Discovery BoxLuke 7:28-35
Context7:28 I tell you, among those born of women no one is greater 1 than John. 2 Yet the one who is least 3 in the kingdom of God 4 is greater than he is.” 7:29 (Now 5 all the people who heard this, even the tax collectors, 6 acknowledged 7 God’s justice, because they had been baptized 8 with John’s baptism. 7:30 However, the Pharisees 9 and the experts in religious law 10 rejected God’s purpose 11 for themselves, because they had not been baptized 12 by John. 13 ) 14
7:31 “To what then should I compare the people 15 of this generation, and what are they like? 7:32 They are like children sitting in the marketplace and calling out to one another, 16
‘We played the flute for you, yet you did not dance; 17
we wailed in mourning, 18 yet you did not weep.’
7:33 For John the Baptist has come 19 eating no bread and drinking no wine, 20 and you say, ‘He has a demon!’ 21 7:34 The Son of Man has come eating and drinking, and you say, ‘Look at him, 22 a glutton and a drunk, a friend of tax collectors and sinners!’ 23 7:35 But wisdom is vindicated 24 by all her children.” 25
Matthew 11:7-19
Context11:7 While they were going away, Jesus began to speak to the crowd about John: “What did you go out into the wilderness 26 to see? A reed shaken by the wind? 27 11:8 What 28 did you go out to see? A man dressed in fancy clothes? 29 Look, those who wear fancy clothes are in the homes of kings! 30 11:9 What did you go out to see? A prophet? Yes, I tell you, and more 31 than a prophet. 11:10 This is the one about whom it is written:
‘Look, I am sending my messenger ahead of you, 32
who will prepare your way before you.’ 33
11:11 “I tell you the truth, 34 among those born of women, no one has arisen greater than John the Baptist. Yet the one who is least 35 in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he is. 11:12 From 36 the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven has suffered violence, and forceful people lay hold of it. 37 11:13 For all the prophets and the law prophesied until John appeared. 38 11:14 And if you are willing to accept it, he is Elijah, who is to come. 11:15 The one who has ears had better listen! 39
11:16 “To 40 what should I compare this generation? They are like children sitting in the marketplaces who call out to one another, 41
11:17 ‘We played the flute for you, yet you did not dance; 42
we wailed in mourning, 43 yet you did not weep.’
11:18 For John came neither eating nor drinking, and they say, ‘He has a demon!’ 44 11:19 The Son of Man came eating and drinking, and they say, ‘Look at him, 45 a glutton and a drunk, a friend of tax collectors 46 and sinners!’ 47 But wisdom is vindicated 48 by her deeds.” 49
Matthew 17:11-12
Context17:11 He 50 answered, “Elijah does indeed come first and will restore all things. 17:12 And I tell you that Elijah has already come. Yet they did not recognize him, but did to him whatever they wanted. In 51 the same way, the Son of Man will suffer at their hands.”
Matthew 21:25-32
Context21:25 Where did John’s baptism come from? From heaven or from people?” 52 They discussed this among themselves, saying, “If we say, ‘From heaven,’ he will say, ‘Then why did you not believe him?’ 21:26 But if we say, ‘From people,’ we fear the crowd, for they all consider John to be a prophet.” 21:27 So 53 they answered Jesus, 54 “We don’t know.” 55 Then he said to them, “Neither will I tell you 56 by what authority 57 I am doing these things.
21:28 “What 58 do you think? A man had two sons. He went to the first and said, ‘Son, go and work in the vineyard today.’ 21:29 The boy answered, 59 ‘I will not.’ But later he had a change of heart 60 and went. 21:30 The father 61 went to the other son and said the same thing. This boy answered, 62 ‘I will, sir,’ but did not go. 21:31 Which of the two did his father’s will?” They said, “The first.” 63 Jesus said to them, “I tell you the truth, 64 tax collectors 65 and prostitutes will go ahead of you into the kingdom of God! 21:32 For John came to you in the way of righteousness, and you did not believe him. But the tax collectors and prostitutes did believe. Although 66 you saw this, you did not later change your minds 67 and believe him.
