Luke 9

Luke 9:1

After giving them both ability and authority, Jesus commissioned the twelve to go out in simplicity and do what they had seen Him do previously.

Luke 9:7

Herod was haunted by the similarity between this One of whom he was hearing and the one whom he had beheaded.

Luke 9:10

Knowing power had been drawn from Him, Jesus asked, “Who touched My clothes?” (Mar_5:30). So, too, knowing His disciples had need of replenishment and refreshment following their season of ministry, He took them to Bethsaida, or, “the House of Provision.” Whether your ministry be to a congregation, Sunday-school class, family, or your friends at school, it is extremely important to allow the Lord to escort you into quiet times and solitary places in order to recharge the batteries of your faith.

Luke 9:11

Here we see the wonderful flexibility of Jesusfor although He was in a place of solitude and intimacy with His twelve, He was still available to those in need.

Luke 9:12

The disciples saw the need of the hungry people, and what did they say? “Tell them to go get a burger, to go find a hotel.” When people come to you asking for help with a hard situation or an answer to a troubling question, do you send them away, saying, “Call the church office. See if you can talk to one of the pastors because I can’t help you”? The problem is, you and I don’t think we have very much. “What good will my few sardines and couple of wheat thins be,” we ask, “in light of this huge need?” But, as He did to His disciples, Jesus would say to you, “You feed them. Even though your understanding may be limited and your resources seem scant, put them in My hands and watch Me multiply them miraculously to touch someone else deeply.” Twelve baskets of food remained: one for each disciple. When will you be most blessed? When you watch how the Lord uses your crackers and fish to minister His love to someone else. You may think you’re over your head. You may think you have nothing to say. You may think you can’t handle it. But when you see what the Lord does because you simply took time to pray or share the Word with someone, you’ll get back a whole basket yourself. Truly, whatever measure you give out will be given back to you (Luk_6:38). Therefore, take seriously every opportunity to help the people who cross your pathand watch and see what God will do both for them and for you.

Luke 9:18

The first time Jesus mentioned the fact that He would be crucified came only after there was inspiration and revelation that He was the Christ. Inspiration and revelation always precede understanding about tribulation. Therefore, I think believers err when they talk about the cost of being a Christian before talking about the beauty of Jesus.

Luke 9:23

Jesus burst on the scene with a revolutionary concept never before heard in any spiritual teaching or philosophy when He said, “If you want life, lose it. The more you let go of yourself, the happier you’ll be. The more you give yourself away, the richer you’ll be. The key is to deny yourself, to take up your cross and follow Me.” He said this not to torture or torment us. He said this to liberate and bless us. And whoever lives for others and takes his eyes off himself will discover the truth of Jesus’ words.

Luke 9:26

He who doesn’t take seriously Jesus’ call to the cross will not hear Him say, “Well done, good and faithful servant. Enter into the joy of the Lord” (Mat_25:21). I believe Jesus said this knowing His words in verses Mat_25:24-25 would have sounded so impossible to His disciples that they would have thought He couldn’t have meant what He said.

Luke 9:27

“Some who are hearing these words of Mine will see the reality of the kingdom before they taste of death physically,” Jesus said. And indeed this came to pass eight days later…

Luke 9:28

I believe this transfiguration, this glowing, was the original intent of the Father for each of us. That is, I believe that had man lived perfectly without sinning in the Garden of Eden, we too would have been transfigured at some point and taken directly to heaven. But that’s not what happened to Adam and Eve. And that’s not what happens to you and me. We sin, so we die. We don’t glow; we rot. We don’t shine awesomely; we start to fall apart physically because the wages of sin is death (Rom_6:23). At this point, Jesus could have launched straight into heaven. But He didn’t. He would go down the Mount of Transfiguration in order that He might climb the Mount of Calvary in order to die for you and me.

Luke 9:30

The Greek word for “decease” is exodos. I like that word as a description of death. And who better than Moses to talk about an exodus?!

Luke 9:32

Peter, James, and John came to realize that even in talking about death, it was good to be with Jesus. “This is My beloved Son: hear Him,” God said to Peter. In other words, Jesus is infinitely superior to Moses and Elijah, to the law and the prophets.

