Lukas 3:21

The Baptism of Jesus

3:21 Now when ¹  all the people were baptized, Jesus also was baptized. And while he was praying, ²  the heavens ³  opened,

Lukas 20:4

20:4 John’s baptism ⁴  – was it from heaven or from people?” ⁵ 

Lukas 12:50

12:50 I have a baptism ⁶  to undergo, ⁷  and how distressed I am until it is finished!

Lukas 7:29

7:29 (Now ⁸  all the people who heard this, even the tax collectors, ⁹  acknowledged ¹⁰  God’s justice, because they had been baptized ¹¹  with John’s baptism.

Lukas 3:12

3:12 Tax collectors ¹²  also came to be baptized, and they said to him, “Teacher, what should we do?”

Lukas 7:30

7:30 However, the Pharisees ¹³  and the experts in religious law ¹⁴  rejected God’s purpose ¹⁵  for themselves, because they had not been baptized ¹⁶  by John. ¹⁷ ) ¹⁸ 

Lukas 7:33

7:33 For John the Baptist has come ¹⁹  eating no bread and drinking no wine, ²⁰  and you say, ‘He has a demon!’ ²¹ 

Lukas 3:16

3:16 John answered them all, ²²  “I baptize you with water, ²³  but one more powerful than I am is coming – I am not worthy ²⁴  to untie the strap ²⁵  of his sandals. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire. ²⁶ 

Lukas 3:3

3:3 He ²⁷  went into all the region around the Jordan River, ²⁸  preaching a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. ²⁹ 

Lukas 3:7

3:7 So John ³⁰  said to the crowds ³¹  that came out to be baptized by him, “You offspring of vipers! ³²  Who warned you to flee ³³  from the coming wrath?

Lukas 9:19

9:19 They ³⁴  answered, ³⁵  “John the Baptist; others say Elijah; ³⁶  and still others that one of the prophets of long ago has risen.” ³⁷ 

Lukas 7:20

7:20 When ³⁸  the men came to Jesus, ³⁹  they said, “John the Baptist has sent us to you to ask, ⁴⁰  ‘Are you the one who is to come, or should we look for another?’” ⁴¹ 

Lukas 7:28

7:28 I tell you, among those born of women no one is greater ⁴²  than John. ⁴³  Yet the one who is least ⁴⁴  in the kingdom of God ⁴⁵  is greater than he is.”

Lukas 20:7

20:7 So ⁴⁶  they replied that they did not know ⁴⁷  where it came from.

Lukas 9:7

Herod’s Confusion about Jesus

9:7 Now Herod ⁴⁸  the tetrarch ⁴⁹  heard about everything that was happening, and he was thoroughly perplexed, ⁵⁰  because some people were saying that John ⁵¹  had been raised from the dead,

Lukas 16:16

16:16 “The law and the prophets were in force ⁵²  until John; ⁵³  since then, ⁵⁴  the good news of the kingdom of God ⁵⁵  has been proclaimed, and everyone is urged to enter it. ⁵⁶ 

Lukas 7:18

Jesus and John the Baptist

7:18 John’s ⁵⁷  disciples informed him about all these things. So ⁵⁸  John called ⁵⁹  two of his disciples

Lukas 5:33

The Superiority of the New

5:33 Then ⁶⁰  they said to him, “John’s ⁶¹  disciples frequently fast ⁶²  and pray, ⁶³  and so do the disciples of the Pharisees, ⁶⁴  but yours continue to eat and drink.” ⁶⁵ 

[3:21]  ¹ tn Grk “Now it happened that when.” The introductory phrase ἐγένετο (egeneto, “it happened that”), common in Luke (69 times) and Acts (54 times), is redundant in contemporary English and has not been translated.

[3:21]  ² tn Grk “and while Jesus was being baptized and praying.” The first of these participles has been translated as a finite verb to be more consistent with English style.

[3:21]  ³ tn Or “the sky”; the Greek word οὐρανός (ouranos) may be translated “sky” or “heaven,” depending on the context. In this context, although the word is singular, the English plural “heavens” connotes the Greek better than the singular “heaven” would, for the singular does not normally refer to the sky.

