Luke 09
The Sending of the Twelve Apostles
9:1 After Jesus called the twelve together, he gave them power and authority over all demons and to cure diseases,
Jesus gave the disciples miraculous powers to authenticate that their message was from God. Notice that Judas was one of the twelve disciples who received this miraculous power.
9:2 and he sent them out to proclaim the kingdom of God and to heal the sick.
Jesus was preparing the disciples for their ministry in Acts.
9:3 He said to them, “Take nothing for your journey – no staff, no bag, no bread, no money, and do not take an extra tunic.
The disciples were to take nothing with them. They had to completely trust God to provide all of their needs.
9:4 Whatever house you enter, stay there until you leave the area.
God would provide lodging for the disciples through other believers.
9:5 Wherever they do not receive you, as you leave that town, shake the dust off your feet as a testimony against them.”
When Jews returned home from traveling in a Gentile country, they would symbolically shake off the dust of their feet to signify their breaking ties with the unclean Gentiles. In the same way, the disciples symbolized that certain Jewish townspeople were like Gentile dogs who would not listen or believe their message.
9:6 Then they departed and went throughout the villages, proclaiming the good news and healing people everywhere.
This message would be so powerful, that it would even affect King Herod.
Herod’s Confusion about Jesus
9:7 Now Herod the tetrarch heard about everything that was happening, and he was thoroughly perplexed, because some people were saying that John had been raised from the dead,
The ministry of the disciples bothered King Herod. Ungodly political leaders are often bothered by the ministry of Christians. It pricks their conscience. This is why political leaders try so hard to make laws against the spreading of the gospel. Communism was established by Satan to hinder the gospel. America outlaws the teaching of the gospel in public schools. The satanic world system will use politics and/or force to keep the people from being educated in the Word of God.
9:8 while others were saying that Elijah had appeared, and still others that one of the prophets of long ago had risen.
This ministry of the disciples caused all kinds of rumors to spread across the land. People wanted to hear the truth. Others wanted to hear superstition. Those not grounded in the Word of God prefer superstition over Bible doctrine.
9:9 Herod said, “I had John beheaded, but who is this about whom I hear such things?” So Herod wanted to learn about Jesus.
King Herod was superstitious. He wanted to hear about the miracles of Jesus as a magician, but he was not interested in Jesus as the Messianic King. He was not interested in Jesus as Savior. King Herod did not want to be saved from the pleasures of the satanic world system.
The Feeding of the Five Thousand
9:10 When the apostles returned, they told Jesus everything they had done. Then he took them with him and they withdrew privately to a town called Bethsaida.
Bethsaida was a town in Galilee, on the west side of the sea of Tiberias, in the "land of Gennesaret." Peter, Andrew, and Philip often fished in this area.
9:11 But when the crowds found out, they followed him. He welcomed them, spoke to them about the kingdom of God, and cured those who needed healing.
Jesus was a celebrity. The crowds followed Jesus everywhere He went.
9:12 Now the day began to draw to a close, so the twelve came and said to Jesus, “Send the crowd away, so they can go into the surrounding villages and countryside and find lodging and food, because we are in an isolated place.”
Notice that the disciples were giving Jesus advice.
9:13 But he said to them, “You give them something to eat.” They replied, “We have no more than five loaves and two fish – unless we go and buy food for all these people.”
Jesus had a better plan. He asked the disciples to feed them. However, the disciples only had five loaves of bread and two fish.
9:14 (Now about five thousand men were there.) Then he said to his disciples, “Have them sit down in groups of about fifty each.”
If each man possessed a family of four, then there were 20,000 hungry people listening to the teachings of Jesus.
9:15 So they did as Jesus directed, and the people all sat down.
Jesus is God or order and discipline.
9:16 Then he took the five loaves and the two fish, and looking up to heaven he gave thanks and broke them. He gave them to the disciples to set before the crowd.
