Luke 09

Introduction

We’re going through Luke’s gospel at a brisk pace, taking large chunks each week and trying to identify the big themes instead of focussing closely on the details, which I’ve done before when I’ve preached through Matthew and Mark and John.

Last week we studied the whole of chapter 8 and I said that the big theme was faith. God is the one who gives us faith. He gives his people the knowledge of the mysteries of the kingdom so that they’re able to believe in Christ as God’s Spirit-Anointed and Conquering King who came to free us from our sin and misery and to give us everlasting life in his everlasting kingdom. For now, his kingdom is hidden. But the day will come when he brings it out into the open and it will be clear to everyone that Jesus Christ is King. However, until that time it’s hidden and it’s small. Most people miss it. They don’t see it. But God graciously and freely enables his people to believe and to enter the kingdom and to receive eternal life.

That was last week. Today we’re studying the whole of chapter 9 which begins with the Lord, sending out the Twelve Disciples to preach and to heal. After that there’s the story of the feeding of the five thousand. Then the Lord asks his disciples who they think he is. And Peter confessed that he’s the Christ. That is to say, he is God’s Spirit-Anointed and Conquering King. And the Lord immediately went on to reveal that he will suffer many things before rising again. And then he went on to speak to them about losing their life in this world for his sake. And right after that, and really it’s at the centre of this chapter, we have the account of the Lord’s transfiguration, which was a preview of the Lord’s future glory. And that’s followed by the healing of the boy with an evil spirit and various other things which the Lord said to his disciples and to those who would follow him.

What’s the chapter about? It’s about Christ’s power, isn’t it? It’s about his power, because he was able to perform mighty miracles and he was able to save people from their suffering. And he was able to work powerfully through the Twelve Disciples so that they were able to do the things he did. So, the chapter is about his power.

But it’s also about suffering, isn’t it? Christ’s life in this world was marked by suffering; and he spoke about that suffering in his chapter. And he also spoke about the cost of following him. Following him isn’t easy. It’s costly. It’s hard. It’s difficult. It’s demanding. So, there’s that.

But then the chapter is also about glory: the glory that he has now at God’s right hand in heaven; and the glory that we will share with him in the life to come so long as we keep trusting in him.

So, we’re going to see those three things in today’s passage: Christ’s power; the cost of following him; and then there’s his glory and ours.

Verses 1 to 9

Where do we see his power? We see it, first of all, in verses 1 to 9. It says in verse 1 that the Lord Jesus called the Twelve Disciples together and gave them power and authority.

In those days there were many people who followed the Lord. Many of them did not believe. As we saw last week, though they saw the things he did, they did not really see; and though they heard him, they did not understand. Though the seed of God’s word was scattered in their direction, it did not sink down into their hearts and bear fruit in their lives. And so, many came out to see the things he did, and to hear him, but they did not believe. But then, there was also a large number of disciples: people who did believe in him as God’s Conquering King. And within that large crowd of disciples, the Lord chose Twelve of them to be his apostles. We read their names back in chapter 6.

And the Lord now called these Twelve Disciples, or Twelve Apostles, to him and he gave them power and authority to drive out demons and to cure diseases. So, the power they received was not their own power, because it came to them from him.

And having given them this power, he sent them out to preach the kingdom of God and to heal the sick. So, he sent them to do the things he had been doing; and he gave them the power and authority they needed. He gave them the power and authority to heal the sick to drive out demons and to preach the good news that the King has come to save his people from our sin and misery.

And he also gave them some instructions. They weren’t to bring anything with them: no staff or bag or bread or money or extra clothes. Why not? Because they’re meant to rely on the Lord God to provide them with everything they need. Since they’re going to serve the Lord, they can rely on the Lord to help them. And when someone offered to let them stay in their house, they should stay in that house for the duration of their visit. And if the people don’t welcome the Twelve, if they don’t want the Twelve in their town, and if they want the Twelve to leave, then shake the dust off your feet as you leave as a sign that you want nothing more to do with them. Since they’ve rejected you, then go on your way and leave them alone.

And Luke tells us that the Twelve went from village to village, preaching the gospel and healing people everywhere. Luke also tells us in verse 7 that King Herod heard about what was going on. And he was perplexed. He was puzzled. He knew that something extra-ordinary was happening in those days. Here was the Lord Jesus, healing the sick and driving out demons. And here were his disciples, who were doing the same kind of thing. Something marvellous was happening in those days. What did it mean? Herod was puzzled. Some were saying John the Baptist had come back to life — and this is the first we’ve heard in Luke’s gospel that John had been killed. Others were saying that Elijah had returned. Remember: Elijah did not die, but was taken up to heaven. Maybe he’s come back? Others were saying one of the prophets had come back to life. So, everyone was trying to figure it out and to understand what was happening in those days. In the words of Isaiah, they were seeing, but not seeing; and they were hearing, but they did not understand. People saw the mighty things the Lord and his apostles were doing, but they did not believe, because our hearts are hard by nature; and God has to break them up before the seed of his word can sink into our hearts and bear fruit in our lives.

