Luke 9

CHAPTER 9THEME: Jesus commissions and sends forth the Twelve; Jesus feeds the five thousand; Jesus announces His death and resurrection; transfigured; Jesus casts out demons from an only son; Jesus sets His face toward Jerusalem; Jesus puts down test for discipleship

Luke 9:1

JESUS COMMISSIONS AND SENDS FORTH THE TWELVEWhen our Lord was here on earth, He gave the gift of healing to His apostles. It was one of the “sign” gifts. It served as the credential of the apostlesto demonstrate that they were who they claimed to be. When the church got under way (before the New Testament was in written form), the sign of an apostle was the fact that he had the “sign” gifts. Peter could heal the sick and raise the dead. Paul could heal the sick and raise the dead. To do this was proof that they were true apostles of the Lord Jesus Christ. Jesus sent His disciples out to preach the Kingdom of God and to heal the sick. This took place before He died upon the cross. Today the important thing is not healing. If you will read the Epistles carefully, you will see that even though Paul had the gift of healing, toward the end of his ministry he apparently did not exercise it at all. He told Timothy to take a little wine for his stomach’s sake (see 1Ti_5:23) but did not heal him. Paul himself had a “…thorn in the flesh …” (2Co_12:7), and though he asked God to remove it, God did not remove it.

Also he wrote to Timothy, “…Trophimus have I left at Miletum sick” (2Ti_4:20). Why did not Paul heal his friend Trophimus? Paul, you see, had come to the end of his ministry, and the sign gifts even then were beginning to disappear from the church. Apparently when Scripture became a part of the church, the gift of healing passed from the scene. Authority moved from a person to the page of Scripture, the Word of God. Toward the end of his life John warned that correct doctrine was a man’s credential. “If there come any unto you, and bring not this doctrine, receive him not into your house, neither bid him God speed” (2Jn_1:10, italics mine).

Paul said, “But though we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel unto you than that which we have preached unto you, let him be accursed” (Gal_1:8). The word accursed is the Greek word anathema and means “damned.” That is very strong language which places absolute authority in the Scriptures.

Luke 9:2

Some people use this passage as a basis for their ministry today. Watch such a preacher, and see if he takes an offering. See if he takes anything with him when he goes on a journeyscrip (which means a suitcase), food, or money. Our Lord gave these instructions to His twelve disciples, not to us.

Luke 9:4

Of course today the laborer is worthy of his hire. I feel that any man who is giving out the Word of God should be supported. In the days of Christ the situation was different. The disciples had to stay in private homes because there were no Holiday Inns or Hilton Hotels. All entertaining was done in private homes.

Luke 9:5

The impact of their ministry affected even Herod.

Luke 9:7

Herod was the ruler who had been responsible for the imprisonment and execution of John the Baptist. Mark tells us that Herod was afraid Jesus was John the Baptist come back to life. The curiosity of Herod caused him to want to see Jesus.

Luke 9:10

This furnishes the setting for feeding the five thousand. He had taken them aside to restbut there was no opportunity for that. Certainly the crowd was inconsiderate; yet our Lord graciously received themtaught them and healed those who were ill.

Luke 9:12

JESUS FEEDS THE FIVE THOUSANDThey put themselves in the unlovely position of being advisors of Christtelling Him what to do. Unfortunately, many of us are guilty of doing this today. Friend, He doesn’t need our suggestions. Now they become financial advisors, economic experts.

Luke 9:14

At last they are in their rightful place, obeying Christ.

Luke 9:16

Matthew, Mark, and John also record the feeding of five thousand. Notice that our Lord assigns His disciples an impossible task. They must learn, as we must learn, that He always commands the impossible. The reason is obviousHe intends to do the work. The Creator, who made the fish in the beginning and causes the grain to multiply in the fields, now by His fiat word creates food for the crowd. This may have been the first time many in this crowd ever were filled. The “fragments” which were left do not refer to what we might put in the garbage can. Rather, they were pieces of food which had not been served. God always provides a surplus.

