Proclaiming the Nearness of God's Reign

Below is a rough translation and some initial comments regarding Luke 10:1-11, the gospel reading from the Revised Common Lectionary for the seventh Sunday after Pentecost.

Matthew, Mark, and Luke tell of the 12 going on a missionary journey, but Luke alone records the sending of the 70 (or 72). On the one hand, it is fascinating to see that, out of the many crowds that all of the gospel writers describe, there are at least 70 who are willing to go and proclaim the nearness of the reign of God. The end of c.9 was about some whom Jesus called or who expressed a longing to follow Jesus, but who would not make the sacrifice necessary to follow. C.10, on the other hand, shows that there were others quite willing to make sacrifices in order to participate in the message of the reign of God.

Your comments are always welcomed.

¹ Μετὰ δὲ ταῦτα ἀνέδειξεν ὁ κύριος ἑτέρους ἑβδομήκοντα [δύο], καὶ ἀπέστειλεν αὐτοὺς ἀνὰ δύο [δύο] πρὸ προσώπου αὐτοῦ εἰς πᾶσαν πόλιν καὶ τόπον οὗ ἤμελλεν αὐτὸς ἔρχεσθαι. 

Yet after these things the lord appointed seventy [-two] others, and sent them up two [by two] before his face into every city and place where he himself intended to go.

ἀνέδειξεν: AAI 3s, ἀναδείκνυμι, 1) to proclaim any one as elected to office  2) to announce as appointed a king, general, etc.  3) to lift up anything on high and exhibit it for all to behold 

ἀπέστειλεν: AAI 3s, ἀποστέλλω, 1) to order (one) to go to a place appointed 

ἤμελλεν: IAI 3s, μέλλω, 1) to be about  1a) to be on the point of doing or suffering something  1b) to intend, have in mind, think to

ἔρχεσθαι: PMInf, ἔρχομαι, 1) to come 

1. Some manuscripts say 70, others 72. Lots of larger numbers in the New Testament seem to be products of seven or twelve. We may be seeing two different ways that the story was handed down in the oral tradition, one reflecting seven and the other reflecting twelve. 

2. In 9:52, Jesus “sent messengers before his face” (καὶ ἀπέστειλεν ἀγγέλους πρὸ προσώπου αὐτοῦ) when he had “set his face” to journey into Jerusalem (αὐτὸς τὸ πρόσωπον ἐστήρισεν τοῦ πορεύεσθαι εἰς Ἰερουσαλήμ, 9:51). While our pericope seems set off by a chapter division, this act of sending the seventy (-two) is still a part of the journeying story that began in 9:51. What phrases like “set his face” mean, exactly, is unclear to me. It is more than just a mental decision. In c.9 a Samaritan village refused to harbor those who were making arrangements for Jesus “because his face was going into Jerusalem” (ὅτι τὸ πρόσωπον αὐτοῦ ἦν πορευόμενον εἰς Ἰερουσαλήμ). 

3. A small rumination on “set his face.” For those of us who like to emphasize the journey over the destination, this phrase reminds us that the destination carries a lot of meaning as well. While a journey or a pilgrimage to Jerusalem would not be unusual for a Galilean, I wonder if this phrase implies something more deliberate. Jesus and his followers, a larger contingent than just the twelve we're discovering, are going to Jerusalem with a message of change. Do they look like revolutionaries? Perhaps that explains why they have to pronounce peace whenever they stay somewhere. Perhaps that is why some folks would be reluctant or resistant to hosting them. We're accustomed to Jesus as an itinerant preacher, but this sounds like he is building up something that will culminate in Jerusalem, so it's a real decision whether or not someone accepts his message and participates in it. 

4. It is curious that Jesus would send the workers into places where he himself was going to go, after having set his face toward Jerusalem. I feel like we're circling back to the "prepare the way" role that John the Baptizer had. Jesus is quite the community organizer here. 

² ἔλεγεν δὲ πρὸς αὐτούς, Ὁ μὲν θερισμὸς πολύς, οἱ δὲ ἐργάται ὀλίγοι: δεήθητε οὖν τοῦ κυρίου τοῦ θερισμοῦ ὅπως ἐργάτας ἐκβάλῃ εἰς τὸν θερισμὸν αὐτοῦ. 

Yet he was saying to them, “The harvest plentiful, but the workers few; therefore, beg to the lord of the harvest that he might throw workers into his harvest.”

ἔλεγεν: IAI 3s, λέγω, 1) to say, to speak

δεήθητε: APImpv 2p, δέομαι, to need, to want; then, to make known one's need, urgently request, supplicate, beseech.

ἐκβάλῃ: AASubj 3s, ἐκβάλλω, 1) to cast out, drive out, to send out  1a) with notion of violence  1a1) to drive out (cast out)  1a2) to cast out

1. The μὲν sets up a contrast with the δὲ that follows, so I’m leaving it untranslated.

2. It is a little curious that, as workers are being sent into the field, Jesus instructs them to pray that God would send workers into the field. This feels like Luke giving his community an example story and encouraging them to pray for others do to likewise.

