Lukas 3:2-20
Konteks3:2 during the high priesthood 1 of Annas and Caiaphas, the word 2 of God came to John the son of Zechariah in the wilderness. 3 3:3 He 4 went into all the region around the Jordan River, 5 preaching a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. 6
3:4 As it is written in the book of the words of Isaiah the prophet,
“The voice 7 of one shouting in the wilderness: 8
‘Prepare the way for the Lord,
make 9 his paths straight.
3:5 Every valley will be filled, 10
and every mountain and hill will be brought low,
and the crooked will be made straight,
and the rough ways will be made smooth,
3:6 and all humanity 11 will see the salvation of God.’” 12
3:7 So John 13 said to the crowds 14 that came out to be baptized by him, “You offspring of vipers! 15 Who warned you to flee 16 from the coming wrath? 3:8 Therefore produce 17 fruit 18 that proves your repentance, and don’t begin to say 19 to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham as our father.’ 20 For I tell you that God can raise up children for Abraham from these stones! 21 3:9 Even now the ax is laid at the root of the trees, 22 and every tree that does not produce good fruit will be 23 cut down and thrown into the fire.”
3:10 So 24 the crowds were asking 25 him, “What then should we do?” 3:11 John 26 answered them, 27 “The person who has two tunics 28 must share with the person who has none, and the person who has food must do likewise.” 3:12 Tax collectors 29 also came to be baptized, and they said to him, “Teacher, what should we do?” 3:13 He told them, “Collect no more 30 than you are required to.” 31 3:14 Then some soldiers 32 also asked him, “And as for us – what should we do?” 33 He told them, “Take money from no one by violence 34 or by false accusation, 35 and be content with your pay.”
3:15 While the people were filled with anticipation 36 and they all wondered 37 whether perhaps John 38 could be the Christ, 39 3:16 John answered them all, 40 “I baptize you with water, 41 but one more powerful than I am is coming – I am not worthy 42 to untie the strap 43 of his sandals. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire. 44 3:17 His winnowing fork 45 is in his hand to clean out his threshing floor and to gather the wheat into his storehouse, 46 but the chaff he will burn up with inextinguishable fire.” 47
3:18 And in this way, 48 with many other exhortations, John 49 proclaimed good news to the people. 3:19 But when John rebuked Herod 50 the tetrarch 51 because of Herodias, his brother’s wife, 52 and because of all the evil deeds 53 that he had done, 3:20 Herod added this to them all: He locked up John in prison.
Lukas 7:18-33
Konteks7:18 John’s 54 disciples informed him about all these things. So 55 John called 56 two of his disciples 7:19 and sent them to Jesus 57 to ask, 58 “Are you the one who is to come, 59 or should we look for another?” 7:20 When 60 the men came to Jesus, 61 they said, “John the Baptist has sent us to you to ask, 62 ‘Are you the one who is to come, or should we look for another?’” 63 7:21 At that very time 64 Jesus 65 cured many people of diseases, sicknesses, 66 and evil spirits, and granted 67 sight to many who were blind. 7:22 So 68 he answered them, 69 “Go tell 70 John what you have seen and heard: 71 The blind see, the lame walk, lepers are cleansed, the 72 deaf hear, the dead are raised, the poor have good news proclaimed to them. 7:23 Blessed is anyone 73 who takes no offense at me.”
7:24 When 74 John’s messengers had gone, Jesus 75 began to speak to the crowds about John: “What did you go out into the wilderness 76 to see? A reed shaken by the wind? 77 7:25 What 78 did you go out to see? A man dressed in fancy 79 clothes? 80 Look, those who wear fancy clothes and live in luxury 81 are in kings’ courts! 82 7:26 What did you go out to see? A prophet? Yes, I tell you, and more 83 than a prophet. 7:27 This is the one about whom it is written, ‘Look, I am sending my messenger ahead of you, 84 who will prepare your way before you.’ 85 7:28 I tell you, among those born of women no one is greater 86 than John. 87 Yet the one who is least 88 in the kingdom of God 89 is greater than he is.” 7:29 (Now 90 all the people who heard this, even the tax collectors, 91 acknowledged 92 God’s justice, because they had been baptized 93 with John’s baptism. 7:30 However, the Pharisees 94 and the experts in religious law 95 rejected God’s purpose 96 for themselves, because they had not been baptized 97 by John. 98 ) 99
7:31 “To what then should I compare the people 100 of this generation, and what are they like? 7:32 They are like children sitting in the marketplace and calling out to one another, 101
‘We played the flute for you, yet you did not dance; 102
we wailed in mourning, 103 yet you did not weep.’
