Matthew 4:23

Jesus’ Healing Ministry

4:23 Jesus ¹  went throughout all of Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, ²  preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing all kinds of disease and sickness among the people.

Luke 8:11-15

8:11 “Now the parable means ³  this: The seed is the word of God. 8:12 Those along the path are the ones who have heard; then the devil ⁴  comes and takes away the word ⁵  from their hearts, so that they may not believe ⁶  and be saved. 8:13 Those ⁷  on the rock are the ones who receive the word with joy when they hear it, but they have no root. They believe for a while, ⁸  but ⁹  in a time of testing ¹⁰  fall away. ¹¹  8:14 As for the seed that ¹²  fell among thorns, these are the ones who hear, but ¹³  as they go on their way they are choked ¹⁴  by the worries and riches and pleasures of life, ¹⁵  and their fruit does not mature. ¹⁶  8:15 But as for the seed that landed on good soil, these are the ones who, after hearing ¹⁷  the word, cling to it ¹⁸  with an honest and good ¹⁹  heart, and bear fruit with steadfast endurance. ²⁰ 

Luke 9:2

9:2 and he sent ²¹  them out to proclaim ²²  the kingdom of God ²³  and to heal the sick. ²⁴ 

Luke 10:9

10:9 Heal ²⁵  the sick in that town ²⁶  and say to them, ‘The kingdom of God ²⁷  has come upon ²⁸  you!’

Acts 20:25

20:25 “And now ²⁹  I know that none ³⁰  of you among whom I went around proclaiming the kingdom ³¹  will see me ³²  again.

Acts 28:23

28:23 They set ³³  a day to meet with him, ³⁴  and they came to him where he was staying ³⁵  in even greater numbers. ³⁶  From morning until evening he explained things ³⁷  to them, ³⁸  testifying ³⁹  about the kingdom of God ⁴⁰  and trying to convince ⁴¹  them about Jesus from both the law of Moses and the prophets.

Romans 14:17

14:17 For the kingdom of God does not consist of food and drink, but righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit.

Romans 14:2

14:2 One person believes in eating everything, but the weak person eats only vegetables.

Colossians 4:2-3

Exhortation to Pray for the Success of Paul’s Mission

4:2 Be devoted to prayer, keeping alert in it with thanksgiving. 4:3 At the same time pray ⁴²  for us too, that ⁴³  God may open a door for the message ⁴⁴  so that we may proclaim ⁴⁵  the mystery of Christ, for which I am in chains. ⁴⁶ 

Ephesians 3:8

3:8 To me – less than the least of all the saints ⁴⁷  – this grace was given, ⁴⁸  to proclaim to the Gentiles the unfathomable riches of Christ

[4:23]  ¹ tn Grk “And he.”

[4:23]  ² sn Synagogues were places for Jewish prayer and worship, with recognized leadership (cf. Luke 8:41). Though the origin of the synagogue is not entirely clear, it seems to have arisen in the postexilic community during the intertestamental period. A town could establish a synagogue if there were at least ten men. In normative Judaism of the NT period, the OT scripture was read and discussed in the synagogue by the men who were present (see the Mishnah, m. Megillah 3-4; m. Berakhot 2).

[8:11]  ³ tn Grk “is,” but in this context it is clearly giving an explanation of the parable.

[8:12]  ⁴ sn Interestingly, the synoptic parallels each use a different word for the devil here: Matt 13:19 has “the evil one,” while Mark 4:15 has “Satan.” This illustrates the fluidity of the gospel tradition in often using synonyms at the same point of the parallel tradition.

[8:12]  ⁵ sn The word of Jesus has the potential to save if it germinates in a person’s heart, something the devil is very much against.

[8:12]  ⁶ tn The participle πιστεύσαντες (pisteusante") has been translated as a finite verb here. It may be regarded as an adverbial participle of attendant circumstance. From a logical standpoint the negative must govern both the participle and the finite verb.

[8:13]  ⁷ tn Here δέ (de) has not been translated.

[8:13]  ⁸ sn This time of temporary faith represented by the description believe for a while is presented rather tragically in the passage. The seed does not get a chance to do all it can.

[8:13]  ⁹ tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “but” to indicate the contrast present in this context.

[8:13]  ¹⁰ tn Traditionally, “temptation.” Such a translation puts the emphasis on temptation to sin rather than testing of faith, which is what the context seems to indicate.

[8:13]  ¹¹ sn Fall away. On the idea of falling away and the warnings against it, see 2 Tim 3:1; Heb 3:12; Jer 3:14; Dan 9:9.

[8:14]  ¹² tn Grk “What”; the referent (the seed) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[8:14]  ¹³ tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “but” to indicate the contrast present in this context.

[8:14]  ¹⁴ sn That is, their concern for spiritual things is crowded out by material things.

[8:14]  ¹⁵ sn On warnings about the dangers of excessive material attachments, described here as the worries and riches and pleasures of life, see Luke 12:12-21; 16:19-31.

[8:14]  ¹⁶ tn The verb τελεσφορέω (telesforew) means “to produce mature or ripe fruit” (L&N 23.203). Once again the seed does not reach its goal.

