Luke 14:27

14:27 Whoever does not carry his own cross ¹  and follow ²  me cannot be my disciple.

Luke 9:23

A Call to Discipleship

9:23 Then ³  he said to them all, ⁴  “If anyone wants to become my follower, ⁵  he must deny ⁶  himself, take up his cross daily, ⁷  and follow me.

Luke 19:14

19:14 But his citizens ⁸  hated ⁹  him and sent a delegation after him, saying, ‘We do not want this man ¹⁰  to be king ¹¹  over us!’

Luke 7:38

7:38 As ¹²  she stood ¹³  behind him at his feet, weeping, she began to wet his feet with her tears. She ¹⁴  wiped them with her hair, ¹⁵  kissed ¹⁶  them, ¹⁷  and anointed ¹⁸  them with the perfumed oil.

Luke 9:62

9:62 Jesus ¹⁹  said to him, “No one who puts his ²⁰  hand to the plow and looks back ²¹  is fit for the kingdom of God.” ²² 

Luke 17:31

17:31 On that day, anyone who is on the roof, ²³  with his goods in the house, must not come down ²⁴  to take them away, and likewise the person in the field must not turn back.

Luke 21:8

21:8 He ²⁵  said, “Watch out ²⁶  that you are not misled. For many will come in my name, saying, ‘I am he,’ ²⁷  and, ‘The time is near.’ Do not follow them!

[14:27]  ¹ 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; see Luke 9:23.

[14:27]  ² tn Grk “and come after.” In combination with the verb ἔρχομαι (ercomai) the improper preposition ὀπίσω (opisw) means “follow.”

[9:23]  ³ tn Here δέ (de) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence of events within the narrative.

[9:23]  ⁴ sn Here them all could be limited to the disciples, since Jesus was alone with them in v. 18. It could also be that by this time the crowd had followed and found him, and he addressed them, or this could be construed as a separate occasion from the discussion with the disciples in 9:18-22. The cost of discipleship is something Jesus was willing to tell both insiders and outsiders about. The rejection he felt would also fall on his followers.

[9:23]  ⁵ tn Grk “to come after me.”

[9:23]  ⁶ 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.

[9:23]  ⁷ sn Only Luke mentions taking up one’s cross daily. 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.

[19:14]  ⁵ tn Or “subjects.” Technically these people were not his subjects yet, but would be upon his return. They were citizens of his country who opposed his appointment as their king; later the newly-appointed king will refer to them as his “enemies” (v. 27).

[19:14]  ⁶ tn The imperfect is intense in this context, suggesting an ongoing attitude.

[19:14]  ⁷ tn Grk “this one” (somewhat derogatory in this context).

[19:14]  ⁸ tn Or “to rule.”

[7:38]  ⁷ tn Grk “And standing.” Here καί (kai) has not been translated because of differences between Greek and English style. Because of the length and complexity of the Greek sentence, a new sentence was started here in the translation.

[7:38]  ⁸ tn Grk “standing”; the participle στᾶσα (stasa) has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.

[7:38]  ⁹ tn Grk “tears, and she.” Here καί (kai) has not been translated because of differences between Greek and English style. Because of the length and complexity of the Greek sentence, a new sentence was started here in the translation.

[7:38]  ¹⁰ tn Grk “with the hair of her head.”

[7:38]  ¹¹ tn Grk “and kissed,” but καί (kai) has not been translated since English normally uses a coordinating conjunction only between the last two elements in a series of three or more.

[7:38]  ¹² tn Grk “kissed his feet,” but this has been replaced by the pronoun “them” in keeping with contemporary English style.

[7:38]  ¹³ sn The series of verbs in this verse detail the woman’s every move, much as if the onlookers were watching her every step. That she attended the meal is not so surprising, as teachers often ate an open meal where listeners were welcome, but for her to approach Jesus was unusual and took great nerve, especially given her reputation.

[9:62]  ⁹ tn Here δέ (de) has not been translated.

[9:62]  ¹⁰ tn Grk “the”; in context the article is used as a possessive pronoun (ExSyn 215).

[9:62]  ¹¹ 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.

[9:62]  ¹² 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.

[17:31]  ¹¹ sn Most of the roofs in the NT were flat roofs made of pounded dirt, sometimes mixed with lime or stones, supported by heavy wooden beams. They generally had an easy means of access, either a sturdy wooden ladder or stone stairway, sometimes on the outside of the house.

[17:31]  ¹² sn The swiftness and devastation of the judgment will require a swift escape. There is no time to come down from one’s roof and pick up anything from inside one’s home.

[21:8]  ¹³ tn Here δέ (de) has not been translated.

[21:8]  ¹⁴ tn Or “Be on guard.”

[21:8]  ¹⁵ tn That is, “I am the Messiah.”