Luke 3:16

3:16 John answered them all, ¹  “I baptize you with water, ²  but one more powerful than I am is coming – I am not worthy ³  to untie the strap ⁴  of his sandals. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire. ⁵ 

Luke 5:24

5:24 But so that you may know ⁶  that the Son of Man ⁷  has authority on earth to forgive sins” – he said to the paralyzed man ⁸  – “I tell you, stand up, take your stretcher ⁹  and go home.” ¹⁰ 

Luke 8:24-25

8:24 They ¹¹  came ¹²  and woke him, saying, “Master, Master, ¹³  we are about to die!” So ¹⁴  he got up and rebuked ¹⁵  the wind and the raging waves; ¹⁶  they died down, and it was calm. 8:25 Then ¹⁷  he said to them, “Where is your faith?” ¹⁸  But they were afraid and amazed, ¹⁹  saying to one another, “Who then is this? He commands even the winds and the water, ²⁰  and they obey him!”

Luke 11:29

The Sign of Jonah

11:29 As ²¹  the crowds were increasing, Jesus ²²  began to say, “This generation is a wicked generation; it looks for a sign, ²³  but no sign will be given to it except the sign of Jonah. ²⁴ 

Luke 18:13

18:13 The tax collector, however, stood ²⁵  far off and would not even look up ²⁶  to heaven, but beat his breast and said, ‘God, be merciful ²⁷  to me, sinner that I am!’ ²⁸ 

[3:16]  ¹ tn Grk “answered them all, saying.” The participle λέγων (legwn) is redundant and has not been translated.

[3:16]  ² tc A few mss (C D 892 1424 pc it ) add εἰς μετάνοιαν (ei" metanoian, “for repentance”). Although two of the mss in support are early and important, it is an obviously motivated reading to add clarification, probably representing a copyist’s attempt to harmonize Luke’s version with Matt 3:11.

[3:16]  ³ tn Grk “of whom I am not worthy.”

[3:16]  ⁴ tn The term refers to the leather strap or thong used to bind a sandal. This is often viewed as a collective singular and translated as a plural, “the straps of his sandals,” but it may be more emphatic to retain the singular here.

[3:16]  ⁵ sn With the Holy Spirit and fire. There are differing interpretations for this phrase regarding the number of baptisms and their nature. (1) Some see one baptism here, and this can be divided further into two options. (a) The baptism of the Holy Spirit and fire could refer to the cleansing, purifying work of the Spirit in the individual believer through salvation and sanctification, or (b) it could refer to two different results of Christ’s ministry: Some accept Christ and are baptized with the Holy Spirit, but some reject him and receive judgment. (2) Other interpreters see two baptisms here: The baptism of the Holy Spirit refers to the salvation Jesus brings at his first advent, in which believers receive the Holy Spirit, and the baptism of fire refers to the judgment Jesus will bring upon the world at his second coming. One must take into account both the image of fire and whether individual or corporate baptism is in view. A decision is not easy on either issue. The image of fire is used to refer to both eternal judgment (e.g., Matt 25:41) and the power of the Lord’s presence to purge and cleanse his people (e.g., Isa 4:4-5). The pouring out of the Spirit at Pentecost, a fulfillment of this prophecy no matter which interpretation is taken, had both individual and corporate dimensions. It is possible that since Holy Spirit and fire are governed by a single preposition in Greek, the one-baptism view may be more likely, but this is not certain. Simply put, there is no consensus view in scholarship at this time on the best interpretation of this passage.

[5:24]  ⁶ sn Now Jesus put the two actions together. The walking of the man would be proof (so that you may know) that his sins were forgiven and that God had worked through Jesus (i.e., the Son of Man).

[5:24]  ⁷ sn The term Son of Man, which is a title in Greek, comes from a pictorial description in Dan 7:13 of one “like a son of man” (i.e., a human being). It is Jesus’ favorite way to refer to himself. Jesus did not reveal the background of the term here, which mixes human and divine imagery as the man in Daniel rides a cloud, something only God does. He just used it. It also could be an idiom in Aramaic meaning either “some person” or “me.” So there is a little ambiguity in its use here, since its origin is not clear at this point. However, the action makes it clear that Jesus used it to refer to himself here.

[5:24]  ⁸ tn Grk “to the one who was paralyzed”; the Greek participle is substantival and has been simplified to a simple adjective and noun in the translation.

[5:24]  ⁹ tn This word, κλινίδιον (klinidion), is the same as the one used in v. 19. In this context it may be translated “stretcher” (see L&N 6.107).

[5:24]  ¹⁰ tn Grk “to your house.”

[8:24]  ¹¹ tn Here δέ (de) has not been translated.

[8:24]  ¹² tn The participle προσελθόντες (proselqonte") has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.

[8:24]  ¹³ tn The double vocative shows great emotion.

[8:24]  ¹⁴ tn Here δέ (de) has been translated as “so” to indicate the connection to the preceding events.

[8:24]  ¹⁵ tn Or “commanded” (often with the implication of a threat, L&N 33.331).

[8:24]  ¹⁶ sn Who has authority over the seas and winds is discussed in the OT: Ps 104:3; 135:7; 107:23-30. When Jesus rebuked the wind and the raging waves he was making a statement about who he was.

[8:25]  ¹⁶ tn Here δέ (de) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence of events within the narrative.

[8:25]  ¹⁷ sn “Where is your faith?” The call is to trust God and realize that those who exercise faith can trust in his care.

[8:25]  ¹⁸ sn The combination of fear and respect (afraid and amazed) shows that the disciples are becoming impressed with the great power at work in Jesus, a realization that fuels their question. For a similar reaction, see Luke 5:9.

[8:25]  ¹⁹ sn Jesus’ authority over creation raised a question for the disciples about who he was exactly (“Who then is this?”). This verse shows that the disciples followed Jesus even though they did not know all about him yet.

[11:29]  ²¹ tn Here δέ (de) has not been translated.

[11:29]  ²² tn Grk “he”; the referent (Jesus) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[11:29]  ²³ sn The mention of a sign alludes back to Luke 11:16. Given what Jesus had done, nothing would be good enough. This leads to the rebuke that follows.

[11:29]  ²⁴ sn As the following comparisons to Solomon and Jonah show, in the present context the sign of Jonah is not an allusion to Jonah being three days in the belly of the fish, but to Jesus’ teaching about wisdom and repentance.

[18:13]  ²⁶ tn Grk “standing”; the Greek participle has been translated as a finite verb.

[18:13]  ²⁷ tn Grk “even lift up his eyes” (an idiom).

[18:13]  ²⁸ 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]  ²⁹ 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.