Luke 7:29
Context7:29 (Now 1 all the people who heard this, even the tax collectors, 2 acknowledged 3 God’s justice, because they had been baptized 4 with John’s baptism.
Luke 15:1-2
Context15:1 Now all the tax collectors 5 and sinners were coming 6 to hear him. 15:2 But 7 the Pharisees 8 and the experts in the law 9 were complaining, 10 “This man welcomes 11 sinners and eats with them.”
Luke 18:13
Context18:13 The tax collector, however, stood 12 far off and would not even look up 13 to heaven, but beat his breast and said, ‘God, be merciful 14 to me, sinner that I am!’ 15
Matthew 21:31-32
Context21:31 Which of the two did his father’s will?” They said, “The first.” 16 Jesus said to them, “I tell you the truth, 17 tax collectors 18 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 19 you saw this, you did not later change your minds 20 and believe him.
[7:29] 1 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “now” to indicate the parenthetical nature of the comment by the author.
[7:29] 2 sn See the note on tax collectors in 3:12.
[7:29] 3 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] 4 tn The participle βαπτισθέντες (baptisqente") has been translated as a causal adverbial participle.
[15:1] 5 sn See the note on tax collectors in 3:12.
[15:1] 6 tn Grk “were drawing near.”
[15:2] 7 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “but” to indicate the contrast present in this context.
[15:2] 8 sn See the note on Pharisees in 5:17.
[15:2] 9 tn Or “and the scribes.” See the note on the phrase “experts in the law” in 5:21.
[15:2] 10 tn Or “grumbling”; Grk “were complaining, saying.” The participle λέγοντες (legontes) is redundant in contemporary English and has not been translated.
[15:2] 11 tn Or “accepts,” “receives.” This is not the first time this issue has been raised: Luke 5:27-32; 7:37-50.
[18:13] 12 tn Grk “standing”; the Greek participle has been translated as a finite verb.
[18:13] 13 tn Grk “even lift up his eyes” (an idiom).
[18:13] 14 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] 15 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.
[21:31] 16 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] 17 tn Grk “Truly (ἀμήν, amhn), I say to you.”
[21:31] 18 sn See the note on tax collectors in 5:46.
[21:32] 19 tn Here δέ (de) has not been translated.
[21:32] 20 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.