Luke 9

Jesus sends out His disciples

Then he called his twelve disciples together and gave them power and authority over all demons, and to cure diseases. 2 And he sent them to preach the kingdom of God, and to heal the sick.

3 And he said to them, “Take nothing for your journey, neither staff, nor bag, nor bread, nor money; and do not have two coats each. 4 And whatever house you enter, stay there and leave from there. 5 And whoever will not receive you, when you go out of that town, shake the very dust off your feet as a testimony against them”.

6 And they departed and travelled through the towns, preaching the gospel, and healing everywhere.

7 Now Herod the tetrarch heard of all that was done by him, and he was perplexed, because it was being said by some that John had risen from the dead, 8 and by some, that Elijah had appeared, and by others, that one of the prophets of old had appeared again.

9 And Herod said, “I beheaded John, but who is this about whom I hear such things?” And he tried to see him.

Jesus feeds the five thousand

10 And the apostles, when they returned, told Jesus all that they had done. And he took them along and withdrew privately to a deserted place belonging to the city called Bethsaida. 11 And the people, finding out about it, followed him; and he received them and spoke to them about the kingdom of God, and healed those who had need of healing.

12 And when daylight began to decline, the twelve came and said to him, “Send the crowd away so they can go to the towns and surrounding countryside and get food and lodging, for we are here in a deserted place.

13 But he said to them, “You give them something to eat”. And they said, “We have no more than five loaves and two fishes, unless we go and buy food for all this people”.

14 For there were about five thousand men. And he said to his disciples, “Have them sit down, fifty to a group”. 15 And they did so, and had them all sit down. 16 Then he took the five loaves and the two fishes, and looking up to heaven, he blessed and broke them, and gave them to the disciples to set before the crowd. 17 And they all ate and were filled, and they gathered up twelve baskets full of pieces left over.

Jesus reveals Who He is and speaks of His death and resurrection

18 And it happened when he was praying alone that his disciples came to be with him, and he asked them, saying, “Who do the people say I am?”

19 They answering said, “John the Baptist. But some say, Elijah, and others say that one of the prophets of old has appeared again”.

20 He said to them, “But who do you say I am?” Peter, answering, said, “The Christ of God”.

21 And he strictly warned and commanded them not to tell this to anyone, 22 saying, “The Son of man must suffer many things, and be rejected by the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and be raised the third day”.

9:22 Note on Son of Man at Matt 8:20.⚜

Jesus reveals the character of His followers

23 And he said to them all, “If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me. 24 For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake, he will save it.

9:24 Is any truth Jesus spoke more often recorded than this one? Matt 10:38-39; 16:24-25; Mark 8:34-35; Luke 14:26-27; 17:33; John 12:25. The repetition indicates its great importance.⚜

25 For what profit is it to a man if he gains the whole world, and loses himself, or is ruined? 26 For whoever is ashamed of me and of my words, the Son of man will be ashamed of him, when he comes in his glory, and in the glory of his Father and of the holy angels.

27 “But I tell you the truth, there are some standing here who will not taste of death until they see the kingdom of God”.

Jesus is transfigured

28 And it happened about eight days after these words that he took Peter and John and James, and went up into a mountain to pray.

9:28 Luke says this happened eight days afterwards; both Matthew and Mark have six days. Evidently they counted only the days between the events of vs 18-27 and the transfiguration, while Luke included both those days.⚜

29 And as he prayed, the appearance of his face was altered, and his clothing became bright and radiant. 30 And suddenly two men were talking with him. They were Moses and Elijah, 31 who appeared in glory, and spoke of his departure which he would accomplish at Jerusalem.

9:31 Luke alone mentions the shining appearance of Moses and Elijah and what they spoke about at that time – Christ’s death in Jerusalem.⚜

32 But Peter and those who were with him were weighed down with sleep: and when they were fully awake, they saw his glory, and the two men who stood with him.

9:32 Luke alone reveals the sleepiness of the disciples. Compare Matt 26:40, 43. How dull the disciples could be at some of the most significant moments in human history! And none of us should think himself better or wiser than they.⚜

33 And it happened, as they were leaving him, that Peter said to Jesus, “Master, it is good for us to be here. Let us make three tabernacles; one for you, and one for Moses, and one for Elijah”, not knowing what he was saying.

