Luke 12:25

12:25 And which of you by worrying ¹  can add an hour to his life? ² 

Luke 18:26

18:26 Those who heard this said, “Then ³  who can be saved?” ⁴ 

Luke 6:39

6:39 He also told them a parable: “Someone who is blind cannot lead another who is blind, can he? ⁵  Won’t they both fall ⁶  into a pit?

Luke 14:27

14:27 Whoever does not carry his own cross ⁷  and follow ⁸  me cannot be my disciple.

Luke 14:33

14:33 In the same way therefore not one of you can be my disciple if he does not renounce all his own possessions. ⁹ 

Luke 3:8

3:8 Therefore produce ¹⁰  fruit ¹¹  that proves your repentance, and don’t begin to say ¹²  to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham as our father.’ ¹³  For I tell you that God can raise up children for Abraham from these stones! ¹⁴ 

Luke 5:21

5:21 Then ¹⁵  the experts in the law ¹⁶  and the Pharisees began to think ¹⁷  to themselves, ¹⁸  “Who is this man ¹⁹  who is uttering blasphemies? ²⁰  Who can forgive sins but God alone?”

Luke 16:13

16:13 No servant can serve two masters, for either he will hate ²¹  the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise ²²  the other. You cannot serve God and money.” ²³ 

Luke 14:26

14:26 “If anyone comes to me and does not hate ²⁴  his own father and mother, and wife and children, and brothers and sisters, and even his own life, ²⁵  he cannot be my disciple.

[12:25]  ¹ tn Or “by being anxious.”

[12:25]  ² tn Or “a cubit to his height.” A cubit (πῆχυς, phcu") can measure length (normally about 45 cm or 18 inches) or time (a small unit, “hour” is usually used [BDAG 812 s.v.] although “day” has been suggested [L&N 67.151]). The term ἡλικία (Jhlikia) is ambiguous in the same way as πῆχυς. Most scholars take the term to describe age or length of life here, although a few refer it to bodily stature (see BDAG 435-36 s.v. 1.a for discussion). Worry about length of life seems a more natural figure than worry about height. However, the point either way is clear: Worrying adds nothing to life span or height.

[18:26]  ³ tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence of thought.

[18:26]  ⁴ sn The assumption is that the rich are blessed, so if they risk exclusion, who is left to be saved?

[6:39]  ⁵ tn Questions prefaced with μή (mh) in Greek anticipate a negative answer. This can sometimes be indicated by using a “tag” at the end in English (here it is “can he?”).

[6:39]  ⁶ sn The picture of a blind man leading a blind man is a warning to watch who one follows: Won’t they both fall into a pit? The sermon has been about religious choices and reacting graciously to those who oppose the followers of Jesus. Here Jesus’ point was to be careful who you follow and where they are taking you.

[14:27]  ⁷ sn It was customary practice in a Roman crucifixion for the prisoner to be made to carry his own cross. Jesus is speaking figuratively here in the context of rejection. If the priority is not one’s allegiance to Jesus, then one will not follow him in the face of possible rejection; see Luke 9:23.

[14:27]  ⁸ tn Grk “and come after.” In combination with the verb ἔρχομαι (ercomai) the improper preposition ὀπίσω (opisw) means “follow.”

[14:33]  ⁹ tn Grk “Likewise therefore every one of you who does not renounce all his own possessions cannot be my disciple.” The complex double negation is potentially confusing to the modern reader and has been simplified in the translation. See L&N 57.70.

[3:8]  ¹¹ tn The verb here is ποιέω (poiew; see v. 4).

[3:8]  ¹² tn Grk “fruits.” The plural Greek term καρπούς has been translated with the collective singular “fruit” (so NIV; cf. Matt 3:8 where the singular καρπός is found). Some other translations render the plural καρπούς as “fruits” (e.g., NRSV, NASB, NAB, NKJV).

[3:8]  ¹³ tn In other words, “do not even begin to think this.”

[3:8]  ¹⁴ sn We have Abraham as our father. John’s warning to the crowds really assumes two things: (1) A number of John’s listeners apparently believed that simply by their physical descent from Abraham, they were certain heirs of the promises made to the patriarch, and (2) God would never judge his covenant people lest he inadvertently place the fulfillment of his promises in jeopardy. In light of this, John tells these people two things: (1) they need to repent and produce fruit in keeping with repentance, for only that saves from the coming wrath, and (2) God will raise up “children for Abraham from these stones” if he wants to. Their disobedience will not threaten the realization of God’s sovereign purposes.

[3:8]  ¹⁵ sn The point of the statement God is able from these stones to raise up children to Abraham is that ancestry or association with a tradition tied to the great founder of the Jewish nation is not an automatic source of salvation.

[5:21]  ¹³ tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence of events within the narrative.

[5:21]  ¹⁴ 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]  ¹⁵ tn Or “to reason” (in a hostile sense). See G. Schrenk, TDNT 2:97.

[5:21]  ¹⁶ tn The participle λέγοντες (legontes, “saying”) has not been translated because it is redundant in contemporary English.

[5:21]  ¹⁷ tn Grk “this one” (οὗτος, Joutos).

[5:21]  ¹⁸ 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.

[16:13]  ¹⁵ sn The contrast between hate and love here is rhetorical. The point is that one will choose the favorite if a choice has to be made.

[16:13]  ¹⁶ tn Or “and treat [the other] with contempt.”

[16:13]  ¹⁷ tn Grk “God and mammon.” This is the same word (μαμωνᾶς, mamwnas; often merely transliterated as “mammon”) translated “worldly wealth” in vv. 9, 11.

[14:26]  ¹⁷ tn This figurative use operates on a relative scale. God is to be loved more than family or self.

[14:26]  ¹⁸ tn Grk “his own soul,” but ψυχή (yuch) is frequently used of one’s physical life. It clearly has that meaning in this context.