Lukas 5:10

5:10 and so were James and John, Zebedee’s sons, who were Simon’s business partners. ¹  Then ²  Jesus said to Simon, “Do not be afraid; from now on ³  you will be catching people.” ⁴ 

Lukas 6:1

Lord of the Sabbath

6:1 Jesus ⁵  was going through the grain fields on ⁶  a Sabbath, ⁷  and his disciples picked some heads of wheat, ⁸  rubbed them in their hands, and ate them. ⁹ 

Lukas 7:24

7:24 When ¹⁰  John’s messengers had gone, Jesus ¹¹  began to speak to the crowds about John: “What did you go out into the wilderness ¹²  to see? A reed shaken by the wind? ¹³ 

Lukas 9:3

9:3 He ¹⁴  said to them, “Take nothing for your ¹⁵  journey – no staff, ¹⁶  no bag, ¹⁷  no bread, no money, and do not take an extra tunic. ¹⁸ 

Lukas 12:58

12:58 As you are going with your accuser before the magistrate, ¹⁹  make an effort to settle with him on the way, so that he will not drag you before the judge, and the judge hand you over to the officer, ²⁰  and the officer throw you into prison.

Lukas 13:19

13:19 It is like a mustard seed ²¹  that a man took and sowed ²²  in his garden. It ²³  grew and became a tree, ²⁴  and the wild birds ²⁵  nested in its branches.” ²⁶ 

¹ tn Or “business associates.”

² tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence of events within the narrative.

³ sn From now on is a common Lukan expression, see Luke 1:48.

⁴ tn The Greek term ἄνθρωπος (anqrwpo") is used here in a generic sense, referring to both men and women, thus “people.”

sn The kind of fishing envisioned was net – not line – fishing, 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; D. L. Bock, Luke [BECNT], 1:461). 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. With the statement “You will be catching people” Jesus turns the miracle into a metaphor for mission.

⁵ tn Grk “he”; the referent (Jesus) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

⁶ tn Grk “Now it happened that on.” 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.

⁷ tc Most later mss (A C D Θ Ψ [˹³] Ï lat) read ἐν σαββάτῳ δευτεροπρώτῳ (en sabbatw deuteroprwtw, “a second-first Sabbath”), while the earlier and better witnesses have simply ἐν σαββάτῳ (Ì⁴ א B L W ˹ 33 579 1241 2542 it sa). The longer reading is most likely secondary, though various explanations may account for it (for discussion, see TCGNT 116).

⁸ tn Or “heads of grain.” While the generic term στάχυς (stacus) can refer to the cluster of seeds at the top of grain such as barley or wheat, in the NT the term is restricted to wheat (L&N 3.40; BDAG 941 s.v. 1).

⁹ tn Grk “picked and ate some heads of grain, rubbing them in their hands.” The participle ψώχοντες (ywconte") has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style, and the order of the clauses has been transposed to reflect the logical order, which sounds more natural in English.

¹⁰ tn Here δέ (de) has not been translated.

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

¹² tn Or “desert.”

¹³ 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.

¹⁴ tn Grk “And he.” Here καί (kai) has not been translated because of differences between Greek and English style.

¹⁵ tn Grk “the”; in context the article is used as a possessive pronoun (ExSyn 215).

¹⁶ sn Mark 6:8 allows one staff. It might be that Luke’s summary (cf. Matt 10:9-10) means not taking an extra staff or that the expression is merely rhetorical for “traveling light” which has been rendered in two slightly different ways.

¹⁷ tn Or “no traveler’s bag”; or possibly “no beggar’s bag” (L&N 6.145; BDAG 811 s.v. πήρα).

¹⁸ tn Grk “have two tunics.” See the note on the word “tunics” in 3:11.

¹⁹ sn The term magistrate (ἄρχων, arcwn) refers to an official who, under the authority of the government, serves as judge in legal cases (see L&N 56.29).

²⁰ sn The officer (πράκτωρ, praktwr) was a civil official who functioned like a bailiff and was in charge of debtor’s prison. The use of the term, however, does not automatically demand a Hellenistic setting (BDAG 859 s.v.; K. H. Rengstorf, TDNT 8:539; C. Maurer, TDNT 6:642).

²¹ sn The mustard seed was noted for its tiny size.

²² tn Grk “threw.”

²³ tn Grk “garden, and it.” 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.

²⁴ sn Calling the mustard plant a tree is rhetorical hyperbole, since technically it is not one. This plant could be one of two types of mustard popular in Palestine and would be either 10 or 25 ft (3 or 7.5 m) tall.

²⁵ tn Grk “the birds of the sky” or “the birds of the heaven”; the Greek word οὐρανός (ouranos) may be translated either “sky” or “heaven,” depending on the context. The idiomatic expression “birds of the sky” refers to wild birds as opposed to domesticated fowl (cf. BDAG 809 s.v. πετεινόν).

²⁶ sn The point of the parable seems to be that while the kingdom of God may appear to have insignificant and unnoticeable beginnings (i.e., in the ministry of Jesus), it will someday (i.e., at the second advent) be great and quite expansive. The kingdom, however, is not to be equated with the church, but rather the church is an expression of the kingdom. Also, there is important OT background in the image of the mustard seed that grew and became a tree: Ezek 17:22-24 pictures the reemergence of the Davidic house where people can find calm and shelter. Like the mustard seed, it would start out small but grow to significant size.