Matthew 10:37

10:37 “Whoever loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me, and whoever loves son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me.

Deuteronomy 33:9-10

33:9 He said to his father and mother, “I have not seen him,” ¹ 

and he did not acknowledge his own brothers

or know his own children,

for they kept your word,

and guarded your covenant.

33:10 They will teach Jacob your ordinances

and Israel your law;

they will offer incense as a pleasant odor,

and a whole offering on your altar.

Mark 1:20

1:20 Immediately he called them, and they left their father Zebedee in the boat with the hired men and followed him.

Luke 9:59-60

9:59 Jesus ²  said to another, “Follow me.” But he replied, ³  “Lord, first let me go and bury my father.” 9:60 But Jesus ⁴  said to him, “Let the dead bury their own dead, ⁵  but as for you, go and proclaim the kingdom of God.” ⁶ 

Luke 14:26

14:26 “If anyone comes to me and does not hate ⁷  his own father and mother, and wife and children, and brothers and sisters, and even his own life, ⁸  he cannot be my disciple.

Luke 14:33

14:33 In the same way therefore not one of you can be my disciple if he does not renounce all his own possessions. ⁹ 

Luke 14:2

14:2 There ¹⁰  right ¹¹  in front of him was a man suffering from dropsy. ¹² 

Colossians 1:16

1:16 for all things in heaven and on earth were created by him – all things, whether visible or invisible, whether thrones or dominions, ¹³  whether principalities or powers – all things were created through him and for him.

¹ sn This statement no doubt alludes to the Levites’ destruction of their own fellow tribesmen following the golden calf incident (Exod 32:25-29).

² tn Grk “And he”; the referent (Jesus) has been specified in the translation for clarity. Here δέ (de) has not been translated.

³ tn Grk “said.”

⁴ tn Grk “he”; the referent (Jesus) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

⁵ sn There are several options for the meaning of Jesus’ reply Leave the dead to bury their own dead: (1) Recent research suggests that burial customs in the vicinity of Jerusalem from about 20 b.c. to a.d. 70 involved a reinterment of the bones a year after the initial burial, once the flesh had rotted away. At that point the son would have placed his father’s bones in a special box known as an ossuary to be set into the wall of the tomb. Thus Jesus could well be rebuking the man for wanting to wait around for as much as a year before making a commitment to follow him. In 1st century Jewish culture, to have followed Jesus rather than burying one’s father would have seriously dishonored one’s father (cf. Tobit 4:3-4). (2) The remark is an idiom (possibly a proverbial saying) that means, “The matter in question is not the real issue,” in which case Jesus was making a wordplay on the wording of the man’s (literal) request (see L&N 33.137). (3) This remark could be a figurative reference to various kinds of people, meaning, “Let the spiritually dead bury the dead.” (4) It could also be literal and designed to shock the hearer by the surprise of the contrast. Whichever option is preferred, it is clear that the most important priority is to preach the gospel (proclaim the kingdom of God).

⁶ sn The kingdom of God is a major theme of Jesus. It is a realm in which Jesus rules and to which those who trust him belong. See Luke 6:20; 11:20; 17:20-21.

⁷ tn This figurative use operates on a relative scale. God is to be loved more than family or self.

⁸ tn Grk “his own soul,” but ψυχή (yuch) is frequently used of one’s physical life. It clearly has that meaning in this context.

⁹ tn Grk “Likewise therefore every one of you who does not renounce all his own possessions cannot be my disciple.” The complex double negation is potentially confusing to the modern reader and has been simplified in the translation. See L&N 57.70.

¹⁰ tn Grk “And there.” Here καί (kai) has not been translated because of differences between Greek and English style.

¹¹ tn Grk “behold.” The Greek word ἰδού (idou) at the beginning of this statement adds interest and emphasis (BDAG 468 s.v. 1). Here it has been translated as “right” in the phrase “right in front of him,” giving a similar effect of vividness in the translation.

¹² sn The condition called dropsy involves swollen limbs resulting from the accumulation of fluid in the body’s tissues, especially the legs.

¹³ tn BDAG 579 s.v. κυριότης 3 suggests “bearers of the ruling powers, dominions” here.