Luke
9:57-62
The teachings of Messiah, 9:51-19:44
1. The kingdom and its message, 9:51-10:42
ii] Demands of discipleship
SynopsisThe passage before us consists of three linked sayings. Three would-be disciples express a commitment to follow Jesus. Jesus responds to their requests by making pointed comments regarding the nature of discipleship.
Teaching
Communicating the message of the kingdom must take priority in our life.
Issues
i] Context: See 9:51-56. The demands of discipleship serves as the second episode in the section The meaning and acceptance of the kingdom message, 9:51-10:42, a section which proclaims that the message of the kingdom concerns deliverance, not judgement, and that gaining this deliverance must take priority in our life.
ii] Structure: The demands of discipleship:
The 1st. candidate for the kingdom, v57-58:
"foxes have dens and birds have their nests, but ......."
The 2nd. candidate for the kingdom, v59-60:
"let the dead bury their own dead, but you ......."
The 3rd. candidate for the kingdom, v61-62:
"no one who puts a hand to the plow and looks back is fit ......"
iii] Interpretation:
The story of the three candidates for discipleship draws out the nature of a proper response to the kingdom message. The first candidate is driven by his feelings, but the kingdom is not entered by feelings. The second candidate is invited, but is confronted by a conflict of loyalties. Divided loyalties precludes kingdom membership. The third candidate reveals a weak resolve, but entrance to the kingdom necessitates a determined resolve.
In the opening episode of this section, 9:51-57, we learn that the message of the kingdom concerns deliverance, not judgment, now we are reminded that the gaining of this deliverance requires commitment to the message of the kingdom. "The claims of the Messiah must have priority in the life of a Christian", Ellis. This may well be the whole point of the sayings, such that nothing more need be said. Yet, we tend to feel that more needs to be said.
Commentators always range in their application of Jesus' discipleship demands, and this passage is no exception. Bock argues that "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." Stein puts it starkly, "following Jesus means becoming a stranger and exile on earth, cf., Heb.11:13." Ellis is even more demanding: "The whole point of discipleship is that one should become like one's master, and Jesus requires no more than he himself has given. He is the penniless and ever-working one who has sacrificed family and home for the sake of the kingdom." The practical application of such interpretations is problematic, to say the least.
As already identified in Jesus' teachings on cross-bearing discipleship, 9:23-26 (See "Introduction", Cross-bearing discipleship), Jesus calls for identification and imitation. Identification is primary, establishing the IS, and imitation is responsive, directing the AUGHT. The figurative sayings in 9:57-62, remind us of the necessity to identify with the suffering Son of Man, to bear his humiliation, his cross, and so find in him life eternal. Nothing must intrude on the necessity to commit, and remain committed, to the King and his kingdom message. When it comes to being "fit for the kingdom of God", Only Jesus is "fit", and we are fit when we are "in" him. The fruit of that commitment, in our day-to-day life, will exhibit all the marks of life lived with one foot in heaven and one foot on earth - compromised, confused, concussed, ....... Yet, although our application may be flawed, the ideal toward which we fumble is blindingly bright.
iv] Synoptics:
See 3:1-20. These saying are usually identified as Q source material. The first two are paralleled in Matthew 8:18-22, while the third is unique to Luke. Unlike Matthew, the sayings are not specific to anyone, so by generalising, "they were walking along the road", "a man", "another man", ...., Luke applies the words to anyone who intends to follow, or who is following, Jesus.
v] Exposition: A simple exposition of this passage may be found in the linked pew-level Sermon Notes.
Text - 9:57
Three would-be disciples face the stringent demands of discipleship, demands that require unqualified commitment, v57-62: Again, in travel mode, Jesus presses on toward Jerusalem. Luke wants us to see the journey within the context of Jesus moving toward the cross. So, on the way Jesus meets three candidates for discipleship, three people who want to join with Jesus on the journey. The first and third candidates volunteer, the second is invited.
i] Candidate #1. v57-58. Jesus tests the commitment of the first candidate, as he does the others, telling him that discipleship is not for fair-weather friends. With the first candidate, in the terms of identification, rather than imitation, Jesus calls for a commitment to the deliverance gained by the lowly suffering servant. Those wanting to follow the Son of Man must accept a humiliated, not a glorious messiah.
poreuomenwn (poreuomai) pres. part. "as [they] were walking" - [and they] were going. Genitive participle and its genitive subject autwn, "they", forms a genitive absolute construction, temporal, as NIV. Luke is underlining the travel motif; Jesus is on the way to the cross.
en + dat. "along [the road]" - in [the way]. Locative, expressing space / place.
akolouqhsw (akolouqew) fut. "I will follow" - [a certain one said toward him] i will follow. "I will follow you as your disciple." Matthew has "And there came a scribe", RV.
soi dat. pro. "you" - you. Dative of direct object after the verb "to follow".
oJpou ean + subj. "wherever" - wherever [you go]. This conjunction 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"?
