[B-Greek] Luke 9:27

Thomas Hagen thomas.hagen at libero.it
Wed Mar 18 14:38:46 EDT 2009


At a Bible study recently, we were looking at Luke 9:23-27 where Jesus talks about carrying one’s own cross daily after him and the possibility of  losing one’s life when you try to save it or of saving it when you lose it for his sake. The passage concludes with verse 27:

 

But I tell you truly, there are some standing here who will not taste death until they see the kingdom of God.

 

λέγω δὲ ὑμῖν ἀληθῶς, εἰσίν τινες τῶν αὐτοῦ ἑστηκότων οἳ οὐ μὴ γεύσωνται θανάτου ἕως ἂν ἴδωσιν τὴν βασιλείαν τοῦ θεοῦ.

 

LEGW DE hUMIN ALHQWS EISIN TINES TWN AUTOU hESTHKOTWN hOI OU MH GEUSWNTAI QANATOU hEWS AN IDWSIN THN BASILEIAN TOU QEOU.

 

 

Someone suggested that the “death” in verse 27 might refer to the existential death to our own ego and will that Jesus refers to through the reference to the cross and losing one’s own life. In this case, verse 27 would be a negative, rather bitter admission on the part of Jesus that some of his listeners would not succeed in achieving that kind of death until they were, in a sense, smacked in the face or, perhaps better, kicked in the seat (!) by the kingdom of God where, standing before the glory of God, they will have no choice but to relinquish all claims to their own ego. 

 

Is there anything in the text that might suggest this kind of reading? Or is this simply an expression of Jesus’ conviction that the kingdom was to come shortly in all its power?

 

 

Thomas Hagen



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