Davidic house where people can find calm and shelter. Like the mustard seed, it would start out small but grow to significant size.
27 tn Grk “but answering, he said.” This is somewhat redundant in contemporary English and has been simplified to “but he answered.”
28 tn Or simply, “have served,” but in the emotional context of the older son’s outburst the translation given is closer to the point.
29 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “yet” to bring out the contrast indicated by the context.
30 sn You never gave me even a goat. The older son’s complaint was that the generous treatment of the younger son was not fair: “I can’t get even a little celebration with a basic food staple like a goat!”
31 tn Or “Be on guard against.” This is a present imperative and indicates that pride is something to constantly be on the watch against.
32 tn Or “of the scribes.” See the note on the phrase “experts in the law” in 5:21.
33 tn Grk “who,” continuing the sentence begun by the prior phrase.
34 sn There is later Jewish material in the Talmud that spells out such greetings in detail. See D. L. Bock, Luke (BECNT), 2:1642; H. Windisch, TDNT 1:498.
35 sn See Luke 14:1-14.
36 sn See the note on synagogues in 4:15.
37 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.
38 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.
39 tn Here δέ (de) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence of events within the narrative.
40 tn This title, literally “official of the temple” (στρατηγὸς τοῦ ἱεροῦ, strathgo" tou Jierou), referred to the commander of the Jewish soldiers who guarded and maintained order in the Jerusalem temple. Here, since the term is plural, it has been translated “officers of the temple guard” rather than “commanders of the temple guard,” since the idea of a number of commanders might be confusing to the modern English reader.
41 tn Or “a revolutionary.” This term can refer to one who stirs up rebellion: BDAG 594 s.v. λῃστής 2 has “revolutionary, insurrectionist, guerrilla” citing evidence from Josephus (J. W. 2.13.2-3 [2.253-254]). However, this usage generally postdates Jesus’ time. It does refer to a figure of violence. Luke uses the same term for the highwaymen who attack the traveler in the parable of the good Samaritan (10:30).
