Matthew 8:11-12

8:11 I tell you, many will come from the east and west to share the banquet ¹  with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob ²  in the kingdom of heaven, 8:12 but the sons of the kingdom will be thrown out into the outer darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.” ³ 

Matthew 19:30

19:30 But many who are first will be last, and the last first.

Matthew 20:16

20:16 So the last will be first, and the first last.”

Matthew 21:31

21:31 Which of the two did his father’s will?” They said, “The first.” ⁴  Jesus said to them, “I tell you the truth, ⁵  tax collectors ⁶  and prostitutes will go ahead of you into the kingdom of God!

Luke 7:29-30

7:29 (Now ⁷  all the people who heard this, even the tax collectors, ⁸  acknowledged ⁹  God’s justice, because they had been baptized ¹⁰  with John’s baptism. 7:30 However, the Pharisees ¹¹  and the experts in religious law ¹²  rejected God’s purpose ¹³  for themselves, because they had not been baptized ¹⁴  by John. ¹⁵ ) ¹⁶ 

Luke 7:40-47

7:40 So ¹⁷  Jesus answered him, ¹⁸  “Simon, I have something to say to you.” He replied, ¹⁹  “Say it, Teacher.” 7:41 “A certain creditor ²⁰  had two debtors; one owed him ²¹  five hundred silver coins, ²²  and the other fifty. 7:42 When they could not pay, he canceled ²³  the debts of both. Now which of them will love him more?” 7:43 Simon answered, ²⁴  “I suppose the one who had the bigger debt canceled.” ²⁵  Jesus ²⁶  said to him, “You have judged rightly.” 7:44 Then, ²⁷  turning toward the woman, he said to Simon, “Do you see this woman? I entered your house. You gave me no water for my feet, ²⁸  but she has wet my feet with her tears and wiped them with her hair. 7:45 You gave me no kiss of greeting, ²⁹  but from the time I entered she has not stopped kissing my feet. 7:46 You did not anoint my head with oil, but she has anointed my feet ³⁰  with perfumed oil. 7:47 Therefore I tell you, her sins, which were many, are forgiven, thus she loved much; ³¹  but the one who is forgiven little loves little.”

Luke 13:30

13:30 But ³²  indeed, ³³  some are last ³⁴  who will be first, and some are first who will be last.”

Luke 18:11-14

18:11 The Pharisee stood and prayed about himself like this: ³⁵  ‘God, I thank ³⁶  you that I am not like other people: ³⁷  extortionists, ³⁸  unrighteous people, ³⁹  adulterers – or even like this tax collector. ⁴⁰  18:12 I fast twice ⁴¹  a week; I give a tenth ⁴²  of everything I get.’ 18:13 The tax collector, however, stood ⁴³  far off and would not even look up ⁴⁴  to heaven, but beat his breast and said, ‘God, be merciful ⁴⁵  to me, sinner that I am!’ ⁴⁶  18:14 I tell you that this man went down to his home justified ⁴⁷  rather than the Pharisee. ⁴⁸  For everyone who exalts ⁴⁹  himself will be humbled, but he who humbles himself will be exalted.”

Acts 13:46-48

13:46 Both Paul and Barnabas replied courageously, ⁵⁰  “It was necessary to speak the word of God ⁵¹  to you first. Since you reject it and do not consider yourselves worthy ⁵²  of eternal life, we ⁵³  are turning to the Gentiles. ⁵⁴  13:47 For this ⁵⁵  is what the Lord has commanded us: ‘I have appointed ⁵⁶  you to be a light ⁵⁷  for the Gentiles, to bring salvation ⁵⁸  to the ends of the earth.’” ⁵⁹  13:48 When the Gentiles heard this, they began to rejoice ⁶⁰  and praise ⁶¹  the word of the Lord, and all who had been appointed for eternal life ⁶²  believed.

