John 5:16

Responding to Jewish Leaders

5:16 Now because Jesus was doing these things ¹  on the Sabbath, the Jewish leaders ²  began persecuting ³  him.

John 7:32

7:32 The Pharisees ⁴  heard the crowd ⁵  murmuring these things about Jesus, ⁶  so the chief priests and the Pharisees sent officers ⁷  to arrest him. ⁸ 

John 8:59

8:59 Then they picked up ⁹  stones to throw at him, ¹⁰  but Jesus hid himself and went out from the temple area. ¹¹ 

John 10:31

10:31 The Jewish leaders ¹²  picked up rocks again to stone him to death.

John 11:57

11:57 (Now the chief priests and the Pharisees ¹³  had given orders that anyone who knew where Jesus ¹⁴  was should report it, so that they could arrest ¹⁵  him.) ¹⁶ 

John 13:16

13:16 I tell you the solemn truth, ¹⁷  the slave ¹⁸  is not greater than his master, nor is the one who is sent as a messenger ¹⁹  greater than the one who sent him.

Matthew 10:24

10:24 “A disciple is not greater than his teacher, nor a slave ²⁰  greater than his master.

Luke 2:34

2:34 Then ²¹  Simeon blessed them and said to his mother Mary, “Listen carefully: ²²  This child ²³  is destined to be the cause of the falling and rising ²⁴  of many in Israel and to be a sign that will be rejected. ²⁵ 

Luke 6:40

6:40 A disciple ²⁶  is not greater than ²⁷  his teacher, but everyone when fully trained will be like his teacher.

Acts 4:27-30

4:27 “For indeed both Herod and Pontius Pilate, with the Gentiles and the people of Israel, assembled together in this city against ²⁸  your holy servant Jesus, whom you anointed, ²⁹  4:28 to do as much as your power ³⁰  and your plan ³¹  had decided beforehand ³²  would happen. 4:29 And now, Lord, pay attention to ³³  their threats, and grant ³⁴  to your servants ³⁵  to speak your message ³⁶  with great courage, ³⁷  4:30 while you extend your hand to heal, and to bring about miraculous signs ³⁸  and wonders through the name of your holy servant Jesus.”

Acts 7:52-60

7:52 Which of the prophets did your ancestors ³⁹  not persecute? ⁴⁰  They ⁴¹  killed those who foretold long ago the coming of the Righteous One, ⁴²  whose betrayers and murderers you have now become! ⁴³  7:53 You ⁴⁴  received the law by decrees given by angels, ⁴⁵  but you did not obey ⁴⁶  it.” ⁴⁷ 

Stephen is Killed

7:54 When they heard these things, they became furious ⁴⁸  and ground their teeth ⁴⁹  at him. 7:55 But Stephen, ⁵⁰  full ⁵¹  of the Holy Spirit, looked intently ⁵²  toward heaven and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing ⁵³  at the right hand of God. 7:56 “Look!” he said. ⁵⁴  “I see the heavens opened, and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God!” 7:57 But they covered their ears, ⁵⁵  shouting out with a loud voice, and rushed at him with one intent. 7:58 When ⁵⁶  they had driven him out of the city, they began to stone him, ⁵⁷  and the witnesses laid their cloaks ⁵⁸  at the feet of a young man named Saul. 7:59 They ⁵⁹  continued to stone Stephen while he prayed, “Lord Jesus, receive my spirit!” 7:60 Then he fell ⁶⁰  to his knees and cried out with a loud voice, “Lord, do not hold this sin against them!” ⁶¹  When ⁶²  he had said this, he died. ⁶³ 

Acts 7:1

Stephen’s Defense Before the Council

7:1 Then the high priest said, “Are these things true?” ⁶⁴ 

Acts 2:15

2:15 In spite of what you think, these men are not drunk, ⁶⁵  for it is only nine o’clock in the morning. ⁶⁶ 

[5:16]  ¹ sn Note the plural phrase these things which seems to indicate that Jesus healed on the Sabbath more than once (cf. John 20:30). The synoptic gospels show this to be true; the incident in 5:1-15 has thus been chosen by the author as representative.

[5:16]  ² tn Or “the Jewish authorities”; Grk “the Jews.” See the note on the phrase “Jewish leaders” in v. 10.

[5:16]  ³ tn Or “harassing.”

[7:32]  ⁴ sn See the note on Pharisees in 1:24.

[7:32]  ⁵ tn Or “The common people” (as opposed to the religious authorities like the Pharisees).