John 1:6
Context1:6 A man came, sent from God, whose name was John. 68
John 1:19-28
Context1:19 Now 69 this was 70 John’s 71 testimony 72 when the Jewish leaders 73 sent 74 priests and Levites from Jerusalem 75 to ask him, “Who are you?” 76 1:20 He confessed – he did not deny but confessed – “I am not the Christ!” 77 1:21 So they asked him, “Then who are you? 78 Are you Elijah?” He said, “I am not!” 79 “Are you the Prophet?” 80 He answered, “No!” 1:22 Then they said to him, “Who are you? Tell us 81 so that we can give an answer to those who sent us. What do you say about yourself?”
1:23 John 82 said, “I am the voice of one shouting in the wilderness, ‘Make straight 83 the way for the Lord,’ 84 as Isaiah the prophet said.” 1:24 (Now they had been sent from the Pharisees. 85 ) 86 1:25 So they asked John, 87 “Why then are you baptizing if you are not the Christ, 88 nor Elijah, nor the Prophet?”
1:26 John answered them, 89 “I baptize with water. Among you stands one whom you do not recognize, 90 1:27 who is coming after me. I am not worthy 91 to untie the strap 92 of his sandal!” 1:28 These things happened in Bethany 93 across the Jordan River 94 where John was baptizing.
[7:28] 1 sn 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] 2 tc The earliest and best
[7:28] 3 sn 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] 4 sn 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.
[7:29] 5 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “now” to indicate the parenthetical nature of the comment by the author.
[7:29] 6 sn See the note on tax collectors in 3:12.
[7:29] 7 tn Or “vindicated God”; Grk “justified God.” This could be expanded to “vindicated and responded to God.” The point is that God’s goodness and grace as evidenced in the invitation to John was justified and responded to by the group one might least expect, tax collector and sinners. They had more spiritual sensitivity than others. The contrastive response is clear from v. 30.
[7:29] 8 tn The participle βαπτισθέντες (baptisqente") has been translated as a causal adverbial participle.
[7:30] 9 sn See the note on Pharisees in 5:17.
[7:30] 10 tn That is, the experts in the interpretation of the Mosaic law (see also Luke 5:17, although the Greek term is not identical there, and Luke 10:25, where it is the same).
[7:30] 12 tn The participle βαπτισθέντες (baptisqente") has been translated as a causal adverbial participle; it could also be translated as means (“for themselves, by not having been baptized”). This is similar to the translation found in the NRSV.
[7:30] 13 tn Grk “by him”; the referent (John the Baptist) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[7:30] 14 sn Luke 7:29-30 forms something of an aside by the author. To indicate this, they have been placed in parentheses.
[7:31] 15 tn Grk “men,” but this is a generic use of ἄνθρωπος (anqrwpo"). The comparison that follows in vv. 32-34 describes “this generation,” not Jesus and John.
[7:32] 16 tn Grk “They are like children sitting…and calling out…who say.”
[7:32] 17 sn ‘We played the flute for you, yet you did not dance…’ The children of this generation were making the complaint (see vv. 33-34) that others were not playing the game according to the way they played the music. John and Jesus did not follow “their tune.” Jesus’ complaint was that this generation wanted things their way, not God’s.
[7:32] 18 tn The verb ἐθρηνήσαμεν (eqrhnhsamen) refers to the loud wailing and lamenting used to mourn the dead in public in 1st century Jewish culture.
[7:33] 19 tn The perfect tenses in both this verse and the next do more than mere aorists would. They not only summarize, but suggest the characteristics of each ministry were still in existence at the time of speaking.
[7:33] 20 tn Grk “neither eating bread nor drinking wine,” but this is somewhat awkward in contemporary English.
[7:33] 21 sn John the Baptist was too separatist and ascetic for some, and so he was accused of not being directed by God, but by a demon.
[7:34] 22 tn Grk “Behold a man.”
[7:34] 23 sn Neither were they happy with Jesus (the Son of Man), even though he was the opposite of John and associated freely with people like tax collectors and sinners. Either way, God’s messengers were subject to complaint.
[7:35] 24 tn Or “shown to be right.” This is the same verb translated “acknowledged… justice” in v. 29, with a similar sense – including the notion of response. Wisdom’s children are those who respond to God through John and Jesus.
