Lukas 1:17

1:17 And he will go as forerunner before the Lord ¹  in the spirit and power of Elijah, to turn the hearts of the fathers back to their children and the disobedient to the wisdom of the just, ²  to make ready for the Lord a people prepared for him.”

Lukas 3:8

3:8 Therefore produce ³  fruit ⁴  that proves your repentance, and don’t begin to say ⁵  to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham as our father.’ ⁶  For I tell you that God can raise up children for Abraham from these stones! ⁷ 

Lukas 5:14

5:14 Then ⁸  he ordered the man ⁹  to tell no one, ¹⁰  but commanded him, ¹¹  “Go ¹²  and show yourself to a priest, and bring the offering ¹³  for your cleansing, as Moses commanded, ¹⁴  as a testimony to them.” ¹⁵ 

Lukas 16:9

16:9 And I tell you, make friends for yourselves by how you use worldly wealth, ¹⁶  so that when it runs out you will be welcomed ¹⁷  into the eternal homes. ¹⁸ 

Lukas 18:16

18:16 But Jesus called for the children, ¹⁹  saying, “Let the little children come to me and do not try to stop them, for the kingdom of God ²⁰  belongs to such as these. ²¹ 

[1:17]  ¹ tn Grk “before him”; the referent (the Lord) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[1:17]  ² sn These two lines cover all relationships: Turn the hearts of the fathers back to their children points to horizontal relationships, while (turn) the disobedient to the wisdom of the just shows what God gives from above in a vertical manner.

[3:8]  ³ tn The verb here is ποιέω (poiew; see v. 4).

[3:8]  ⁴ tn Grk “fruits.” The plural Greek term καρπούς has been translated with the collective singular “fruit” (so NIV; cf. Matt 3:8 where the singular καρπός is found). Some other translations render the plural καρπούς as “fruits” (e.g., NRSV, NASB, NAB, NKJV).

[3:8]  ⁵ tn In other words, “do not even begin to think this.”

[3:8]  ⁶ sn We have Abraham as our father. John’s warning to the crowds really assumes two things: (1) A number of John’s listeners apparently believed that simply by their physical descent from Abraham, they were certain heirs of the promises made to the patriarch, and (2) God would never judge his covenant people lest he inadvertently place the fulfillment of his promises in jeopardy. In light of this, John tells these people two things: (1) they need to repent and produce fruit in keeping with repentance, for only that saves from the coming wrath, and (2) God will raise up “children for Abraham from these stones” if he wants to. Their disobedience will not threaten the realization of God’s sovereign purposes.

[3:8]  ⁷ sn The point of the statement God is able from these stones to raise up children to Abraham is that ancestry or association with a tradition tied to the great founder of the Jewish nation is not an automatic source of salvation.

[5:14]  ⁸ tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence of events within the narrative.

[5:14]  ⁹ tn Grk “him”; the referent (the man) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[5:14]  ¹⁰ sn The silence ordered by Jesus was probably meant to last only until the cleansing took place with the priests and sought to prevent Jesus’ healings from becoming the central focus of the people’s reaction to him. See also 4:35, 41; 8:56 for other cases where Jesus asks for silence with reference to miracles.

[5:14]  ¹¹ tn The words “commanded him” are not in the Greek text but have been supplied for clarity. This verse moves from indirect to direct discourse. This abrupt change is very awkward, so the words have been supplied to smooth out the transition.

[5:14]  ¹² tn Grk “Going, show.” The participle ἀπελθών (apelqwn) has been translated as an attendant circumstance participle. Here the syntax also changes somewhat abruptly from indirect discourse to direct discourse.

[5:14]  ¹³ tn The words “the offering” are not in the Greek text, but are implied. Direct objects were frequently omitted in Greek when clear from the context.

[5:14]  ¹⁴ sn On the phrase as Moses commanded see Lev 14:1-32.

[5:14]  ¹⁵ tn Or “as an indictment against them”; or “as proof to the people.” This phrase could be taken as referring to a positive witness to the priests, a negative testimony against them, or as a testimony to the community that the man had indeed been cured. In any case, the testimony shows that Jesus is healing and ministering to those in need.

[16:9]  ¹⁶ tn Grk “unrighteous mammon.” Mammon is the Aramaic term for wealth or possessions. The point is not that money is inherently evil, but that it is often misused so that it is a means of evil; see 1 Tim 6:6-10, 17-19. The call is to be generous and kind in its use. Zacchaeus becomes the example of this in Luke’s Gospel (19:1-10).

[16:9]  ¹⁷ sn The passive refers to the welcome of heaven.

[16:9]  ¹⁸ tn Grk “eternal tents” (as dwelling places).

[18:16]  ¹⁹ tn Grk “summoned them”; the referent (the children) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[18:16]  ²⁰ sn The kingdom of God is a major theme of Jesus. It is a realm in which Jesus rules and to which those who trust him belong. See Luke 6:20; 11:20; 17:20-21.

[18:16]  ²¹ sn The kingdom of God belongs to such as these. Children are a picture of those whose simple trust illustrates what faith is all about. The remark illustrates how everyone is important to God, even those whom others regard as insignificant.