Lukas 9:54-56

9:54 Now when his disciples James and John saw this, they said, “Lord, do you want us to call fire to come down from heaven and consume ¹  them?” ²  9:55 But Jesus ³  turned and rebuked them, ⁴  9:56 and they went on to another village.

Lukas 22:49-51

22:49 When ⁵  those who were around him saw what was about to happen, they said, “Lord, should ⁶  we use our swords?” ⁷  22:50 Then ⁸  one of them ⁹  struck the high priest’s slave, ¹⁰  cutting off his right ear. 22:51 But Jesus said, ¹¹  “Enough of this!” And he touched the man’s ¹²  ear and healed ¹³  him.

[9:54]  ¹ tn Or “destroy.”

[9:54]  ² tc Most mss, especially the later ones (A C D W Θ Ψ Ë^1,13 33 Ï it), read here “as also Elijah did,” making the allusion to 2 Kgs 1:10, 12, 14 more explicit. The shorter reading has better and earlier support (Ì^45,75 א B L Ξ 579 700* 1241 pc lat sa). It is difficult to explain how the shorter reading could have arisen from the longer, especially since it is well represented early on. However, the longer reading looks to have been a marginal note originally, incorporated into the text of Luke by early scribes.

[9:54]  sn An allusion to 2 Kgs 1:10, 12, 14.

[9:55]  ³ tn Grk “he”; the referent (Jesus) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[9:55]  ⁴ tc Many mss ([D] K Γ Θ Ë^1,13 [579] 700 2542 pm it) have at the end of the verse (with slight variations) “and he said, ‘You do not know what sort of spirit you are of, for the Son of Man did not come to destroy people’s lives, but to save [them].’” This variant is clearly secondary, as it gives some content to the rebuke. Further, it is difficult to explain how such rich material would have been omitted by the rest of the witnesses, including the earliest and best mss.

[9:55]  sn The point of the rebuke is that now was not the time for judgment but patience; see 2 Pet 3:9.

[22:49]  ⁵ tn Here δέ (de) has not been translated.

[22:49]  ⁶ tn The direct question using “if” in Greek is not unusual (BDF §440.3).

[22:49]  ⁷ sn “Should we use our swords?” The disciples’ effort to defend Jesus recalls Luke 22:35-38. One individual did not wait for the answer.

[22:50]  ⁸ tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence of events within the narrative.

[22:50]  ⁹ sn One of them. The unnamed disciple is Peter according to John 18:10 (cf. also Matt 26:51; Mark 14:47).

[22:50]  ¹⁰ tn See the note on the word “slave” in 7:2.

[22:51]  ¹¹ tn Grk “But answering, Jesus said.” This is redundant in contemporary English and has been simplified in the translation.

[22:51]  ¹² tn Grk “his”; the referent (the slave of the high priest mentioned in the previous verse) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[22:51]  ¹³ sn When Jesus healed the man’s ear he showed grace even to those who hated him, following his own teaching (Luke 6:27-36).