Jesus blessed the food. The purpose of the blessing of the food is asking God to nourish the body so that one can physically serve Christ.
9:17 They all ate and were satisfied, and what was left over was picked up – twelve baskets of broken pieces.
This may have been one of the largest meals that these people had ever eaten.
Peter’s Confession
9:18 Once when Jesus was praying by himself, and his disciples were nearby, he asked them, “Who do the crowds say that I am?”
Jesus knew the answer to this question. He often used questions to teach His disciples.
9:19 They answered, “John the Baptist; others say Elijah; and still others that one of the prophets of long ago has risen.”
Most of the people claimed that Jesus was less than deity. All of the modern cults and isms mix truth with error. They all claim that Jesus is less than God. Judaism claims that Jesus was a great rabbi. Hinduism declares that Jesus was an enlightened guru. Buddhism claims that Jesus was a buddha. Islam claims that Jesus was a prophet. Mormonism claims that Jesus was the brother of Lucifer. Jehovah Witnesses claim that Jesus was a created angel. The Bible declares that Jesus is God in human flesh.
9:20 Then he said to them, “But who do you say that I am?” Peter answered, “The Christ of God.”
Jesus asked Peter the same question point blank. Peter answered that Jesus was the Messiah of God. The Messiah was predicted in the Old Testament to be the Son of God, virgin born, a performer of miracles, rejected, the Mighty God, and resurrected from the dead.
9:21 But he forcefully commanded them not to tell this to anyone,
Peter understood the identity of Jesus, but only because the Holy Spirit made this revelation known to him. Most of the people would not understand the identity of Jesus until after His resurrection. Therefore, the disciples were not to make this known at this time.
9:22 saying, “The Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders, chief priests, and experts in the law, and be killed, and on the third day be raised.”
Jesus predicted again that He would be killed and resurrected. After the resurrection, the disciples would be commanded to teach the true identity of Christ to the people.
A Call to Discipleship
9:23 Then he said to them all, “If anyone wants to become my follower, he must deny himself, take up his cross daily, and follow me.
One must give up everything to follow Christ, including martyrdom. There are many who believe in Christ, but they do not follow Christ. Only those with sound Bible doctrine can follow Christ to the point of martyrdom. When a believer is martyred, it is because he has sent ripples through the satanic world system. It is because God has prepared him to fulfill this ministry for Christ. Martyrs will receive special crowns in heaven.
9:24 For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will save it.
This is a spiritual paradox. One must be willing to lose his physical life to gain eternal life.
9:25 For what does it benefit a person if he gains the whole world but loses or forfeits himself?
It is foolish for a man to use his gifts to attain power, sex, and wealth. He cannot take any of these things into eternity. Instead, men should spend time studying and applying Bible doctrine.
9:26 For whoever is ashamed of me and my words, the Son of Man will be ashamed of that person when he comes in his glory and in the glory of the Father and of the holy angels.
Anyone who is ashamed of Christ or the Word of God will receive the same treatment from Christ on judgment day.
9:27 But I tell you most certainly, there are some standing here who will not experience death before they see the kingdom of God.”
Peter, James, and John will experience the Transfiguration.
The Transfiguration
9:28 Now about eight days after these sayings, Jesus took with him Peter, John, and James, and went up the mountain to pray.
Jesus was about to show His three inner disciples a taste of the kingdom of God.
9:29 As he was praying, the appearance of his face was transformed, and his clothes became very bright, a brilliant white.
The Shekinah Glory was the physical presence of God on earth. Jesus was the Shekinah Glory, but His true appearance was hiding behind human skin. Jesus allowed His true appearance to shine out through His human skin.
9:30 Then two men, Moses and Elijah, began talking with him.
Moses finally was able to visit the Promised Land. Elijah must return before the Day of the Lord.
9:31 They appeared in glorious splendor and spoke about his departure that he was about to carry out at Jerusalem.