³ ὑπάγετε: ἰδοὺ ἀποστέλλω ὑμᾶς ὡς ἄρνας ἐν μέσῳ λύκων. 

Go; behold I send you as sheep in the midst of wolves. 

ὑπάγετε: PAImpv 2p, ὑπάγω, 1) to lead under, bring under  2) to withdraw one's self, to go away, depart

ἰδοὺ: An aorist middle imperative of εἶδον (to see) which, serves as a particle serving to call attention. Some dictionaries will not list it as a verb.

ἀποστέλλω: PAI 1s, ἀποστέλλω, 1) to order (one) to go to a place appointed 

1. The metaphor changes dramatically here, making the case that either v.2 or v.3 might be an insertion. The scarcity motif of great harvest/few workers is a different kind of challenge than the danger motif of sheep/wolves. One interpretive question is whether we read vv. 4-11 as describing the work of the harvest (for which there is need of more workers) or the danger of being sent out as sheep among wolves. I am opting for the second metaphor as the reigning lens for reading vv. 4-11, since v. 4 begins with emphasizing the sent ones’ vulnerability and dependence. Even if we read the following verses through the metaphor of sheep among wolves, the danger seems to be in being rejected, rather than being eaten alive or killed. We may be looking at two layers of meaning: Jesus’ seventy (-two) disciples facing possible rejection and Luke’s community facing possible death. 

⁴ μὴ βαστάζετε βαλλάντιον, μὴ πήραν, μὴ ὑποδήματα, καὶ μηδένα κατὰ τὴν ὁδὸν 

ἀσπάσησθε. 

Do not carry a moneybag, or wallet, or water skin, and you are not to greet anyone along the way.

βαστάζετε: PAImpv 2p, βαστάζω, 1) to take up with the hands

ἀσπάσησθε: AMSubj 2p, ἀσπάζομαι, 1) to draw to one's self 1a) to salute one, greet, bid welcome, wish well to  1b) to receive joyfully, welcome

1. The response to the scarcity and/or danger of workers is for the seventy (-two) to go out with their own scarcity and vulnerability – in total dependence on others for food, shelter, drink and protection. I'm reminded of Dorothy Day's words, “The only way to live in any true security is to live so close to the bottom that when you fall you do not have far to drop, you do not have much to lose.” [Dorothy Day, Loaves and Fishes (Orbis Books, 1997), p. 86]

2. The definitions of ἀσπάζομαι seem to indicate that “greeting anyone along the way” is an elaborate process, not just a brief stopping to say “Hi.” Perhaps this curious command has to do with staying focused and not being distracted. 

⁵ εἰς ἣν δ' ἂν εἰσέλθητε οἰκίαν, πρῶτον λέγετε, Εἰρήνη τῷ οἴκῳ τούτῳ.

Into whatever house you may enter, first say, “Peace to this house.”

εἰσέλθητε: AASubj 2p, εἰσέρχομαι, 1) to go out or come in: to enter

λέγετε: PAImpv 2p, λέγω, 1) to say, to speak

1. Here, Jesus begins the instructions on entering the house. In v.10, he will use identical language on entering the city. 

2. Again, I am wondering if the fact that Jesus is heading to Jerusalem would cause people to wonder if he is planning something revolutionary. He is, of course, insofar as repenting (changing the way we think about everything) and trusting in the nearness of God's reign is revolutionary thinking. But Jesus is not planning an armed revolt. Perhaps that is why the pronouncement of peace is so important. 

 ⁶ καὶ ἐὰν ἐκεῖ ᾖ υἱὸς εἰρήνης, ἐπαναπαήσεται ἐπ' αὐτὸν ἡ εἰρήνη ὑμῶν: εἰ δὲ μήγε, 

ἐφ' ὑμᾶς ἀνακάμψει.

And if a son of peace should be there, your peace will be settled on him; but if not, it will return to you.

ᾖ: PASubj, εἰμί, 1) to be, to exist, to happen, to be present 

ἐπαναπαήσεται: FPI 3s, ἐπαναπαύομαι, 1) to cause to rest upon anything  2) to rest upon anything  3) to settle upon, fix its abode upon

ἀνακάμψει: FAI 3s, ἀνακάμπτω, 1) to bend back, to turn back  2) to return

1. The phrase, “a son of peace,” seems to need no explanation to the seventy (-two) or to Luke’s readers. I could use an explanation myself. Maybe Jesus is specifically preventing them from gathering zealots or revolutionaries. The entry into Jerusalem will be like a procession of a sort, but it will not be a mad horde carrying pitchforks and torches, determined to burn things to the ground. This is a revolution grounded in peace. 

2. The reification of peace is curious language. Pronouncing “Peace” is not just speaking a word or expressing a sentiment, it is conferring a real entity that either rests on someone or returns to someone. In the story of “Legion,” demons also seem to be reified evil, needing a place and not just sent off ‘wherever’ when cast out. There is a sense of a closed universe, in which things like “peace” do not just ‘disappear’ but only re-locate. This verse also challenges our nominal tendencies to imagine that words are mere words.