7:33 For John the Baptist has come 104 eating no bread and drinking no wine, 105 and you say, ‘He has a demon!’ 106
Lukas 11:1
Konteks11:1 Now 107 Jesus 108 was praying in a certain place. When 109 he stopped, one of his disciples said to him, “Lord, teach us to pray, just as John 110 taught 111 his disciples.”
[3:2] 1 sn Use of the singular high priesthood to mention two figures is unusual but accurate, since Annas was the key priest from
[3:2] 2 tn The term translated “word” here is not λόγος (logos) but ῥῆμα (rJhma), and thus could refer to the call of the Lord to John to begin ministry.
[3:3] 4 tn Grk “And he.” Here καί (kai) has not been translated because of differences between Greek and English style. Due to the length and complexity of the Greek sentence, a new sentence was started here in the translation.
[3:3] 5 tn “River” is not in the Greek text but is supplied for clarity.
[3:3] 6 sn A baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins was a call for preparation for the arrival of the Lord’s salvation. To participate in this baptism was a recognition of the need for God’s forgiveness with a sense that one needed to live differently as a response to it (Luke 3:10-14).
[3:4] 8 tn Or “desert.” The syntactic position of the phrase “in the wilderness” is unclear in both Luke and the LXX. The MT favors taking it with “Prepare a way,” while the LXX takes it with “a voice shouting.” If the former, the meaning would be that such preparation should be done “in the wilderness.” If the latter, the meaning would be that the place from where John’s ministry went forth was “in the wilderness.” There are Jewish materials that support both renderings: 1QS 8:14 and 9.19-20 support the MT while certain rabbinic texts favor the LXX (see D. L. Bock, Luke [BECNT], 1:290-91). While it is not absolutely necessary that a call in the wilderness led to a response in the wilderness, it is not unlikely that such would be the case. Thus, in the final analysis, the net effect between the two choices may be minimal. In any case, a majority of commentators and translations take “in the wilderness” with “The voice of one shouting” (D. L. Bock; R. H. Stein, Luke [NAC], 129; I. H. Marshall, Luke [NIGTC], 136; NIV, NRSV, NKJV, NLT, NASB, REB).
[3:4] 9 tn This call to “make paths straight” in this context is probably an allusion to preparation through repentance as the verb ποιέω (poiew) reappears in vv. 8, 10, 11, 12, 14.
[3:5] 10 sn The figurative language of this verse speaks of the whole creation preparing for the arrival of a major figure, so all obstacles to his approach are removed.
[3:6] 12 sn A quotation from Isa 40:3-5. Though all the synoptic gospels use this citation from Isaiah, only Luke cites the material of vv. 5-6. His goal may well be to get to the declaration of v. 6, where all humanity (i.e., all nations) see God’s salvation (see also Luke 24:47).
[3:7] 13 tn Grk “he”; the referent (John) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[3:7] 14 sn The crowds. It is interesting to trace references to “the crowd” in Luke. It is sometimes noted favorably, other times less so. The singular appears 25 times in Luke while the plural occurs 16 times. Matt 3:7 singles out the Sadducees and Pharisees here.
[3:7] 16 sn The rebuke “Who warned you to flee…?” compares the crowd to snakes who flee their desert holes when the heat of a fire drives them out.
[3:8] 17 tn The verb here is ποιέω (poiew; see v. 4).
[3:8] 18 tn Grk “fruits.” The plural Greek term καρπούς has been translated with the collective singular “fruit” (so NIV; cf. Matt 3:8 where the singular καρπός is found). Some other translations render the plural καρπούς as “fruits” (e.g., NRSV, NASB, NAB, NKJV).
[3:8] 19 tn In other words, “do not even begin to think this.”