Moses and Elijah had new bodies with glorious splendor. This was a temporary body. Moses and Elijah will receive a glorified body instantly before the Rapture of the church. Their conversation was about the death, resurrection, and ascension of Christ.
9:32 Now Peter and those with him were quite sleepy, but as they became fully awake, they saw his glory and the two men standing with him.
The disciples were observing a sample of the Kingdom of Heaven upon the earth.
9:33 Then as the men were starting to leave, Peter said to Jesus, “Master, it is good for us to be here. Let us make three shelters, one for you and one for Moses and one for Elijah” – not knowing what he was saying.
When Christ returns, the Feast of Tabernacles will be celebrated by all nations. Peter believed that Jesus was about to establish the Millennial Kingdom on earth. Therefore, he wanted to build booths for Jesus, Moses, and Elijah so that they could celebrate the Feast.
9:34 As he was saying this, a cloud came and overshadowed them, and they were afraid as they entered the cloud.
The Shekinah Glory overshadowed the disciples. The physical appearance of God always brought fear to its onlookers.
9:35 Then a voice came from the cloud, saying, “This is my Son, my Chosen One. Listen to him!”
God the Father confirmed to the inner disciples that Jesus was the Son of God.
9:36 After the voice had spoken, Jesus was found alone. So they kept silent and told no one at that time anything of what they had seen.
Jesus is omnipotent. He can switch from Shekinah Glory to human form in the blink of an eye.
Healing a Boy with an Unclean Spirit
9:37 Now on the next day, when they had come down from the mountain, a large crowd met him.
Jesus possessed celebrity status. Large crowds followed Him everywhere.
9:38 Then a man from the crowd cried out, “Teacher, I beg you to look at my son – he is my only child! 9:39 A spirit seizes him, and he suddenly screams; it throws him into convulsions and causes him to foam at the mouth. It hardly ever leaves him alone, torturing him severely.
A man from the crowd asked Jesus to heal his demon-possessed son.
9:40 I begged your disciples to cast it out, but they could not do so.”
The disciples could not cast out this type of demon.
9:41 Jesus answered, “You unbelieving and perverse generation! How much longer must I be with you and endure you? Bring your son here.”
The Greek word for “perverse” is διεστραμμένη (diestromanena), a present passive participle, meaning one who is continually distorted, twisted, and perverted. The Jewish generation of first century Rome did not believe in the Word of God. They were twisting and perverting the Scriptures to make it fit their own human philosophical system. Jesus was God who became a man. As a man, He had to endure the perverted philosophies of the satanic world system. Jesus asked these perverted and twisted rabbis to bring the demon-possessed boy to Him.
9:42 As the boy was approaching, the demon threw him to the ground and shook him with convulsions. But Jesus rebuked the unclean spirit, healed the boy, and gave him back to his father.
The demon was very violent. He attempted to cause physical harm to the little boy. Jesus rebuked the evil spirit and healed the boy from the demon.
9:43 Then they were all astonished at the mighty power of God. But while the entire crowd was amazed at everything Jesus was doing, he said to his disciples,
Everyone was astonished at the divine power of Jesus.
Another Prediction of Jesus’ Suffering
9:44 “Take these words to heart, for the Son of Man is going to be betrayed into the hands of men.”
Isaiah 53 predicted that the Messiah would be betrayed. Jesus predicted this betrayal several times before His death and resurrection.
9:45 But they did not understand this statement; its meaning had been concealed from them, so that they could not grasp it. Yet they were afraid to ask him about this statement.
If the disciples could not understand the resurrection prophecy of Jesus, then they needed to remain silent. They themselves were not ready to teach this great truth of Scripture. They would be better teachers of the resurrection after they experienced it.
Concerning the Greatest
9:46 Now an argument started among the disciples as to which of them might be the greatest.
All of the disciples were still infiltrated with the teachings of the satanic world system. Greatness to them was money, fame, and power.
9:47 But when Jesus discerned their innermost thoughts, he took a child, had him stand by his side,
Jesus used a child to demonstrate to the disciples the divine viewpoint of greatness.
