2BeLikeChrist Bible Commentary - Luke Chapter 9
Commentary - Luke Chapter 9
Luke 9:1-6
Luk 9:1 And he called the twelve together and gave them power and authority over all demons and to cure diseases,
Luk 9:2 and he sent them out to proclaim the kingdom of God and to heal.
Luk 9:3 And he said to them, “Take nothing for your journey, no staff, nor bag, nor bread, nor money; and do not have two tunics.
Luk 9:4 And whatever house you enter, stay there, and from there depart.
Luk 9:5 And wherever they do not receive you, when you leave that town shake off the dust from your feet as a testimony against them.”
Luk 9:6 And they departed and went through the villages, preaching the gospel and healing everywhere.
This same event is recorded at greater length in Matthew 10.
Jesus sent His 12 Apostles out into the community to preach the gospel.
Matthew says they were told to preach about the Kingdom of Heaven.
Mat 10:7 And proclaim as you go, saying, ‘The kingdom of heaven is at hand.’
They were sent specifically to Jewish people and were not to go to Gentile or Samaritan towns (Mat 10:5).
They were not to go to the Gentiles (non-Jews).
The term “gentile” comes from the Hebrew word goy meaning “nation.”
The plural is goyim meaning “nations” or ha-goyim meaning “the nations” (used to refer to nations outside of Israel).
When the term was translated in the Latin Bible, the words “gentes” and “gentilis” were used.
The Apostles were not to preach to the Samaritans.
The Samaritans were a people who inhabited northern Israel.
In 2 Kings 17:24, after taking Israel captive, the Assyrian empire moved foreigners into Israel’s land.
The foreigners married and intermixed with the Israelites that were not sent into captivity.
2 Ki 17:24 - And the king of Assyria brought people from Babylon, Cuthah, Avva, Hamath, and Sepharvaim, and placed them in the cities of Samaria instead of the people of Israel. And they took possession of Samaria and lived in its cities.
2 Ki 17:28-29 - So one of the priests whom they had carried away from Samaria came and lived in Bethel and taught them how they should fear the LORD. But every nation still made gods of its own and put them in the shrines of the high places that the Samaritans had made, every nation in the cities in which they lived.
The Samaritans were partial-Jews who partially followed the Law of Moses but also worshipped idols.
They were despised by “true-Jews” even 750 years later in the 1st Century (John 4:9).
If you have a chance, please read 2 Kings 17:24-41.
The Apostles were only to preach to the lost sheep of Israel (Mat 10:6).
The Jews were compared to lost sheep because they often abandoned God, their true shepherd, and wandered off in their own direction.
Jer 50:6 - “My people have been lost sheep. Their shepherds [Jewish leaders] have led them astray, turning them away on the mountains. From mountain to hill they have gone. They have forgotten their fold.
Again-and-again throughout their history, they had left the shepherd and found themselves in trouble.
The Apostles were told to preach the same message John the Baptist and Jesus had been teaching, namely, “The Kingdom of Heaven is at hand.”
They were given miraculous powers to evidence the truth of their message.
Anyone can go around preaching about a coming Kingdom.
But not everyone has divine power to back up their claim.
They were instructed by Jesus not to charge people for the miracles they performed but to entrust their livelihood to God’s providence (Mat 10:8).
God would take care of their needs.
They would be cared for by the kindness of individuals who honored God and honored their message.
APPLICATION:
Do you think any of the Apostles ask the “what-if” questions?
What if my sandal breaks?
What if I run out of money?
What if I fall in the mud and don’t have a change of clothes?
What if no one is hospitable to me?
Too often we allow the what-if questions to delay or prevent us from accomplishing Jesus’ mission.
We should do our best to increase our faith to trust that if Jesus sends us somewhere, He will take care of us.
We should hand all the potential “what-ifs” over to Him to sort out.
The Apostles were to rely on the hospitality of fellow Jews for housing and some of their provisions.
This may seem very strange to a person who isn’t familiar with 1st Century Jewish culture.
Jews took hospitality very seriously!
For them, hospitality wasn’t just something nice they could do if they were feeling charitable, it was an obligation.
By the 1st Century, a significant number of traditions and rabbinic teachings existed which addressed the “rules” of hospitality.
Jews were expected to be hospitable to fellow traveling Jews, providing them with a place to sleep and some food.
The Apostles were told to rely on this hospitality for their shelter and stay in the home of any “worthy” Jew.
By “worthy” Jesus probably meant any house that was amiable to their message (Mat 10:12-13).
If the house was not “worthy” they were told to leave, wipe the dust off their feet, and find another home (Mat 10:14-15).
This custom’s precise meaning is never explained in the Bible but the context in which it was to be performed can point us in the right direction.
The Apostles may have been told to do this as a sign of their blamelessness.
The Apostles went to the town and preached the gospel…
They asked for nothing in return.
When rejected by the citizens they were to wipe the dust off their feet to symbolize they had taken nothing from the people and would not even take the dust of the town away.
No one would be able to accuse them of preaching for some kind of personal gain.
It’s also possible this was a sign of the town’s wickedness.
The Apostles went to the town and preached the gospel…
If the citizens rejected the message, the Apostles were to symbolically cleanse their feet of the wickedness of the city, a wickedness so pervasive it was even in their dust.
A final possibility is that this was a sign of future judgement.