[7:35] 25 tn Or “by all those who follow her” (cf. CEV, NLT). Note that the parallel in Matt 11:19 reads “by her deeds.”
[11:7] 27 tn 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.
[11:8] 28 tn 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. 9.
[11:8] 29 sn 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.
[11:9] 31 tn 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).
[11:10] 32 tn Grk “before your face” (an idiom).
[11:10] 33 sn 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.
[11:11] 34 tn Grk “Truly (ἀμήν, amhn), I say to you.”
[11:11] 35 sn 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.
[11:12] 36 tn Here δέ (de) has not been translated.
[11:12] 37 tn Or “the kingdom of heaven is forcibly entered and violent people take hold of it.” For a somewhat different interpretation of this passage, see the note on the phrase “urged to enter in” in Luke 16:16.
[11:13] 38 tn The word “appeared” is not in the Greek text, but is implied.
[11:15] 39 tn The translation “had better listen!” captures the force of the third person imperative more effectively than the traditional “let him hear,” which sounds more like a permissive than an imperative to the modern English reader. This was Jesus’ common expression to listen and heed carefully (cf. Matt 13:9, 43; Mark 4:9, 23; Luke 8:8, 14:35).
[11:16] 40 tn Here δέ (de) has not been translated.
[11:16] 41 tn Grk “who call out to one another, saying.” The participle λέγουσιν (legousin) is redundant in contemporary English and has not been translated.
[11:17] 42 sn ‘We played the flute for you, yet you did not dance…’ The children of this generation were making the complaint (see vv. 18-19) that others were not playing the game according to the way they played the music. John and Jesus did not follow “their tune.” Jesus’ complaint was that this generation wanted things their way, not God’s.
[11:17] 43 tn The verb ἐθρηνήσαμεν (eqrhnhsamen) refers to the loud wailing and lamenting used to mourn the dead in public in 1st century Jewish culture.
[11:18] 44 sn John the Baptist was too separatist and ascetic for some, and so he was accused of not being directed by God, but by a demon.
[11:19] 45 tn Grk “Behold a man.”
[11:19] 46 sn See the note on tax collectors in 5:46.
[11:19] 47 sn Neither were they happy with Jesus (the Son of Man), even though he was the opposite of John and associated freely with people like tax collectors and sinners. Either way, God’s messengers were subject to complaint.
[11:19] 48 tn Or “shown to be right.”
[11:19] 49 tc Most witnesses (B2 C D L Θ Ë1 33 Ï lat) have “children” (τέκνων, teknwn) here instead of “deeds” (ἔργων, ergwn), but since “children” is the reading of the parallel in Luke 7:35, scribes would be motivated to convert the less colorful “deeds” into more animate offspring of wisdom. Further, ἔργων enjoys support from א B* W (Ë13) as well as early versional and patristic support.
[17:11] 50 tn Grk “And answering, he said.” This has been simplified in the translation.
[17:12] 51 tn Here καί (kai) has not been translated.
[21:25] 52 tn The plural Greek term ἀνθρώπων (anqrwpwn) is used here (and in v. 26) in a generic sense, referring to both men and women (cf. NAB, NRSV, “of human origin”; TEV, “from human beings”; NLT, “merely human”).
[21:27] 53 tn Here δέ (de) has been translated as “So” to indicate that the clause is a result of the deliberations of the leaders.
[21:27] 54 tn Grk “answering Jesus, they said.” This construction is somewhat awkward in English and has been simplified in the translation.
[21:27] 55 sn Very few questions could have so completely revealed the wicked intentions of the religious leaders. Jesus’ question revealed the motivation of the religious leaders and exposed them for what they really were – hypocrites. They indicted themselves when they cited only two options and chose neither of them (“We do not know”). The point of Matt 21:23-27 is that no matter what Jesus said in response to their question, they were not going to believe it and would in the end use it against him.
[21:27] 56 sn Neither will I tell you. Though Jesus gave no answer, the analogy he used to their own question makes his view clear. His authority came from heaven.
[21:27] 57 tn On this phrase, see BDAG 844 s.v. ποῖος 2.a.γ. This is exactly the same phrase as in v. 23.
[21:28] 58 tn Here δέ (de) has not been translated.