[20:4]  ⁴ sn John, like Jesus, was not a part of the official rabbinic order. So the question “John’s baptism – was it from heaven or from men?” draws an analogy between John the Baptist and Jesus. See Luke 3:1-20; 7:24-27. The phrase John’s baptism refers to the baptism practiced by John.

[20:4]  ⁵ tn The plural Greek term ἀνθρώπων (anqrwpwn) is used here (and in v. 6) in a generic sense, referring to both men and women (cf. NAB, NRSV, “of human origin”; TEV, “from human beings”; NLT, “merely human”).

[20:4]  sn The question is whether John’s ministry was of divine or human origin.

[12:50]  ⁶ sn The figure of the baptism is variously interpreted, as some see a reference (1) to martyrdom or (2) to inundation with God’s judgment. The OT background, however, suggests the latter sense: Jesus is about to be uniquely inundated with God’s judgment as he is rejected, persecuted, and killed (Ps 18:4, 16; 42:7; 69:1-2; Isa 8:7-8; 30:27-28; Jonah 2:3-6).

[12:50]  ⁷ tn Grk “to be baptized with.”

[7:29]  ⁸ tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “now” to indicate the parenthetical nature of the comment by the author.

[7:29]  ⁹ sn See the note on tax collectors in 3:12.

[7:29]  ¹⁰ tn Or “vindicated God”; Grk “justified God.” This could be expanded to “vindicated and responded to God.” The point is that God’s goodness and grace as evidenced in the invitation to John was justified and responded to by the group one might least expect, tax collector and sinners. They had more spiritual sensitivity than others. The contrastive response is clear from v. 30.

[7:29]  ¹¹ tn The participle βαπτισθέντες (baptisqente") has been translated as a causal adverbial participle.

[3:12]  ¹² sn The tax collectors would bid to collect taxes for the Roman government and then add a surcharge, which they kept. Since tax collectors worked for Rome, they were viewed as traitors to their own people and were not well liked. Yet even they were moved by John’s call.

[7:30]  ¹³ sn See the note on Pharisees in 5:17.

[7:30]  ¹⁴ tn That is, the experts in the interpretation of the Mosaic law (see also Luke 5:17, although the Greek term is not identical there, and Luke 10:25, where it is the same).

[7:30]  ¹⁵ tn Or “plan.”

[7:30]  ¹⁶ tn The participle βαπτισθέντες (baptisqente") has been translated as a causal adverbial participle; it could also be translated as means (“for themselves, by not having been baptized”). This is similar to the translation found in the NRSV.

[7:30]  ¹⁷ tn Grk “by him”; the referent (John the Baptist) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[7:30]  ¹⁸ sn Luke 7:29-30 forms something of an aside by the author. To indicate this, they have been placed in parentheses.

[7:33]  ¹⁹ tn The perfect tenses in both this verse and the next do more than mere aorists would. They not only summarize, but suggest the characteristics of each ministry were still in existence at the time of speaking.

[7:33]  ²⁰ tn Grk “neither eating bread nor drinking wine,” but this is somewhat awkward in contemporary English.

[7:33]  ²¹ sn John the Baptist was too separatist and ascetic for some, and so he was accused of not being directed by God, but by a demon.

[3:16]  ²² tn Grk “answered them all, saying.” The participle λέγων (legwn) is redundant and has not been translated.

[3:16]  ²³ tc A few mss (C D 892 1424 pc it ) add εἰς μετάνοιαν (ei" metanoian, “for repentance”). Although two of the mss in support are early and important, it is an obviously motivated reading to add clarification, probably representing a copyist’s attempt to harmonize Luke’s version with Matt 3:11.

[3:16]  ²⁴ tn Grk “of whom I am not worthy.”

[3:16]  sn The humility of John is evident in the statement I am not worthy. This was considered one of the least worthy tasks of a slave, and John did not consider himself worthy to do even that for the one to come, despite the fact he himself was a prophet!

[3:16]  ²⁵ tn The term refers to the leather strap or thong used to bind a sandal. This is often viewed as a collective singular and translated as a plural, “the straps of his sandals,” but it may be more emphatic to retain the singular here.

