Luke 11:18

11:18 So ¹  if ²  Satan too is divided against himself, how will his kingdom stand? I ask you this because ³  you claim that I cast out demons by Beelzebul.

Luke 12:11

12:11 But when they bring you before the synagogues, ⁴  the ⁵  rulers, and the authorities, do not worry about how you should make your defense ⁶  or what you should say,

Luke 12:56

12:56 You hypocrites! ⁷  You know how to interpret the appearance of the earth and the sky, but how can you not know how ⁸  to interpret the present time?

Luke 18:24

18:24 When Jesus noticed this, ⁹  he said, “How hard ¹⁰  it is for the rich to enter the kingdom of God! ¹¹ 

¹ tn Here δέ (de) has been translated as “so” to indicate that the clause that follows is a logical conclusion based on the preceding examples.

² tn This first class condition, the first of three “if” clauses in the following verses, presents the example vividly as if it were so. In fact, all three conditions in these verses are first class. The examples are made totally parallel. The expected answer is that Satan’s kingdom will not stand, so the suggestion makes no sense. Satan would not seek to heal.

³ tn Grk “because.” “I ask you this” is supplied for the sake of English.

⁴ sn The saying looks at persecution both from a Jewish context as the mention of synagogues suggests, and from a Gentile one as the reference to the rulers and the authorities suggests.

⁵ tn Grk “and the,” but καί (kai) has not been translated since English normally uses a coordinating conjunction only between the last two elements in a series of three or more.

⁶ tn Grk “about how or what you should say in your defense,” but this is redundant with the following clause, “or what you should say.”

⁷ sn In Luke, the term hypocrites occurs here, in 6:42, and in 13:15.

⁸ tc Most mss (Ì⁴⁵ A W Ψ Ë^1,13 Ï lat) have a syntax here that reflects a slightly different rhetorical question: “but how do you not interpret the present time?” The reading behind the translation, however, has overall superior support: Ì⁷⁵ א B L Θ 33 892 1241 pc.

¹⁰ tc ‡ The phrase περίλυπον γενόμενον (perilupon genomenon, “[When Jesus saw him] becoming sad”) is found in the majority of mss (A [D] W Θ Ψ 078 ˹³ 33^vid Ï latt sy), and it is not unknown in Lukan style to repeat a word or phrase in adjacent passages (TCGNT 143). However, the phrase is lacking in some significant mss (א B L ˹ 579 1241 2542 co). The shorter reading is nevertheless difficult to explain if it is not original: It is possible that these witnesses omitted this phrase out of perceived redundancy from the preceding verse, although intentional omissions, especially by several and varied witnesses, are generally unlikely. NA²⁷ places the words in brackets, indicating doubts as to their authenticity.

¹¹ sn For the rich it is hard for wealth not to be the point of focus, as the contrast in vv. 28-30 will show, and for rich people to trust God. Wealth was not an automatic sign of blessing as far as Jesus was concerned.

¹² 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.