Matthew 9:9

The Call of Matthew; Eating with Sinners

9:9 As Jesus went on from there, he saw a man named Matthew sitting at the tax booth. ¹  “Follow me,” he said to him. And he got up and followed him.

Matthew 21:23-31

The Authority of Jesus

21:23 Now after Jesus ²  entered the temple courts, ³  the chief priests and elders of the people came up to him as he was teaching and said, “By what authority ⁴  are you doing these things, and who gave you this authority?” 21:24 Jesus ⁵  answered them, “I will also ask you one question. If you answer me then I will also tell you by what authority I do these things. 21:25 Where did John’s baptism come from? From heaven or from people?” ⁶  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 ⁷  they answered Jesus, ⁸  “We don’t know.” ⁹  Then he said to them, “Neither will I tell you ¹⁰  by what authority ¹¹  I am doing these things.

The Parable of the Two Sons

21:28 “What ¹²  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, ¹³  ‘I will not.’ But later he had a change of heart ¹⁴  and went. 21:30 The father ¹⁵  went to the other son and said the same thing. This boy answered, ¹⁶  ‘I will, sir,’ but did not go. 21:31 Which of the two did his father’s will?” They said, “The first.” ¹⁷  Jesus said to them, “I tell you the truth, ¹⁸  tax collectors ¹⁹  and prostitutes will go ahead of you into the kingdom of God!

Luke 19:7-10

19:7 And when the people ²⁰  saw it, they all complained, ²¹  “He has gone in to be the guest of a man who is a sinner.” ²²  19:8 But Zacchaeus stopped and said to the Lord, “Look, Lord, half of my possessions I now give ²³  to the poor, and if ²⁴  I have cheated anyone of anything, I am paying back four times as much!” 19:9 Then ²⁵  Jesus said to him, “Today salvation ²⁶  has come to this household, ²⁷  because he too is a son of Abraham! ²⁸  19:10 For the Son of Man came ²⁹  to seek and to save the lost.”

Romans 6:16-22

6:16 Do you not know that if you present yourselves ³⁰  as obedient slaves, ³¹  you are slaves of the one you obey, either of sin resulting in death, or obedience resulting in righteousness? ³²  6:17 But thanks be to God that though you were slaves to sin, you obeyed ³³  from the heart that pattern ³⁴  of teaching you were entrusted to, 6:18 and having been freed from sin, you became enslaved to righteousness. 6:19 (I am speaking in human terms because of the weakness of your flesh.) ³⁵  For just as you once presented your members as slaves to impurity and lawlessness leading to more lawlessness, so now present your members as slaves to righteousness leading to sanctification. 6:20 For when you were slaves of sin, you were free with regard to righteousness.

6:21 So what benefit ³⁶  did you then reap ³⁷  from those things that you are now ashamed of? For the end of those things is death. 6:22 But now, freed ³⁸  from sin and enslaved to God, you have your benefit ³⁹  leading to sanctification, and the end is eternal life.

Romans 6:1

The Believer’s Freedom from Sin’s Domination

6:1 What shall we say then? Are we to remain in sin so that grace may increase?

Colossians 1:11

1:11 being strengthened with all power according to his glorious might for the display of ⁴⁰  all patience and steadfastness, joyfully

Colossians 1:1

Salutation

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

Colossians 1:12-13

1:12 giving thanks to the Father who has qualified you to share ⁴²  in the saints’ ⁴³  inheritance in the light. 1:13 He delivered us from the power of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of the Son he loves, ⁴⁴ 

Titus 3:8

Summary of the Letter

3:8 This saying ⁴⁵  is trustworthy, and I want you to insist on such truths, ⁴⁶  so that those who have placed their faith in God may be intent on engaging in good works. These things are good and beneficial for all people.

Titus 3:1

Conduct Toward Those Outside the Church

3:1 Remind them to be subject to rulers and ⁴⁷  authorities, to be obedient, to be ready for every good work.