Romans 9:30-33

Israel’s Rejection Culpable

9:30 What shall we say then? – that the Gentiles who did not pursue righteousness obtained it, that is, a righteousness that is by faith, 9:31 but Israel even though pursuing ⁶³  a law of righteousness ⁶⁴  did not attain it. ⁶⁵  9:32 Why not? Because they pursued ⁶⁶  it not by faith but (as if it were possible) by works. ⁶⁷  They stumbled over the stumbling stone, ⁶⁸  9:33 just as it is written,

“Look, I am laying in Zion a stone that will cause people to stumble

and a rock that will make them fall, ⁶⁹ 

yet the one who believes in him will not be put to shame.” ⁷⁰ 

[8:11]  ¹ tn Grk “and recline at table,” as 1st century middle eastern meals were not eaten while sitting at a table, but while reclining on one’s side on the floor with the head closest to the low table and the feet farthest away. The word “banquet” has been supplied to clarify for the modern reader the festive nature of the imagery. The banquet imagery is a way to describe the fellowship and celebration of being among the people of God at the end.

[8:11]  ² tn Grk “and Isaac and Jacob,” but καί (kai) has not been translated since English normally uses a coordinating conjunction only between the last two elements in a series of three or more.

[8:12]  ³ sn Weeping and gnashing of teeth is a figure for remorse and trauma, which occurs here because of exclusion from God’s promise.

[21:31]  ⁴ 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]  ⁵ tn Grk “Truly (ἀμήν, amhn), I say to you.”

[21:31]  ⁶ sn See the note on tax collectors in 5:46.

[7:29]  ⁷ tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “now” to indicate the parenthetical nature of the comment by the author.

[7:29]  ⁸ sn See the note on tax collectors in 3:12.

[7:29]  ⁹ 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]  ¹⁰ tn The participle βαπτισθέντες (baptisqente") has been translated as a causal adverbial participle.

[7:30]  ¹¹ sn See the note on Pharisees in 5:17.

[7:30]  ¹² 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]  ¹³ tn Or “plan.”

[7:30]  ¹⁴ 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]  ¹⁵ tn Grk “by him”; the referent (John the Baptist) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[7:30]  ¹⁶ sn Luke 7:29-30 forms something of an aside by the author. To indicate this, they have been placed in parentheses.

[7:40]  ¹⁷ tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “so” to indicate the connection with the preceding statement recording the Pharisee’s thoughts.

[7:40]  ¹⁸ tn Grk “answering, said to him.” This is redundant in contemporary English and has been simplified to “answered him.”

[7:40]  ¹⁹ tn Grk “he said.”

[7:41]  ²⁰ sn A creditor was a moneylender, whose business was to lend money to others at a fixed rate of interest.

[7:41]  ²¹ tn The word “him” is not in the Greek text, but is implied.

[7:41]  ²² tn Grk “five hundred denarii.”

[7:42]  ²³ tn The verb ἐχαρίσατο (ecarisato) could be translated as “forgave.” Of course this pictures the forgiveness of God’s grace, which is not earned but bestowed with faith (see v. 49).

[7:43]  ²⁴ tn Grk “answering, said.” This is redundant in contemporary English and has been simplified to “answered.”

[7:43]  ²⁵ tn Grk “the one to whom he forgave more” (see v. 42).

[7:43]  ²⁶ tn Grk “He”; the referent (Jesus) has been specified in the translation for clarity. Here δέ (de) has not been translated.

[7:44]  ²⁷ tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence of events within the narrative.

[7:44]  ²⁸ sn It is discussed whether these acts in vv. 44-46 were required by the host. Most think they were not, but this makes the woman’s acts of respect all the more amazing.

[7:45]  ²⁹ tn Grk “no kiss.” This refers to a formalized kiss of greeting, standard in that culture. To convey this to the modern reader, the words “of greeting” have been supplied to qualify what kind of kiss is meant.

[7:46]  ³⁰ sn This event is not equivalent to the anointing of Jesus that takes place in the last week of his life (Matt 26:6-13; Mark 14:3-9; John 12:1-8). That woman was not a sinner, and Jesus was eating in the home of Simon the leper, who, as a leper, could never be a Pharisee.

