Discovery BoxLuke 3:8 
Context3:8 Therefore produce 1 fruit 2 that proves your repentance, and don’t begin to say 3 to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham as our father.’ 4 For I tell you that God can raise up children for Abraham from these stones! 5
Luke 3:14
Context3:14 Then some soldiers 6 also asked him, “And as for us – what should we do?” 7 He told them, “Take money from no one by violence 8 or by false accusation, 9 and be content with your pay.”
Luke 4:23
Context4:23 Jesus 10 said to them, “No doubt you will quote to me the proverb, ‘Physician, heal yourself!’ 11 and say, ‘What we have heard that you did in Capernaum, 12 do here in your hometown too.’”
Luke 7:20
Context7:20 When 13 the men came to Jesus, 14 they said, “John the Baptist has sent us to you to ask, 15 ‘Are you the one who is to come, or should we look for another?’” 16
Luke 8:24
Context8:24 They 17 came 18 and woke him, saying, “Master, Master, 19 we are about to die!” So 20 he got up and rebuked 21 the wind and the raging waves; 22 they died down, and it was calm.
Luke 18:31
Context18:31 Then 23 Jesus 24 took the twelve aside and said to them, “Look, we are going up to Jerusalem, 25 and everything that is written about the Son of Man by the prophets will be accomplished. 26
Luke 23:2
Context23:2 They 27 began to accuse 28 him, saying, “We found this man subverting 29 our nation, forbidding 30 us to pay the tribute tax 31 to Caesar 32 and claiming that he himself is Christ, 33 a king.”
Luke 24:21
Context24:21 But we had hoped 34 that he was the one who was going to redeem 35 Israel. Not only this, but it is now the third day since these things happened.
1 tn The verb here is ποιέω (poiew; see v. 4).
2 tn Grk “fruits.” The plural Greek term καρπούς has been translated with the collective singular “fruit” (so NIV; cf. Matt 3:8 where the singular καρπός is found). Some other translations render the plural καρπούς as “fruits” (e.g., NRSV, NASB, NAB, NKJV).
3 tn In other words, “do not even begin to think this.”
4 sn We have Abraham as our father. John’s warning to the crowds really assumes two things: (1) A number of John’s listeners apparently believed that simply by their physical descent from Abraham, they were certain heirs of the promises made to the patriarch, and (2) God would never judge his covenant people lest he inadvertently place the fulfillment of his promises in jeopardy. In light of this, John tells these people two things: (1) they need to repent and produce fruit in keeping with repentance, for only that saves from the coming wrath, and (2) God will raise up “children for Abraham from these stones” if he wants to. Their disobedience will not threaten the realization of God’s sovereign purposes.
5 sn The point of the statement God is able from these stones to raise up children to Abraham is that ancestry or association with a tradition tied to the great founder of the Jewish nation is not an automatic source of salvation.
6 tn Grk “And soldiers.”
7 tn Grk “And what should we ourselves do?”
8 tn Or “Rob no one.” The term διασείσητε (diaseishte) here refers to “shaking someone.” In this context it refers to taking financial advantage of someone through violence, so it refers essentially to robbery. Soldiers are to perform their tasks faithfully. A changed person is to carry out his tasks in life faithfully and without grumbling.
9 tn The term translated “accusation” (συκοφαντήσητε, sukofanthshte) refers to a procedure by which someone could bring charges against an individual and be paid a part of the fine imposed by the court. Soldiers could do this to supplement their pay, and would thus be tempted to make false accusations.
10 tn Grk “And he”; the referent (Jesus) has been specified in the translation for clarity. Here καί (kai) has not been translated because of differences between Greek and English style.
11 sn The proverb Physician, heal yourself! means that Jesus should prove his claims. It is a “Prove it to us!” mentality that Jesus says the people have.
12 sn The remark “What we have heard that you did at Capernaum” makes many suspect that Luke has moved this event forward in sequence to typify what Jesus’ ministry was like, since the ministry in Capernaum follows in vv. 31-44. The location of this event in the parallel of Mark 6:1-6 also suggests this transposition.
map For location see Map1 D2; Map2 C3; Map3 B2.
13 tn Grk “And when.” Here καί (kai) has not been translated because of differences between Greek and English style.
14 tn Grk “him”; the referent (Jesus) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
15 tn Grk “to you, saying,” but since this takes the form of a question, it is preferable to use the phrase “to ask” in English.
16 tn This question is repeated word for word from v. 19.
17 tn Here δέ (de) has not been translated.
18 tn The participle προσελθόντες (proselqonte") has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.
19 tn The double vocative shows great emotion.
20 tn Here δέ (de) has been translated as “so” to indicate the connection to the preceding events.
21 tn Or “commanded” (often with the implication of a threat, L&N 33.331).
22 sn Who has authority over the seas and winds is discussed in the OT: Ps 104:3; 135:7; 107:23-30. When Jesus rebuked the wind and the raging waves he was making a statement about who he was.
23 tn Here δέ (de) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence of events within the narrative.
24 tn Grk “he”; the referent (Jesus) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
25 map For location see Map5 B1; Map6 F3; Map7 E2; Map8 F2; Map10 B3; JP1 F4; JP2 F4; JP3 F4; JP4 F4.
26 tn Or “fulfilled.” Jesus goes to Jerusalem by divine plan as the scripture records (Luke 2:39; 12:50; 22:37; Acts 13:29). See Luke 9:22, 44.
27 tn Here δέ (de) has not been translated.
28 sn They began to accuse him. There were three charges: (1) disturbing Jewish peace; (2) fomenting rebellion through advocating not paying taxes (a lie – 20:20-26); and (3) claiming to be a political threat to Rome, by claiming to be a king, an allusion to Jesus’ messianic claims. The second and third charges were a direct challenge to Roman authority. Pilate would be forced to do something about them.
29 tn On the use of the term διαστρέφω (diastrefw) here, see L&N 31.71 and 88.264.
sn Subverting our nation was a summary charge, as Jesus “subverted” the nation by making false claims of a political nature, as the next two detailed charges show.
30 tn Grk “and forbidding.” Here καί (kai) has not been translated to suggest to the English reader that this and the following charge are specifics, while the previous charge was a summary one. See the note on the word “misleading” earlier in this verse.
31 tn This was a “poll tax.” L&N 57.182 states this was “a payment made by the people of one nation to another, with the implication that this is a symbol of submission and dependence – ‘tribute tax.’”
32 tn Or “to the emperor” (“Caesar” is a title for the Roman emperor).
33 tn Or “Messiah”; both “Christ” (Greek) and “Messiah” (Hebrew and Aramaic) mean “one who has been anointed.”
sn See the note on Christ in 2:11.
34 tn The imperfect verb looks back to the view that they held during Jesus’ past ministry.
35 sn Their messianic hope concerning Jesus is expressed by the phrase who was going to redeem Israel.
