Luke 12:57

Clear the Debts

12:57 “And ¹  why don’t you judge for yourselves what is right?

Luke 19:36

19:36 As ²  he rode along, they ³  spread their cloaks on the road.

Luke 21:30

21:30 When they sprout leaves, you see ⁴  for yourselves and know that summer is now near.

Luke 2:39

2:39 So ⁵  when Joseph and Mary ⁶  had performed ⁷  everything according to the law of the Lord, ⁸  they returned to Galilee, to their own town ⁹  of Nazareth. ¹⁰ 

Luke 16:4

16:4 I know ¹¹  what to do so that when I am put out of management, people will welcome me into their homes.’ ¹² 

Luke 9:60

9:60 But Jesus ¹³  said to him, “Let the dead bury their own dead, ¹⁴  but as for you, go and proclaim the kingdom of God.” ¹⁵ 

Luke 12:36

12:36 be like people ¹⁶  waiting for their master to come back from the wedding celebration, ¹⁷  so that when he comes and knocks they can immediately open the door for him.

Luke 16:8

16:8 The ¹⁸  master commended the dishonest ¹⁹  manager because he acted shrewdly. ²⁰  For the people ²¹  of this world are more shrewd in dealing with their contemporaries ²²  than the people ²³  of light.

¹ tn Jesus calls for some personal reflection. However, this unit probably does connect to the previous one – thus the translation of δέ (de) here as “And” – to make a good spiritual assessment, thus calling for application to the spiritual, rather than personal, realm.

² tn Here καί (kai) has not been translated because of differences between Greek and English style.

³ tn The disciples initiated this action (since in 19:35 and 37 they are the subject) but the other gospels indicate the crowds also became involved. Thus it is difficult to specify the referent here as “the disciples” or “people.”

³ tn Grk “seeing for yourselves, you know.” The participle βλέποντες (bleponte") has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.

⁴ tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “so” to indicate the conclusion of the topic.

⁵ tn Grk “when they”; the referents (Joseph and Mary) have been specified in the translation for clarity.

⁶ tn Or “completed.”

⁷ sn On the phrase the law of the Lord see Luke 2:22-23.

⁸ tn Or “city.”

⁹ map For location see Map1-D3; Map2-C2; Map3-D5; Map4-C1; Map5-G3.

⁵ tn This is a dramatic use of the aorist and the verse is left unconnected to the previous verse by asyndeton, giving the impression of a sudden realization.

⁶ sn Thinking ahead, the manager develops a plan to make people think kindly of him (welcome me into their homes).

⁶ tn Grk “he”; the referent (Jesus) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

⁷ sn There are several options for the meaning of Jesus’ reply Leave the dead to bury their own dead: (1) Recent research suggests that burial customs in the vicinity of Jerusalem from about 20 b.c. to a.d. 70 involved a reinterment of the bones a year after the initial burial, once the flesh had rotted away. At that point the son would have placed his father’s bones in a special box known as an ossuary to be set into the wall of the tomb. Thus Jesus could well be rebuking the man for wanting to wait around for as much as a year before making a commitment to follow him. In 1st century Jewish culture, to have followed Jesus rather than burying one’s father would have seriously dishonored one’s father (cf. Tobit 4:3-4). (2) The remark is an idiom (possibly a proverbial saying) that means, “The matter in question is not the real issue,” in which case Jesus was making a wordplay on the wording of the man’s (literal) request (see L&N 33.137). (3) This remark could be a figurative reference to various kinds of people, meaning, “Let the spiritually dead bury the dead.” (4) It could also be literal and designed to shock the hearer by the surprise of the contrast. Whichever option is preferred, it is clear that the most important priority is to preach the gospel (proclaim the kingdom of God).

⁸ 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.

⁷ tn That is, like slaves (who are mentioned later, vv. 37-38), although the term ἀνθρώποις (anqrwpoi") is used here. Since in this context it appears generic rather than gender-specific, the translation “people” is employed.

⁸ sn An ancient wedding celebration could last for days (Tob 11:18).

⁸ tn Grk “And the.” Here καί (kai) has not been translated because of differences between Greek and English style.

⁹ sn Is the manager dishonest because of what he just did? Or is it a reference to what he had done earlier, described in v. 1? This is a difficult question, but it seems unlikely that the master, having fired the man for prior dishonesty, would now commend those same actions. It would also be unusual for Jesus to make that point of the story the example. Thus it is more likely the reference to dishonesty goes back to the earliest events, while the commendation is for the cleverness of the former manager reflected in vv. 5-7.

¹⁰ sn Where this parable ends is debated: Does it conclude with v. 7, after v. 8a, after v. 8b, or after v. 9? Verse 8a looks as if it is still part of the story, with its clear reference to the manager, while 8b looks like Jesus’ application, since its remarks are more general. So it is most likely the parable stops after v. 8a.

¹¹ tn Grk “sons” (an idiom).

¹² tn Grk “with their own generation.”

¹³ tn Grk “sons.” Here the phrase “sons of light” is a reference to the righteous. The point is that those of the world often think ahead about consequences better than the righteous do.