But the point is: something marvellous was happening in those days. Something extra-ordinary. Something powerful.

Verses 10 to 17

Where else do we see the Lord’s power? We see it in verses 10 to 17 and in the story of the feeding of the five thousand.

The apostles returned to the Lord and reported what had happened. Then the Lord took them and they withdrew to a quiet place. But the crowds found out where they had gone and they went out to them. And when they arrived, the Lord welcomed they and began to teach them and to heal them.

Time passed and when it was late in the afternoon, the disciples suggested to him that it was time for him to dismiss the people so that they can go and find somewhere to eat and to stay the night. ‘You give them something to eat’, he replied. But how can they feed such a large number of people? All they have are a few loaves of bread and some fish. What good is that when there are five thousand men who need to be fed? But after the Lord gave thanks for the bread and fish, he broke them into pieces and he had his disciples distribute the pieces among the people.

And look at verse 17: they all ate and were satisfied. That is, they were able to eat until they were full. They didn’t only eat a pinch of food, but each person ate a full meal so that their appetite was completely satisfied. And when they had all eaten and were full, there was enough left over to fill twelve baskets with leftovers.

The Lord provided a feast in the wilderness for the people. Here’s another mighty miracle. We’ve seen him cast out demons. We’ve seen him heal the sick. We’ve seen him raise the dead. We’ve seen him calm a storm. What more can he do? He can multiply bread and fish in order to feed a multitude of people. He did it powerfully by means of the Holy Spirit who had been given to him by his Father without limit or measure. The Lord Jesus is God’s Spirit-Anointed and Conquering and Mighty King.

Verses 37 to 43

What’s next? Where else do we see his power? We see it in verses 37 to 43 and the story of the healing of the boy with an evil spirit.

So, this evil spirit seemed to be unusually powerful, because his disciples were unable to overcome it. But the Lord did it easily, didn’t he? It says in verse 42 that, as the boy was coming, the demon threw him to the ground in convulsion. But the Lord rebuked the evil spirit and healed the boy and gave him back to his father. And everyone who saw it was amazed at the greatness of God who worked so powerfully through the Lord Jesus. Once again he demonstrated that he is God’s Spirit-Anointed and Conquering King who has come to free us from our sin and misery. Once again we see his great power.

Summary

So, he gave power and authority to his disciples to heal the sick and to preach his word. He himself multiplied fish and bread in order to feed a multitude. And once again he drove out an evil spirit. We’ve seen his great power. And he used his great power to free people from their suffering.

And as I’ve said before, he continues to use his great power to free people from their suffering. But he does it today in a different way. Today he works through all the medical professionals he has provided who care for us when we’re sick and who have the knowledge and expertise and the desire to help us and to heal us. And he continues to feed us by causing the sun to shine and the rain to fall so that there are plenty of good things for us to eat and enjoy. And he works through all the charitable organisations who provide help for the poor. Before Christ came into the world, people in the nations outside Israel did not care for the poor. There was no poor relief before Christ came into the world. But now that Christ has come, and the influence of Christianity has spread throughout the world, it now seems normal for us to provide relief to the poor and to care for those with nothing.

And, of course, the Lord Jesus works powerfully through the preaching of his word to free us from Satan’s tyranny and to give us the hope of eternal life in his presence. And when he comes again in glory and with power, he will deliver his people fully and completely from our sin and misery when he brings us into the new and better world to come where there is no more misery and where there is no more sin.

Verses 46 to 56

But before we move on to consider the cost of following Christ, notice what we learn from verses 46 to 56.

His disciples were arguing about which of them would be the greatest. Which of them would be the most powerful? And so, the Lord took a little child and said to them that whoever welcomes this little child in his name, welcomes him; and whoever welcomes him welcomes the one who sent him, who is God the Father. And then he said: he who is least among you all — he is the greatest.

Do you know what he was saying? In those days, children were regarded as insignificant and unimportant. They had no power of their own. Nowadays we sometimes make children the centre of attention. But it was very different in the ancient world and children were regarded as unimportant. As nothing. And that’s how we’re to regard ourselves. Instead of boasting about myself and instead of expecting people to serve me, I’m to regard myself as nothing. As unimportant. As small and insignificant. So, instead of arguing over which one of us is the greatest or the best, each one of us should regard ourselves as being the very least.

