Book of Luke

Luke Chapter 9

• Luke 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 everywhere. 

We see that the preaching of the gospel and healing went side by side. It was done to bring people into the kingdom of God by faith in Jesus Christ. It was not done for a money-making side show. It was done so that people could repent of sins and be saved. It was done to save the lost so that they could receive eternal life. This is an unselfish labor of love. This is done to reach out, not to gain materially or gain popularity. It was also done to confirm the word that was preached.

We've got to get back to old fashioned compassion for the lost. We should be weeping for the lost, praying for their salvation and seeking the Lord for wisdom on how to reach them. 

• Luke 9:7 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 Elijah 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. 

Just because they kill the prophets and preachers does not change the message. If they kill bearers of the truth, it does not change the truth. If one is killed for the gospel's sake two rise up in their place. We can't fight against God. God's word will not be stopped. 

• Luke 9:10 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. 

Those that sought to hear the gospel and be in the Lord's company had their necessary needs cared for.

• Luke 9:15 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 broke, 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. 
• 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, Elijah; 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. 

The Jews were looking for a Messiah that would be king and free them from bondage to the Romans. This is what bible prophets foretold would happen. Yet hidden within the pages of prophecy is the prophecies concerning a suffering Messiah that was to bear the sins of many. Jesus could have become king then and there. He had the power to do so.

This is why at times He instructed His disciples to keep silent about some things. He didn't want people to come and make Him king at this time. He had much to do for the salvation of mankind. He had to make that sacrifice for sins Himself. No one else was worthy to die for sins. God Himself had to become a man and become that sacrifice. God came in the flesh. God became one of us. He who knew no sin became sin. Our sins came upon Him at His death on the cross.

Jesus knew that this first coming was to make the way for sinners to be saved. He will come the second time to fulfill the mission of bringing judgment and setting up the visable kingdom and ridding the world of evil. He be crowned King of Kings and Lord of Lords. Nothing will stop that prophecy from coming to pass.  

• Luke 9:23 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? 

We don't hear this preached much any more. Instead we hear a message of how much we can prosper if we follow Christ. Jesus said that we must lose our life in the world. We must give it up, surrender that life and live for Him. This is not teaching that we should die but that we should die to sin. We should walk in the Spirit and live for God. Old things are gone. Our goals after coming to Christ, should be what can I do for Him now, not what can He do for me.

• Luke 9:26 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. 

Confessing Christ in front of men is part of our salvation. If we are ashamed to acknowledge Jesus to certain people then He will be ashamed of us before His Father in Heaven. 

• Luke 9:27 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. 

This verse has caused much controversy. Some say that this means that there are some in the future descended from the Jews which will not die until they see the kingdom of God. Some say that one of the disciples, namely John did not die a natural death and will be alive at the coming of the kingdom of God. One interpretation is that He is speaking of the time when Peter, James and John saw the appearance of Moses and Elijah on the mount of transfiguration as described in the following verses:

• Luke 9:28 And it came to pass about 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 Elijah: 
• 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 Elijah: 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. 

To me this was given to them to see that Jesus the Messiah was here now and fulfilled law. They were to hear now the words of Jesus. The whole work of Moses and Elijah was to point people to the Christ that was to come. He was here now and He was the one we listen to now. It is similar to the ministry of John the Baptist. He pointed the way to Jesus and when Jesus started His ministry, John's ministry was finished. 

• Luke 9:37 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 tore him. And Jesus rebuked the unclean spirit, and healed the child, and delivered him again to his father. 

This takes a lot of compassion and love to go around where people are really in bondage like this. It surely would not be easy but think of what joy it would be to see one we reached for Christ standing beside us in the kingdom of Heaven. 

• Luke 9:43 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. 

This is our weakness; comparing one another and esteeming one greater than another. That is not to be in Jesus. We are all the same. We are to be as little children dependent upon their parents. We should be dependent upon the Lord. 

• Luke 9:47 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 forbade him, because he followeth not with us. 

"They are don't preach exactly like we do, they don't belong to the First Church of the Refrigerator, so that can't be of God. They shout too loud, they are too quiet, so they can't be of God. They were not baptized into our church, they act a little strange....."

I'm so glad Jesus gave this example and had it placed within the pages of the written word. While I don't think for one minute we should all belong to the same church, sing the same songs, preach the same sermons, and have the same format, we are much too divided and judgmental. As long as a congregation preaches the truth, loves people, and obeys what Jesus said to preach and do, the songs may be different, they may pray one at a time or all at the same time, they may do things differently or even worship on a Saturday instead of Sunday. Let's be about our own calling and leave each other alone.

As long as the gospel is preached, that is what counts. We don't have to support, follow or believe in a certain ministry we may have reservations about, but we must be careful not to be an "accuser of the brethren" and accuse a brother wrongly. This doesn't mean that we go along with false doctrines that are contrary to scripture. This also doesn't mean we condone open sin but we just need to be careful not to false accuse but judge righteously. This is why God gave us the bible. So we don't condemn the innocent and excuse the wicked ones.  

• Luke 9:50 And Jesus said unto him, Forbid him not: for he that is not against us is for us. 
• 51 And it came to pass, when the time was come that he should be received up, he steadfastly 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 Elijah 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. 

We forget this message so easily, especially when someone opposes us when we are only trying to do good. Christ teaches us a new way. We are no longer to "get even," take vengeance, outdo, and intimidate, we are to have compassion. 

• Luke 9:57 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. 

Jesus was warning him to count the cost first and make sure that is really what he wanted to do because He, (Jesus) didn't even have a certain dwelling place. This is the exact opposite of those that teach that Jesus was rich in this world's goods while He walked the earth. 

• Luke 9:59 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 plow, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God. 

A true servant of Jesus does not look back.

I remember my son asked a fellow employee if she wanted Jesus to come. She said, "No, I want to party first." She believed in Jesus and eventually wanted to enter into the kingdom of Heaven but only on her time table. That doesn't work. 

I remember as a child a friend of mine didn't want to be saved until she was grown because she didn't want to give up the movies and other things Christians back then didn't do. Whether or not movies are right or wrong isn't the point but if we thought it was wrong and preferred to go to them rather than receive Christ, what kind of conversion is that? To think in ourselves, "I want to be saved but only after I have fun first or when I am old with nothing better to do," we may wait too late.

I realize there are many people being saved now because they really don't have to give up anything with the new gospel that is preached now, but we better make sure we are preaching the right gospel. God may not require us to give up our favorite pastimes but what if He did? Is He not worth it? What if God told us to give up our beaches, our bowling, our movies, our camping trips, etc. How many of us to still love Him more than those things? 

Maybe I'm being a little unfair here because all the above things don't interest me in the least. I hate beaches, camping, most movies. Bowling I can take or leave. What if I had to give up something I enjoy? If I would rather hold onto anything rather than obey the Lord, it isn't worth it and I would be unworthy of Him. 

Jesus said if we look back, we are not fit for the kingdom of God. Remember Lot's wife. She was safely out of danger, out of Sodom and free from the judgment of God but she turned and looked back. That look was more than just a glance of curiosity but was a look of desire. A desire to go back to what God delivered her out of. Nothing is worth having if it separates us from even one moment in God's presence. Nothing.

These studies are only sharing what I think when I read these scriptures. While I believe the word to be true without question, I realize that some may misunderstand. If things we do don't become an obsession or an idol, God may not require us to give anything up. I'm just saying that all of us can learn to just seek to hear from God and be in obedience to His ways. We may give up something He leads us to do at times but we can't go to our friends and try to get them to give the same things up. Let God do the leading in things the bible don't condemn as sin.