Carry nothing for the trip: When sending out his apostles on a preaching tour to proclaim “the Kingdom of God” (Lu 9:2), Jesus gave instructions on how to carry out this all-important work. His instructions are recorded in all three synoptic Gospels. (Mt 10:8-10; Mr 6:8, 9; Lu 9:3) Although there are some differences in wording, the instructions all convey the message that the apostles should not be distracted by acquiring extra provisions, since Jehovah would provide for them. All three accounts state that the apostles were not to “acquire [or “wear” or “have”] two garments,” that is, “an extra garment” (ftn.) in addition to what they were wearing. Carrying a traveler’s staff seems to have been the custom of the Hebrews (Ge 32:10), and Mr 6:8 says: “Carry nothing for the trip except a staff.” Therefore, the instruction here at Lu 9:3 (“carry nothing . . . , neither staff”) could be understood to mean that rather than go without a staff, they should not acquire or carry a staff in addition to the one they had. So Jesus was telling his disciples to travel light and to avoid carrying extra items as luggage that would burden them, since Jehovah would provide for them on their journey.​—See study note on Lu 10:4, where Jesus gives similar instructions to the 70 disciples sent out on another occasion.

money: Lit., “silver,” that is, silver used as money.

stay there: See study note on Mr 6:10.

shake the dust off your feet: Pious Jews who had traveled through Gentile country would shake what was perceived to be unclean dust off their sandals before reentering Jewish territory. However, Jesus evidently had a different meaning in mind when giving these instructions to his disciples. This gesture would signify that the disciples disclaimed responsibility for the consequences that would come from God. A similar expression occurs at Mt 10:14 and Mr 6:11. Mark adds the expression “for a witness to them,” whereas Luke adds for a witness against them. Paul and Barnabas applied this instruction in Pisidian Antioch. (Ac 13:51) When Paul did something similar in Corinth by shaking out his garments, he added the explanatory words: “Let your blood be on your own heads. I am clean.”​—Ac 18:6.

Herod: See study note on Mt 14:1.

district ruler: See study note on Mt 14:1.

You give them something to eat: This is the only miracle of Jesus that is recorded in all four Gospels.​—Mt 14:15-21; Mr 6:35-44; Lu 9:10-17; Joh 6:1-13.

he broke them up: Bread was often made in flat loaves that were baked hard and thin. Therefore, people had the custom of breaking the loaves before eating them.​—Mt 14:19; 15:36; 26:26; Mr 6:41; 8:6.

baskets: See study note on Mt 14:20.

he was praying alone: This occurred near Caesarea Philippi. (Mt 16:13; Mr 8:27) Only Luke reports that Jesus was praying alone.​—See study note on Lu 3:21.

John the Baptist: See study note on Mt 3:1.

Elijah: See study note on Mt 11:14.

The Christ of God: Peter identifies Jesus as “the Christ of God” (Greek, ho khri·stosʹ tou The·ouʹ). “The Christ” is equivalent to “the Messiah” (from Hebrew ma·shiʹach), both titles meaning “Anointed One.” Here “Christ” is preceded by the definite article in Greek, evidently as a way of emphasizing Jesus’ appointment, or office, as the Messiah.​—See study notes on Mt 1:1; 2:4.

elders: Lit., “older men.” In the Bible, the Greek term pre·sbyʹte·ros refers primarily to those who hold a position of authority and responsibility in a community or a nation. Although the term sometimes refers to physical age (as at Lu 15:25; Ac 2:17), it is not limited to those who are elderly. Here it refers to the leaders of the Jewish nation, who are often mentioned together with chief priests and scribes. The Sanhedrin was made up of men from these three groups.​—Lu 20:1; 22:52, 66; see Glossary, “Elder; Older man.”

chief priests: See study note on Mt 2:4 and Glossary, “Chief priest.”

scribes: See study note on Mt 2:4 and Glossary, “Scribe.”

let him disown himself: Or “let him give up all right to himself.” This indicates a person’s willingness to deny himself utterly or to relinquish ownership of himself to God. The Greek phrase can be rendered “he must say no to himself,” which is fitting because it may involve saying no to personal desires, ambitions, or convenience. (2Co 5:14, 15) The same Greek verb and a related one are used by Luke when describing Peter’s denial that he knew Jesus.​—Lu 22:34, 57, 61; see study note on Mt 16:24.

torture stake: See study note on Mt 16:24.

life: Or “soul.”​—See Glossary, “Soul.”

the whole world: The basic meaning of the Greek term koʹsmos, most often rendered “world,” is “order” or “arrangement.” In secular Greek literature, it may refer to the world of mankind, and it is often used in this sense in the Christian Greek Scriptures. (See study notes on Joh 1:9, 10; 3:16.) However, the term koʹsmos is not just a synonym for mankind. In the Bible, it retains its original sense of “order” or “arrangement,” since the world of mankind reflects a certain structure, being composed of various cultures, tribes, nations, and economic systems. (1Jo 3:17; Re 7:9; 14:6) That is the meaning of the term “world” in this and some other contexts. Over the centuries, the framework of things that surround and affect human life has grown in size and complexity as mankind has grown in population.​—See study note on Joh 16:21.

