Matthew 8:22

8:22 But Jesus said to him, “Follow me, and let the dead bury their own dead.” ¹ 

Matthew 9:9

The Call of Matthew; Eating with Sinners

9:9 As Jesus went on from there, he saw a man named Matthew sitting at the tax booth. ²  “Follow me,” he said to him. And he got up and followed him.

Matthew 16:24

16:24 Then Jesus said to his disciples, “If anyone wants to become my follower, ³  he must deny ⁴  himself, take up his cross, ⁵  and follow me.

Matthew 19:21

19:21 Jesus said to him, “If you wish to be perfect, go sell your possessions and give the money ⁶  to the poor, and you will have treasure ⁷  in heaven. Then come, follow me.”

Mark 2:14

2:14 As he went along, he saw Levi, the son of Alphaeus, sitting at the tax booth. ⁸  “Follow me,” he said to him. And he got up and followed him.

Luke 5:27

The Call of Levi; Eating with Sinners

5:27 After ⁹  this, Jesus ¹⁰  went out and saw a tax collector ¹¹  named Levi ¹²  sitting at the tax booth. ¹³  “Follow me,” ¹⁴  he said to him.

Luke 9:59

9:59 Jesus ¹⁵  said to another, “Follow me.” But he replied, ¹⁶  “Lord, first let me go and bury my father.”

John 1:43

The Calling of More Disciples

1:43 On the next day Jesus ¹⁷  wanted to set out for Galilee. ¹⁸  He ¹⁹  found Philip and said ²⁰  to him, “Follow me.”

John 12:26

12:26 If anyone wants to serve me, he must follow ²¹  me, and where I am, my servant will be too. ²²  If anyone serves me, the Father will honor him.

John 21:22

21:22 Jesus replied, ²³  “If I want him to live ²⁴  until I come back, ²⁵  what concern is that of yours? You follow me!”

¹ 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 follow Jesus.

² tn While “tax office” is sometimes given as a translation for τελώνιον (telwnion, so L&N 57.183), this could give the modern reader a false impression of an indoor office with all its associated furnishings.

³ tn Grk “to come after me.”

⁴ tn This translation better expresses the force of the Greek third person imperative than the traditional “let him deny,” which could be understood as merely permissive.

⁵ sn To bear the cross means to accept the rejection of the world for turning to Jesus and following him. Discipleship involves a death that is like a crucifixion; see Gal 6:14.

⁶ tn The words “the money” are not in the Greek text, but are implied. Direct objects were often omitted in Greek when clear from the context.

⁷ sn The call for sacrifice comes with a promise of eternal reward: You will have treasure in heaven. Jesus’ call is a test to see how responsive the man is to God’s direction through him. Will he walk the path God’s agent calls him to walk? For a rich person who got it right, see Zacchaeus in Luke 19:1-10.

⁸ tn While “tax office” is sometimes given as a translation for τελώνιον (telwnion, so L&N 57.183), this could give the modern reader a false impression of an indoor office with all its associated furnishings.

⁹ tn Grk “And after.” Here καί (kai) has not been translated because of differences between Greek and English style.

¹⁰ tn Grk “he”; the referent (Jesus) has been supplied in the translation for clarity.

¹¹ sn See the note on tax collectors in 3:12.

¹² sn It is possible that Levi is a second name for Matthew, because people often used alternative names in 1st century Jewish culture.

¹³ tn While “tax office” is sometimes given as a translation for τελώνιον (telwnion; so L&N 57.183), this could give the modern reader a false impression of an indoor office with all its associated furnishings.

¹⁴ sn Follow me. For similar calls on the part of Jesus see Luke 5:10-11; 9:23, 59; 18:22.

¹⁵ tn Grk “And he”; the referent (Jesus) has been specified in the translation for clarity. Here δέ (de) has not been translated.

¹⁶ tn Grk “said.”

¹⁷ tn Grk “he”; the referent (Jesus) has been specified in the translation for clarity. Jesus is best taken as the subject of εὑρίσκει (Jeuriskei), since Peter would scarcely have wanted to go to Galilee.

¹⁸ sn No explanation is given for why Jesus wanted to set out for Galilee, but probably he wanted to go to the wedding at Cana (about a two day trip).

¹⁹ tn Grk “and he.” Because of the length and complexity of the Greek sentence, a new sentence was started here in the translation.

²⁰ tn Grk “and Jesus said.”

²¹ tn As a third person imperative in Greek, ἀκολουθείτω (akolouqeitw) is usually translated “let him follow me.” This could be understood by the modern English reader as merely permissive, however (“he may follow me if he wishes”). In this context there is no permissive sense, but rather a command, so the translation “he must follow me” is preferred.

²² tn Grk “where I am, there my servant will be too.”

²³ tn Grk “Jesus said to him.”

²⁴ tn Grk “to stay” or “to remain”; but since longevity is the issue in the context, “to live” conveys the idea more clearly.

²⁵ tn The word “back” is supplied to clarify the meaning.