Luke 12:37

12:37 Blessed are those slaves ¹  whom their master finds alert ²  when he returns! I tell you the truth, ³  he will dress himself to serve, ⁴  have them take their place at the table, ⁵  and will come ⁶  and wait on them! ⁷ 

Luke 17:7-9

17:7 “Would any one of you say ⁸  to your slave ⁹  who comes in from the field after plowing or shepherding sheep, ‘Come at once and sit down for a meal’? ¹⁰  17:8 Won’t ¹¹  the master ¹²  instead say to him, ‘Get my dinner ready, and make yourself ready ¹³  to serve me while ¹⁴  I eat and drink. Then ¹⁵  you may eat and drink’? 17:9 He won’t thank the slave because he did what he was told, ¹⁶  will he? ¹⁷ 

Matthew 20:28

20:28 just as the Son of Man did not come to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom ¹⁸  for many.”

John 13:5-16

13:5 He poured water into the washbasin and began to wash the disciples’ feet and to dry them with the towel he had wrapped around himself. ¹⁹ 

13:6 Then he came to Simon Peter. Peter ²⁰  said to him, “Lord, are you going to wash ²¹  my feet?” 13:7 Jesus replied, ²²  “You do not understand ²³  what I am doing now, but you will understand ²⁴  after these things.” 13:8 Peter said to him, “You will never wash my feet!” ²⁵  Jesus replied, ²⁶  “If I do not wash you, you have no share with me.” ²⁷  13:9 Simon Peter said to him, “Lord, wash ²⁸  not only my feet, but also my hands and my head!” 13:10 Jesus replied, ²⁹  “The one who has bathed needs only to wash his feet, ³⁰  but is completely ³¹  clean. ³²  And you disciples ³³  are clean, but not every one of you.” 13:11 (For Jesus ³⁴  knew the one who was going to betray him. For this reason he said, “Not every one of you is ³⁵  clean.”) ³⁶ 

13:12 So when Jesus ³⁷  had washed their feet and put his outer clothing back on, he took his place at the table ³⁸  again and said to them, “Do you understand ³⁹  what I have done for you? 13:13 You call me ‘Teacher’ and ‘Lord,’ and do so correctly, ⁴⁰  for that is what I am. ⁴¹  13:14 If I then, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you too ought to wash one another’s feet. 13:15 For I have given you an example ⁴²  – you should do just as I have done for you. 13:16 I tell you the solemn truth, ⁴³  the slave ⁴⁴  is not greater than his master, nor is the one who is sent as a messenger ⁴⁵  greater than the one who sent him.

John 13:2

13:2 The evening meal ⁴⁶  was in progress, and the devil had already put into the heart ⁴⁷  of Judas Iscariot, Simon’s son, that he should betray ⁴⁸  Jesus. ⁴⁹ 

Colossians 1:9

Paul’s Prayer for the Growth of the Church

1:9 For this reason we also, from the day we heard about you, ⁵⁰  have not ceased praying for you and asking God ⁵¹  to fill ⁵²  you with the knowledge of his will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding,

Philippians 2:7-8

2:7 but emptied himself

by taking on the form of a slave, ⁵³ 

by looking like other men, ⁵⁴ 

and by sharing in human nature. ⁵⁵ 

2:8 He humbled himself,

by becoming obedient to the point of death

– even death on a cross!

[12:37]  ¹ tn See the note on the word “slave” in 7:2.

[12:37]  ² tn Or “watching”; Grk “awake,” but in context this is not just being awake but alert and looking out.

[12:37]  ³ tn Grk “Truly (ἀμήν, amhn), I say to you.”

[12:37]  ⁴ tn See v. 35 (same verb).

[12:37]  ⁵ tn Grk “have them recline at table,” as 1st century middle eastern meals were not eaten while sitting at a table, but while reclining on one’s side on the floor with the head closest to the low table and the feet farthest away.

[12:37]  ⁶ tn The participle παρελθών (parelqwn) has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.

