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Luke 4:14-21
New English Translation

The Beginning of Jesus’ Ministry in Galilee

14 Then[a] Jesus, in the power of the Spirit,[b] returned to Galilee, and news about him spread[c] throughout the surrounding countryside.[d] 15 He[e] began to teach[f] in their synagogues[g] and was praised[h] by all.

Rejection at Nazareth

16 Now[i] Jesus[j] came to Nazareth,[k] where he had been brought up, and went into the synagogue[l] on the Sabbath day, as was his custom.[m] He[n] stood up to read,[o] 17 and the scroll of the prophet Isaiah was given to him. He[p] unrolled[q] the scroll and found the place where it was written,

18 “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me,
because he has anointed[r] me to proclaim good news[s] to the poor.[t]
He has sent me[u] to proclaim release[v] to the captives
and the regaining of sight[w] to the blind,
to set free[x] those who are oppressed,[y]
19 to proclaim the year[z] of the Lord’s favor.”[aa]

20 Then[ab] he rolled up[ac] the scroll, gave it back to the attendant, and sat down. The eyes of everyone in the synagogue were fixed on[ad] him. 21 Then[ae] he began to tell them, “Today[af] this scripture has been fulfilled even as you heard it being read.”[ag]

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Footnotes

  1. Luke 4:14 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence of events within the narrative.
  2. Luke 4:14 sn Once again Jesus is directed by the Spirit. Luke makes a point about Jesus’ association with the Spirit early in his ministry (3:22; 4:1 [2x]; 4:18).
  3. Luke 4:14 tn Grk “went out.”
  4. Luke 4:14 tn Grk “all the surrounding region.”
  5. Luke 4:15 tn Grk “And he.” Here καί (kai) has not been translated because of differences between Greek and English style.
  6. Luke 4:15 tn The imperfect verb has been translated ingressively.
  7. Luke 4:15 sn The next incident in Luke 4:16-30 is probably to be seen as an example of this ministry of teaching in their synagogues in Galilee. Synagogues were places for Jewish prayer and worship, with recognized leadership (cf. Luke 8:41). Though the origin of the synagogue is not entirely clear, it seems to have arisen in the postexilic community during the intertestamental period. A town could establish a synagogue if there were at least ten men. In normative Judaism of the NT period, the OT scripture was read and discussed in the synagogue by the men who were present (see the Mishnah, m. Megillah 3-4; m. Berakhot 2).
  8. Luke 4:15 tn Grk “being glorified.” The participle δοξαζόμενος (doxazomenos) has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style. This is the only place Luke uses the verb δοξάζω (doxazō) of Jesus.
  9. Luke 4:16 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “now” to indicate the transition to a new topic.
  10. Luke 4:16 tn Grk “he”; the referent (Jesus) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
  11. Luke 4:16 sn Nazareth was Jesus’ hometown (which is why he is known as Jesus of Nazareth) about 20 miles (30 km) southwest from Capernaum.
  12. Luke 4:16 sn See the note on synagogues in 4:15.
  13. Luke 4:16 tn Grk “according to his custom.”
  14. Luke 4:16 tn Grk “And he.” Here καί (kai) has not been translated because of differences between Greek and English style.
  15. Luke 4:16 sn In normative Judaism of the period, the OT scripture was read and discussed in the synagogue by the men who were present. See the Mishnah, m. Megillah 3-4; m. Berakhot 2. First came the law, then the prophets, then someone was asked to speak on the texts. Normally one stood up to read out of respect for the scriptures, and then sat down (v. 20) to expound them.
  16. Luke 4:17 tn Grk “And unrolling the scroll he found.” Here καί (kai) has not been translated because of differences between Greek and English style. Instead a new sentence has been started in the translation.
  17. Luke 4:17 tn Grk “opening,” but a scroll of this period would have to be unrolled. The participle ἀναπτύξας (anaptuxas) has been translated as a finite verb due to the requirements of contemporary English style.
  18. Luke 4:18 sn The phrase he has anointed me is an allusion back to Jesus’ baptism in Luke 3:21-22.
  19. Luke 4:18 tn Grk “to evangelize,” “to preach the gospel.”
  20. Luke 4:18 sn The poor is a key term in Luke. It refers to the pious poor and indicates Jesus’ desire to reach out to those the world tends to forget or mistreat. It is like 1:52 in force and also will be echoed in 6:20 (also 1 Pet 2:11-25). Jesus is commissioned to do this.
  21. Luke 4:18 tc The majority of mss, especially the later Byzantines, include the phrase “to heal the brokenhearted” at this point (A Θ Ψ 0102 ƒ1 M). The phrase is lacking in several weighty mss (א B D L W Ξ ƒ13 33 579 700 892* lat sys co), including representatives from both the Alexandrian and Western text-forms. From the standpoint of external evidence, the omission of the phrase is more likely what the initial text read. When internal evidence is considered, the shorter reading becomes almost certain. Scribes would be much more prone to add the phrase here to align the text with Isa 61:1, the source of the quotation, than to remove it from the initial text.
  22. Luke 4:18 sn The release in view here is comprehensive, both at a physical level and a spiritual one, as the entire ministry of Jesus makes clear (Luke 1:77-79; 7:47; 24:47; Acts 2:38; 5:31; 10:43).
  23. Luke 4:18 sn Again, as with the previous phrase, regaining of sight may well mean more than simply miraculously restoring physical sight, which itself pictures a deeper reality (Luke 1:77-79; 18:35-43).
  24. Luke 4:18 sn The essence of Jesus’ messianic work is expressed in the phrase to set free. This line from Isa 58 says that Jesus will do what the nation had failed to do. It makes the proclamation messianic, not merely prophetic, because Jesus doesn’t just proclaim the message—he brings the deliverance. The word translated set free is the same Greek word (ἄφεσις, aphesis) translated release earlier in the verse.
  25. Luke 4:18 sn Again, as with the previous phrases, oppressed may well mean more than simply political or economic oppression, but a deeper reality of oppression by sin (Luke 1:77-79; 18:35-43).
  26. Luke 4:19 sn The year of the Lord’s favor (Grk “the acceptable year of the Lord”) is a description of the Year of Jubilee (Lev 25:10). The year of the total forgiveness of debt is now turned into a metaphor for salvation. Jesus had come to proclaim that God was ready to forgive sin totally.
  27. Luke 4:19 sn A quotation from Isa 61:1-2a. Within the citation is a line from Isa 58:6, with its reference to setting the oppressed free.
  28. Luke 4:20 tn Grk “And closing.” Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the transition to a new topic.
  29. Luke 4:20 tn Grk “closing,” but a scroll of this period would have to be rolled up. The participle πτύξας (ptuxas) has been translated as a finite verb due to the requirements of contemporary English style.
  30. Luke 4:20 tn Or “gazing at,” “staring at.”
  31. Luke 4:21 tn Here δέ (de) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence of events within the narrative.
  32. Luke 4:21 sn See the note on today in 2:11.
  33. Luke 4:21 tn Grk “in your hearing.”
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Luke 3
Luke 5
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Isaiah 61:1-2
New English Translation

