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 11:29

The Sign of Jonah

11:29 As ⁵  the crowds were increasing, Jesus ⁶  began to say, “This generation is a wicked generation; it looks for a sign, ⁷  but no sign will be given to it except the sign of Jonah. ⁸ 

[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.

[11:29]  ⁵ tn Here δέ (de) has not been translated.

[11:29]  ⁶ tn Grk “he”; the referent (Jesus) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[11:29]  ⁷ sn The mention of a sign alludes back to Luke 11:16. Given what Jesus had done, nothing would be good enough. This leads to the rebuke that follows.

[11:29]  ⁸ sn As the following comparisons to Solomon and Jonah show, in the present context the sign of Jonah is not an allusion to Jonah being three days in the belly of the fish, but to Jesus’ teaching about wisdom and repentance.