Lukas 9:62

9:62 Jesus ¹  said to him, “No one who puts his ²  hand to the plow and looks back ³  is fit for the kingdom of God.” ⁴ 

Lukas 16:21

16:21 who longed to eat ⁵  what fell from the rich man’s table. In addition, the dogs ⁶  came and licked ⁷  his sores.

Lukas 18:39

18:39 And those who were in front ⁸  scolded ⁹  him to get him to be quiet, but he shouted ¹⁰  even more, “Son of David, have mercy on me!”

[9:62]  ¹ tn Here δέ (de) has not been translated.

[9:62]  ² tn Grk “the”; in context the article is used as a possessive pronoun (ExSyn 215).

[9:62]  ³ 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]  ⁴ 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.

[16:21]  ⁵ tn Grk “to eat his fill,” but this phrase has been simplified as “to eat” for stylistic reasons.

[16:21]  ⁶ tn The term κύνες (kunes) refers to “wild” dogs (either “street” dogs or watchdogs), not house pets (L&N 4.34).

[16:21]  ⁷ sn When the dogs came and licked his sores it meant that he was unclean. See the negative image of Rev 22:15 that draws on this picture.

[18:39]  ⁸ sn That is, those who were at the front of the procession.

[18:39]  ⁹ tn Or “rebuked.” The crowd’s view was that surely Jesus would not be bothered with someone as unimportant as a blind beggar.

[18:39]  ¹⁰ sn Public opinion would not sway the blind man from getting Jesus’ attention. The term shouted is strong as it can be used of animal cries.