Luke | Chapter 9

Luke 9:1-6

 “Discovering the Master through ministry”

 

  • Introduction
  • 1-3 No special equipment
  • 4-5 Not going to get but to give
  • 6 No Statistics

 

Introduction

Looking back over all the gospel records to piece together the events of the 9th chapter of Luke it seems as though Luke is closing out of what was Jesus’ Galilean ministry which by and large was where His ministry experienced the greatest amount of public favor and popularity. Jesus over the next 6 months will go to Galilee but He will not stay there. While we aren’t given what immediately preceded the first sending out of the 12 in Luke’s account, we are in Mark’s as he records in 6:1-6 Jesus’ return to Nazareth to which the 5th verse says, “He could do no mighty works because of their unbelief”. Jesus pointed out in Mark 6:4 the reason for this as the villagers held a prejudicial evaluation because of their own fallen nature. Here where people unable and unwilling to recognize Jesus even when they were the most familiar and acquainted with Him. With all three of these accounts:

  • Jairus
  • The woman with the issue of blood
  • And Jesus interaction with His hometown of Nazareth

Each had to get beyond their limited view of the person and work of Jesus. The need is to recognize not only who He is with regard to His abilities but we also who He is with regard to His character and willingness! Had Nazareth just come to Him broken, humbled, recognizing that even though they had defamed Him and His family, He would do mighty works among them! It is this context that sets up the sending out of the 12 who became the first missionaries sent out to represent Jesus and for this reason alone should hold our interest as it appears in 3 out of the 4 gospels:

  • Matthew 9:35 – 11:1
  • Mark 6:6-13
  • Luke 9:1-6

The story in its fullest  understanding can be seen in three parts that continue to verse 17:

  • 1-5 The disciples sending out
  • 6-9 The work they did and what the world did
  • 10-17 Their return and the things that happened in connection to that return

From their appointment to be His disciples until now they have been with Jesus. During this time, they knew that they were being prepared to be sent away from Jesus to do His work. They had observed Him; His methods, His words, His authority and power. They had taken note of not only His ability over every human affliction but the compassion with which He handled each and every person as if they were the single most important person He had ever met. They had witnessed how he dealt with crowds, and opposition.

They were present during the two visits to Jesus’ home village of Nazareth where His work was paralyzed by unbelief. The time had now come for them to be His apostles sent away, His ambassadors, saying the things He had been saying, doing the things He had been doing. Skip ahead to any of the accounts such as Mark 6:30-32 where Mark records how the first mission experience went and it’s very revealing by what we DON’T FIND:

  • No specifics given in the report
  • No details of where they had gone, what people they had encountered or specific victories won in His name.

In fact, none of the gospels, including Mark, say anything other than what we are told in Mark 6:30 that they, “told Him ALL THINGS, both what they had done and what they had taught.” What seems to have caught the attention of Peter who communicated this to Mark was NOT what they had done and said while they were out but rather the care of Christ for them on their return! This may be the single most important point of their time away from the Master doing ministry:

  • As wonderful as it is to fulfill our calling in service, it pales in comparison to being in His presence and experiencing His personal love and care for us! I suggest to you that this may very well be the purpose and goal of our service. Only a few days earlier after their experience on the Sea of Galilee they had asked “Who can this be?” The passage before us is driven by the disciple’s continual exploration of that question.

 

Vs. 1-3 No special equipment

 

Vs. 1 Mark 6:7 is a bit clearer and gives us four principals of ministry:

  • 1a Luke 9:1 just records for us that Jesus called the disciples together. Whereas Mark 6:7 says that “He called the twelve to Himself”. The first principal is that Ministry is first and foremost about discovering Who Jesus is! Notice that Jesus’ first move in sending them out was to “call them to Himself”. What we learn by Jesus sending the 12 out is that you can best find the answer of who Jesus is in SERVING rather than in the common method in most churches, SITTING. There is a place for observation in discovery but to truly learn you will need to lace up your sandals and get to work. Jesus was a strong proponent of, “On the job training”. Jesus demonstrated this by action that through service they would encounter Him in a way that merely sitting and watching with Him would never be able to reveal. We followers of Christ were never designed to be spectators, instead we were called to be participants. Saints if you are not “Growing”, the antidote is you will need to get up and get “GOING!”

 

  • Luke 9:1 doesn’t record what we are told in Mark 6:7b as there we are told that He “began to send them out two by two”: The word “send” here is the same word where we get our English word “apostle” from. It means a person sent out on a special commission to represent another, accomplishing His work and purpose on His behalf. Solomon wrote in Ecc.4:9 “Two are better than one, because they have a good reward for their labor.”  What this reveals is that ministry is done in unity with others not in isolation. Our further discovery of Jesus is a group activity and Jesus paired up the 12. Although we are not told who Jesus paired together in Mark’s account you will find it in Matthew’s account of 10:1-42. There we read that:
    • Peter and his brother Andrew were placed together
    • John and his brother James were together
    • Philip and Bartholomew
    • Thomas and Matthew
    • James and Thaddaeus
    • lastly we have the odd pairing of Simon the Zealot with Judas Iscariot.

What’s amazing in the last pairing is they also received power and authority in the name of Jesus to do His work. This fact reveals that just because a work is done in the name of Jesus, under His authority and even accomplishes what it is supposed to doesn’t necessarily legitimize the instrument that has been used.

  • 1c “gave them power”:This also recorded for us in Mark 6:7 and what we note is that ministry is primarily about connection with Jesus and His power. The words “gave them power” in the Greek is in the imperfect tense which means that He “kept on giving them power” throughout the mission He sent them on. The word for “power” is a word that means “delegated authority”. These 12 possessed the authority to command demons to leave and lives to be restored in God’s power who had commissioned them. I am not saying that these 12 didn’t have attributes and talents to go along with education and life experiences, what I am saying is that their effectiveness was about connection to Jesus’ power and all the above traits. The quicker we understand this and the more reliant upon this the more effective we become in what He has called us to.