Luke 9:36

The Greek phrase translated “for he is mine only child” is literally “for he is my only begotten son.” Thus, the only begotten Son of God is coming down the mountain to deal with the only begotten son of this father; the beloved Son is about to free a bedeviled son.

Luke 9:40

Jesus had given His disciples authority and power over demons in verse Luk_9:1. Yet here was a demon they couldn’t cast out. Was this because their power had “run out”? No, for the gifts and callings of God are without repentance (Rom_11:29). That is, He never takes them back. But even though the gifts of God remain in place, their effectiveness is not automatic. This is where people so easily err. God uses them in a counseling, teaching, evangelistic or hospitality ministry, and they think, That’s my gift. And it is. But when it starts losing its effectiveness, they wonder why. “This kind does not go out except by prayer and fasting,” Jesus said. In other words, “The authority is given, the power is present, but it won’t operate without your participating in prayer and fasting.” Therefore, although you might have been one of the most gifted witnesses in the whole country, you’re ineffective today if you have not been maintaining that gift by prayer and fasting, by spending time in the presence of God.

Luke 9:44

Why did Jesus speak of His crucifixion directly after He cast out this demon? I believe the answer is found in Colossians 2, where Paul declared that Jesus was nailed to the Cross, blotting out the handwriting of ordinances against us and spoiling the principalities and powers that would come against us. Where were Satan and his demonic henchmen totally defeated? At the Cross. The Cross is the key to seeing people released from the power of the demonic because Satan gains entry at the point a person commits a sin habitually. And nothing short of the blood of Jesus can cause Satan to lose his grip.

Luke 9:46

When did the disciples start arguing about their greatness? When, even though they had been given the power to cast out demons, they failed in their attempt to do so. Such is human nature. You can always tell when a person is aware of his shortcomings by his telling you how great he is. Conversely, a person who is truly great never has to talk about it or prove it.

Luke 9:49

Evidently, the disciples forbade this man not because of his theology, but because of their own jealousy. And Jesus’ word to them is equally applicable to me.

Luke 9:51

On the heels of the previous incident, wherein John and James were quick to castigate anyone outside of their circle, this incident casts further light on the tendency of these “sons of thunder” to prove how fired-up they were by blasting others. A ministry of fault-finding requires no skill because if I say, “You’re not praying enough,” who will disagree? If I say, “You’re not worshiping enough,” who will argue? I could rail on people for any number of things, and the response would always be, “Preach it, brother!” because we are all aware of our shortcomings in every area of our walk. It is so easy to blast and call down fire upon people. But all you do is burn them in the process. Of Jesus, Isaiah prophesied, “He shall not strive in the streets, break the bruised reed, or quench the smoking flax” (Isa_42:2-3).

In other words, to the flax barely smoldering, Jesus doesn’t say, “Only smoldering, huh?” before drowning it with a bucket of water. To the broken reed, He doesn’t say, “Broken, eh?” before crushing it with a heavy foot. That’s not His ministry, mentality, or personality. He’s a compassionate High Priest who understands our frailty (Heb_4:15).

Luke 9:55

John, the son of thunder, was transformed into the Apostle of Love. How? By hanging around Jesus. You might feel like you’re harsh or insensitive, that you lack tenderness or compassion. The good news is this: Those characteristics will be changed as you continue to spend time with the Lord. You see, the “nature vs. nurture” debate over whether a personality is shaped by one’s environment or whether it is determined by one’s heredity takes a backseat to the question of with whom one associates. If you spend time with Jesus, you will become like Him. Oh, it may not happen quickly, but it will happen with certainty.

Luke 9:57

Material obstacles kept this man from following Jesus.

Luke 9:59

Parental obligations stood in the way of this man following Jesus. “I hear Your call upon my life,” he said, “but first let me wait until my parents are no longer alivethen my obligation to them will be fulfilled.”

Luke 9:61

“I’ll follow You, Lord,” said the third man, “but let me talk it over with my family. Let me see what they say about following You so radically.” There are always reasons not to follow Jesus. No wonder He could use a man like Paul, who said, “This one thing I do, forgetting the things which lie behind, I press on. I don’t dwell on the past or look back. I simply press on” (Php_3:13).