And then take a look at verse 54. The disciples wanted to use the power they had received to call down the fire of God’s judgment on this Samaritan village. But the Lord rebuked them, because, while the time for judgment is coming, it’s not here yet. The time for judgment will come when Christ comes again. But for now, we’re to be patient with those who don’t believe. Whatever power God gives to us, whatever gift and abilities he gives to us, should be used for the good of others.

Verses 18 to 27

This passage is about Christ’s power. But it’s also about Christ’s suffering and the cost of following him.

In verses 18 to 27 we have Peter’s confession. Once when the Lord was praying in private, he asked his disciples what people were saying about him. They had seen what he had done. They had heard him. Who did they think he was? And they replied that some thought he was John the Baptist who had come back to life. Some said he was Elijah. Some said he was one of the prophets who had come back to life. It was the same thing Herod had heard. ‘But what about you?’ he asked his disciples. ‘Who do you say that I am?’ You’ve seen what I’ve done. You’ve heard what I’ve said. Who do you think I am?

And Peter replied, ‘The Christ of God.’ That’s who you are: you are God’s Spirit-Anointed and Conquering King, the great king God promised to send in order to rescue his people. That’s who you are.

And Peter is exactly right. That’s who he is. But then the Lord went on to announce to them that he, the Son of Man, must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders and chief priests and teachers of the law and he must be killed. So, all the religious leaders will reject him and they will have him killed. But then, on the third day, he will be raised to life.

This explains why he did not want his apostles to let people know that he is the Christ. It’s because, while the people were expecting the King to come, they were expecting a different kind of king. As I’ve said before, they were expecting a king like David. David was a great and mighty warrior. When he was still a boy, he struck down and killed Goliath. When he was older, and had become king, he led his men into battle against the Philistines. He defeated them in battle. Remember what the women sang? ‘Saul has slain his thousands; and David his tens of thousands.’ He was a great and mighty king who killed and destroyed his enemies and set up his throne in Jerusalem. And the people were expecting the coming king to do the same. They were expecting him to kill and destroy the Romans, who were living in the Promised Land at that time. They were expecting the new king to set up his throne in Jerusalem once again. They were expecting a return to the days of David and Solomon.

But the Lord Jesus was not that kind of king. He did not come to kill and destroy. He came to suffer and to die in order to make peace for us with God. He came to give up his life as the ransom to pay for all that we have done wrong.

So, he is God’s Spirit-Anointed and Conquering King. But he came to suffer and to die. And whoever wants to be one of his people must deny himself and take up his cross and follow him, because whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for the sake of Christ will save it. He means that whoever wants to save his life in this world will lose it in the life to come. But whoever loses his life in this world for the sake of Christ will save it in the life to come.

He’s warning his disciples about the cost of following him and how they risk being persecuted for his sake. Think of believers in the early church who were commanded by the Romans to give up their faith in Christ. If they were prepared to give up their faith in Christ, they would save their life. They would be allowed to live. But if they would not give up their faith, then the Romans would take their life. They would be killed because of their commitment to Christ. And so, they would lose their life in this world.

I’ve referred before to Polycarp who was born around AD 69 and who died around AD 155. And during his lifetime, he became bishop in Smyrna. He was brought before the Roman proconsul when the church was being persecuted by the Romans. And the proconsul said to him that he would be released if he was prepared to reproach Christ. But Polycarp refused. He would not give up his faith in Christ. He said: ‘Eighty and six years have I served him, and he has never once wronged me. How then shall I blaspheme my King who has saved me?’ And so, because he refused to give up his faith, he was burned at the stake. That’s what it was like for believers in the early days of the church. And it’s still like that for believers in places around the world.

One person hears that kind of threat. And in order to save his life in this world, he gives up his faith in Christ. But since he has turned away from the only Saviour of the world, then he has turned away from the only one who can give him eternal life in the new heavens and earth. On the other hand, someone else hears that kind of threat. And this person, like Polycarp, refuses to deny the Lord. And so, he is killed. He loses his life in this world. But he’s prepared to lose his life in this world because his Saviour has promised him eternal life in the new and better world to come.

