March 2, 2014 - Luke 9

Luke 9

New Living Translation (NLT)

Jesus Sends Out the Twelve Disciples

9 One day Jesus called together his twelve disciples[a] and gave them power and authority to cast out all demons and to heal all diseases. 2 Then he sent them out to tell everyone about the Kingdom of God and to heal the sick. 3 “Take nothing for your journey,” he instructed them. “Don’t take a walking stick, a traveler’s bag, food, money,[b] or even a change of clothes. 4 Wherever you go, stay in the same house until you leave town. 5 And if a town refuses to welcome you, shake its dust from your feet as you leave to show that you have abandoned those people to their fate.”

6 So they began their circuit of the villages, preaching the Good News and healing the sick.

This was a powerful mission Jesus sent his disciples on.  Authority to cast out demons and heal all diseases pretty much put them on the same level as Jesus himself, as far as power goes.  And they were to travel light...taking nothing with them.  Obviously Jesus knew their needs would be provided.  This showed how much trust Jesus had in his disciples, for they were being sent out to represent the Kingdom of God.  

Herod’s Confusion

7 When Herod Antipas, the ruler of Galilee,[c] heard about everything Jesus was doing, he was puzzled. Some were saying that John the Baptist had been raised from the dead. 8 Others thought Jesus was Elijah or one of the other prophets risen from the dead.

9 “I beheaded John,” Herod said, “so who is this man about whom I hear such stories?” And he kept trying to see him.

Jesus Feeds Five Thousand

10 When the apostles returned, they told Jesus everything they had done. Then he slipped quietly away with them toward the town of Bethsaida. 11 But the crowds found out where he was going, and they followed him. He welcomed them and taught them about the Kingdom of God, and he healed those who were sick.

12 Late in the afternoon the twelve disciples came to him and said, “Send the crowds away to the nearby villages and farms, so they can find food and lodging for the night. There is nothing to eat here in this remote place.”

13 But Jesus said, “You feed them.”

“But we have only five loaves of bread and two fish,” they answered. “Or are you expecting us to go and buy enough food for this whole crowd?” 14 For there were about 5,000 men there.

Jesus replied, “Tell them to sit down in groups of about fifty each.” 15 So the people all sat down. 16 Jesus took the five loaves and two fish, looked up toward heaven, and blessed them. Then, breaking the loaves into pieces, he kept giving the bread and fish to the disciples so they could distribute it to the people. 17 They all ate as much as they wanted, and afterward, the disciples picked up twelve baskets of leftovers!

So...even after the disciples had been sent out and empowered by Jesus to heal and cast out demons and have all their needs met, they still questioned Jesus how all the people were going to be fed?  Wow...they truly had a hard time grasping who Jesus was.  By now you would think they would have better insight into how the ministry of Jesus worked...how miraculous it was.  There was nothing Jesus could not do.  He could raise people from the dead, but they worried about how he would provide food?  How often do I doubt Jesus?  How often do I disappoint him by my lack of faith?

Peter’s Declaration about Jesus

18 One day Jesus left the crowds to pray alone. Only his disciples were with him, and he asked them, “Who do people say I am?”

19 “Well,” they replied, “some say John the Baptist, some say Elijah, and others say you are one of the other ancient prophets risen from the dead.”

20 Then he asked them, “But who do you say I am?”

Peter replied, “You are the Messiah[d] sent from God!”

Peter sounds very confident and bold here in his declaration of who Jesus is.  Yet, he denies him the night of Judas' betrayal.  Peter is still very human, and gets caught up in the moment.  His emotions kicked in, but his emotions were inconsistent.  Circumstances changed, and so did Peter.  We will find this is true of Peter through the whole book of Luke.  In Acts, Peter comes to the end of himself, and he is changed.

Jesus is still working on me.  Peter's example gives me hope.  I was changed in July 1980 when I surrendered all of Carol to God's best for my life.  I am not perfected yet, but Jesus doesn't give up on me as I strive to please him.

Jesus Predicts His Death

21 Jesus warned his disciples not to tell anyone who he was. 22 “The Son of Man[e] must suffer many terrible things,” he said. “He will be rejected by the elders, the leading priests, and the teachers of religious law. He will be killed, but on the third day he will be raised from the dead.”

23 Then he said to the crowd, “If any of you wants to be my follower, you must turn from your selfish ways, take up your cross daily, and follow me. 24 If you try to hang on to your life, you will lose it. But if you give up your life for my sake, you will save it. 25 And what do you benefit if you gain the whole world but are yourself lost or destroyed? 26 If anyone is ashamed of me and my message, the Son of Man will be ashamed of that person when he returns in his glory and in the glory of the Father and the holy angels. 27 I tell you the truth, some standing here right now will not die before they see the Kingdom of God.”

Here Jesus is telling the crowds about self-surrender.  I think it was a message hard to grasp, by the crowds and the disciples.  I cannot explain the last sentence about some in that crowd not dying before they saw the Kingdom of God.  There's probably a simple explanation, but I'm not sure I've heard it.

The Transfiguration

28 About eight days later Jesus took Peter, John, and James up on a mountain to pray. 29 And as he was praying, the appearance of his face was transformed, and his clothes became dazzling white. 30 Suddenly, two men, Moses and Elijah, appeared and began talking with Jesus. 31 They were glorious to see. And they were speaking about his exodus from this world, which was about to be fulfilled in Jerusalem.

32 Peter and the others had fallen asleep. When they woke up, they saw Jesus’ glory and the two men standing with him. 33 As Moses and Elijah were starting to leave, Peter, not even knowing what he was saying, blurted out, “Master, it’s wonderful for us to be here! Let’s make three shelters as memorials[f]—one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah.” 34 But even as he was saying this, a cloud overshadowed them, and terror gripped them as the cloud covered them.

