Luke 9:57-62

2. The importance of self-denial 9:57-62 (cf. Matthew 8:19-22)

Luke turned from a presentation of people who rejected Jesus to one in which three individuals wanted to become His disciples. Each of them underestimated the degree of commitment that Jesus required. Jesus’ words clarify the cost of discipleship (cf. Luke 9:23-26). Note the recurrence of the key word "follow" in Luke 9:57; Luke 9:59; Luke 9:61. The first two incidents evidently happened during Jesus’ ministry in Galilee (cf. Matthew 8:18), and perhaps the third one did too. Luke probably grouped them here because they all deal with the same issue that Luke developed in this context, namely, discipleship.