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The Gospel of Luke
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BIBLE STUDY LUKE 9:1-62 REVIEW: As I (Pastor George) noted back in the introduction to this gospel, Luke – more than any other gospel writer – emphasizes the role of women in the gospel tradition and in the early Church. Luke’s naming of some of Jesus’ women followers at the beginning of chapter 8 and description of their ministry – unique to his gospel – is an example of this. The next section of chapter 8 was about Jesus’ parable of the “Sower and the Seeds” and then Jesus’ explanation of why he used that method of teaching and then his explanation of the parable to his disciples. Jesus used parables as a teaching tool – so that rather than just giving “right answers” to people, through parables people were invited to consider things and discover spiritual truths for themselves. As they persist in doing this, God will cause their faith to grow and mature. In another short parable about putting a lamp on a lampstand, Jesus makes it clear that his purpose and role (as a parable teller) is to reveal (not conceal!) the truth of God’s kingdom. The next section of chapter 8 was a brief account of Jesus’ statement about who his true family was after his mother and brothers came to see him. As Pastor Josh noted, although the story is the same as what was in Mark’s gospel (Mk. 3:31-35), Luke’s placement of it gives it a different meaning or emphasis. In Mark, the story served to illustrate that Jesus was misunderstood by his own family. But Luke, by placing this story immediately after the parable of the sower, uses it simply as a way of “reinforcing” the truth and ultimate meaning of the parable – that whoever “hears and does” the word of God is a part of the Lord’s family. Luke then related the story of the windstorm on the lake – both to illustrate Jesus’ authority even over the forces of nature and also to highlight the importance of having faith in Jesus – that with him “on board” we are safe and secure even in the midst of storms that we may encounter. Next, Luke related the story of Jesus’ healing of the Gerasene demoniac. Pastor Josh noted that this story would have been extremely satisfying to any Jewish readers, who would have approved not only of Jesus’ casting out the Legion of demons but also getting rid of the pigs! Be that as it may, the story also shows how the story of Jesus needs to be “translated” to cross cultural and other boundaries. In the end, the healed demoniac acts as an “interpreter” of the good news of Jesus to his own (Gentile) people in a way that no Jew could have been. Finally, chapter 8 concluded with Luke’s recounting of Jesus’ healing of the woman with the hemorrhage and raising of Jairus’ daughter. As Pastor Josh noted, these incidents both involved Jesus’ crossing of religious boundaries. He had just healed a Gentile demoniac – and now Jesus heals two persons who would have been “unclean outsiders” under Jewish ceremonial law (touching a woman with a discharge and a person who had died supposedly made one “unclean”). As Pastor Josh noted, the essential point of these stories is that the healing and helping power of God has no barriers! So may it be for us as his church today. CHAPTER 9:1-6 “The Mission of the Twelve” “Then Jesus called the twelve together and gave them power and authority over all demons and to cure diseases, and he sent them out to proclaim the kingdom of God and to heal. He said to them, “Take nothing for your journey, no staff, nor bag, nor bread, nor money – not even an extra tunic. Whatever house you enter, stay there, and leave from there. Wherever they do not welcome you, as you are leaving that town shake the dust off your feet as a testimony against them.” They departed and went through the villages, bringing the good news and curing diseases everywhere.” Until this point, The Twelve have only been noted peripherally – when Jesus chose them in Lk. 6:12-16 and at the beginning of chapter 8 where they are mentioned as being with him along with women. Now, however, Luke begins to highlight their special relationship with Jesus – that they are to be his prophetic successors, much as Elisha was appointed by Elijah to carry on his ministry in the Old Testament. Luke specifically states that Jesus gave the twelve his power and authority and commissioned (Gk – “apostolo”) them to do his ministry of casting out demons, healing diseases, and proclaiming God’s kingdom. It is from this that we have the term “apostolic authority” – a direct commissioning from