Luke
Chapter
9
Luke
9:1-9
1 Then he called his twelve disciples together, and gave them
power and authority over all devils, and to cure diseases.
2 And he sent them to preach the kingdom of God, and to heal
the sick.
3 And he said unto them, Take nothing
for your journey, neither staves, nor scrip,
neither bread, neither money; neither have two coats apiece.
4 And whatsoever house ye enter into,
there abide, and thence depart.
5 And whosoever will not receive you,
when ye go out of that city, shake off the very dust from your feet for a
testimony against them.
6 And they departed, and went through the towns, preaching
the gospel, and healing every where.
7 Now Herod the tetrarch heard of all that was done by him:
and he was perplexed, because that it was said of some, that John was risen from the dead;
8 And of some, that Elias had appeared; and of others, that
one of the old prophets was risen again.
9 And Herod said, John have I
beheaded: but who is this, of whom I hear such things? And he desired to see
him.
Then Christ Jesus assembled His Apostles, and gave them
power (Gr. dunamis-δύναμις) and authority (Gr. exousia-ἐξουσία) over all (Gr. pas-πᾶς) devils (Gr. daimonion-δαιμόνιον), and to cure (Gr. therapeuō-θεραπεύω) diseases.”
The reason I have included so many Greek words in this first
verse is to give you a better understanding of what powers Christ gave to the
Apostles.
The Lord gave his Apostles power over “all demons!” It would
appear to say that no demon could resist the Apostles. However as we shall see,
their power and authority was given according to the Old Covenant and based in
faith, their personal faith. That makes it different from the authority today’s
Christians experience in that our experience in based on the indwelling God of
the Holy Spirit while their power, at this point, was based in human personal
faith!
Christian authority is based in the faith of Christ Jesus!
Demons have no authority over Christians!
Gal 2:16 Knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the
law, but by the faith of
Jesus Christ, even we have believed in Jesus Christ, that we might be justified
by the faith of Christ, and
not by the works of the law: for by the works of the law shall no flesh be
justified.
Gal 2:20 I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I,
but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now
live in the flesh I live by the faith of
the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me.
All Christians are Christian through the faith of Christ
Jesus and not by their personal faith! That is the message of the New Covenant!
The message that the 12 were sent to proclaim was a works
based Old Covenant message concerning the Israeli focused kingdom of God! Under
the old Covenant, men followed God by means of their personal will which was
completely fallible and very weak! That is why the covenant between God and
Abraham could not survive! The faith of Abraham was fallible!
The message given to Gentiles following the crucifixion and
resurrection is “salvation by grace through the faith of Christ Jesus!”
As Acts 15 attests, most of the Jesus’ early followers had
no concept of salvation by grace when Paul and Barnabas brought that message to
them at the conference in Jerusalem.
At the time the 12 were sent out by Christ, they were given
power to therapeutically heal the sick! The healing of the crucifixion and
resurrection is a more complete Healing!
1 Peter
2:24 [Christ Jesus] Who
his own self bare our sins in his own body on the tree, that we, being dead to
sins, should live unto righteousness: by whose stripes ye were healed (Gr. iaomai-ἰάομαι).
The iaomai healing takes into
account both therapeutic and spiritual healing. At this point in
time (in Luke) the 12 focused on therapeutic healing!
The references to healing in Paul’s
writings (1 Cor 12:9, 28, 30) refer to the iaomai healing.
Jesus told His Apostles, “Take
nothing for your journey! Don’t take staves, money, or bread! Don’t even
take two coats!
“And, whatever you enter a
home, stay in that home until you leave the area!
“And, whoever will not receive you,
when you all leave that city, shake off the very dust from your feet for a
testimony against them!”
With those instructions they began their journey preaching the
pre-crucifixion message, and therapeutically healing those in need wherever
they went.
About that time, Herod the tetrarch heard of Jesus and the
wonders he was doing! He was “perplexed” (Gr. diaporeō-διαπορέω), completely puzzled as to how he should react!
Some around him said that John the baptizer had risen from
the dead, while other counseled him that Elijah had appeared! Still others
assured Herod the Tetrarch that one of the old prophets was raised from the
dead!
Herod himself did not know who to believe! And, being
inquisitive he wanted to see for himself.
Luke
9:10-17
10 And
the apostles, when they were returned, told him all that they had done. And he
took them, and went aside privately into a desert place belonging to the city
called Bethsaida.
11 And the people, when they knew it, followed him:
and he received them, and spake unto them of the
kingdom of God, and healed them that had need of healing.
12 And when the day began to wear away, then came the twelve,
and said unto him, Send the multitude away, that they may go into the towns and
country round about, and lodge, and get victuals: for we are here in a desert
place.