Luke 9:18

JESUS ANNOUNCES HIS DEATHAND RESURRECTIONThe important question here is, who is Jesus? Jesus wanted to know men’s estimate of Him. I am sure His purpose in asking this question of them was to crystalize in their thinking who He actually was. There was much confusion regarding His person. Notice that all opinions were high, but all fell short of who He was and is. The finest thing Peter ever said was, “…Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God” (see Mat_16:16 for his entire statement).

Luke 9:22

Again Jesus prepares them for His approaching death. But notice that He never mentions His death without also mentioning His resurrection.

Luke 9:23

Here He is not putting down a condition of salvation but stating the position of those who are saved. This is what He is talking about. “Whosoever shall be ashamed of me and of my words, of him shall the Son of man be ashamed.” What kind of Christian are you today? Are you one who acknowledges Him and serves Him and attempts to glorify Him? My friend, this is all important in these days in which we live.

Luke 9:27

TRANSFIGUREDIn dealing with the Transfiguration, Dr. Luke adds something that the other Gospel writers leave out. Simon Peter interprets this verse for us. He said that he saw the Kingdom. Where did he see it? Peter was with the Lord on the holy mount and was an eyewitness of it. He tells us about it in 2Pe_1:16-18 which says, “For we have not followed cunningly devised fables, when we made known unto you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but were eyewitnesses of his majesty. For he received from God the Father honour and glory, when there came such a voice to him from the excellent glory, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.

And this voice which came from heaven we heard, when we were with him in the holy mount.” This is the explanation Simon Peter gives, and that is good enough for me. I think the man who was there ought to know more about it than some of these modern scholars who were not present.

Luke 9:28

The Lord took Peter, James, and John up into a mountain to pray. While He prayed, the Lord’s countenance was “transfigured"this word is from the Greek metamorphoommetamorphosis in English. That which took place is like the experience of the caterpillar; first you have the caterpillar, then it encases itself in the cocoon, and out comes a beautiful butterfly. The Transfiguration does not set forth the deity of Christ, but the humanity of Christ. Transfiguration is the goal of humanity. When you see the Lord Jesus Christ transfigured there on the mount, you are seeing exactly what is going to take place in that day when we are translated.

The dead shall be raised, and those who are alive shall be changed; that is, they shall undergo metamorphosis. Then they will all be translated and brought into the presence of God.

Luke 9:29

This verse does not mean that a light, as a spotlight, shone on Him, but that a light came from within His body and shone outwardly. Some people ask the silly question, “Are you going to wear clothes in heaven?” I think we will, but I do not believe we will need them because we will be clothed in this glory-light such as clothed our Lord.

Luke 9:30

Two men appeared on the mount: Moses, the representative of the Law, and Elijah, the representative of the prophets, and they were bearing witness to Him. What did they talk about? They spoke about the approaching death of Christ. Paul says that the gospel he preached was one to which both the Law and prophets bore testimony. The gospel is not contrary to the Old Testament at all. Paul put it like this: “But now the righteousness of God without the law is manifested, being witnessed by the law and the prophets” (Rom_3:21).

The Law and the prophets reveal that the only way God could save us is through the righteousness that we obtain by faith. In the Old Testament this was done by bringing a sacrifice. The sacrificial system was the very heart of the Mosaic system. That little lamb that was offered on the altar is symbolic of Christ who died for our sins. And the prophets spoke of the Lamb of God that would take away the sin of the world.

Luke 9:32

Good old Simon Peter just has to say something. He should have kept his mouth closed at this time, but he has to speak up, and I guess he thinks he is saying something important. But Luke adds, “not knowing what he said.” Many people, like Peter, speak pious words without knowing what they say. Peter suggests they build three tabernacles, which puts Moses and Elijah on a par with Jesus Christ, although he puts the Lord at the head of the list. Many anthologies of religion list Buddha, Mohammed, Moses, and Christ as founders of religion. It may seem strange to you, but Jesus Christ is not the founder of any religion.

