Matthew 3:2

3:2 “Repent, 1  for the kingdom of heaven is near.”

Matthew 11:11-12

11:11 “I tell you the truth, 2  among those born of women, no one has arisen greater than John the Baptist. Yet the one who is least 3  in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he is. 11:12 From 4  the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven has suffered violence, and forceful people lay hold of it. 5 

Matthew 21:31

21:31 Which of the two did his father’s will?” They said, “The first.” 6  Jesus said to them, “I tell you the truth, 7  tax collectors 8  and prostitutes will go ahead of you into the kingdom of God!

Matthew 21:43

21:43 For this reason I tell you that the kingdom of God will be taken from you and given to a people 9  who will produce its fruit.

Matthew 23:13

23:13 “But woe to you, experts in the law 10  and you Pharisees, hypocrites! 11  You keep locking people out of the kingdom of heaven! 12  For you neither enter nor permit those trying to enter to go in.

Luke 9:2

9:2 and he sent 13  them out to proclaim 14  the kingdom of God 15  and to heal the sick. 16 

Luke 9:6

9:6 Then 17  they departed and went throughout 18  the villages, proclaiming the good news 19  and healing people everywhere.

Luke 10:9-11

10:9 Heal 20  the sick in that town 21  and say to them, ‘The kingdom of God 22  has come upon 23  you!’ 10:10 But whenever 24  you enter a town 25  and the people 26  do not welcome 27  you, go into its streets 28  and say, 10:11 ‘Even the dust of your town 29  that clings to our feet we wipe off 30  against you. 31  Nevertheless know this: The kingdom of God has come.’ 32 

Acts 10:25

10:25 So when 33  Peter came in, Cornelius met 34  him, fell 35  at his feet, and worshiped 36  him.

Acts 28:31

28:31 proclaiming the kingdom of God and teaching about the Lord Jesus Christ 37  with complete boldness 38  and without restriction. 39 

1 tn Grk “and saying, ‘Repent.’” The participle λέγων (legwn) at the beginning of v. 2 is redundant in English and has not been translated.

2 tn Grk “Truly (ἀμήν, amhn), I say to you.”

3 sn After John comes a shift of eras. The new era is so great that the lowest member of it (the one who is least in the kingdom of God) is greater than the greatest one of the previous era.

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

5 tn Or “the kingdom of heaven is forcibly entered and violent people take hold of it.” For a somewhat different interpretation of this passage, see the note on the phrase “urged to enter in” in Luke 16:16.

6 tc Verses 29-31 involve a rather complex and difficult textual problem. The variants cluster into three different groups: (1) The first son says “no” and later has a change of heart, and the second son says “yes” but does not go. The second son is called the one who does his father’s will. This reading is found in the Western mss (D it). But the reading is so hard as to be nearly impossible. One can only suspect some tampering with the text, extreme carelessness on the part of the scribe, or possibly a recognition of the importance of not shaming one’s parent in public. (Any of these reasons is not improbable with this texttype, and with codex D in particular.) The other two major variants are more difficult to assess. Essentially, the responses make sense (the son who does his father’s will is the one who changes his mind after saying “no”): (2) The first son says “no” and later has a change of heart, and the second son says “yes” but does not go. But here, the first son is called the one who does his father’s will (unlike the Western reading). This is the reading found in (א) C L W (Z) 0102 0281 Ë1 33 Ï and several versional witnesses. (3) The first son says “yes” but does not go, and the second son says “no” but later has a change of heart. This is the reading found in B Θ Ë13 700 and several versional witnesses. Both of these latter two readings make good sense and have significantly better textual support than the first reading. The real question, then, is this: Is the first son or the second the obedient one? If one were to argue simply from the parabolic logic, the second son would be seen as the obedient one (hence, the third reading). The first son would represent the Pharisees (or Jews) who claim to obey God, but do not (cf. Matt 23:3). This accords well with the parable of the prodigal son (in which the oldest son represents the unbelieving Jews). Further, the chronological sequence of the second son being obedient fits well with the real scene: Gentiles and tax collectors and prostitutes were not, collectively, God’s chosen people, but they did repent and come to God, while the Jewish leaders claimed to be obedient to God but did nothing. At the same time, the external evidence is weaker for this reading (though stronger than the first reading), not as widespread, and certainly suspect because of how neatly it fits. One suspects scribal manipulation at this point. Thus the second reading looks to be superior to the other two on both external and transcriptional grounds. But what about intrinsic evidence? One can surmise that Jesus didn’t always give predictable responses. In this instance, he may well have painted a picture in which the Pharisees saw themselves as the first son, only to stun them with his application (v. 32).