The Apostles went to a town and preached the gospel…
The citizens rejected their preaching.
The dust of the city which had clung to the feet of the preachers was to be left in the city to testify against its inhabitants on Judgement Day.
On Judgement day, none of the inhabitants of those town will be able to say, “God, you never gave us a chance,” because the dust of their city will prove that false.
This is not the only time this practice is mentioned in the Bible.
Paul and Barnabas did this when they were kicked out of Antioch in Pisidia.
Act 13:51 But they shook off the dust from their feet against them and went to Iconium.
In Matthew, Jesus gave a stern warning to the cities who did not extend hospitality to His Apostles.
He said their judgement would be worse than Sodom and Gomorrah (Mat 10:15).
Luke 9:7-9
Luk 9:7 Now Herod the tetrarch heard about all that was happening, and he was perplexed, because it was said by some that John had been raised from the dead,
Luk 9:8 by some that Elijah had appeared, and by others that one of the prophets of old had risen.
Luk 9:9 Herod said, “John I beheaded, but who is this about whom I hear such things?” And he sought to see him.
We were introduced to Herod the tetrarch all the way back in chapter 3.
This Herod was also known as Herod Antipas.
He was one of the sons of Herod the Great who was king of Judea when Jesus was born.
He ruled over Galilee and Perea.
You may remember, Herod had John (Zechariah and Elizabeth’s son) thrown in prison.
Luk 3:19-20 But Herod the tetrarch, who had been reproved by him for Herodias, his brother's wife, and for all the evil things that Herod had done, added this to them all, that he locked up John in prison.
After being in prison for a while, Herod Antipas had John executed.
Luke doesn’t record the specifics of John’s death (you can read the story in Matthew 14:1-12).
Herod was perplexed when he heard there was a man drawing large crowds, baptizing, and preaching about the Kingdom of Heaven.
Those were all things John had done.
He thought John had come back to life and gone back to preaching.
There were all kinds of theories spreading:
Some thought John had been raised from the dead.
Some thought the prophet Elijah had returned (Elijah was a prophet in the Old Testament).
Others thought another prophet had risen from the dead and returned to preach in Israel.
Herod was probably a bit nervous about the idea of John rising from the dead.
Matthew’s account tells us Herod knew better than to kill John.
He may have worried John had risen to take his revenge.
Luke 9:10-11
Luk 9:10 On their return the apostles told him all that they had done. And he took them and withdrew apart to a town called Bethsaida.
Luk 9:11 When the crowds learned it, they followed him, and he welcomed them and spoke to them of the kingdom of God and cured those who had need of healing.
When the Apostles returned from preaching, they told Jesus everything they had done.
They then got in a boat and sailed to Bethsaida.
They likely did not go ashore in Bethsaida proper.
Instead to a region around Bethsaida.
The place was referred to as a “desolate place” (Mat 14:13; 15; Luk 9:12).
Mark 6 tells us they went to the desolate place to “rest a while.”
But the crowds of people had other plans.
They wanted to be with Jesus, so they went around the Sea of Galilee on foot and waited for Jesus on the shore (Mar 6:33).
Jesus met them on the shore, taught them, and healed their sick.
Rather than expressing His annoyance with the crowd, He had compassion on them (14:14)
APPLICATION:
I am by nature an introvert and often find it annoying when someone lingers and won’t leave me alone, especially when I’m tired.
But rather than focusing on His own inconvenience, Jesus focused on the needs of the people.
Instead of being bothered by a person’s presence, I ought to consider the needs and opportunities I have to serve the person God puts in front of me.
Luke 9:12-17
Luk 9:12 Now the day began to wear away, and the twelve came and said to him, “Send the crowd away to go into the surrounding villages and countryside to find lodging and get provisions, for we are here in a desolate place.”
Luk 9:13 But he said to them, “You give them something to eat.” They said, “We have no more than five loaves and two fish—unless we are to go and buy food for all these people.”
Luk 9:14 For there were about five thousand men. And he said to his disciples, “Have them sit down in groups of about fifty each.”
Luk 9:15 And they did so, and had them all sit down.
Luk 9:16 And taking the five loaves and the two fish, he looked up to heaven and said a blessing over them. Then he broke the loaves and gave them to the disciples to set before the crowd.
Luk 9:17 And they all ate and were satisfied. And what was left over was picked up, twelve baskets of broken pieces.
The day was quickly passing away and the Apostles became concerned for the people.
They asked Jesus to send the people away so they could find food and lodging for the night.
Jesus looked back at them and said, “No need! You feed them.”
The text doesn’t describe an awkward pause at this point…
Nor does it tell us the Apostles laughed thinking Jesus was joking…
But there must have been some kind of shocked response on the Apostle’s faces when Jesus responded this way.
Jesus, of all people, knew they neither had the bread nor the money to feed the multitude.
Jesus was asking them to do the impossible.
So, what did they do?
They took an inventory of their resources and determined it couldn’t be done.
John 6:6 tells us Jesus said this to test them.
Test them for what?
Probably to test where they believed their sufficiency to carry out God’s commands came from.
At the beginning of Luke 9, Jesus had given the Apostles power to heal the sick and cast out demons, but when He asked them to feed 5,000 men they immediately looked at their wallets and proclaimed it couldn’t be done (John 6:7).
Joh 6:7 Philip answered him, “Two hundred denarii worth of bread would not be enough for each of them to get a little.”