35 Then a voice from the cloud said, “This is my Son, my Chosen One.[g] Listen to him.” 36 When the voice finished, Jesus was there alone. They didn’t tell anyone at that time what they had seen.

Outspoken Peter, caught up in his emotions of the moment, blurting out what went through his mind, without truly understanding what was happening.  Then to hear the voice of God?  And yet, Peter still denies Jesus in just a few short days.  Fickle people we are!

Jesus Heals a Demon-Possessed Boy

37 The next day, after they had come down the mountain, a large crowd met Jesus. 38 A man in the crowd called out to him, “Teacher, I beg you to look at my son, my only child. 39 An evil spirit keeps seizing him, making him scream. It throws him into convulsions so that he foams at the mouth. It batters him and hardly ever leaves him alone. 40 I begged your disciples to cast out the spirit, but they couldn’t do it.”

41 Jesus said, “You faithless and corrupt people! How long must I be with you and put up with you?” Then he said to the man, “Bring your son here.”

42 As the boy came forward, the demon knocked him to the ground and threw him into a violent convulsion. But Jesus rebuked the evil[h] spirit and healed the boy. Then he gave him back to his father. 43 Awe gripped the people as they saw this majestic display of God’s power.

They had the power to cast out demons and heal people when Jesus sent them out.  What happened?  Did this failure occur while they were on that journey?  Verse 41 is one of the strongest rebukes Jesus gives his disciples.  It's easy to hear his exasperation here in this passage.  Almost as if he was saying, "Do I have to do this all by myself after all that I've taught you?"

Jesus Again Predicts His Death

While everyone was marveling at everything he was doing, Jesus said to his disciples, 44 “Listen to me and remember what I say. The Son of Man is going to be betrayed into the hands of his enemies.” 45 But they didn’t know what he meant. Its significance was hidden from them, so they couldn’t understand it, and they were afraid to ask him about it.

After just being rebuked by Jesus, I don't think they were ready to speak up and ask for an explanation of what Jesus was saying.  

The Greatest in the Kingdom

46 Then his disciples began arguing about which of them was the greatest. 47 But Jesus knew their thoughts, so he brought a little child to his side. 48 Then he said to them, “Anyone who welcomes a little child like this on my behalf[i] welcomes me, and anyone who welcomes me also welcomes my Father who sent me. Whoever is the least among you is the greatest.”

Wow...the "kids" were at it again...fighting over who was the greatest...who did Jesus love more...who was the strongest.  They just didn't get it.  He wanted a team, a group of men who loved each other as Jesus loved them.  Leaders.  Examples.  But Jesus had to use the example of a child to explain to them greatness didn't matter.  Loving Jesus, loving each other, is what mattered most in the Kingdom of God.

Using the Name of Jesus

49 John said to Jesus, “Master, we saw someone using your name to cast out demons, but we told him to stop because he isn’t in our group.”

50 But Jesus said, “Don’t stop him! Anyone who is not against you is for you.”

Petty.  Didn't get it!

Opposition from Samaritans

51 As the time drew near for him to ascend to heaven, Jesus resolutely set out for Jerusalem. 52 He sent messengers ahead to a Samaritan village to prepare for his arrival. 53 But the people of the village did not welcome Jesus because he was on his way to Jerusalem. 54 When James and John saw this, they said to Jesus, “Lord, should we call down fire from heaven to burn them up[j]?” 55 But Jesus turned and rebuked them.[k] 56 So they went on to another village.

Yup, that's how to show the love of Jesus!  Didn't get it!

The Cost of Following Jesus

57 As they were walking along, someone said to Jesus, “I will follow you wherever you go.”

58 But Jesus replied, “Foxes have dens to live in, and birds have nests, but the Son of Man has no place even to lay his head.”

59 He said to another person, “Come, follow me.”

The man agreed, but he said, “Lord, first let me return home and bury my father.”

60 But Jesus told him, “Let the spiritually dead bury their own dead![l] Your duty is to go and preach about the Kingdom of God.”

61 Another said, “Yes, Lord, I will follow you, but first let me say good-bye to my family.”

62 But Jesus told him, “Anyone who puts a hand to the plow and then looks back is not fit for the Kingdom of God.”

Jesus was calling people to count the cost if they were going to follow him.  They weren't to be his followers for the fame and fortune they thought might come with it...or power.  Jesus was saying that self-surrender was the only way to become his follower.  Many were not ready to give up the comfortable, the known, the family ties, to follow Jesus.  How about me?

Footnotes:

1. 9:1 Greek the Twelve; other manuscripts read the twelve apostles.
2. 9:3 Or silver coins.
3. 9:7 Greek Herod the tetrarch. Herod Antipas was a son of King Herod and was ruler over Galilee.
4. 9:20 Or the Christ. Messiah (a Hebrew term) and Christ (a Greek term) both mean “the anointed one.”
5. 9:22 “Son of Man” is a title Jesus used for himself.
6. 9:33 Greek three tabernacles.
7. 9:35 Some manuscripts read This is my dearly loved Son.
8. 9:42 Greek unclean.
9. 9:48 Greek in my name.
10. 9:54 Some manuscripts add as Elijah did.
11. 9:55 Some manuscripts add an expanded conclusion to verse 55 and an additional sentence in verse 56:And he said, “You don’t realize what your hearts are like. 56 For the Son of Man has not come to destroy people’s lives, but to save them.”
12. 9:60 Greek Let the dead bury their own dead.