[8:15]  ¹⁷ tn The aorist participle ἀκούσαντες (akousante") has been taken temporally, reflecting action antecedent (prior to) that of the main verb.

[8:15]  ¹⁸ sn There is a tenacity that is a part of spiritual fruitfulness.

[8:15]  ¹⁹ sn In an ancient context, the qualifier good described the ethical person who possessed integrity. Here it is integrity concerning God’s revelation through Jesus.

[8:15]  ²⁰ sn Given the pressures noted in the previous soils, bearing fruit takes time (steadfast endurance), just as it does for the farmer. See Jas 1:2-4.

[9:2]  ²¹ 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]  ²² tn Or “to preach.”

[9:2]  ²³ 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]  ²⁴ 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.

[10:9]  ²⁵ tn Here καί (kai) has not been translated because of differences between Greek and English style. Because of the length and complexity of the Greek sentence, a new sentence was started here in the translation.

[10:9]  ²⁶ tn Grk “in it”; the referent (that town) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[10:9]  ²⁷ 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.

[10:9]  ²⁸ tn Or “come near to you,” suggesting the approach (but not arrival) of the kingdom. But the combination of the perfect tense of ἐγγίζω (engizw) with the preposition ἐπί (epi) most likely suggests that the sense is “has come upon” (see BDAG 270 s.v. ἐγγίζω 2; W. R. Hutton, “The Kingdom of God Has Come,” ExpTim 64 [Dec 1952]: 89-91; and D. L. Bock, Luke [BECNT], 2:1000; cf. also NAB “is at hand for you”). These passages argue that a key element of the kingdom is its ability to overcome the power of Satan and those elements in the creation that oppose humanity. Confirmation of this understanding comes in v. 18 and in Luke 11:14-23, especially the parable of vv. 21-23.

[20:25]  ²⁹ tn Grk “And now, behold.” Here ἰδού (idou) has not been translated.

[20:25]  ³⁰ tn Grk “all of you…will not see.” Greek handles its negation somewhat differently from English, and the translation follows English grammatical conventions.

[20:25]  ³¹ sn Note how Paul’s usage of the expression proclaiming the kingdom is associated with (and intertwined with) his testifying to the good news of God’s grace in v. 24. For Paul the two concepts were interrelated.

[20:25]  ³² tn Grk “will see my face” (an idiom for seeing someone in person).

[28:23]  ³³ tn Grk “Having set.” The participle ταξάμενοι (taxamenoi) has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.

[28:23]  ³⁴ tn Grk “Having set a day with him”; the words “to meet” are not in the Greek text, but are implied.

[28:23]  ³⁵ tn Or “came to him in his rented quarters.”

[28:23]  ³⁶ tn BDAG 848 s.v. πολύς 1.b.β.ב states, “(even) more πλείονες in even greater numbers Ac 28:23.”

[28:23]  ³⁷ tn The word “things” is not in the Greek text, but has been supplied. Direct objects were often omitted in Greek when clear from the context, but must be supplied for the modern English reader.

[28:23]  ³⁸ tn Grk “to whom he explained.” Because of the length and complexity of the Greek sentence, the relative pronoun (“whom”) has been replaced by the pronoun (“them”) and a new sentence begun at this point in the translation.

[28:23]  ³⁹ tn BDAG 233 s.v. διαμαρτύρομαι 1 has “to make a solemn declaration about the truth of someth. testify of, bear witness to (orig. under oath)…God’s kingdom 28:23.”

[28:23]  ⁴⁰ sn Testifying about the kingdom of God. The topic is important. Paul’s preaching was about the rule of God and his promise in Jesus. Paul’s text was the Jewish scriptures.

[28:23]  ⁴¹ tn Or “persuade.”

[4:3]  ⁴² tn Though προσευχόμενοι (proseucomenoi) is an adverbial participle related to the previous imperative, προσκαρτερεῖτε (proskartereite), it is here translated as an independent clause due to requirements of contemporary English style.

[4:3]  ⁴³ tn The ἵνα (Jina) clause has been rendered as substantival here, indicating the content of the prayer rather than the purpose for it. These two ideas are very similar and difficult to differentiate in this passage, but the conjunction ἵνα following a verb of praying is generally regarded as giving the content of the prayer.

[4:3]  ⁴⁴ tn Grk “that God may open for us a door of the word to speak the mystery of Christ.” The construction in Greek is somewhat awkward in this clause. The translation attempts to simplify this structure somewhat and yet communicate exactly what Paul is asking for.

[4:3]  ⁴⁵ tn Or “so that we may speak.”

[4:3]  ⁴⁶ tn Or “in prison.”

[3:8]  ⁴⁷ sn In Pauline writings saints means any true believer. Thus for Paul to view himself as less than the least of all the saints is to view himself as the most unworthy object of Christ’s redemption.

[3:8]  ⁴⁸ sn The parallel phrases to proclaim and to enlighten which follow indicate why God’s grace was manifested to Paul. Grace was not something just to be received, but to be shared with others (cf. Acts 13:47).