Luke 9:61 - Printer Friendly

ESV: Yet another said, "I will follow you, Lord, but let me first say farewell to those at my home."

NIV: Still another said, "I will follow you, Lord; but first let me go back and say goodbye to my family."

NASB: Another also said, 'I will follow You, Lord; but first permit me to say goodbye to those at my home.'

CSB: Another said, "I will follow you, Lord, but first let me go and say good-bye to those at my house."

NLT: Another said, 'Yes, Lord, I will follow you, but first let me say good-bye to my family.'

KJV: And another also said, Lord, I will follow thee; but let me first go bid them farewell, which are at home at my house.

NKJV: And another also said, “Lord, I will follow You, but let me first go and bid them farewell who are at my house.”

Much of this chapter describes what Jesus expects in His followers. In Luke 9:57–60, Luke presented two flashbacks from earlier in Jesus' ministry. In one, a scribe wanted to follow Jesus, but Jesus warned him he would have to surrender his creature comforts (Luke 9:57–58; Matthew 8:19–20). In the second, Jesus invited one of His disciples to follow Him more fully. When the man asked to bury his father first, Jesus told him to let someone else do it; he needed to teach the world about God's coming kingdom (Luke 9:59–60; Matthew 8:21–22).

This last interaction is original to Luke, and we don't know when it happens. Nor do we know what "saying farewell" to his home means. Surely Jesus would let him run into the house, grab his cloak, and kiss his mom goodbye. There must be some tighter emotional connection we're not aware of.

What we do know is that Luke has included several allusions to the Old Testament prophet Elijah in this chapter. When Herod Antipas contemplated who Jesus might be, one of the options was the return of Elijah (Luke 9:8)—a sentiment held by some of the people (Luke 9:19). When Jesus took Peter, James, and John to the top of a mountain to reveal His glory, Moses and Elijah met Him there (Luke 9:30). In fact, Luke mentions or alludes to Elijah more than a dozen times from Luke 4:25 through the end of this chapter.

In this case, Jesus and the man resemble Elijah's call to Elisha. The difference is, Elijah let Elisha say goodbye to his family (1 Kings 19:19–21). Jesus' strong words may represent the fact that His mission is more important and urgent even than Elijah's. Or, as with other responses, it might be a way to deflect someone who simply wants an excuse to say, "no thank you."

Luke 9:57–62 continues Jesus' journey to Jerusalem. For Luke, this is a theological path to the cross and the ascension (Luke 9:51). Unlike the Samaritan villagers (Luke 9:51–56), these three men have some desire to follow Jesus but are discouraged by worldly concerns. Though Luke does not tell us whether the men decide to follow Jesus, it seems these interactions are reflective of the soil filled with the weeds of "cares and riches and pleasures of life" that hear Jesus' words but "their fruit does not mature" (Luke 8:14). Jesus explains that dedication to His mission requires commitment and sacrifice. Matthew 8:19–22 also records Jesus' interactions with the first two men.

Luke 9 completes Jesus' Galilean ministry and begins describing His journey towards Jerusalem. Jesus gives His disciples miraculous power and commissions them to preach. The empowerment thrills the disciples but confuses Herod Antipas. A hungry crowd of thousands and hard teachings about following Jesus, however, shows the disciples' faith is short-lived. The transfiguration and the demonized boy precede stories of the disciples' continued confusion. They still struggle to accurately represent Jesus. Luke 9:51–62 begins the "travelogue" (Luke 9:51—19:27) with examples of the patience and sacrifice needed to represent Jesus as His followers.

Luke 9 straddles the two major sections biblical scholars call "Jesus' Galilean Ministry" (Luke 4:14—9:50) and "The Travelogue to Jerusalem" (Luke 9:51—19:27). The Galilean ministry alternates calls to discipleship with stories on Jesus' authority and teachings. The travelogue records what Jesus did and taught to prepare the disciples for His crucifixion. After a final group of stories on how to respond to Jesus (Luke 9:51—11:13) and several examples of how the Jewish religious leaders reject Jesus (Luke 11:14–54), Luke presents Jesus' teaching on the kingdom of God (Luke 12:1—19:27).

Luke was a traveling companion of Paul (Acts 16:10) and a physician (Colossians 4:14). Unlike Matthew, Mark, and John, Luke writes his gospel as an historian, rather than as a first-hand eyewitness. His extensive writings also include the book of Acts (Acts 1:1–3). These are deliberately organized, carefully researched accounts of those events. The gospel of Luke focuses on the earthly ministry of Jesus Christ. Luke's Gentile perspective presents Christ as a Savior for all people, offering both forgiveness and direction to those who follow Him.