 

  • 1d “over demons” or as Mark 6:7 calls them “unclean spirits”. Based upon Mark 6:13 we know that this ministry wasn’t exclusively geared to power and authority over “unclean spirits”, but Mark specifically mentions this one element in the 7th verse. This was something that caused the 70 disciples that were sent out in Judea particular amazement upon their return in Luke 10:17 as they mention that “even the demons are subject to us in Your name”. Another great principal about ministry is: When we are doing what Jesus has called us to do, in His power NOTHING is difficult.

There is polarity in ministry as it relates to Jesus: John 15:5, “Apart from Jesus we can do nothing,” and Philippians 4:13 “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me”. As long as we are on the Philippians 4:13 side of the equation we have nothing to fear! They learned that “This Jesus” had no equal and there was nothing they could ever encounter outside of His power and authority. This power and authority is provisional because it is a given as opposed to Jesus’ universal power and authority. What confidence we can have over any and every entrenched evil or stronghold when we are acting upon His given authority.

  • 3 as well as Mark 6:8-9 “He said to them, take nothing for the journey, neither staffs nor a bag nor bread nor money; and do not have two tunics..” Mark records essentially the same thing with the exception of Mark says, “except a staff” which seems to me is that they didn’t forbid it but didn’t require it either. What we learn from this is that Jesus told them that they already had everything they needed for the job and they wouldn’t need “special equipment”. They didn’t need “extra baggage” that would slow them down and cause unwanted delays. Jesus wanted them to operate in the balance of having what they needed for the task, but still having to trust Him for their needs! It seems to me that the principle Jesus is teaching His disciples is that their greatest provision is total dependency upon Him. Total dependency is not opposed to planning and provisions and in fact they can be a sign that you are totally dependent. What we need the most in ministry is simple, JESUS! Lack of preparation is never a sign of inspiration, but it very well may be a sign of insubordination!

 

Vs. 4-5 Not going to get but to give

 

Hospitality was a sacred duty in Eastern culture. It was never the responsibility of the stranger to seek it out but the duty of the village to offer it. So Jesus told them that if any village should refuse hospitality towards them then they should treat them as if they were a gentile house and not have fellowship with them.

  • Vs. 4-5 “Whatever house you enter, stay there, and from their depart….” Any stranger could expect to be taken care of and entertained when they came into a town or village, there were no hotels in those days, so Jesus tells them that they were to utilize cultural hospitality as a means as a place to stay but the difference was that they were going to give more than they were to receive. Clothed in His power and authority they were to stay and be a blessing for the time they were in the village. They were not to be beggars, or solicitors seeking funds for their mission. They were going out to GIVE, not to GET!

The principle they were to learn is that if they are out in Jesus’ power and authority, ministry is about giving and not getting and only then is it worthy of support! They were instructed when leaving a village, where they didn’t receive it they were to leave in a way that expressed sorrow by shaking the dust off their feet, indicating that this village would not receive the blessings that they had been sent to give. Rabbinical law required that when a man entered the temple courts, he must take off staff, sandals and money belt and it appears that Jesus was suggesting that their entrance into the simple homes of villagers should be treated with such reverence as they would approach the temple.

 

Vs. 6 No Statistics

 

The meaning of these words in the Greek doesn’t mean that they proclaimed or told people to repent but rather that they preached in such a way that it produced repentance.

Vs. 6 “So they went out and preached that people should repent.” Jesus told them that as they went from village to village they would encounter two different groups: Those that would offer hospitality and those that would offer hostility, those that they would consider friends and those that would consider them as enemies and they were to minister and be a blessing to both! They were to stay at the house that offered them hospitality and be their servants and not expect to be the household’s pampered guests. The last principal they learned about Jesus was that His message and method was about truth and transformation.

They had been sent in His power and authority to bless the village, and the blessing was that they can only experience the blessings of God by turning away from the things that hindered them receiving the blessings. It is the “Goodness of God that leads to repentance”. People will never let go of the life they have until they become convinced that it is keeping them from enjoying something far better. That was the message Jesus wanted them to convey to the villages they were sent to. That is always the problem with sin, it keeps us from experiencing and enjoying the gifts God so desires to lavish upon us!

I again notice that no stats were taken, no numbers were recorded on how many were saved, how many were delivered from demons or how many healed from various diseases. Success was not to be measured by numbers but rather in obedience to which was seen in that Jesus received all glory and honor.

 

Luke 9:7-9

 “The terror of goodness”

 

  • Introduction
  • Luke 9:7-8, Mark 6:14-15 Three views of Jesus
  • Luke 9:9 Mark 6:16-18 The terror of goodness
  • Mark 6:19-29 A sinner’s conscious

 

Introduction

We left off in Luke 9:6 with the 12 disciples leaving to minister to unmentioned towns and people. As far as Luke’s record is concerned he only mentions the primary aspects of their ministry which was proclaiming the gospel and healing, while purposefully neglecting the specifics of this twofold ministry until the 10th verse where we are informed that, “when they had returned, told Him all that they had done.” Mark is a bit more specific in 6:30 where he records, “The apostles gathered to Jesus and told Him all things, both what they had done and what they had taught.” The word “preaching” in verse 6 is where we get our word herald from and it is a verb. It is always used of a representative of a king who delivers a message with the authority of the king.

The business of a herald is NOT to share their opinions, difficulties or ideas. There are two generalities that we need to look at first:

  • First I think it is important to note, as I mentioned last week, that there were no statistics taken. We know this first by the fact that there are none reported in any of the gospel accounts. Second, we are told that the report of both what they had done and said was only given to Jesus. There was no report published, they didn’t have an engraved sign that offered how many conversions, baptisms or healings that had taken place. They didn’t send reports to the deacon board or mission agency. I cannot underscore the importance of this enough, as this insured that the instruments received no recognition nor glory and instead they were only seen as servants carrying out the King’s purposes in His power and authority.
  • The second thing I notice is how that truth affects the magnitude of our understanding when we move to the text today. You see when we examine Matthew’s account in 11:1 we read that, “When Jesus finished commanding His twelve disciples, that He departed from there to teach and to preach in their cities.” In essence the gospel record issues the proof of this in the reaction of Herod the tetrarch. The work was visible to the degree that it was even discussed at the highest levels of government, yet the general effect was that Jesus’ ministry through the 12 disciples that were paired made it seem as though He was everywhere at once all because the emphasis was upon what Jesus said and did and not the servants that He had sent out! The context is brought out in Matthew 14:1-2 were we are given the tie-in, “At that time…” At what time? At the time when Nazareth was refusing to obey what they heard and saw, Herod the tetrarch was missing applying what he heard and saw.

