Lukas 6:39-45

6:39 He also told them a parable: “Someone who is blind cannot lead another who is blind, can he? ¹  Won’t they both fall ²  into a pit? 6:40 A disciple ³  is not greater than ⁴  his teacher, but everyone when fully trained will be like his teacher. 6:41 Why ⁵  do you see the speck ⁶  in your brother’s eye, but fail to see ⁷  the beam of wood ⁸  in your own? 6:42 How can you say to your brother, ‘Brother, let me remove the speck from your eye,’ while you yourself don’t see the beam in your own? You hypocrite! First remove the beam from your own eye, and then you can see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye.

6:43 “For ⁹  no good tree bears bad ¹⁰  fruit, nor again ¹¹  does a bad tree bear good fruit, 6:44 for each tree is known ¹²  by its own fruit. For figs are not gathered ¹³  from thorns, nor are grapes picked ¹⁴  from brambles. ¹⁵  6:45 The good person out of the good treasury of his ¹⁶  heart ¹⁷  produces good, and the evil person out of his evil treasury ¹⁸  produces evil, for his mouth speaks ¹⁹  from what fills ²⁰  his heart.

[6:39]  ¹ tn Questions prefaced with μή (mh) in Greek anticipate a negative answer. This can sometimes be indicated by using a “tag” at the end in English (here it is “can he?”).

[6:39]  ² sn The picture of a blind man leading a blind man is a warning to watch who one follows: Won’t they both fall into a pit? The sermon has been about religious choices and reacting graciously to those who oppose the followers of Jesus. Here Jesus’ point was to be careful who you follow and where they are taking you.

[6:40]  ³ tn Or “student.”

[6:40]  ⁴ tn Or “significantly different.” The idea, as the next phrase shows, is that teachers build followers who go the same direction they do.

[6:41]  ⁵ tn Here δέ (de) has not been translated.

[6:41]  ⁶ sn A speck (also twice in v. 42) refers to a small piece of wood, chaff, or straw (L&N 3.66).

[6:41]  ⁷ tn Or “do not notice.”

[6:41]  ⁸ sn The beam of wood (also twice in v. 42) refers to a big piece of wood, the main beam of a building, in contrast to the speck in the other’s eye (L&N 7.78).

[6:43]  ⁹ tn The explanatory connective γάρ (gar) is often dropped from translations, but the point of the passage is that one should be self-corrective and be careful who one follows (vv. 41-42), because such choices also reflect what the nature of the tree is and its product.

[6:43]  ¹⁰ tn Grk “rotten.” The word σαπρός, modifying both “fruit” and “tree,” can also mean “diseased” (L&N 65.28).

[6:43]  ¹¹ tc Most mss, especially later ones (A C D Θ Ψ 33 Ï lat sy sa), lack the adverb πάλιν (palin, “again”) here. Its presence is attested, however, by several good witnesses (Ì⁷⁵ א B L W Ξ Ë^1,13 579 892 1241 2542).

[6:44]  ¹² sn The principle of the passage is that one produces what one is.

[6:44]  ¹³ tn Grk “they do not gather”; this has been simplified to the passive voice in the translation since the subject “they” is not specified further in the context.

[6:44]  ¹⁴ tn This is a different verb (τρυγῶσιν, trugwsin) for gathering from the previous one (συλλέγουσιν, sullegousin).

[6:44]  ¹⁵ tn This is a different term (βάτος, batos) for a thorn or bramble bush than the previous one (ἄκανθα, akanqa).

[6:44]  sn The statement nor are grapes picked from brambles illustrates the principle: That which cannot produce fruit, does not produce fruit.

[6:45]  ¹⁶ tn Grk “the”; the Greek article has been translated here and in the following clause (“out of the evil”) as a possessive pronoun (ExSyn 215).

[6:45]  ¹⁷ sn Mention of the heart shows that Jesus is not interested in what is done, but why. Motives are more important than actions for him.

[6:45]  ¹⁸ tn The word “treasury” is not repeated in the Greek text at this point, but is implied.

[6:45]  ¹⁹ sn What one utters from one’s mouth is especially singled out as the example of this principle. James seems to have known this teaching (Jas 1:26; 3:1-12).

[6:45]  ²⁰ tn Grk “for out of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaks.”