⁷ ἐν αὐτῇ δὲ τῇ οἰκίᾳ μένετε, ἐσθίοντες καὶ πίνοντες τὰ παρ' αὐτῶν, ἄξιος γὰρ ὁ ἐργάτης τοῦ μισθοῦ αὐτοῦ. μὴ μεταβαίνετε ἐξ οἰκίας εἰς οἰκίαν. 

Yet remain in the house itself, eating and drinking the things from them, for the worker worthy of his wages. Do not move around out of a house into a house.

μένετε: PAImpv 2p, μένω, 1) to remain, abide 

ἐσθίοντες: PAPart npm, ἐσθίω, 1) to eat 

πίνοντες: PAPart npm, πίνω, 1) to drink 

μεταβαίνετε: PAImpv 2p, μεταβαίνω, 1) to pass over from one place to another, to remove, depart

1. There is no verb in the phrase, “for the worker worthy of his wages,” so usually one is provided.  

2. There is a delightful presumption built into this verse that relies partly, I assume, on a first century understanding of hospitality. One might think that an uninvited guest, who shows up needing hospitality in order to bring the message that the reign of God is near, would want to stay only a day or two and act as a supplicant, not wanting to be a burden. Jesus prescribes, instead, that the guest is a worker, worthy of room and board as wages and that s/he should stay put. It presumes that the ‘peace’ that is conferred is a valuable gift, not simply a nice thing to say when asking for a place to stay. 

⁸ καὶ εἰς ἣν ἂν πόλιν εἰσέρχησθε καὶ δέχωνται ὑμᾶς, ἐσθίετε τὰ παρατιθέμενα ὑμῖν, 

And into whatever place you may enter and which may welcome you, eat that which is set before you,

εἰσέρχησθε: PMSubj 2p, εἰσέρχομαι, 1) to go out or come in: to enter  

δέχωνται: PMSubj 3p, δέχομαι, 1) to take with the hand  1a) to take hold of, take up  2) to take up, receive  2a) used of a place receiving one

ἐσθίετε: PAImpv, ἐσθίω, 1) to eat 

παρατιθέμενα: PPPart apn, παρατίθημι, 1) to place beside or near or set before  1a) food, i.e. food placed on a table  1b) to set before

1. The ‘eating’ here seems to carry a different connotation than in v.7. There, the issue is that the missionary is entitled to eat, without feeling as if s/he is asking too much. Here, it seems that the missionary is encouraged to accept hospitality, perhaps without regard to scruples about what one eats. Maybe I’m taking that too far, but it has ever been an ongoing question for missionaries (near and far) whether or not to maintain a personal scruple or to adopt the habits of those to whom they have been sent. For Luke’s community, particularly if one keeps the story of Acts 10 in mind, perhaps it was more of an issue.

2. The word “welcome” (δέχομαι) is important in 9:48 regarding how whoever welcomes one sent in Jesus’ name welcomes Jesus and the God who sent Jesus. It also appears in 9:53, about a Samaritan town who did not receive Jesus because his face was set toward Jerusalem.

3. The combination of the place where the disciple may enter and where they may be welcomed shows the active and receptive sides of missional work. The sent one goes out vulnerable and yet confident that s/he is bringing genuine peace, a gift that is worthy of expecting hospitality and provisions. At the same time, the recipient has the freedom to welcome and host or to reject. The disciple does not intrude like an empire. 

⁹καὶ θεραπεύετε τοὺς ἐν αὐτῇ ἀσθενεῖς, καὶ λέγετε αὐτοῖς, Ἤγγικεν ἐφ' ὑμᾶς ἡ 

βασιλεία τοῦ θεοῦ. 

And heal the sick in it, and say to them, “The Reign of God has come near to you.”

θεραπεύετε: PAImpv, 2p, θεραπεύω, 1) to serve, do service  2) to heal, cure, restore to health

λέγετε : PAImpv, 2p, λέγω, 1) to say, to speak

Ἤγγικεν: PerfAI 3s, ἐγγίζω, 1) to bring near, to join one thing to another  2) to draw or come near to, to approach

1. By the way, heal the sick wherever you stay. Sounds too easy? It should be no easier to say, “The Reign of God has come near to you.” I'm fascinated at how this mission trip

¹⁰ εἰς ἣν δ' ἂν πόλιν εἰσέλθητε καὶ μὴ δέχωνται ὑμᾶς, ἐξελθόντες εἰς τὰς πλατείας 

αὐτῆς εἴπατε, 

Into whatever city you may enter and may not welcome you, having gone out into their street say,

εἰσέλθητε: AASubj 2p, εἰσέρχομαι, 1) to go out or come in: to enter

δέχωνται: PMSubj 3p, δέχομαι, 1) to take with the hand  1a) to take hold of, take up  2) to take up, receive  2a) used of a place receiving one

ἐξελθόντες: AAPart npm, ἐξέρχομαι, 1) to go or come forth of 

εἴπατε: AAImpv 2p, λέγω, 1) to say, to speak

COMPARE

v.5:      εἰς ἣν δ' ἂν εἰσέλθητε οἰκίαν “Into whatever house you may enter”

v.10:   εἰς ἣν δ' ἂν πόλιν εἰσέλθητε  “Into whatever city you may enter”

¹¹Καὶ τὸν κονιορτὸν τὸν κολληθέντα ἡμῖν ἐκ τῆς πόλεως ὑμῶν εἰς τοὺς πόδας ἀπομασσόμεθα ὑμῖν: πλὴν τοῦτο γινώσκετε ὅτι ἤγγικεν ἡ βασιλεία τοῦ θεοῦ.

