Acts 2:22

2:22 “Men of Israel, ¹  listen to these words: Jesus the Nazarene, a man clearly attested to you by God with powerful deeds, ²  wonders, and miraculous signs ³  that God performed among you through him, just as you yourselves know –

Matthew 4:23-24

Jesus’ Healing Ministry

4:23 Jesus ⁴  went throughout all of Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, ⁵  preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing all kinds of disease and sickness among the people. 4:24 So a report about him spread throughout Syria. People ⁶  brought to him all who suffered with various illnesses and afflictions, those who had seizures, ⁷  paralytics, and those possessed by demons, ⁸  and he healed them.

Matthew 11:5

11:5 The blind see, the ⁹  lame walk, lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the poor have good news proclaimed to them.

Luke 7:21-23

7:21 At that very time ¹⁰  Jesus ¹¹  cured many people of diseases, sicknesses, ¹²  and evil spirits, and granted ¹³  sight to many who were blind. 7:22 So ¹⁴  he answered them, ¹⁵  “Go tell ¹⁶  John what you have seen and heard: ¹⁷  The blind see, the lame walk, lepers are cleansed, the ¹⁸  deaf hear, the dead are raised, the poor have good news proclaimed to them. 7:23 Blessed is anyone ¹⁹  who takes no offense at me.”

Luke 24:19

24:19 He ²⁰  said to them, “What things?” “The things concerning Jesus the Nazarene,” they replied, “a man ²¹  who, with his powerful deeds and words, proved to be a prophet ²²  before God and all the people;

John 10:32-38

10:32 Jesus said to them, ²³  “I have shown you many good deeds ²⁴  from the Father. For which one of them are you going to stone me?” 10:33 The Jewish leaders ²⁵  replied, ²⁶  “We are not going to stone you for a good deed ²⁷  but for blasphemy, ²⁸  because ²⁹  you, a man, are claiming to be God.” ³⁰ 

10:34 Jesus answered, ³¹  “Is it not written in your law, ‘I said, you are gods’? ³²  10:35 If those people to whom the word of God came were called ‘gods’ (and the scripture cannot be broken), ³³  10:36 do you say about the one whom the Father set apart ³⁴  and sent into the world, ‘You are blaspheming,’ because I said, ‘I am the Son of God’? 10:37 If I do not perform ³⁵  the deeds ³⁶  of my Father, do not believe me. 10:38 But if I do them, even if you do not believe me, believe the deeds, ³⁷  so that you may come to know ³⁸  and understand that I am in the Father and the Father is in me.”

John 18:19-21

Jesus Questioned by Annas

18:19 While this was happening, ³⁹  the high priest questioned Jesus about his disciples and about his teaching. ⁴⁰  18:20 Jesus replied, ⁴¹  “I have spoken publicly to the world. I always taught in the synagogues ⁴²  and in the temple courts, ⁴³  where all the Jewish people ⁴⁴  assemble together. I ⁴⁵  have said nothing in secret. 18:21 Why do you ask me? Ask those who heard what I said. ⁴⁶  They ⁴⁷  know what I said.”

John 18:1

Betrayal and Arrest

18:1 When he had said these things, ⁴⁸  Jesus went out with his disciples across the Kidron Valley. ⁴⁹  There was an orchard ⁵⁰  there, and he and his disciples went into it.

John 2:21-23

2:21 But Jesus ⁵¹  was speaking about the temple of his body. ⁵²  2:22 So after he was raised from the dead, his disciples remembered that he had said this, and they believed the scripture ⁵³  and the saying ⁵⁴  that Jesus had spoken.

Jesus at the Passover Feast

2:23 Now while Jesus ⁵⁵  was in Jerusalem ⁵⁶  at the feast of the Passover, many people believed in his name because they saw the miraculous signs he was doing. ⁵⁷ 

[2:22]  ¹ tn Or “Israelite men,” although this is less natural English. The Greek term here is ἀνήρ (anhr), which only exceptionally is used in a generic sense of both males and females. In this context, it is conceivable that this is a generic usage, although it can also be argued that Peter’s remarks were addressed primarily to the men present, even if women were there.

[2:22]  ² tn Or “miraculous deeds.”

[2:22]  ³ tn Again, the context indicates the miraculous nature of these signs, and this is specified in the translation.

[4:23]  ⁴ tn Grk “And he.”

[4:23]  ⁵ sn Synagogues were places for Jewish prayer and worship, with recognized leadership (cf. Luke 8:41). Though the origin of the synagogue is not entirely clear, it seems to have arisen in the postexilic community during the intertestamental period. A town could establish a synagogue if there were at least ten men. In normative Judaism of the NT period, the OT scripture was read and discussed in the synagogue by the men who were present (see the Mishnah, m. Megillah 3-4; m. Berakhot 2).