v58
autw/ dat. pro. "-" - [and jesus said] to him. Dative of indirect object.
tou ouranou (oV) gen. "-" - [the foxes have dens and the birds] of heaven have [nests]. The genitive is adjectival, attributive, limiting by describing "birds"; "birds which fly have their nests."
tou anqrwpou (oV) gen. "[the Son] of man" - [but the son] of man. The genitive is adjectival, relational. Presumably Jesus' messianic sense is intended here, although Fitzmyer argues that here nothing more than "I" is intended; See oJ uiJoV tou anqrwpou, 5:24
pou + subj. "[has no place to lay his head]" - [does not have] where [he may lay down the = his head]. Here the interrogative particle pou, "where?", with the deliberative subjunctive klinh, "may lay", introduces a dependent statement of indirect question expressing what Jesus does not "have", namely, "where he may lay his head". Given the preceding incident, rejection may be the point of the image, so Stein, although it is more likely that Jesus is describing himself as a homeless stranger in the world, so Bock. No response by the "certain man" is recorded. Yet, what response is Jesus looking for? It is usually understood that Jesus is teaching would-be-disciples of the cost of discipleship before committing themselves to the Christian way. So, Jesus is confronting this potential disciple with the necessity of imitating Jesus' own other-worldliness; "Discipleship involves the sacrifice of comfort and security, family ties, and family affection", Stein. Yet, it seems more likely that Jesus is describing his own status in the world, not the necessary status of those who would follow him. Jesus, the messianic Son of Man, is the suffering-servant, the lowly one, and so the question is, "Are you willing to become a disciple of an entirely unsuccessful man?"
v59
ii] Candidate #2, v59-60. With the second candidate ("another of the disciples", Matthew), Jesus exposes the man's natural reluctance to commit. Religious duty demands that a dead relative be buried. Left unburied, all the relatives would be ceremonially unclean. Yet, Jesus' retort is that the "dead" (presumably used of those who will not share in the resurrection life of Christ, ie., the spiritually dead - contra Nolland) can be left to bury the physically dead. Jesus' point is that those who would follow him must imitate him - be gospel focused as the Master is gospel focused. A disciple has a responsibility, above all other responsibilities, to undertake the work of evangelism - to communicate of the news of the coming kingdom. This life-priority will often clash with other priorities producing ongoing conflicts and compromises. To make his point, Jesus, in typical fashion, uses hyperbolic language. His rhetorical argument progresses with the use of a utopian ideal, which, in a real-world situation, is impossible to apply, but which at the same time, sets clear aims and objectives for discipleship. We can reduce the ideal to a workable principle like "do not be excessively preoccupied with less important concerns", Nolland, but we are probably better off staying with the ideal and allowing it to constantly bother our compromised life.
proV + acc. "to" - [but/and he said] toward [another]. Luke will often use this preposition to introduce an indirect object instead of a dative.
moi dat. pro. "me" - [follow] me. Dative of direct object after the verb "follow". "Follow" in the sense of "be my disciple."
epitreyon (epitrepw) aor. imp. "let" - [but he said, lord] allow, permit. The request is obviously genuine. The father is possibly dying, which may "delay discipleship indefinitely", Bock. The son is willing to accept Jesus' call, but he first seeks permission to be allowed to fulfil his family responsibility and take charge of his father's burial / illness.
moi dat. pro. "me" - me. Dative of indirect object, although the verb "to allow, permit, give permission to" can take a dative of direct object; "allow that ....... to me" = "give me leave first of all to go ....", Cassirer - see afelqonti below.
apelqonti (apercomai) dat. aor. part. "go" - having gone [first to bury the father of me]. The participle may have attracted to the dative of indirect object moi, "to me", but it could possibly be adjectival, attributive, limiting "me", if we take the dative "me" as the direct object of the verb "to allow." Matthew uses an infinitive apelqein at this point, producing two awkward coordinating infinitives, "allow me to go and to bury". Presumably he intends both to shape a dependent statement expressing what the man wishes Jesus to "allow / permit"; "first, give me permission that I may go and bury". Luke's use of a participle, instead of an infinitive, followed by the infinitive qayai, "bury", still probably serves to introduce an object clause / dependent statement, expressing what the man wishes Jesus to "allow", namely "to go." The infinitive may be adverbial, final, expressing purpose; "in order that I might bury my father", although more properly part of the dependent statement; "that I may go and bury my father." It is possible that the participle is intended as attendant on the recitative infinitive, a less clumsy syntax than Matthew, or even possibly adverbial temporal, "let me go first", so McKay.
v60
autw/ dat. pro. "to him" - [but/and he said] to him. Dative of indirect object.
afeV (afihmi) aor. imp. "let" - allow / permit = let [the dead ones]. The sense of the words "let the dead bury their own dead" is a matter of some debate:
•iAllow those in Sheol to worry about each other, and let the living worry about the living, cf. Fitzmyer;
•iLet the spiritually dead bury their dead;
•iIn 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."