[12:37]  ⁷ sn He…will come and wait on them is a reversal of expectation, but shows that what Jesus asks for he is willing to do as well; see John 13:5 and 15:18-27, although those instances merely foreshadow what is in view here.

[17:7]  ⁸ tn Grk “Who among you, having a slave… would say to him.”

[17:7]  ⁹ tn See the note on the word “slave” in 7:2.

[17:7]  ¹⁰ tn Grk “and recline at table,” as 1st century middle eastern meals were not eaten while sitting at a table, but while reclining on one’s side on the floor with the head closest to the low table and the feet farthest away. See BDAG 70 s.v. ἀναπίπτω 1.

[17:8]  ¹¹ tn The question includes a Greek particle, οὐχί (ouci), that expects a positive reply. The slave is expected to prepare a meal before eating himself.

[17:8]  ¹² tn Grk “he”; the referent has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[17:8]  ¹³ tn Grk “and gird yourself” (with an apron or towel, in preparation for service).

[17:8]  ¹⁴ tn BDAG 423 s.v. ἕως 2.b, “to denote contemporaneousness as long as, while… w. subjunctive… Lk 17:8.”

[17:8]  ¹⁵ tn Grk “after these things.”

[17:9]  ¹⁶ tn Grk “did what was commanded.”

[17:9]  ¹⁷ tn The Greek construction anticipates a negative reply which is indicated in the translation by the ‘tag’ at the end, “will he?” Thanks are not required.

[20:28]  ¹⁸ sn The Greek word for ransom (λύτρον, lutron) is found here and in Mark 10:45 and refers to the payment of a price in order to purchase the freedom of a slave. The idea of Jesus as the “ransom” is that he paid the price with his own life by standing in our place as a substitute, enduring the judgment that we deserved for sin.

[13:5]  ¹⁹ tn Grk “with the towel with which he was girded.”

[13:6]  ²⁰ tn Grk “He”; the referent (Peter) is specified in the translation for clarity.

[13:6]  ²¹ tn Grk “do you wash” or “are you washing.”

[13:7]  ²² tn Grk “answered and said to him.”

[13:7]  ²³ tn Grk “You do not know.”

[13:7]  ²⁴ tn Grk “you will know.”

[13:8]  ²⁵ tn Grk “You will never wash my feet forever.” The negation is emphatic in Greek but somewhat awkward in English. Emphasis is conveyed in the translation by the use of an exclamation point.

[13:8]  ²⁶ tn Grk “Jesus answered him.”

[13:8]  ²⁷ tn Or “you have no part in me.”

[13:9]  ²⁸ tn The word “wash” is not in the Greek text, but is implied. Here it is supplied to improve the English style by making Peter’s utterance a complete sentence.

[13:10]  ²⁹ tn Grk “Jesus said to him.”

[13:10]  ³⁰ tn Grk “has no need except to wash his feet.”

[13:10]  ³¹ tn Or “entirely.”

[13:10]  ³² sn The one who has bathed needs only to wash his feet. A common understanding is that the “bath” Jesus referred to is the initial cleansing from sin, which necessitates only “lesser, partial” cleansings from sins after conversion. This makes a fine illustration from a homiletic standpoint, but is it the meaning of the passage? This seems highly doubtful. Jesus stated that the disciples were completely clean except for Judas (vv. 10b, 11). What they needed was to have their feet washed by Jesus. In the broader context of the Fourth Gospel, the significance of the foot-washing seems to point not just to an example of humble service (as most understand it), but something more – Jesus’ self-sacrificial death on the cross. If this is correct, then the foot-washing which they needed to undergo represented their acceptance of this act of self-sacrifice on the part of their master. This makes Peter’s initial abhorrence of the act of humiliation by his master all the more significant in context; it also explains Jesus’ seemingly harsh reply to Peter (above, v. 8; compare Matt 16:21-23 where Jesus says to Peter, “Get behind me, Satan”).

[13:10]  ³³ tn The word “disciples” is supplied in English to clarify the plural Greek pronoun and verb. Peter is not the only one Jesus is addressing here.

