Matthew 5:10-12

5:10 “Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to them.

5:11 “Blessed are you when people ¹  insult you and persecute you and say all kinds of evil things about you falsely ²  on account of me. 5:12 Rejoice and be glad because your reward is great in heaven, for they persecuted the prophets before you in the same way.

Matthew 10:37-39

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 ³  and follow me is not worthy of me. 10:39 Whoever finds his life ⁴  will lose it, ⁵  and whoever loses his life because of me ⁶  will find it.

Matthew 16:24-26

16:24 Then Jesus said to his disciples, “If anyone wants to become my follower, ⁷  he must deny ⁸  himself, take up his cross, ⁹  and follow me. 16:25 For whoever wants to save his life ¹⁰  will lose it, ¹¹  but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it. 16:26 For what does it benefit a person ¹²  if he gains the whole world but forfeits his life? Or what can a person give in exchange for his life?

Mark 4:17

4:17 But ¹³  they have no root in themselves and do not endure. ¹⁴  Then, when trouble or persecution comes because of the word, immediately they fall away.

Mark 8:34-36

Following Jesus

8:34 Then ¹⁵  Jesus ¹⁶  called the crowd, along with his disciples, and said to them, “If anyone wants to become my follower, ¹⁷  he must deny ¹⁸  himself, take up his cross, ¹⁹  and follow me. 8:35 For whoever wants to save his life ²⁰  will lose it, ²¹  but whoever loses his life for my sake and for the gospel will save it. 8:36 For what benefit is it for a person ²²  to gain the whole world, yet ²³  forfeit his life?

Mark 13:12-13

13:12 Brother will hand over brother to death, and a father his child. Children will rise against ²⁴  parents and have them put to death. 13:13 You will be hated by everyone because of my name. ²⁵  But the one who endures to the end will be saved. ²⁶ 

Luke 9:23-25

A Call to Discipleship

9:23 Then ²⁷  he said to them all, ²⁸  “If anyone wants to become my follower, ²⁹  he must deny ³⁰  himself, take up his cross daily, ³¹  and follow me. 9:24 For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, ³²  but whoever loses his life for my sake will save it. 9:25 For what does it benefit a person ³³  if he gains the whole world but loses or forfeits himself?

Luke 14:26-33

14:26 “If anyone comes to me and does not hate ³⁴  his own father and mother, and wife and children, and brothers and sisters, and even his own life, ³⁵  he cannot be my disciple. 14:27 Whoever does not carry his own cross ³⁶  and follow ³⁷  me cannot be my disciple. 14:28 For which of you, wanting to build a tower, doesn’t sit down ³⁸  first and compute the cost ³⁹  to see if he has enough money to complete it? 14:29 Otherwise, ⁴⁰  when he has laid ⁴¹  a foundation and is not able to finish the tower, ⁴²  all who see it ⁴³  will begin to make fun of ⁴⁴  him. 14:30 They will say, ⁴⁵  ‘This man ⁴⁶  began to build and was not able to finish!’ ⁴⁷  14:31 Or what king, going out to confront another king in battle, will not sit down ⁴⁸  first and determine whether he is able with ten thousand to oppose ⁴⁹  the one coming against him with twenty thousand? 14:32 If he cannot succeed, ⁵⁰  he will send a representative ⁵¹  while the other is still a long way off and ask for terms of peace. ⁵²  14:33 In the same way therefore not one of you can be my disciple if he does not renounce all his own possessions. ⁵³ 

Luke 21:12-18

21:12 But before all this, ⁵⁴  they will seize ⁵⁵  you and persecute you, handing you over to the synagogues ⁵⁶  and prisons. You ⁵⁷  will be brought before kings and governors because of my name. 21:13 This will be a time for you to serve as witnesses. ⁵⁸  21:14 Therefore be resolved ⁵⁹  not to rehearse ⁶⁰  ahead of time how to make your defense. 21:15 For I will give you the words ⁶¹  along with the wisdom ⁶²  that none of your adversaries will be able to withstand or contradict. 21:16 You will be betrayed even by parents, ⁶³  brothers, relatives, ⁶⁴  and friends, and they will have some of you put to death. 21:17 You will be hated by everyone because of my name. ⁶⁵  21:18 Yet ⁶⁶  not a hair of your head will perish. ⁶⁷ 

John 12:25-26

12:25 The one who loves his life ⁶⁸  destroys ⁶⁹  it, and the one who hates his life in this world guards ⁷⁰  it for eternal life. 12:26 If anyone wants to serve me, he must follow ⁷¹  me, and where I am, my servant will be too. ⁷²  If anyone serves me, the Father will honor him.

