Below is a rough translation
and some preliminary comments regarding Luke 14:25-33, the gospel reading for the
16th Sunday after Pentecost. Your comments are welcomed.
The scandal of this text is
its extreme language, which seems contrary to “family values” as well as to
biblical injunctions to love and to honor one’s spouse or one’s parents. More
importantly, the words “hate your family/self” seems to mitigate against the
whole grain of the gospel and to justify extremism in many conceivably ugly
forms. The challenge for the exegete is to let this text speak with all of its
extremities, yet to hear it within the flow and purpose of the gospel itself.
25 Συνεπορεύοντο δὲ αὐτῷ ὄχλοι πολλοί, καὶ στραφεὶς εἶπεν πρὸς αὐτούς,
Yet many crowds were going together with him, and having
turned around, he said to them,
Συνεπορεύοντο:
IMI 3p, συμπορεύομαι, 1) to go or journey together 2) to come together,
to assemble
στραφεὶς: APPart
nsm, στρέφω, 1) to turn, turn around 2) to turn one's self (i.e. to turn
the back to one 2a) of one who no longer cares for another) 2b)
metaph. to turn one's self from one's course of conduct, i.e. to change
one's mind
εἶπεν: AAI
3s, λέγω, 1) to say, to speak
1. The sheer
size of the “many crowds” going after Jesus sets the tone for his words, by
contrasting “discipleship” with going along with a huge crowd.
26Εἴ τις ἔρχεται πρός με καὶ οὐ μισεῖ τὸν πατέρα ἑαυτοῦ καὶ τὴν μητέρα καὶ τὴν γυναῖκα
καὶ τὰ τέκνα καὶ τοὺς ἀδελφοὺς καὶ τὰς ἀδελφάς, ἔτι τε καὶ τὴν ψυχὴν ἑαυτοῦ, οὐ
δύναται εἶναί μου μαθητής.
“If anyone comes to me and does not hate his father
and mother and wife and children and brothers and sisters, yes even his soul,
he is not able to be my disciple.
ἔρχεται: PMI
3s, ἔρχομαι, 1) to come
μισεῖ: PAI
3s, μισέω, 1) to hate, pursue with hatred, detest
δύναται: PMI
3s, δύναμαι, 1) to be able, 2) to be able to do something
εἶναί:
PAInf, εἰμί, 1) to be, to exist, to happen, to be present
1. See the
remarks below on ‘hate.’
2. It is
important to note that Jesus speaks of hating ‘one’s own soul’ and not just
one’s family. Whatever one makes of the word ‘hate,’ the point of the list
seems to be a contrast between that which one naturally holds dear and the cost
of being a disciple.
3. Here and in
v.27 I use the words “is not able” instead of “cannot,” because “cannot” sounds
too much like “may not,” as if Jesus is putting the barrier up, prohibiting
someone to be a disciple. “Is not able” implies that it is the person’s own
inability to let go of one path that disables her/him from being able to follow
another. It speaks to the conditions for the possibility - like “you won’t let
yourself” as opposed to “I won’t let you.”
27 ὅστις οὐ βαστάζει τὸν σταυρὸν ἑαυτοῦ καὶ ἔρχεται ὀπίσω μου οὐ δύναται εἶναί μου
μαθητής.
Whoever is not bearing one’s cross and coming after me
is not able to be my disciple.
βαστάζει:
PAI 3s, βαστάζω, 1) to take up with the hands 2) to take up in order to
carry or bear,
ἔρχεται: PMI
3s, ἔρχομαι, 1) to come
δύναται: PMI
3s, δύναμαι, 1) to be able, 2) to be able to do something
εἶναί:
PAInf, εἰμί, 1) to be, to exist, to happen, to be present
1. It is a
little curious to me that this verse has become a catchphrase and does not seem
to cause offense like the previous verse. But, in what way is it any less
difficult or daunting?
2. Within the
story, “bearing a cross” does not yet have the impacted meaning of Jesus’ own
death on the cross, which has not yet happened. However, by the time Luke’s
story is written, Jesus’ death on the cross was well-known to his audience.