[7:47]  ³¹ tn Grk “for she loved much.” The connection between this statement and the preceding probably involves an ellipsis, to the effect that the ὅτι clause gives the evidence of forgiveness, not the ground. For similar examples of an “evidentiary” ὅτι, cf. Luke 1:22; 6:21; 13:2. See discussion in D. L. Bock, Luke [BECNT], 1:703-5. Further evidence that this is the case here is the final statement: “the one who is forgiven little loves little” means that the one who is forgiven little is thus not able to love much. The REB renders this verse: “her great love proves that her many sins have been forgiven; where little has been forgiven, little love is shown.”

[13:30]  ³² tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “but” to indicate the contrast present in this context.

[13:30]  ³³ tn Grk “behold.”

[13:30]  ³⁴ sn Some are last who will be first, and some are first who will be last. Jesus’ answer is that some who are expected to be there (many from Israel) will not be there, while others not expected to be present (from other nations) will be present. The question is not, “Will the saved be few?” (see v. 23), but “Will it be you?”

[18:11]  ³⁵ tn Or “stood by himself and prayed like this.” The prepositional phrase πρὸς ἑαυτόν (pros eauton, “to/about himself”) could go with either the aorist participle σταθείς (staqeis, “stood”) or with the imperfect verb προσηύχετο (proshuceto, “he prayed”). If taken with the participle, then the meaning would seem at first glance to be: “stood ‘by himself’,” or “stood ‘alone’.” Now it is true that πρός can mean “by” or “with” when used with intransitive verbs such as ἵστημι ({isthmi, “I stand”; cf. BDAG 874 s.v. πρός 2.a), but πρὸς ἑαυτόν together never means “by himself” or “alone” in biblical Greek. On the other hand, if πρὸς ἑαυτόν is taken with the verb, then two different nuances emerge, both of which highlight in different ways the principal point Jesus seems to be making about the arrogance of this religious leader: (1) “prayed to himself,” but not necessarily silently, or (2) “prayed about himself,” with the connotation that he prayed out loud, for all to hear. Since his prayer is really a review of his moral résumé, directed both at advertising his own righteousness and exposing the perversion of the tax collector, whom he actually mentions in his prayer, the latter option seems preferable. If this is the case, then the Pharisee’s mention of God is really nothing more than a formality.

[18:11]  ³⁶ sn The Pharisee’s prayer started out as a thanksgiving psalm to God, but the praise ended up not being about God.

[18:11]  ³⁷ tn Here the plural Greek term ἀνθρώπων (anqrwpwn) is used as a generic and can refer to both men and women (NASB, NRSV, “people”; NLT, “everyone else”; NAB, “the rest of humanity”).

[18:11]  ³⁸ tn Or “swindlers” (BDAG 134 s.v. ἅρπαξ 2); see also Isa 10:2; Josephus, J. W. 6.3.4 [6.203].

[18:11]  ³⁹ sn A general category for “sinners” (1 Cor 6:9; Lev 19:3).

[18:11]  ⁴⁰ sn Note what the Pharisee assumes about the righteousness of this tax collector by grouping him with extortionists, unrighteous people, and adulterers.

[18:12]  ⁴¹ sn The law only required fasting on the Day of Atonement. Such voluntary fasting as this practiced twice a week by the Pharisee normally took place on Monday and Thursday.

[18:12]  ⁴² tn Or “I tithe.”

[18:13]  ⁴³ tn Grk “standing”; the Greek participle has been translated as a finite verb.

[18:13]  ⁴⁴ tn Grk “even lift up his eyes” (an idiom).

[18:13]  ⁴⁵ 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]  ⁴⁶ 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.

[18:14]  ⁴⁷ sn The prayer that was heard and honored was the one given with humility; in a surprising reversal it was the tax collector who went down to his home justified.

[18:14]  ⁴⁸ tn Grk “the other”; the referent (the Pharisee, v. 10) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[18:14]  ⁴⁹ sn Everyone who exalts himself. See Luke 14:11. Jesus often called for humility and condemned those who sought honor.