“Even the dust which has joined to us out of your city into the feet we wipe off to you; but know this that the reign of God has come near.”

κολληθέντα: APPart asm κολλάω, to glue together. In NT middle or passive aorist, to adhere, cleave to; to become one's servant or follower.

ἀπομασσόμεθα: PMI 1p, ἀπομάσσομαι, 1) to wipe off  

γινώσκετε: PAImpv 2p, γινώσκω, 1) to learn to know, come to know, get a knowledge of perceive, feel  

ἤγγικεν: PerfAI 3s, ἐγγίζω, 1) to bring near, to join one thing to another  2) to draw or come near to, to approach 

1. In Matt. 10:14 and Luke 9:5, Jesus gives this same instruction about wiping dust off of one’s feet, adding in Lk.9:5 “as a testimony to/against them.” In Acts 13:51, we see only occasion when a disciple actually does this – Paul and Barnabas in Antioch Pisidia.

2. Most commentators agree that this is a form of giving a testimony, but it is not clear whether it is ‘against’ or ‘to’ them. If ‘against,’ it could be a public dissing, which is how many commentators see it. However, it could be a testimony ‘to’ them: To those who have refused to offer hospitality, this could be a public sign that one is not there to take anything, not even the dust that accumulates on one’s feet. It is a public shaming, one would think, as a way of showing the extreme failure of the city as hosts. A guest might be rejected if the potential hosts surmised that the guest was there to take advantage of them. But, if they only receive what is due to them and nothing more, not even the city’s dust, the shame falls on the host. 

3. Again, this act makes more sense to me if this moment is not just a missionary journey to get more people to accept Jesus as their savior, but a journey with revolutionary fervor that is going to culminate in Jerusalem. A town may not want to be part of it, fearing that the Romans might put that revolution down and then go out and try to stamp out every city and town that seemed to be part of it. (The history of the Jewish revolt of 66-70 CE followed this path.) This act of wiping the dust from a city that rejects the ones whom Jesus sent may be another assurance that they will not be punished or sacked because of it. 

Outright Rejection and Hesitant Responses

Below is a rough translation and some initial comments regarding Luke 9:51-62. This reading seems to contain two pericopes. Verses 51-56 is the story of Jesus preparing to stay at an village of Samaritans but being denied, and the harsh reaction by James and John. Verses 57-62 are a series of brief dialogues between Jesus and some who are either called to follow or who offer to follow. Each has stipulations and Jesus does not seem sympathetic with those stipulations. 

I welcome your comments. 

51 Ἐγένετο δὲ ἐν τῷ συμπληροῦσθαι τὰς ἡμέρας τῆς ἀναλήμψεως αὐτοῦ καὶ 

αὐτὸς τὸ πρόσωπον ἐστήρισεν τοῦ πορεύεσθαι εἰς Ἰερουσαλήμ,

Yet it happened in the fulfilling of the days of his being taken up and he firmly set his face to the journeying into Jerusalem.  

Ἐγένετο : AMI 3s, γίνομαι,  1) to become, i.e. to come into existence, begin to be, receive 

συμπληροῦσθαι: PPInf, συμπληρόω, 1) to fill completely  1a) of the hold of a ship  2) to complete entirely, be fulfilled: of time

ἐστήρισεν : AAI 3s, στηρίζω, 1) to make stable, place firmly, set fast, fix  2) to strengthen, make firm  3) to render constant, confirm, one's mind 

πορεύεσθαι: PMInf, πορεύομαι, 1) to lead over, carry over, transfer  1a) to pursue the journey on which one has entered, to continue on  one's journey

1. This verse seems an odd reference and foreshadowing, when Luke speaks of the “fulfilling of the days of [Jesus] being taken up.” The “fulfilling” (συμπληροῦσθαι) is the same way that Luke introduces the story of the Day of Pentecost. I understand that story, particularly as Peter interprets it through the prophecy of Joel, as fulfilling the original meaning and purpose of the festival of weeks (another name for Pentecost). But in that case, Luke is referring to a past event being fulfilled in a present one. It's hard to see how this journey to Jerusalem be, in some way, a fulfilling of the meaning and purpose of Jesus being taken up, unless it is presaging that event somehow.  

2. A lot hinges on the meaning of the word I am translating as “taken up” (ἀναλήμψεως). It is only used here in the NT. I am wondering if this is a reference to Jesus’ ascension, or perhaps to the whole scenario of the betrayal, death, resurrection, ascension. Because it is only used once, it's hard to fathom exactly what Luke is intending. 

