Matius 6:5

Private Prayer

6:5 “Whenever you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, because they love to pray while standing in synagogues ¹  and on street corners so that people can see them. Truly I say to you, they have their reward.

Lukas 11:43

11:43 Woe to you Pharisees! You love the best seats ²  in the synagogues ³  and elaborate greetings ⁴  in the marketplaces!

Lukas 14:7-11

On Seeking Seats of Honor

14:7 Then ⁵  when Jesus ⁶  noticed how the guests ⁷  chose the places of honor, ⁸  he told them a parable. He said to them, 14:8 “When you are invited by someone to a wedding feast, ⁹  do not take ¹⁰  the place of honor, because a person more distinguished than you may have been invited by your host. ¹¹  14:9 So ¹²  the host who invited both of you will come and say to you, ‘Give this man your place.’ Then, ashamed, ¹³  you will begin to move to the least important ¹⁴  place. 14:10 But when you are invited, go and take the least important place, so that when your host ¹⁵  approaches he will say to you, ‘Friend, move up here to a better place.’ ¹⁶  Then you will be honored in the presence of all who share the meal with you. 14:11 For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but ¹⁷  the one who humbles ¹⁸  himself will be exalted.”

Lukas 14:3

14:3 So ¹⁹  Jesus asked ²⁰  the experts in religious law ²¹  and the Pharisees, “Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath ²²  or not?”

Yohanes 1:9

1:9 The true light, who gives light to everyone, ²³  was coming into the world. ²⁴ 

[6:5]  ¹ sn See the note on synagogues in 4:23.

[11:43]  ² tn Or “seats of honor.” The term here is plural and is not a reference only to the lead “seat of Moses” in the synagogue, but includes the front seats near the ark.

[11:43]  ³ sn See the note on synagogues in 4:15.

[11:43]  ⁴ tn Grk “and the greetings.”

[11:43]  sn The later Jewish summary of oral tradition, the Talmud, notes elaborate greetings for rabbis. The rebuke here is for pride.

[14:7]  ⁵ tn Here δέ (de) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence of events within the narrative.

[14:7]  ⁶ tn Grk “he”; the referent (Jesus) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[14:7]  ⁷ tn Grk “those who were invited.”

[14:7]  ⁸ tn Or “the best places.” The “places of honor” at the meal would be those closest to the host.

[14:8]  ⁹ tn Or “banquet.” This may not refer only to a wedding feast, because this term can have broader sense (note the usage in Esth 2:18; 9:22 LXX). However, this difference does not affect the point of the parable.

[14:8]  ¹⁰ tn Grk “do not recline in the place of honor.” 1st century middle eastern meals were not eaten while sitting at a table, but while reclining on one’s side on the floor with the head closest to the low table and the feet farthest away.

[14:8]  ¹¹ tn Grk “by him”; the referent (the host) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[14:9]  ¹² tn Grk “host, and.” Here καί (kai) has been translated as “so” to indicate this action is a result of the situation described in the previous verse. Because of the length and complexity of the Greek sentence, a new sentence was started here in the translation.

[14:9]  ¹³ tn Or “then in disgrace”; Grk “with shame.” In this culture avoiding shame was important.

[14:9]  ¹⁴ tn Grk “lowest place” (also in the repetition of the phrase in the next verse).

[14:10]  ¹⁵ tn Grk “the one who invited you.”

[14:10]  ¹⁶ tn Grk “Go up higher.” This means to move to a more important place.

[14:11]  ¹⁷ tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “but” to indicate the contrast present in this context, which involves the reversal of expected roles.

[14:11]  ¹⁸ sn The point of the statement the one who humbles himself will be exalted is humility and the reversal imagery used to underline it is common: Luke 1:52-53; 6:21; 10:15; 18:14.

[14:3]  ¹⁹ tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “so” to indicate the sequence of events (Jesus’ question was prompted by the man’s appearance).

[14:3]  ²⁰ tn Grk “Jesus, answering, said.” This is redundant in contemporary English. In addition, since the context does not describe a previous question to Jesus (although one may well be implied), the phrase has been translated here as “Jesus asked.”

[14:3]  ²¹ tn That is, experts in the interpretation of the Mosaic law (traditionally, “lawyers”).

[14:3]  ²² sn “Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath or not?” Will the Pharisees and experts in religious law defend tradition and speak out against doing good on the Sabbath? Has anything at all been learned since Luke 13:10-17? Has repentance come (13:6-9)?

[1:9]  ²³ tn Grk “every man” (but in a generic sense, “every person,” or “every human being”).

[1:9]  ²⁴ tn Or “He was the true light, who gives light to everyone who comes into the world.” The participle ἐρχόμενον (ercomenon) may be either (1) neuter nominative, agreeing with τὸ φῶς (to fw"), or (2) masculine accusative, agreeing with ἄνθρωπον (anqrwpon). Option (1) results in a periphrastic imperfect with ἦν (hn), ἦν τὸ φῶς… ἐρχόμενον, referring to the incarnation. Option (2) would have the participle modifying ἄνθρωπον and referring to the true light as enlightening “every man who comes into the world.” Option (2) has some rabbinic parallels: The phrase “all who come into the world” is a fairly common expression for “every man” (cf. Leviticus Rabbah 31.6). But (1) must be preferred here, because: (a) In the next verse the light is in the world; it is logical for v. 9 to speak of its entering the world; (b) in other passages Jesus is described as “coming into the world” (6:14, 9:39, 11:27, 16:28) and in 12:46 Jesus says: ἐγὼ φῶς εἰς τὸν κόσμον ἐλήλυθα (egw fw" ei" ton kosmon elhluqa); (c) use of a periphrastic participle with the imperfect tense is typical Johannine style: 1:28, 2:6, 3:23, 10:40, 11:1, 13:23, 18:18 and 25. In every one of these except 13:23 the finite verb is first and separated by one or more intervening words from the participle.

[1:9]  sn In v. 9 the world (κόσμος, kosmos) is mentioned for the first time. This is another important theme word for John. Generally, the world as a Johannine concept does not refer to the totality of creation (the universe), although there are exceptions at 11:9. 17:5, 24, 21:25, but to the world of human beings and human affairs. Even in 1:10 the world created through the Logos is a world capable of knowing (or reprehensibly not knowing) its Creator. Sometimes the world is further qualified as this world (ὁ κόσμος οὗτος, Jo kosmos Joutos) as in 8:23, 9:39, 11:9, 12:25, 31; 13:1, 16:11, 18:36. This is not merely equivalent to the rabbinic phrase “this present age” (ὁ αἰών οὗτος, Jo aiwn Joutos) and contrasted with “the world to come.” For John it is also contrasted to a world other than this one, already existing; this is the lower world, corresponding to which there is a world above (see especially 8:23, 18:36). Jesus appears not only as the Messiah by means of whom an eschatological future is anticipated (as in the synoptic gospels) but also as an envoy from the heavenly world to this world.