[13:11]  ³⁴ tn Grk “he”; the referent (Jesus) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[13:11]  ³⁵ tn Grk “Not all of you are.”

[13:11]  ³⁶ sn This is a parenthetical note by the author.

[13:12]  ³⁷ tn Grk “he”; the referent (Jesus) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[13:12]  ³⁸ tn Grk “he reclined at the table.” The phrase reflects the normal 1st century Near Eastern practice of eating a meal in a semi-reclining position.

[13:12]  ³⁹ tn Grk “Do you know.”

[13:13]  ⁴⁰ tn Or “rightly.”

[13:13]  ⁴¹ tn Grk “and I am these things.”

[13:15]  ⁴² sn I have given you an example. Jesus tells his disciples after he has finished washing their feet that what he has done is to set an example for them. In the previous verse he told them they were to wash one another’s feet. What is the point of the example? If it is simply an act of humble service, as most interpret the significance, then Jesus is really telling his disciples to serve one another in humility rather than seeking preeminence over one another. If, however, the example is one of self-sacrifice up to the point of death, then Jesus is telling them to lay down their lives for one another (cf. 15:13).

[13:16]  ⁴³ tn Grk “Truly, truly, I say to you.”

[13:16]  ⁴⁴ tn See the note on the word “slaves” in 4:51.

[13:16]  ⁴⁵ tn Or “nor is the apostle” (“apostle” means “one who is sent” in Greek).

[13:2]  ⁴⁶ tn Or “Supper.” To avoid possible confusion because of different regional English usage regarding the distinction between “dinner” and “supper” as an evening meal, the translation simply refers to “the evening meal.”

[13:2]  ⁴⁷ sn At this point the devil had already put into the heart of Judas Iscariot, Simon’s son, that he should betray Jesus. C. K. Barrett (St. John, 365) thought this was a reference to the idea entering the devil’s own heart, but this does not seem likely. It is more probable that Judas’ heart is meant, since the use of the Greek article (rather than a possessive pronoun) is a typical idiom when a part of one’s own body is indicated. Judas’ name is withheld until the end of the sentence for dramatic effect (emphasis). This action must be read in light of 13:27, and appears to refer to a preliminary idea or plan.

[13:2]  ⁴⁸ tn Or “that he should hand over.”

[13:2]  ⁴⁹ tn Grk “betray him”; the referent (Jesus) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[1:9]  ⁵⁰ tn Or “heard about it”; Grk “heard.” There is no direct object stated in the Greek (direct objects were frequently omitted in Greek when clear from the context). A direct object is expected by an English reader, however, so most translations supply one. Here, however, it is not entirely clear what the author “heard”: a number of translations supply “it” (so KJV, NASB, NRSV; NAB “this”), but this could refer back either to (1) “your love in the Spirit” at the end of v. 8, or (2) “your faith in Christ Jesus and the love that you have for all the saints” (v. 4). In light of this uncertainty, other translations supply “about you” (TEV, NIV, CEV, NLT). This is preferred by the present translation since, while it does not resolve the ambiguity entirely, it does make it less easy for the English reader to limit the reference only to “your love in the Spirit” at the end of v. 8.

[1:9]  ⁵¹ tn The term “God” does not appear in the Greek text, but the following reference to “the knowledge of his will” makes it clear that “God” is in view as the object of the “praying and asking,” and should therefore be included in the English translation for clarity.

[1:9]  ⁵² tn The ἵνα (Jina) clause has been translated as substantival, indicating the content of the prayer and asking. The idea of purpose may also be present in this clause.

[2:7]  ⁵³ tn See the note on the word “slaves” in 1:1.

[2:7]  ⁵⁴ tn Grk “by coming in the likeness of people.”

[2:7]  ⁵⁵ tn Grk “and by being found in form as a man.” The versification of vv. 7 and 8 (so also NRSV) is according to the versification in the NA²⁷ and UBS⁴ editions of the Greek text. Some translations, however, break the verses in front of this phrase (NKJV, NASB, NIV, NLT). The same material has been translated in each case; the only difference is the versification of that material.