Did the money in their wallet help them cast out demons and heal the sick?
Why were they looking there now?
They should have looked right back at Jesus and said, “show us how!”
APPLICATION:
How often does God tell us to accomplish something and we come back to him with a personal inventory and tell Him it can’t be done?
“Not enough talent!”
“Not enough money!”
“Not enough time!”
Instead, we ought to read God’s commands in the Bible and respond with, “show me how!”
It may seem out of our reach.
It may seem out of our wheelhouse.
It may seem like God is asking for the impossible.
But don’t you think God asks us to do great things sometimes to test us?
So that we can see, just as the Apostles learned here, “that the surpassing power belongs to God and not to us” (2Cor 4:7).
God doesn’t care about your empty wallet. In fact, your empty wallet makes you the perfect candidate for God’s work and ought to encourage you to look to God to give you what you need.
2Cor 12:9 - Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me.
Jesus was about to remind the Apostles of His sufficiency to enable them to serve others.
Jesus used something very ordinary (5 loaves and 2 fish) to do something extraordinary (feed thousands).
The miracle fed the 5,000 men, but it also left behind a reminder of Jesus’ sufficient power in the 12 baskets of bread, one for each Apostle to gather and remember.
God isn’t low on supply of grace to accomplish “impossible” things.
The 12 baskets ought to encourage us when we think we’ve dreamed big enough, to dream a bit bigger for the glory of God.
Luke 9:18-22
Luk 9:18 Now it happened that as he was praying alone, the disciples were with him. And he asked them, “Who do the crowds say that I am?”
Luk 9:19 And they answered, “John the Baptist. But others say, Elijah, and others, that one of the prophets of old has risen.”
Luk 9:20 Then he said to them, “But who do you say that I am?” And Peter answered, “The Christ of God.”
Luk 9:21 And he strictly charged and commanded them to tell this to no one,
Luk 9:22 saying, “The Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and on the third day be raised.”
One day, Jesus asked His disciples about the popular opinions on His identity.
There were several theories:
John the Baptist
Elijah
“one of the prophets of old”
He then asked them who they thought He was.
Peter responded, “The Christ of God.”
Christ = anointed
Peter was confident Jesus was the long-awaited Messiah.
Jesus confirmed Peter’s belief in verse 21.
But He told the disciples not to tell anyone His true identity.
Jesus was going to continue working among the people and He wanted them to come to their own conclusion.
Jesus then said something that would have seemed contradictory to most 1st Century Jews.
He told the disciples He would suffer at the hands of the Jewish religious leaders, be killed, and rise the third day.
In the mind of the Jews, the Messiah was a conqueror, a strong king.
How could Jesus claim to be the Messiah and follow up the claim with another about His future suffering and dying?
This would have created a lot of tension in the minds of the disciples about who the Messiah really was.
We will see that tension play out as we go through the book.
Jesus’ words about rising from the dead seem to have been missed by the disciples, they were focused on the suffering and dying part (this is more obvious in the other gospel accounts, see Mat 16:22).
Luke 9:23-24
Luk 9:23 And he said to all, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me.
Luk 9:24 For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will save it.
If you were a disciple, and in your mind, the Messiah was going to be a victorious, conquering, earthly king, you probably would have assumed following Him would result in some kind of reward for you.
A position of honor.
Monetary reward.
Victory over your enemies.
When Jesus introduced the idea that what awaited Him and His followers was a cross (crucifixion), there were probably many confused faces staring back at Him.
“What does crucifixion have to do with the Savior of the Jewish nation?”
“What does crucifixion have to do with me?!”
“Maybe I need to rethink my decision to follow this guy!”
“Maybe this guy doesn’t know what He is talking about. I don’t remember hearing about a crucified Messiah in my Sabbath morning synagogue class!”
It's easy for us to look at this statement and to understand exactly what Jesus was saying because we are on the far side of the cross, but try to put yourself in the shoes of a 1st Century Jew before the cross.
Jesus was talking about the cross on which He would die for the sins of the world.
He would be sacrificed as the Lamb of God for the sins of the world.
In light of His sacrifice, He called His followers to be willing to take up a cross of their own.
This doesn’t mean all Christians will be literally crucified.
But it does mean Christians will have to make sacrifices of their own in the service of Jesus.
Jesus made the sufficient sacrifice to save the world.
Christians make sacrifices to spread the message of good news, that all who come to Jesus can be saved.
That message isn’t always popular.
We may be persecuted.
We may lose opportunities or career options if we live in a country/community that is opposed to Jesus.
We also sacrifice in the sense that we give up our lives and give them to God. There are times a Christian must give up personal ambitions to pursue God.
Being a Christian means sacrificing who you want to be in order to become who God wants you to be.
It means losing your life so God can make something of it and save you to a better eternal life.
Those who refuse to relinquish control to God will eventually lose everything.
Let me try to explain this verse in another way (I find it difficult to explain clearly):
Jesus made the statement, “For whoever would save his life will lose it”
Matthew records a similar statement, “Whoever finds his life will lose it” (Matthew 10:39).
When Jesus talked about saving life, I understand Him to be talking about where a person’s heart belongs.
Mat 6:21 – “For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”
A person’s “life” is what they live for and value.
If we live to enjoy and maximize the pleasures of this world and our greatest desire is to stay in this world to enjoy what it offers, the outcome isn’t going to be good for us.