[4:24]  ⁶ tn Grk “And they”; “they” is probably an indefinite plural, referring to people in general rather than to the Syrians (cf. v. 25).

[4:24]  ⁷ tn Grk “those who were moonstruck,” possibly meaning “lunatic” (so NAB), although now the term is generally regarded as referring to some sort of seizure disorder such as epilepsy (L&N 23.169; BDAG 919 s.v. σεληνιάζομαι).

[4:24]  ⁸ tn The translation has adopted a different phrase order here than that in the Greek text. The Greek text reads, “People brought to him all who suffered with various illnesses and afflictions, those possessed by demons, epileptics, and paralytics.” Even though it is obvious that four separate groups of people are in view here, following the Greek word order could lead to the misconception that certain people were possessed by epileptics and paralytics. The word order adopted in the translation avoids this problem.

[11:5]  ⁹ 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. Two other conjunctions are omitted in this series.

[7:21]  ¹⁰ tn Grk “In that hour.”

[7:21]  ¹¹ tn Grk “he”; the referent (Jesus) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[7:21]  ¹² tn Grk “and sicknesses,” 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.

[7:21]  ¹³ tn Or “and bestowed (sight) on.”

[7:22]  ¹⁴ tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “so” to indicate the relationship to Jesus’ miraculous cures in the preceding sentence.

[7:22]  ¹⁵ tn Grk “answering, he said to them.” This is redundant in English and has been simplified in the translation to “he answered them.”

[7:22]  ¹⁶ sn The same verb has been translated “inform” in 7:18.

[7:22]  ¹⁷ sn What you have seen and heard. The following activities all paraphrase various OT descriptions of the time of promised salvation: Isa 35:5-6; 26:19; 29:18-19; 61:1. Jesus is answering not by acknowledging a title, but by pointing to the nature of his works, thus indicating the nature of the time.

[7:22]  ¹⁸ 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.

[7:23]  ¹⁹ tn Grk “whoever.”

[24:19]  ²⁰ tn Here καί (kai) has not been translated because of differences between Greek and English style.

[24:19]  ²¹ tn This translates the Greek term ἀνήρ (anhr).

[24:19]  ²² sn The role of Jesus as prophet is a function Luke frequently mentions: 4:25-27; 9:35; 13:31-35.

[10:32]  ²³ tn Grk “Jesus answered them.”

[10:32]  ²⁴ tn Or “good works.”

[10:33]  ²⁵ tn Or “the Jewish authorities”; Grk “the Jews.” Here again the phrase refers to the Jewish leaders. See the notes on the phrase “Jewish people” in v. 19 and “Jewish leaders” in vv. 24, 31.

[10:33]  ²⁶ tn Grk “answered him.”

[10:33]  ²⁷ tn Or “good work.”

[10:33]  ²⁸ sn This is the first time the official charge of blasphemy is voiced openly in the Fourth Gospel (although it was implicit in John 8:59).

[10:33]  ²⁹ tn Grk “and because.”

[10:33]  ³⁰ tn Grk “you, a man, make yourself to be God.”

[10:34]  ³¹ tn Grk “answered them.”

[10:34]  ³² sn A quotation from Ps 82:6. Technically the Psalms are not part of the OT “law” (which usually referred to the five books of Moses), but occasionally the term “law” was applied to the entire OT, as here. The problem in this verse concerns the meaning of Jesus’ quotation from Ps 82:6. It is important to look at the OT context: The whole line reads “I say, you are gods, sons of the Most High, all of you.” Jesus will pick up on the term “sons of the Most High” in 10:36, where he refers to himself as the Son of God. The psalm was understood in rabbinic circles as an attack on unjust judges who, though they have been given the title “gods” because of their quasi-divine function of exercising judgment, are just as mortal as other men. What is the argument here? It is often thought to be as follows: If it was an OT practice to refer to men like the judges as gods, and not blasphemy, why did the Jewish authorities object when this term was applied to Jesus? This really doesn’t seem to fit the context, however, since if that were the case Jesus would not be making any claim for “divinity” for himself over and above any other human being – and therefore he would not be subject to the charge of blasphemy. Rather, this is evidently a case of arguing from the lesser to the greater, a common form of rabbinic argument. The reason the OT judges could be called gods is because they were vehicles of the word of God (cf. 10:35). But granting that premise, Jesus deserves much more than they to be called God. He is the Word incarnate, whom the Father sanctified and sent into the world to save the world (10:36). In light of the prologue to the Gospel of John, it seems this interpretation would have been most natural for the author. If it is permissible to call men “gods” because they were the vehicles of the word of God, how much more permissible is it to use the word “God” of him who is the Word of God?

