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 4:23
Context4:23 Jesus 6 said to them, “No doubt you will quote to me the proverb, ‘Physician, heal yourself!’ 7 and say, ‘What we have heard that you did in Capernaum, 8 do here in your hometown too.’”
Luke 4:36
Context4:36 They 9 were all amazed and began to say 10 to one another, “What’s happening here? 11 For with authority and power 12 he commands the unclean spirits, and they come out!”
Luke 7:8
Context7:8 For I too am a man set under authority, with soldiers under me. 13 I say to this one, ‘Go,’ and he goes, 14 and to another, ‘Come,’ and he comes, and to my slave, ‘Do this,’ and he does it.” 15
Luke 11:5
Context11:5 Then 16 he said to them, “Suppose one of you 17 has a friend, and you go to him 18 at midnight and say to him, ‘Friend, lend me three loaves of bread, 19
Luke 11:29
Context11:29 As 20 the crowds were increasing, Jesus 21 began to say, “This generation is a wicked generation; it looks for a sign, 22 but no sign will be given to it except the sign of Jonah. 23
Luke 12:45
Context12:45 But if 24 that 25 slave should say to himself, 26 ‘My master is delayed 27 in returning,’ and he begins to beat 28 the other 29 slaves, both men and women, 30 and to eat, drink, and get drunk,
Luke 13:35
Context13:35 Look, your house is forsaken! 31 And I tell you, you will not see me until you say, ‘Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord!’” 32
Luke 14:9
Context14:9 So 33 the host who invited both of you will come and say to you, ‘Give this man your place.’ Then, ashamed, 34 you will begin to move to the least important 35 place.
Luke 17:6-8
Context17:6 So 36 the Lord replied, 37 “If 38 you had faith the size of 39 a mustard seed, you could say to this black mulberry 40 tree, ‘Be pulled out by the roots and planted in the sea,’ 41 and it would obey 42 you.
17:7 “Would any one of you say 43 to your slave 44 who comes in from the field after plowing or shepherding sheep, ‘Come at once and sit down for a meal’? 45 17:8 Won’t 46 the master 47 instead say to him, ‘Get my dinner ready, and make yourself ready 48 to serve me while 49 I eat and drink. Then 50 you may eat and drink’?
Luke 17:10
Context17:10 So you too, when you have done everything you were commanded to do, should say, ‘We are slaves undeserving of special praise; 51 we have only done what was our duty.’” 52
Luke 20:20
Context20:20 Then 53 they watched him carefully and sent spies who pretended to be sincere. 54 They wanted to take advantage of what he might say 55 so that they could deliver him up to the authority and jurisdiction 56 of the governor.
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 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.
7 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.
8 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.
9 tn Grk “And they.” Here καί (kai) has not been translated because of differences between Greek and English style.
10 tn This imperfect verb has been translated as an ingressive imperfect.
11 tn Grk “What is this word?” The Greek term λόγος (logos) has a wide range of meaning. Here it seems to mean, “What is this matter?” More idiomatically it would be, “What’s going on here?!”
12 sn The phrase with authority and power is in an emphatic position in the Greek text. Once again the authority of Jesus is the point, but now it is not just his teaching that is emphasized, but his ministry. Jesus combined word and deed into a powerful testimony in Capernaum.
13 tn Grk “having soldiers under me.”
14 sn I say to this one, ‘Go,’ and he goes. The illustrations highlight the view of authority the soldier sees in the word of one who has authority. Since the centurion was a commander of a hundred soldiers, he understood what it was both to command others and to be obeyed.
15 tn The word “it” is not in the Greek text, but is implied. Direct objects were frequently omitted in Greek when clear from the context.
16 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence of events within the narrative.
17 tn Grk “Who among you will have a friend and go to him.”
18 tn Grk “he will go to him.”
19 tn The words “of bread” are not in the Greek text, but are implied by ἄρτους (artou", “loaves”).
20 tn Here δέ (de) has not been translated.
21 tn Grk “he”; the referent (Jesus) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
22 sn The mention of a sign alludes back to Luke 11:16. Given what Jesus had done, nothing would be good enough. This leads to the rebuke that follows.
23 sn As the following comparisons to Solomon and Jonah show, in the present context the sign of Jonah is not an allusion to Jonah being three days in the belly of the fish, but to Jesus’ teaching about wisdom and repentance.