13 But he said unto them, Give ye
them to eat. And they said, We have no more but
five loaves and two fishes; except we should go and buy meat for all this
people.
14 For they were about five thousand men. And he said to his disciples, Make them sit down by
fifties in a company.
15 And they did so, and made them all sit down.
16 Then he took the five loaves and the two fishes, and
looking up to heaven, he blessed them, and brake, and gave to the disciples to
set before the multitude.
17 And they did eat, and were all filled: and there was taken
up of fragments that remained to them twelve baskets.
When the 12 returned from their journey, they reported all
that they had done!
Christ took them aside into a desert area near Bethsaida
near the Sea of Galilee.
Soon the people in that area learned where they had gone and
followed them out into the country side.
Jesus used the opportunity to teach publicly and to
therapeutically heal (Gr. therapeia-θεραπεία) those in need.
As sundown was nearing, the 12 went to Christ and pleaded
with Him to send the multitude away so that they may go into the towns and
country round about, and get lodge and food for the night.
Christ’s response was not what they expected. They used human logic while Christ approached
situation from a spiritual perspective!
Jesus commanded them, “Give (Gr.
dote-dote) them something to eat!”
Being a bit surprised they replied, “We only have five
loaves (of pita bread) and two fish! How far will that go among this large
crowd?”
The physical outlook was that there were about five
thousand men (plus women and at least a few children). But, God is not deterred
by adverse circumstances! The doubtful response by Christ’s inner circle did
not alter His plan!
“Make them sit down in groups of 50!”
That is what the Apostles did!
At that Jesus took the five loaves and the two fishes, and
looking up into heaven, He blessed the food, and broke it. Then, He gave to the
disciples to serve the multitude.
They all ate until they were filled!
Following the meal, the 12 gathered the leftovers and filled
twelve baskets.
During that time-frame, food was not readily available. Israelites believed that the Messiah would
show His power by feeding them as God did for the Israelites in the wilderness
after leaving Egypt.
In John’s account of the feeding (John 6:15), the people
would have tried to forcibly make Jesus King. The fact is that regardless of
our opinions of Him, Jesus is Lord!
John 6:15 When Jesus therefore perceived that they would come and take
him by force, to make him a king, he departed again into a mountain himself
alone.
The timing was not correct and Jesus had to hide from the
mob!
Luke 9:18-27
18 And it came to pass, as he was alone praying, his disciples
were with him: and he asked them, saying, Whom say the
people that I am?
19 They answering said, John the Baptist; but some say,
Elias; and others say, that one of the old prophets is risen again.
20 He said unto them, But whom say ye that I am? Peter answering said, The
Christ of God.
21 And he straitly charged them,
and commanded them to tell no man that thing;
22 Saying, The Son of man must suffer
many things, and be rejected of the elders and chief priests and scribes, and
be slain, and be raised the third day.
23 And he said to them all, If any man will
come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow
me.
24 For whosoever will save his life
shall lose it: but whosoever will lose his life for my sake, the same shall
save it.
25 For what is a man advantaged, if
he gain the whole world, and lose himself, or be cast
away?
26 For whosoever shall be ashamed of
me and of my words, of him shall the Son of man be ashamed, when he shall come
in his own glory, and in his Father's, and of the holy angels.
27 But I tell you of a truth, there be some standing here, which shall not taste of death, till
they see the kingdom of God.
Luke does not report the response here, but instead skips
ahead to a time when He was alone praying!
Jesus asked the 12, “Who do people
say I am?”
The Apostles replied, John the Baptist, Elijah, while others
said that Jesus one was of the
old prophets.
The Jesus asked, “But who do you all
say I am?”
That question is still being asked! Who do you say Jesus is? Your response is
your confession!
Peter was always quick to respond! But this time he answered
correctly!
“You are the Christ (the Messiah) of God!”
At that Jesus commanded them to keep that secret for the
time being!
Christ told them, “The Son of man must
suffer many things, and be rejected by the elders and chief priests and
scribes, and be slain, and be raised the third day.”
That seems plain and simple to us, but it was not plain and
simple to the Apostles!
Jesus also told them, “If anyone
follows Me, let him deny himself, and take up his
cross daily, and follow Me!
“Because whoever will save his life
shall lose it, but whoever will lose his life for My
sake shall save it.
“Because, what is the advantaged of
gaining the whole world, and losing himself, or being cast away?
“Whoever shall be ashamed of Me and My words, of him shall the Son of man be ashamed,
when He comes in His own glory.
“However, I tell you of a truth, some standing here
shall not die until they see the kingdom of God.”
Taking up the cross in no way refers to a physical cross! We
must take up our Christian way of life each and every day that is given to us,
being prepared to respond to all situations presented to us by studying the
written word and praying to the actual Word, Christ Jesus, for further
understanding of Him!
