John 4:29

4:29 “Come, see a man who told me everything I ever did. Surely he can’t be the Messiah, ¹  can he?” ² 

Luke 12:57

Clear the Debts

12:57 “And ³  why don’t you judge for yourselves what is right?

Luke 12:1

Fear God, Not People

12:1 Meanwhile, ⁴  when many thousands of the crowd had gathered so that they were trampling on one another, Jesus ⁵  began to speak first to his disciples, “Be on your guard against ⁶  the yeast of the Pharisees, ⁷  which is hypocrisy. ⁸ 

Luke 5:21

5:21 Then ⁹  the experts in the law ¹⁰  and the Pharisees began to think ¹¹  to themselves, ¹²  “Who is this man ¹³  who is uttering blasphemies? ¹⁴  Who can forgive sins but God alone?”

[4:29]  ¹ tn Grk “the Christ” (both Greek “Christ” and Hebrew and Aramaic “Messiah” mean “one who has been anointed”). Although the Greek text reads χριστός (cristos) here, it is more consistent based on 4:25 (where Μεσσίας [Messias] is the lead term and is qualified by χριστός) to translate χριστός as “Messiah” here.

[4:29]  ² tn The use of μήτι (mhti) normally presupposes a negative answer. This should not be taken as an indication that the woman did not believe, however. It may well be an example of “reverse psychology,” designed to gain a hearing for her testimony among those whose doubts about her background would obviate her claims.

[12:57]  ³ tn Jesus calls for some personal reflection. However, this unit probably does connect to the previous one – thus the translation of δέ (de) here as “And” – to make a good spiritual assessment, thus calling for application to the spiritual, rather than personal, realm.

[12:1]  ⁴ tn The phrase ἐν οἷς (en Jois) can be translated “meanwhile.”

[12:1]  ⁵ tn Grk “he”; the referent (Jesus) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[12:1]  ⁶ tn According to L&N 27.59, “to pay attention to, to keep on the lookout for, to be alert for, to be on your guard against.” This is another Lukan present imperative calling for constant vigilance.

[12:1]  ⁷ sn See the note on Pharisees in 5:17.

[12:1]  ⁸ sn The pursuit of popularity can lead to hypocrisy, if one is not careful.

[5:21]  ⁹ tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence of events within the narrative.

[5:21]  ¹⁰ tn Or “Then the scribes.” The traditional rendering of γραμματεύς (grammateu") as “scribe” does not communicate much to the modern English reader, for whom the term might mean “professional copyist,” if it means anything at all. The people referred to here were recognized experts in the law of Moses and in traditional laws and regulations. Thus “expert in the law” comes closer to the meaning for the modern reader.

[5:21]  ¹¹ tn Or “to reason” (in a hostile sense). See G. Schrenk, TDNT 2:97.

[5:21]  ¹² tn The participle λέγοντες (legontes, “saying”) has not been translated because it is redundant in contemporary English.

[5:21]  ¹³ tn Grk “this one” (οὗτος, Joutos).

[5:21]  ¹⁴ sn Uttering blasphemies 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.