9:48 and said to them, “Whoever welcomes this child in my name welcomes me, and whoever welcomes me welcomes the one who sent me, for the one who is least among you all is the one who is great.”
In the kingdom of God, greatness is measured not by wealth, fame, or power. Greatness is measured by trusting God to take care of all one’s needs. Just as a child trusts his parents to take care of his needs, great believers are to do the same.
On the Right Side
9:49 John answered, “Master, we saw someone casting out demons in your name, and we tried to stop him because he is not a disciple along with us.”
John informed Jesus that others were casting out demons in His name, but they were not one of His personal disciples. They were believers in Jesus, but they were not traveling around in discipleship like the other disciples.
9:50 But Jesus said to him, “Do not stop him, for whoever is not against you is for you.”
The satanic world system teaches that one can be neutral. According to Jesus, this is a lie. There is no such thing as neutrality. One is either for Christ or against Christ. One’s motives are to serve Christ or to serve men. If one attempts to stay neutral, then God will knock him off the fence and make him choose sides.
Rejection in Samaria
9:51 Now when the days drew near for him to be taken up, Jesus set out resolutely to go to Jerusalem.
Jesus was heading to Jerusalem to be crucified and resurrected.
9:52 He sent messengers on ahead of him. As they went along, they entered a Samaritan village to make things ready in advance for him,
Samaritans were those who lived outside of Judea. They were Jews from the ten northern tribes of Israel who had been taken captive by the Assyrians. They intermarried with the pagans and were considered “half-breeds” by the Jews. The Samaritans only believed in the first five books of the Bible. They believed that Samaria, not Jerusalem, was the true capital of Israel.
9:53 but the villagers refused to welcome him, because he was determined to go to Jerusalem.
The Samaritans hated the Jews. They refused to welcome Jesus into their village.
9:54 Now when his disciples James and John saw this, they said, “Lord, do you want us to call fire to come down from heaven and consume them?”
Sodom and Gomorrah were such evil cities in which God called down fire and brimstone to destroy them. James and John recognized Jesus as God. Therefore, they asked Jesus if they could call down fire and brimstone to destroy the city which refused to recognize Jesus. This was the typical Jewish attitude toward the Samaritans.
9:55 But Jesus turned and rebuked them,
Jesus rebuked them for not being patient enough with the Samaritan city.
9:56 and they went on to another village.
Jesus did not enter a village that rejected the general call of God. Instead, he went to the next village where members of the elect were waiting to hear his efficacious call.
Challenging Professed Followers
9:57 As they were walking along the road, someone said to him, “I will follow you wherever you go.”
A man wanted to become a disciple of Jesus. He told Jesus that he would follow Him anywhere. There are many Christians today who make this claim, yet they have never even studied the entire counsel of the Word of God. How can one follow Jesus without studying Bible doctrine? The only Jesus that these proclaimers know is the Jesus of the satanic world system.
9:58 Jesus said to him, “Foxes have dens and the birds in the sky have nests, but the Son of Man has no place to lay his head.”
Jesus does not own any property. He has not food or money. If the man follows Him, then it will be a life of poverty.
9:59 Jesus said to another, “Follow me.” But he replied, “Lord, first let me go and bury my father.”
Jesus made a general call to this man. He asked the man to follow Him and become His disciple. The man wanted to wait and follow Jesus after the death of his father.
9:60 But Jesus said to him, “Let the dead bury their own dead, but as for you, go and proclaim the kingdom of God.”
Jesus called him to become a disciple immediately.
9:61 Yet another said, “I will follow you, Lord, but first let me say goodbye to my family.”
Another man wanted to follow Jesus, but he wanted to say farewell to his family.
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.”
This man did not understand the urgency of the message of the gospel. Jesus would soon be gone from the earth, so this man needed to start training immediately. It costs a lot to become a disciple of Christ.