Lukas 5:23

5:23 Which is easier, ¹  to say, ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or to say, ‘Stand up and walk’?

Lukas 8:39

8:39 “Return to your home, ²  and declare ³  what God has done for you.” ⁴  So ⁵  he went away, proclaiming throughout the whole town ⁶  what Jesus ⁷  had done for him.

Lukas 11:18-19

11:18 So ⁸  if ⁹  Satan too is divided against himself, how will his kingdom stand? I ask you this because ¹⁰  you claim that I cast out demons by Beelzebul. 11:19 Now if I cast out demons by Beelzebul, by whom do your sons ¹¹  cast them ¹²  out? Therefore they will be your judges.

Lukas 13:4

13:4 Or those eighteen who were killed ¹³  when the tower in Siloam fell on them, ¹⁴  do you think they were worse offenders than all the others who live in Jerusalem? ¹⁵ 

Lukas 21:5

The Signs of the End of the Age

21:5 Now ¹⁶  while some were speaking about the temple, how it was adorned ¹⁷  with beautiful stones and offerings, ¹⁸  Jesus ¹⁹  said,

[5:23]  ¹ sn Which is easier is a reflective kind of question. On the one hand to declare sins are forgiven is easier, since one does not need to see it, unlike telling a paralyzed person to walk. On the other hand, it is harder, because for it to be true one must possess the authority to forgive the sin.

[8:39]  ² tn Grk “your house.”

[8:39]  ³ tn Or “describe.”

[8:39]  ⁴ sn Jesus instructs the man to declare what God has done for him, in contrast to the usual instructions (e.g., 8:56; 9:21) to remain silent. Here in Gentile territory Jesus allowed more open discussion of his ministry. D. L. Bock (Luke [BECNT], 1:781) suggests that with few Jewish religious representatives present, there would be less danger of misunderstanding Jesus’ ministry as political.

[8:39]  ⁵ tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “so” to indicate the man’s response to Jesus’ instructions.

[8:39]  ⁶ tn Or “city.”

[8:39]  ⁷ sn Note that the man could not separate what God had done from the one through whom God had done it (what Jesus had done for him). This man was called to witness to God’s goodness at home.

[11:18]  ⁸ tn Here δέ (de) has been translated as “so” to indicate that the clause that follows is a logical conclusion based on the preceding examples.

[11:18]  ⁹ tn This first class condition, the first of three “if” clauses in the following verses, presents the example vividly as if it were so. In fact, all three conditions in these verses are first class. The examples are made totally parallel. The expected answer is that Satan’s kingdom will not stand, so the suggestion makes no sense. Satan would not seek to heal.

[11:18]  ¹⁰ tn Grk “because.” “I ask you this” is supplied for the sake of English.

[11:19]  ¹¹ sn Most read your sons as a reference to Jewish exorcists (cf. “your followers,” L&N 9.4; for various views see D. L. Bock, Luke [BECNT], 2:1077-78), but more likely this is a reference to the disciples of Jesus themselves, who are also Jewish and have been healing as well (R. J. Shirock, “Whose Exorcists are they? The Referents of οἱ υἱοὶ ὑμῶν at Matthew 12:27/Luke 11:19,” JSNT 46 [1992]: 41-51). If this is a reference to the disciples, then Jesus’ point is that it is not only him, but those associated with him whose power the hearers must assess. The following reference to judging also favors this reading.

[11:19]  ¹² tn The pronoun “them” is not in the Greek text, but is implied. Direct objects were frequently omitted in Greek when clear from the context.

[13:4]  ¹³ tn Grk “on whom the tower in Siloam fell and killed them.” This relative clause embedded in a prepositional phrase is complex in English and has been simplified to an adjectival and a temporal clause in the translation.

[13:4]  ¹⁴ sn Unlike the previous event, when the tower in Siloam fell on them, it was an accident of fate. It raised the question, however, “Was this a judgment?”

[13:4]  ¹⁵ map For location see Map5 B1; Map6 F3; Map7 E2; Map8 F2; Map10 B3; JP1 F4; JP2 F4; JP3 F4; JP4 F4.

[21:5]  ¹⁶ tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “now” to indicate the transition to a new topic.

[21:5]  ¹⁷ sn The Jerusalem temple was widely admired around the world. See Josephus, Ant. 15.11 (15.380-425); J. W. 5.5 (5.184-227) and Tacitus, History 5.8, who called it “immensely opulent.” Josephus compared it to a beautiful snowcapped mountain.

[21:5]  ¹⁸ tn For the translation of ἀνάθημα (anaqhma) as “offering” see L&N 53.18.

[21:5]  ¹⁹ tn Grk “he”; the referent (Jesus) has been specified in the translation for clarity.