12:8 “I 11 tell you, whoever acknowledges 12 me before men, 13 the Son of Man will also acknowledge 14 before God’s angels.
1:1 Now 15 many have undertaken to compile an account 16 of the things 17 that have been fulfilled 18 among us,
1:48 because he has looked upon the humble state of his servant. 19
For 20 from now on 21 all generations will call me blessed, 22
‘The Lord said to my 23 lord,
“Sit at my right hand,
5:33 Then 29 they said to him, “John’s 30 disciples frequently fast 31 and pray, 32 and so do the disciples of the Pharisees, 33 but yours continue to eat and drink.” 34
1 tn Here δέ (de) has not been translated.
2 tn Or “could not remain unnoticed” (see L&N 28.83).
3 tn Because of the length and complexity of the Greek sentence, a new sentence was started here in the translation. The order of the clauses in the remainder of the verse has been rearranged to reflect contemporary English style.
4 tn Grk “told for what reason.”
5 tn Grk “your house.”
6 tn Or “describe.”
7 sn Jesus instructs the man to declare what God has done for him, in contrast to the usual instructions (e.g., 8:56; 9:21) to remain silent. Here in Gentile territory Jesus allowed more open discussion of his ministry. D. L. Bock (Luke [BECNT], 1:781) suggests that with few Jewish religious representatives present, there would be less danger of misunderstanding Jesus’ ministry as political.
8 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “so” to indicate the man’s response to Jesus’ instructions.
9 tn Or “city.”
10 sn Note that the man could not separate what God had done from the one through whom God had done it (what Jesus had done for him). This man was called to witness to God’s goodness at home.
9 tn Here δέ (de) has not been translated.
10 tn Or “confesses.”
11 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.
12 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.
13 tn Grk “Since” or “Because.” This begins a long sentence that extends through v. 4. Because of the length and complexity of the Greek sentence and the tendency of contemporary English style to use shorter sentences, the Greek sentence has been divided up into shorter English sentences in the translation.
14 tn This is sometimes translated “narrative,” but the term itself can refer to an oral or written account. It is the verb “undertaken” which suggests a written account, since it literally is “to set one’s hand” to something (BDAG 386 s.v. ἐπιχειρέω). “Narrative” is too specific, denoting a particular genre of work for the accounts that existed in the earlier tradition. Not all of that material would have been narrative.
15 tn Or “events.”
16 tn Or “have been accomplished.” Given Luke’s emphasis on divine design (e.g., Luke 24:43-47) a stronger sense (“fulfilled”) is better than a mere reference to something having taken place (“accomplished”).
17 tn See the note on the word “servant” in v. 38.
18 tn Grk “for behold.”
19 sn From now on is a favorite phrase of Luke’s, showing how God’s acts change things from this point on (5:10; 12:52; 22:18, 69; Acts 18:6).
20 sn Mary is seen here as an example of an object of God’s grace (blessed) for all generations.
21 sn The Lord said to my Lord. With David being the speaker, this indicates his respect for his descendant (referred to as my Lord). Jesus was arguing, as the ancient exposition assumed, that the passage is about the Lord’s anointed. The passage looks at an enthronement of this figure and a declaration of honor for him as he takes his place at the side of God. In Jerusalem, the king’s palace was located to the right of the temple to indicate this kind of relationship. Jesus was pressing the language here to get his opponents to reflect on how great Messiah is.
25 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “so” to indicate the implied result of the disciples’ inability to believe in Jesus’ resurrection.
26 tn Grk “O,” an interjection used both in address and emotion (BDAG 1101 s.v. 1).
27 tn The word “people” is not in the Greek text, but is supplied to complete the interjection.
28 sn The rebuke is for failure to believe the promise of scripture, a theme that will appear in vv. 43-47 as well.
29 tn On the syntax of this infinitival construction, see BDAG 364-65 s.v. ἐπί 6.b.
29 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence of events within the narrative.
30 tc Most
31 sn John’s disciples and the disciples of the Pharisees followed typical practices with regard to fasting and prayer. Many Jews fasted regularly (Lev 16:29-34; 23:26-32; Num 29:7-11). The zealous fasted twice a week on Monday and Thursday.
32 tn Grk “and offer prayers,” but this idiom (δέησις + ποιέω) is often simply a circumlocution for praying.
33 sn See the note on Pharisees in 5:17.
34 tn Grk “but yours are eating and drinking.” The translation “continue to eat and drink” attempts to reflect the progressive or durative nature of the action described, which in context is a practice not limited to the specific occasion at hand (the banquet).
33 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “now” to indicate the parenthetical nature of the comment by the author.
34 sn See the note on tax collectors in 3:12.
35 tn Or “vindicated God”; Grk “justified God.” This could be expanded to “vindicated and responded to God.” The point is that God’s goodness and grace as evidenced in the invitation to John was justified and responded to by the group one might least expect, tax collector and sinners. They had more spiritual sensitivity than others. The contrastive response is clear from v. 30.
36 tn The participle βαπτισθέντες (baptisqente") has been translated as a causal adverbial participle.
37 sn A quotation from Isa 56:7.
38 tn Or “a hideout” (see L&N 1.57).
39 sn A quotation from Jer 7:11. The meaning of Jesus’ statement about making the temple courts a den of robbers probably operates here at two levels. Not only were the religious leaders robbing the people financially, but because of this they had also robbed them spiritually by stealing from them the opportunity to come to know God genuinely. It is possible that these merchants had recently been moved to this location for convenience.
41 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “but” to indicate the contrast present in this context.
42 tn Grk “he”; the referent (Jesus) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
43 tn Grk “before men.” The contrast is between outward appearance (“in people’s eyes”) and inward reality (“God knows your hearts”). Here the Greek term ἄνθρωπος (anqrwpo") is used twice in a generic sense, referring to both men and women, but “men” has been retained in the text to provide a strong verbal contrast with “God” in the second half of the verse.
44 tn Or “exalted.” This refers to the pride that often comes with money and position.
45 tn Or “is an abomination,” “is abhorrent” (L&N 25.187).
45 sn Zacchaeus was a penitent man who resolved on the spot to act differently in the face of Jesus’ acceptance of him. In resolving to give half his possessions to the poor, Zacchaeus was not defending himself against the crowd’s charges and claiming to be righteous. Rather as a result of this meeting with Jesus, he was a changed individual. So Jesus could speak of salvation coming that day (v. 9) and of the lost being saved (v. 10).
46 tn This is a first class condition in the Greek text. It virtually confesses fraud.