Hence, we tend to read that death as being what gives this call its fullest
meaning.
28 τίς γὰρ ἐξ ὑμῶν θέλων πύργον οἰκοδομῆσαι οὐχὶ πρῶτον καθίσας ψηφίζει τὴν δαπάνην, εἰ ἔχει εἰς ἀπαρτισμόν;
For who among you who wishes to build a tower does not
first having sat down calculate the expense, whether he has to completion?
θέλων: PAPart
nsm, θέλω, 1) to will, have in mind, intend
οἰκοδομῆσαι:
AAInf, οἰκοδομέω, 1) to build a house, erect a building
καθίσας: AAPart
nsm, καθίζω, 1) to make to sit down 1a) to set, appoint, to confer a
kingdom on one
ψηφίζει: PAI
3s, ψηφίζω, 1) to count with pebbles, to compute, calculate, reckon
ἔχει: PAI
3s, ἔχω, 1) to have, i.e. to hold
1. In a refined
translation, one would supply a direct object to “has” such as “whether he has enough for completion?”
2. This is a
rather bald embrace of what Martin Heidegger once called “calculative
thinking,” which is all about factoring the means to the end.
3. This is the
only use of ἀπαρτισμόν (completion) in the Scriptures acc. to
greattreasures.org.
29 ἵνα μή ποτε θέντος αὐτοῦ θεμέλιον καὶ μὴ ἰσχύοντος ἐκτελέσαι πάντες οἱ θεωροῦντες
ἄρξωνται αὐτῷ ἐμπαίζειν
Lest of him having laid a foundation and not having the
resources to finish all those who behold might begin about him to mock
θέντος:
AAPart gsm, τίθημι, 1) to set, put, place 1a) to place or lay 1b)
to put down, lay down
ἰσχύοντος:
PAPart gsm, ἰσχύω, 1) to be strong 1a) to be strong in body, to be
robust, to be in sound health 2) to have power
ἐκτελέσαι:
AAInf, ἐκτελέω, 1) to finish, complete
θεωροῦντες:
PAPart npm, θεωρέω, 1) to be a spectator, look at, behold
ἄρξωνται:
AMSubj 3p, ἄρχω, 1) to be chief, to lead, to rule
ἐμπαίζειν: PAInf,
ἐμπαίζω, 1) to play with, trifle with 1a) to mock 1b) to delude,
deceive
1. I am trying
to honor the pronouns (the genitive αὐτοῦ and the dative αὐτῷ), which
accounts for the awkwardness in this rough translation.
30 λέγοντες ὅτι Οὗτος ὁ ἄνθρωπος ἤρξατο οἰκοδομεῖν καὶ οὐκ ἴσχυσεν ἐκτελέσαι.
saying “This man began to build and was not able to
finish.”
λέγοντες: PAPart
npm,
ἤρξατο: AMI
3s, ἄρχω, 1) to be chief, to lead, to rule
οἰκοδομεῖν:
PAInf, οἰκοδομέω, 1) to build a house, erect a building
ἴσχυσεν: AAI
3s, ἰσχύω, 1) to be strong 1a) to be strong in body, to be robust, to be
in sound health 2) to have power
ἐκτελέσαι: AAInf, ἐκτελέω, 1) to finish, complete
ἐκτελέσαι: AAInf, ἐκτελέω, 1) to finish, complete
1. This seems
to be the point of the calculation, which shapes also the meaning of the ‘hate’
of family and self. Discipleship includes counting the costs and considering
what it means to set out on the journey of discipleship, versus signing up in a
fit of enthusiasm without considering where this journey is going.
31 ἢ τίς βασιλεὺς πορευόμενος ἑτέρῳ βασιλεῖ συμβαλεῖν εἰς πόλεμον οὐχὶ καθίσας πρῶτον βουλεύσεται εἰ δυνατός ἐστιν ἐν δέκα χιλιάσιν ὑπαντῆσαι τῷ μετὰ εἴκοσι
χιλιάδων ἐρχομένῳ ἐπ' αὐτόν;
Or what king going in another kingdom to pitch into battle
without having sat down will first deliberate if he is able with ten thousand
to meet the one with twenty thousand coming against him?
