Luke 14:30

14:30 They will say, ¹  ‘This man ²  began to build and was not able to finish!’ ³ 

Luke 17:18

17:18 Was no one found to turn back and give praise to God except this foreigner?” ⁴ 

Luke 23:38

23:38 There was also an inscription ⁵  over him, “This is the king of the Jews.”

Luke 23:52

23:52 He went to Pilate and asked for the body ⁶  of Jesus.

[14:30]  ¹ tn Grk “make fun of him, saying.”

[14:30]  ² sn The phrase this man is often used in Luke in a derogatory sense; see “this one” and expressions like it in Luke 5:21; 7:39; 13:32; 23:4, 14, 22, 35.

[14:30]  ³ sn The failure to finish the building project leads to embarrassment (in a culture where avoiding public shame was extremely important). The half completed tower testified to poor preparation and planning.

[17:18]  ⁴ sn Jesus’ point in calling the man a foreigner is that none of the other nine, who were presumably Israelites, responded with gratitude. Only the “outsiders” were listening and responding.

[23:38]  ⁷ sn Mention of the inscription is an important detail, because the inscription would normally give the reason for the execution. It shows that Jesus was executed for claiming to be a king. It was also probably written with irony from the executioners’ point of view.

[23:52]  ¹⁰ sn Joseph went to Pilate and asked for the body because he sought to give Jesus an honorable burial. This was indeed a bold move on the part of Joseph of Arimathea, for it clearly and openly identified him with a man who had just been condemned and executed, namely, Jesus. His faith is exemplary, especially for someone who was a member of the council that handed Jesus over for crucifixion (cf. Mark 15:43).