[3:8] 20 sn We have Abraham as our father. John’s warning to the crowds really assumes two things: (1) A number of John’s listeners apparently believed that simply by their physical descent from Abraham, they were certain heirs of the promises made to the patriarch, and (2) God would never judge his covenant people lest he inadvertently place the fulfillment of his promises in jeopardy. In light of this, John tells these people two things: (1) they need to repent and produce fruit in keeping with repentance, for only that saves from the coming wrath, and (2) God will raise up “children for Abraham from these stones” if he wants to. Their disobedience will not threaten the realization of God’s sovereign purposes.
[3:8] 21 sn The point of the statement God is able from these stones to raise up children to Abraham is that ancestry or association with a tradition tied to the great founder of the Jewish nation is not an automatic source of salvation.
[3:9] 22 sn Even now the ax is laid at the root of the trees. The imagery of an “ax already laid at the root of the trees” is vivid, connoting sudden and catastrophic judgment for the unrepentant and unfruitful. The image of “fire” serves to further heighten the intensity of the judgment referred to. It is John’s way of summoning all people to return to God with all their heart and avoid his unquenchable wrath soon to be poured out. John’s language and imagery is probably ultimately drawn from the OT where Israel is referred to as a fruitless vine (Hos 10:1-2; Jer 2:21-22) and the image of an “ax” is used to indicate God’s judgment (Ps 74:5-6; Jer 46:22).
[3:9] 23 tn Grk “is”; the present tense (ἐκκόπτεται, ekkoptetai) has futuristic force here.
[3:10] 24 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “so” to indicate the consequential nature of the people’s response.
[3:10] 25 tn Though this verb is imperfect, in this context it does not mean repeated, ongoing questions, but simply a presentation in vivid style as the following verbs in the other examples are aorist.
[3:11] 26 tn Grk “he”; the referent (John) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[3:11] 27 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] 28 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.
[3:12] 29 sn The tax collectors would bid to collect taxes for the Roman government and then add a surcharge, which they kept. Since tax collectors worked for Rome, they were viewed as traitors to their own people and were not well liked. Yet even they were moved by John’s call.
[3:13] 30 tn In the Greek text μηδὲν πλέον (mhden pleon, “no more”) is in an emphatic position.
[3:13] sn By telling the tax collectors to collect no more than…required John was calling for honesty and integrity in a business that was known for greed and dishonesty.
[3:13] 31 tn Or “than you are ordered to.”
[3:14] 32 tn Grk “And soldiers.”
[3:14] 33 tn Grk “And what should we ourselves do?”
[3:14] 34 tn Or “Rob no one.” The term διασείσητε (diaseishte) here refers to “shaking someone.” In this context it refers to taking financial advantage of someone through violence, so it refers essentially to robbery. Soldiers are to perform their tasks faithfully. A changed person is to carry out his tasks in life faithfully and without grumbling.
[3:14] 35 tn The term translated “accusation” (συκοφαντήσητε, sukofanthshte) refers to a procedure by which someone could bring charges against an individual and be paid a part of the fine imposed by the court. Soldiers could do this to supplement their pay, and would thus be tempted to make false accusations.
[3:15] 36 tn Or “with expectation.” The participle προσδοκῶντος (prosdokwnto") is taken temporally.
[3:15] sn The people were filled with anticipation because they were hoping God would send someone to deliver them.
[3:15] 37 tn Grk “pondered in their hearts.”
[3:15] 38 tn Grk “in their hearts concerning John, (whether) perhaps he might be the Christ.” The translation simplifies the style here.
[3:15] 39 tn Or “Messiah”; both “Christ” (Greek) and “Messiah” (Hebrew and Aramaic) mean “one who has been anointed.”
[3:15] sn See the note on Christ in 2:11.
[3:16] 40 tn Grk “answered them all, saying.” The participle λέγων (legwn) is redundant and has not been translated.
[3:16] 41 tc A few
[3:16] 42 tn Grk “of whom I am not worthy.”
[3:16] sn The humility of John is evident in the statement I am not worthy. This was considered one of the least worthy tasks of a slave, and John did not consider himself worthy to do even that for the one to come, despite the fact he himself was a prophet!
[3:16] 43 tn The term refers to the leather strap or thong used to bind a sandal. This is often viewed as a collective singular and translated as a plural, “the straps of his sandals,” but it may be more emphatic to retain the singular here.