Titus 1:13

1:13 Such testimony is true. For this reason rebuke them sharply that they may be healthy in the faith

Titus 1:2-3

1:2 in hope of eternal life, which God, who does not lie, promised before the ages began. ⁴⁸  1:3 But now in his own time ⁴⁹  he has made his message evident through the preaching I was entrusted with according to the command of God our Savior.

[9:9]  ¹ tn While “tax office” is sometimes given as a translation for τελώνιον (telwnion, so L&N 57.183), this could give the modern reader a false impression of an indoor office with all its associated furnishings.

[21:23]  ² tn Grk “he.”

[21:23]  ³ tn Grk “the temple.”

[21:23]  ⁴ tn On this phrase, see BDAG 844 s.v. ποῖος 2.a.γ.1

[21:24]  ³ tn Grk “answering, Jesus said to them.” This is somewhat redundant and has been simplified in the translation. Here δέ (de) has not been translated.

[21:25]  ⁴ 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]  ⁵ 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]  ⁶ tn Grk “answering Jesus, they said.” This construction is somewhat awkward in English and has been simplified in the translation.

[21:27]  ⁷ 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]  ⁸ 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]  ⁹ 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]  ⁶ tn Here δέ (de) has not been translated.

[21:29]  ⁷ 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]  ⁸ 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]  ⁸ tn “And he”; here δέ (de) has not been translated.

[21:30]  ⁹ 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]  ⁹ 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 mss (D it). But the reading is so hard as to be nearly impossible. One can only suspect some tampering with the text, extreme carelessness on the part of the scribe, or possibly a recognition of the importance of not shaming one’s parent in public. (Any of these reasons is not improbable with this texttype, and with codex D in particular.) The other two major variants are more difficult to assess. Essentially, the responses make sense (the son who does his father’s will is the one who changes his mind after saying “no”): (2) The first son says “no” and later has a change of heart, and the second son says “yes” but does not go. But here, the first son is called the one who does his father’s will (unlike the Western reading). This is the reading found in (א) C L W (Z) 0102 0281 ˹ 33 Ï and several versional witnesses. (3) The first son says “yes” but does not go, and the second son says “no” but later has a change of heart. This is the reading found in B Θ Ë¹³ 700 and several versional witnesses. Both of these latter two readings make good sense and have significantly better textual support than the first reading. The real question, then, is this: Is the first son or the second the obedient one? If one were to argue simply from the parabolic logic, the second son would be seen as the obedient one (hence, the third reading). The first son would represent the Pharisees (or Jews) who claim to obey God, but do not (cf. Matt 23:3). This accords well with the parable of the prodigal son (in which the oldest son represents the unbelieving Jews). Further, the chronological sequence of the second son being obedient fits well with the real scene: Gentiles and tax collectors and prostitutes were not, collectively, God’s chosen people, but they did repent and come to God, while the Jewish leaders claimed to be obedient to God but did nothing. At the same time, the external evidence is weaker for this reading (though stronger than the first reading), not as widespread, and certainly suspect because of how neatly it fits. One suspects scribal manipulation at this point. Thus the second reading looks to be superior to the other two on both external and transcriptional grounds. But what about intrinsic evidence? One can surmise that Jesus didn’t always give predictable responses. In this instance, he may well have painted a picture in which the Pharisees saw themselves as the first son, only to stun them with his application (v. 32).

[21:31]  ¹⁰ tn Grk “Truly (ἀμήν, amhn), I say to you.”

[21:31]  ¹¹ sn See the note on tax collectors in 5:46.

[19:7]  ¹⁰ tn Grk “they”; the referent is unspecified but is probably the crowd in general, who would have no great love for a man like Zacchaeus who had enriched himself many times over at their expense.

[19:7]  ¹¹ tn This term is used only twice in the NT, both times in Luke (here and 15:2) and has negative connotations both times (BDAG 227 s.v. διαγογγύζω). The participle λέγοντες (legonte") is redundant in contemporary English and has not been translated.