It is not the term that Luke uses in 24:51 when Luke says that Jesus was “carried up” (ἀναφέρω) into heaven.

It is not the term used in Acts 1:9, when Jesus is “taken up” (ἐπαίρω) and clouds obscure their sight. 

But it is in the family of the verb ἀναλαμβάνω, which is in Acts 1:11, “… This same Jesus who is taken up from you into the heaven …”

3. If the use of συμπληρόω suggests that the journey to Jerusalem is a fulfillment, and if the term ἀναλήμψεως is a reference to the ascension, then – in Luke’s theology – the journey to Jerusalem shows the means by which the ascension is fulfilled. That could be different from saying, for example, that the point of this journey is the cross or even the resurrection. It would shift the focus to the ascension as the end point and fulfillment of the events that precede it. 

4. The terms “face” (πρόσωπον) and “journeying” (πορεύομαι) will appear over the next 2 verses also, with πορεύομαι appearing throughout the pericope and in the first verse of the next chapter, when Jesus appoints 70 messengers and sends them out two by two “before his face” in to every city where he would go. 

The use of the word “face” deserves reflection. John the Baptizer would go “before the face of the Lord” to prepare (1:76, 7:27); People fall on their faces when begging for help (5:12) or thanking (17:16) or fright (24:5); “Face” is used for “the face of the earth” (21:35) and “the face of the sky” (12:56) – all of which means that it is and it isn’t the thing we see in our mirrors. It is our appearance, but it is also representative of our being, our purpose, our posture in life. 

 ⁵² καὶ ἀπέστειλεν ἀγγέλους πρὸ προσώπου αὐτοῦ. καὶ πορευθέντες εἰσῆλθον εἰςκώμην Σαμαριτῶν, ὡς ἑτοιμάσαι αὐτῷ:

And he sent messengers before his face.  And having journeyed, they entered into a village of Samaritans, in order to prepare for him. 

ἀπέστειλεν : AAI 3s, ἀποστέλλω, 1) to order (one) to go to a place appointed  2) to send away, dismiss  

πορευθέντες: AAPart npm, πορεύομαι, 1) to lead over, carry over, transfer  1a) to pursue the journey on which one has entered, to continue on  one's journey  

εἰσῆλθον: AAI 3pl, εἰσέρχομαι, 1) to go out or come in: to enter  

ἑτοιμάσαι : AAInf, ἑτοιμάζω, 1) to make ready, prepare  

1. The word for “messengers” is the same word that is translated “angels” in other stories, most notably the birth narratives. I would entertain a motion and a second that we simply use the word “messenger” and drop the word “angel” which is a transliteration that has lost its function of messaging and has become a mythic bird-person who does almost anything except carry messages any more. All in favor? 

2. The language here is reminiscent of Luke 7:27, the way Jesus quotes Malachi 3:1 to speak of John the baptizer: “This is the one about whom it is written, ‘See, I am sending my messenger ahead of you, who will prepare your way before you.’” 

3. The word “prepare” (ἑτοιμάζω) gets quite a workout in Luke’s gospel: 

Luk 1:17	...of the just; to make ready a people prepared...
Luk 1:76	...of the Lord to prepare his ways;
Luk 2:31	Which thou hast prepared before the face...
Luk 3:4	...in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of...
Luk 9:52	...the Samaritans, to make ready for him.
Luk 12:20	...things be, which thou hast provided?
Luk 12:47	...lord's will, and prepared not himself, neither...
Luk 17:8	...say unto him, Make ready wherewith I may...
Luk 22:8	...saying, Go and prepare us the passover...
Luk 22:9	...Where wilt thou that we prepare?
Luk 22:12	...room furnished: there make ready.
Luk 22:13	...unto them: and they made ready the passover.
Luk 23:56	...they returned, and prepared spices and ointments...
Luk 24:1	...the spices which they had prepared, and certain others...

 ⁵³καὶ οὐκ ἐδέξαντο αὐτόν, ὅτι τὸ πρόσωπον αὐτοῦ ἦν πορευόμενον εἰς 

Ἰερουσαλήμ.

And they did not welcome him, because his face was journeying into Jerusalem.  

ἐδέξαντο : AMI 3pl, δέχομαι, 1) to take with the hand  1a) to take hold of, take up  2) to take up, receive  

ἦν: IAI 3s, εἰμί, 1) to be, to exist, to happen, to be present

πορευόμενον : PMPart, nns, πορεύομαι, 1) to lead over, carry over, transfer  1a) to pursue the journey on which one has entered, to continue on  one's journey 

1. The lack of “receiving” Jesus was more than a personal slight. It speaks of the deep cultural value of hospitality. In addition, just prior to this pericope Jesus said:“Whoever welcomes this little child in my name welcomes me; and whoever welcomes me welcomes the one who sent me....”Lk. 9:48. When Jesus sends out the 70 messengers in the next chapter, it remains an ongoing question of whether or not they’ll be welcomed (10:8-10). I would imagine that whether or not a city allows travelers through their gate was a matter of great importance, particularly when there are ancient rivalries at stake. It might be better to think about the city gate here a less than a border that one crosses from one city to the next, and more like an international terminal at an airport. We have to remember how provincial these cities were, surrounded by walls and deeply suspicious of visitors. I imagine that is why the marketplace or the temple (for all nations) would be such notable exceptions to ordinary space. 