Jesus himself. It needs to be understood that Luke does not see this as just a “one-time thing”, but that is why The Twelve later became the leaders of the early Church in Acts. In this sense, this passage shows that Jesus is beginning the process of ensuring that his ministry will continue after he is gone. The point of Jesus’ instruction to “take nothing for your journey” is to highlight that they must be totally dependent upon the hospitality of their listeners – much as Elijah and Elisha were in their ministries. To go out in this way is a “faith-building” exercise. Later at the Last Supper, Jesus will recall this command and ask the Twelve whether they had lacked anything as a result – and they will answer “No, not a thing” (Lk. 22:35). When observant Jews entered Palestine after some journey in a gentile land, it was a custom for them to shake off the last particle of heathen dust from their feet. That is the significance of Jesus’ command to the Twelve to do likewise when leaving a town that did not welcome them – that they were in effect “Gentiles” who were therefore outside of the kingdom of God. One point to note about this passage as a whole is that it joins preaching and healing. The church’s ministry is not just about “spiritual things”, but also for people’s physical needs. CHAPTER 9:7-9 “Herod’s Hears Rumors about Jesus” “Now Herod the ruler heard about all that had taken place, and he was perplexed, because it was said by some that John had been raised from the dead, by some that Elijah had appeared, and by others that one of the ancient prophets had arisen. Herod said, “John I beheaded; but who is this about whom I hear such things?” And he tried to see him.” This passage bridges a literary gap between the departure and the return of the twelve – and tells us about popular speculations about who Jesus was: that he was either John the Baptist come back to life (this is the first and only mention by Luke that he had been killed), or Elijah (who was supposed to return as the forerunner of the Messiah – see Mal. 4:5), or that some other ancient prophet had come back to life. These speculations will be repeated by the disciples in vs. 19. Noteworthy by its absence is any speculation that Jesus might be the Messiah – even though people had earlier been speculating about that possibility regarding John the Baptist (Lk. 3:15)! The reason why Luke does not mention that particular speculation about Jesus is probably a “literary device” to heighten the impact of Peter’s confession about Jesus being the Messiah in vs. 19 – that he is the first person to truly understand who Jesus actually was. This passage also shows us that Herod the ruler (literally “The Tetrarch”) was now hearing reports about Jesus and was – like many others – wondering who he could be. Although Mark (Mk. 6:1-29) and Matthew (Mt. 14:1-12) had recounted the story of John the Baptist’s execution by Herod in great detail, Luke only mentions it as an “aside” because it is not central to his story. The key phrase is that Herod – because of his curiosity – sought to see Jesus. This “foreshadows” Luke’s later account in chapter 22 about how and why Herod was a part of Jesus’ Passion – which is not mentioned by the other gospel writers. CHAPTER 9:10-17 “The Feeding of the Five Thousand” “On their return the apostles told Jesus all they had done. He took them with him and withdrew privately to a city called Bethsaida. When the crowds found out about it, they followed him; and he welcomed them, and spoke to them about the kingdom of God, and healed those who needed to be cured. The day was drawing to a close, and the twelve came to him and said, “Send the crowd away, so that they may go into the surrounding villages and countryside, to lodge and get provisions; for we are here in a deserted place.” But he said to them, “You give them something to eat.” They said, “We have no more than five loaves and two fish – unless we are to go and buy food for all these people.” For there were about five thousand men. And he said to his disciples, “Make them sit down in groups of about fifty each.” They did so, and made them all sit down. And taking the five loaves and the two fish, he looked up to heaven, and blessed and broke them, and gave them to the disciples to set before the crowd. And all ate and were filled. What was left over was gathered up, twelve baskets of broken pieces.” This is the only miracle story that is recorded in all four Gospels (Mk. 6:30-44; Mt. 14:13-21 and Jn. 6:1-14). Like the other gospel writers, Luke obviously sees this miracle as being a prototype