Galatians 6:12

6:12 Those who want to make a good showing in external matters ⁷³  are trying to force you to be circumcised. They do so ⁷⁴  only to avoid being persecuted ⁷⁵  for the cross of Christ.

Galatians 6:2

6:2 Carry one another’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ.

Galatians 4:10

4:10 You are observing religious ⁷⁶  days and months and seasons and years.

Hebrews 10:35-39

10:35 So do not throw away your confidence, because it ⁷⁷  has great reward. 10:36 For you need endurance in order to do God’s will and so receive what is promised. ⁷⁸  10:37 For just a little longer ⁷⁹  and he who is coming will arrive and not delay. ⁸⁰  10:38 But my righteous one will live by faith, and if he shrinks back, I ⁸¹  take no pleasure in him. ⁸²  10:39 But we are not among those who shrink back and thus perish, but are among those who have faith and preserve their souls. ⁸³ 

Revelation 2:13

2:13 ‘I know ⁸⁴  where you live – where Satan’s throne is. Yet ⁸⁵  you continue to cling ⁸⁶  to my name and you have not denied your ⁸⁷  faith in me, ⁸⁸  even in the days of Antipas, my faithful witness, ⁸⁹  who was killed in your city ⁹⁰  where Satan lives.

[5:11]  ¹ tn Grk “when they insult you.” The third person pronoun (here implied in the verb ὀνειδίσωσιν [ojneidiswsin]) has no specific referent, but refers to people in general.

[5:11]  ² tc Although ψευδόμενοι (yeudomenoi, “bearing witness falsely”) could be a motivated reading, clarifying that the disciples are unjustly persecuted, its lack in only D it sy^s Tert does not help its case. Since the Western text is known for numerous free alterations, without corroborative evidence the shorter reading must be judged as secondary.

[10:38]  ³ 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.

[10:39]  ⁴ tn Grk “his soul,” but ψυχή (yuch) is frequently used of one’s physical life. It clearly has that meaning in this context.

[10:39]  ⁵ sn If there is no willingness to suffer the world’s rejection at this point, then one will not respond to Jesus (which is trying to find life) and then will be subject to this judgment (which is losing it).

[10:39]  ⁶ tn Or “for my sake.” The traditional rendering “for my sake” can be understood in the sense of “for my benefit,” but the Greek term ἕνεκα indicates the cause or reason for something (BDAG 334 s.v. 1).

[16:24]  ⁷ tn Grk “to come after me.”

[16:24]  ⁸ 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.

[16:24]  ⁹ 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.

[16:25]  ¹⁰ tn Or “soul” (throughout vv. 25-26).

[16:25]  ¹¹ sn The point of the saying whoever wants to save his life will lose it is that if one comes to Jesus then rejection by many will certainly follow. If self-protection is a key motivation, then one will not respond to Jesus and will not be saved. One who is willing to risk rejection will respond and find true life.

[16:26]  ¹² tn Grk “a man,” but ἄνθρωπος (anqrwpo") is used in a generic sense here to refer to both men and women.

[4:17]  ¹³ tn Grk “And.” Here καί (kai) has been translated as “but” to indicate the contrast present in this context.

[4:17]  ¹⁴ tn Grk “are temporary.”

[8:34]  ¹⁵ tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence of events within the narrative.

[8:34]  ¹⁶ tn Grk “he”; the referent (Jesus) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[8:34]  ¹⁷ tn Grk “to follow after me.”

[8:34]  ¹⁸ 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.

[8:34]  ¹⁹ 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.

[8:35]  ²⁰ tn Or “soul” (throughout vv. 35-37).

[8:35]  ²¹ sn The point of the saying whoever wants to save his life will lose it is that if one comes to Jesus then rejection by many will certainly follow. If self-protection is a key motivation, then one will not respond to Jesus and will not be saved. One who is willing to risk rejection will respond and find true life.

[8:36]  ²² tn Grk “a man,” but ἄνθρωπος (anqrwpo") is used in a generic sense here to refer to both men and women.

[8:36]  ²³ tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “yet” to indicate the contrast present in this context.

[13:12]  ²⁴ tn Or “will rebel against.”

[13:13]  ²⁵ sn See 1 Cor 1:25-31.

[13:13]  ²⁶ sn But the one who endures to the end will be saved. Jesus was not claiming here that salvation is by works, because he had already taught that it is by grace (cf. 10:15). He was simply arguing that genuine faith evidences itself in persistence through even the worst of trials.

[9:23]  ²⁷ tn Here δέ (de) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence of events within the narrative.

