Matius 2:5

2:5 “In Bethlehem of Judea,” they said, “for it is written this way by the prophet:

Matius 4:19

4:19 He said to them, “Follow me, and I will turn you into fishers of people.” ¹ 

Matius 9:12

9:12 When ²  Jesus heard this he said, “Those who are healthy don’t need a physician, but those who are sick do. ³ 

Matius 9:24

9:24 he said, “Go away, for the girl is not dead but asleep.” And they began making fun of him. ⁴ 

Matius 19:26

19:26 Jesus ⁵  looked at them and replied, “This is impossible for mere humans, ⁶  but for God all things are possible.”

Matius 26:22

26:22 They ⁷  became greatly distressed ⁸  and each one began to say to him, “Surely not I, Lord?”

[4:19]  ¹ tn The Greek term ἄνθρωπος (anqrwpos) is used here in a generic sense, referring to both men and women, thus “people.”

[4:19]  sn The kind of fishing envisioned was net – not line – fishing (cf. v. 18; cf. also BDAG 55 s.v. ἀμφιβάλλω, ἀμφίβληστρον) which involved a circular net that had heavy weights around its perimeter. The occupation of fisherman was labor-intensive. The imagery of using a lure and a line (and waiting for the fish to strike) is thus foreign to this text. Rather, the imagery of a fisherman involved much strain, long hours, and often little results. Jesus’ point may have been one or more of the following: the strenuousness of evangelism, the work ethic that it required, persistence and dedication to the task (often in spite of minimal results), the infinite value of the new “catch” (viz., people), and perhaps an eschatological theme of snatching people from judgment (cf. W. L. Lane, Mark [NICNT], 67). If this last motif is in view, then catching people is the opposite of catching fish: The fish would be caught, killed, cooked, and eaten; people would be caught so as to remove them from eternal destruction and to give them new life.

[9:12]  ² tn Here δέ (de) has not been translated.

[9:12]  ³ sn Jesus’ point is that he associates with those who are sick because they have the need and will respond to the offer of help. A person who is healthy (or who thinks mistakenly that he is) will not seek treatment.

[9:24]  ⁴ tn Grk “They were laughing at him.” The imperfect verb has been taken ingressively.

[19:26]  ⁵ tn Here δέ (de) has not been translated.

[19:26]  ⁶ tn The plural Greek term ἄνθρωποις (anqrwpois) is used here in a generic sense, referring to both men and women (cf. NASB 1995 update, “people”). Because of the contrast here between mere mortals and God (“impossible for men, but for God all things are possible”) the phrase “mere humans” has been used in the translation. There may also be a slight wordplay with “the Son of Man” in v. 28.

[26:22]  ⁷ tn Here καί (kai) has not been translated.

[26:22]  ⁸ tn The participle λυπούμενοι (lupoumenoi) has been translated as a finite verb to make the sequence of events clear in English.