34 As he was saying this, a cloud came and overshadowed them, and they were afraid as they entered the cloud. 35 And a voice came out of the cloud, saying, “This is my beloved Son. Listen to him”.

36 And when the voice had stopped speaking, Jesus was found alone. And they kept silent, and in those days told no one any of the things they had seen.

Jesus heals a demon-possessed boy

37 And it happened the next day, when they came down from the hill, that many people met him. 38 And suddenly a man in the crowd cried out, saying, “Teacher, I beg you, look at my son, for he is my only child. 39 And, see, a spirit seizes him and he suddenly cries out. And it throws him into convulsions so that he foams at the mouth, and it batters him and scarcely leaves him. 40 And I begged your disciples to drive him out, and they could not”.

41 And Jesus answered and said, “O unbelieving and perverse generation, how long will I be with you, and put up with you? Bring your son here”.

42 And as he was still coming, the demon threw him down in convulsions. And Jesus rebuked the unclean spirit and healed the child, and handed him back to his father.

9:37-42 Matt 17:14-18. Observe the symptoms that sometimes appear in those who are demon possessed.⚜

43 And they were all amazed at the mighty power of God. But while everyone was wondering at all the things that Jesus did, he said to his disciples,

44 “Let these words sink down into your ears; for the Son of man will be given into the hands of men”.

45 But they did not understand this statement, and it was hidden from them, so that they did not grasp it. And they were afraid to ask him about the statement.

Jesus speaks of true greatness

46 Then a dispute arose among them about which of them would be the greatest.

47 And Jesus, perceiving the thought of their heart, took a child and set him near him, 48 and said to them, “Whoever receives this child in my name receives me, and whoever receives me receives him who sent me; for he who is the least among you all, he will be great”.

Jesus begins His journey to Jerusalem

49 And John answered and said, “Master, we saw someone driving out demons in your name, and we tried to stop him, because he does not follow along with us”.

50 And Jesus said to him, “Do not try to stop him, for he who is not against us is for us”.

51 And this happened when the time was approaching for him to be taken up to heaven: he set his face resolutely to go to Jerusalem,

9:51 See Luke 24:51; Mark 16:19; Acts 1:9. It required great determination for Jesus to go to Jerusalem knowing what faced Him there (vs 22,44).⚜

52 and sent messengers before his face. And they went and entered a village of the Samaritans, to make ready for him. 53 And they did not receive him, because his face was set to go to Jerusalem.

9:52-53 There was enmity between Samaritans and Jews. See John 4:9. Since Jesus was a Jew passing through their area they did not wish to receive Him.⚜

54 And when his disciples James and John saw this, they said, “Lord, do you want us to command fire to come down from heaven and consume them, just like Elijah did?”

55 But he turned and rebuked them, and said, “You do not know of what kind of spirit you are.

9:55 They had heard the Sermon on the Mount, but their thoughts here were contrary to it (Matt 5:1-10).⚜

56 For the Son of man has not come to destroy men’s lives, but to save them”. And they went to another village.

9:51-56 This event is recorded only by Luke.⚜

Jesus and those who would follow Him

57 And it happened as they were going along the road, that a certain man said to him, “Lord, I will follow you wherever you go”.

58 And Jesus said to him, “Foxes have holes and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of man has nowhere to lay his head”.

59 And he said to another, “Follow me”. But he said, “Lord, let me first go and bury my father”.

60 Jesus said to him, “Let the dead bury their dead, but you go and proclaim the kingdom of God”.

61 And still another said, “Lord, I will follow you, but first let me go say good-bye to those who are at my house”.

62 And Jesus said to him, “No one, when he has put his hand to the plough, and looks back, is fit for the kingdom of God”.

9:57-62 See Matt 8:19-22 (vs 61,62 are not in Matthew). “But first” (v 61) – like the man in v 59 this one had something else to do first. It would seem from this, and from what Jesus said to him, that he did not have his priorities right. Does the answer of Jesus seem unreasonable? Nothing Jesus says seems unreasonable to those who trust Him and are eager to serve Him; everything may seem unreasonable to those without a heart for Him. It appears that the Lord Jesus discerned in this man a disposition to keep looking back. This is a ruinous habit, whether trying to plow a furrow, or doing God’s work. Compare Phil 3:13-14; Heb 12:1-2. We must keep our eyes on the goal.⚜