Luke 9:51

Rejection in Samaria

9:51 Now when ¹  the days drew near ²  for him to be taken up, ³  Jesus ⁴  set out resolutely ⁵  to go to Jerusalem. ⁶ 

Luke 9:62

9:62 Jesus ⁷  said to him, “No one who puts his ⁸  hand to the plow and looks back ⁹  is fit for the kingdom of God.” ¹⁰ 

[9:51]  ¹ tn Grk “And it happened that when.” The introductory phrase ἐγένετο (egeneto, “it happened that”), common in Luke (69 times) and Acts (54 times), is redundant in contemporary English and has not been translated.

[9:51]  ² tn Grk “the days were being fulfilled.” There is literary design here. This starts what has been called in the Gospel of Luke the “Jerusalem Journey.” It is not a straight-line trip, but a journey to meet his fate (Luke 13:31-35).

[9:51]  ³ sn Taken up is a reference to Jesus’ upcoming return to heaven by crucifixion and resurrection (compare Luke 9:31). This term was used in the LXX of Elijah’s departure in 2 Kgs 2:9.

[9:51]  ⁴ tn Grk “he”; the referent (Jesus) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[9:51]  ⁵ tn Grk “he set his face,” a Semitic idiom that speaks of a firm, unshakable resolve to do something (Gen 31:21; Isa 50:7).

[9:51]  ⁶ map For location see Map5 B1; Map6 F3; Map7 E2; Map8 F2; Map10 B3; JP1 F4; JP2 F4; JP3 F4; JP4 F4.

[9:62]  ⁷ tn Here δέ (de) has not been translated.

[9:62]  ⁸ tn Grk “the”; in context the article is used as a possessive pronoun (ExSyn 215).

[9:62]  ⁹ 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]  ¹⁰ 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.