7 tn Grk “Truly (ἀμήν, amhn), I say to you.”

8 sn See the note on tax collectors in 5:46.

9 tn Or “to a nation” (so KJV, NASB, NLT).

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

11 tn Grk “Woe to you…because you…” The causal particle ὅτι (Joti) has not been translated here for rhetorical effect (and so throughout this chapter).

12 tn Grk “because you are closing the kingdom of heaven before people.”

13 sn “To send out” is often a term of divine commission in Luke: 1:19; 4:18, 43; 7:27; 9:48; 10:1, 16; 11:49; 13:34; 24:49.

14 tn Or “to preach.”

15 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.

16 sn As Jesus’ own ministry (Luke 4:16-44) involved both word (to proclaim) and deed (to heal) so also would that of the disciples.

17 tn Here δέ (de) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence of events within the narrative.

18 tn This is a distributive use of κατά (kata); see L&N 83:12 where this verse is cited as an example of the usage.

19 tn Or “preaching the gospel.”

20 tn Here καί (kai) has not been translated because of differences between Greek and English style. Because of the length and complexity of the Greek sentence, a new sentence was started here in the translation.

21 tn Grk “in it”; the referent (that town) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

22 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.

23 tn Or “come near to you,” suggesting the approach (but not arrival) of the kingdom. But the combination of the perfect tense of ἐγγίζω (engizw) with the preposition ἐπί (epi) most likely suggests that the sense is “has come upon” (see BDAG 270 s.v. ἐγγίζω 2; W. R. Hutton, “The Kingdom of God Has Come,” ExpTim 64 [Dec 1952]: 89-91; and D. L. Bock, Luke [BECNT], 2:1000; cf. also NAB “is at hand for you”). These passages argue that a key element of the kingdom is its ability to overcome the power of Satan and those elements in the creation that oppose humanity. Confirmation of this understanding comes in v. 18 and in Luke 11:14-23, especially the parable of vv. 21-23.

24 tn Grk “whatever town you enter,” but this is more often expressed in English as “whenever you enter a town.”

25 tn Or “city.”

26 tn Grk “and they”; the referent (the people who live in the town) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

27 sn More discussion takes place concerning rejection (the people do not welcome you), as these verses lead into the condemnation of certain towns for their rejection of God’s kingdom.

28 tn The term πλατεῖα (plateia) refers to the “broad street,” so this refers to the main roads of the town.

29 tn Or “city.”

30 sn See Luke 9:5, where the verb is different but the meaning is the same. This was a sign of rejection.

31 tn Here ὑμῖν (Jumin) has been translated as a dative of disadvantage.

32 tn Or “has come near.” As in v. 9 (see above), the combination of ἐγγίζω (engizw) with the preposition ἐπί (epi) is decisive in showing that the sense is “has come” (see BDAG 270 s.v. ἐγγίζω 2, and W. R. Hutton, “The Kingdom of God Has Come,” ExpTim 64 [Dec 1952]: 89-91).

33 tn Grk “So it happened that when.” The introductory phrase ἐγένετο (egeneto, “it happened that”), common in Luke (69 times) and Acts (54 times), is redundant in contemporary English and has not been translated.

34 tn Grk “meeting him.” The participle συναντήσας (sunanthsa") has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.

35 tn Grk “falling at his feet, worshiped.” The participle πεσών (peswn) has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.

36 sn When Cornelius worshiped Peter, it showed his piety and his respect for Peter, but it was an act based on ignorance, as Peter’s remark in v. 26 indicates.

37 tn Or “Messiah”; both “Christ” (Greek) and “Messiah” (Hebrew and Aramaic) mean “one who has been anointed.”

38 tn Or “openness.”

39 sn Proclaiming…with complete boldness and without restriction. Once again Paul’s imprisonment is on benevolent terms. The word of God is proclaimed triumphantly and boldly in Rome. Acts ends with this note: Despite all the attempts to stop it, the message goes forth.