This section starts out with Herod’s reaction to what was being said about Jesus and then moves to a flashback in time to explain why he reacted so. That “flashback” isn’t to be found in Luke’s record instead we only note Herod’s confession in verse 9. I believe that it is best that we cover this more fully and will do so be looking at Mark 6:14-29 as he records the flashback. As we shall note, Herod’s response is a superstitious confession in regard to Jesus’ ministry and fails to realize that “You cannot murder truth; you can only temporarily silence the voice that utters it.”

 

  Luke 9:7-8, Mark 6:14-15 Three views of Jesus

 

These first two verses reveal two separate and important truths:

  • First though not immediately apparent in the text is the fact that John the Baptist’s beheading took place right at the same time Jesus sent His disciples out. I believe Mark and the other gospel writers deliberately place it after the sending out of the 12 and prior to their return in verse 30-34 to indicate two things about their time away from Jesus:

 

  • That the timingof their departure coincided with John the Baptist’s death and as such indicates the concern Jesus had for His disciples. It seems that He wanted to get them away from Himself and the boldness of the opposition created by the execution of John.

 

  • Secondly, as I pointed out above, I believe that this indicates the successful priority of the disciple’s ministry while they were out. Verse 14 says that King Herod, with a guilty conscience, had “Heard of Jesus for His name had become well known.” Prior to these disciples being sent out Jesus’ ministry had been localized to wherever He was, but when paired up Jesus was suddenly everywhere. I think this accounts for Herod’s paranoia as he was hearing about Jesus being everywhere in dozens of places simultaneously. What stands out is that Herod had not been hearing about the disciples, he had been hearing about Jesus! Successful ministry begins and ends with everybody talking about Jesus and nobody talking about the church! 
  • There is another thing that caught my attention as it relates to King Herod and that is that he attributed the miracles of Jesus to John and made the assessment that Jesus was John who had risen from the dead. That statement is remarkable for two reasons:
  • Herod was an Edomite (a descendant of Esau) and aligned himself with the Sadducees who we know didn’t believe in the resurrection or any supernatural work for that matter. Yet because of His guilt conscious at being complicit in John’s death his theology has changed.
  • It is also remarkable as according to John’s gospel chapter 10:41, “John performed no SIGN!” Again I believe that it indicates the level of guilt and paranoia that King Herod had.

Vs. 8 The second thing this section points out is that with all the work and words that Jesus had done for well over a year people still had a hard time equating the work specifically to Jesus which would have been essential in making the distinction that this must be God. Instead they concluded that Jesus was doing this as: “The risen John the Baptist, Elijah, The prophet, or like one of the prophets.” While the news of Jesus’ year-long ministry had penetrated the Galilean palace in Tiberias and the ears of Herod Antipas, it is of note that this is one of the few cities that Jesus had never set foot in that region. There were three opinions about Jesus voiced here and each of them reveal the heart of the people that held the view:

  • John the Baptistrose from the dead: This is the verdict of a guilty conscience as Herod had allowed an innocent man to be executed and was now haunted by what he had done. The truth this reveals is that no person can avoid the greatest horror we will ever face, living with ourselves!
  • It is Elijah: This was the verdict of the hopeful nationalist waiting for a man who would have the power and authority to overthrow the Roman occupation. Oddly enough the disciples and even John the Baptist fell into this category at times. It was a commonly held belief that before the Messiah would come Elijah the greatest of the miracle working prophets would come and pave the way. To this day the Jews leave a chair open with a glass of wine at Passover then they go and open the door that Elijah may come through announcing the Messiah has come to take His place at the table. This nationalist view is of a person who wants the Messiah to come and make things right (nationally or personally) but NOT a person who they will have to obey and submit to.
  • It is the prophet, or like one of the prophets: This is the verdict of the person longing to hear from God. For three hundred years there had not been one word from God through the prophets and there were some who thought that Jesus was that voice. The people had grown tired of the vain arguments of the Rabbis, they longed for the “Thus says the Lord”, of authority and when Jesus spoke they heard it. But Jesus was far more than “A” word from God, He was “THE” word “OF” God! And with His words was the power and authority that would cause every knee to bow and every tongue to confess that He is God.

Elijah was good, the prophets were good and John the Baptist was good; but none of them was good enough to account for Jesus. He is not just the best among men but better than all men combined. What a tragedy it is when people try to explain Jesus away! In many a person’s view Jesus can be a good man, a teacher, a prophet and even savior but He must not be Lord God who died for my sins. The best among men is but dim lights and can only be powered by His glory when compared to the Light Of The World.

 

Luke 9:9 Mark 6:16-18 The terror of goodness

 

Here we are introduced to the three primary characters in our story:

  • Herod was a walking contradiction:Herod the Great (who following the birth of Jesus ordered the deaths of all males 2 years old and under in Bethlehem) had married 5 different wives and had children with each of them, he was known for putting to death anyone whom he thought would threaten his throne, including his own wives and children. It was said that it was safer to be a pig than one of his children. After his death his children married each other or their cousins. When he died he divided his kingdom among his three surviving sons and Antipas was given the region of Perea and Galilee where most of Jesus’ ministry was happening. The Herod in this story (Herod Antipas) married his niece, Herodias, who had been the wife of his ½ brother, Philip who also had a half-brother named Philip. As a practicing Jew it was unlawful for him to do so according to the law of Moses in Leviticus 18:16 and 20:21.

Herod was a source of national embarrassment. Mark calls Herod Antipas a king as that is what his Roman readers would have recognized him as but in reality he was only a tetrarch which was a ruler of a quarter part of a nation. An odd mixture of a man who at the same time could love sin and desire virtue, could long to hear truth but dread the words he heard and could imprison and condemn a man to die who he longed to set free and listen to. He was a slave to impulse as he acted without reason and forethought. A reckless man, a danger to himself and others!