2. The antipathy between Jews and Samaritans is thick in this story. We remember that it is after this story in Luke that Jesus tells a parable making a Samaritan the hero because that Samaritan offers cross-cultural hospitality. 

 ⁵⁴ ἰδόντες δὲ οἱ μαθηταὶ Ἰάκωβος καὶ Ἰωάννης εἶπαν, Κύριε, θέλεις εἴπωμεν 

πῦρ καταβῆναι ἀπὸ τοῦ οὐρανοῦ καὶ ἀναλῶσαι αὐτούς;

Yet having seen, the disciples James and John said, “Lord, do you want that we might command fire to come down from the heaven and to consume them?” 

ἰδόντες : AAPart, nmpl, ὁράω, 1) to see with the eyes  2) to see with the mind, to perceive, know  

εἶπαν: AAI 3p, λέγω, 1) to say, to speak 

θέλεις: PAI 2s, θέλω, 1) to will, have in mind, intend  

εἴπωμεν : AASubj, 1pl, λέγω, 1) to say, to speak  

καταβῆναι: AAInf, καταβαίνω, 1) to go down, come down, descend

ἀναλῶσαι : AAInf, ἀναλίσκω, 1) to expend  1a) to consume, e.g. spend money  2) to consume, use up, destroy 

1. There may be some irony at work here, with J&J wanting to call down fire from heaven, after Luke has introduced this story as about Jesus’ being taken up. 

2. And when did James and John become mighty fire-callers, anyway? 

3. I hear echoes of the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah, with fire raining down from the heavens. Raining down judgment of fire and brimstone - from the heavens or dropped from the planes/drones in the heavens - seems to be a standard approach to evil. Holy war; divine judgment, just desserts, Armageddon, hellfire, ... there seems to be no end to our concoctions of vengeance. 

4. The irony here is that in Luke 21 Jesus will speak of a day of vengeance and destruction, but it will be Jerusalem that receives the brunt of it, continuing a long biblical tradition of interpreting Jerusalem's political/military fate within the matrix of divine judgment. 

⁵⁵ στραφεὶς δὲ ἐπετίμησεν αὐτοῖς.

Yet having turned to them, he rebuked/honored.  

στραφεὶς : APPart, nms, στρέφω, 1) to turn, turn around  2) to turn one's self (i.e. to turn the back to one  

ἐπετίμησεν: ἐπιτιμάω, 1) to show honor to, to honor  ...  3) to adjudge, award, in the sense of merited penalty  4) to tax with fault, rate, chide, rebuke, reprove, censure severely  4a) to admonish or charge sharply

1. The word ἐπιτιμάω is translated “rebuke” across the board, but it could also mean “honor.” That is a very elastic word! 

2. Older manuscripts have more in vv. 55 and 56, making it clear that this is a rebuke. Jesus says, “Ye have not known of what spirit ye are; for the Son of Man did not come to destroy men's lives, but to save” (YLT). The brevity of earlier manuscripts leave it more ambiguous. My sense is that Jesus’ use of a Samaritan so favorably in a later parable would suggest a rebuke. But, maybe a good rebuke both honors someone’s anger and yet does not allow it to have its way. (Now there’s a sermon based on the ambiguity of a single Greek word!) 

3. The pronoun “them” is in the dative case, making it an indirect object “to them,” so I’m assuming that it goes with the participle “having turned.” “Rebuke/honor” would use a direct object in the accusative case. I think. 

4. I can sure understand why a scribe along the way would fill in some Jesusy words here, because of how abruptly this ends. Jesus has sent messengers before his face to Samaria to prepare his way, they reject him because his face is set to go to Jerusalem, James and John want to rain down fire, and Jesus rebukes them. I feel like this brief and pithy episode is a foreshadowing of things to come, which may be what the curious reference to this story “fulfilling the days of Jesus being taken up was all about in v. 51.” 

5. If nothing else, the quick rebuke of this story might be the best response to anyone who wants to invoke the story of Sodom and Gomorrah in order to declare God's judgment against things they disagree with. 

 ⁵⁶καὶ ἐπορεύθησαν εἰς ἑτέραν κώμην.

And they journeyed into another village. 

ἐπορεύθησαν: API 3p, πορεύομαι, 1) to lead over, carry over, transfer 1a) to pursue the journey on which one has entered, to continue on  one's journey   

1. This new village is not identified as either Samaritan or not. No mention of messenger/angels going before Jesus to prepare, no mention of his being accepted or not. It feels like the matter of Jesus entering Samaria was as complicated as crossing the border between California and Mexico, but entering this village was as simple as crossing the border between California and Arizona. 