of Holy Communion. The words “took, blessed, broke” are also used to describe Jesus’ actions in Lk. 22:19 when he instituted the Sacrament. In this light, the meal becomes the culmination of Jesus’ ministry of casting out demons, curing diseases, and proclaiming the kingdom of God – which he had charged the twelve to do as his apostles in vs. 1-2 and which is repeated again by him at the beginning of this passage. Through his ministry, people are fed (physically, but also by implication spiritually as well) and are satisfied (vs. 17). Luke especially highlights this ministry as involving the twelve. At the beginning of this chapter, he had given them “power and authority over all demons and to cure diseases” and had “sent them out to proclaim the kingdom of God and to heal.” (vs. 1-2) – and now he challenges them to feed the people. Only Luke specifically mentions the twelve – so as emphasize their participation in this meal as being connected to what they previously had been doing. As Luke Timothy Johnson notes in his commentary on the gospel of Luke, the symbolism of their authority as involving table service is thematic (Lk. 22:24-27; Acts 6:1-6). The Interpreter’s Bible commentary also notes this miracle served as a “teaching moment” for the apostles. Just as they had just experienced God’s power working through them in casting out demons, curing diseases, and proclaiming the kingdom – now through this meal they also experience God’s power to provide for our needs. Even though it may have first seemed like they did not have nearly enough, from just five loaves of bread and two fish everyone was fed and completely satisfied. The twelve began with a “scarcity mentality” (“We have no more than five loaves and two fish – unless we are to go and buy food for all these people.”), but ended up with an understanding of God’s overwhelming abundance – emphasized by Luke’s mentioning that they gathered up twelve baskets (one for each of them) of leftovers! Whenever WE have a “scarcity mentality”, may the account of this meal help us to remember that through Jesus God will provide for all of our needs in abundance! CHAPTER 9:18-22 “Peter’s Confession – and Jesus’ 1st Passion Prediction” “Once when Jesus was praying alone, with only the disciples near him, he asked them, “Who do the crowds say that I am?” They answered, “John the Baptist; but others, Elijah; and still others, that one of the ancient prophets has arisen.” He said to them, “But who do you say that I am?” Peter answered, “The Messiah of God.” He sternly ordered and commanded them not to tell anyone, saying, “The Son of Man must undergo great suffering, and be rejected by the elders, chief priests, and scribes, and be killed, and on the third day be raised.” Peter here is shown as representing all of the disciples in that they – in contrast to the crowds – “get it” as to who Jesus truly is – the Messiah (anointed one) of God. But immediately after Peter’s confession, Jesus begins to redefine the concept of what Messiahship is about – that it will involve suffering, rejection, death, and then resurrection. These predictions will be repeated at least in some form six times in Luke’s gospel (Lk. 9:22; 9:44; 12:50; 13:33; 17:25 18:31-33) – and then Jesus will again remind his disciples about this a seventh time after his resurrection (Lk. 24:44-46). We need to remember that a “suffering Messiah” was NOT what most people were looking for – and that this concept was therefore hard for people to grasp. Notably absent in Luke’s account is any mention of Jesus’ blessing Peter after his confession, or that Peter and the others tried to dissuade Jesus, or of Jesus’ rebuking him. Luke’s focus is upon Jesus’ self-understanding of his Messiahship, and NOT upon Peter and the others – either positively or negatively. CHAPTER 9:23-27 “Conditions of Discipleship” “Then he said to them all, “If any want to become my followers, let them deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow me. For those who want to save their life will lose it, and those who lose their life for my sake will save it. What does it profit them if they gain the whole world, but lose or forfeit themselves? Those who are ashamed of me and of my words, of them the Son of Man will be ashamed when he comes in his glory and the glory of the Father and of the holy angels. But truly I tell you, there are some standing here who will not taste death before they see the kingdom of God.” The path of a disciple is to “follow” what has already been traveled by the Messiah. Just as Jesus has denied himself and will take