Discovery BoxLuke 18:20-43
Context18:20 You know the commandments: ‘Do not commit adultery, do not murder, do not steal, do not give false testimony, honor your father and mother.’” 1 18:21 The man 2 replied, “I have wholeheartedly obeyed 3 all these laws 4 since my youth.” 5 18:22 When Jesus heard this, he said to him, “One thing you still lack. Sell all that you have 6 and give the money 7 to the poor, 8 and you will have treasure 9 in heaven. Then 10 come, follow me.” 18:23 But when the man 11 heard this he became very sad, 12 for he was extremely wealthy. 18:24 When Jesus noticed this, 13 he said, “How hard 14 it is for the rich to enter the kingdom of God! 15 18:25 In fact, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle 16 than for a rich person to enter the kingdom of God.” 18:26 Those who heard this said, “Then 17 who can be saved?” 18 18:27 He replied, “What is impossible 19 for mere humans 20 is possible for God.” 18:28 And Peter said, “Look, we have left everything we own 21 to follow you!” 22 18:29 Then 23 Jesus 24 said to them, “I tell you the truth, 25 there is no one who has left home or wife or brothers 26 or parents or children for the sake of God’s kingdom 18:30 who will not receive many times more 27 in this age 28 – and in the age to come, eternal life.” 29
18:31 Then 30 Jesus 31 took the twelve aside and said to them, “Look, we are going up to Jerusalem, 32 and everything that is written about the Son of Man by the prophets will be accomplished. 33 18:32 For he will be handed over 34 to the Gentiles; he will be mocked, 35 mistreated, 36 and spat on. 37 18:33 They will flog him severely 38 and kill him. Yet 39 on the third day he will rise again.” 18:34 But 40 the twelve 41 understood none of these things. This 42 saying was hidden from them, and they did not grasp 43 what Jesus meant. 44
18:35 As 45 Jesus 46 approached 47 Jericho, 48 a blind man was sitting by the road begging. 18:36 When he heard a crowd going by, he asked what was going on. 18:37 They 49 told him, “Jesus the Nazarene is passing by.” 18:38 So 50 he called out, 51 “Jesus, Son of David, 52 have mercy 53 on me!” 18:39 And those who were in front 54 scolded 55 him to get him to be quiet, but he shouted 56 even more, “Son of David, have mercy on me!” 18:40 So 57 Jesus stopped and ordered the beggar 58 to be brought to him. When the man 59 came near, Jesus 60 asked him, 18:41 “What do you want me to do for you?” He replied, 61 “Lord, let me see again.” 62 18:42 Jesus 63 said to him, “Receive 64 your sight; your faith has healed you.” 65 18:43 And immediately he regained 66 his sight and followed Jesus, 67 praising 68 God. When 69 all the people saw it, they too 70 gave praise to God.
[18:20] 1 sn A quotation from Exod 20:12-16 and Deut 5:16-20. Jesus cited the parts of the ten commandments that relate to how others should be treated.
[18:21] 2 tn Grk “And he”; the referent (the ruler mentioned in v. 18) has been specified in the translation for clarity. Here καί (kai) has not been translated because of differences between Greek and English style.
[18:21] 3 tn Grk “kept.” The implication of this verb is that the man has obeyed the commandments without fail throughout his life, so the adverb “wholeheartedly” has been added to the translation to bring out this nuance.
[18:21] 4 tn Grk “these things.” The referent of the pronoun (the laws mentioned by Jesus) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[18:21] 5 sn Since my youth. Judaism regarded the age of thirteen as the age when a man would have become responsible to live by God’s commands.
[18:22] 6 sn See Luke 14:33.
[18:22] 7 tn The words “the money” are not in the Greek text, but are implied. Direct objects were frequently omitted in Greek when clear from the context.
[18:22] 8 sn See Luke 1:50-53; 6:20-23; 14:12-14.
[18:22] 9 sn The call for sacrifice comes with a promise of eternal reward: …you will have treasure in heaven. Jesus’ call is a test to see how responsive the man is to God’s direction through him. Will he walk the path God’s agent calls him to walk? For a rich person who got it right, see Zacchaeus in Luke 19:1-10.
[18:22] 10 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence of events within the conversation.
[18:23] 11 tn Grk “he”; the referent (the man) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[18:23] 12 tn Or “very distressed” (L&N 25.277).
