Mark 2:7

2:7 “Why does this man speak this way? He is blaspheming! ¹  Who can forgive sins but God alone?”

Mark 2:16

2:16 When the experts in the law ²  and the Pharisees ³  saw that he was eating with sinners and tax collectors, they said to his disciples, “Why does he eat with tax collectors and sinners?” ⁴ 

Matthew 7:3-5

7:3 Why ⁵  do you see the speck ⁶  in your brother’s eye, but fail to see ⁷  the beam of wood ⁸  in your own? 7:4 Or how can you say ⁹  to your brother, ‘Let me remove the speck from your eye,’ while there is a beam in your own? 7:5 You hypocrite! First remove the beam from your own eye, and then you can see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye.

Matthew 15:2-3

15:2 “Why do your disciples disobey the tradition of the elders? For they don’t wash their ¹⁰  hands when they eat.” ¹¹  15:3 He answered them, ¹²  “And why do you disobey the commandment of God because of your tradition?

Matthew 23:23-24

23:23 “Woe to you, experts in the law ¹³  and you Pharisees, hypocrites! You give a tenth ¹⁴  of mint, dill, and cumin, ¹⁵  yet you neglect what is more important in the law – justice, mercy, and faithfulness! You ¹⁶  should have done these things without neglecting the others. 23:24 Blind guides! You strain out a gnat yet swallow a camel! ¹⁷ 

Hebrews 12:3

12:3 Think of him who endured such opposition against himself by sinners, so that you may not grow weary in your souls and give up.

¹ sn Blaspheming meant to say something that dishonored God. To claim divine prerogatives or claim to speak for God when one really does not would be such an act of offense. The remark raised directly the issue of the nature of Jesus’ ministry.

² tn Or “the scribes.” See the note on the phrase “experts in the law” in 1:22.

³ sn Pharisees were members of one of the most important and influential religious and political parties of Judaism in the time of Jesus. There were more Pharisees than Sadducees (according to Josephus, Ant. 17.2.4 [17.42] there were more than 6,000 Pharisees at about this time). Pharisees differed with Sadducees on certain doctrines and patterns of behavior. The Pharisees were strict and zealous adherents to the laws of the OT and to numerous additional traditions such as angels and bodily resurrection.

⁴ sn The issue here is inappropriate associations. Jews were very careful about personal associations and contact as a matter of ritual cleanliness. Their question borders on an accusation that Jesus is ritually unclean.

⁵ tn Here δέ (de) has not been translated.

⁶ sn The term translated speck refers to a small piece of wood, chaff, or straw; see L&N 3.66.

⁷ tn Or “do not notice.”

⁸ sn The term beam of wood refers to a very big piece of wood, the main beam of a building, in contrast to the speck in the other’s eye (L&N 7.78).

⁹ tn Grk “how will you say?”

¹⁰ tc ‡ Although most witnesses read the genitive plural pronoun αὐτῶν (autwn, “their”), it may have been motivated by clarification (as it is in the translation above). Several other authorities do not have the pronoun, however (א B Δ 073 ˹ 579 700 892 1424 pc f g¹); the lack of an unintentional oversight as the reason for omission strengthens their combined testimony in this shorter reading. NA²⁷ has the pronoun in brackets, indicating doubts as to its authenticity.

¹¹ tn Grk “when they eat bread.”

¹² tn Grk “But answering, he said to them.”

¹³ tn Or “scribes.” See the note on the phrase “experts in the law” in 2:4.

¹⁴ tn Or “you tithe mint.”

¹⁵ sn Cumin (alternately spelled cummin) was an aromatic herb native to the Mediterranean region. Its seeds were used for seasoning.

¹⁶ tc ‡ Many witnesses (B C K L W Δ 0102 33 565 892 pm) have δέ (de, “but”) after ταῦτα (tauta, “these things”), while many others lack it (א D Γ Θ Ë^1,13 579 700 1241 1424 pm). Since asyndeton was relatively rare in Koine Greek, the conjunction may be an intentional alteration, and is thus omitted from the present translation. NA²⁷ includes the word in brackets, indicating doubts as to its authenticity.

¹⁷ tn Grk “Blind guides who strain out a gnat yet who swallow a camel!”