Luke 11:26

11:26 Then it goes and brings seven other spirits more evil than itself, and they go in and live there, so ¹  the last state of that person ²  is worse than the first.” ³ 

Luke 13:19

13:19 It is like a mustard seed ⁴  that a man took and sowed ⁵  in his garden. It ⁶  grew and became a tree, ⁷  and the wild birds ⁸  nested in its branches.” ⁹ 

Luke 15:20

15:20 So ¹⁰  he got up and went to his father. But while he was still a long way from home ¹¹  his father saw him, and his heart went out to him; ¹²  he ran and hugged ¹³  his son ¹⁴  and kissed him.

Luke 18:13

18:13 The tax collector, however, stood ¹⁵  far off and would not even look up ¹⁶  to heaven, but beat his breast and said, ‘God, be merciful ¹⁷  to me, sinner that I am!’ ¹⁸ 

[11:26]  ¹ tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “so” to indicate the concluding point of the story.

[11:26]  ² tn Grk “man.” This is a generic use of ἄνθρωπος (anqrwpo"), referring to both males and females.

[11:26]  ³ sn The point of the story is that to fail to respond is to risk a worse fate than when one started.

[13:19]  ⁴ sn The mustard seed was noted for its tiny size.

[13:19]  ⁵ tn Grk “threw.”

[13:19]  ⁶ tn Grk “garden, and it.” 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.

[13:19]  ⁷ sn Calling the mustard plant a tree is rhetorical hyperbole, since technically it is not one. This plant could be one of two types of mustard popular in Palestine and would be either 10 or 25 ft (3 or 7.5 m) tall.

[13:19]  ⁸ tn Grk “the birds of the sky” or “the birds of the heaven”; the Greek word οὐρανός (ouranos) may be translated either “sky” or “heaven,” depending on the context. The idiomatic expression “birds of the sky” refers to wild birds as opposed to domesticated fowl (cf. BDAG 809 s.v. πετεινόν).

[13:19]  ⁹ sn The point of the parable seems to be that while the kingdom of God may appear to have insignificant and unnoticeable beginnings (i.e., in the ministry of Jesus), it will someday (i.e., at the second advent) be great and quite expansive. The kingdom, however, is not to be equated with the church, but rather the church is an expression of the kingdom. Also, there is important OT background in the image of the mustard seed that grew and became a tree: Ezek 17:22-24 pictures the reemergence of the Davidic house where people can find calm and shelter. Like the mustard seed, it would start out small but grow to significant size.

[15:20]  ⁷ tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “so” to indicate the result of the son’s decision to return home. Greek style often begins sentences or clauses with “and,” but English style generally does not.

[15:20]  ⁸ tn Grk “a long way off from [home].” The word “home” is implied (L&N 85.16).

[15:20]  ⁹ tn Or “felt great affection for him,” “felt great pity for him.”

[15:20]  ¹⁰ tn Grk “he fell on his neck,” an idiom for showing special affection for someone by throwing one’s arms around them. The picture is of the father hanging on the son’s neck in welcome.

[15:20]  ¹¹ tn Grk “him”; the referent (the son) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[18:13]  ¹⁰ tn Grk “standing”; the Greek participle has been translated as a finite verb.

[18:13]  ¹¹ tn Grk “even lift up his eyes” (an idiom).

[18:13]  ¹² tn The prayer is a humble call for forgiveness. The term for mercy (ἱλάσκομαι, Jilaskomai) is associated with the concept of a request for atonement (BDAG 473-74 s.v. 1; Ps 51:1, 3; 25:11; 34:6, 18).

[18:13]  ¹³ tn Grk “the sinner.” The tax collector views himself not just as any sinner but as the worst of all sinners. See ExSyn 222-23.