Matthew 12:19-20

12:19 He will not quarrel or cry out,

nor will anyone hear his voice in the streets.

12:20 He will not break a bruised reed or extinguish a smoldering wick,

until he brings justice to victory.

Matthew 21:5

21:5 “Tell the people of Zion, ¹ 

‘Look, your king is coming to you,

unassuming and seated on a donkey,

and on a colt, the foal of a donkey.’” ² 

Numbers 12:3

12:3 (Now the man Moses was very humble, ³  more so than any man on the face of the earth.)

Psalms 131:1

Psalm 131 ⁴ 

A song of ascents, ⁵  by David.

131:1 O Lord, my heart is not proud,

nor do I have a haughty look. ⁶ 

I do not have great aspirations,

or concern myself with things that are beyond me. ⁷ 

Isaiah 42:1-4

The Lord Commissions His Special Servant

42:1 ⁸ “Here is my servant whom I support,

my chosen one in whom I take pleasure.

I have placed my spirit on him;

he will make just decrees ⁹  for the nations. ¹⁰ 

42:2 He will not cry out or shout;

he will not publicize himself in the streets. ¹¹ 

42:3 A crushed reed he will not break,

a dim wick he will not extinguish; ¹² 

he will faithfully make just decrees. ¹³ 

42:4 He will not grow dim or be crushed ¹⁴ 

before establishing justice on the earth;

the coastlands ¹⁵  will wait in anticipation for his decrees.” ¹⁶ 

Zechariah 9:9

9:9 Rejoice greatly, daughter of Zion!

Shout, daughter of Jerusalem!

Look! Your king is coming to you:

he is legitimate ¹⁷  and victorious, ¹⁸ 

humble and riding on a donkey ¹⁹  –

on a young donkey, the foal of a female donkey.

Luke 9:51-56

Rejection in Samaria

9:51 Now when ²⁰  the days drew near ²¹  for him to be taken up, ²²  Jesus ²³  set out resolutely ²⁴  to go to Jerusalem. ²⁵  9:52 He ²⁶  sent messengers on ahead of him. ²⁷  As they went along, ²⁸  they entered a Samaritan village to make things ready in advance ²⁹  for him, 9:53 but the villagers ³⁰  refused to welcome ³¹  him, because he was determined to go to Jerusalem. ³²  9:54 Now when his disciples James and John saw this, they said, “Lord, do you want us to call fire to come down from heaven and consume ³³  them?” ³⁴  9:55 But Jesus ³⁵  turned and rebuked them, ³⁶  9:56 and they went on to another village.

Luke 9:2

9:2 and he sent ³⁷  them out to proclaim ³⁸  the kingdom of God ³⁹  and to heal the sick. ⁴⁰ 

Colossians 1:1

Salutation

1:1 From Paul, ⁴¹  an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, and Timothy our brother,

Philippians 2:7-8

2:7 but emptied himself

by taking on the form of a slave, ⁴² 

by looking like other men, ⁴³ 

and by sharing in human nature. ⁴⁴ 

2:8 He humbled himself,

by becoming obedient to the point of death

– even death on a cross!

Philippians 2:1

Christian Unity and Christ’s Humility

2:1 Therefore, if there is any encouragement in Christ, any comfort provided by love, any fellowship in the Spirit, ⁴⁵  any affection or mercy, ⁴⁶ 

Philippians 2:21-23

2:21 Others are busy with their own concerns, not those of Jesus Christ. 2:22 But you know his qualifications, that like a son working with his father, he served with me in advancing the gospel. 2:23 So I hope to send him as soon as I know more about my situation,

[21:5]  ¹ tn Grk “Tell the daughter of Zion” (the phrase “daughter of Zion” is an idiom for the inhabitants of Jerusalem: “people of Zion”). The idiom “daughter of Zion” has been translated as “people of Zion” because the original idiom, while firmly embedded in the Christian tradition, is not understandable to most modern English readers.