 ⁵⁷Καὶ πορευομένων αὐτῶν ἐν τῇ ὁδῷ εἶπέν τις πρὸς αὐτόν, Ἀκολουθήσω σοι ὅπου ἐὰν ἀπέρχῃ.

And as they were journeying on the road, a certain man said to him, “I will follow you wherever you may go.”  

πορευομένων: PMPart, gmpl, πορεύομαι, 1) to lead over, carry over, transfer  1a) to pursue the journey on which one has entered, to continue on  one's journey  

εἶπεν: AAI 3s, λέγω, 1) to say, to speak 

Ἀκολουθήσω: FAI 1sg, ἀκολουθέω, 1) to follow one who precedes, join him as his attendant,  accompany him  

ἀπέρχῃ: 2s, PMSubj, ἀπέρχομαι, 1) to go away, depart  1a) to go away in order to follow any one, go after him, to  follow his party, follow him as a leader  

1. The word ἀκολουθέω (follow) has inspired a fascinating book by Robert Scharlemann called The Reason of Following, in which Scharlemann describes theimmediate, unconditional responses that Jesus’ call to follow evokes in the disciples’ call stories. Here, however, the responses are hesitant and conditional. And we notice here that Jesus did not call this person

2. Likewise, just prior to our pericope, the disciples try to stop someone from driving out demons in Jesus’ name, because he did not follow them. Jesus’ reaction is a rather capacious, “Whoever is not against us is for us.” Here, it seems that following is a more difficult matter. 

 ⁵⁸καὶ εἶπεν αὐτῷ ὁ Ἰησοῦς, Αἱ ἀλώπεκες φωλεοὺς ἔχουσιν καὶ τὰπετεινὰ τοῦ 

οὐρανοῦ κατασκηνώσεις, ὁ δὲ υἱὸς τοῦ ἀνθρώπου οὐκ ἔχει ποῦ τὴν κεφαλὴν 

κλίνῃ.

And Jesus said to him, “The foxes have holes and birds of the heaven (have) nests, but the son of man has nowhere he may lay the head.”  

εἶπεν: AAI 3s, λέγω, 1) to say, to speak 

ἔχουσιν: PAI 3p, ἔχω, 1) to have, i.e. to hold

ἔχει: PAI 3s, ἔχω, 1) to have, i.e. to hold

κλίνῃ: PASubj, 3s, κλίνω, 1) transitively  1a) to incline, bow  1b) to cause to fall back  1c) to recline  1c1) in a place for repose  

1. The curiosity of this verse is that the person in v.57 seems to be saying exactly what we think one should say to Jesus. And we would assume that Jesus would welcome the sentiment and say, “Great, let’s go.” Instead, we get this simple statement, which seems to imply that the offer is not realistic about the costs. 

2. Jesus will refer to Herod as “that fox” in Lk. 13:32. Likewise, the “birds of the heaven” were illustrative of those that destroy seeds in the parable of the soils (c.8). Are the references to ‘foxes’ and ‘birds’ here simply animal references about having a home, or do these particular animals represent something larger? 

3. The temptation is that whoever made the offer to follow in v.57 was lacking in commitment or not fully considering the itinerancy of following Jesus. Or, perhaps, if the animal references point to those who are opposed to Jesus, the person offering to follow is expecting to be rewarded in a new regime much like Rome rewarded its followers. But that's reading a lot into something that is sparse in details. 

 ⁵⁹ Εἶπεν δὲ πρὸς ἕτερον, Ἀκολούθει μοι. ὁ δὲ εἶπεν, [Κύριε,] ἐπίτρεψόν μοι 

ἀπελθόντι πρῶτον θάψαι τὸν πατέρα μου.

Yet he said to another, “Follow me.”  But he said, “[Lord,] permit me having gone first to bury my father.”  

εἶπεν: AAI 3s, λέγω, 1) to say, to speak 

Ἀκολούθει: PAImpv 2s, ἀκολουθέω, 1) to follow one who precedes, join him as his attendant,  accompany him

ἐπίτρεψόν : AAImp, 2s, ἐπιτρέπω, 1) to turn to, transfer, commit, instruct  2) to permit, allow, give leave

ἀπελθόντι : AAPart, dms, ἀπέρχομαι, 1) to go away, depart  1a) to go away in order to follow any one, go after him, to  follow his party, follow him as a leader  

θάψαι: AAInf, θάπτω, 1) to bury, inter 

1. In this case, Jesus initiates the call, which is not rejected per se, but the response is postponed.

2. I guess a lot rides here on whether the father was dead, near death, or whether this person was simply going to be a good son until such a time as his father expired. Perhaps that would have given him an inheritance that would make the journey less costly. If his father is dead or almost dead, this seems like both a reasonable and a compassionate reason to delay one’s departure. Again, I'm swirling around the drainage hole of speculation because the exchange is so sparse. 

 ⁶⁰ εἶπεν δὲ αὐτῷ, Ἄφες τοὺς νεκροὺς θάψαι τοὺς ἑαυτῶν νεκρούς, σὺ δὲ 

ἀπελθὼν διάγγελλε τὴν βασιλείαν τοῦ θεοῦ.