Herodias wanted to eliminate the one man who had the courage and care to confront her about her sin: She wanted to do as she liked without anyone reminding her that we are all slaves and our only differences lie in who the master is. She concocted a plan to murder John so that she may live in peace instead of listening to John and obey that she may truly be at peace. She believed that in killing John she could silence the voice but failed to realize that she still would have to meet the One whom John spoke about! John the Baptist’s death was not the end of his ministry to Herod and Herodias as his voice continued to speak even after they killed him.

There is no way Herodias or anyone can silence the truth because you can never cut us off from our head, Jesus! Those who martyr the witness do far more harm to themselves than they do to the saint. All they do to us is send us home to our Lord, they remain ruined on earth. The persecution of Christians is the least productive activity the world can ever be engaged in as it only blesses the believer and causes more to come forward.

  • John the Baptist was a man of great courage and care: He was a miracle child, and from the lips of Jesus in Matthew 11:11, “Among those born of women there has not risen anyone greater than John the Baptist”.  John had made the cardinal sin as far as Herodias was concerned of publicly rebuking such behavior. You can always tell when a society has declined to the point of being reprobate: When they conclude that criticism about abominable behavior is a greater crime than the behavior. To John the imprisonment in a dungeon must have been like a room in the palace as he had lived life in the wild Judean desert with locust as his meat. He lived for truth and died for truth and no man was his master! And while John the Baptist took issue with Herod’s sin the religious leaders said nothing.

 

Mark 6:19-29 A sinner’s conscious

 

Mark 6:19-29 Chronologically verses 17-29 precedes verses 14-16. The ghastly crime of Herodias’ hate filled murder of a just man is recorded. John the Baptist had exposed her sin and her husband or uncles’ weakness. Mark tells us that Herod didn’t share the same hatred of John and in fact he seems to at least have an interest in what John had to say. The location of this event took place in Herod’s place in Machaerus 15 miles on the east side of the Dead Sea in modern day Jordan. Herodias had been waiting for an opportunity to exploit her husband’s weakness to execute John the Baptist, and the time came at a party. All the dignitaries had come for his birthday bash and Herodias sent out her teenage daughter Salome to do a seductive dance that aroused Herod to the point where he made an oath to her in front of his invited guests promising her whatever she wanted up to half his kingdom.

The Jews would never have permitted a woman to dance seductively before a group of men and even most gentile mothers would have forbidden a daughter to do this but to Herodias her daughter Salome was part of her wicked plan to seduce her husband to do what she wanted and murder John. Herod was faced with breaking many oaths as he had apparently repeatedly declared his desire to reward the girl for her seductive dance. Salome went and asked her mother who told her the head of John the Baptist and half of his kingdom was not his to give. It belonged to the Roman government who put him in charge and had no value when offered by a drunken despot.

But the savage hate of the inbred Herodias knew no bounds as she would sacrifice her husband and her daughter to accomplish her murder. She valued John’s head as half the kingdom, but it was worth far more than that. The sad truth is Herod respected John, feared his words, recognized the righteousness of God displayed in his life but in the end was a slave to his own vile passions, imprisoned by his own immorality. No person can regulate their own sin to fit their convenience; sin is never the servant and always the master! On the slippery slope of evil and sin there always comes a time when the brakes will no longer work, and Herod had hit that time. How strange is a sinner’s conscience: The last of the Hebrew prophets was murdered because He spoke the truth.

 

And Herod felt obligated to exercise his morality:

  • Not in obeying the laws with regard to marrying his niece, the wife of his half brother
  • Not in never being a part of murdering a righteous man
  • But ONLY in keeping his drunken depraved oath to a teenage girl who danced sexually pleasing his flesh

Doing what is wrong even when we promise to do so is never morally binding, it was wrong for him to make it, and it was far worse when he chose to keep it. Actions make kings not crowns, parliaments or subjects and in this case the true king was executed by the prisoner! It is better to be true than to be consistent, it was Herod’s consistency that trapped him and enslaved him. In Luke 23:6-12 we will again meet up with Herod Antipas when he tries Jesus with the hope to see a miracle. But Jesus would not even speak to this murderer and adulterer and in Luke 13:31-35 calls him a fox, a description of a swindler. In A.D. 39 Herod Agrippa, his nephew denounced his uncle to the Roman emperor and Antipas was deposed and sent into exile.

 

Luke 9:10-17

“True Manna”

 

  • Introduction
  • 10-11 Burn on or burn out?
  • 12-17 Manufacturers or distributors

 

Introduction

The context that Luke offers of the feeding of the five thousand is still upon the results of the sending out of the twelve. This was no doubt a direct result of the multiplied ministry because the twelve were sent out in pairs causing six groups plus Jesus which increased Jesus’ popularity. This miracle is the only one that is recorded in all four gospels and each take note of it from differing perspectives.

  • Matthew 14:13-21
  • Mark 6:30-44
  • John 6:1-14
  • Luke 9:10-17

First it is important that we do not mistakenly confuse the feeding of the 5,000 with the feeding of the 4,000, which is recorded for us only in Matthew 15:29-39 and Mark 8:1-9. Though they happened the same year the feeding of the 5,000 took place close to Bethsaida in the Spring just before Passover whereas the feeding of the 4,000 took place later in the same year near Decapolis at the other end of the Sea of Galilee.

As we look at the events of Jesus’ ministry chronologically we see that:

  • Between the healing of the paralytic in John chapter 5 and the feeding of the 5,000 in the sixth chapter of John we have the events of Luke 6:1-9:10, Mark 3:1-6:30 and what Matthew records in chapters 5-7, 13 namely “the Sermon on the Mount” found in chapters 5-7 and giving of parables in chapter 13.

