¹ sn Love your enemies is the first of four short exhortations that call for an unusual response to those who are persecuting disciples. Disciples are to relate to hostility in a completely unprecedented manner.

² tn The perfect tenses in both this verse and the next do more than mere aorists would. They not only summarize, but suggest the characteristics of each ministry were still in existence at the time of speaking.

³ tn Grk “neither eating bread nor drinking wine,” but this is somewhat awkward in contemporary English.

⁴ sn John the Baptist was too separatist and ascetic for some, and so he was accused of not being directed by God, but by a demon.

⁵ tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence of events within the narrative.

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

⁷ tn Grk “Peter answering, said.” This is redundant in contemporary English and has been simplified to “Peter answered.”

⁸ 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.

⁹ tn Grk “And another also said.”

¹⁰ tn Grk “to those in my house.”

¹¹ tn 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.

sn Ministry (heal the sick) is to take place where it is well received (note welcome in the preceding verse).

¹² tn Grk “in it”; the referent (that town) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

¹³ 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.

¹⁴ tn Or “come near to you,” suggesting the approach (but not arrival) of the kingdom. But the combination of the perfect tense of ἐγγίζω (engizw) with the preposition ἐπί (epi) most likely suggests that the sense is “has come upon” (see BDAG 270 s.v. ἐγγίζω 2; W. R. Hutton, “The Kingdom of God Has Come,” ExpTim 64 [Dec 1952]: 89-91; and D. L. Bock, Luke [BECNT], 2:1000; cf. also NAB “is at hand for you”). These passages argue that a key element of the kingdom is its ability to overcome the power of Satan and those elements in the creation that oppose humanity. Confirmation of this understanding comes in v. 18 and in Luke 11:14-23, especially the parable of vv. 21-23.

¹⁵ tn Grk “whatever town you enter,” but this is more often expressed in English as “whenever you enter a town.”

¹⁶ tn Or “city.”

¹⁷ tn Grk “and they”; the referent (the people who live in the town) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

¹⁸ sn More discussion takes place concerning rejection (the people do not welcome you), as these verses lead into the condemnation of certain towns for their rejection of God’s kingdom.

¹⁹ tn The term πλατεῖα (plateia) refers to the “broad street,” so this refers to the main roads of the town.

²⁰ sn When you pray. What follows, although traditionally known as the Lord’s prayer, is really the disciples’ prayer. It represents how they are to approach God, by acknowledging his uniqueness and their need for his provision and protection.

²¹ tc Most mss, including later majority (A C D W Θ Ψ 070 ˹³ 33^vid Ï it), add ἡμῶν ὁ ἐν τοῖς οὐρανοῖς (Jhmwn Jo en toi" oujranoi", “our [Father] in heaven”) here. This makes the prayer begin like the version in Matt 6:9. The shorter version is read by Ì⁷⁵ א B (L: + ἡμῶν) 1 700 pc as well as some versions and fathers. Given this more weighty external evidence, combined with the scribal tendency to harmonize Gospel parallels, the shorter reading is preferred.

sn God is addressed in terms of intimacy (Father). The original Semitic term here was probably Abba. The term is a little unusual in a personal prayer, especially as it lacks qualification. It is not the exact equivalent of “Daddy” (as is sometimes popularly suggested), but it does suggest a close, familial relationship.

²² tn Grk “hallowed be your name.”

²³ tc Most mss (א A C D W Θ Ψ 070 ˹³ 33^vid Ï it) read at the end of the verse “may your will be done on earth as [it is] in heaven,” making this version parallel to Matt 6:10. The shorter reading is found, however, in weighty mss (Ì⁷⁵ B L pc), and cannot be easily explained as arising from the longer reading.

sn Your kingdom come represents the hope for the full manifestation of God’s promised rule.

²⁴ sn That is, an expert in the interpretation of the Mosaic law. They worked closely with the Pharisees.

²⁵ tn For this term, see Matt 22;6; Luke 18:32; Acts 14:5; 1 Thess 2:2.

²⁶ tn Grk “to my soul,” which is repeated as a vocative in the following statement, but is left untranslated as redundant.

²⁷ sn The south wind comes from the desert, and thus brings scorching heat.

²⁸ sn This term refers to wide streets, and thus suggests the major streets of a city.

²⁹ tn This is a present tense in the Greek text. In contrast to waiting and looking for the kingdom, it is now available.

³⁰ tn This is a far better translation than “in you.” Jesus would never tell the hostile Pharisees that the kingdom was inside them. The reference is to Jesus present in their midst. He brings the kingdom. Another possible translation would be “in your grasp.” For further discussion and options, see D. L. Bock, Luke (BECNT), 2:1414-19.

³¹ sn If the religious leaders will not dare to question Jesus any longer, then he will question them.

³² 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.

³³ sn It was a common belief in Judaism that Messiah would be David’s son in that he would come from the lineage of David. On this point the Pharisees agreed and were correct. But their understanding was nonetheless incomplete, for Messiah is also David’s Lord. With this statement Jesus was affirming that, as the Messiah, he is both God and man.

³⁴ tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “so” to indicate the implied result of Jesus’ pronouncement.

³⁵ sn The members of the council understood the force of the claim and asked Jesus about another title, Son of God.

³⁶ tn Grk “He said to them.”

³⁷ sn Jesus’ reply, “You say that I am,” was not a denial, but a way of giving a qualified positive response: “You have said it, but I do not quite mean what you think.”

³⁸ sn The figure of crying out to the mountains ‘Fall on us!’ (appealing to creation itself to hide them from God’s wrath), means that a time will come when people will feel they are better off dead (Hos 10:8).

³⁹ sn An allusion to Hos 10:8 (cf. Rev 6:16).