Lukas 9:51

Rejection in Samaria

9:51 Now when ¹  the days drew near ²  for him to be taken up, ³  Jesus ⁴  set out resolutely ⁵  to go to Jerusalem. ⁶ 

Lukas 11:39-54

11:39 But the Lord said to him, “Now you Pharisees clean ⁷  the outside of the cup and the plate, but inside you are full of greed and wickedness. ⁸  11:40 You fools! ⁹  Didn’t the one who made the outside make the inside as well? ¹⁰  11:41 But give from your heart to those in need, ¹¹  and ¹²  then everything will be clean for you. ¹³ 

11:42 “But woe to you Pharisees! ¹⁴  You give a tenth ¹⁵  of your mint, ¹⁶  rue, ¹⁷  and every herb, yet you neglect justice ¹⁸  and love for God! But you should have done these things without neglecting the others. ¹⁹  11:43 Woe to you Pharisees! You love the best seats ²⁰  in the synagogues ²¹  and elaborate greetings ²²  in the marketplaces! 11:44 Woe to you! ²³  You are like unmarked graves, and people ²⁴  walk over them without realizing it!” ²⁵ 

11:45 One of the experts in religious law ²⁶  answered him, “Teacher, when you say these things you insult ²⁷  us too.” 11:46 But Jesus ²⁸  replied, ²⁹  “Woe to you experts in religious law as well! ³⁰  You load people ³¹  down with burdens difficult to bear, yet you yourselves refuse to touch ³²  the burdens with even one of your fingers! 11:47 Woe to you! You build ³³  the tombs of the prophets whom your ancestors ³⁴  killed. 11:48 So you testify that you approve of ³⁵  the deeds of your ancestors, ³⁶  because they killed the prophets ³⁷  and you build their ³⁸  tombs! ³⁹  11:49 For this reason also the wisdom ⁴⁰  of God said, ‘I will send them prophets and apostles, some of whom they will kill and persecute,’ 11:50 so that this generation may be held accountable ⁴¹  for the blood of all the prophets that has been shed since the beginning ⁴²  of the world, ⁴³  11:51 from the blood of Abel ⁴⁴  to the blood of Zechariah, ⁴⁵  who was killed ⁴⁶  between the altar and the sanctuary. ⁴⁷  Yes, I tell you, it will be charged against ⁴⁸  this generation. 11:52 Woe to you experts in religious law! You have taken away ⁴⁹  the key to knowledge! You did not go in yourselves, and you hindered ⁵⁰  those who were going in.”

11:53 When he went out from there, the experts in the law ⁵¹  and the Pharisees began to oppose him bitterly, ⁵²  and to ask him hostile questions ⁵³  about many things, 11:54 plotting against ⁵⁴  him, to catch ⁵⁵  him in something he might say.

[9:51]  ¹ tn Grk “And it happened that when.” 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.

[9:51]  ² tn Grk “the days were being fulfilled.” There is literary design here. This starts what has been called in the Gospel of Luke the “Jerusalem Journey.” It is not a straight-line trip, but a journey to meet his fate (Luke 13:31-35).

[9:51]  ³ sn Taken up is a reference to Jesus’ upcoming return to heaven by crucifixion and resurrection (compare Luke 9:31). This term was used in the LXX of Elijah’s departure in 2 Kgs 2:9.

[9:51]  ⁴ tn Grk “he”; the referent (Jesus) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[9:51]  ⁵ tn Grk “he set his face,” a Semitic idiom that speaks of a firm, unshakable resolve to do something (Gen 31:21; Isa 50:7).

[9:51]  ⁶ map For location see Map5 B1; Map6 F3; Map7 E2; Map8 F2; Map10 B3; JP1 F4; JP2 F4; JP3 F4; JP4 F4.

[11:39]  ⁷ sn The allusion to washing (clean the outside of the cup) shows Jesus knew what they were thinking and deliberately set up a contrast that charged them with hypocrisy and majoring on minors.

[11:39]  ⁸ tn Or “and evil.”

[11:40]  ⁹ sn You fools is a rebuke which in the OT refers to someone who is blind to God (Ps 14:1, 53:1; 92:6; Prov 6:12).

[11:40]  ¹⁰ tn The question includes a Greek particle, οὐ (ou), that expects a positive reply. God, the maker of both, is concerned for what is both inside and outside.

[11:41]  ¹¹ 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]  ¹² 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]  ¹³ 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.

[11:42]  ¹⁴ tn Grk “Woe to you…because you…” The causal particle ὅτι (Joti) has not been translated here for rhetorical effect (and so to the end of this chapter).

[11:42]  ¹⁵ tn Or “you tithe mint.”

[11:42]  ¹⁶ sn These small herbs were tithed with great care (Mishnah, m. Demai 2:1).

[11:42]  ¹⁷ tn Grk “and rue.” 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.

[11:42]  sn Rue was an evergreen herb used for seasoning.

[11:42]  ¹⁸ sn Justice was a major theme of OT ethics (Mic 6:8; Zech 7:8-10).

[11:42]  ¹⁹ tn Grk “those”; but this has been translated as “the others” to clarify which are meant.

[11:43]  ²⁰ tn Or “seats of honor.” The term here is plural and is not a reference only to the lead “seat of Moses” in the synagogue, but includes the front seats near the ark.

