Luke 7:18-28

Context

Jesus and John the Baptist

7:18 John’s¹ disciples informed him about all these things. So² John called³ two of his disciples 7:19 and sent them to Jesus⁴ to ask,⁵ “Are you the one who is to come,⁶ or should we look for another?” 7:20 When⁷ the men came to Jesus,⁸ they said, “John the Baptist has sent us to you to ask,⁹ ‘Are you the one who is to come, or should we look for another?’”¹⁰ 7:21 At that very time¹¹ Jesus¹² cured many people of diseases, sicknesses,¹³ and evil spirits, and granted¹⁴ sight to many who were blind. 7:22 So¹⁵ he answered them,¹⁶ “Go tell¹⁷ John what you have seen and heard:¹⁸ The blind see, the lame walk, lepers are cleansed, the¹⁹ deaf hear, the dead are raised, the poor have good news proclaimed to them. 7:23 Blessed is anyone²⁰ who takes no offense at me.”

7:24 When²¹ John’s messengers had gone, Jesus²² began to speak to the crowds about John: “What did you go out into the wilderness²³ to see? A reed shaken by the wind?²⁴ 7:25 What²⁵ did you go out to see? A man dressed in fancy²⁶ clothes?²⁷ Look, those who wear fancy clothes and live in luxury²⁸ are in kings’ courts!²⁹ 7:26 What did you go out to see? A prophet? Yes, I tell you, and more³⁰ than a prophet. 7:27 This is the one about whom it is written, ‘Look, I am sending my messenger ahead of you,³¹ who will prepare your way before you.’³² 7:28 I tell you, among those born of women no one is greater³³ than John.³⁴ Yet the one who is least³⁵ in the kingdom of God³⁶ is greater than he is.”

[7:18] ¹tn Grk “And John’s.” Here καί (kai) has not been translated because of differences between Greek and English style. This is a reference to John the Baptist as the following context makes clear.

[7:18] ²tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “so” to indicate that John’s action was a result of the report he had heard.

[7:18] ³tn Grk “And calling two of his disciples, John sent.” The participle προσκαλεσάμενος (proskalesameno") has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.

[7:19] ⁴tc ‡ Although most mss (א A W Θ Ψ Ë¹ Ï it sy bo) read πρὸς τὸν ᾿Ιησοῦν (pro" ton Ihsoun, “to Jesus”), other important witnesses (B L Ξ Ë¹³ 33 pc sa) read πρὸς τὸν κύριον (pro" ton kurion, “to the Lord”). A decision is difficult in this instance, as there are good witnesses on both sides. In light of this, that “Jesus” is more widespread than “the Lord” with almost equally important witnesses argues for its authenticity.

[7:19] ⁵tn Grk “to Jesus, saying,” but since this takes the form of a question, it is preferable to use the phrase “to ask” in English.

[7:19] ⁶sn Aspects of Jesus’ ministry may have led John to question whether Jesus was the promised stronger and greater one who is to come that he had preached about in Luke 3:15-17.

[7:20] ⁷tn Grk “And when.” Here καί (kai) has not been translated because of differences between Greek and English style.

[7:20] ⁸tn Grk “him”; the referent (Jesus) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[7:20] ⁹tn Grk “to you, saying,” but since this takes the form of a question, it is preferable to use the phrase “to ask” in English.

[7:20] ¹⁰tn This question is repeated word for word from v. 19.

[7:21] ¹¹tn Grk “In that hour.”

[7:21] ¹²tn Grk “he”; the referent (Jesus) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[7:21] ¹³tn Grk “and sicknesses,” but καί (kai) has not been translated since English normally uses a coordinating conjunction only between the last two elements in a series of three or more.

[7:21] ¹⁴tn Or “and bestowed (sight) on.”

[7:22] ¹⁵tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “so” to indicate the relationship to Jesus’ miraculous cures in the preceding sentence.

[7:22] ¹⁶tn Grk “answering, he said to them.” This is redundant in English and has been simplified in the translation to “he answered them.”

[7:22] ¹⁷sn The same verb has been translated “inform” in 7:18.

[7:22] ¹⁸sn What you have seen and heard. The following activities all paraphrase various OT descriptions of the time of promised salvation: Isa 35:5-6; 26:19; 29:18-19; 61:1. Jesus is answering not by acknowledging a title, but by pointing to the nature of his works, thus indicating the nature of the time.

[7:22] ¹⁹tn Grk “and the,” but καί (kai) has not been translated since English normally uses a coordinating conjunction only between the last two elements in a series of three or more.

[7:23] ²⁰tn Grk “whoever.”

[7:24] ²¹tn Here δέ (de) has not been translated.

[7:24] ²²tn Grk “he”; the referent (Jesus) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[7:24] ²³tn Or “desert.”

[7:24] ²⁴tn There is a debate as to whether one should read this figuratively (“to see someone who is easily blown over?”) or literally (Grk “to see the wilderness vegetation?…No, to see a prophet”). Either view makes good sense, but the following examples suggest the question should be read literally and understood to point to the fact that a prophet drew them to the desert.

[7:25] ²⁵tn Grk “But what.” Here ἀλλά (alla, a strong contrastive in Greek) produces a somewhat awkward sense in English, and has not been translated. The same situation occurs at the beginning of v. 26.

[7:25] ²⁶tn Or “soft”; see L&N 79.100.

[7:25] ²⁷sn The reference to fancy clothes makes the point that John was not rich or powerful, in that he did not come from the wealthy classes.

[7:25] ²⁸tn See L&N 88.253, “to revel, to carouse, to live a life of luxury.”

[7:25] ²⁹tn Or “palaces.”

[7:26] ³⁰tn John the Baptist is “more” because he introduces the one (Jesus) who brings the new era. The term is neuter, but may be understood as masculine in this context (BDAG 806 s.v. περισσότερος b.).

[7:27] ³¹tn Grk “before your face” (an idiom).

[7:27] ³²sn The quotation is primarily from Mal 3:1 with pronouns from Exod 23:20. Here is the forerunner who points the way to the arrival of God’s salvation. His job is to prepare and guide the people, as the cloud did for Israel in the desert.

[7:28] ³³sn In the Greek text greater is at the beginning of the clause in the emphatic position. John the Baptist was the greatest man of the old era.

[7:28] ³⁴tc The earliest and best mss read simply ᾿Ιωάννου (Iwannou, “John”) here (Ì⁷⁵ א B L W Ξ Ë¹ 579 pc). Others turn this into “John the Baptist” (K 33 565 al it), “the prophet John the Baptist” (A [D] Θ Ë¹³ Ï lat), or “the prophet John” (Ψ 700 [892 1241] pc). “It appears that προφήτης was inserted by pedantic copyists who wished thereby to exclude Christ from the comparison, while others added τοῦ βαπτιστοῦ, assimilating the text to Mt 11.11” (TCGNT 119).

[7:28] ³⁵sn After John comes a shift of eras. The new era is so great that the lowest member of it (the one who is least in the kingdom of God) is greater than the greatest one of the previous era.

[7:28] ³⁶sn The kingdom of God is a major theme of Jesus’ proclamation. 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. It is not strictly future, though its full manifestation is yet to come. That is why membership in it starts right after John the Baptist.