[7:32]  ⁶ tn Grk “him”; the referent (Jesus) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[7:32]  ⁷ tn Or “servants.” The “chief priests and Pharisees” is a comprehensive term for the groups represented in the ruling council (the Sanhedrin) as in John 7:45; 18:3; Acts 5:22, 26. As “servants” or “officers” of the Sanhedrin their representatives should be distinguished from the Levites serving as temple police (perhaps John 7:30 and 44; also John 8:20; 10:39; 19:6; Acts 4:3). Even when performing “police” duties such as here, their “officers” are doing so only as part of their general tasks (see K. H. Rengstorf, TDNT 8:540).

[7:32]  ⁸ tn Grk “to seize him.” In the context of a deliberate attempt by the servants of the chief priests and Pharisees to detain Jesus, the English verb “arrest” conveys the point more effectively.

[8:59]  ⁹ tn Grk “they took up.”

[8:59]  ¹⁰ sn Jesus’ Jewish listeners understood his claim to deity, rejected it, and picked up stones to throw at him for what they considered blasphemy.

[8:59]  ¹¹ tc Most later witnesses (A Θ^c Ë^1,13 Ï) have at the end of the verse “passing through their midst, he went away in this manner” (διελθὼν διὰ μέσου καὶ παρῆγεν οὕτως, dielqwn dia mesou kai parhgen {outw"), while many others have similar permutations (so א^1,2 C L N Ψ 070 33 579 892 1241 al). The wording is similar to two other texts: Luke 4:30 (διελθὼν διὰ μέσου; in several mss αὐτῶν ἐπορεύετο καί [autwn eporeueto kai] is found between this phrase and παρῆγεν, strengthening the parallel with Luke 4:30) and John 9:1 (παρῆγεν; cf. παράγων [paragwn] there). The effect is to signal Jesus’ departure as a miraculous cloaking. As such, the additional statement has all the earmarks of scribal amplification. Further, the best and earliest witnesses (Ì^66,75 א* B D W Θ* lat sa) lack these words, rendering the shorter text virtually certain.

[10:31]  ¹² tn Or “the Jewish authorities”; Grk “the Jews.” Here the phrase refers to the Jewish leaders. See the notes on the phrases “Jewish people” in v. 19 and “Jewish leaders” in v. 24.

[11:57]  ¹³ tn The phrase “chief priests and Pharisees” is a comprehensive name for the groups represented in the ruling council (the Sanhedrin) as in John 7:45; 18:3; Acts 5:22, 26.

[11:57]  ¹⁴ tn Grk “he”; the referent (Jesus) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[11:57]  ¹⁵ tn Or “could seize.”

[11:57]  ¹⁶ sn This is a parenthetical note by the author.

[13:16]  ¹⁷ tn Grk “Truly, truly, I say to you.”

[13:16]  ¹⁸ tn See the note on the word “slaves” in 4:51.

[13:16]  ¹⁹ tn Or “nor is the apostle” (“apostle” means “one who is sent” in Greek).

[10:24]  ²⁰ tn See the note on the word “slave” in 8:9.

[2:34]  ²¹ tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence of events within the narrative.

[2:34]  ²² tn Grk “behold.”

[2:34]  ²³ tn Grk “this one”; the referent (the child) is supplied in the translation for clarity.

[2:34]  ²⁴ sn The phrase the falling and rising of many emphasizes that Jesus will bring division in the nation, as some will be judged (falling) and others blessed (rising) because of how they respond to him. The language is like Isa 8:14-15 and conceptually like Isa 28:13-16. Here is the first hint that Jesus’ coming will be accompanied with some difficulties.

[2:34]  ²⁵ tn Grk “and for a sign of contradiction.”

[6:40]  ²⁶ tn Or “student.”

[6:40]  ²⁷ tn Or “significantly different.” The idea, as the next phrase shows, is that teachers build followers who go the same direction they do.

[4:27]  ²⁸ sn The application of Ps 2:1-2 is that Jews and Gentiles are opposing Jesus. The surprise of the application is that Jews are now found among the enemies of God’s plan.

[4:27]  ²⁹ sn A wordplay on “Christ,” v. 26, which means “one who has been anointed.”

[4:28]  ³⁰ tn Grk “hand,” here a metaphor for God’s strength or power or authority.

[4:28]  ³¹ tn Or “purpose,” “will.”

[4:28]  ³² tn Or “had predestined.” Since the term “predestine” is something of a technical theological term, not in wide usage in contemporary English, the translation “decide beforehand” was used instead (see L&N 30.84). God’s direction remains as the major theme.

[4:29]  ³³ tn Or “Lord, take notice of.”

[4:29]  ³⁴ sn Grant to your servants to speak your message with great courage. The request is not for a stop to persecution or revenge on the opponents, but for boldness (great courage) to carry out the mission of proclaiming the message of what God is doing through Jesus.

[4:29]  ³⁵ tn Grk “slaves.” See the note on the word “servants” in 2:18.