Because eventually everyone dies and loses everything.
These are people who think the reason for living is to enjoy life on earth.
They attempt to “find” their life on earth.
Who look to temporal things as their source of joy.
If you put all your stock in this world, you will lose it all in the end.
So Jesus was saying, if we find the highest affection of our lives to be something in this world (family, money, marriage, friends, etc) we will lose our lives in the end. Meaning, when this world passes away, so will our highest affection, and we will have nothing left. Not to mention, our souls will be in danger because we did not acknowledge Christ as our greatest affection (therefore He will not acknowledge us).
But if we find our highest affection in Jesus, our heart will not belong to a temporal world corrupted by moth and rust (Matthew 6:20), and when all of this passes away we will inherit new life (true, real, and lasting life) when Christ acknowledges us before the Father.
Whoever surrenders (loses) his life to Christ will find what it really means to “live” in Him. (Matthew 10:39).
Luke 9:25-26
Luk 9:25 For what does it profit a man if he gains the whole world and loses or forfeits himself?
Luk 9:26 For whoever is ashamed of me and of my words, of him will the Son of Man be ashamed when he comes in his glory and the glory of the Father and of the holy angels.
Compounding the previous thought, Jesus asked, “For what does it profit a man if he gains the whole world and loses or forfeits himself?”
Let’s say you’re better at living for this world than anyone else!
You acquire all the money.
You get all the power.
You can procure for yourself anything you desire.
How much is your paper money worth to God?
God spoke a word and created everything you worked so hard to acquire and more.
God doesn’t care about your paper money or your powerful earthly influence.
Psalm 24:1 The earth is the LORD’s and the fullness thereof, the world and those who dwell therein,
Money can’t buy your soul.
The only thing that can buy back your soul (redeem it) is the blood of Jesus.
If you aren’t covered by that blood, you don’t have any hope.
If you are ashamed of claiming Jesus or you believe yourself to be your own savior, Jesus’ blood will not save you.
On the flip-side, if you are unashamed of Christ, willing to pick up your cross daily, and acknowledge Him as your only hope, He will acknowledge that you are covered by His blood when you stand before God at the end of time.
The end of verse 26 is a reference to the end of the world.
Time will end and “eternity” will begin.
Jesus will come back to the earth in a glorified state (not as a man), gather the souls of men, and judge the world.
You notice, Jesus didn’t sugar coat His invitation.
This wasn’t a dressed-up sales pitch.
He described His proposition as a daily crucifixion.
He didn’t tell the people about the pros while leaving out the cons.
APPLICATION:
We shouldn’t sugar coat our presentation of the gospel either.
The gospel is great news, but it isn’t news that can be accepted without sacrifice.
We need to make that clear up front when we invite someone to become a Christian.
Jesus talked about taking up the cross daily and counting the cost of being His disciple (Luke 14).
He was very up front with His audience and we should be as well.
A lot of times we shy away from speaking as boldly as Jesus because we don’t want to scare people off.
But repeatedly, in the gospels, we see Jesus losing His audience because of His bluntness about what was required to be His disciple.
This loss of people didn’t seem to concern Jesus because He was interested in the souls of those who were ready to lose their lives to save them.
Luke 9:27
Luk 9:27 But I tell you truly, there are some standing here who will not taste death until they see the kingdom of God.”
This last section of Jesus’ teaching wouldn’t have been easy for the disciples to understand, especially if they had misconceptions about the Messiah figure.
They may have begun to doubt the Kingdom of God was coming anytime soon.
The end of verse 26, where Jesus comes in great glory probably sounded a lot more like the Kingdom of God they had envisioned, but that wasn’t the way Jesus had presented Himself during His ministry, and I doubt they could see how crucifixion fit into the equation.
We know from the rest of the book of Luke that they didn’t have all of these puzzle pieces figured out.
They were confused about how a Kingdom could be established through crucifixion.
So, I view verse 27 as an encouraging clarification for the disciples.
Jesus plainly told them the Kingdom of God would arrive within their lifetime.
At this moment they didn’t understand how, but they could be encouraged in knowing God would bring it about.
It was close, they would get to see it, and they were to put their trust in Jesus to work everything out.
Luke 9:28
Luk 9:28 Now about eight days after these sayings he took with him Peter and John and James and went up on the mountain to pray.
Eight days later, Jesus took three of His disciples up “the mountain” to pray.
The exact location of the “mountain” is unknown.
Some suggest it was Mount Tabor in southern Galilee while other point to Mount Hermon.
Mt. Tabor
Mt. Tabor in 2011
Mt. Hermon
Mt. Hermon
Why did Jesus only opt to take only 3 of His Apostles with Him to witness this event?
We are not told.
This was not the only time Jesus permitted these three to witness events hidden from the other 9.
Did they need extra faith building?
Was this a privilege for their devotion?
We don’t know and I’m not sure speculation is fruitful in this case.
In order to pick up all the small details of this event, it is important to read all three of the gospel writer’s accounts:
Matthew 17
Mark 9
Luke 9
As Jesus was praying, He began to change.
Matthew 17:2 says He was “transfigured.”
What does it mean to be “transfigured”?
I found this etymology chart interesting for the origin of the English word.
To move “across figures”
Synonyms include: change, alter, metamorphoses.
What about the Greek?
