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§25 The Beginning of the Journey to Jerusalem (Luke 9:51–62)

In 9:51 Luke begins his account of Jesus’ journey to Jerusalem (9:51–19:27), which is sometimes called the “Travel Narrative” or simply the “Central Section.” Luke breaks away from his Marcan source in this section until 18:15 (see Introduction, pp. 3–5 and commentary on 10:1–24 below). During this section the reader is reminded of Jesus’ journey by references to the verb “to go” (9:51–53, 56–57; 10:38; 13:31, 33; 17:11; 19:28) and the noun “road” or “way” (9:57; 10:4).

We shall examine 9:51–62, which is comprised of: (1) Jesus’ rejection by a Samaritan town (vv. 51–56) and (2) three exchanges with would-be followers (vv. 57–62). The first part launches the journey; the second part reviews the requirements for making the trip. There is no doubt that Luke intends a certain amount of symbolism. The journey symbolizes in a limited way the “way of the Lord,” that is, the pattern that a disciple of Jesus must emulate (see commentary on 10:1–24 below). The journey is the actual working out of Jesus’ “exodus” (see 9:31).

9:51–56 / This first passage sets the pace for the journey that follows and cannot be adequately appreciated without a grasp of the several OT themes that underlie it. The opening phrase, As the time approached for him to be taken up to heaven, should draw the readers’ attention back to the account of the transfiguration (9:31), where Jesus spoke with Moses and Elijah of his impending “exodus” (or departure). The word heaven is not found in the Greek, but almost certainly Luke’s word translated “taken up” (lit. “going up” or “ascension”) refers to Jesus’ literal uphill climb to Jerusalem as well as his ascension to the Father following his passion (see Luke 24:51; Acts 1:9). Quite possibly Luke was familiar with the legendary account known as the Assumption [or Ascension] of Moses, in which Moses is depicted as giving his final teaching while journeying to the place where God would take him up (see notes below). If such a parallel were intended, then Luke’s account would only be enriched and the interest of his first-century readers would be heightened. Just as the great Law-giver Moses, after giving the law a second time (Deuteronomy), was taken up by God, so Jesus, after giving his “law” (Luke 10:1–18:14), is taken up by God.

The second half of v. 51, Jesus resolutely set out for Jerusalem, may be rendered literally: “He set his face to go to Jerusalem.” The expression “to set one’s face” recalls an OT figure of speech often used in the context of someone’s being commissioned and dispatched with a message of judgment (see Num. 22:4–25; 24:1–9, where King Balak commissions the prophet Balaam to curse the approaching tribes of Israel). The best example of this idea, and the one that probably has most directly influenced Luke, comes from Ezek. 21:2–3: “Son of man [cf. Luke 9:44], set your face toward Jerusalem and preach against the sanctuaries; prophesy against the land of Israel and say to the land of Israel, Thus says the LORD: Behold, I am against you, and will draw forth my sword out of its sheath …” (RSV). This is in fact very similar to the message that Jesus will deliver to Jerusalem. In 19:41 and 21:20–24, in language reminiscent of the OT prophets’ description of the first destruction of Jerusalem and the temple (see Isa. 63:18; Jer. 6:6; Ezek. 4:2), Jesus woefully predicts a second destruction of the city and the temple (see notes below).

The clause in v. 52, he sent messengers on ahead, may recall the prophecy of Mal. 3:1: “Behold, I will send my messenger who will prepare the way before me.” Later in Malachi, of course, we are told that the Lord will send the prophet Elijah (Mal. 4:5–6). The messengers (probably his disciples) went into a Samaritan village … but the people there did not welcome him, because he was heading for Jerusalem. Since Jesus has business with Jerusalem, especially of a religious nature, the Samaritans, who have little liking for Jews (see John 4:9), refuse to receive him into their village (see notes below). Reacting in righteous indignation, the disciples James and John ask to call fire down from heaven to destroy them. Some ancient mss. add: “as Elijah did.” Although this addition is probably not authentic, it does correctly see in the question of the disciples an allusion to the incident in 2 Kings 1:9–16, where Elijah twice called down fire from heaven to destroy the soldiers sent by Ahaziah, the king of Samaria. James and John may have thought that if Elijah called fire down upon the obstinate Samaritans, should not Jesus, who is greater than Elijah, do no less in this case? However, Jesus … rebuked them. It has already been observed (see commentary on 4:25–27 above and 9:61–62 below) that despite Elijah’s great reputation Jesus does not feel bound to follow the former prophet’s precedent. Since Jesus has come not to judge and punish (see commentary on 4:16–30) but to save the lost (19:10), the request of the disciples is completely inappropriate. The addition in some mss., “You do not know what kind of spirit you are of, for the Son of Man did not come to destroy men’s lives, but to save them” (see NIV footnote), is probably inauthentic, but it certainly does capture the essential point in this passage.

We shall see throughout the Travel Narrative examples that illustrate how Jesus views people and their religious assumptions. The episode just examined portrays a loving and gracious Lord who does not seek vengeance, while the passages that follow depict Jesus extending God’s summons to those who appear outcast and left out of the kingdom.

9:57–62 / The first two exchanges with would-be followers are also present in Matt. 8:19–22 and so are derived by Luke in all likelihood from the sayings source (“Q”). The third saying, appearing nowhere else in the Gospel tradition, may also have been part of the sayings source, but in view of its affinities with the Elijah/Elisha tradition, this third exchange may be unique to Luke. Fitzmyer (p. 833) suggests that all three exchanges likely derive from “independent contexts in the ministry of Jesus.” But because of their similar form and function it was only natural to group them together.

These exchanges drive home the point that it costs to follow Jesus. In the first exchange (vv. 57–58) a man offers to follow Jesus wherever he should go. Jesus tells him that he has little to offer by way of material security. To follow Jesus requires radical commitment. In the second exchange (vv. 59–60) Jesus summons another man with the words, Follow me. He is willing, but first he must return and bury his father. In view of the commandment to honor one’s mother and father (Exod. 20:12) and the importance placed upon loyalty to one’s parents in Jewish society (including Jesus himself, see Matt. 15:3–6; Mark 7:9–13), the man’s request would have seemed only reasonable. But Jesus tells him to let the dead bury their own dead (see note below) and go and proclaim the kingdom of God. This reiterates that following Jesus requires radical commitment. The third exchange (vv. 61–62) intriguingly makes a deliberate allusion to Elijah’s summons of Elisha (see 1 Kings 19:19–21). When Elijah approached Elisha, the latter was plowing, and when Elijah extended his call by throwing his mantle upon him, Elisha requested permission to bid his parents farewell. All that the man had asked of Jesus was to do something similar, but for Jesus it was asking too much: No one who puts his hand to the plow and looks back is fit for service in the kingdom of God. To follow Jesus required severing one’s self from one’s family (see Luke 8:19–20). Again the requirements for following Jesus are cast into the most radical of terms.

These exchanges teach that commitment to Jesus and to the kingdom of God must be a matter of first priority for anyone to be his disciple. In order to drive home the point, exaggeration is employed, for there is nothing wrong with having a house or a bed, and there is nothing wrong with taking care of one’s parents; neither is there anything wrong with showing love and respect to one’s family. What Jesus is teaching, however, is that if these things mean too much to a person, then that person will find discipleship too demanding and too costly.