 

  • In the feeding of the 4000 we are told by Jesus that their feeding was necessitated because they were “very hungry for they had been with Him for three days and hadn’t eaten.” But here we know that they had followed Jesus on foot as He and his disciples were crossing the lake. And even though Jesus had taught all day the request of the disciples to “send them away” was perfectly reasonable as they had time to get back and get food. When you examine all four accounts you get a completed picture:

 

  • Matthew tells us that the decision to depart was timed with the hearing that John had been beheaded. Three of the accounts tell us that Jesus was “moved with compassion and healed the sick because they were like sheep without a shepherd” and only Mark tells us that He “began teaching them many things”. Mark also tells us that the feeding of the 5,000 came after the day was “far spent”. And three gospel accounts tell us then that “the disciples told Jesus to send them away, that they may go into surrounding villages and buy themselves bread; for they have nothing to eat.” Only John tells us that Jesus, seeing the large multitude coming forward, asked Philip “Where shall we buy bread, that these may eat?” And that Jesus said that testing him, for “He Himself knew what He would do.” (John 6:5-6) Matthew, Mark and Luke all record that Jesus then challenged all the disciples saying, “You give them something to eat” .

 

The timing of this ministry helps the reader understand the context as well as the lessons Jesus was attempting to teach His disciples. The feeding of the five thousand happened during the central part of Jesus ministry which started at John the Baptist’s imprisonment and ended at Peter’s confession at Caesarea Philippi, lasting close to two years. Interestingly, John’s gospel gives the least amount of attention to this period of Jesus’ ministry as it is only spoken of in the 6th chapter. With regards to the timing John’s gospel simply says, “after these things” and we are not told what things he was referring to unless you look at the other gospel writers where you get the setting to our story in Luke:

  • This sign was done right after the disciples were sent out on their first mission
  • Right after John the Baptist was beheaded
  • At the time in which Herod desired to see Jesus

Generally speaking this was the time in Jesus’ ministry when people were constantly following Jesus, pressing after Him pushing and shoving to gain access to Him. Because of this it was also at this time that Jesus stole away, sometimes crossing from the northern part of Galilee to the eastern part only to be followed by the crowds larger because of the Passover season. Specifically of the day of the feeding of the five thousand we are told that Jesus spent all day teaching these multitudes (Mark 6:34), and Luke says specifically says that Jesus’ teaching was centered on the kingdom of God (Luke 9:11).

 

Vs. 10-11 Burn on or burn out?

Vs. 10 Personally I’m always interested at the training methods and risks Jesus took when entrusting the greatest message and only hope to unlearned and inexperienced people. Based upon Acts 4:13 this astounded the experts as they noted that those who they had just successfully debated them, were unlearned and uneducated fishermen with the only qualifying detail, “They had been with Jesus”! Rabbinical schools took students from a very young age, and they had to show increased academic aptitude that was designed to eliminate students until you were with left the best and brightest. The pupils that didn’t make it would be dropouts that would filter to different trades. It is clear that Jesus didn’t choose His disciples from the rabbinical schools but rather from the cast-off trades. Jesus’ chosen were not the best and the brightest, far from it! His disciples were not trained daily in the classrooms but were with Him daily observing His methods and manners.

As we look at this verse we realize that as the 12 came back from an extensive ministry season being directly impacted by the ebb and flow of the Christian life: A continuous going into the presence of God from the presence of people and coming out from the presence of people and back into the presence of God. This training method by Jesus was intentional as a person cannot be effective at their work for God unless they have spent time at rest with God! But a person will be restless if they have not been engaged in work for God, we need both!

Jesus knew that these men needed some debriefing, It has been said that “If you don’t come apart to a deserted place and rest you will just end up coming apart!” It is always a wise decision to make preparation to burn on so that you won’t just end up burning out! Jesus recognized that these disciples were in danger on three fronts and He had accounted for this and made provision for it.

  • First there was the danger from the increased boldness of the opposition
  • Second, there was the danger from exhaustion and fatigue as we are told that “many were coming and going, and they did not even have time to eat.”
  • Finally, though not in this text we are informed in the other gospel accounts that perhaps their greatest danger may have been from pride in attributing their success as their accomplishments. We know this because according to Luke 10:20 at another ministry debriefing Jesus had to warn them not to “rejoice that the demons are subject to them in His name but rather that their names are written in heaven.”

 

Vs. 11 John chapter 6:2 informs us about the crowd that followed Jesus as we are told “because they saw His signs on those who were diseased”. This tells us that the multitudes that sought Jesus that day were there for two reasons neither of which was the right reason:

  • Physician:There were those there that had seen what He had done physically for others and wanted Him to do the same for them. They came to get something from Him that He had given to others. They don’t want Jesus to be involved in their lives; to walk near them or spend time with them, they just wanted a handout.
  • Magician:Others had no need themselves but were curious and sought entertainment. This group was just out to see something new that they can get the T-shirt saying that they were at the event. “I saw that trick, I heard that tune played, I was there ”.

Things haven’t changed as we still see these two groups seeking out the church. It’s for this reason that the church shouldn’t get its direction from the crowds but from Jesus. Yet with that said, Jesus knowing that this multitude was seeking Him for all the wrong reasons and according to John 6:41-42 would even reject Him after He feed them, nonetheless, sought to meet their hunger, but only after teaching them about the kingdom of God all day. Jesus didn’t dismiss them or put them down; instead He sought to feed them spiritually and practically.

 

This suggests to us three things:

  • That this feeding was not a necessity:Though a deliberate action by Jesus it was not one born out of the necessity of the physical needs of the multitudes. To be sure some of the folks were no doubt tired having run around the lake but they were not in danger of starving. It is impressive that the multitudes had taken the effort to run after Jesus and stay there throughout the day to hear Him teach and to have their inflictions ministered to, but in John’s account we are told that “Jesus knew what He was going to do” which is an assessment that this was not a spontaneous event but more of a calculated one.
  • This feeding was not about just food for the multitude:This feeding was not about just the multitudes it was also about the disciples who had just returned from their being sent out doing His work in the villages. The timing was very near Passover, the location being out in the wilderness all of which no doubt would have given them time to reflect upon the nation’s wandering in the wilderness. John records Jesus’ words a day later in 6:22-41 and reminds us that Jesus said those words at the exact place  in the same spot as the feeding of the 5000. When Jesus said a day later, “I am the bread of life. He who comes after Me shall never hunger, and he who believes in Me shall never thirst.” “I am the bread of life. Your fathers ate manna in the wilderness and are dead. This is the bread which comes down from heaven, that one may eat of it and not die.” These disciples were to learn that it was far more exciting to be with “THE BREAD OF LIFE”. They were given the privilege to give the multitudes the true “Manna” which in partaking of Him will leave the person not only satisfied in this life but full forever.
  • This feeding was about finding your true fulfillment: I come to this conclusion based upon the number of baskets filled with the crumbs in verse 17, 12 baskets. The number 12 is a very biblical number as it not only represented the number of Jewish tribes it also represented the number of disciples. The point of this seems to suggest that our deliverance of Jesus as the bread of life is the surest way to never hunger ourselves. That which Israel was longing for in manna was only temporary and was pointing to Him who will forever satisfy what we hunger for. Ministry is a basket, nothing more! Its usefulness is not in the straw or branches that are woven together but what it is designed to gather: “The bread of life”!