According to Strongs, the term carries the same meaning, to transform or
change.
The same word is used in 2 other familiar passages
Rom 12:2 - Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.
2Co 3:18 - And we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another. For this comes from the Lord who is the Spirit.
SIDE NOTE: Notice, as we behold the glory of Christ we are transfigured.
Luke 9:29-31
Luk 9:29 And as he was praying, the appearance of his face was altered, and his clothing became dazzling white.
Luk 9:30 And behold, two men were talking with him, Moses and Elijah,
Luk 9:31 who appeared in glory and spoke of his departure, which he was about to accomplish at Jerusalem.
While praying, Jesus’ appearance changed.
Luke reads, “the appearance of his face was altered.”
Matthew reads, “His face shown like the sun”
“His clothes became white as light”
Mark adds “as no one on earth could bleach them” (Mark 9:3).
If you read John’s vision of Christ in Revelation 1, you’ll see the similarities in the appearance of Jesus.
One commentator I read rightly pointed out that while we think of this transformation as a miracle, the true miracle was God’s consistent appearance as a normal man.
The Apostles saw a sliver of Christ’s true appearance escaping from its human shell.
It may be a greater miracle that Christ’s glory didn’t come bursting out of Him on a daily basis than that it made a momentary appearance in this instance.
Jesus’ appearance wasn’t the only thing that changed. The attendees at the prayer gathering also increased.
Along with the Apostles and Jesus, two new men were present, Moses and Elijah.
Why these two men?
There are many significant Old Testament characters so why did Jesus choose these two?
It is likely because they represented two pillars of the Old Testament system, the Law and the Prophets.
Moses was God’s chosen law giver and Elijah represented the authority of God’s prophets.
Moses provided the people with the Laws of God and the prophets worked among the people to encourage them to follow the Law.
Luke’s account tells us the two men were speaking to Jesus about “His departure, which He was about to accomplish at Jerusalem” (Luke 9:31).
Luke 9:32-33
Luk 9:32 Now Peter and those who were with him were heavy with sleep, but when they became fully awake they saw his glory and the two men who stood with him.
Luk 9:33 And as the men were parting from him, Peter said to Jesus, “Master, it is good that we are here. Let us make three tents, one for you and one for Moses and one for Elijah”—not knowing what he said.
The three Apostles who accompanied Jesus fell asleep sometime while Jesus was praying.
When they woke up and came to their senses, they saw Jesus in a glorious form conversing with Moses and Elijah.
Somehow Peter knew the identity of the two guests.
The Bible doesn’t reveal how He knew (not like they would have had pictures of men who lived 1000+ years before them).
All three gospel accounts seem to suggest the guests did not stay with Jesus long.
As Moses and Elijah were departing to go back to the spiritual realm, Peter exclaimed, “Master, it is good that we are here. Let us make three tents, one for you and one for Moses and one for Elijah.”
He said this “not knowing what he said” (Luke 9:33).
Mark says, “For he did not know what to say, for they were terrified” (Mark 9:5).
APPLICATION:
Sometimes its ok to keep your mouth shut.
You don’t have to comment on everything you observe.
In this case, as we will see in a moment, Peter would have done better by not saying anything.
While these may not have been Peter’s wisest words, they show he was anxious to please Jesus (even if He didn’t exactly know how).
What did Peter mean “make three tents?”
The word for “tent” used here is the same word used for “tabernacle” in the New Testament (used a lot in the book of Hebrews).
In the Old Testament, the tabernacle was a tent (a very elaborate tent) where the Ark of the Covenant was kept during the period of the wilderness wanderings and the time of the Judges.
The Jewish tabernacle was the place of God’s presence and a place of worship.
The Temple in Jerusalem replaced the tabernacle during the reign of Solomon.
The same word is used to refer to other places of worship (idol worship) such as the “tent of Moloch” (Acts 7:43).
So, what was Peter suggesting?
He seems to have been saying, “Let’s construct a monument or a holy site or a place of worship in honor of Moses, Elijah, and Jesus.”
Luke 9:34-36
Luk 9:34 As he was saying these things, a cloud came and overshadowed them, and they were afraid as they entered the cloud.
Luk 9:35 And a voice came out of the cloud, saying, “This is my Son, my Chosen One; listen to him!”
Luk 9:36 And when the voice had spoken, Jesus was found alone. And they kept silent and told no one in those days anything of what they had seen.
Peter’s question about the three tents received an immediate response.
A cloud overshadowed them (Matthew calls it a “bright cloud”).
A voice came out of the cloud, saying, “This is my Son, my Chosen One; listen to Him.”
Whatever this voice sounded like, it must have been more than the voice of a human because the Apostles were terrified and fell immediately on their faces (a very common response to hearing the voice of God in the Bible).
What did God intend to communicate?
God was rejecting Peter’s offer to build three tabernacles.
Why?
For one, Jesus had no need of a physical tent/tabernacle.
For two, elevating Moses and Elijah to the level of Christ was a mistake.
Christ was greater than the Law giver and the prophets.
Jesus was going to accomplish what the Old Law couldn’t and He was the fulfillment of all of its prophecies.
The voice from heaven distinguished Christ from the other two and clarified whose instructions the Apostles needed to heed.
With their presence, Moses and Elijah confirmed the identity of Jesus and the Father sealed their confirmation with His unbreakable word.
