Composition

There are three distinct sayings in this cluster:

1. "Hating one's family"
2. "Carrying one's cross" and
3. "Saving one's life."

Extant gospel texts show that each circulated independently. Thom 101 preserves (a) by itself. And (c) is used in different contexts by Luke and John.

Common themes, however, led them to be grouped in various ways. Mark pairs (b) and (c) because both relate to death. This pair is echoed in Matt 16:24-25. Luke, on the other hand, pairs (a) and (b) because both set standards for discipleship. Another version of the second pair is found in Thom 55.

All three sayings are grouped only in Matt 10. Here Matthew may have combined passages from Mark (8:34-35) and Q (=Luke 14:26-27) much as he did the parables of the mustard seed and leaven (see notes above). Or this cluster in Matt 10 may have been simply lifted from Q, like most of that chapter. For the third saying (c) is closer to the version that Luke put in another Q cluster (see notes on Luke 17:22-37 below).

The differences between the versions in Matthew and Luke make the location of these sayings in Q uncertain. All three are grouped here (Luke's setting for the first pair) for convenience. Given the variations in presentation, however, each saying must be analyzed independently.

Matt 10:27	Luke 14:26	Thom 55:1-2
		1 Jesus said:
27 " If you	20 "If any of you	"Whoever
	comes to me
love	and does not hate	does not hate
your father	your own father	father
and mother	and mother	and mother
	and wife and children
	and brothers	[see Thom 55:2 below]
	and sisters,
	yes, even your own life,
more than me
you're not worthy	you cannot be	cannot be
of me,	my disciple."	my disciple,
and if you		2 and whoever
love		does not hate
your son or daughter
	[see above]	brothers and sisters,
		and carry the cross *
more than me		as I do *
you're not worthy		will not be worthy
of me."		of me."
		Thom 101
		1 "Whoever does not hate
		[father] and mother
		as I do
		cannot be my disciple."

* see analysis of "Carrying one's cross" below

Difficult theme

This saying was probably preserved by two early independent sources: Q and Thomas. Thomas, in fact, records it in two different contexts. The variants indicate that it was a well-known but difficult saying.

The core of Luke 14:26 and both versions in Thomas make hatred of one's parents a condition for being Jesus' disciple. Thom 55 and Luke agree in adding "brothers and sisters" to the equation. But only Luke extends the list to hating one's own spouse, children, and life itself. And only Thom 101 includes Jesus among those who hate parents. Matthew prefers to compare degrees of love.

Social setting

These sayings are not about emotions but family ties. In classic Mediterranean societies a person's primary loyalty was to blood relatives, especially parents. Judean tradition did not provide for a person ever to outgrow the obligation to obey the older generation (see Exod 20:12). In theory at least disobedient children were subject to disinheritance or death (see Deut 21:18-21). These sayings challenge people to dare to take that risk.

Attribution

Hating one's family	%	Red	Pink	Grey	Black	WA	Print
Luke 14:26 Matt 10:37 Thom 55:1-2 Thom 101:1		27 9 22 6	18 22 13 12	48 44 56 18	6 25 9 64	56 39 49 20	pink grey grey black

A heavy emphasis on respecting and obeying parents in Judaic tradition carried over into early Christian teaching (e.g., Mark 10:19, Eph 6:1-3, Col 3:20). So, it is not likely that this contrary saying could have been so widely credited to Jesus, unless he was known to have challenged traditional family ties. The core challenge is compatible with the priorities of the sage who told a would-be disciple to forego his social obligation to bury his father (Luke 9:59-60//Matt 8:21-22). Like that shocking advice, the aphorism could have originated as a retort to people who used family commitments as an excuse for failing to respond to Jesus.

On the other hand, the saying has clear relevance to the social opposition Jesus' followers faced after his execution. Most Fellows did not regard Jesus as author of the Q saying about family dissension, which directly precedes this saying in Matthew (see notes on Luke 12:52-53//Matt 10:35-36). And the variation in wording shows that the original saying has been altered in transmission. Yet, the common core and shocking formulation of Luke 14:26 and Thom 55 indicate that they are not likely to have been complete fabrications.  Thom 101, however, was generally deemed to have distorted the thrust of a saying designed to test one's commitment to Jesus by making Jesus himself the model of a rebellious son.

