1 John 4:10

4:10 In this ¹  is love: not that ²  we have loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the atoning sacrifice ³  for our sins.

Luke 4:18

4:18 “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me,

because he has anointed ⁴  me to proclaim good news ⁵  to the poor. ⁶ 

He has sent me ⁷  to proclaim release ⁸  to the captives

and the regaining of sight ⁹  to the blind,

to set free ¹⁰  those who are oppressed, ¹¹ 

John 5:23

5:23 so that all people ¹²  will honor the Son just as they honor the Father. The one who does not honor the Son does not honor the Father who sent him.

John 6:29

6:29 Jesus replied, ¹³  “This is the deed ¹⁴  God requires ¹⁵  – to believe in the one whom he ¹⁶  sent.”

John 8:29

8:29 And the one who sent me is with me. He has not left me alone, ¹⁷  because I always do those things that please him.”

John 8:42

8:42 Jesus replied, ¹⁸  “If God were your Father, you would love me, for I have come from God and am now here. ¹⁹  I ²⁰  have not come on my own initiative, ²¹  but he ²²  sent me.

[4:10]  ¹ tn Once again there is the (by now familiar) problem of determining whether the referent of this phrase (1) precedes or (2) follows. Here there are two ὅτι (Joti) clauses which follow, both of which are epexegetical to the phrase ἐν τούτῳ (en toutw) and explain what the love of God consists of: first, stated negatively, “not that we have loved God,” and then positively, “but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the atoning sacrifice for our sins.”

[4:10]  ² tn The two ὅτι (Joti) clauses are epexegetical to the phrase ἐν τούτῳ (en toutw) which begins the verse.

[4:10]  ³ sn As explained at 2:2, inherent in the meaning of the word translated atoning sacrifice (ἱλασμός, Jilasmos) is the idea of turning away the divine wrath, so that “propitiation” is the closest English equivalent. God’s love for us is expressed in his sending his Son to be the propitiation (the propitiatory sacrifice) for our sins on the cross. This is an indirect way for the author to allude to one of the main points of his controversy with the opponents: the significance for believers’ salvation of Jesus’ earthly life and ministry, including especially his sacrificial death on the cross. The contemporary English “atoning sacrifice” communicates this idea more effectively.

[4:18]  ⁴ sn The phrase he has anointed me is an allusion back to Jesus’ baptism in Luke 3:21-22.

[4:18]  ⁵ tn Grk “to evangelize,” “to preach the gospel.”

[4:18]  ⁶ sn The poor is a key term in Luke. It refers to the pious poor and indicates Jesus’ desire to reach out to those the world tends to forget or mistreat. It is like 1:52 in force and also will be echoed in 6:20 (also 1 Pet 2:11-25). Jesus is commissioned to do this.

[4:18]  ⁷ tc The majority of mss, especially the later Byzantines, include the phrase “to heal the brokenhearted” at this point (A Θ Ψ 0102 ˹ Ï). The phrase is lacking in several weighty mss (א B D L W Ξ Ë¹³ 33 579 700 892* pc lat sy^s co), including representatives from both the Alexandrian and Western texttypes. From the standpoint of external evidence, the omission of the phrase is more likely original. When internal evidence is considered, the shorter reading becomes almost certain. Scribes would be much more prone to add the phrase here to align the text with Isa 61:1, the source of the quotation, than to remove it from the original.

[4:18]  ⁸ sn The release in view here is comprehensive, both at a physical level and a spiritual one, as the entire ministry of Jesus makes clear (Luke 1:77-79; 7:47; 24:47; Acts 2:38; 5:31; 10:43).

[4:18]  ⁹ sn Again, as with the previous phrase, regaining of sight may well mean more than simply miraculously restoring physical sight, which itself pictures a deeper reality (Luke 1:77-79; 18:35-43).

[4:18]  ¹⁰ sn The essence of Jesus’ messianic work is expressed in the phrase to set free. This line from Isa 58 says that Jesus will do what the nation had failed to do. It makes the proclamation messianic, not merely prophetic, because Jesus doesn’t just proclaim the message – he brings the deliverance. The word translated set free is the same Greek word (ἄφεσις, afesi") translated release earlier in the verse.

[4:18]  ¹¹ sn Again, as with the previous phrases, oppressed may well mean more than simply political or economic oppression, but a deeper reality of oppression by sin (Luke 1:77-79; 18:35-43).

[5:23]  ¹² tn Grk “all.” The word “people” is not in the Greek text but is supplied for stylistic reasons and for clarity (cf. KJV “all men”).

[6:29]  ¹³ tn Grk “answered and said to them.”

[6:29]  ¹⁴ tn Grk “the work.”

[6:29]  ¹⁵ tn Grk “This is the work of God.”

[6:29]  ¹⁶ tn Grk “that one” (i.e., God).

[8:29]  ¹⁷ tn That is, “he has not abandoned me.”

[8:42]  ¹⁸ tn Grk “Jesus said to them.”

[8:42]  ¹⁹ tn Or “I came from God and have arrived.”

[8:42]  ²⁰ tn Grk “For I.” Here γάρ (gar) has not been translated.

[8:42]  ²¹ tn Grk “from myself.”

[8:42]  ²² tn Grk “that one” (referring to God).