[21:5]  ² tn Grk “the foal of an animal under the yoke,” i.e., a hard-working animal. This is a quotation from Zech 9:9.

[12:3]  ³ tc The spelling of the word is a Kethib-Qere reading with only a slight difference between the two.

[131:1]  ⁴ sn Psalm 131. The psalmist affirms his humble dependence on the Lord and urges Israel to place its trust in God.

[131:1]  ⁵ sn The precise significance of this title, which appears in Pss 120-134, is unclear. Perhaps worshipers recited these psalms when they ascended the road to Jerusalem to celebrate annual religious festivals. For a discussion of their background see L. C. Allen, Psalms 101-150 (WBC), 219-21.

[131:1]  ⁶ tn Heb “and my eyes are not lifted up.”

[131:1]  ⁷ tn Heb “I do not walk in great things, and in things too marvelous for me.”

[42:1]  ⁸ sn Verses 1-7 contain the first of Isaiah’s “servant songs,” which describe the ministry of a special, ideal servant who accomplishes God’s purposes for Israel and the nations. This song depicts the servant as a just king who brings justice to the earth and relief for the oppressed. The other songs appear in 49:1-13; 50:4-11; and 52:13-53:12.

[42:1]  ⁹ tn Heb “he will bring out justice” (cf. ASV, NASB, NRSV).

[42:1]  ¹⁰ sn Like the ideal king portrayed in Isa 11:1-9, the servant is energized by the divine spirit and establishes justice on the earth.

[42:2]  ¹¹ tn Heb “he will not cause his voice to be heard in the street.”

[42:3]  ¹² sn The “crushed reed” and “dim wick” symbolize the weak and oppressed who are on the verge of extinction.

[42:3]  ¹³ tn Heb “faithfully he will bring out justice” (cf. NASB, NRSV).

[42:4]  ¹⁴ tn For rhetorical effect the terms used to describe the “crushed (רָצַץ, ratsats) reed” and “dim (כָּהָה, kahah) wick” in v. 3 are repeated here.

[42:4]  ¹⁵ tn Or “islands” (NIV); NLT “distant lands beyond the sea.”

[42:4]  ¹⁶ tn Or “his law” (KJV, ASV, NASB, NIV) or “his instruction” (NLT).

[9:9]  ¹⁷ tn The Hebrew term צַדִּיק (tsadiq) ordinarily translated “righteous,” frequently occurs, as here, with the idea of conforming to a standard or meeting certain criteria. The Messianic king riding into Jerusalem is fully qualified to take the Davidic throne (cf. 1 Sam 23:3; Isa 9:5-6; 11:4; 16:5; Jer 22:1-5; 23:5-6).

[9:9]  ¹⁸ tn The Hebrew term נוֹשָׁע (nosha’) a Niphal participle of יָשַׁע (yasha’, “to save”) could mean “one delivered” or, if viewed as active, “one bringing salvation” (similar KJV, NIV, NKJV). It is preferable to take the normal passive use of the Niphal and understand that the king, having been delivered, is as a result “victorious” (so also NRSV, TEV, NLT).

[9:9]  ¹⁹ sn The NT understands this verse to be a prophecy of the triumphal entry of Jesus into Jerusalem on Palm Sunday, and properly so (cf. Matt 21:5; John 12:15), but reference to the universal rule of the king in v. 10 reveals that this is a “split prophecy,” that is, it has a two-stage fulfillment. Verse 9 was fulfilled in Jesus’ earthly ministry but v. 10 awaits a millennial consummation (cf. Rev 19:11-16).

[9:51]  ²⁰ tn Grk “And it happened that when.” 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.

[9:51]  ²¹ tn Grk “the days were being fulfilled.” There is literary design here. This starts what has been called in the Gospel of Luke the “Jerusalem Journey.” It is not a straight-line trip, but a journey to meet his fate (Luke 13:31-35).

[9:51]  ²² sn Taken up is a reference to Jesus’ upcoming return to heaven by crucifixion and resurrection (compare Luke 9:31). This term was used in the LXX of Elijah’s departure in 2 Kgs 2:9.