Matt 10:38	Thom 55:2	Luke 14:27
38 "Unless you take	2 "Whoever does not...*	27 "Unless you carry
your cross	carry the cross	your own cross
and come along	as I do	and come along
with me,		with me,
you're not worthy	will not be worthy	you cannot be
of me."	of me."	my disciple."
Matt 16:24	Mark 8:34	Luke 9:23
24 Then	34 After
Jesus said	he called the crowd
to	together
his disciples:	with his disciples,
	he said	23 He would say
	to them:	to everyone:
"If any of you wants	"If any of you wants	"If any of you wants
to come after me	to come after me	to come after me
you should	you should	you should
deny yourself,	deny yourself,	deny yourself,
pick up your cross,	pick up your cross,	pick up your cross
		every day
and follow me!"	and follow after me!"	and follow me!"

* see "Hating one's family" above

Sources

This saying is attested by three independent sources: Q, Thomas and Mark. But there are only two forms: a positive version (Mark 8:34//Matt 16:24//Luke 9:23) and a negative version (Matt 10:38//Luke 14:27//Thom 55:2). The latter, shorter version, was recorded by both Q and Thomas.

Attribution

Carrying one's cross	%	Red	Pink	Grey	Black	WA	Print
Luke 14:27 Matt 10:38 Matt 16:24 Mark 8:34 Thom 55:2		0 0 3 0 3	6 6 3 3 6	23 23 28 29 16	71 71 66 68 74	12 12 15 12 13	black black black black black

The reference to the cross stands squarely in the way of crediting this saying to the historical Jesus. Jesus' fate is made the standard of obedience for his successors. This would become relevant only after his death, when the Christian community was itself facing persecution as loyal to one whom the civil authorities had executed as an outlaw.

Those who think that this saying originated with Jesus interpret it as a call to radical self-denial and, perhaps, as a warning that association with Jesus entailed political risk. The difficulty with this interpretation is that there is no evidence that the cross was a recognized symbol of this sort prior to Jesus' own death. Rather, it became such a symbol only when Paul --- who joined the followers of Jesus only after his crucifixion --- made it a focal point of his message.  For example:

For Christ did not send me to baptize but to proclaim the good news,
and not with eloquent wisdom,
so that the cross of Christ might not be emptied of its power...
For Jews demand signs and Greeks seek wisdom,
but we proclaim Christ crucified,
a stumbling block to Jews and foolishness to Gentiles,
but to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks,
Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God.
     --- I Cor 1:17,22-24

The fact that both Q and Thomas preserved a version of this saying is somewhat surprising, since neither mentions Jesus' crucifixion elsewhere.

Matt 10:39	John 12:25	Luke 17:33
39 "By	25 "If you	33 "Whoever tries
finding your life	love your life	to guard his life
you'll lose it,	you'll lose it,	will lose it,
but	but	but
by losing your life	if you hate your life	whoever loses it
for my sake	in this world,
you'll find it."	you'll preserve it	will preserve it."
	for life unending."
Matt 16:25	Mark 8:35	Luke 9:24
25 "Remember,	35 "Remember,	24 "Remember,
if you try	if you try	if you try
to save your life,	to save your life,	to save your life,
you'll lose it,	you'll lose it,	you'll lose it,
but	but	but
if you lose your life	if you lose your life	if you lose your life
for my sake,	for my sake and
	for the sake of
	the good news
you'll find it."	you'll save it."	you'll save it."

Varied performances

The only constant feature among the several different versions of this saying is its core: opposing pairs of contrasting verbs with a reference to loss of life. The original wording is beyond recovery. The relationship of the variants to each other may be seen by comparing their paired verbs:

• save = lose / lose = save (Matt 8:35//Luke 9:24)
• save = lose / lose = find (Matt 16:25)
• find = lose / lose = find (Matt 10:39)
• keep = lose / lose = preserve (Luke 17:33)
• love = lose / hate = preserve (John 12:25).

