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 22:25

22:25 So ⁵  Jesus ⁶  said to them, “The kings of the Gentiles lord it over them, and those in authority over them are called ‘benefactors.’ ⁷ 

[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.

[22:25]  ⁵ tn Here δέ (de) has been translated as “so” to indicate the implied result of the dispute among the apostles.

[22:25]  ⁶ tn Grk “he”; the referent (Jesus) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[22:25]  ⁷ sn The title ‘benefactor,’ highlighting grace and meaning something like “helper of the people,” was even given to tyrants (2 Macc 4:2; 3 Macc 3:19; Josephus, J. W. 3.9.8 [3.459]).