12:8 “I 1 tell you, whoever acknowledges 2 me before men, 3 the Son of Man will also acknowledge 4 before God’s angels. 12:9 But the one who denies me before men will be denied before God’s angels. 12:10 And everyone who speaks a word against the Son of Man will be forgiven, but the person who blasphemes against the Holy Spirit 5 will not be forgiven. 6 12:11 But when they bring you before the synagogues, 7 the 8 rulers, and the authorities, do not worry about how you should make your defense 9 or what you should say, 12:12 for the Holy Spirit will teach you at that moment 10 what you must say.” 11
12:13 Then 12 someone from the crowd said to him, “Teacher, tell 13 my brother to divide the inheritance with me.” 12:14 But Jesus 14 said to him, “Man, 15 who made me a judge or arbitrator between you two?” 16 12:15 Then 17 he said to them, “Watch out and guard yourself from 18 all types of greed, 19 because one’s life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions.” 12:16 He then 20 told them a parable: 21 “The land of a certain rich man produced 22 an abundant crop, 12:17 so 23 he thought to himself, 24 ‘What should I do, for I have nowhere to store my crops?’ 25 12:18 Then 26 he said, ‘I 27 will do this: I will tear down my barns and build bigger ones, and there I will store all my grain and my goods. 12:19 And I will say to myself, 28 “You have plenty of goods stored up for many years; relax, eat, drink, celebrate!”’ 12:20 But God said to him, ‘You fool! This very night your life 29 will be demanded back from 30 you, but who will get what you have prepared for yourself?’ 31 12:21 So it is with the one who stores up riches for himself, 32 but is not rich toward God.”
12:22 Then 33 Jesus 34 said to his 35 disciples, “Therefore I tell you, do not worry 36 about your 37 life, what you will eat, or about your 38 body, what you will wear. 12:23 For there is more to life than food, and more to the body than clothing. 12:24 Consider the ravens: 39 They do not sow or reap, they have no storeroom or barn, yet God feeds 40 them. How much more valuable are you than the birds!
1 tn Here δέ (de) has not been translated.
2 tn Or “confesses.”
3 tn Although this is a generic reference and includes both males and females, in this context “men” has been retained because of the wordplay with the Son of Man and the contrast with the angels. The same is true of the occurrence of “men” in v. 9.
4 sn This acknowledgment will take place at the judgment. Of course, the Son of Man is a reference to Jesus as it has been throughout the Gospel. On Jesus and judgment, see 22:69; Acts 10:42-43; 17:31.
5 sn Blasphemy against the Holy Spirit probably refers to a total rejection of the testimony that the Spirit gives to Jesus and the plan of God. This is not so much a sin of the moment as of one’s entire life, an obstinate rejection of God’s message and testimony. Cf. Matt 12:31-32 and Mark 3:28-30.
6 tn Grk “it will not be forgiven the person who blasphemes against the Holy Spirit.”
9 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.
10 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.
11 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.”
13 tn Grk “in that very hour” (an idiom).
14 tn Grk “what it is necessary to say.”
17 tn Here δέ (de) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence of events within the narrative.
18 sn Tell my brother. In 1st century Jewish culture, a figure like a rabbi was often asked to mediate disputes, except that here mediation was not requested, but representation.
21 tn Grk “he”; the referent (Jesus) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
22 tn This term of address can be harsh or gentle depending on the context (BDAG 82 s.v. ἄνθρωπος 8). Here it is a rebuke.
23 tn The pronoun ὑμᾶς (Jumas) is plural, referring to both the man and his brother; thus the translation “you two.”
25 tn Here δέ (de) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence of events within the narrative.
26 tn See L&N 13.154 for this use of the middle voice of φυλάσσω (fulassw) in this verse.
27 tn Or “avarice,” “covetousness.” Note the warning covers more than money and gets at the root attitude – the strong desire to acquire more and more possessions and experiences.
29 tn Grk “And he.” Here δέ (de) has been translated as “then” to indicate the connection to the preceding statement.
30 tn Grk “a parable, saying.” The participle λέγων (legwn) is redundant in contemporary English and has not been translated here.
31 tn Or “yielded a plentiful harvest.”
33 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “so” to indicate that this is a result of the preceding statement.
34 tn Grk “to himself, saying.” The participle λέγων (legwn) is redundant in contemporary English and has not been translated here.
35 sn I have nowhere to store my crops. The thinking here is prudent in terms of recognizing the problem. The issue in the parable will be the rich man’s solution, particularly the arrogance reflected in v. 19.
37 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence of events within the narrative.
38 sn Note how often the first person pronoun is present in these verses. The farmer is totally self absorbed.
41 tn Grk “to my soul,” which is repeated as a vocative in the following statement, but is left untranslated as redundant.
45 tn Grk “your soul,” but ψυχή (yuch) is frequently used of one’s physical life. It clearly has that meaning in this context.
46 tn Or “required back.” This term, ἀπαιτέω (apaitew), has an economic feel to it and is often used of a debt being called in for repayment (BDAG 96 s.v. 1).
47 tn Grk “the things you have prepared, whose will they be?” The words “for yourself” are not in the Greek text, but are implied.
49 sn It is selfishness that is rebuked here, in the accumulation of riches for himself. Recall the emphasis on the first person pronouns throughout the parable.
53 tn Here δέ (de) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence of events within the narrative. Jesus’ remarks to the disciples are an application of the point made in the previous parable.
54 tn Grk “he”; the referent (Jesus) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
55 tc αὐτοῦ (autou, “his”) is lacking in Ì45vid,75 B 1241 c e. Although the addition of clarifying pronouns is a known scribal alteration, in this case it is probably better to view the dropping of the pronoun as the alteration in light of its minimal attestation.
56 tn Or “do not be anxious.”
57 tc Most
58 tc Some
57 tn Or “crows.” Crows and ravens belong to the same family of birds. English uses “crow” as a general word for the family. Palestine has several indigenous members of the crow family.
58 tn Or “God gives them food to eat.” L&N 23.6 has both “to provide food for” and “to give food to someone to eat.”