24 tn In the Greek text this is a third class condition that for all practical purposes is a hypothetical condition (note the translation of the following verb “should say”).
25 tn The term “that” (ἐκεῖνος, ekeino") is used as a catchword to list out, in the form of a number of hypothetical circumstances, what the possible responses of “that” servant could be. He could be faithful (vv. 43-44) or totally unfaithful (vv. 45-46). He does not complete his master’s will with knowledge (v. 47) or from ignorance (v 48). These differences are indicated by the different levels of punishment in vv. 46-48.
26 tn Grk “should say in his heart.”
27 tn Or “is taking a long time.”
28 sn The slave’s action in beginning to beat the other slaves was not only a failure to carry out what was commanded but involved doing the exact reverse.
29 tn The word “other” is not in the Greek text, but is implied.
30 tn Grk “the menservants and the maidservants.” The term here, used in both masculine and feminine grammatical forms, is παῖς (pais), which can refer to a slave, but also to a slave who is a personal servant, and thus regarded kindly (L&N 87.77).
31 sn Your house is forsaken. The language here is from Jer 12:7 and 22:5. It recalls exilic judgment.
32 sn A quotation from Ps 118:26. The judgment to come will not be lifted until the Lord returns. See Luke 19:41-44.
33 tn Grk “host, and.” Here καί (kai) has been translated as “so” to indicate this action is a result of the situation described in the previous verse. Because of the length and complexity of the Greek sentence, a new sentence was started here in the translation.
34 tn Or “then in disgrace”; Grk “with shame.” In this culture avoiding shame was important.
35 tn Grk “lowest place” (also in the repetition of the phrase in the next verse).
36 tn Here δέ (de) has been translated as “so” to indicate the implied result of previous action(s) in the narrative.
37 tn Grk “said.”
38 tn This is a mixed condition, with ἄν (an) in the apodosis.
39 tn Grk “faith as,” “faith like.”
40 sn A black mulberry tree is a deciduous fruit tree that grows about 20 ft (6 m) tall and has black juicy berries. This tree has an extensive root system, so to pull it up would be a major operation.
41 tn The passives here (ἐκριζώθητι and φυτεύθητι, ekrizwqhti and futeuqhti) are probably a circumlocution for God performing the action (the so-called divine passive, see ExSyn 437-38). The issue is not the amount of faith (which in the example is only very tiny), but its presence, which can accomplish impossible things. To cause a tree to be uprooted and planted in the sea is impossible. The expression is a rhetorical idiom. It is like saying a camel can go through the eye of a needle (Luke 18:25).
42 tn The verb is aorist, though it looks at a future event, another rhetorical touch to communicate certainty of the effect of faith.
43 tn Grk “Who among you, having a slave… would say to him.”
44 tn See the note on the word “slave” in 7:2.
45 tn Grk “and recline at table,” as 1st century middle eastern meals were not eaten while sitting at a table, but while reclining on one’s side on the floor with the head closest to the low table and the feet farthest away. See BDAG 70 s.v. ἀναπίπτω 1.
46 tn The question includes a Greek particle, οὐχί (ouci), that expects a positive reply. The slave is expected to prepare a meal before eating himself.
47 tn Grk “he”; the referent has been specified in the translation for clarity.
48 tn Grk “and gird yourself” (with an apron or towel, in preparation for service).
49 tn BDAG 423 s.v. ἕως 2.b, “to denote contemporaneousness as long as, while… w. subjunctive… Lk 17:8.”
50 tn Grk “after these things.”
51 tn Some translations describe the slaves as “worthless” (NRSV) or “unworthy” (NASB, NIV) but that is not Jesus’ point. These disciples have not done anything deserving special commendation or praise (L&N 33.361), but only what would normally be expected of a slave in such a situation (thus the translation “we have only done what was our duty”).
52 tn Or “we have only done what we were supposed to do.”
53 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence of events within the narrative.
54 tn Grk “righteous,” but in this context the point is their false sincerity.
55 tn Grk “so that they might catch him in some word.”
56 tn This word is often translated “authority” in other contexts, but here, in combination with ἀρχή (arch), it refers to the domain or sphere of the governor’s rule (L&N 37.36).