πορευόμενος:
PMPart nsm, πορεύομαι, 1) to lead over, carry over, transfer 1a) to
pursue the journey on which one has entered, to continue on one's journey
συμβαλεῖν: συμβάλλω,
1) to throw together, to bring together ... 1c1) to encounter in a
hostile sense 1c2) to fight with one
καθίσας:
AAPart nsm, καθίζω, 1) to make to sit down 1a) to set, appoint, to confer
a kingdom on one 2) intransitively
βουλεύσεται:
FMI 3s, βουλεύω, to deliberate, take counsel, resolve, give
counsel
ἐστιν: PAI
3s, εἰμί, 1) to be, to exist, to happen, to be present
ὑπαντῆσαι: AAInf,
ὑπαντάω, 1) to go to meet, to meet 2) in military reference 2a) of
a hostile meeting
ἐρχομένῳ: PMPart
dsm, ἔρχομαι, 1) to come
32 εἰ δὲ μή γε, ἔτι αὐτοῦ πόρρω ὄντος πρεσβείαν ἀποστείλας ἐρωτᾷ τὰ πρὸς εἰρήνην.
Yet if not, then he being far off having sent elder
statesmen requests the terms for peace.
ὄντος:
PAPart gsm, εἰμί, 1) to be, to exist, to happen, to be present
ἀποστείλας:
AAPart nsm, ἀποστέλλω, 1) to order (one) to go to a place appointed
ἐρωτᾷ: PAI
3s, ἐρωτάω, 1) to question 2) to ask 2a) to request, entreat, beg,
beseech
1. I am trying
to stay with the language of politics and peacemaking, particularly of a king
who has calculated that war-making is not in his favor and so sends the elder
(presbyter) ambassador, who might be less inclined toward hot-headedness and
more savvy regarding the things that are needed for peace.
33 οὕτως οὖν πᾶς ἐξ ὑμῶν ὃς οὐκ ἀποτάσσεται πᾶσιν τοῖς ἑαυτοῦ ὑπάρχουσιν οὐ δύναται εἶναί μου μαθητής.
Therefore whoever all out of him who are not forsaking
all that he has for himself is not able to be my disciple.
ἀποτάσσεται:
PMI 3s, ἀποτάσσομαι, 1) to set apart, separate 1a) to separate one's
self, withdraw one's self from anyone 1a1) to take leave of, bid farewell
to 1b) to renounce, forsake
ὑπάρχουσιν:
PAPart dpn, ὑπάρχω, 1) to begin below, to make a beginning 1a) to
begin 2) to come forth, hence to be there, be ready, be at hand 3)
to be
δύναται: PMI
3s, δύναμαι, 1) to be able, have power
εἶναί:
PAInf, εἰμί, 1) to be, to exist, to happen, to be present
1. Again, the
issue is that one ‘is not able’ as in ‘did not count the cost and as a result
will fail,’ and not ‘cannot,’ as in ‘I won’t let you.’
Here are the uses for Luke of
the word “hate” (μισέω):
...hand of all that
hate us;
|
|
...ye, when men shall
hate you, and when...
|
|
...enemies, do good to
them which hate you,
|
|
...to me, and hate not
his father...
|
|
...masters: for
either he will hate the one, and...
|
|
But his citizens hated him,
and sent...
|
|
...ye shall be hated of
all men...
|
Some of these uses of ‘hate’
refer to enmity, but both 14:26 and 16:13 contrast hating one with loving,
following, or clinging to another. In these cases, “hate” is the path not
chosen, the fate of the ‘other’ when one has given oneself to a path or a
person. In c.14, it is the contested love of God v. the claims of family/oneself;
in c.16 it is the contested love of God v. the claims of money. Another
scriptural parallel is Romans 9:13, “Jacob have I loved; Esau have I hated,”
from the mouth of God, regarding the inheritance and familial enmity
surrounding the twins Jacob and Esau. The same kind of dynamic is part of the
story about Jacob’s wives, sisters Leah and Rachel, where Leah perceives
herself to be ‘hated’ (Genesis 29:33) since Jacob loves Rachel more. This use
of ‘hate,’ where there are two possibilities and one must choose decisively,
seems to be the dynamic at work in our text. The full commitment to one
possibility means the severance of commitment to another possibility.