The Lord Will Rejuvenate His People

61 The Spirit of the Sovereign Lord is upon me,
because the Lord has chosen[a] me.[b]
He has commissioned[c] me to encourage[d] the poor,
to help[e] the brokenhearted,
to decree the release of captives,
and the freeing of prisoners,
2 to announce the year when the Lord will show his favor,
the day when our God will seek vengeance,[f]
to console all who mourn,

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Footnotes

  1. Isaiah 61:1 tn Heb “anointed,” i.e., designated to carry out an assigned task.
  2. Isaiah 61:1 sn The speaker is not identified, but he is distinct from the Lord and from Zion’s suffering people. He possesses the divine spirit, is God’s spokesman, and is sent to release prisoners from bondage. The evidence suggests he is the Lord’s special servant, described earlier in the servant songs (see 42:1-4, 7; 49:2, 9; 50:4; see also 51:16).
  3. Isaiah 61:1 tn Or “sent” (NAB); NCV “has appointed me.”
  4. Isaiah 61:1 tn Or “proclaim good news to.”
  5. Isaiah 61:1 tn Heb “to bind up [the wounds of].”
  6. Isaiah 61:2 tn Heb “to announce the year of the Lord’s favor, and the day of our God’s vengeance.
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Isaiah 60
Isaiah 62
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John 20:21-22
New English Translation

21 So Jesus said to them again, “Peace be with you. Just as the Father has sent me, I also send you.” 22 And after he said this, he breathed on them and said,[a] “Receive the Holy Spirit.[b]

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Footnotes

  1. John 20:22 tn Grk “said to them.”
  2. John 20:22 sn He breathed on them and said, “Receive the Holy Spirit.” The use of the Greek verb breathed on (ἐμφυσάω, emphusaō) to describe the action of Jesus here recalls Gen 2:7 in the LXX, where “the Lord God formed man out of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living being.” This time, however, it is Jesus who is breathing the breath-Spirit of eternal life, life from above, into his disciples (cf. 3:3-10). Furthermore there is the imagery of Ezek 37:1-14, the prophecy concerning the resurrection of the dry bones: In 37:9 the Son of Man is told to prophesy to the “wind-breath-Spirit” to come and breathe on the corpses, so that they will live again. In 37:14 the Lord promised, “I will put my Spirit within you, and you will come to life, and I will place you in your own land.” In terms of ultimate fulfillment the passage in Ezek 37 looks at the regeneration of Israel immediately prior to the establishment of the messianic kingdom. The author saw in what Jesus did for the disciples at this point a partial and symbolic fulfillment of Ezekiel’s prophecy, much as Peter made use of the prophecy of Joel 2:28-32 in his sermon on the day of Pentecost as recorded in Acts 2:17-21. What then did Jesus do for the disciples in John 20:22? It appears that in light of the symbolism of the new creation present here, as well as the regeneration symbolism from the Ezek 37 passage, that Jesus at this point breathed into the disciples the breath of eternal life. This was in the form of the Holy Spirit, who was to indwell them. It is instructive to look again at 7:38-39, which states, “Just as the scripture says, ‘Out from within him will flow rivers of living water.’ (Now he said this about the Spirit whom those who believed in him were going to receive; for the Spirit had not yet been given, because Jesus was not yet glorified.”) But now in 20:22 Jesus was glorified, so the Spirit could be given. Had the disciples not believed in Jesus before? It seems clear that they had, since their belief is repeatedly affirmed, beginning with 2:11. But it also seems clear that even on the eve of the crucifixion, they did not understand the necessity of the cross (16:31-33). And even after the crucifixion, the disciples had not realized that there was going to be a resurrection (20:9). Ultimate recognition of who Jesus was appears to have come to them only after the postresurrection appearances (note the response of Thomas, who was not present at this incident, in v. 28). Finally, what is the relation of this incident in 20:22 to the account of the coming of the Holy Spirit in Acts 2? It appears best to view these as two separate events which have two somewhat different purposes. This was the giving of life itself, which flowed out from within (cf. 7:38-39). The giving of power would occur later, on the day of Pentecost—power to witness and carry out the mission the disciples had been given. (It is important to remember that in the historical unfolding of God’s program for the church, these events occurred in a chronological sequence which, after the church has been established, is not repeatable today.)
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John 21
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