up a cross and lose his life – so must we if we are truly to be his disciples. Here Jesus encourages his hearers to consider what is truly worthwhile. Wealth and power and the things of this life ultimately count for nothing. What is important is having a life with God, because that is what gives our lives meaning. And that only comes about when we stop thinking about ourselves and what we want and need. Finally, Jesus says that some of his listeners “will not taste death before they see the kingdom of God.” The meaning of this saying is ambiguous. I t could refer to the account of his transfiguration immediately following this passage. Most likely, however, Jesus simply means that the kingdom of God is happening NOW as people’s lives are being changed through his and the apostles’ ministry. So it is for us – we “see” God’s kingdom as we experience his love and power working in us, through us, and among us! CHAPTER 9:28-38 “The Transfiguration of Jesus” “Now about eight days after these sayings Jesus took with him Peter and John and James, and went up on the mountain to pray. And while he was praying, the appearance of his face changed, and his clothes became dazzling white. Suddenly they saw two men, Moses and Elijah, talking to him. They appeared in glory and were speaking of his departure, which he was about to accomplish at Jerusalem. Now Peter and his companions were weighed down with sleep; but since they had stayed awake, they saw his glory and the two men who stood with him. Just as they were leaving him, Peter said to Jesus, “Master, it is good for us to be here; let us make three dwellings, one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah” – not knowing what he said. While he was saying this, a cloud came and overshadowed them; and they were terrified as they entered the cloud. Then from the cloud came a voice that said, “This is my Son, my Chosen; listen to him!” When the voice had spoken, Jesus was found alone. And they kept silent and in those days told no one any of the things they had seen.” Luke’s account of Jesus’ Transfiguration is similar to the accounts in Matthew (Mt. 17:1-8) and Mark (Mk. 9:2-8), but Luke also subtly alters some of the details and adds some of his own. First, only Luke mentions that Jesus went up on the mountain to pray. By doing this, he casts the entire scene as a “prayer experience”. What Jesus was apparently praying about was “his departure, which he was to accomplish at Jerusalem.” (This phrase, according to The Interpreter’s Bible commentary, is a painfully literal translation of a Greek clause that could be understood as meaning “the fate that awaited him.” After having told his disciples that he must undergo suffering, rejection, and death at the hands of the elders, chief priests, and scribes, Jesus was seeking confirmation from God that this was indeed the path that he must follow and strength to do it. Luke seems to show the appearance of Moses and Elijah as being an answer to Jesus’ prayer. Secondly, only Luke mentions that Peter, John, and James were “weighed down with sleep.” Some commentators speculate that this means that this experience happened at night, but I (Pastor George) see another explanation. Stress and grief often make people feel exhausted. In Lk. 22:45, it is specifically stated that at the Mount of Olives Jesus found the disciples sleeping because of grief. Also, the phrase “but since they had stayed awake” could also be translated “when they were fully awake” – implying that they had fallen asleep but woke up to see “tail end” of the glorious scene. Why Peter wanted to make three dwellings for Jesus, Moses, and Elijah is not clear. In my commentary about this in Mark’s gospel (Mk. 9:1-8), I suggested that this idea could have been inspired by the Jewish festival of booths (Lev. 23:39-43) which had by the time of Jesus come to have messianic overtones. Perhaps Peter and the others thought that by building dwellings, they could somehow prolong the moment of glory. But perhaps another explanation is simply that Peter wanted to DO something. He was an impulsive man of action, who often did not take time to simply reflect and ponder. Yet that is precisely what he needed to do in this instance. He, like Jesus’ mother Mary back in Lk. 2:19 needed to “treasure this and ponder it in his heart.” He needed to reflect upon what this scene was all about! Perhaps we, like Peter, often feel compelled to DO something rather than to simply abide in and ponder God’s glory and love. Luke, in telling us that Peter “did not know what he said” implies that Peter said the