Crumbs from the Table

I was recently preaching on Mark 8:27-9:13, including a crucial verse:  "If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me." (Mark 8:34 ESVUK)  It seems to me that this translation could be improved upon in several respects. The issue is not so much to do with the Greek, as to do with English language and usage in 2023 Britain.  Firstly, the phrase "if anyone would" should read, "if anyone wants to". As the meaning of the word "will/would" has changed from "want/ed" to a future tense, a more explicit translation ("if anyone wants to...") makes it clear that this is about those who might desire to become disciples of Jesus, and what is required from them to do so.   A second issue is that "come after me" means "be my disciple following me"; this could be flagged up using inverted commas or some other device to highlight the fact that this phrase contains more than might ...

This is how Mark 2:5 in Greek:  "καὶ ἰδὼν ὁ Ἰησοῦς τὴν πίστιν αὐτῶν λέγει τῷ παραλυτικῷ· τέκνον ἀφίενται σου αἱ ἁμαρτίαι." Here is my translation: "And Jesus, seeing their faith, said to the paralytic, "Child, your sins have been forgiven."    This verse, in the passage on the healing of the paralytic brought by his four friends, has various interesting features.  It was on seeing "their" faith, that Jesus spoke these words to the paralysed man. I would suggest this might reflect the role in the church of the early centuries of "sponsors" in assisting those coming to Christ. While unable to "believe for someone", they do nevertheless have a role to play.  Of particular interest is how Jesus addressed the paralytic, namely "child". The ESV translates this as "son", possibly imagining how an older or more senior person might address someone younger or more junior. I understand there is also an equivalent Hebrew fo...