December 9; Luke Chapter 9! I hope you’re sticking along and continuing this challenge. Let me tell you, I’m finding it a challenge to keep my thoughts short and sweet. Without “unpacking” and going verse-by-verse through this chapter, there were two over-arching themes that really stuck out to me:
- The disciples lack of understanding
- The cost of following Jesus
1. The Disciples Lack of Understanding
This starts in verses 1-6. Jesus gives the disciples “power and authority over all demons and to cure diseases”. In addition, he tells them to preach what is essentially the same message John the Baptist preached, and that Jesus himself was giving. That is the message of the kingdom of God.
These men now have power and authority given to them by the Son of God. Just sit on that for a moment. No one in the history of the world has had this type of power and authority. No one. While these men go and do what Jesus commanded, they still lack understanding of the true message of Jesus. Their mindset is thinking that He is coming to be the conquering King. This mindset plays out later in the chapter…
Take note of Luke 9:10; “on their return…” Their return from what? From being given power and authority, and a message of the Kingdom of God. They returned to Jesus, they “told him all that they had done.” Then, they are presented with five thousand hungry men (not counting women and children) and are called to the carpet by the Master Himself. I love Jesus’ words in Luke 9:13 “You give them something to eat”. They just gave Him the “book report” of what they accomplished, and now He’s telling them to put that into practice.
How do they respond? With a lack of faith. When it came to preaching the kingdom of God has arrived, they were on it. But when it came to serving the needs of others, the disciples didn’t understand. They were coming looking at Jesus with the wrong perspective. They looked at him as a king, coming to save them from Rome. Not as a servant come to save them from their sins. Jesus works with them throughout this chapter to get them to try and understand that the first coming of the Messiah is one of service and suffering. Which is why we see Jesus predict his death and resurrection twice in this chapter. “but they did not understand” (Lk. 9:45).
The wrong perspective of Jesus is what plays into the disciples response to the Samaritan village in Luke 9:51-56. They knew they were given enough power and authority to have this village destroyed, which is what a conquering king would do. But they didn’t understand that this was not part of the program God had in motion. They did not understand that the Messiah must serve, suffer, and die, before He can reign as King. Which is why Jesus rebukes them in Luke 9:54-56.
What lenses are you looking at Jesus through? Do you, like the disciples, have some miss-conceptions to how you are viewing the Messiah? Looking at the life of Jesus through the eyes of Luke is great. Is Jesus just one of many things in your life that you use to “get by”. Luke has the right perspective. Here is a Greek man, who would have growing up knowing a plethora of gods. But he turned away from that. He rejected the many gods of old and fount that there is only one God, that Jesus His Son, and that salvation is found only by having faith in His completed works.
2. The Cost of Following Jesus
The second theme seen in this chapter has to do with the cost to follow the Christ. That is, being a life-time disciple of the Messiah. In Luke 9:23-27, and in Luke 9:57-62; Jesus brings up the point of denying oneself and to “take up his cross daily”. This means that one has to identify with the rejection of Jesus. As he was rejected by the Jewish leaders, His followers would meet the same rejection. Failure to do so for the sake of saving one’s live, actually means the losing of one’s eternal life. That is, to identify with Jesus means that you will find your true life. You will find spiritual safety and spiritual riches.
In these two accounts, Jesus makes three points about what true discipleship is. That is one would need to:
- Deny themselves
- Take up their cross
- Follow Jesus
This is pictured in the response of three men at the end of Luke 9. These men make a commitment to follow Jesus, but fail to realize what that commitment actually means.
The first comments that he would follow Jesus wherever he would go, but he doesn’t count the cost. He doesn’t realize that Jesus would not be able to provide any assurance of comfort.
The second man delays in following Jesus. He says that he must bury his father before he can commit. He is not saying that the funeral is at hand…the man’s father isn’t dead yet. The Talmud teaches that the firstborn son is to stay with his father until he dies, then to stay for one year afterward. However, this teaching is beyond the respect due to parents in the Mosaic Law. He is using the “religious teachings” as an excuse not to follow Jesus.
The third man is divided. He is using his family as an excuse for not following Jesus. Essentially, the man is way to distracted to commit to discipleship with the Lord. Jesus is teaching to follow and not to look back.
When we look at our personal discipleship with the Lord, do we fall into one or all of these categories? Are we acting in haste, and not considering the cost of following Jesus? That this path may lead to times of grief and uncomfort. Are we allowing something or someone in our life to delay our walk with God? Or is there something dividing us or “stealing” our time? Maybe a job or other things that we see as commitments, when in actuality, they are excuses.
What is in your way? What is diving your time? I challenge you to put pen to paper and write down a list of things that prevent you from spending more time with God. Make something like this challenge a priority. Block the time out in your calendar. By making this a habit now, it will grow and progress into a meaningful discipleship with our great God.