wrong thing. Peter’s “error” seems to be that he was equating Moses and Elijah to be equal with Jesus – which is then corrected by the voice from the cloud telling them that “(Jesus) is my Son, my Chosen; listen to him!” Jesus is not merely the “equal” of Moses and Elijah – he is the One whom they are bearing witness to as being the Messiah, the Son of God! Finally, unlike in Matthew and Mark, in Luke’s gospel Jesus does not command them to keep silent and not tell anyone what they had seen. Luke simply notes that they did. By doing this, Luke seems to be portraying their silence as being WORSHIP (“The LORD is in his holy temple; let all the earth keep silence before him.” – Hab. 2:20). CHAPTER 9:37-43a “Jesus Heals a Demon-Possessed Boy” “On the next day, when they had come down from the mountain, a great crowd met him. Just then a man from the crowd shouted, “Teacher, I beg you to look at my son; he is my only child. Suddenly a spirit seizes him, and all at once he shrieks. It convulses him until he foams at the mouth; it mauls him and will scarcely leave him. I begged your disciples to cast it out, but they could not.” Jesus answered, “You faithless and perverse generation, how much longer must I be with you and bear with you? Bring your son here.” While he was coming, the demon dashed him to the ground in convulsions. But Jesus rebuked the unclean spirit, healed the boy, and gave him back to his father. And all were astounded at the greatness of God.” In this passage, Luke has eliminated any hints of controversy between the disciples and the scribes (Mk. 9:14) and of the father’s insufficient faith (Mk. 9:23-24). Luke’s focus seems to be on the impotence of the disciples and Jesus’ frustration with them. According to John Knox in his exposition on this passage in the Interpreter’s Bible commentary, this passage should be understood as being connected with the Transfiguration experience immediately preceding it – especially concerning the behavior of the disciples. The three disciples on the mountain were “heavy with sleep” and confused as to what to say – and now the rest of the disciples seem to be powerless to cast out the demon from the boy, even though earlier Jesus had explicitly given them “power and authority over all demons and to cure diseases…” (Lk. 9:1). Jesus’ words of frustration seem to be very understandable, and reveal his “humanness” (perhaps in contrast to how his Transfiguration had earlier revealed his divinity). His reproach also recalls God’s complaint against the Israelites in Num. 14:27 for their lack of faith and faithfulness even after having witnessed all of his miraculous deeds of deliverance. Be that as it may, Jesus rebuked the unclean spirit and healed the boy. The end result was that “all were astounded at the greatness of God” – the same kind of reaction that had followed Jesus’ healing of the paralyzed man (Lk. 5:26), his raising of the widow’s son at Nain (Lk. 7:17) and his calming of the storm on the lake (Lk. 8:25). Even in the midst of their lack of understanding and faith, the people and also Jesus’ disciples could see that God was truly working through him. May that be so for us as well – not just for what Jesus has done in the past, but also for what he continues to do among us and through us today! CHAPTER 9:43B – 45 “Jesus’ Second Prediction of his Passion” “While everyone was amazed at all that he was doing, he said to his disciples, “Let these words sink into your ears: The Son of Man is going to be betrayed into human hands.” But they did not understand this saying; its meaning was concealed from them, so that they could not perceive it. And they were afraid to ask him about this saying.” As the Oxford Study Bible notes, this comment is based upon two things:
CHAPTER 9:46-48 “True Greatness” “An argument arose among them as to which one of them was the greatest. But Jesus, aware of their inner thoughts, took a little child and put it by his side, 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 least among all of you is the greatest.” This passage is connected to Jesus’ saying immediately prior to this. A major reason why the disciples could not understand Jesus’ prediction of his Passion and why they were afraid to ask him about it was because their hearts were focused upon themselves. Jesus has been talking about the necessity to deny one’s self (Lk. 9:23), to be ready to suffer and give up our lives – but the disciples are rather thinking about their greatness as compared to each other! With a mindset like that, they could not understand what Jesus was telling them! There