Luke
9:28-36
28 And it came to pass about an eight days after these sayings,
he took Peter and John and James, and went up into a mountain to pray.
29 And as he prayed, the fashion of his countenance was altered,
and his raiment was white and glistering.
30 And, behold, there talked with him two men, which were
Moses and Elias:
31 Who appeared in glory, and spake of his decease which he should accomplish at
Jerusalem.
32 But Peter and they that were with him were heavy with
sleep: and when they were awake, they saw his glory, and the two men that stood
with him.
33 And it came to pass, as they departed from him, Peter said
unto Jesus, Master, it is good for us to be here: and let us make three
tabernacles; one for thee, and one for Moses, and one for Elias: not knowing
what he said.
34 While he thus spake, there came
a cloud, and overshadowed them: and they feared as they entered into the cloud.
35 And there came a voice out of the cloud, saying, This is my beloved Son: hear him.
36 And when the voice was past, Jesus was found alone. And
they kept it close, and told no man in those days any of those things
which they had seen.
Eight days later. Jesus took Peter and John and James up
into a mountain to pray.
Eight is the symbol of new beginnings. It does not represent a change in plans, but
it does represent a change in intensity.
As Jesus prayed, His countenance (Gr. prosōpon-πρόσωπον), physical appearance changed! Even His clothing appeared
to change, becoming a radiant white.
Two men, Moses and Elijah appeared! The Bible says that they
spoke about His death (Gr. exodus-ἔξοδος)! That is a reference to His scourging, crucifixion, resurrection,
and ascension back into heaven that was to be accomplished at Jerusalem!
However, even with that experience Peter, John and James did not readily accept
the death of the Messiah as God’s perfect sacrifice!
Instead, they went to sleep! When they awoke, they saw His
glory, and the two men who stood with him.
As Moses and Elijah departed, Peter told Jesus, “Master, it
is good for us to be here! Let’s put up three tents (tabernacles) of worship!
One for You, one for Moses, and one for Elijah!
Peter did not know what he was asking!
In essence, Peter trying to raise Moses and Elijah to the
same status as Christ! No human can be raised up to that level! Even Mary, no
matter what the Pope may say, cannot be made equal with Christ!
While Peter spoke, a cloud appeared and enveloped them!
Peter, James, and John became afraid! As the cloud surrounded them, they heard
a voice instruct them, “This is My beloved Son! Listen to Him!”
Luke
9:37-42
37 And it came to pass, that on the next day, when they were
come down from the hill, much people met him.
38 And, behold, a man of the company cried out, saying,
Master, I beseech thee, look upon my son: for he is mine only child.
39 And, lo, a spirit taketh him,
and he suddenly crieth out; and it teareth him that he foameth
again, and bruising him hardly departeth from him.
40 And I besought thy disciples to cast him out; and they
could not.
41 And Jesus answering said, O
faithless and perverse generation, how long shall I be with you, and suffer
you? Bring thy son hither.
42 And as he was yet a coming, the devil
threw him down, and tare him. And Jesus rebuked the unclean
spirit, and healed the child, and delivered him again to his father.
The next day, when they were come down from the hill, many
people were there to meet Him.
A man in the crowd asked Jesus, “Master, I beseech You to look upon my son, because he is mine only child. But,
a spirit grabs him, and suddenly he shouts! The spirit forces him to have an
epileptic seizure! It causes him to foam at the mouth, and bruises him! It will
not leave him alone!”
Further the man told Jesus, “I asked Your
disciples to cast him out, but they couldn’t!”
The Apostles authority and power were limited by their
personal faith! Today, we have access to the faith OF Christ Jesus in a manner that they did not have.
Jesus admonished the Apostles, “O
faithless and perverse generation, how long shall I be with you, and suffer
you?
Jesus told the man, “Bring your son
here!
As the child was being brought to Christ Jesus, the demon
threw him down, and again attacked him! Jesus rebuked (Gr. epitimaō-ἐπιτιμάω) the unclean spirit, and healed the child, then He gave him
back to his father.
Luke
9:43-50
43 And they were all amazed at the mighty power of God. But
while they wondered every one at all things which
Jesus did, he said unto his disciples,
44 Let these sayings sink down into
your ears: for the Son of man shall be delivered into the hands of men.
45 But they understood not this saying, and it was hid from
them, that they perceived it not: and they feared to ask him of that saying.
46 Then there arose a reasoning
among them, which of them should be greatest.
47 And Jesus, perceiving the thought of their heart, took a
child, and set him by him,
48 And said unto them, Whosoever
shall receive this child in my name receiveth me: and
whosoever shall receive me receiveth him that sent
me: for he that is least among you all, the same shall be great.
