Lukas 3:11

3:11 John ¹  answered them, ²  “The person who has two tunics ³  must share with the person who has none, and the person who has food must do likewise.”

Lukas 6:30

6:30 Give to everyone who asks you, ⁴  and do not ask for your possessions ⁵  back ⁶  from the person who takes them away.

Lukas 7:5

7:5 because he loves our nation, ⁷  and even ⁸  built our synagogue.” ⁹ 

Lukas 11:41

11:41 But give from your heart to those in need, ¹⁰  and ¹¹  then everything will be clean for you. ¹² 

Lukas 14:13

14:13 But when you host an elaborate meal, ¹³  invite the poor, the crippled, ¹⁴  the lame, and ¹⁵  the blind. ¹⁶ 

Lukas 16:9

16:9 And I tell you, make friends for yourselves by how you use worldly wealth, ¹⁷  so that when it runs out you will be welcomed ¹⁸  into the eternal homes. ¹⁹ 

Lukas 18:22

18:22 When Jesus heard this, he said to him, “One thing you still lack. Sell all that you have ²⁰  and give the money ²¹  to the poor, ²²  and you will have treasure ²³  in heaven. Then ²⁴  come, follow me.”

Lukas 19:8

19:8 But Zacchaeus stopped and said to the Lord, “Look, Lord, half of my possessions I now give ²⁵  to the poor, and if ²⁶  I have cheated anyone of anything, I am paying back four times as much!”

[3:11]  ¹ tn Grk “he”; the referent (John) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[3:11]  ² tn Grk “Answering, he said to them.” This construction with passive participle and finite verb is pleonastic (redundant) and has been simplified in the translation to “answered them.”

[3:11]  ³ tn Or “shirt” (a long garment worn under the cloak next to the skin). The name for this garment (χιτών, citwn) presents some difficulty in translation. Most modern readers would not understand what a ‘tunic’ was any more than they would be familiar with a ‘chiton.’ On the other hand, attempts to find a modern equivalent are also a problem: “Shirt” conveys the idea of a much shorter garment that covers only the upper body, and “undergarment” (given the styles of modern underwear) is more misleading still. “Tunic” was therefore employed, but with a note to explain its nature.

[6:30]  ⁴ sn Jesus advocates a generosity and a desire to meet those in dire need with the command give to everyone who asks you. This may allude to begging; giving alms was viewed highly in the ancient world (Matt 6:1-4; Deut 15:7-11).

[6:30]  ⁵ tn Grk “your things,” sometimes translated “what is yours” or “what belongs to you.”

[6:30]  ⁶ sn Do not ask for your possessions back… is an example of showing forgiveness. Paul’s remarks in 1 Cor 6:7 may reflect this principle.

[7:5]  ⁷ tn Or “people.” The use of ἔθνος (eqnos, “nation”) here instead of “God” probably meant the man was not a full proselyte, but that he had simply been supportive of the Jews and their culture. He could have been a God-fearer. The Romans saw a stable religious community as politically helpful and often supported it (Josephus, Ant. 16.6.2 [16.162-165], 19.6.3 [19.300-311]).

[7:5]  ⁸ tn In the Greek text, the pronoun αὐτός (autos) is included, making this emphatic. Naturally the force of this statement is causative, meaning the centurion either had the synagogue built or donated the cost of its construction.

[7:5]  ⁹ sn See the note on synagogues in 4:15.

[11:41]  ¹⁰ tn Grk “Give the things inside as alms.” Three different approaches have been taken to the syntax and meaning of this phrase: (1) τὰ ἐνόντα (ta enonta, “the things inside”) is an accusative of respect (“give alms with respect to the things inside”); (2) τὰ ἐνόντα is an adverbial accusative (“give alms inwardly,” i.e., from the heart); (3) the word translated “alms” represents a mistranslation of the original Aramaic term “cleanse,” so the statement urges the hearers to “cleanse the things inside.” According to D. L. Bock (Luke [BECNT], 2:1115) the latter meaning is unlikely because the present verse is independent of Matt 23:26, not parallel to it, and makes good sense as it stands.

[11:41]  sn In Jewish culture giving alms to the poor was a very important religious observance; it was meant to be an act of mercy, kindness, and love (D. L. Bock, Luke [BECNT], 2:1114). The implication from the text is that the Pharisees gave alms, but without any of the spiritual concern which should have motivated those generous actions. Here Jesus commands the Pharisees to give from within themselves to those in need instead of just giving of their possessions. In so doing they would show true inner purity acceptable to God. This is in keeping with the author’s social concerns elsewhere in the Gospel (cf., e.g., 1:52-53, 4:18-19, 6:20-21, 14:13).

[11:41]  ¹¹ tn Grk “and behold.” The Greek word ἰδού (idou) at the beginning of this clause has not been translated because it has no exact English equivalent here, but adds interest and emphasis (BDAG 468 s.v. 1).

[11:41]  ¹² sn The expression everything will be clean for you refers to the agreement that should exist between the overt practice of one’s religious duties, such as almsgiving, and the inner condition of one’s heart, including true love for God and the poor; one is not only to wash the outside of the cup and plate, but the inside as well, since as Jesus said, God created the inside too. Religious duties are not to be performed hypocritically, i.e., for the applause and esteem of people, but rather they are to be done out of a deep love for God and a sensitivity to and concern for the needs of others. Then, everything will be clean, both hearts and lives.

[14:13]  ¹³ tn This term, δοχή (doch), is a third term for a meal (see v. 12) that could also be translated “banquet, feast.”

[14:13]  ¹⁴ sn Normally the term means crippled as a result of being maimed or mutilated (L&N 23.177).

[14:13]  ¹⁵ tn Here “and” has been supplied between the last two elements in the series in keeping with English style.

[14:13]  ¹⁶ sn This list of needy is like Luke 7:22. See Deut 14:28-29; 16:11-14; 26:11-13.

[16:9]  ¹⁷ tn Grk “unrighteous mammon.” Mammon is the Aramaic term for wealth or possessions. The point is not that money is inherently evil, but that it is often misused so that it is a means of evil; see 1 Tim 6:6-10, 17-19. The call is to be generous and kind in its use. Zacchaeus becomes the example of this in Luke’s Gospel (19:1-10).

[16:9]  ¹⁸ sn The passive refers to the welcome of heaven.

[16:9]  ¹⁹ tn Grk “eternal tents” (as dwelling places).

[18:22]  ²⁰ sn See Luke 14:33.

[18:22]  ²¹ tn The words “the money” are not in the Greek text, but are implied. Direct objects were frequently omitted in Greek when clear from the context.

[18:22]  ²² sn See Luke 1:50-53; 6:20-23; 14:12-14.

[18:22]  ²³ sn The call for sacrifice comes with a promise of eternal reward: …you will have treasure in heaven. Jesus’ call is a test to see how responsive the man is to God’s direction through him. Will he walk the path God’s agent calls him to walk? For a rich person who got it right, see Zacchaeus in Luke 19:1-10.

[18:22]  ²⁴ tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence of events within the conversation.

[19:8]  ²⁵ 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]  ²⁶ tn This is a first class condition in the Greek text. It virtually confesses fraud.