is nothing “sentimental” about Jesus’ using a little child to illustrate his point. He is not praising the child’s “innocence”, but is rather referring to the fact that a child was powerless. Note that Jesus is NOT saying that we must “become like” a little child – he rather is saying that we should welcome a little child in his name. In other words, the child here is not taken as being an example of character, but as a symbol of human need. Instead of disputing about their own greatness, Jesus’ disciples should rather be seeking out opportunities of serve to God’s “little ones”. SERVING such people is the measure of true “greatness” among Jesus’ disciples. CHAPTER 9:49-56 “Two Lessons in Tolerance” “John answered, “Master, we saw someone casting out demons in your name, and we tried to stop him, because he does not follow with us.” But Jesus said to him, “Do not stop him; for whoever is not against you is for you.” When the days drew near for him to be taken up, he set his face to go to Jerusalem. And he sent messengers ahead of him. On their way they entered a village of the Samaritans to make ready for him; but they did not receive him, because his face was set toward Jerusalem. When his disciples James and John saw it, they said, “Lord, do you want us to command fire to come down from heaven and consume them?” But he turned and rebuked them. Then they went on to another village.” This passage serves to show that the disciples still did not “get” Jesus’ message about greatness! The first instance is about John’s being upset that a person who was not in their group was casting out demons in Jesus’ name. (Perhaps he was also still a bit miffed that this person was being successful whereas the disciples had failed to cast the demon out of the boy earlier.) John’s complaint echoes that of Joshua to Moses in Num. 11:26-30 where two “unauthorized prophets” were speaking God’s word to the people. But Jesus does not care about right “credentials” – his only concern is that God’s work of healing is being done. We need to keep this in mind today – often God’s work is done outside of the “official boundaries” of the church. Instead of being upset we, like Jesus, should acknowledge that whoever is doing God’s work – even if not “one of us” – is still for us – and give thanks to God. Next, a village of Samaritans refused to offer hospitality to Jesus because he was journeying to Jerusalem. The Samaritans as a matter of course did not help pilgrims going to keep a feast at what they regarded as the wrong sanctuary. (Question – would we be like them?) James and John wished to invoke a punitive miracle upon the villagers as Elijah to did to the soldiers of the Israelite king Ahaziah in 2 Kings 1:9-16. Jesus, however, had earlier taught that we should love our enemies, bless those who curse us, and pray for those who abuse us (Lk. 6:27-31). As his disciples, we must NOT repay evil with evil – or we will become like those who do evil to us. We certainly need to remember this today! CHAPTER 9:57-62 “Three Sayings About Discipleship” “As they were going along the road, someone said to him, “I will follow you wherever you go.” 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.” To another he said, “Follow me.” But he said, “Lord, first let me go and bury my father.” But Jesus said to him, “Let the dead bury their own dead; but as for you, go and proclaim the kingdom of God.” Another said, “I will follow you, Lord; but let me first say farewell to those at my home.” Jesus said to him, “No one who puts a hand to the plow and looks back is fit for the kingdom of God.” According to Luke, Jesus was journeying to Jerusalem to “be taken up” – namely, his ascension after his death and resurrection. Perhaps thinking about this, Luke here puts three sayings about discipleship together – perhaps to echo the three-fold willingness of Elisha to follow Elijah in the period before his ascension (2 Kings 2:1-6). Be that as it may, Jesus says three things about discipleship: 1. Disciples must count the cost. Following Jesus must not just be a “spur of the moment” emotional decision. It is to be a way of life through both good and hard times. 2. Following Jesus must be one’s highest loyalty. It must transcend even one’s loyalty to family. 3. Disciples must focus upon the present and future – not the past. To “follow the leader”, we must look forward rather than backward! So it is for us as Jesus’ disciples! -------------------- George R. Karres, Pella Lutheran Church 418 W. Main Street Sidney, MT 59270
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