Discovery BoxMatthew 3:15 
Context3:15 So Jesus replied 1 to him, “Let it happen now, 2 for it is right for us to fulfill all righteousness.” Then John 3 yielded 4 to him.
Matthew 5:31
Context5:31 “It was said, ‘Whoever divorces his wife must give her a legal document.’ 5
Matthew 9:8
Context9:8 When 6 the crowd saw this, they were afraid 7 and honored God who had given such authority to men. 8
Matthew 11:12
Context11:12 From 9 the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven has suffered violence, and forceful people lay hold of it. 10
Matthew 12:44
Context12:44 Then it says, ‘I will return to the home I left.’ 11 When it returns, 12 it finds the house 13 empty, swept clean, and put in order. 14
Matthew 21:20
Context21:20 When the disciples saw it they were amazed, saying, “How did the fig tree wither so quickly?”
Matthew 23:18
Context23:18 And, ‘Whoever swears by the altar is bound by nothing. 15 But if anyone swears by the gift on it he is bound by the oath.’
Matthew 26:25
Context26:25 Then 16 Judas, the one who would betray him, said, “Surely not I, Rabbi?” Jesus 17 replied, “You have said it yourself.”
1 tn Grk “but Jesus, answering, said.” This construction with passive participle and finite verb is pleonastic (redundant) and has been simplified in the translation to “replied to him.”
2 tn Grk “Permit now.”
3 tn Grk “he”; the referent (John the Baptist) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
4 tn Or “permitted him.”
5 sn A quotation from Deut 24:1.
6 tn Here δέ (de) has not been translated.
7 tc Most witnesses (C L Θ 0233 Ë13 Ï) have ἐθαύμασαν (eqaumasan; “marveled, were amazed”) instead of ἐφοβήθησαν (efobhqhsan) here, effectively turning the fearful reaction into one of veneration. But the harder reading is well supported by א B D W 0281 Ë1 33 892 1424 al lat co and thus is surely authentic.
8 tn Grk “people.” The plural of ἄνθρωπος (anqrwpo") usually indicates people in general, but the singular is used in the expression “Son of Man.” There is thus an ironic allusion to Jesus’ statement in v. 6: His self-designation as “Son of Man” is meant to be unique, but the crowd regards it simply as meaning “human, person.” To maintain this connection for the English reader the plural ἀνθρώποις (anqrwpoi") has been translated here as “men” rather than as the more generic “people.”
9 tn Here δέ (de) has not been translated.
10 tn Or “the kingdom of heaven is forcibly entered and violent people take hold of it.” For a somewhat different interpretation of this passage, see the note on the phrase “urged to enter in” in Luke 16:16.
11 tn Grk “I will return to my house from which I came.”
12 tn Grk “comes.”
13 tn The words “the house” are not in Greek but are implied.
14 sn The image of the house empty, swept clean, and put in order refers to the life of the person from whom the demon departed. The key to the example appears to be that no one else has been invited in to dwell. If an exorcism occurs and there is no response to God, then the way is free for the demon to return. Some see the reference to exorcism as more symbolic; thus the story’s only point is about responding to Jesus. This is possible and certainly is an application of the passage.
15 tn Grk “Whoever swears by the altar, it is nothing.”
16 tn Grk “answering, Judas.” This is somewhat redundant and has been simplified in the translation. Here δέ (de) has been translated as “then” to reflect the sequence of events in the narrative.
17 tn Grk “he”; the referent (Jesus) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
