Lukas 4:16

Rejection at Nazareth

4:16 Now ¹  Jesus ²  came to Nazareth, ³  where he had been brought up, and went into the synagogue ⁴  on the Sabbath day, as was his custom. ⁵  He ⁶  stood up to read, ⁷ 

Lukas 9:23

A Call to Discipleship

9:23 Then ⁸  he said to them all, ⁹  “If anyone wants to become my follower, ¹⁰  he must deny ¹¹  himself, take up his cross daily, ¹²  and follow me.

Lukas 20:13

20:13 Then ¹³  the owner of the vineyard said, ‘What should I do? I will send my one dear son; ¹⁴  perhaps they will respect him.’

[4:16]  ¹ tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “now” to indicate the transition to a new topic.

[4:16]  ² tn Grk “he”; the referent (Jesus) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[4:16]  ³ sn Nazareth was Jesus’ hometown (which is why he is known as Jesus of Nazareth) about 20 miles (30 km) southwest from Capernaum.

[4:16]  map For location see Map1 D3; Map2 C2; Map3 D5; Map4 C1; Map5 G3.

[4:16]  ⁴ sn See the note on synagogues in 4:15.

[4:16]  ⁵ tn Grk “according to his custom.”

[4:16]  ⁶ tn Grk “And he.” Here καί (kai) has not been translated because of differences between Greek and English style.

[4:16]  ⁷ sn In normative Judaism of the period, the OT scripture was read and discussed in the synagogue by the men who were present. See the Mishnah, m. Megillah 3-4; m. Berakhot 2. First came the law, then the prophets, then someone was asked to speak on the texts. Normally one stood up to read out of respect for the scriptures, and then sat down (v. 20) to expound them.

[9:23]  ⁸ tn Here δέ (de) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence of events within the narrative.

[9:23]  ⁹ sn Here them all could be limited to the disciples, since Jesus was alone with them in v. 18. It could also be that by this time the crowd had followed and found him, and he addressed them, or this could be construed as a separate occasion from the discussion with the disciples in 9:18-22. The cost of discipleship is something Jesus was willing to tell both insiders and outsiders about. The rejection he felt would also fall on his followers.

[9:23]  ¹⁰ tn Grk “to come after me.”

[9:23]  ¹¹ tn This translation better expresses the force of the Greek third person imperative than the traditional “let him deny,” which could be understood as merely permissive.

[9:23]  ¹² sn Only Luke mentions taking up one’s cross daily. To bear the cross means to accept the rejection of the world for turning to Jesus and following him. Discipleship involves a death that is like a crucifixion; see Gal 6:14.

[20:13]  ¹³ tn Here δέ (de) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence of events within the narrative.

[20:13]  ¹⁴ tn Grk “my beloved son.” See comment at Luke 3:22.

[20:13]  sn The owner’s decision to send his one dear son represents God sending Jesus.