[11:43]  ²¹ sn See the note on synagogues in 4:15.

[11:43]  ²² tn Grk “and the greetings.”

[11:43]  sn The later Jewish summary of oral tradition, the Talmud, notes elaborate greetings for rabbis. The rebuke here is for pride.

[11:44]  ²³ tc Most mss (A [D] W Θ Ψ Ë¹³ Ï it) have “experts in the law and Pharisees, hypocrites” after “you,” but this looks like an assimilation to the parallel in Matt 23:25, 27, 29. The shorter reading has earlier attestation from a variety of reliable mss (Ì^45,75 א B C L ˹ 33 1241 2542 lat sa).

[11:44]  ²⁴ tn Grk “men.” This is a generic use of ἄνθρωπος (anqrwpo"), referring to both males and females.

[11:44]  ²⁵ sn In Judaism to come into contact with the dead or what is associated with them, even without knowing it, makes one unclean (Num 19:11-22; Lev 21:1-3; Mishnah, m. Demai 2:3). To Pharisees, who would have been so sensitive about contracting ceremonial uncleanness, it would have been quite a stinging rebuke to be told they caused it.

[11:45]  ²⁶ sn That is, an expert in the interpretation of the Mosaic law. They worked closely with the Pharisees.

[11:45]  ²⁷ tn For this term, see Matt 22;6; Luke 18:32; Acts 14:5; 1 Thess 2:2.

[11:46]  ²⁸ tn Grk “he”; the referent (Jesus) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[11:46]  ²⁹ tn Grk “said.”

[11:46]  ³⁰ tn Here “as well” is used to translate καί (kai) at the beginning of the statement.

[11:46]  ³¹ tn Grk “men.” This is a generic use of ἄνθρωπος (anqrwpo"), referring to both males and females.

[11:46]  ³² tn Grk “you yourselves do not touch.” This could mean one of two things: (1) Either they make others do what they themselves do not (through various technical exceptions) or (2) they make no effort to help the others fulfill what they are required to do. Considering the care these religious figures are said to have given to the law, the second option is more likely (see L&N 18.11).

[11:47]  ³³ sn The effect of what the experts in the law were doing was to deny the message of the prophets and thus honor their death by supporting those who had sought their removal. The charge that this is what previous generations did shows the problem is chronic. As T. W. Manson said, the charge here is “The only prophet you honor is a dead prophet!” (The Sayings of Jesus, 101).

[11:47]  ³⁴ tn Or “forefathers”; Grk “fathers.”

[11:48]  ³⁵ tn Grk “you are witnesses and approve of.”

[11:48]  ³⁶ tn Or “forefathers”; Grk “fathers.”

[11:48]  ³⁷ tn Grk “them”; the referent (the prophets) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[11:48]  ³⁸ tn “Their,” i.e., the prophets.

[11:48]  ³⁹ tc The majority of mss list a specific object (“their tombs”), filling out the sentence (although there are two different words for “tombs” among the mss, as well as different word orders: αὐτῶν τὰ μνημεῖα (autwn ta mnhmeia; found in A C W Θ Ψ 33 Ï) and τοὺς τάφους αὐτῶν (tou" tafou" autwn; found in Ë^1,[13] 2542 pc). This suggests that early copyists had no term in front of them but felt the verb needed an object. But since a wide distribution of early Alexandrian and Western mss lack these words (Ì⁷⁵ א B D L 579 1241 it sa), it is likely that they were not part of the original text of Luke. Nevertheless, the words “their tombs” are inserted in the translation because of requirements of English style.

[11:49]  ⁴⁰ sn The expression the wisdom of God is a personification of an attribute of God that refers to his wise will.

[11:50]  ⁴¹ tn Or “that this generation may be charged with”; or “the blood of all the prophets… may be required from this generation.” This is a warning of judgment. These people are responsible for the shedding of prophetic blood.

[11:50]  ⁴² tn Or “foundation.” However, this does not suggest a time to the modern reader.

[11:50]  ⁴³ tn The order of the clauses in this complicated sentence has been rearranged to simplify it for the modern reader.

[11:51]  ⁴⁴ sn Gen 4:10 indicates that Abel’s blood cried out for justice.

[11:51]  ⁴⁵ sn It is not clear which Zechariah is meant here. It is probably the person mentioned in 2 Chr 24:20-25.

[11:51]  ⁴⁶ tn Or “who perished.”

[11:51]  ⁴⁷ tn Or “and the temple”; Grk “and the house,” but in this context a reference to the house of God as a place of sanctuary.

[11:51]  ⁴⁸ tn Or “required from.”

[11:52]  ⁴⁹ sn You have taken away the key to knowledge is another stinging rebuke. They had done the opposite of what they were trying to do.

[11:52]  ⁵⁰ tn Or “you tried to prevent.”

[11:53]  ⁵¹ tn Or “the scribes.” See the note on the phrase “experts in the law” in 5:21.

[11:53]  ⁵² tn Or “terribly.”

[11:53]  ⁵³ tn For this term see L&N 33.183.

[11:54]  ⁵⁴ tn Grk “lying in ambush against,” but this is a figurative extension of that meaning.

[11:54]  ⁵⁵ tn This term was often used in a hunting context (BDAG 455 s.v. θηρεύω; L&N 27.30). Later examples of this appear in Luke 20.