[13:46]  ⁵⁰ tn Grk “Both Paul and Barnabas spoke out courageously and said.” The redundancy is removed in the translation and the verb “replied” is used in keeping with the logical sequence of events. The theme of boldness reappears: Acts 4:24-30; 9:27-28.

[13:46]  ⁵¹ tn Grk “It was necessary that the word of God be spoken.” For smoothness and simplicity of English style, the passive construction has been converted to active voice in the translation.

[13:46]  ⁵² tn Or “and consider yourselves unworthy.”

[13:46]  ⁵³ tn Grk “behold, we.” In this context ἰδού (idou) is not easily translated into English.

[13:46]  ⁵⁴ sn This turning to the Gentiles would be a shocking rebuke to 1st century Jews who thought they alone were the recipients of the promise.

[13:47]  ⁵⁵ tn Here οὕτως (Joutws) is taken to refer to what follows, the content of the quotation, as given for this verse by BDAG 742 s.v. οὕτω/οὕτως 2.

[13:47]  ⁵⁶ tn BDAG 1004 s.v. τίθημι 3.a has “τιθέναι τινὰ εἴς τι place/appoint someone to or for (to function as) someth….Ac 13:47.” This is a double accusative construction of object (“you”) and complement (“a light”).

[13:47]  ⁵⁷ sn Paul alludes here to the language of the Servant in Isaiah, pointing to Isa 42:6; 49:6. He and Barnabas do the work of the Servant in Isaiah.

[13:47]  ⁵⁸ tn Grk “that you should be for salvation,” but more simply “to bring salvation.”

[13:47]  ⁵⁹ sn An allusion to Isa 42:6 and 49:6. The expression the ends of the earth recalls Luke 3:6 and Acts 1:8. Paul sees himself and Barnabas as carrying out the commission of Luke 24:27. (See 2 Cor 6:2, where servant imagery also appears concerning Paul’s message.)

[13:48]  ⁶⁰ tn The imperfect verb ἔχαιρον (ecairon) and the following ἐδόξαζον (edoxazon) are translated as ingressive imperfects.

[13:48]  ⁶¹ tn Or “glorify.” Although “honor” is given by BDAG 258 s.v. δοξάζω as a translation, it would be misleading here, because the meaning is “to honor in the sense of attributing worth to something,” while in contemporary English usage one speaks of “honoring” a contract in the sense of keeping its stipulations. It is not a synonym for “obey” in this context (“obey the word of the Lord”), but that is how many English readers would understand it.

[13:48]  ⁶² sn Note the contrast to v. 46 in regard to eternal life.

[9:31]  ⁶³ tn Or “who pursued.” The participle could be taken adverbially or adjectivally.

[9:31]  ⁶⁴ tn Or “a legal righteousness,” that is, a righteousness based on law. This translation would treat the genitive δικαιοσύνης (dikaiosunh") as an attributed genitive (see ExSyn 89-91).

[9:31]  ⁶⁵ tn Grk “has not attained unto the law.”

[9:32]  ⁶⁶ tn Grk “Why? Because not by faith but as though by works.” The verb (“they pursued [it]”) is to be supplied from the preceding verse for the sake of English style; yet a certain literary power is seen in Paul’s laconic style.

[9:32]  ⁶⁷ tc Most mss, especially the later ones (א² D Ψ 33 Ï sy), read νόμου (nomou, “of the law”) here, echoing Paul’s usage in Rom 3:20, 28 and elsewhere. The qualifying phrase is lacking in א* A B F G 6 629 630 1739 1881 pc lat co. The longer reading thus is weaker externally and internally, being motivated apparently by a need to clarify.

[9:32]  ⁶⁸ tn Grk “the stone of stumbling.”

[9:33]  ⁶⁹ tn Grk “a stone of stumbling and a rock of offense.”

[9:33]  ⁷⁰ sn A quotation from Isa 28:16; 8:14.