[3:16]  ²⁶ sn With the Holy Spirit and fire. There are differing interpretations for this phrase regarding the number of baptisms and their nature. (1) Some see one baptism here, and this can be divided further into two options. (a) The baptism of the Holy Spirit and fire could refer to the cleansing, purifying work of the Spirit in the individual believer through salvation and sanctification, or (b) it could refer to two different results of Christ’s ministry: Some accept Christ and are baptized with the Holy Spirit, but some reject him and receive judgment. (2) Other interpreters see two baptisms here: The baptism of the Holy Spirit refers to the salvation Jesus brings at his first advent, in which believers receive the Holy Spirit, and the baptism of fire refers to the judgment Jesus will bring upon the world at his second coming. One must take into account both the image of fire and whether individual or corporate baptism is in view. A decision is not easy on either issue. The image of fire is used to refer to both eternal judgment (e.g., Matt 25:41) and the power of the Lord’s presence to purge and cleanse his people (e.g., Isa 4:4-5). The pouring out of the Spirit at Pentecost, a fulfillment of this prophecy no matter which interpretation is taken, had both individual and corporate dimensions. It is possible that since Holy Spirit and fire are governed by a single preposition in Greek, the one-baptism view may be more likely, but this is not certain. Simply put, there is no consensus view in scholarship at this time on the best interpretation of this passage.

[3:3]  ²⁷ tn Grk “And he.” Here καί (kai) has not been translated because of differences between Greek and English style. Due to the length and complexity of the Greek sentence, a new sentence was started here in the translation.

[3:3]  ²⁸ tn “River” is not in the Greek text but is supplied for clarity.

[3:3]  ²⁹ sn A baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins was a call for preparation for the arrival of the Lord’s salvation. To participate in this baptism was a recognition of the need for God’s forgiveness with a sense that one needed to live differently as a response to it (Luke 3:10-14).

[3:7]  ³⁰ tn Grk “he”; the referent (John) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[3:7]  ³¹ sn The crowds. It is interesting to trace references to “the crowd” in Luke. It is sometimes noted favorably, other times less so. The singular appears 25 times in Luke while the plural occurs 16 times. Matt 3:7 singles out the Sadducees and Pharisees here.

[3:7]  ³² tn Or “snakes.”

[3:7]  ³³ sn The rebuke “Who warned you to flee…?” compares the crowd to snakes who flee their desert holes when the heat of a fire drives them out.

[9:19]  ³⁴ tn Grk “And they.” Here καί (kai) has not been translated because of differences between Greek and English style.

[9:19]  ³⁵ tn Grk “And answering, they said.” This is redundant in contemporary English and has been simplified to “They answered.”

[9:19]  ³⁶ sn The appearance of Elijah would mean that the end time had come. According to 2 Kgs 2:11, Elijah was still alive. In Mal 4:5 it is said that Elijah would be the precursor of Messiah.

[9:19]  ³⁷ sn The phrase has risen could be understood to mean “has been resurrected,” but this is only a possible option, not a necessary one, since the phrase could merely mean that a figure had appeared on the scene who mirrored an earlier historical figure. Note that the three categories in the reply match the ones in Luke 9:7-8.

[7:20]  ³⁸ tn Grk “And when.” Here καί (kai) has not been translated because of differences between Greek and English style.

[7:20]  ³⁹ tn Grk “him”; the referent (Jesus) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[7:20]  ⁴⁰ tn Grk “to you, saying,” but since this takes the form of a question, it is preferable to use the phrase “to ask” in English.

[7:20]  ⁴¹ tn This question is repeated word for word from v. 19.

[7:28]  ⁴² sn In the Greek text greater is at the beginning of the clause in the emphatic position. John the Baptist was the greatest man of the old era.

[7:28]  ⁴³ tc The earliest and best mss read simply ᾿Ιωάννου (Iwannou, “John”) here (Ì⁷⁵ א B L W Ξ Ë¹ 579 pc). Others turn this into “John the Baptist” (K 33 565 al it), “the prophet John the Baptist” (A [D] Θ Ë¹³ Ï lat), or “the prophet John” (Ψ 700 [892 1241] pc). “It appears that προφήτης was inserted by pedantic copyists who wished thereby to exclude Christ from the comparison, while others added τοῦ βαπτιστοῦ, assimilating the text to Mt 11.11” (TCGNT 119).