But he said to him, “Let the dead bury their own dead, but having gone away, you proclaim the reign of God.”  

εἶπεν: AAI 3s, λέγω, 1) to say, to speak 

Ἄφες: AAImpv 2s, ἀφίημι, 1) to send away  1a) to bid going away or depart  ...  2) to permit, allow, not to hinder, to give up a thing to a person 

θάψαι : AAInf, θάπτω, 1) to bury, inter 

ἀπελθὼν : AAPart, nms, ἀπέρχομαι, 1) to go away, depart  1a) to go away in 

order to follow any one, go after him, to  follow his party, follow him as a leader  

διάγγελλε : PAImp, 2s, διαγγέλλω, 1) to carry a message through, announce everywhere, through places, through assemblies etc.  

1. After years of thinking about this verse, looking at it, listening about it, praying about it, taking stabs at different ways of holding it, I need to ‘fess up. I got nothing. I don’t get it. I don’t like it. I’m hoping it is a reference to some kind of working proverb that is unknown to me and makes it all okay. It seems like it has to be proverbial in some way, because dead people cannot bury other dead people and it sounds harsh. 

 ⁶¹ Εἶπεν δὲ καὶ ἕτερος, Ἀκολουθήσω σοι, κύριε: πρῶτον δὲ ἐπίτρεψόν μοι ἀποτάξασθαι τοῖς εἰς τὸν οἶκόν μου.

Yet another said also, “I will follow you, Lord; but first permit me to take leave of those in my house.”  

εἶπεν: AAI 3s, λέγω, 1) to say, to speak 

Ἀκολουθήσω: FAI 1s, ἀκολουθέω, 1) to follow one who precedes, join him as his attendant,  accompany him

ἐπίτρεψόν: AAImpv 2s, ἐπιτρέπω, 1) to turn to, transfer, commit, instruct  2) to permit, allow, give leave

ἀποτάξασθαι : AMInf, 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 

1. It is, again, hard to tell what is at stake here in taking leave of one’s house. Is it simply going to say goodbye? It is sticking around to fulfill some longer-term obligations? If the former, this seems reasonable enough. If the latter, I can see that, perhaps this call just isn’t for this person. 

 ⁶² εἶπεν δὲ [πρὸς αὐτὸν] ὁ Ἰησοῦς, Οὐδεὶς ἐπιβαλὼν τὴν χεῖρα ἐπ'ἄροτρον καὶ 

βλέπων εἰς τὰ ὀπίσω εὔθετός ἐστιν τῇ βασιλείᾳ τοῦ θεοῦ.

But Jesus said [to him], “No one having put the hand on the plow and looking to the back is fit in the reign of God.  

εἶπεν: AAI 3s, λέγω, 1) to say, to speak 

ἐπιβαλὼν : AAPart, nms, ἐπιβάλλω, 1) to cast upon, to lay upon  

βλέπων :  PAPart, nms, βλέπω, 1) to see, discern, of the bodily eye  ... 1c) to turn the eyes to anything: to look at, look upon, gaze at  

ἐστιν: PAI 3s, εἰμί, 1) to be, to exist, to happen, to be present 

1. I hear echoes of the story of Lot’s wife in this comment. And that is curious, because when James and John wanted to call down fire I heard echoes of the same story. 

2. I do not know quite what to do with these brief dialogues about following Jesus. None of the hesitations seem unreasonable, although they may be more culturally laden than they appear. Certainly leaving one’s home is fairly common and so saying goodbye and putting one’s affairs in order are done routinely and can be done efficiently. Perhaps in first century Palestine these actions are much less practical and, therefore, more troubling as an answer. Or, maybe we are seeing the practical applications and costs involved in the saying, “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow me.” (9:23) 

3. Two friends have commented that perhaps Jesus is not being critical, but realistic, and that for these folks the best place to proclaim is where they are and not to joining Jesus’ itinerate work. I want to go there, but the text is pushing back a little. The word that I’ve translated as “fit” (εὔθετός) is the prefix εὔ, which means “good,” and the noun θετός, which is related to θήκη, a sheath for a sword or the verb τίθημι, which means “to place” or “to lay.” Perhaps it should be “… is not well-fitted.” Even so, Jesus does not say, “… is not well-fitted for this particular work,” but “… is not well-fitted for the reign of God.” That’s why these responses seem so harsh, as if the reign of God is ever-itinerate and never settled into a kind of actual locale. It reminds me of Paul’s opinion that – because of the imminent return of Christ – marriage is not the best path for God’s people to take. I’m also being mindful that this is Luke’s interpretation of Jesus and I have no idea what Jesus’ actual mind is on this matter outside of Luke’s presentation of it here. So, perhaps Luke feels that the reign of God is such a critical matter right now that the typical lifestyle of settling in, making family, having a home, etc. are detrimental to the work at hand. 

And perhaps that is the most obvious interpretation of this text and I simply don’t have the capacity to imagine what that means for me or for a church that has become so comfortably instituted in its culture.