Yet the language here is
severe and violates everything that nature and faith teach regarding family.
Aside from instances of abuse or mistreatment, one is naturally affectionate
toward those who bear and nurture them. And the commandment itself says to
“honor” one’s mother and father, which hardly seems to allow for the
possibility of ‘hating’ them.
Because the notion of
‘hating’ is so contrary to the repetitive commands to love, many commentators
and translators (who can’t help but to let their interpretations affect their
translations) try to show that this language is less about ‘hate’ as an
emotional enmity and more about declaring one’s loyalty between two options
decisively.
To anticipate the preaching
moment, this call to discipleship is radical, implying that those who follow
Jesus are not going to be making decisions based on “what’s best for me,” or
even “what’s best for our marriage/family/children.” It may mean living in that
“dangerous neighborhood” or attending a less achieving school, because a
gracious presence is needed there. It may mean living more simply because one’s
resources can be used better for others. It may mean making unpopular choices
despite the protests of one’s family. This is real and critical engagement that
Jesus is talking about, a stark contrast to the typical depiction of “the happy
Christian home” where one’s faith is demonstrated by how committed on is to
providing every possible advantage to one’s own. That kind of choosing, it
seems to me, has to be cast in the strongest language possible, because we will
domesticate the gospel and make it a matter of enhancing ourselves and our
families until we hear this kind of extreme language and let it shake us.
Excellent work and very helpful for the direction I'm heading this week. Thanks!
ReplyDeleteThank you for not backing away from this one. Very helpful to me, also.
ReplyDeleteMark, a dear friend told me you had posted a note to me last week. I had Sunday off and was dancing and singing at a Gospel Concert. Great fun. So yes, I would love to continue the dialog on debts/trespasses. Thank you. rosemaryrap@hotmail.com
ReplyDeleteI took note of that "are not able" as well and found it significant. I appreciate the way you tie that to the lack of calculation. I wonder though, how many things we would do if we truly had calculated the cost...
ReplyDeleteOutstanding exegesis! Thank you so much... SBD+
ReplyDeletePam here: Thank you. Was going in similar direction and so helpful to see this exegesis to keep me on track.
ReplyDeleteA very tough reading. Many thanks for your comments. There's something in this against the so-called 'prosperity Gospel' I imagine!
ReplyDeleteA very tough reading. Many thanks for your comments. There's something in this against the so-called 'prosperity Gospel' I imagine!
ReplyDeleteLooking at this passage and thinking of Gideon's battle; how God insisted the number of warriors be reduced because,after all, just as in this instance, it is God who will accomplish what is necessary. Our unity with Jesus is first and foremost our believing in what he has accomplished, for all of us, for all of time. He does not need us; He DOES call us.
ReplyDeleteThe episode links closely with the Banquet Invitation in which one of the invited says he 'cannot come' because he's just married. The 'cannot come' there is like the 'cannot' in this episode. In this episode, Jesus also invites one to 'come', as he often does in the calling (better, inviting) of the disciples. Seeing this as an invitation softens things a bit! As does the radical statement of Jesus about hating family. Family offers security, love, identity etc (as well as obligation, duty, responsibility and other chains) but ultimately my family cannot (sic) deliver; ultimately, I inherit death from my family. The cross language is also a language of hope because the truth is that G-d raises up the humiliated, rejected, abandoned etc. Jesus is inviting and offering true (not fake) life here.
ReplyDeleteThat's a great observation, my friend. Thanks.
Delete