Lukas 3:23

The Genealogy of Jesus

3:23 So ¹  Jesus, when he began his ministry, ²  was about thirty years old. He was ³  the son (as was supposed) ⁴  of Joseph, the son ⁵  of Heli,

Lukas 6:35

6:35 But love your enemies, and do good, and lend, expecting nothing back. ⁶  Then ⁷  your reward will be great, and you will be sons ⁸  of the Most High, ⁹  because he is kind to ungrateful and evil people. ¹⁰ 

[3:23]  ¹ tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “so” to indicate the summary nature of the statement.

[3:23]  ² tn The words “his ministry” are not in the Greek text, but are implied. Direct objects were frequently omitted in Greek when clear from the context, but must be supplied for the contemporary English reader.

[3:23]  ³ tn Grk “of age, being.” Due to the length and complexity of the Greek sentence, the participle ὤν (wn) has been translated as a finite verb with the pronoun “he” supplied as subject, and a new sentence begun in the translation at this point.

[3:23]  ⁴ sn The parenthetical remark as was supposed makes it clear that Joseph was not the biological father of Jesus. But a question still remains whose genealogy this is. Mary is nowhere mentioned, so this may simply refer to the line of Joseph, who would have functioned as Jesus’ legal father, much like stepchildren can have when they are adopted by a second parent.

[3:23]  ⁵ tc Several of the names in the list have alternate spellings in the ms tradition, but most of these are limited to a few mss. Only significant differences are considered in the notes through v. 38.

[3:23]  tn The construction of the genealogy is consistent throughout as a genitive article (τοῦ, tou) marks sonship. Unlike Matthew’s genealogy, this one runs from Jesus down. It also goes all the way to Adam, not stopping at Abraham as Matthew’s does. Jesus has come for all races of humanity. Both genealogies go through David.

[6:35]  ⁶ tn Or “in return.”

[6:35]  ⁷ tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the outcome or result. Because of the length and complexity of the Greek sentence, a new sentence was started in the translation at this point.

[6:35]  ⁸ sn The character of these actions reflects the grace and kindness of God, bearing witness to a “line of descent” or relationship of the individual to God (sons of the Most High). There is to be a unique kind of ethic at work with disciples. Jesus refers specifically to sons here because in the ancient world sons had special privileges which were rarely accorded to daughters. However, Jesus is most likely addressing both men and women in this context, so women too would receive these same privileges.

[6:35]  ⁹ sn That is, “sons of God.”

[6:35]  ¹⁰ tn Or “to the ungrateful and immoral.” The word “people” is not in the Greek text, but is implied.