The appearance of Moses and Elijah would have been a powerful and significant moment, especially for a Jew wrestling with the identity of Jesus.
In a broader sense, this would have communicated a shift in the identity of God’s authorized messenger.
For thousands of years, Moses and the prophets had been the authorized mouthpieces of God, but now God was giving all authority over to His Son and had sent Him into the world as the “Word” of God (John 1).
There was no need to honor all three men, Jesus deserved all the honor.
When the voice had spoken, the two guests disappeared as quickly as they had come.
Jesus told the Apostles not to tell anyone what they had witnessed until He had risen from the dead (Mark 9:9).
The reason is not specifically given.
Peter does make reference to this experience in 2 Peter 1:16 and it seems his readers had at least some familiarity with the events on the “holy mountain.”
2Pe 1:16-18 - For we did not follow cleverly devised myths when we made known to you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but we were eyewitnesses of his majesty. For when he received honor and glory from God the Father, and the voice was borne to him by the Majestic Glory, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased,” we ourselves heard this very voice borne from heaven, for we were with him on the holy mountain.
Luke 9:37-42
Luk 9:37 On the next day, when they had come down from the mountain, a great crowd met him.
Luk 9:38 And behold, a man from the crowd cried out, “Teacher, I beg you to look at my son, for he is my only child.
Luk 9:39 And behold, a spirit seizes him, and he suddenly cries out. It convulses him so that he foams at the mouth, and shatters him, and will hardly leave him.
Luk 9:40 And I begged your disciples to cast it out, but they could not.”
Luk 9:41 Jesus answered, “O faithless and twisted generation, how long am I to be with you and bear with you? Bring your son here.”
Luk 9:42 While he was coming, the demon threw him to the ground and convulsed him. But Jesus rebuked the unclean spirit and healed the boy, and gave him back to his father.
Mark’s account of this interaction contains a few more details than Matthew and Luke’s so I would encourage you to read this narrative in Mark 9.
Luke tells us this occurred the day following the Transfiguration as Jesus and the three Apostles were coming down from the mountain (Mark 9:14; Matthew 17:14).
This timeline suggests Jesus met with Moses and Elijah at night before coming down the mountain the next day.
This seems probable and fits with the sleepiness of the 3 Apostles.
When Jesus descended the mountain, a man approached Him wanting Him to heal his demon possessed son.
The father had asked Jesus’ disciples to cast the demon out but they had failed.
In verse 41, Jesus gave a very stern rebuke.
Jesus appears to have been venting His frustration with the faithlessness of those around Him.
How many miracles had He already performed and yet doubts still existed?
Was this condemnation meant for the disciples who had failed to cast out the demon?
It is possible.
This wouldn’t be the first time Jesus called them faithless.
“Twisted” can be understood as being bent out of one’s original direction.
Earlier in the chapter we read how the Apostles had performed miracles with confidence, but here we find something hindering them.
Somehow their faith had been thrown off course.
I think it is also possible the harsher part of this condemnation was meant for the scribes.
Although they aren't mentioned in Matthew or Luke’s account, the gospel of Mark tells us the scribes were present and were arguing with the disciples, perhaps mocking them for failing to cast out the demon.
The scribes had witnessed enough of Jesus' miracles to know He had the power to cast out demons.
Their continual harassment of Jesus’ disciples was due to their hard-hearted faithlessness.
Their wickedness and faithlessness may have been the target of Jesus’ ire.
Following His rebuke, Jesus asked for the boy to be brought to Him and He cast out the demon.
APPLICATION:
Jesus’ followers are not always perfect representative of Him.
Many have a bad impression of Christ because they had a bad experience with someone who claimed to be His follower.
It is important to remember 2 things:
Christians are not perfect like their Savior (which is why they need a Savior). It’s possible to be wronged by an honest Christian who makes a mistake or falls into sin.
Many wear the name “Christian” but are not genuine followers of Christ.
Neither of the aforementioned facts invalidate Jesus or the Christian faith.
Don’t judge the entire Christian faith based on a bad experience you had with a Christian.
It’s not rational to evaluate the validity of Christianity using a handful of personal experiences.
If you want to evaluate Christianity, you have to evaluate the words and character of Jesus Himself.
Luke 9:43-45
Luk 9:43 And all were astonished at the majesty of God. But while they were all marveling at everything he was doing, Jesus said to his disciples,
Luk 9:44 “Let these words sink into your ears: The Son of Man is about to be delivered into the hands of men.”
Luk 9:45 But they did not understand this saying, and it was concealed from them, so that they might not perceive it. And they were afraid to ask him about this saying.
There was great amazement at Jesus’ power, but Jesus reigned it in with His next statement.
“Let these words sink into your ears: The Son of Man is about to be delivered into the hands of men.”
Even though Jesus had amazing power over the demons, He was going to be arrested and killed by men (“be delivered into the hands of men”).
The disciples were ready to accept Jesus as the Christ while He was walking around performing miracles.
Would they still be willing to accept Him as the Christ after His arrest and murder?
The disciples didn’t understand what Jesus was telling them.
Luke adds a curious statement here, he writes, “it was concealed from them, so that they might not perceive it.”
Who or what concealed it?
Who or what kept them from understanding?
Did Jesus keep the disciples from understanding?
I think it is possible.
To me, the wording of verse 45 sounds like Jesus’ statement was concealed to keep the disciples from fully comprehending.