[3:16] 44 sn With the Holy Spirit and fire. There are differing interpretations for this phrase regarding the number of baptisms and their nature. (1) Some see one baptism here, and this can be divided further into two options. (a) The baptism of the Holy Spirit and fire could refer to the cleansing, purifying work of the Spirit in the individual believer through salvation and sanctification, or (b) it could refer to two different results of Christ’s ministry: Some accept Christ and are baptized with the Holy Spirit, but some reject him and receive judgment. (2) Other interpreters see two baptisms here: The baptism of the Holy Spirit refers to the salvation Jesus brings at his first advent, in which believers receive the Holy Spirit, and the baptism of fire refers to the judgment Jesus will bring upon the world at his second coming. One must take into account both the image of fire and whether individual or corporate baptism is in view. A decision is not easy on either issue. The image of fire is used to refer to both eternal judgment (e.g., Matt 25:41) and the power of the Lord’s presence to purge and cleanse his people (e.g., Isa 4:4-5). The pouring out of the Spirit at Pentecost, a fulfillment of this prophecy no matter which interpretation is taken, had both individual and corporate dimensions. It is possible that since Holy Spirit and fire are governed by a single preposition in Greek, the one-baptism view may be more likely, but this is not certain. Simply put, there is no consensus view in scholarship at this time on the best interpretation of this passage.
[3:17] 45 sn A winnowing fork is a pitchfork-like tool used to toss threshed grain in the air so that the wind blows away the chaff, leaving the grain to fall to the ground. The note of purging is highlighted by the use of imagery involving sifting though threshed grain for the useful kernels.
[3:17] 46 tn Or “granary,” “barn” (referring to a building used to store a farm’s produce rather than a building for housing livestock).
[3:17] 47 sn The image of fire that cannot be extinguished is from the OT: Job 20:26; Isa 34:8-10; 66:24.
[3:18] 48 tn On construction μὲν οὖν καί (men oun kai), see BDF §451.1.
[3:18] 49 tn Grk “he”; the referent (John) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[3:19] 50 sn Herod refers here to Herod Antipas. See the note on Herod Antipas in 3:1.
[3:19] 51 sn See the note on tetrarch in 3:1.
[3:19] 52 tc Several
[3:19] sn This marriage to his brother’s wife was a violation of OT law (Lev 18:16; 20:21). In addition, both Herod Antipas and Herodias had each left previous marriages to enter into this union.
[3:19] 53 tn Or “immoralities.”
[7:18] 54 tn Grk “And John’s.” Here καί (kai) has not been translated because of differences between Greek and English style. This is a reference to John the Baptist as the following context makes clear.
[7:18] 55 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “so” to indicate that John’s action was a result of the report he had heard.
[7:18] 56 tn Grk “And calling two of his disciples, John sent.” The participle προσκαλεσάμενος (proskalesameno") has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.
[7:19] 57 tc ‡ Although most
[7:19] 58 tn Grk “to Jesus, saying,” but since this takes the form of a question, it is preferable to use the phrase “to ask” in English.
[7:19] 59 sn Aspects of Jesus’ ministry may have led John to question whether Jesus was the promised stronger and greater one who is to come that he had preached about in Luke 3:15-17.
[7:20] 60 tn Grk “And when.” Here καί (kai) has not been translated because of differences between Greek and English style.
[7:20] 61 tn Grk “him”; the referent (Jesus) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[7:20] 62 tn Grk “to you, saying,” but since this takes the form of a question, it is preferable to use the phrase “to ask” in English.
[7:20] 63 tn This question is repeated word for word from v. 19.
[7:21] 64 tn Grk “In that hour.”
[7:21] 65 tn Grk “he”; the referent (Jesus) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[7:21] 66 tn Grk “and sicknesses,” 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.
[7:21] 67 tn Or “and bestowed (sight) on.”
[7:22] 68 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “so” to indicate the relationship to Jesus’ miraculous cures in the preceding sentence.
[7:22] 69 tn Grk “answering, he said to them.” This is redundant in English and has been simplified in the translation to “he answered them.”
[7:22] 70 sn The same verb has been translated “inform” in 7:18.
[7:22] 71 sn What you have seen and heard. The following activities all paraphrase various OT descriptions of the time of promised salvation: Isa 35:5-6; 26:19; 29:18-19; 61:1. Jesus is answering not by acknowledging a title, but by pointing to the nature of his works, thus indicating the nature of the time.
[7:22] 72 tn Grk “and the,” 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.