[18:24] 13 tc ‡ The phrase περίλυπον γενόμενον (perilupon genomenon, “[When Jesus saw him] becoming sad”) is found in the majority of
[18:24] 14 sn For the rich it is hard for wealth not to be the point of focus, as the contrast in vv. 28-30 will show, and for rich people to trust God. Wealth was not an automatic sign of blessing as far as Jesus was concerned.
[18:24] 15 sn The kingdom of God is a major theme of Jesus. It is a realm in which Jesus rules and to which those who trust him belong. See Luke 6:20; 11:20; 17:20-21.
[18:25] 16 sn The eye of a needle refers to a sewing needle, one of the smallest items one might deal with on a regular basis, in contrast to the biggest animal of the region. (The gate in Jerusalem known as “The Needle’s Eye” was built during the middle ages and was not in existence in Jesus’ day.) Jesus is saying rhetorically that this is impossible, unless God (v. 27) intervenes.
[18:26] 17 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence of thought.
[18:26] 18 sn The assumption is that the rich are blessed, so if they risk exclusion, who is left to be saved?
[18:27] 19 sn The term impossible is in the emphatic position in the Greek text. God makes the impossible possible.
[18:27] 20 tn The plural Greek term ἄνθρωποις (anqrwpois) is used here in a generic sense, referring to both men and women (cf. NASB 1995 update, “people”). Because of the contrast here between mere mortals and God (“impossible for men…possible for God”) the phrase “mere humans” has been used in the translation.
[18:28] 21 tn Or “left our homes,” “left our possessions”; Grk “left our own things.” The word ἴδιος (idios) can refer to one’s home (including the people and possessions in it) or to one’s property or possessions. Both options are mentioned in BDAG 467 s.v. 4.b. See also I. H. Marshall, Luke (NIGTC), 688; D. L. Bock, Luke (BECNT), 2:1488.
[18:28] 22 tn Grk “We have left everything we own and followed you.” Koine Greek often used paratactic structure when hypotactic was implied.
[18:29] 23 tn Here δέ (de) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence of events within the narrative.
[18:29] 24 tn Grk “he”; the referent (Jesus) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[18:29] 25 tn Grk “Truly (ἀμήν, amhn), I say to you.”
[18:29] 26 tn The term “brothers” could be understood as generic here, referring to either male or female siblings. However, it is noteworthy that in the parallel passages in both Matt 19:29 and Mark 10:29, “sisters” are explicitly mentioned in the Greek text.
[18:30] 27 sn Jesus reassures his disciples with a promise that (1) much benefit in this life (many times more) and (2) eternal life in the age to come will be given.
[18:30] 28 tn Grk “this time” (καιρός, kairos), but for stylistic reasons this has been translated “this age” here.
[18:30] 29 sn Note that Luke (see also Matt 19:29; Mark 10:30; Luke 10:25) portrays eternal life as something one receives in the age to come, unlike John, who emphasizes the possibility of receiving eternal life in the present (John 5:24).
[18:31] 30 tn Here δέ (de) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence of events within the narrative.
[18:31] 31 tn Grk “he”; the referent (Jesus) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[18:31] 32 map For location see Map5 B1; Map6 F3; Map7 E2; Map8 F2; Map10 B3; JP1 F4; JP2 F4; JP3 F4; JP4 F4.
[18:31] 33 tn Or “fulfilled.” Jesus goes to Jerusalem by divine plan as the scripture records (Luke 2:39; 12:50; 22:37; Acts 13:29). See Luke 9:22, 44.
[18:32] 34 sn The passive voice verb be handed over does not indicate by whom, but other passages note the Jewish leadership and betrayal (9:22, 44).
[18:32] 35 sn See Luke 22:63; 23:11, 36.
[18:32] 36 tn Or “and insulted.” L&N 33.390 and 88.130 note ὑβρίζω (Jubrizw) can mean either “insult” or “mistreat with insolence.”
[18:32] 37 sn And spat on. Later Luke does not note this detail in the passion narrative in chaps. 22-23, but see Mark 14:65; 15:19; Matt 26:67; 27:30 where Jesus’ prediction is fulfilled.