 

Vs. 12-17 Manufacturers or distributors

All four gospel accounts record this event with differing details: When we compare John’s account with that of the other three gospel writers we discover that four proposals were brought forth three by the disciples and one by Jesus to solve the problem of feeding the people, but John is only going to focus on three of them:

  • 14: 15 “Send the multitudes away”: Simply put, get rid of the problem by sending the people back home which Jesus did but only after feeding them, not before as they had suggested. The disciples had good reason for this suggestion as they were in a deserted place and the hour was late. But what the disciples saw as the reasons to send people away was the very reasons Jesus saw “to give them something to eat”. Don’t miss that as our lack of action is Jesus’ reason for action.
  • John 6:7“Two hundred denarii worth of bread is not sufficient for them, that every one of them may have a little.” Philips’ suggestion was centered around money and in this case the lack of it to meet the need of so many. You could say that Philip counted the cost, crunched the numbers and had concluded that even if they had 200 days wages it wouldn’t be enough to provide a snack for so many people.
  • John 6:9“There is a lad here who has five barley loaves and two small fish, but what are they among so many?” Andrew’s solution was still counting but this time it was noses instead of nickels and there was a little lad with a little food, which Andrew who is always bringing people to Jesus dismisses as not being enough.
  • Matthew 14:16“You give them something to eat.” The final and correct solution came from Jesus. It is only when we put the accounts together that we see a clearer picture as according to Mark it was after Jesus told them that they were to give them something to eat that Andrew brought in the lad with the loaves and fishes and asked them how much they had.
  • It is then that Philip answered that “200 day’s wages were not enough to purchase the bread necessary to feed the multitude even if everyone had only a little.” To which Jesus replied, “How many loaves do you have? Go and see.” John tells us that the disciples came back from this scavenger hunt with the answer from Andrew, Peter’s brother, that they had found a “lad who had five barley loaves and two small fish” and the disciples added “but what are these among so many,” to which Luke’s account adds that the disciples said, “unless we go and buy food for all these people.” From here each account describes the picturesque grouping of the multitude in hundreds and fifties, upon the green springtime grass and how Jesus took up the five barley loaves and two fish and blessed it and broke it giving it to the disciples who in turn passed it out then went back and took up twelve baskets full of fragments.

Clearly There is a difference between Jesus’ view of the 5000 and the disciples view of them:

  • The disciples saw them through the eyes of their needs and said, “Send them away, we’re weary!”
  • Jesus saw them through the eyes of their needs and said, “Come unto me all you who are weary!” The disciples had two suggestions for solving the problem:
  • Send them away: Give these people ample time to go and find their own provisions. I’m of the opinion that this is the one that the disciples preferred as it would mean less work for them and more down time with Jesus.
  • Raise enough moneyand go and buy enough bread so that all could have something to eat: A denarion was a silver coin worth about $35 today and 200 would be $7,700 or an average year’s wage. This didn’t seem feasible as they didn’t have enough resources for such a large crowd, so that everyone would be able to get even a little. Not to mention that they would have to go to several villages to find enough bread to purchase for 5000 men, plus women and children.

What an effective committee of problem solvers these 12 were! Someone has well described a committee as a group of people who as individuals aren’t willing to do anything so they come together with the collective purpose to decide that nothing can be done! Saints, Jesus isn’t interested in what we lack. His only interest is in what we have! They adopted a corporate business plan to assess the situation which was to measure their available resources. But Jesus offered them the Biblical Plan which was to determine God’s will and then trust Him to meet the need.  Jesus had the disciples sit the people down in groups of hundreds and fifties in the springtime green grass.

The Greek word for “sit down” is one used for a person to recline at a banquet and suggests that Jesus meant it to illustrate to the disciples that these 5000 were attendants at His banquet and were waiting to be served. These loaves were barley loaves, the food of the poorest of the poor and the size would have been not like our loaf of bread but like our dinner roll. The two fish would have been salted and small in size. Then Jesus took the little lad’s lunch that Andrew had found and did three things that we must remember:

  • BLESSED IT
  • BROKE IT
  • GAVE IT

The Greek has the word “broke” the loaves, and “gave” them, in different verb tenses. The verb tense for “broke” is in the aorist tense which means that the action was instantaneous, whereas the verb tense for “gave”, is in the imperfect tense which means that the action was “continuous.” Jesus broke the five loaves, and two fish and the disciples kept on giving it out.  Jesus illustrates for us that, Blessings and breakings always preceded feedings.

We must allow the Lord to bless our lives and break our lives if our lives are going to be a nourishment for others! What a lesson for these corporate disciples that they were not manufacturers, they were only distributors! They were to get whatever He had given them into the hands of Jesus so that He could “BLESS IT” and “BREAK IT,” it is then that we “DISTRIBUTE IT” so that He can “MULTIPLY IT”!

In the hands of Jesus our little becomes much more than a meal, if we put ourselves and what He has given us into the hands of Jesus where He can bless us, break us and give us away there is no telling what He can do! 

Jesus was thinking in terms of ministry, but these disciples were doing what the church has often done counting nickels and noses. They estimated ministry in terms of resources available, and they both concluded that there was no way in which ministry could take place with the amount of resources they had. What an encouraging thing it is to realize when there is an emergency, and we are in desperation that the Lord knows what He Himself will do.

I’m reminded of David the shepherd who wrote in Psalm 23 that “The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. He makes me to lie down in green pastures; He leads me beside the still waters.” And here we see the fulfillment of David’s psalm.