[10:35]  ³³ sn The parenthetical note And the scripture cannot be broken belongs to Jesus’ words rather than the author’s. Not only does Jesus appeal to the OT to defend himself against the charge of blasphemy, but he also adds that the scripture cannot be “broken.” In this context he does not explain precisely what is meant by “broken,” but it is not too hard to determine. Jesus’ argument depended on the exact word used in the context of Ps 82:6. If any other word for “judge” had been used in the psalm, his argument would have been meaningless. Since the scriptures do use this word in Ps 82:6, the argument is binding, because they cannot be “broken” in the sense of being shown to be in error.

[10:36]  ³⁴ tn Or “dedicated.”

[10:37]  ³⁵ tn Or “do.”

[10:37]  ³⁶ tn Or “works.”

[10:38]  ³⁷ tn Or “works.”

[10:38]  ³⁸ tn Or “so that you may learn.”

[18:19]  ³⁹ tn The introductory phrase “While this was happening” is not in the Greek text. It has been supplied in the translation to clarify the alternation of scenes in the narrative for the modern reader.

[18:19]  ⁴⁰ sn The nature of this hearing seems to be more that of a preliminary investigation; certainly normal legal procedure was not followed, for no indication is given that any witnesses were brought forth at this point to testify against Jesus. True to what is known of Annas’ character, he was more interested in Jesus’ disciples than in the precise nature of Jesus’ teaching, since he inquired about the followers first. He really wanted to know just how influential Jesus had become and how large a following he had gathered. This was of more concern to Annas that the truth or falsity of Jesus’ teaching.

[18:20]  ⁴¹ tn Grk “Jesus answered him.”

[18:20]  ⁴² sn See the note on synagogue in 6:59.

[18:20]  ⁴³ tn Grk “in the temple.”

[18:20]  ⁴⁴ tn Grk “the Jews.” Here the phrase refers to the Jewish people generally, for whom the synagogues and the temple courts in Jerusalem were important public gathering places. See also the note on the phrase “Jewish religious leaders” in v. 12.

[18:20]  ⁴⁵ tn Grk “And I.” The conjunction καί (kai, “and”) has not been translated here in keeping with the tendency of contemporary English style to use shorter sentences.

[18:21]  ⁴⁶ tn Grk “Ask those who heard what I said to them.” The words “to them” are not translated since they are redundant in English.

[18:21]  ⁴⁷ tn Grk “Look, these know what I said.”

[18:1]  ⁴⁸ sn When he had said these things appears to be a natural transition at the end of the Farewell Discourse (the farewell speech of Jesus to his disciples in John 13:31-17:26, including the final prayer in 17:1-26). The author states that Jesus went out with his disciples, a probable reference to their leaving the upper room where the meal and discourse described in chaps. 13-17 took place (although some have seen this only as a reference to their leaving the city, with the understanding that some of the Farewell Discourse, including the concluding prayer, was given en route, cf. 14:31). They crossed the Kidron Valley and came to a garden, or olive orchard, identified in Matt 26:36 and Mark 14:32 as Gethsemane. The name is not given in Luke’s or John’s Gospel, but the garden must have been located somewhere on the lower slopes of the Mount of Olives.

[18:1]  ⁴⁹ tn Grk “the wadi of the Kidron,” or “the ravine of the Kidron” (a wadi is a stream that flows only during the rainy season and is dry during the dry season).

[18:1]  ⁵⁰ tn Or “a garden.”

[2:21]  ⁵¹ tn Grk “that one”; the referent (Jesus) has been specified in the translation for clarity. This Greek term is frequently used as a way of referring to Jesus in the Johannine letters (cf. 1 John 2:6; 3:3, 5, 7, 16; 4:17).

[2:21]  ⁵² tn The genitive “of his body” (τοῦ σώματος αὐτοῦ, tou swmato" autou) is a genitive of apposition, clarifying which temple Jesus was referring to. Thus, Jesus not only was referring to his physical resurrection, but also to his participation in the resurrection process. The New Testament thus records the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit as all performing the miracle of Christ's resurrection.

[2:22]  ⁵³ sn They believed the scripture is probably an anaphoric reference to Ps 69:9 (69:10 LXX), quoted in John 2:17 above. Presumably the disciples did not remember Ps 69:9 on the spot, but it was a later insight.

[2:22]  ⁵⁴ tn Or “statement”; Grk “word.”

[2:23]  ⁵⁵ tn Grk “he”; the referent (Jesus) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[2:23]  ⁵⁶ map For location see Map5 B1; Map6 F3; Map7 E2; Map8 F2; Map10 B3; JP1 F4; JP2 F4; JP3 F4; JP4 F4.

[2:23]  ⁵⁷ sn Because they saw the miraculous signs he was doing. The issue here is not whether their faith was genuine or not, but what its object was. These individuals, after seeing the miracles, believed Jesus to be the Messiah. They most likely saw in him a political-eschatological figure of some sort. That does not, however, mean that their concept of “Messiah” was the same as Jesus’ own, or the author’s.