[18:33] 38 tn Traditionally, “scourge” (the term means to beat severely with a whip, L&N 19.9). BDAG 620 s.v. μαστιγόω 1. states, “Of the beating (Lat. verberatio) given those condemned to death…J 19:1; cf. Mt 20:19; Mk 10:34; Lk 18:33.” Here the term has been translated “flog…severely” to distinguish it from the term φραγελλόω (fragellow) used in Matt 27:26; Mark 15:15.
[18:33] 39 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “yet” to indicate the contrast present in this context.
[18:34] 40 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “but” to indicate the contrast.
[18:34] 41 tn Grk “they”; the referent (the twelve, v. 31) has been specified in the context for clarity.
[18:34] 42 tn Grk “And this.” Here καί (kai) has not been translated.
[18:34] 43 sn This failure of the Twelve to grasp what Jesus meant probably does not mean that they did not understand linguistically what Jesus said, but that they could not comprehend how this could happen to him, if he was really God’s agent. The saying being hidden probably refers to God’s sovereign timing.
[18:34] 44 tn Grk “the things having been said.” The active agent, Jesus, has been specified for clarity, and “said” has been translated as “meant” to indicate that comprehension of the significance is really in view here.
[18:35] 45 tn Grk “Now it happened that as.” The introductory phrase ἐγένετο (egeneto, “it happened that”), common in Luke (69 times) and Acts (54 times), is redundant in contemporary English and has not been translated.
[18:35] 46 tn Grk “he”; the referent (Jesus) has been supplied in the translation for clarity.
[18:35] 47 tn The phrase is “he drew near to” (19:29; 24:28). It is also possible the term merely means “is in the vicinity of.” Also possible is a reversal in the timing of the healing and Zacchaeus events for literary reasons as the blind man “sees” where the rich man with everything did not.
[18:35] 48 map For location see Map5 B2; Map6 E1; Map7 E1; Map8 E3; Map10 A2; Map11 A1.
[18:37] 49 tn Here δέ (de) has not been translated. “They” could refer to bystanders or people in the crowd.
[18:38] 50 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “so” to indicate the implied result of the blind man learning that Jesus was nearby.
[18:38] 51 tn Grk “called out, saying.” The participle λέγων (legwn) is redundant in contemporary English and has not been translated.
[18:38] 52 sn Jesus was more than a Nazarene to this blind person, who saw quite well that Jesus was Son of David. He understood what Luke 7:22-23 affirms. There was a tradition in Judaism that the Son of David (Solomon) had great powers of healing (Josephus, Ant. 8.2.5 [8.42-49]).
[18:38] 53 sn Have mercy on me is a request for healing (cf. 17:13). It is not owed the man. He simply asks for God’s kind grace.
[18:39] 54 sn That is, those who were at the front of the procession.
[18:39] 55 tn Or “rebuked.” The crowd’s view was that surely Jesus would not be bothered with someone as unimportant as a blind beggar.
[18:39] 56 sn Public opinion would not sway the blind man from getting Jesus’ attention. The term shouted is strong as it can be used of animal cries.
[18:40] 57 tn Here δέ (de) has been translated as “so” to indicate the implied result of the beggar’s cries.
[18:40] 58 tn Grk “ordered him”; the referent (the blind beggar, v. 35) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[18:40] 59 tn Grk “he”; the referent (the beggar) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[18:40] 60 tn Grk “he”; the referent (Jesus) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[18:41] 62 tn Grk “Lord, that I may see [again].” The phrase can be rendered as an imperative of request, “Please, give me sight.” Since the man is not noted as having been blind from birth (as the man in John 9 was) it is likely the request is to receive back the sight he once had.
[18:42] 63 tn Here καί (kai) has not been translated because of differences between Greek and English style.
[18:42] 64 tn Or “Regain” (see the note on the phrase “let me see again” in the previous verse).
[18:42] 65 tn Grk “has saved you,” but in a nonsoteriological sense; the man has been delivered from his disability.
[18:43] 66 tn Or “received” (see the note on the phrase “let me see again” in v. 41).
[18:43] 67 tn Grk “him”; the referent (Jesus) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[18:43] 68 sn The presence of God’s work leads again to joy, with both the beggar and the people praising God (1:64; 2:20; 5:25-26; 7:16; 13:13; 17:15; 19:37).
[18:43] 69 tn Here καί (kai) has not been translated because of differences between Greek and English style.
[18:43] 70 tn The word “too” has been supplied for stylistic reasons.