about eight days after saying these words: The accounts of Matthew and Mark say “six days later.” (Mt 17:1; Mr 9:2) Luke reports the number of days from a different perspective than that of Matthew and Mark, apparently including the day when Jesus made the promise (Lu 9:27) and the day when the transfiguration took place. Matthew and Mark count six whole days as the intervening time. It is noteworthy that Luke gives the period in an approximate number​—“about eight days.”

to pray: Only Luke adds this detail about prayer in connection with Jesus’ transfiguration. The next verse also mentions that Jesus “was praying.” (Lu 9:29) Other instances in which Luke alone mentions Jesus’ praying are Lu 3:21; 5:16; 6:12; 9:18; 11:1; 23:46.

his departure: The Greek word eʹxo·dos used here also occurs at 2Pe 1:15 (departure) and at Heb 11:22 (exodus). Jesus’ departure, or exodus, evidently involved both his death and his subsequent resurrection to spirit life.

a voice came out of the cloud: The second of three instances in the Gospel accounts when Jehovah is reported as speaking directly to humans.​—See study notes on Lu 3:22; Joh 12:28.

only: The Greek word mo·no·ge·nesʹ, traditionally rendered “only-begotten,” has been defined as “the only one of its kind; one and only; the only one or member of a class or kind; unique.” The term is used when describing the relation of sons and daughters to their parents. In this context, it is used in the sense of an only child. The same Greek word is also used of the “only” son of a widow in Nain and of Jairus’ “only” daughter. (Lu 7:12; 8:41, 42) The Greek Septuagint uses mo·no·ge·nesʹ when speaking of Jephthah’s daughter, concerning whom it is written: “Now she was his one and only child. Besides her, he had neither son nor daughter.” (Jg 11:34) In the apostle John’s writings, mo·no·ge·nesʹ is used five times with reference to Jesus.​—For the meaning of the term when used about Jesus, see study notes on Joh 1:14; 3:16.

majestic power of God: Or “greatness (majesty) of God.” When curing people, Jesus did not direct attention to himself as the healer. Instead, he attributed these miracles to God’s power.

for him to be taken up: The Greek term a·naʹlem·psis occurs only here in the Christian Greek Scriptures. It is usually understood to refer to Jesus’ ascension to heaven. The related verb is used at Ac 1:2, 11, 22, where it is rendered “was taken up.”

he was determined to go to: Lit., “his face was going to [or “set toward”].” (Compare Lu 9:51.) Similar expressions can be found in the Hebrew Scriptures with the sense of looking toward some goal, purpose, or desire (1Ki 2:15, ftn.; 2Ki 12:17, ftn.) and carrying the thought of strong intention and determination.​—2Ch 20:3, ftn.; Da 11:17, ftn.

nowhere to lay down his head: See study note on Mt 8:20.

Lord: Some manuscripts do not include this word, but it has support in a number of early authoritative manuscripts.

bury my father: The wording likely does not mean that the man had just lost his father in death and was asking only to make funeral arrangements. Had this been the case, it is unlikely that he would have been there talking to Jesus. In the ancient Middle East, a death in the family would be followed very quickly by a funeral, generally on the same day. So the man’s father may have been ailing or elderly, not dead. And Jesus would not have told the man to abandon a sick and needy parent, so there must have been other family members who could care for such vital needs. (Mr 7:9-13) The man was saying, in effect, ‘I will follow you, but not as long as my father still lives. Wait until my father dies and I have buried him.’ In Jesus’ view, however, the man was missing an opportunity to put the interests of the Kingdom of God first in his life.​—Lu 9:60, 62.

Let the dead bury their dead: As shown in the study note on Lu 9:59, the father of the man to whom Jesus is talking was likely ailing or elderly, not dead. Therefore, Jesus is evidently saying: ‘Let those who are spiritually dead bury their dead,’ that is, the man should not wait to make his decision to follow Jesus, since other relatives could apparently care for the father until his death. By following Jesus, the man put himself on the way to eternal life, not among those who were spiritually dead before God. In his reply, Jesus shows that putting the Kingdom of God first in one’s life and declaring it far and wide are essential to remaining spiritually alive.

who has put his hand to a plow and looks at the things behind: To emphasize the importance of wholehearted discipleship, Jesus here refers to the work of plowing. He describes a man who expresses his desire to be a disciple but stipulates the condition of being permitted first to say goodbye to his household. (Lu 9:61) If a plowman allowed himself to be distracted from the work at hand, he would make crooked furrows, or if he stopped plowing in order to look back, the work in the field would fall behind. Similarly, the person who is invited to Christian discipleship but who permits himself to be distracted from carrying out the responsibilities would become unfit for God’s Kingdom.