[21:29] 59 tn Grk “And answering, he said.” This is somewhat redundant and has been simplified in the translation. Here the referent (“the boy”) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[21:29] 60 tn The Greek text reads here μεταμέλομαι (metamelomai): “to change one’s mind about something, with the probable implication of regret” (L&N 31.59); cf. also BDAG 639 s.v. The idea in this context involves more than just a change of mind, for the son regrets his initial response. The same verb is used in v. 32.
[21:30] 61 tn “And he”; here δέ (de) has not been translated.
[21:30] 62 tn Grk “And answering, he said.” This is somewhat redundant and has been simplified in the translation. Here δέ (de) has not been translated. Here the referent (“this boy”) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[21:31] 63 tc Verses 29-31 involve a rather complex and difficult textual problem. The variants cluster into three different groups: (1) The first son says “no” and later has a change of heart, and the second son says “yes” but does not go. The second son is called the one who does his father’s will. This reading is found in the Western
[21:31] 64 tn Grk “Truly (ἀμήν, amhn), I say to you.”
[21:31] 65 sn See the note on tax collectors in 5:46.
[21:32] 66 tn Here δέ (de) has not been translated.
[21:32] 67 sn The word translated change your minds is the same verb used in v. 29 (there translated had a change of heart). Jesus is making an obvious comparison here, in which the religious leaders are viewed as the disobedient son.
[1:6] 68 sn John refers to John the Baptist.
[1:19] 69 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “now” to indicate the transition to a new topic. Greek style often begins sentences or clauses with “and,” but English style generally does not.
[1:19] 71 sn John’s refers to John the Baptist.
[1:19] 73 tn Or “the Jewish authorities”; Grk “the Jews.” In NT usage the term ᾿Iουδαῖοι (Ioudaioi) may refer to the entire Jewish people, the residents of Jerusalem and surrounding territory, the authorities in Jerusalem, or merely those who were hostile to Jesus. Here the author refers to the authorities or leaders in Jerusalem. (For further information see R. G. Bratcher, “‘The Jews’ in the Gospel of John,” BT 26 [1975]: 401-9.)
[1:19] 74 tc ‡ Several important witnesses have πρὸς αὐτόν (pro" auton, “to him”) either here (B C* 33 892c al it) or after “Levites” (Ì66c vid A Θ Ψ Ë13 579 al lat), while the earliest
[1:19] 75 map For location see Map5 B1; Map6 F3; Map7 E2; Map8 F2; Map10 B3; JP1 F4; JP2 F4; JP3 F4; JP4 F4.
[1:19] 76 sn “Who are you?” No uniform Jewish expectation of a single eschatological figure existed in the 1st century. A majority expected the Messiah. But some pseudepigraphic books describe God’s intervention without mentioning the anointed Davidic king; in parts of 1 Enoch, for example, the figure of the Son of Man, not the Messiah, embodies the expectations of the author. Essenes at Qumran seem to have expected three figures: a prophet, a priestly messiah, and a royal messiah. In baptizing, John the Baptist was performing an eschatological action. It also seems to have been part of his proclamation (John 1:23, 26-27). Crowds were beginning to follow him. He was operating in an area not too far from the Essene center on the Dead Sea. No wonder the authorities were curious about who he was.
[1:20] 77 tn Or “the Messiah” (Both Greek “Christ” and Hebrew and Aramaic “Messiah” mean “one who has been anointed”).
[1:21] 78 tn Grk “What then?” (an idiom).
