9:57 As 12 they were walking 13 along the road, someone said to him, “I will follow you wherever you go.” 14 9:58 Jesus said to him, “Foxes have dens and the birds in the sky 15 have nests, but the Son of Man has no place to lay his head.” 16 9:59 Jesus 17 said to another, “Follow me.” But he replied, 18 “Lord, first let me go and bury my father.” 9:60 But Jesus 19 said to him, “Let the dead bury their own dead, 20 but as for you, go and proclaim the kingdom of God.” 21 9:61 Yet 22 another said, “I will follow you, Lord, but first let me say goodbye to my family.” 23 9:62 Jesus 24 said to him, “No one who puts his 25 hand to the plow and looks back 26 is fit for the kingdom of God.” 27
8:12 Then Jesus spoke out again, 28 “I am the light of the world. 29 The one who follows me will never 30 walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.”
1 tn Grk “a few names”; here ὄνομα (onoma) is used by figurative extension to mean “person” or “people”; according to L&N 9.19 there is “the possible implication of existence or relevance as individuals.”
2 tn Or “soiled” (so NAB, NRSV, NIV); NCV “have kept their clothes unstained”; CEV “have not dirtied your clothes with sin.”
3 tn The word “dressed” is not in the Greek text, but is implied.
4 tn Or “worship.” The word here is λατρεύω (latreuw).
5 tn Grk “will spread his tent over them,” normally an idiom for taking up residence with someone, but when combined with the preposition ἐπί (epi, “over”) the idea is one of extending protection or shelter (BDAG 929 s.v. σκηνόω).
6 tn An allusion to Isa 49:10. The phrase “burning heat” is one word in Greek (καῦμα, kauma) that refers to a burning, intensely-felt heat. See BDAG 536 s.v.
7 sn An allusion to Isa 25:8.
8 tn See BDAG 636 s.v. μετά A.2.a.α.
9 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then.”
10 tn Or “a scribe.” See the note on the phrase “experts in the law” in 2:4.
11 sn The statement I will follow you wherever you go is an offer to follow Jesus as a disciple, no matter what the cost.
12 tn Grk “And as.” Here καί (kai) has not been translated because of differences between Greek and English style.
13 tn Grk “going,” but “walking” is an accurate description of how they traveled about.
14 tc Most
15 tn Grk “the birds of the sky” or “the birds of the heaven”; the Greek word οὐρανός (ouranos) may be translated either “sky” or “heaven,” depending on the context. The idiomatic expression “birds of the sky” refers to wild birds as opposed to domesticated fowl (cf. BDAG 809 s.v. πετεινόν).
16 sn Jesus’ reply is simply this: Does the man understand the rejection he will be facing? Jesus has no home in the world (the Son of Man has no place to lay his head).
17 tn Grk “And he”; the referent (Jesus) has been specified in the translation for clarity. Here δέ (de) has not been translated.
18 tn Grk “said.”
19 tn Grk “he”; the referent (Jesus) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
20 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
21 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.
22 tn Grk “And another also said.”
23 tn Grk “to those in my house.”
24 tn Here δέ (de) has not been translated.
25 tn Grk “the”; in context the article is used as a possessive pronoun (ExSyn 215).
26 sn Jesus warns that excessive concern for family ties (looks back) will make the kingdom a lesser priority, which is not appropriate for discipleship. The image is graphic, for who can plow straight ahead toward a goal while looking back? Discipleship cannot be double-minded.
27 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.
28 tn Grk “Then again Jesus spoke to them saying.”
29 sn The theory proposed by F. J. A. Hort (The New Testament in the Original Greek, vol. 2, Introduction; Appendix, 87-88), that the backdrop of 8:12 is the lighting of the candelabra in the court of women, may offer a plausible setting to the proclamation by Jesus that he is the light of the world. The last time that Jesus spoke in the narrative (assuming 7:53-8:11 is not part of the original text, as the textual evidence suggests) is in 7:38, where he was speaking to a crowd of pilgrims in the temple area. This is where he is found in the present verse, and he may be addressing the crowd again. Jesus’ remark has to be seen in view of both the prologue (John 1:4, 5) and the end of the discourse with Nicodemus (John 3:19-21). The coming of Jesus into the world provokes judgment: A choosing up of sides becomes necessary. The one who comes to the light, that is, who follows Jesus, will not walk in the darkness. The one who refuses to come, will walk in the darkness. In this contrast, there are only two alternatives. So it is with a person’s decision about Jesus. Furthermore, this serves as in implicit indictment of Jesus’ opponents, who still walk in the darkness, because they refuse to come to him. This sets up the contrast in chap. 9 between the man born blind, who receives both physical and spiritual sight, and the Pharisees (John 9:13, 15, 16) who have physical sight but remain in spiritual darkness.
30 tn The double negative οὐ μή (ou mh) is emphatic in 1st century Hellenistic Greek.
31 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.
32 tn Grk “where I am, there my servant will be too.”
33 tn Or “I will die willingly for you.”