He did not found a religion; He died on a cross for the sins of the world. He is the Savior, and that is why we are not saved by religion; we are saved by Christ. I remember Dr. Carrol said many times, “When I came to Christ, I lost my religion.” A great many people need to lose their religion and find Christ.

Luke 9:37

CASTS OUT DEMONS FROM AN ONLY SONThis entire scene is a picture of today. Jesus has passed on into the glory. His disciples are with Him. We are down here in this world at the foot of the mountain where there is confusion, compromise, and impotence. The world today acts like a demon-possessed man, and the church is helpless in the presence of the world’s need. When Jesus spoke to the crowd, He rebuked them for their lack of faith concerning this boy, and apparently the disciples and skeptics were included. The condition of this boy was pitiful. Jesus turned to the father and asked him to believe. The father made a desperate plea for faith, the other Gospel writers tell us. The disciples were puzzled because they had cast out the demons previously but could not cast out this one. Our Lord confirms that this case was different because of its seriousness. The Lord rebuked the demon, healed the child, and delivered him to his father. The process of casting out the demon revealed again the seriousness of the case.

Luke 9:44

JESUS SETS HIS FACE TOWARD JERUSALEMAfter delivering the demon-possessed boy, the Lord and His disciples head for Jerusalem. Once again our Lord speaks about His impending death. They didn’t quite understand this matter of being raised from the dead. Here He is talking about His own death for them, and you would think that these men might have at least made some inquiry.

Luke 9:46

After the Transfiguration you would think they would be humbled and obedient to His will. On the contrary, they became ambitious. They were thinking of the crown and ignored the cross. They were desirous of vainglory. This has been the curse of His disciples from that day to this. It is one of the curses of the church. In Paul’s letter to the Galatian Christians he wrote, “Let us not be desirous of vain glory, provoking one another, envying one another” (Gal_5:26).

Luke 9:47

This is a great principle. It is my conviction that the greatest saints are the unknown folk in our churches who quietly and faithfully serve Him.

Luke 9:49

Notice the rejection by the Samaritans. We think of the “good” Samaritans because of the parable, but they were no more lovely than the Jewsboth rejected Him.

Luke 9:54

John is always thought of as a ladylike apostle, but notice his fiery disposition here.

Luke 9:55

Jesus rebukes any kind of sectarian spirit. What a stinging rebuke: “The Son of man is not come to destroy men’s lives, but to save.” At another occasion He said, “For the Son of man is come to seek and to save that which was lost” (Luk_19:10). John entirely misunderstood the purpose of Christ’s first coming.

Luke 9:57

JESUS PUTS DOWN TEST FOR DISCIPLESHIPIn this section we see three applicants who want to become disciples of the Lord Jesus. Notice this is not giving the way of salvation. The question, “…what must I do to be saved?” (Act_16:30), is not asked here. Rather this is what is required to become a follower, a disciple of Christ. The first applicant is an impetuous and impulsive young man. Our Lord’s answer to him revealed His own poverty when He was on earth. When they traveled, there would be no reservations for them at a motel. Poverty was part of the curse that He bore. Did the young man follow Him? We are not told. I like to think that he did.

Luke 9:59

The next applicant had made a decision to follow the Lord Jesus, but he wanted to first bury his father. This verse has been greatly misunderstood. Jesus was not forbidding this boy to attend the funeral of his father. Rather, the boy is saying that he would have to take care of his father until he died. After his father was gone, he would be free to follow Jesus. When it comes to discipleship, human affection takes second place to His will. When a conflict arises between human affections and Christ, He claims the first place. However, His will and human affection may not always conflict.

Luke 9:61

This third applicant wanted a furlough to bid loved ones good-bye. He was a halfway and halfhearted follower of Christ. He wanted to be a disciple, but he did not want to make any sacrifice. He was not impelled by the urgency, the importance of the mission. Remember that the Lord Jesus Christ was even then on His way to the cross. He had steadfastly set His face to go to Jerusalem. Friend, the cost of discipleship is high. It demands all we have to give. The apostle Paul wrote, “Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before, I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus” (Php_3:13-14).