[1:21] 79 sn According to the 1st century rabbinic interpretation of 2 Kgs 2:11, Elijah was still alive. In Mal 4:5 it is said that Elijah would be the precursor of Messiah. How does one reconcile John the Baptist’s denial here (“I am not”) with Jesus’ statements in Matt 11:14 (see also Mark 9:13 and Matt 17:12) that John the Baptist was Elijah? Some have attempted to remove the difficulty by a reconstruction of the text in the Gospel of John which makes the Baptist say that he was Elijah. However, external support for such emendations is lacking. According to Gregory the Great, John was not Elijah, but exercised toward Jesus the function of Elijah by preparing his way. But this avoids the real difficulty, since in John’s Gospel the question of the Jewish authorities to the Baptist concerns precisely his function. It has also been suggested that the author of the Gospel here preserves a historically correct reminiscence – that John the Baptist did not think of himself as Elijah, although Jesus said otherwise. Mark 6:14-16 and Mark 8:28 indicate the people and Herod both distinguished between John and Elijah – probably because he did not see himself as Elijah. But Jesus’ remarks in Matt 11:14, Mark 9:13, and Matt 17:12 indicate that John did perform the function of Elijah – John did for Jesus what Elijah was to have done for the coming of the Lord. C. F. D. Moule pointed out that it is too simple to see a straight contradiction between John’s account and that of the synoptic gospels: “We have to ask by whom the identification is made, and by whom refused. The synoptic gospels represent Jesus as identifying, or comparing, the Baptist with Elijah, while John represents the Baptist as rejecting the identification when it is offered him by his interviewers. Now these two, so far from being incompatible, are psychologically complementary. The Baptist humbly rejects the exalted title, but Jesus, on the contrary, bestows it on him. Why should not the two both be correct?” (The Phenomenon of the New Testament [SBT], 70).
[1:21] 80 sn The Prophet is a reference to the “prophet like Moses” of Deut 18:15, by this time an eschatological figure in popular belief. Acts 3:22 identifies Jesus as this prophet.
[1:22] 81 tn The words “Tell us” are not in the Greek but are implied.
[1:23] 82 tn Grk “He”; the referent (John the Baptist) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[1:23] 83 sn This call to “make straight” is probably an allusion to preparation through repentance.
[1:23] 84 sn A quotation from Isa 40:3.
[1:24] 85 sn Pharisees were members of one of the most important and influential religious and political parties of Judaism in the time of Jesus. There were more Pharisees than Sadducees (according to Josephus, Ant. 17.2.4 [17.42] there were more than 6,000 Pharisees at about this time). Pharisees differed with Sadducees on certain doctrines and patterns of behavior. The Pharisees were strict and zealous adherents to the laws of the OT and to numerous additional traditions such as angels and bodily resurrection.
[1:24] 86 sn This is a parenthetical note by the author.
[1:25] 87 tn Grk “And they asked him, and said to him”; the referent (John) has been specified in the translation for clarity, and the phrase has been simplified in the translation to “So they asked John.”
[1:25] 88 tn Or “the Messiah” (Both Greek “Christ” and Hebrew and Aramaic “Messiah” mean “one who has been anointed”).
[1:26] 89 tn Grk “answered them, saying.” The participle λέγων (legwn) is redundant in contemporary English and has not been translated.
[1:27] 91 tn Grk “of whom I am not worthy.”
[1:27] 92 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.
[1:28] 93 tc Many witnesses ([א2] C2 K T Ψc 083 Ë1,13 33 pm sa Or) read Βηθαβαρᾷ (Bhqabara, “Bethabara”) instead of Βηθανίᾳ (Bhqania, “Bethany”). But the reading Βηθανίᾳ is strongly supported by {Ì66,75 A B C* L Ws Δ Θ Ψ* 565 579 700 1241 1424 pm latt bo as well as several fathers}. Since there is no known Bethany “beyond the Jordan,” it is likely that the name would have been changed to a more etymologically edifying one (Origen mistakenly thought the name Bethabara meant “house of preparation” and for this reason was appropriate in this context; see TCGNT 171 for discussion). On the other hand, both since Origen’s understanding of the Semitic etymology of Bethabara was incorrect, and because Bethany was at least a well-known location in Palestine, mentioned in the Gospels about a dozen times, one has to wonder whether scribes replaced Βηθαβαρᾷ with Βηθανίᾳ. However, if Origen’s understanding of the etymology of the name was representative, scribes may have altered the text in the direction of Bethabara. And even if most scribes were unfamiliar with what the name might signify, that a reading which did not contradict the Gospels’ statements of a Bethany near Jerusalem was already at hand may have been sufficient reason for them to adopt Bethabara. Further, in light of the very strong testimony for Βηθανίᾳ, this reading should be regarded as authentic.
[1:28] 94 tn “River” is not in the Greek text but is supplied for clarity.
