Luke 14:18-20

14:18 But one after another they all ¹  began to make excuses. ²  The first said to him, ‘I have bought a field, ³  and I must go out and see it. Please excuse me.’ ⁴  14:19 Another ⁵  said, ‘I have bought five yoke of oxen, ⁶  and I am going out ⁷  to examine them. Please excuse me.’ 14:20 Another ⁸  said, ‘I just got married, and I cannot come.’ ⁹ 

Luke 14:26

14:26 “If anyone comes to me and does not hate ¹⁰  his own father and mother, and wife and children, and brothers and sisters, and even his own life, ¹¹  he cannot be my disciple.

Deuteronomy 33:9

33:9 He said to his father and mother, “I have not seen him,” ¹² 

and he did not acknowledge his own brothers

or know his own children,

for they kept your word,

and guarded your covenant.

Deuteronomy 33:1

Introduction to the Blessing of Moses

33:1 This is the blessing Moses the man of God pronounced upon the Israelites before his death.

Deuteronomy 19:20

19:20 The rest of the people will hear and become afraid to keep doing such evil among you.

Ecclesiastes 9:10

9:10 Whatever you find to do with your hands, ¹³ 

do it with all your might,

because there is neither work nor planning nor knowledge nor wisdom in the grave, ¹⁴ 

the place where you will eventually go. ¹⁵ 

Matthew 10:37-38

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. 10:38 And whoever does not take up his cross ¹⁶  and follow me is not worthy of me.

[14:18]  ¹ tn Or “all unanimously” (BDAG 107 s.v. ἀπό 6). "One after another" is suggested by L&N 61.2.

[14:18]  ² sn To make excuses and cancel at this point was an insult in the culture of the time. Regardless of customs concerning responses to invitations, refusal at this point was rude.

[14:18]  ³ sn I have bought a field. An examination of newly bought land was a common practice. It was this person’s priority.

[14:18]  ⁴ sn The expression Please excuse me is probably a polite way of refusing, given the dynamics of the situation, although it is important to note that an initial acceptance had probably been indicated and it was now a bit late for a refusal. The semantic equivalent of the phrase may well be “please accept my apologies.”

[14:19]  ⁵ tn Grk “And another.” Here καί (kai) has not been translated because of differences between Greek and English style.

[14:19]  ⁶ sn Five yoke of oxen. This was a wealthy man, because the normal farmer had one or two yoke of oxen.

[14:19]  ⁷ tn The translation “going out” for πορεύομαι (poreuomai) is used because “going” in this context could be understood to mean “I am about to” rather than the correct nuance, “I am on my way to.”

[14:20]  ⁸ tn Grk “And another.” Here καί (kai) has not been translated because of differences between Greek and English style.

[14:20]  ⁹ sn I just got married, and I cannot come. There is no request to be excused here; just a refusal. Why this disqualifies attendance is not clear. The OT freed a newly married man from certain responsibilities such as serving in the army (Deut 20:7; 24:5), but that would hardly apply to a banquet. The invitation is not respected in any of the three cases.

[14:26]  ¹⁰ tn This figurative use operates on a relative scale. God is to be loved more than family or self.

[14:26]  ¹¹ tn Grk “his own soul,” but ψυχή (yuch) is frequently used of one’s physical life. It clearly has that meaning in this context.

[33:9]  ¹² sn This statement no doubt alludes to the Levites’ destruction of their own fellow tribesmen following the golden calf incident (Exod 32:25-29).

[9:10]  ¹³ tn Heb “Whatever your hand finds to do.”

[9:10]  ¹⁴ tn Heb “Sheol.”

[9:10]  ¹⁵ tn Or “where you are about to go.”

[10:38]  ¹⁶ sn It was customary practice in a Roman crucifixion for the prisoner to be made to carry his own cross. Jesus is speaking figuratively here in the context of rejection. If the priority is not one’s allegiance to Jesus, then one will not follow him in the face of possible rejection.