Lukas 5:39

5:39 ¹  No ²  one after drinking old wine wants the new, for he says, ‘The old is good enough.’” ³ 

Lukas 6:7

6:7 The experts in the law ⁴  and the Pharisees ⁵  watched ⁶  Jesus ⁷  closely to see if ⁸  he would heal on the Sabbath, ⁹  so that they could find a reason to accuse him.

Lukas 20:17

20:17 But Jesus ¹⁰  looked straight at them and said, “Then what is the meaning of that which is written: ‘The stone the builders rejected has become the cornerstone’? ¹¹ 

[5:39]  ¹ tc The Western textual tradition (D it) lacks 5:39. The verse is unique to Luke, so the omission by these mss looks like assimilation to the other synoptic accounts.

[5:39]  ² tc ‡ Although most mss begin the verse with καί (kai, “and”), beginning the sentence without a conjunction is both a harder reading and is found in early and important witnesses (Ì^4,75vid א² B 579 700 892 1241). NA²⁷ puts the word in brackets indicating doubts as to its authenticity.

[5:39]  ³ tc Most mss, especially the later ones (A C Θ Ψ Ë^1,13 33 Ï lat), read χρηστότερος (crhstotero", “better”), a smoother reading. The reading of the text (found in Ì⁴ א B L W 1241 pc) is preferred as the more difficult reading. This reading could suggest that the new thing Jesus brings is not even considered, since the “old wine” is already found quite acceptable.

[5:39]  tn Grk “good.”

[5:39]  sn The third illustration points out that those already satisfied with what they have will not seek the new (The old is good enough).

[6:7]  ⁴ tn Or “The scribes.” See the note on the phrase “experts in the law” in 5:21.

[6:7]  ⁵ sn See the note on Pharisees in 5:17.

[6:7]  ⁶ sn The term translated watched…closely is emotive, since it carries negative connotations. It means they were watching him out of the corner of their eye or spying on him.

[6:7]  ⁷ tn Grk “him”; the referent (Jesus) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[6:7]  ⁸ tn This is a first class condition in the Greek text; Jesus’ opponents anticipated he would do this.

[6:7]  ⁹ sn The background for this is the view that only if life was endangered should one attempt to heal on the Sabbath (see the Mishnah, m. Shabbat 6.3; 12.1; 18.3; 19.2; m. Yoma 8.6).

[20:17]  ¹⁰ tn Grk “he”; the referent (Jesus) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[20:17]  ¹¹ tn Or “capstone,” “keystone.” Although these meanings are lexically possible, the imagery in Eph 2:20-22 and 1 Cor 3:11 indicates that the term κεφαλὴ γωνίας (kefalh gwnia") refers to a cornerstone, not a capstone.

[20:17]  sn The stone the builders rejected has become the cornerstone. The use of Ps 118:22-23 and the “stone imagery” as a reference to Christ and his suffering and exaltation is common in the NT (see also Matt 21:42; Mark 12:10; Acts 4:11; 1 Pet 2:6-8; cf. also Eph 2:20). The irony in the use of Ps 118:22-23 here is that in the OT, Israel was the one rejected (or perhaps her king) by the Gentiles, but in the NT it is Jesus who is rejected by Israel.