[7:28]  ⁴⁴ sn After John comes a shift of eras. The new era is so great that the lowest member of it (the one who is least in the kingdom of God) is greater than the greatest one of the previous era.

[7:28]  ⁴⁵ sn The kingdom of God is a major theme of Jesus’ proclamation. 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. It is not strictly future, though its full manifestation is yet to come. That is why membership in it starts right after John the Baptist.

[20:7]  ⁴⁶ tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “so” to indicate the implied result of the dilemma Jesus’ opponents faced.

[20:7]  ⁴⁷ sn Very few questions could have so completely revealed the wicked intentions of the religious leaders. Jesus’ question revealed the motivation of the religious leaders and exposed them for what they really were – hypocrites. They indicted themselves when they cited only two options and chose neither of them. The point of Luke 20:1-8 is that no matter what Jesus said in response to their question they were not going to believe it and would in the end use it against him.

[9:7]  ⁴⁸ sn Herod refers here to Herod Antipas. See the note on Herod Antipas in 3:1.

[9:7]  ⁴⁹ sn See the note on tetrarch in 3:1.

[9:7]  ⁵⁰ tn Or “was very confused.” See L&N 32.10 where this verse is given as an example of the usage.

[9:7]  ⁵¹ sn John refers to John the Baptist, whom Herod had beheaded (v. 9).

[16:16]  ⁵² tn There is no verb in the Greek text; one must be supplied. Some translations (NASB, NIV) supply “proclaimed” based on the parallelism with the proclamation of the kingdom. The transitional nature of this verse, however, seems to call for something more like “in effect” (NRSV) or, as used here, “in force.” Further, Greek generally can omit one of two kinds of verbs – either the equative verb or one that is already mentioned in the preceding context (ExSyn 39).

[16:16]  ⁵³ sn John refers to John the Baptist.

[16:16]  ⁵⁴ sn Until John; since then. This verse indicates a shift in era, from law to kingdom.

[16:16]  ⁵⁵ 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.

[16:16]  ⁵⁶ tn Many translations have “entereth violently into it” (ASV) or “is forcing his way into it” (NASB, NIV). This is not true of everyone. It is better to read the verb here as passive rather than middle, and in a softened sense of “be urged.” See Gen 33:11; Judg 13:15-16; 19:7; 2 Sam 3:25, 27 in the LXX. This fits the context well because it agrees with Jesus’ attempt to persuade his opponents to respond morally. For further discussion and details, see D. L. Bock, Luke (BECNT), 2:1352-53.

[7:18]  ⁵⁷ tn Grk “And John’s.” Here καί (kai) has not been translated because of differences between Greek and English style. This is a reference to John the Baptist as the following context makes clear.

[7:18]  ⁵⁸ tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “so” to indicate that John’s action was a result of the report he had heard.

[7:18]  ⁵⁹ tn Grk “And calling two of his disciples, John sent.” The participle προσκαλεσάμενος (proskalesameno") has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.

[5:33]  ⁶⁰ tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence of events within the narrative.

[5:33]  ⁶¹ tc Most mss (א*^,2 A C D Θ Ψ Ë^1,13 Ï latt sy) read διὰ τί (dia ti, “Why do John’s…?”) here, turning the statement into a question. But such seems to be a motivated reading, assimilating the text to Mark 2:18 and Matt 9:14. The reading represented in the translation is supported by Ì⁴ א¹ B L W Ξ 33 892* 1241 sa.

[5:33]  sn John refers to John the Baptist.

[5:33]  ⁶² sn John’s disciples and the disciples of the Pharisees followed typical practices with regard to fasting and prayer. Many Jews fasted regularly (Lev 16:29-34; 23:26-32; Num 29:7-11). The zealous fasted twice a week on Monday and Thursday.

[5:33]  ⁶³ tn Grk “and offer prayers,” but this idiom (δέησις + ποιέω) is often simply a circumlocution for praying.

[5:33]  ⁶⁴ sn See the note on Pharisees in 5:17.

[5:33]  ⁶⁵ tn Grk “but yours are eating and drinking.” The translation “continue to eat and drink” attempts to reflect the progressive or durative nature of the action described, which in context is a practice not limited to the specific occasion at hand (the banquet).