Lukas 3:12

3:12 Tax collectors ¹  also came to be baptized, and they said to him, “Teacher, what should we do?”

Lukas 10:9

10:9 Heal ²  the sick in that town ³  and say to them, ‘The kingdom of God ⁴  has come upon ⁵  you!’

Lukas 11:6

11:6 because a friend of mine has stopped here while on a journey, ⁶  and I have nothing to set before ⁷  him.’

Lukas 12:6

12:6 Aren’t five sparrows sold for two pennies? ⁸  Yet not one of them is forgotten before God.

[3:12]  ¹ 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.

[10:9]  ² tn Here καί (kai) has not been translated because of differences between Greek and English style. Because of the length and complexity of the Greek sentence, a new sentence was started here in the translation.

[10:9]  sn Ministry (heal the sick) is to take place where it is well received (note welcome in the preceding verse).

[10:9]  ³ tn Grk “in it”; the referent (that town) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[10:9]  ⁴ sn The kingdom of God is a major theme of Jesus. 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.

[10:9]  ⁵ tn Or “come near to you,” suggesting the approach (but not arrival) of the kingdom. But the combination of the perfect tense of ἐγγίζω (engizw) with the preposition ἐπί (epi) most likely suggests that the sense is “has come upon” (see BDAG 270 s.v. ἐγγίζω 2; W. R. Hutton, “The Kingdom of God Has Come,” ExpTim 64 [Dec 1952]: 89-91; and D. L. Bock, Luke [BECNT], 2:1000; cf. also NAB “is at hand for you”). These passages argue that a key element of the kingdom is its ability to overcome the power of Satan and those elements in the creation that oppose humanity. Confirmation of this understanding comes in v. 18 and in Luke 11:14-23, especially the parable of vv. 21-23.

[11:6]  ⁶ tn Grk “has come to me from the road.”

[11:6]  ⁷ sn The background to the statement I have nothing to set before him is that in ancient Middle Eastern culture it was a matter of cultural honor to be a good host to visitors.

[12:6]  ⁸ sn The pennies refer to the assarion, a small Roman copper coin. One of them was worth one sixteenth of a denarius or less than a half hour’s average wage. Sparrows were the cheapest thing sold in the market. God knows about even the most financially insignificant things; see Isa 49:15.