[19:7]  ¹² sn Being the guest of a man who is a sinner was a common complaint about Jesus: Luke 5:31-32; 7:37-50; 15:1-2.

[19:8]  ¹¹ sn Zacchaeus was a penitent man who resolved on the spot to act differently in the face of Jesus’ acceptance of him. In resolving to give half his possessions to the poor, Zacchaeus was not defending himself against the crowd’s charges and claiming to be righteous. Rather as a result of this meeting with Jesus, he was a changed individual. So Jesus could speak of salvation coming that day (v. 9) and of the lost being saved (v. 10).

[19:8]  ¹² tn This is a first class condition in the Greek text. It virtually confesses fraud.

[19:9]  ¹² tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence of events within the narrative

[19:9]  ¹³ sn This is one of the few uses of the specific term salvation in Luke (1:69, 71, 77), though the concept runs throughout the Gospel.

[19:9]  ¹⁴ sn The household is not a reference to the building, but to the people who lived within it (L&N 10.8).

[19:9]  ¹⁵ sn Zacchaeus was personally affirmed by Jesus as a descendant (son) of Abraham and a member of God’s family.

[19:10]  ¹³ sn The Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost is Jesus’ mission succinctly defined. See Luke 15:1-32.

[6:16]  ¹⁴ tn Grk “to whom you present yourselves.”

[6:16]  ¹⁵ tn Grk “as slaves for obedience.” See the note on the word “slave” in 1:1.

[6:16]  ¹⁶ tn Grk “either of sin unto death, or obedience unto righteousness.”

[6:17]  ¹⁵ tn Grk “you were slaves of sin but you obeyed.”

[6:17]  ¹⁶ tn Or “type, form.”

[6:19]  ¹⁶ tn Or “because of your natural limitations” (NRSV).

[6:21]  ¹⁷ tn Grk “fruit.”

[6:21]  ¹⁸ tn Grk “have,” in a tense emphasizing their customary condition in the past.

[6:22]  ¹⁸ tn The two aorist participles translated “freed” and “enslaved” are causal in force; their full force is something like “But now, since you have become freed from sin and since you have become enslaved to God….”

[6:22]  ¹⁹ tn Grk “fruit.”

[1:11]  ¹⁹ tn The expression “for the display of” is an attempt to convey in English the force of the Greek preposition εἰς (eis) in this context.

[1:1]  ²⁰ tn Grk “Paul.” The word “from” is not in the Greek text, but has been supplied to indicate the sender of the letter.

[1:12]  ²¹ tn BDAG 473 s.v. ἱκανόω states, “τινὰ εἴς τι someone for someth. Col 1:12.” The point of the text is that God has qualified the saints for a “share” or “portion” in the inheritance of the saints.

[1:12]  ²² tn Grk “the inheritance of the saints.” The genitive noun τῶν ἁγίων (twn Jagiwn) is a possessive genitive: “the saints’ inheritance.”

[1:13]  ²² tn Here αὐτοῦ (autou) has been translated as a subjective genitive (“he loves”).

[3:8]  ²³ sn This saying (Grk “the saying”) refers to the preceding citation (Titus 3:4-7). See 1 Tim 1:15; 3:1; 4:9; 2 Tim 2:11 for other occurrences of this phrase.

[3:8]  ²⁴ tn Grk “concerning these things.”

[3:1]  ²⁴ tc Most later witnesses (D² 0278 Ï lat sy) have καί (kai, “and”) after ἀρχαῖς (arcai", “rulers”), though the earliest and best witnesses (א A C D* F G Ψ 33 104 1739 1881) lack the conjunction. Although the καί is most likely not authentic, it has been added in translation due to the requirements of English style. For more discussion, see TCGNT 586.

[1:2]  ²⁵ tn Grk “before eternal ages.”

[1:3]  ²⁶ tn The Greek text emphasizes the contrast between vv. 2b and 3a: God promised this long ago but now has revealed it in his own time.