[9:23]  ²⁸ 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]  ²⁹ tn Grk “to come after me.”

[9:23]  ³⁰ 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]  ³¹ 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.

[9:24]  ³² sn The point of the saying whoever wants to save his life will lose it is that if one comes to Jesus then rejection by many will certainly follow. If self-protection is a key motivation, then one will not respond to Jesus and will not be saved. One who is willing to risk rejection will respond and find true life.

[9:25]  ³³ tn Grk “a man,” but ἄνθρωπος (anqrwpo") is used in a generic sense here to refer to both men and women.

[14:26]  ³⁴ tn This figurative use operates on a relative scale. God is to be loved more than family or self.

[14:26]  ³⁵ tn Grk “his own soul,” but ψυχή (yuch) is frequently used of one’s physical life. It clearly has that meaning in this context.

[14:27]  ³⁶ 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]  ³⁷ tn Grk “and come after.” In combination with the verb ἔρχομαι (ercomai) the improper preposition ὀπίσω (opisw) means “follow.”

[14:28]  ³⁸ tn The participle καθίσας (kaqisas) has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.

[14:28]  ³⁹ tn The first illustration involves checking to see if enough funds exist to build a watchtower. Both ψηφίζω (yhfizw, “compute”) and δαπάνη (dapanh, “cost”) are economic terms.

[14:29]  ⁴⁰ tn Grk “to complete it, lest.” Because of the length and complexity of the Greek sentence, a new sentence was started here in the translation and ἵνα μήποτε ({ina mhpote, “lest”) has been translated as “Otherwise.”

[14:29]  ⁴¹ tn The participle θέντος (qentos) has been taken temporally.

[14:29]  ⁴² tn The words “the tower” are not in the Greek text, but are implied. Direct objects were frequently omitted in Greek when clear from the context.

[14:29]  ⁴³ tn The word “it” is not in the Greek text, but is implied. Direct objects were frequently omitted in Greek when clear from the context.

[14:29]  ⁴⁴ tn Or “mock,” “ridicule.” The person who did not plan ahead becomes an object of joking and ridicule.

[14:30]  ⁴⁵ tn Grk “make fun of him, saying.”

[14:30]  ⁴⁶ sn The phrase this man is often used in Luke in a derogatory sense; see “this one” and expressions like it in Luke 5:21; 7:39; 13:32; 23:4, 14, 22, 35.

[14:30]  ⁴⁷ sn The failure to finish the building project leads to embarrassment (in a culture where avoiding public shame was extremely important). The half completed tower testified to poor preparation and planning.

[14:31]  ⁴⁸ tn The participle καθίσας (kaqisa") has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.

[14:31]  ⁴⁹ tn On the meaning of this verb see also L&N 55.3, “to meet in battle, to face in battle.”

[14:32]  ⁵⁰ tn Grk “And if not.” Here δέ (de) has not been translated; “succeed” is implied and has been supplied in the translation for clarity.

[14:32]  ⁵¹ tn Grk “a messenger.”

[14:32]  ⁵² sn This image is slightly different from the former one about the tower (vv. 28-30). The first part of the illustration (sit down first and determine) deals with preparation. The second part of the illustration (ask for terms of peace) has to do with recognizing who is stronger. This could well suggest thinking about what refusing the “stronger one” (God) might mean, and thus constitutes a warning. Achieving peace with God, the more powerful king, is the point of the illustration.

[14:33]  ⁵³ tn Grk “Likewise therefore every one of you who does not renounce all his own possessions cannot be my disciple.” The complex double negation is potentially confusing to the modern reader and has been simplified in the translation. See L&N 57.70.

[21:12]  ⁵⁴ sn But before all this. Another note of timing is present, this one especially important in understanding the sequence in the discourse. Before the things noted in vv. 8-11 are the events of vv. 12-19.

[21:12]  ⁵⁵ tn Grk “will lay their hands on you.”

[21:12]  ⁵⁶ sn Some of the persecution is of Jewish origin (the synagogues). Some fulfillment of this can be seen in Acts. See the note on synagogues in 4:15.

[21:12]  ⁵⁷ tn Because of the length and complexity of the Greek sentence, a new sentence was started here in the translation.

[21:13]  ⁵⁸ tn Grk “This will turn out to you for [a] testimony.”

[21:14]  ⁵⁹ tn Grk “determine in your hearts.”

[21:14]  ⁶⁰ tn This term could refer to rehearsing a speech or a dance. On its syntax, see BDF §392.2.

[21:15]  ⁶¹ tn Grk “a mouth.” It is a metonymy and refers to the reply the Lord will give to them.

[21:15]  ⁶² tn Grk “and wisdom.”

