Lukas 14:30

14:30 They will say, ¹  ‘This man ²  began to build and was not able to finish!’ ³ 

Lukas 16:15

16:15 But ⁴  Jesus ⁵  said to them, “You are the ones who justify yourselves in men’s eyes, ⁶  but God knows your hearts. For what is highly prized ⁷  among men is utterly detestable ⁸  in God’s sight.

Lukas 22:69

22:69 But from now on ⁹  the Son of Man will be seated at the right hand ¹⁰  of the power ¹¹  of God.”

[14:30]  ¹ tn Grk “make fun of him, saying.”

[14:30]  ² sn The phrase this man is often used in Luke in a derogatory sense; see “this one” and expressions like it in Luke 5:21; 7:39; 13:32; 23:4, 14, 22, 35.

[14:30]  ³ sn The failure to finish the building project leads to embarrassment (in a culture where avoiding public shame was extremely important). The half completed tower testified to poor preparation and planning.

[16:15]  ⁴ tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “but” to indicate the contrast present in this context.

[16:15]  ⁵ tn Grk “he”; the referent (Jesus) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[16:15]  ⁶ tn Grk “before men.” The contrast is between outward appearance (“in people’s eyes”) and inward reality (“God knows your hearts”). Here the Greek term ἄνθρωπος (anqrwpo") is used twice in a generic sense, referring to both men and women, but “men” has been retained in the text to provide a strong verbal contrast with “God” in the second half of the verse.

[16:15]  ⁷ tn Or “exalted.” This refers to the pride that often comes with money and position.

[16:15]  ⁸ tn Or “is an abomination,” “is abhorrent” (L&N 25.187).

[22:69]  ⁹ sn From now on. Jesus’ authority was taken up from this moment on. Ironically he is now the ultimate judge, who is himself being judged.

[22:69]  ¹⁰ sn Seated at the right hand is an allusion to Ps 110:1 (“Sit at my right hand…”) and is a claim that Jesus shares authority with God in heaven. Those present may have thought they were his judges, but, in fact, the reverse was true.

[22:69]  ¹¹ sn The expression the right hand of the power of God is a circumlocution for referring to God. Such indirect references to God were common in 1st century Judaism out of reverence for the divine name.