  • GIVE IT TO JESUS: “Jesus took the loaves!”The first thing I note here is that Jesus took what was on hand. Hey saint’s, the first step is always looking for that which He has already provided and giving it to Him. Again it is trusting Him with our little to accomplish a lot. What we do is hold out for more waiting for that which we can figure out that will meet our needs and the five loaves, and two fish just sit there waiting for us to trust Him to do much with little.
  • GIVE THANKS: “He had given thanks!”The second thing of note is the thankful heart of Jesus for the “little of the lad”. John records for us that twice Jesus gave thanks (verse 11, 23), Jesus reminded the people that God is the source of all good and instead of complaining about what we do not have, we should give thanks to God for what we do have. When does a little become a lot? When we begin to realize that a little is a lot more than we deserve! We crunch the numbers and start thinking that we deserve better instead of realizing that we have already been blessed by what He has given.
  • GIVE IT AWAY: “He distributed them to the disciples and the disciples to those sitting down…as much as they wanted”! The final thing I see here is action as Jesus gives the little away it becomes a lot. When we look at our meager provisions as not being enough we tend to hold on to it, hoard it and not share it. The principle is that multiplication can only happen when you take a little and multiply it by the willingness to distribute to others. Could it be that our lack is due in part because we have hung on to what we have instead of giving it away? And look at the words “as much as they wanted” this distribution was not rationed it was until they were all filled completely satisfied.

 

 

Luke 9:18-19

“Who do the crowds say I Am I?”

 

  • Introduction
  • 18-19 Does anyone know Who Jesus is?

 

Introduction

 

As we take up the text, we begin a transition in Jesus’ earthly ministry as He begins the final stage heading towards Jerusalem thus concluding His Great Galilean Ministry. The context of this passage goes back to Luke 8:25 and the time in which they were on the Sea of Galilee, afraid and believing they were going to die due to the great storm forcing them to wake Jesus who was asleep and He calmed the wind and the waves to which they marveled and asked, “Who can this be”? We are going to take our time through this section but the outline we will be following is:

  • 18-20 Does anyone know Who Jesus is?
  • 21-22 Does anyone know what that means?
  • 23-27 Are you willing to bet your life on it?

And today we are only going to introduce this section by examining verses 18-19 and the first question Jesus asks His disciples. Here again in this section of Luke we have other gospels that record these same events and as in the previous parallels they give us a different perspective:

  • Matthew 16:13-28: Matthew gives us the story in much greater detail. Matthew grants his readers a perspective of succession not of a person as the Roman Catholics wish to claim but rather in the ministry directives as Jesus will reveal through Peter’s confession three things that He had not revealed prior:
    • The secret of the church
    • The secret of the cross
    • The secret of the 2nd coming
  • Mark 8:27-9:1: Both Matthew and Mark recall that after Peter’s Spirit led confession concerning who Jesus was that at once Jesus started talking about what that would mean in terms of His death that Peter took Jesus aside to rebuke Him.
  • Luke 9:18-27: Luke records Peter’s confession and adds a detail that neither Matthew nor Mark mention as both recorded the confession without a gentile interpretation saying only that Peter confessed that “You are the Christ” then Matthew adds the disciples understanding, “the Son of the Living God”. Only Luke gives the full meaning for gentile readers as he writes, “The Christ of God”. Luke makes no mention of the secret of the church instead focuses his attention on the fact that Jesus revealed three things about Himself:
  • His Messiahship, primarily that Jesus held all three aspects of it whereas the people only held on to one of the three. At Peter’s confession Jesus was Prophet (Revealer), Priest (Redeemer) and King (Ruler)
  • His Cross
  • His crowning

All three of the accounts follow this up with the event of Jesus’ transfiguration which happened right above the location of Peter’s confession and according to Matthew 16:13 was at Caesarea Philippi which is at the base of Mount Hermon which took several days to get to the top and we are told that He only took Peter, James and John with Him.

Vs. 18-20 Does anyone know Who Jesus is?

Vs. 18 When we compare the other two gospel records with Luke we notice one detail that the other two didn’t mention, that this confession came not only after Jesus made the twofold inquiry as to “Who do the crowds say that I am?” and “But who do you say the I am?” But that it was also proceeded by the fact that, “He was alone praying His disciples joined Him”. I deliberately left out the word “THAT” in the sentence as it is italicized which means that it is NOT in the original language. There are two points I want to make with regards to this prayer prior:

  • First above all other gospel writers Luke alone mentions Jesus’ fellowship with the Father through prayer. In fact there are seven times Luke mentions Jesus in the midst of prayer that none of the other gospel writer’s mention:
  • 3:21-22 Before His baptism
  • 5:15-16 When His fame was spreading abroad
  • 6:12-16 Before He chose the 12 disciples
  • 9:18 At Caesarea Phillip and Peter’s confession
  • 9:28 Prior to His transfiguration
  • 11:1 Prior to giving the disciple’s instruction on prayer
  • 22:41-42 in the Garden of Gethsemane where only Luke records any part of His prayer
  • Luke is very specific in 9:18 as he writes literally in the Greek that, “It came to pass while He (Jesus) was praying apart, His disciples were with Him”. It is a very arresting statement that Jesus was “praying apart” and yet “His disciples were with Him”. It seems like a contradiction that Jesus was alone praying while not being alone as His disciples were with Him. I believe that Luke wanted to reveal further “who can this be” as even the way in which Jesus communicated with the Father was very different that all other men. There is a sense in which our Lord always prayed alone! While not always being alone, when He prayed the manner in which He prayed was always apart as He could never have prayed in fellowship with His disciples while on earth. Allow me to explain:
    • We can never pray to God apart from a deep sense of coming to Him in deep need of His mercy, pity and compassion but Jesus never did so.
    • We never come to the Father in prayer without our need for our Great Mediator, Jesus but He never did so.
    • When Jesus came to the Father He did so alone and apart from all others as He came in familiarity and complete fellowship.