Jesus may have had a reason to keep the mystery of the cross veiled for the time being.
I suspect the reason He made the statement was to give the disciples a prophecy they would only understand post-fulfillment.
But He told the disciples to let the “words sink into your ears.”
He wanted them to store them away in their brains.
Because one day they would recall them and comprehend what Jesus had meant.
In that moment of comprehension, they would again be amazed at the power of Jesus and know of a certainty that He was the Messiah.
Another possibility… Did the disciples’ bias keep them from understanding.
We’ve already discussed the Jew’s preconceived notions about the Christ.
The Jews viewed the Messiah as a conqueror, not a victim.
This bias may have kept them from comprehending Jesus’ words about being “delivered into the hands of men.”
APPLICATION:
We need to be constantly evaluating if what we believe is true or just tradition.
We don’t want to find ourselves in a position where we are unable to comprehend Jesus’ words because our minds are biased by an erroneous tradition.
“And from this we may learn that the plainest truths of the Bible are unintelligible to many because they have embraced some belief or opinion before which is erroneous, and which they are unwilling to abandon. The proper way of reading the Bible is to lay aside all previous opinions and submit entirely to God.” (Barnes).
The disciples were afraid to ask Jesus to explain, probably not wanting to reveal their lack of comprehension, but of course, Jesus knew.
Luke 9:46-48
Luk 9:46 An argument arose among them as to which of them was the greatest.
Luk 9:47 But Jesus, knowing the reasoning of their hearts, took a child and put him by his side
Luk 9:48 and said to them, “Whoever receives this child in my name receives me, and whoever receives me receives him who sent me. For he who is least among you all is the one who is great.”
It doesn’t matter what kind of group you belong to, there will always be temptations to compete.
This is true on sports teams, in the business world, in creative professions, and yes, even in places of faith.
By nature, Jesus’ followers were no different, but He was going to teach them the way of the Kingdom of Heaven.
Mark 9 tells us the Apostles were arguing about their greatness as they were walking on the road to Capernaum.
When they arrived, Jesus called them to Him and asked them what they had been arguing about, but they didn’t want to tell Him.
APPLICATION:
How many arguments would we engage in if we knew Jesus was going to ask us about them later?
How many disagreements do we involve ourselves in that we would be ashamed to tell Jesus about?
How many things do we talk about that we would be ashamed to admit to if Jesus asked?
In order to teach the Apostles a better way, Jesus took a child in His arms (9:36) and collected their attention.
He told them “Whoever receives this child in my name receives me, and whoever receives me receives him who sent me. For he who is least among you all is the one who is great.
The Apostles thought greatness meant holding a position of honor and being received into the homes of important people.
Jesus taught them greatness was receiving the humble into their care.
Being a servant of the humble is greatness in the Kingdom of Heaven.
Think about the work Jesus was engaged in that very moment.
The King of Heaven had come to earth.
Why?
To be honored by men?
No, to sacrifice Himself in humility and save the poor in spirit.
Greatness is found in mimicking Christ.
Luke 9:49-50
Luk 9:49 John answered, “Master, we saw someone casting out demons in your name, and we tried to stop him, because he does not follow with us.”
Luk 9:50 But Jesus said to him, “Do not stop him, for the one who is not against you is for you.”
Evidently, the Apostles had seen a man who had the power to cast out demons.
The man was casting demons out of people in the name of Jesus (by Jesus’ authority and power).
The Apostles had tried to stop the man because he wasn’t an Apostle.
They were probably confused at how the man even had such power considering he wasn’t among the 12 who received it at the beginning of chapter 9.
Jesus told John they shouldn’t have stopped the man because he was on their side.
In Mark 9:39 Jesus said, “Do not stop him, for no one who does a mighty work in my name will be able soon afterward to speak evil of me.
If this man was a blasphemer or someone who was going to speak negatively about Jesus, God never would have enabled him to cast out the demon.
There was no reason to stop him because he was someone who honored Christ.
Luke 9:51-56
Luk 9:51 When the days drew near for him to be taken up, he set his face to go to Jerusalem.
Luk 9:52 And he sent messengers ahead of him, who went and entered a village of the Samaritans, to make preparations for him.
Luk 9:53 But the people did not receive him, because his face was set toward Jerusalem.
Luk 9:54 And when his disciples James and John saw it, they said, “Lord, do you want us to tell fire to come down from heaven and consume them?”
Luk 9:55 But he turned and rebuked them.
Luk 9:56 And they went on to another village.
As the days of Jesus’ ministry progressed and He got closer and closer to the day He would ascend to heaven, He decided to make a trip to Jerusalem.
He determined He would go through Samaria (instead of the typical route around it).
He sent messengers ahead of Him to make preparations for His arrival but the people of Samaria rejected them.
They didn’t want to be hospitable to Jesus because He was set to go to Jerusalem and they didn’t get along with the Jews who lived to the south.
The Samaritans didn’t honor Jerusalem the way the Jews did.
They believed Mount Gerizim was the place of God’s presence and they built a temple there to compete with the one in Jerusalem.
When James and John heard about this, they asked Jesus if He wanted fire to come down from heaven and destroy the Samaritans.
The Samaritans had personally insulted Jesus.
James and John thought they should be harshly rebuked and punished.
But Jesus turned to James and John and rebuked them.