[4:29]  ³⁶ tn Grk “word.”

[4:29]  ³⁷ tn Or “with all boldness.”

[4:30]  ³⁸ tn The miraculous nature of these signs is implied in the context.

[7:52]  ³⁹ tn Or “forefathers”; Grk “fathers.”

[7:52]  ⁴⁰ sn Which…persecute. The rhetorical question suggests they persecuted them all.

[7:52]  ⁴¹ tn Grk “And they.” Because of the difference between Greek style, which often begins sentences or clauses with “and,” and English style, which generally does not, καί (kai) has not been translated here.

[7:52]  ⁴² sn The Righteous One is a reference to Jesus Christ.

[7:52]  ⁴³ sn Whose betrayers and murderers you have now become. The harsh critique has OT precedent (1 Kgs 19:10-14; Neh 9:26; 2 Chr 36:16).

[7:53]  ⁴⁴ tn Grk “whose betrayers and murderers you have now become, who received the law” The two consecutive relative clauses make for awkward English style, so the second was begun as a new sentence with the pronoun “You” supplied in place of the Greek relative pronoun to make a complete sentence in English.

[7:53]  ⁴⁵ tn Traditionally, “as ordained by angels,” but εἰς (eis) with the accusative here should be understood as instrumental (a substitute for ἐν [en]); so BDAG 291 s.v. εἰς 9, BDF §206. Thus the phrase literally means “received the law by the decrees [orders] of angels” with the genitive understood as a subjective genitive, that is, the angels gave the decrees.

[7:53]  ⁴⁶ tn The Greek word φυλάσσω (fulassw, traditionally translated “keep”) in this context connotes preservation of and devotion to an object as well as obedience.

[7:53]  ⁴⁷ tn Or “did not obey it.”

[7:54]  ⁴⁸ tn This verb, which also occurs in Acts 5:33, means “cut to the quick” or “deeply infuriated” (BDAG 235 s.v. διαπρίω).

[7:54]  ⁴⁹ tn Or “they gnashed their teeth.” This idiom is a picture of violent rage (BDAG 184 s.v. βρύχω). See also Ps 35:16.

[7:55]  ⁵⁰ tn Grk “he”; the referent (Stephen) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[7:55]  ⁵¹ tn Grk “being full,” but the participle ὑπάρχων (Juparcwn) has not been translated since it would be redundant in English.

[7:55]  ⁵² tn Grk “looking intently toward heaven, saw.” The participle ἀτενίσας (atenisa") has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.

[7:55]  ⁵³ sn The picture of Jesus standing (rather than seated) probably indicates his rising to receive his child. By announcing his vision, Stephen thoroughly offended his audience, who believed no one could share God’s place in heaven. The phrase is a variation on Ps 110:1.

[7:56]  ⁵⁴ tn Grk “And he said, ‘Look!’” Because of the length of the Greek sentence and the tendency of contemporary English style to use shorter sentences, καί (kai) has not been translated here; a new sentence is begun instead.

[7:57]  ⁵⁵ sn They covered their ears to avoid hearing what they considered to be blasphemy.

[7:58]  ⁵⁶ tn Grk “And when.” Because of the length of the Greek sentence and the tendency of contemporary English style to use shorter sentences, καί (kai) has not been translated here; a new sentence is begun instead.

[7:58]  ⁵⁷ sn They began to stone him. The irony of the scene is that the people do exactly what the speech complains about in v. 52.

[7:58]  ⁵⁸ tn Or “outer garments.”

[7:59]  ⁵⁹ tn Grk “And they.” Because of the length of the Greek sentence and the tendency of contemporary English style to use shorter sentences, καί (kai) has not been translated here; a new sentence is begun instead.

[7:60]  ⁶⁰ tn Grk “Then falling to his knees he cried out.” The participle θείς (qeis) has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.

[7:60]  ⁶¹ sn The remarks Lord Jesus, receive my spirit and Lord, do not hold this sin against them recall statements Jesus made on the cross (Luke 23:34, 46).

[7:60]  ⁶² tn Grk “And when.” Because of the length of the Greek sentence and the tendency of contemporary English style to use shorter sentences, καί (kai) has not been translated here; a new sentence is begun instead.

[7:60]  ⁶³ tn The verb κοιμάω (koimaw) literally means “sleep,” but it is often used in the Bible as a euphemism for the death of a believer.

[7:1]  ⁶⁴ tn Grk “If it is so concerning these things” (see BDAG 422 s.v. ἔχω 10.a for this use).

[2:15]  ⁶⁵ tn Grk “These men are not drunk, as you suppose.”

[2:15]  ⁶⁶ tn Grk “only the third hour.”