Luke

9:57-62

The teachings of Messiah, 9:51-19:44

1. The meaning and acceptance of the kingdom message

ii] Demands of discipleship

This passage consists of three linked sayings. Three would-be disciples express a commitment to follow Jesus. Jesus responds to their requests by making the point that those who follow him must be willing to face the same rejection experienced by the Master. Luke's point is simple: "Since disciples will suffer rejection from the world, just as Jesus did, they need to place top priority on following Jesus. They cannot look back once they ally themselves to him, for the opportunity to look back will be frequent and the dangers of doing so are great", Bock. As we were reminded in the opening episode of this section, 9:51-57, that the message of the kingdom concerns deliverance, not judgment, so now we are reminded that the gaining of this deliverance must take priority in our life.

In the unit The meaning and acceptance of the kingdom message, 9:51-10:42, Luke tells us that the message of the kingdom concerns deliverance, not judgement, and that gaining this deliverance must take priority in our life. This opening section concentrates on disciples, first their failures and then their success.

poreuomenwn (poreuomai) pres. part. "as they were walking [along the road]" - they were going [on/in the way]. Genitive absolute participle forming a temporal adverbial clause. Luke is underlining the travel motif. Jesus is on the way to the cross.

akolouqhsw (akolouqew) fut. "I will follow [you]" - "I will be your disciple."

oJpou ean aperch/ "wherever you go" - This conjunction with the particle, followed by the subjunctive, forms an indefinite locative clause which explains where the action of "I will be your disciple" is located, namely, "wherever you go (wherever you take me)." Are we to understand he is saying, "I will be your disciple and follow you to Jerusalem and to the cross"?

oJ uiJoV tou anqrwpou "the Son of man" - Presumably Jesus' messianic sense is intended, but nothing more than "I" may be intended, so Fitzmyer.

pou .... klinh/ (klinw) subj. "[the Son of Man has no] place to lay [his head]" - [the son of man does not have] where [the head] he may lay down. Here the adverb with the subjunctive forms an indefinite local clause, "where he may lay his head". No response by the "certain man" is recorded. Yet, what response is Jesus looking for? It is usually understood that Jesus wants us to think seriously before committing ourselves to the Christian way. Yet, this interpretation rests on the assumption that Jesus is always on about "doing/suffering" - faithful obedience that limits our enjoyment of life and often brings with it persecution. Yet, it is possible that Jesus is describing his status in the world, not necessarily the status of those who would follow him. Jesus is the lowly one, and so the question is, are we willing to become the disciple of this entirely "unsuccessful" man? "I don't even have a bedroom where he can go to sleep."

akolouqei (akolouqew) pres. imp. "follow [me]" - follow. Here Jesus does the inviting; "be my disciple."

epitreyon (epitrepw) aor. imp. "[first] let [me]" - allow, permit. The request is obviously genuine. The father is possibly dying, which of course serves to "delay discipleship indefinitly", Bock. The son is willing to accept Jesus' call, but he first seeks permission to be allowed to fulfill his family responsibility and take charge of his father's burial/illness.

apelqonti (apercomai) dat. aor. part. "go" - having gone. The participle has been attracted to the dative of direct object moi of the verb epitreyon "allow me". Matthew uses an infinitive apelqein at this point, producing two awkward coordinating infinitives, "allow me to go and to burry". Presumably he intends both to shape a dependent statement expressing what the man wishes Jesus to "allow/permit", "allow me to go and burry". Luke's participle may serve to introduce the dependent statement / object clause, expressing what the man wishes Jesus to "allow", namely "to go", with the following infinitive as adverbial, final, expressing purpose; "in order that I might burry my father." Yet, the participle is more properly attendant circumstance expressing action accompanying the infinitive qayai which serves to form the dependent statement, so "allow me to go and burry my father."

afeV (afihmi) aor. imp. "let" - allow/permit .. let [the dead]. The natural reading of the words "let the dead bury their own dead" is that we should allow those in sheol to worry about each other, and let the living worry about the living, cf. Fitzmyer. Some suggest that it means "let the spiritually dead burry their dead." In more general terms it may mean something like, "don't get yourself worked up about the death of a relative, focus on the living. What's important is the proclamation of the gospel to the living, for only they can hear it, believe and be saved." It is very unlikely that Jesus is telling him he can't go to his father's funeral, but rather, that he must get his priorities right. Commitment to the kingdom and its proclamation is what matters. Tannehill notes that Jesus' striking language serves to make a point and should not be taken literally. There is a possible allusion to Ezekiel 24:15-24.

qayai (qaptw) aor. inf. "bury" - [allow those who are dead] to burry [their own dead]. Forming an dependent statement expressing what Jesus want the man to "allow/permit", namely for the dead to burry their dead.

apelqwn (apercomai) aor. part. "you go" - going. The participle is possibly attendant circumstance and therefore read as an imperative. Yet, also possibly temporal; "when / while / as you go / are going, proclaim the kingdom of God"

diaggelle (diaggellw) pres. imp. "proclaim" - The present tense implies continuation, "preach / proclaim / communicate far and wide."

de kai "still" - but and. "And another also said", AV.

eJteroV "another [said]" - "A different person said to Jesus ....."

epitreyon (epitrepw) aor. imp. "[but first] let [me]" - allow, permit.

apotazasqai (apotassw) aor. inf. + dat. "say good-by" - to say farewell. Lit. give up. Forming an independent statement expressing what the man wants Jesus to "allow", namely to say good-by to his family at home.

epibalwn (epiballw) aor. part. "[no one] who puts [his hands to the plow]" - having put, having laid. "No one" / nobody is the subject of the sentence and is modified by the adjectival participial clauses formed by the participles "having put" and "looking back." Best read as forming a relative clauses, "who puts his hand ......"

blepwn (blepw) aor. part. "looks [back]" - looking [to the things behind]. This participle forms the second participle clause, see above. Possibly also temporal, "while looking back." The illustration is of a potential disciple in two minds. The present tense underlines this sense, "while still looking back." The proverb does not refer to a believer pondering the "bright lights", nor even defiantly wandering off into them.

euqetoV adj. "[is] fit [for ....]" - fit, well fitting. A person who is of two mind, when it comes to putting their trust in Jesus, is not "suitable" for membership in the kingdom of God. As with the man who wanted to burry his father, this man is similarly reminded of the urgent need for a clear decision. As a disciple, is he allowed to visit his parents? If we think visiting or not visiting is the point of Jesus' words, then we have definitely missed the point.

Luke Introduction

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