49 And John answered and said, Master, we saw one casting out
devils in thy name; and we forbad him, because he followeth
not with us.
50 And Jesus said unto him, Forbid him not:
for he that is not against us is for us.
As Jesus returned the child to his father, all in the crowd
were amazed at the display of God’s mighty power!
At that time, Jesus told His disciples, “Let these sayings sink in! Because, the Son
of man shall be given over into the hands of men.”
However, they did not understand, because the meaning was
hidden, and they were afraid to ask what he meant!
Shortly afterward, the Apostles began to discuss who would
be the greatest among them!
Jesus knew what they were thinking and called a child to
come to Him!
He told them, “Whoever shall receive
this child in my name receives Me! And, whoever shall
receive Me receives Him Who sent Me! The one who is
least among you all shall be great.”
In saying that Jesus was telling them that even the very
least Apostle was to become great!
Paul claimed to be the least of the Apostles (1 Cor 15:9),
and yet he wrote much of the New Testament and is the Apostle to the Gentiles
(Gal 2:7).
At that John spoke up, “Master, we saw someone casting out
devils in Your name! So, we admonished him, because he
is not one of us!
Even those Apostles were trying to protect “their”
territory!
Then, Jesus admonished John, “Don’t
do that! Because, the one who is not against us is for us!”
Those who follow Christ do not always do the very same thing
in the very same way! Our calling determines our actions! A Pastor and an
Evangelist both serve Christ, but their preaching styles may vary greatly due
to their spiritual responsibilities!
Luke
9:51-56
51 And
it came to pass, when the time was come that he should be received up, he stedfastly set his face to go to Jerusalem,
52 And sent messengers before his face: and they went, and
entered into a village of the Samaritans, to make ready for him.
53 And they did not receive him, because his face was as
though he would go to Jerusalem.
54 And when his disciples James and John saw this,
they said, Lord, wilt thou that we command fire to come down from heaven, and
consume them, even as Elias did?
55 But he turned, and rebuked them, and said, Ye
know not what manner of spirit ye are of.
56 For the Son of man is not come to
destroy men's lives, but to save them. And they went to another
village.
Eventually
the time came when Jesus was to be crucified, so He and the 12 went to
Jerusalem!
The
Scriptures say that Jesus was “steadfast” in His determination to go to
Jerusalem!
When
the time came for Paul to end his ministry, he too was determined to go to
Jerusalem (Acts 20:16). There he was taken into protective custody by the Roman
army and escorted to Rome!
Christ
sent messengers ahead. They went into a Samaritan village with plans to get
things ready for Christ!
However,
they did not receive Him, because He was on His way to Jerusalem.
When
Jesus’ disciples James and John became aware of that they asked, “Lord, will You allow us to command fire to come down from heaven, and
consume them, just as Elijah did?”
But,
Jesus rebuked them saying, “You don’t know what you are
asking!
“The Son of man did not come to destroy men's lives, but to
save them!”
That
part of Christ’s commission as the Lord and Savior is often missed by many
Christians!
So,
Jesus and the Apostles went to another village.
Luke
9:57-62
57 And
it came to pass, that, as they went in the way, a certain man said unto
him, Lord, I will follow thee whithersoever thou goest.
58 And Jesus said unto him, Foxes
have holes, and birds of the air have nests; but the Son of man hath not
where to lay his head.
59 And he said unto another, Follow
me. But he said, Lord, suffer me first to go and bury my father.
60 Jesus said unto him, Let the dead bury their dead: but go thou and preach the
kingdom of God.
61 And another also said, Lord, I will follow thee; but let
me first go bid them farewell, which are at home at my house.
62 And Jesus said unto him, No man,
having put his hand to the plough, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of
God.
As they were walking to another
village, they came upon a man who told Jesus, “Lord, I will follow You wherever You go!”
Jesus replied, “Foxes have holes, and birds of the air have nests; but the Son of man has
nowhere to lay his head.”
But, Jesus commanded another, “Follow me!” The Greek here is imperative! But notice
what happened!
That man told Jesus, “Lord, first
allow me to go and bury my father.”
But Jesus told him bluntly, “Let the dead bury their dead! But, go and preach the kingdom
of God.”
Jesus commanded him knowing that the
man had no intention of following Him! The call is now universal, BUT His choosing is limited!
Some take that to mean that Jesus offers a limited atonement! That is a false
reading of the plan of God!
Another came and said, “Lord, I will
follow You, but first let me say goodbye to my family
members.”
But, Jesus told him, “No man, having put his hand to the plough, and looking back,
is fit for the kingdom of God.”
When that man offered to follow
Christ under certain circumstances, the answer was, “No!” We do not set
circumstances under which Christ can be our Lord! As I said, Jesus is Lord
regardless of our opinions!