Here we have a classic example of Jesus' hyperbolic language. In an idealistic world, a person may be able to focus on one superior abiding principle at the expense of all others, but we don't live in such a world. The superior principle of gospel communication abides as a utopian ideal which focuses our attention, but in our world it conflicts with other less important principles. So, Jesus is not really fussed whether this man goes to his father's funeral, in fact, given the obligations of family (a divine institution), he should attend, but at the same time, he needs to get his priorities right - the essential task of communicating the gospel. As Tannehill notes, Jesus' striking language serves to make a point and should not be taken literally.
Note that Louw argues that the phrase is idiomatic, meaning "you understand me wrongly; this is not what is at stake." There is a possible allusion to Ezekiel 24:15-24.
qayai (qaptw) aor. inf. "bury" - to bury [their dead ones]. The infinitive my be complementary, or adverbial, final, or serving to introduce an object clause / dependent statement of indirect speech expressing what might be "allowed, permitted"; "allow that the dead bury the dead".
apelqwn (apercomai) aor. part. "you go" - [but you] having gone. 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." This part of the instruction is not found in Matthew.
diaggelle (diaggellw) pres. imp. "proclaim" - proclaim [the kingdom of god]. The present tense implies continuation, "preach / proclaim / communicate the gospel far and wide". For "kingdom of God" see tou qeou, 4:43.
v61
iii] Candidate #3, v61-62. A conflict of loyalties. With the third candidate, Jesus again confronts a potential disciple, hesitant and in two minds. Elisha may be allowed to visit his family to say goodby, but not a disciple of Jesus; the business at hand is too pressing, cf., 1Ki.19:20ff. Again, Jesus resorts to hyperbole to address the emergency at hand, namely, the immediacy of the coming kingdom. The discipleship ideal sets a clear objective, but of course, one that cannot be literally applied in our conflicted world (even from the cross Jesus acts for the welfare of his mother). So, visiting, or not visiting, one's parents is not the real issue. What is necessary, is that a disciple sets out, as best they can, with a clear undivided commitment to Jesus, because a person in two minds doesn't have the aptitude for kingdom service.
de kai "still" - but/and and = also. Transitional; "And another also said", AV.
eJteroV "another" - another [said]. "A different person said to Jesus ....."
soi dat. pro. "you" - [i will follow] you [lord]. Dative of direct object after the apo prefix verb "to follow."
moi dat. pro. "me" - [but/and first allow, permit] me. Again, presumably serving here as a dative of indirect object, although the verb "to give permission to" normally takes a dative of direct object; "give permission that I might say / to say ....... to me" = "give me permission."
apotaxasqai (apotassw) aor. inf. "say good-by" - to say farewell. Lit. give up. Introducing an object clause / dependent statement of indirect speech expressing what the man might be allowed to do; "allow, that I might say farewell to my family at home, to me" = "give me permission in the first place to take leave of my people at home", Cassirer.
toiV dat. art. "[and say goodby to my family]" - to the ones [in the house of me]. The dative article serves as a nominalizer, turning the prepositional phrase "into /in my house" into a substantive, dative of direct object after the apo prefix verb "to farewell."
v62
epibalwn (epiballw) aor. part. "who puts" - [but jesus said toward him, no one] having put, having laid [the hand upon the plow]. Taking the adjective oudeiV as a substantive, "no one", the participle is adjectival, attributive, limiting "no one / nobody", as NIV.
blepwn (blepw) aor. part. "looks [back]" - [and] looking [to the things behind]. This participle is also adjectival, attributive, limiting "no one", as above, but it could possibly be treated as adverbial, temporal; "and then looks back." The illustration is of a potential disciple in two minds. The present tense underlines this sense; "while still looking back." A farmer who takes his eye off the mark will plow a crooked furrow - a NT version of keep your eye on the ball.
euqetoV adj. "[is] fit" - [is] fit, well fitting. A person who is of two minds, when it comes to following Jesus, is not "suitable" for service in the kingdom of God, they do not have the "aptitude" for the task. As with the man who wanted to bury his father, this man is similarly reminded of the urgent need for a single-minded commitment.
th/ basileia/ (a) dat. "for service in the kingdom" - to = for the kingdom. The dative is often treated as a dative of interest, expressing fitness for the kingdom; "is useless for the kingdom", Phillips / is of "any use to the kingdom", Barclay. Culy suggests a dative of reference / respect and this seems a better approach because, as Johnson notes, in this context, "kingdom" probably means "preaching the kingdom of God" = "preaching the gospel". A person in two minds does not possess the necessary aptitude required of a disciple with respect to the urgent business of preaching the gospel.
tou qeou (oV) gen. "of God" - of god. The genitive is probably best treated as adjectival, possessive, but possibly ablative, expressing source / origin, even verbal, subjective if "kingdom" is taken to mean "rule".
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