[9:51]  ²³ tn Grk “he”; the referent (Jesus) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[9:51]  ²⁴ tn Grk “he set his face,” a Semitic idiom that speaks of a firm, unshakable resolve to do something (Gen 31:21; Isa 50:7).

[9:51]  ²⁵ map For location see Map5 B1; Map6 F3; Map7 E2; Map8 F2; Map10 B3; JP1 F4; JP2 F4; JP3 F4; JP4 F4.

[9:52]  ²⁶ tn Grk “And he.” Here καί (kai) has not been translated because of differences between Greek and English style.

[9:52]  ²⁷ tn Grk “sent messengers before his face,” an idiom.

[9:52]  ²⁸ tn Grk “And going along, they entered.” The aorist passive participle πορευθέντες (poreuqente") has been taken temporally. Here καί (kai) has not been translated because of differences between Greek and English style.

[9:52]  ²⁹ tn Or “to prepare (things) for him.”

[9:53]  ³⁰ tn Grk “they”; the referent (the villagers) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[9:53]  ³¹ tn Or “did not receive”; this verb, δέχομαι (decomai), is a term of hospitality or welcome (L&N 34.53).

[9:53]  ³² tn Grk “because his face was set toward Jerusalem.”

[9:54]  ³³ tn Or “destroy.”

[9:54]  ³⁴ tc Most mss, especially the later ones (A C D W Θ Ψ Ë^1,13 33 Ï it), read here “as also Elijah did,” making the allusion to 2 Kgs 1:10, 12, 14 more explicit. The shorter reading has better and earlier support (Ì^45,75 א B L Ξ 579 700* 1241 pc lat sa). It is difficult to explain how the shorter reading could have arisen from the longer, especially since it is well represented early on. However, the longer reading looks to have been a marginal note originally, incorporated into the text of Luke by early scribes.

[9:55]  ³⁵ tn Grk “he”; the referent (Jesus) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[9:55]  ³⁶ tc Many mss ([D] K Γ Θ Ë^1,13 [579] 700 2542 pm it) have at the end of the verse (with slight variations) “and he said, ‘You do not know what sort of spirit you are of, for the Son of Man did not come to destroy people’s lives, but to save [them].’” This variant is clearly secondary, as it gives some content to the rebuke. Further, it is difficult to explain how such rich material would have been omitted by the rest of the witnesses, including the earliest and best mss.

[9:2]  ³⁷ sn “To send out” is often a term of divine commission in Luke: 1:19; 4:18, 43; 7:27; 9:48; 10:1, 16; 11:49; 13:34; 24:49.

[9:2]  ³⁸ tn Or “to preach.”

[9:2]  ³⁹ 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.

[9:2]  ⁴⁰ sn As Jesus’ own ministry (Luke 4:16-44) involved both word (to proclaim) and deed (to heal) so also would that of the disciples.

[1:1]  ⁴¹ tn Grk “Paul.” The word “from” is not in the Greek text, but has been supplied to indicate the sender of the letter.

[2:7]  ⁴² tn See the note on the word “slaves” in 1:1.

[2:7]  ⁴³ tn Grk “by coming in the likeness of people.”

[2:7]  ⁴⁴ tn Grk “and by being found in form as a man.” The versification of vv. 7 and 8 (so also NRSV) is according to the versification in the NA²⁷ and UBS⁴ editions of the Greek text. Some translations, however, break the verses in front of this phrase (NKJV, NASB, NIV, NLT). The same material has been translated in each case; the only difference is the versification of that material.

[2:1]  ⁴⁵ tn Or “spiritual fellowship” if πνεύματος (pneumato") is an attributive genitive; or “fellowship brought about by the Spirit” if πνεύματος is a genitive of source or production.

[2:1]  ⁴⁶ tn Grk “and any affection and mercy.” The Greek idea, however, is best expressed by “or” in English.