The first thing we notice is the region in which Jesus asks these questions. Luke does not give us the location of this event, but we find out in Matthew 16:13 that is was at Caesarea Philippi was 120 miles north of Jerusalem. It had been at one time the center of Baal worship, as well as the center of the Greek god Pan where we get our word for “panic” from as he was depicted with a body of a goat and the upper body of a man. He was the Greek god of hunters and shepherds. He was said to inspire dread if disturbed in the wild. Herod the Great had built a huge shrine temple there to worship Caesar Augustus. Simply put, Caesarea Philippi was the center of pagan religions.

It is in this place that Jesus asks the questions as to who He is, as well as announces the birth of His Church. Jesus deliberately chose this place surrounded by all of man’s false religion that only caused “panic” to proclaim the truth which can only bring peace.

In the first question there are two points that we need to look at:

  • Luke records this as “Who do the crowds say I am?” whereas both Matthew and Mark record it as “Who do men say that I, the Son of man, am?” Notice that Jesus didn’t ask this of men or crowds but instead of those that followed Him: “Who do men say that I, the Son of man, am?” I find it interesting that Jesus didn’t ask what the rulers or priests were saying about Him as He ignored all of those comments and He made His concern the common people. There has never been a more profound question ever asked than this one. All should know that by their answer to this question, they are NOT in the position of the judge but rather the defendant by their answer.
  • Luke and Mark both record this the same saying that only Jesus asked, “Who do the crowds say I am” where Matthew records Jesus asked, “Who do men say that I, the Son of man, am?” The way that Matthew records Jesus’ question, it is certain that He knows who He is, for He identifies Himself as “the Son of Man.” This phrase is found 194 times in the Bible, and Jesus uses it more than 80 times to identify Himself. The phrase speaks of Jesus in terms of His mission as the fulfillment of Old Testament prophecy, the perfect man. This is the way the prophet Daniel used the term in Dan. 7:13-14 when we read, “I was watching in the night visions, and behold, one like the Son of Man, coming with the clouds of heaven! He came to the Ancient of Days, and they brought him near before Him. Then to Him was given dominion and glory and a kingdom, that all peoples, nations, and languages should serve Him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, and His kingdom is the one that shall not be destroyed.” In using this phrase of Himself Jesus is giving the answer to the very question He asked, “The perfect man, the One in whom all scripture testifies, who is it that the world says I am?”

Vs. 19 The disciples answer reveals that the view of the people was that they held Him in very high regard. As they crowd came up with three general possibilities:

  • John the Baptist: This reveals that the people saw Jesus as pure in character
  • Elijah: This reveals that the people recognized Jesus as having the power of God
  • One of the Prophets: This reveals that the people saw Jesus was proclaiming the truth

Throughout Jesus’ ministry amongst the people they could see “men like trees, walking”. They weren’t completely blind they thought perhaps that John the Baptist came back to life, maybe Elijah or one of the other prophets. The people saw the similarities in Jesus’ ministry to those that had gone before Him and thought of Him as a “reappearance” in type of ministry. In the people’s estimation Jesus was not the Messiah, He was speaking about the Messiah paving the way. While the crowd’s estimation is far better than what the Pharisee’s had said, “that He was a man who was demon possessed” it was none the less not complete. There was the general thought that He was a great man, a man that did supernatural things. They ranked him as one of the spokesmen for God (promises). Some saw that He was a reformer; others saw Him as a man of great compassion.

I find this evaluation of Jesus interesting in light of today’s comments. People say the same things about Him today, 2000 years later. There are those who say He has a demon, but for the most part people will say that He was a great man. A man of great principal compassion. One of the world’s greatest teachers. That is still very much the public’s opinion about Jesus.

If we, in our witness, stop at these things concerning Jesus, the world will agree with us. With that said, it is also interesting to me to see that there is still a great deal of confusion concerning who He was. That confusion comes about as the world tries to evaluate His character based upon what they feel His mission was. It is interesting to look at the answers as they relate to what we churches think our mission is.

  • John the Baptist: John was that great moral reformer, whose words started out with “repent.” He was calling people back from corruption to that which was pure. John, the people reasoned, was a great teacher who was not afraid to teach the truth no matter what the consequences. Some reasoned him a rebel, going against the oppressive hierarchy of the day. And they saw some of the same things in Jesus, so they thought that perhaps He was like John. So today, some churches think that it is their duty to straighten out society. They get involved in all the picketing they can find and organize boycotts. Got to get the U.S. turned around morally. So that is their emphasis at church.
  • Elijah: Was a great man of God. He was the prophet of God who performed so many of the miracle signs in his day. It was even prophesied that Elijah would come again. So there are churches who see all of the fire from Mount Carmel in Jesus, so they are the sign-won churches. Their whole emphasis is upon the manifestation power of God as seen in the miracles. That is what Jesus is all about, “Pentecost man!”
  • Jeremiah: He was that great man of God who was the prophet during the time when Israel was being led away into captivity. He wrote the book by his name, also the book of lamentations, or “weeping.” Jeremiah was a broken-hearted man over the loss of the people. He saw them being led away into captivity and death; it broke his heart. So there are those we see Jesus’ sole interest in the same. Their whole interest is evangelism, reaching the lost, and being broken hearted over the lost.
  • One of the prophets: In Deut. 13:3, Moses prophesied that there would come another like Him who would explain the law to them. And so many heard Jesus speak and explain the truth of the law, so they concluded that Jesus was “that prophet.” So the whole church is about the Bible. Seminars, verse-by-verse teaching—that is where it is at. The church became a great teaching center.

Now, you can see how all of these things are partly true, but none of them are exclusively true! None alone sums up who Jesus is by itself. No wonder the world is confused about who Jesus is. If they look at what all the different churches are saying that what they are is the sum total of who He is, then they will be confused.

It is at this point that I can say that all of these different views describe certain aspects of what He does, or if you will, it describes His mission, but that is not who he is! You will never arrive at the truth of who Jesus is by taking a poll. It is not about what you see all the churches or Christians doing in the name of Jesus.

It is about who He says He is. It is about the revelation of truth into the human heart. How that will manifest itself in action or mission will vary from person to person and church to church. Hopefully, there will be a little of John the Baptist, a little of Elijah, some of Jeremiah, and some of the prophets.