[7:24] 74 tn Here δέ (de) has not been translated.
[7:24] 75 tn Grk “he”; the referent (Jesus) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[7:24] 77 tn There is a debate as to whether one should read this figuratively (“to see someone who is easily blown over?”) or literally (Grk “to see the wilderness vegetation?…No, to see a prophet”). Either view makes good sense, but the following examples suggest the question should be read literally and understood to point to the fact that a prophet drew them to the desert.
[7:25] 78 tn Grk “But what.” Here ἀλλά (alla, a strong contrastive in Greek) produces a somewhat awkward sense in English, and has not been translated. The same situation occurs at the beginning of v. 26.
[7:25] 79 tn Or “soft”; see L&N 79.100.
[7:25] 80 sn The reference to fancy clothes makes the point that John was not rich or powerful, in that he did not come from the wealthy classes.
[7:25] 81 tn See L&N 88.253, “to revel, to carouse, to live a life of luxury.”
[7:26] 83 tn John the Baptist is “more” because he introduces the one (Jesus) who brings the new era. The term is neuter, but may be understood as masculine in this context (BDAG 806 s.v. περισσότερος b.).
[7:27] 84 tn Grk “before your face” (an idiom).
[7:27] 85 sn The quotation is primarily from Mal 3:1 with pronouns from Exod 23:20. Here is the forerunner who points the way to the arrival of God’s salvation. His job is to prepare and guide the people, as the cloud did for Israel in the desert.
[7:28] 86 sn In the Greek text greater is at the beginning of the clause in the emphatic position. John the Baptist was the greatest man of the old era.
[7:28] 87 tc The earliest and best
[7:28] 88 sn After John comes a shift of eras. The new era is so great that the lowest member of it (the one who is least in the kingdom of God) is greater than the greatest one of the previous era.
[7:28] 89 sn The kingdom of God is a major theme of Jesus’ proclamation. 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. It is not strictly future, though its full manifestation is yet to come. That is why membership in it starts right after John the Baptist.
[7:29] 90 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “now” to indicate the parenthetical nature of the comment by the author.
[7:29] 91 sn See the note on tax collectors in 3:12.
[7:29] 92 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] 93 tn The participle βαπτισθέντες (baptisqente") has been translated as a causal adverbial participle.
[7:30] 94 sn See the note on Pharisees in 5:17.
[7:30] 95 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] 97 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] 98 tn Grk “by him”; the referent (John the Baptist) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[7:30] 99 sn Luke 7:29-30 forms something of an aside by the author. To indicate this, they have been placed in parentheses.
[7:31] 100 tn Grk “men,” but this is a generic use of ἄνθρωπος (anqrwpo"). The comparison that follows in vv. 32-34 describes “this generation,” not Jesus and John.
[7:32] 101 tn Grk “They are like children sitting…and calling out…who say.”
[7:32] 102 sn ‘We played the flute for you, yet you did not dance…’ The children of this generation were making the complaint (see vv. 33-34) that others were not playing the game according to the way they played the music. John and Jesus did not follow “their tune.” Jesus’ complaint was that this generation wanted things their way, not God’s.
[7:32] 103 tn The verb ἐθρηνήσαμεν (eqrhnhsamen) refers to the loud wailing and lamenting used to mourn the dead in public in 1st century Jewish culture.
[7:33] 104 tn The perfect tenses in both this verse and the next do more than mere aorists would. They not only summarize, but suggest the characteristics of each ministry were still in existence at the time of speaking.
[7:33] 105 tn Grk “neither eating bread nor drinking wine,” but this is somewhat awkward in contemporary English.
[7:33] 106 sn John the Baptist was too separatist and ascetic for some, and so he was accused of not being directed by God, but by a demon.
[11:1] 107 tn Grk “And it happened that while.” 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. Here καί (kai) has been translated as “now” to indicate the transition to a new topic.
[11:1] 108 tn Grk “he”; the referent (Jesus) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[11:1] 109 tn Because of the length and complexity of the Greek sentence, a new sentence was started here in the translation.
[11:1] 110 sn John refers to John the Baptist.
[11:1] 111 sn It was not unusual for Jewish groups to have their own prayer as a way of expressing corporate identity. Judaism had the Eighteen Benedictions and apparently John the Baptist had a prayer for his disciples as well.
