Lukas 8:14

8:14 As for the seed that ¹  fell among thorns, these are the ones who hear, but ²  as they go on their way they are choked ³  by the worries and riches and pleasures of life, ⁴  and their fruit does not mature. ⁵ 

Lukas 23:2

23:2 They ⁶  began to accuse ⁷  him, saying, “We found this man subverting ⁸  our nation, forbidding ⁹  us to pay the tribute tax ¹⁰  to Caesar ¹¹  and claiming that he himself is Christ, ¹²  a king.”

[8:14]  ¹ tn Grk “What”; the referent (the seed) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[8:14]  ² tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “but” to indicate the contrast present in this context.

[8:14]  ³ sn That is, their concern for spiritual things is crowded out by material things.

[8:14]  ⁴ sn On warnings about the dangers of excessive material attachments, described here as the worries and riches and pleasures of life, see Luke 12:12-21; 16:19-31.

[8:14]  ⁵ tn The verb τελεσφορέω (telesforew) means “to produce mature or ripe fruit” (L&N 23.203). Once again the seed does not reach its goal.

[23:2]  ⁶ tn Here δέ (de) has not been translated.

[23:2]  ⁷ sn They began to accuse him. There were three charges: (1) disturbing Jewish peace; (2) fomenting rebellion through advocating not paying taxes (a lie – 20:20-26); and (3) claiming to be a political threat to Rome, by claiming to be a king, an allusion to Jesus’ messianic claims. The second and third charges were a direct challenge to Roman authority. Pilate would be forced to do something about them.

[23:2]  ⁸ tn On the use of the term διαστρέφω (diastrefw) here, see L&N 31.71 and 88.264.

[23:2]  sn Subverting our nation was a summary charge, as Jesus “subverted” the nation by making false claims of a political nature, as the next two detailed charges show.

[23:2]  ⁹ tn Grk “and forbidding.” Here καί (kai) has not been translated to suggest to the English reader that this and the following charge are specifics, while the previous charge was a summary one. See the note on the word “misleading” earlier in this verse.

[23:2]  ¹⁰ tn This was a “poll tax.” L&N 57.182 states this was “a payment made by the people of one nation to another, with the implication that this is a symbol of submission and dependence – ‘tribute tax.’”

[23:2]  ¹¹ tn Or “to the emperor” (“Caesar” is a title for the Roman emperor).

[23:2]  ¹² tn Or “Messiah”; both “Christ” (Greek) and “Messiah” (Hebrew and Aramaic) mean “one who has been anointed.”

[23:2]  sn See the note on Christ in 2:11.