Luke 17:33 and Matt 10:39 are probably based on Q. Matt 16:25 is a hybrid, combining wording from both Mark and Q. John differs from the synoptic versions. Thus, there were probably three sources for  this saying: Q, Mark and John.

Attribution

Saving one's life	%	Red	Pink	Grey	Black	WA	Print
Luke 17:33 Matt 10:39 Luke 9:24 Mark 8:35 Matt 16:25 John 12:25		45 27 27 18 27 0	0 9 9 9 9 30	18 18 18 0 18 30	36 45 45 36 45 40	52 39 39 24 39 30	pink grey grey black grey grey

Luke 17:33 is a provocative proverb that contradicts common wisdom. Like many Jesus sayings it turns the everyday world on its head. Thus, almost half the Fellows thought it should be printed red. The rest disagreed since Luke's wording is not supported by the other versions.

Apart from Luke 17, the synoptic versions have been Christianized. Mark and parallels promise life only to people who die for Jesus' sake. Thus, these versions concern a situation that arose only after Jesus' death. Mark's addition of "for the sake of the good news" is a further Christian expansion. "Good news" was a favorite term of Christian writers like Paul (see 1 Cor 1:17 above) or Mark himself (e.g., Mark 1:1). Mark is the only gospel that puts it on Jesus' lips (see Mark 1:14-15).

John's wording like Luke's is secular. It was rated grey, however, since the love/hate contrast is typical of the vocabulary of the Fourth Gospel.

Matt 5:13	Mark 9:50	Luke 14:34-35
13 "You are
the salt of the earth.	50 "Salt is good,	34 "Salt is good,
But if salt	but if salt	but if it
loses its zing,	becomes tasteless,	loses its zing,
how will it	how will you	how will it
be made salty?	renew it?	be renewed?
It's then good		35 It's no good
for nothing,		for either earth or manure.
except		It just
to be thrown out		gets thrown away.
and stomped on."
	Keep salt
	among yourselves	Anyone here
	and be at peace	with two good ears
	with one another."	use them."

Sources

Mark's version of this salt saying has two elements: a common sense observation followed by an unanswered riddle. The question and answer format in Matthew and Luke probably came from Q. But the additional flourishes in all versions (grey and black text above) make it difficult to establish the original form or context.

Image

Salt was prized in the ancient world as both a seasoning and a purifier. That from the Dead Sea is high in many minerals, particularly potassium, and thus could also serve as a fertilizer. But the common salt of Palestine was not refined. Too many impurities would reduce not only its flavor but its ability to disinfect and nourish.

Luke apparently assumes outdoor use; Matthew probably domestic. The riddle by itself (Mark), however, does not rely on any particular use.

Salt was also a common metaphor for wit or wisdom. For instance:

"Let your speech always be gracious,
seasoned with salt,
so that you may know how to answer everyone."
   --- Col 4:6

Unsalted speech is both insipid and tasteless.

Attribution

Salting salt	%	Red	Pink	Grey	Black	WA	Print
Luke 14:34-35a Luke 14:35b Matt 5:13a Matt 5:13b Mark 9:50a Mark 9:50b		42 13 0 33 33 17	17 33 0 8 33 8	17 33 0 42 8 17	25 40 99 17 25 58	58 40 00 53 58 28	pink grey black pink pink grey

The salt riddle is pithy, witty and graphic. It turns a common fact into an uncommon observation. Its ambiguity provoked even early Christians to search for an appropriate application. Despite --- or because of --- its uncertain point most Fellows thought at least its core was created by Jesus. Like other genuine Jesus sayings it could hardly be called bland. Some Fellows voted grey or black, however, because its original context is unclear. What is clear is that it has been modified, perhaps by every writer who recorded it. Matthew remolds it into a metaphor for the Christian presence in the world. Yet, his version of the riddle is basically the same as the rest. So, pink is an appropriate color for all versions.

The same cannot be said for the expanded elements in each gospel. Luke's concluding injunction for listeners to use their ears is a bland rhetorical flourish that could be appended by anyone to any saying. While Jesus might have used it, it is hardly distinctive. Mark's peroration, on the other hand, is an enigmatic injunction that appears to be little more than this one author's echo of the preceding themes of "salt" and "peace."