Jesus hadn’t come to the world to destroy people who offended God, but to save them.
Can you imagine what Jesus’ ministry would have looked like if He brought down fire from heaven on everyone who did Him wrong?
Herod… dead.
Pharisees and scribes… dead.
High Priest… dead.
Multitudes of people… dead.
Apostles… dead.
Roman soldiers… dead.
Pilate… dead.
Jesus came to save the people who did Him wrong.
Jesus came to save us even though we’ve all sinned and offended God.
APPLICATION:
Jesus didn’t allow personal offense to distract Him from His purpose.
He didn’t get distracted with taking vengeance out on these people.
He had a bigger mission.
We need to be the same way.
It is easy to lose sight of our bigger mission to save souls when someone offends us.
It’s easy to get distracted with taking vengeance.
We need to stay focused.
We aren’t here to judge the world, repay evil, and right every wrong done to us.
We are here to help the world be saved.
When we comprehend that bigger vision it will be easier to let go of offenses.
Jesus let the offense of the Samaritans go and took His Apostles on to another town.
Luke 9:57-62
Luk 9:57 As they were going along the road, someone said to him, “I will follow you wherever you go.”
Luk 9:58 And Jesus said to him, “Foxes have holes, and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay his head.”
Luk 9:59 To another he said, “Follow me.” But he said, “Lord, let me first go and bury my father.”
Luk 9:60 And Jesus said to him, “Leave the dead to bury their own dead. But as for you, go and proclaim the kingdom of God.”
Luk 9:61 Yet another said, “I will follow you, Lord, but let me first say farewell to those at my home.”
Luk 9:62 Jesus said to him, “No one who puts his hand to the plow and looks back is fit for the kingdom of God.”
People were approaching Jesus as He walked on the road and they were expressing their interest in being one of His disciples.
Jesus warned the first man about the potential difficulties He faced if he became a disciple.
Jesus didn’t have a home.
Jesus wanted the man to know that following Him may cost him his home and comforts.
APPLICATION:
Almost all of us have a home.
A place we feel comfortable.
A place with the people we love.
Not every Christian’s calling will require them to leave home, but some will, and all need to prepared for that possible sacrifice.
Mat 10:37 Whoever loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me, and whoever loves son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me.
The sacrifice is potentially very great, but so is the reward!
Mat 19:29 And everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or children or lands, for my name's sake, will receive a hundredfold and will inherit eternal life.
APPLICATION:
Is this how we respond to people who say they want to be followers of Jesus
Probably not, right?
Usually we congratulate them on their commitment.
We pat them on the back and tell them they’ve made the best decision of their lives.
But do we warn them ahead of time about the commitment?
About what it really costs to die to yourself daily?
If we did, we might have fewer “converts,” but we might have more genuine believers.
The second man was called by Jesus to be His follower.
He said he would follow but needed to bury his father first.
That sounds like a reasonable excuse, right?
Jesus didn’t think so, He responded, “Leave the dead to bury their own dead. But as for you, go and proclaim the kingdom of God.”
The easiest way for me to explain this statement is with a paraphrase.
A paraphrase might be, “Let those who are spiritually dead attend to the physical affairs of a dying world, but those who are spiritually alive must follow me and proclaim spiritual life.
In a more general sense, the paraphrase might be something like, “Even the things you believe are most important, like burying a parent, ought to fall lower on the priority scale than following Me!”
A third man told Jesus he would follow Him after saying farewell to the people at home.
Again, that seems pretty reasonable to us.
However, Jesus didn’t care for the response.
He pressed the immediate necessity of following Him.
Nothing was to distract a person from following Him immediately
APPLICATION:
We all have an urgent need to follow Jesus.
When we realize how badly we need Jesus, nothing should hinder us from pursuing Him.
We aren’t guaranteed another minute of life.
Souls are at stake and there isn’t any time for delay.
Once we’ve seen the need we need to respond as quickly as possible.
The need for commitment was emphasized by Jesus’ last statement.
“No one who puts his hand to the plow and looks back is fit for the kingdom of God” (Luke 9:62).
This illustration isn’t as obvious to 21st Century readers as it would have been to 1st Century listeners.
When a farmer plowed rows in his field, he had to keep the plow straight while his oxen/mule pulled it through the ground.
If he got distracted and started looking around, his row would end up crooked, instead of straight.
He had to stay focused on the work immediately in front of him.
Jesus wanted this third man to stay focused on what he knew he needed to do that moment (follow Jesus). He didn’t want him returning home where he might get distracted or lose his conviction.
APPLICATION:
I think most churches can probably do a better job at helping new Christian stay focused on the conviction that led them to become a disciple of Jesus’
Often, following conversion, churches don’t have ways to engage new Christians.
That lack of engagement can tempt new Christians to start looking back at their old life.
Churches should make an effort to help people put their hand to the plow and not look back.
Now, this section of scripture can make Jesus sound heartless, as if He didn’t care about this man who just lost his father and isn’t even willing to let another say his goodbyes to his family.
Was Jesus against saying goodbye to loved ones or burying one’s father?
No.
I don’t think Jesus intended to diminish the virtue of either of those two things.
Instead Jesus was elevating the priority of becoming a disciple.
Even the best and most important things on earth are to be lower on our priority list than following Jesus.
I believe that’s the point He was driving home to them and us.