What good is it, the Lord asks, for a man to gain the whole world and yet lose his very self? So, someone is commanded to renounce his faith. And he saves his life on this world. And afterwards he lives a long and prosperous life. He becomes fabulously wealthy and he’s able to buy whatever he wants and everyone wants to be his friend. But what good does it do him when the day of judgment comes and he must give an account to God for his life? When that day comes, he can’t make a deal with God. He won’t be able to exchange his possessions for his life. God doesn’t need his money and his possessions. And because he was ashamed of Christ, and because he renounced his faith, and turned away from Christ and lived a selfish life, then Christ will say of him on the day of judgment, ‘I never knew him.’ And so, he’ll be sent away to be punished by God for all that he has done wrong. Whoever wants to save his life in this world will lose it in the life to come. But whoever loses his life in this world for the sake of Christ will save it. That person will have eternal life, because that person trusted in Christ and kept trusting in Christ no matter what the cost.

The Lord Jesus is God’s Spirit-Anointed and Conquering King. While he was on the earth, he could do great things through the power of the Holy Spirit. But the Lord Jesus had to suffer the cross before entering his glory. And he calls his people to follow him. And who knows? Following him might mean that we have to suffer with him before entering the glory to come. But if we have to suffer with him, it will be worth it when we finally come into the presence of God in the new heavens and earth, because there is his presence we’ll be glorified with him.

Verses 57 to 62

And there’s one more place where the cost of following the Lord is emphasised. It’s verses 57 to 62. Here’s a man who offered to follow the Lord, but the Lord warned him that the Son of Man has nowhere to lay his head. The Lord was asking that man to consider what it means to follow the Lord. It’s going to be hard. It’s not for the faint-hearted. If you’re looking for an easy life, don’t follow the Lord.

Then we read that the Lord called someone else. But the man replied: ‘Lord, first let me go and bury my father.’ We tend to assume that his father has just died and he only wants to delay a day or two. What’s wrong with that? But some of the commentators suggest that the phrase ‘bury one’s father’ meant fulfil your responsibilities as a son while your father remains alive. In that case, the man was saying that he will follow the Lord, but not yet. ‘Let me wait until my father has died. Once that happens — and it might not happen for years — I’ll follow you then.’ But the Lord is saying to the man and to us that following him can’t wait. We must do it now.

And then the Lord called another man. He wants to go and say good-bye to his family. And the Lord’s reply about ploughing a field means: Don’t look back. Don’t look back wistfully at your old life before you heard about Christ. When following Christ becomes hard and difficult, don’t look back to your old life. Press on. Keep going. Don’t look back. Don’t go back. Continue to follow Christ right to the end.

Verses 28 to 36

And what is there at the end? There’s glory, isn’t there? And that’s what verses 28 to 36 are about.

In verse 28 Luke tells us that the Lord took three of his disciples and went up onto a mountain to pray. And while he was there, the appearance of his face changed and his clothes became as bright as a flash of lightning. And Moses and Elijah appeared in glorious splendour and began to talk to him. And they spoke to him about his departure which was about to take place in Jerusalem. Luke is referring to his death and resurrection when he departed from this world to enter heaven above.

And God’s glory-cloud appeared and enveloped them. This is the glory-cloud which signified God’s presence in the days of Moses and which went before the Israelites on their way to the Promised Land. So, the glory-cloud signifies God’s presence. And then God spoke and said about the Lord Jesus: ‘This is my Son, whom I have chosen. Listen to him.’ And after God spoke, the cloud and Moses and Elijah disappeared.

When I’ve spoken about the transfiguration before, I’ve said that many scholars assume that when he was transfigured and his appearance changed, he was briefly displaying his divinity. It’s as if a veil was removed for a moment and they could see that he is God. However, other scholars say that the transfiguration was a foretaste or a preview of the glory which he now possesses in heaven as one of us. And that’s the way I take it.

There are a number of reasons for thinking this. I don’t have time to go into all of them, but I will say that the Lord’s appearance here matches what we read in Revelation 1, where John had a vision of the Risen and Exalted Lord Jesus. And John tells us that his head and hair were white like snow and his eyes were like blazing fire and his feet were like bronze glowing in a furnace and his face was like the sun, shining in all its brilliance. John saw the Risen and Exalted Lord Jesus, who was glorified in the presence of God as one of us. And Peter and James and John received a preview of that when the Lord was transfigured before them. They saw a preview of the glory he now possesses in heaven as one of us.

Conclusion

And here’s the thing: it was also a preview of the glory which we will possess in the new and better world to come when we will be glorified in the presence of the Lord. The Apostle Paul speaks of this at the end of Philippians 3, where he says that the Lord will transform our lowly bodies so that they will be like his glorious body.

While we may have to suffer here below as we follow Christ and as we seek to obey him in our daily lives, we can look forward to coming into his presence, where we will become like him. And so, no matter what we suffer in this life, we should press on and keep going and keep trusting in Christ our King until the end, because it will be worth it all when we see Christ and become like him.