[21:16]  ⁶³ sn To confess Christ might well mean rejection by one’s own family, even by parents.

[21:16]  ⁶⁴ tn Grk “and brothers and relatives,” but καί (kai) has not been translated twice here since English normally uses a coordinating conjunction only between the last two elements in a series of three or more.

[21:17]  ⁶⁵ sn See Luke 6:22, 27; 1 Cor 1:25-31.

[21:18]  ⁶⁶ tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “yet” to indicate the contrast present in this context.

[21:18]  ⁶⁷ sn Given v. 16, the expression not a hair of your head will perish must be taken figuratively and refer to living ultimately in the presence of God.

[12:25]  ⁶⁸ tn Or “soul.”

[12:25]  ⁶⁹ tn Or “loses.” Although the traditional English translation of ἀπολλύει (apolluei) in John 12:25 is “loses,” the contrast with φυλάξει (fulaxei, “keeps” or “guards”) in the second half of the verse favors the meaning “destroy” here.

[12:25]  ⁷⁰ tn Or “keeps.”

[12:26]  ⁷¹ 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.

[12:26]  ⁷² tn Grk “where I am, there my servant will be too.”

[6:12]  ⁷³ tn Grk “in the flesh.” L&N 88.236 translates the phrase “those who force you to be circumcised are those who wish to make a good showing in external matters.”

[6:12]  ⁷⁴ tn Grk “to be circumcised, only.” Because of the length and complexity of the Greek sentence, a new sentence was started with the words “They do so,” which were supplied to make a complete English sentence.

[6:12]  ⁷⁵ tc ‡ Grk “so that they will not be persecuted.” The indicative after ἵνα μή (Jina mh) is unusual (though not unexampled elsewhere in the NT), making it the harder reading. The evidence is fairly evenly split between the indicative διώκονται (diwkontai; Ì⁴⁶ A C F G K L P 0278 6 81 104 326 629 1175 1505 pm) and the subjunctive διώκωνται (diwkwntai; א B D Ψ 33 365 1739 pm), with a slight preference for the subjunctive. However, since scribes would tend to change the indicative to a subjunctive due to syntactical requirements, the internal evidence is decidedly on the side of the indicative, suggesting that it is original.

[4:10]  ⁷⁶ tn The adjective “religious” has been supplied in the translation to make clear that the problem concerns observing certain days, etc. in a religious sense (cf. NIV, NRSV “special days”). In light of the polemic in this letter against the Judaizers (those who tried to force observance of the Mosaic law on Gentile converts to Christianity) this may well be a reference to the observance of Jewish Sabbaths, feasts, and other religious days.

[10:35]  ⁷⁷ tn Grk “which,” but showing the reason.

[10:36]  ⁷⁸ tn Grk “the promise,” referring to the thing God promised, not to the pledge itself.

[10:37]  ⁷⁹ sn A quotation from Isa 26:20.

[10:37]  ⁸⁰ sn A quotation from Hab 2:3.

[10:38]  ⁸¹ tn Grk “my soul.”

[10:38]  ⁸² sn A quotation from Hab 2:4.

[10:39]  ⁸³ tn Grk “not…of shrinking back to perdition but of faith to the preservation of the soul.”

[2:13]  ⁸⁴ tc The shorter reading adopted here has superior ms support (א A C P 2053 al latt co), while the inclusion of “your works and” (τὰ ἔργα σου καί, ta erga sou kai) before “where you reside” is supported by the Byzantine witnesses and is evidently a secondary attempt to harmonize the passage with 2:2, 19; 3:1, 8, 15.

[2:13]  ⁸⁵ tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “Yet” to indicate the contrast between their location and their faithful behavior.

[2:13]  ⁸⁶ tn The present indicative verb κρατεῖς (kratei") has been translated as a progressive present.

[2:13]  ⁸⁷ tn Grk “the faith”; here the Greek article is used as a possessive pronoun (ExSyn 215).

[2:13]  ⁸⁸ tn Grk “the faith of me” (τὴν πίστιν μου, thn pistin mou) with the genitive “of me” (μου) functioning objectively.

[2:13]  ⁸⁹ tn Or “martyr.” The Greek word μάρτυς can mean either “witness” or “martyr.”

[2:13]  ⁹⁰ tn Grk “killed among you.” The term “city” does not occur in the Greek text of course, but the expression παρ᾿ ὑμῖν, ὅπου ὁ σατανᾶς κατοικεῖ (par’ Jumin, {opou Jo satana" katoikei) seems to indicate that this is what is meant. See G. B. Caird, Revelation (HNTC), 36-38.