John 10:17-20

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17 The seventy-two returned with joy and said, “Lord, even the demons submit to us in your name.”18 He replied, “I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven. 19 I have given you authority to trample on snakes and scorpions and to overcome all the power of the enemy; nothing will harm you. 20 However, do not rejoice that the spirits submit to you, but rejoice that your names are written in heaven.” ~ Luke 10:17-20

The disciples returned from their mission trip with joy because the demons submitted to them. In v.17 we read, "The seventy-two returned with joy and said, “Lord, even the demons submit to us in your name." There is a key phrase in this one verse that we must consider. These two words are "to us." The disciples were, no doubt, tempted to think that they themselves were more important than the power of God behind them. 

These demons were created by God to glorify and to serve God. One-third of them were thrown out of heaven and cursed to eternal damnation in a lake of fire forever for their rebellion. 

On the other hand, evangelism is the task of rescuing souls, ripping them from the lap of the evil one. Evangelism is breaking into the domain of darkness, it is a rescue operation. And, in order to achieve this most important work, the powers of hell must be overthrown. This is why the Lord Jesus gave these disciples the power over the demonic world.

An even more important key phrase is found at the end of v.17 where we read, "in Your name." This power is the Lord Jesus' power. These disciples were giddy when they returned because they saw God doing great work through them. In the name of the Lord Jesus, they shared the gospel and exorcized demons.

I'm often asked how many people I have led to the Lord Jesus. I always answer, "zero." Then I tell them, I have witnessed some go from the darkness to the light as God did His work in their hearts.

In v.18 the Lord Jesus said, "I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven." All of these returning disciples were excited about the battles that they won. The Lord Jesus is saying, "Let me tell you about the whole war. I saw Satan fall from heaven like lightning. You saw some demons go down; I saw their leader go down. I was there when he fell from heaven. I was there when He was defeated in the wilderness during my forty day trial. I was there when his demons were cast out of those people during my earthly ministry. And I will be there at the end of Revelation when Satan will be thrown into the Lake of Fire for forever." From the standpoint of eternity, the Lord Jesus was able to see everything in human history from the fall of Satan to his final doom at the eternal lake of fire. 

In v.19 we read, "I have given you authority to trample on snakes and scorpions and to overcome all the power of the enemy; nothing will harm you." The Lord Jesus reminds His disciples, "if we center our sense of joy on what has been accomplished, losing sight of the fact that it is only because of what we have received, just like every other Christian has received, we can be thrown off course." We were created to know Him and to make Him known.

In v.20 we read, "do not rejoice that the spirits submit to you, but rejoice that your names are written in heaven." 

Revelation 20:15 declares, “If anyone’s name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire.” The Book of Life, in this context, is the set of names of those who will live with God forever in heaven. It is the roll of those who are saved. This Book of Life is also mentioned in Revelation 3:5; 20:12; and Philippians 4:3. This same book is also called the Lamb’s Book of Life because it contains the names of those who have been redeemed by the blood of the Lord Jesus (Revelation 13:8; 21:27).

Once our name is written in the Book of Life, it is never erased (Revelation 3:5; Romans 8:37-39). No true believer should doubt his eternal security in Christ (John 10:28-30).

The Great White Throne Judgment described in Revelation 20:11-15 is a judgment for unbelievers. That passage makes it clear that no one at that judgment has his name in the Book of Life (Revelation 20:12-14). The fate of the ungodly is sealed; their names are not in the Book of Life; their punishment is sure. And, for those whose names are written in the Lamb's book of life, well, we will step eternity in heaven with the One who laid down His life to purchase us back to God.

Luke 10:12-16

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12 I tell you, it will be more bearable on that day for Sodom than for that town. 13 “Woe to you, Chorazin! Woe to you, Bethsaida! For if the miracles that were performed in you had been performed in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long ago, sitting in sackcloth and ashes. 14 But it will be more bearable for Tyre and Sidon at the judgment than for you. 15 And you, Capernaum, will you be lifted to the heavens? No, you will go down to Hades.

16 “Whoever listens to you listens to me; whoever rejects you rejects me; but whoever rejects me rejects him who sent me.” ~ Luke 10:12-16

In today's text, the Lord Jesus mentions six cities, three Old Testament Gentile cities and three New Testament Jewish cities. The first Old Testament Gentile city of Sodom was destroyed by fire and brimstone, a prototype for wickedness and judgement.  

The Gentile cities of Tyre and Sidon were cities given over to idolatry, materialism, greed and wickedness. All the people in Sodom, Tyre and Sidon were catapulted into a godless eternity of punishment in hell. Sodom had exposure to the truth from Lot. Tyre and Sidon had exposure to the truth from many who passed their way. They rejected the truth and unknowingly embraced hell.

The Jewish cities of Chorazin, Bethsaida, and Capernaum also rejected truth and suffered the same fate as the Gentile Old Testament cities mentioned here. But, Chorazin, Bethsaida, and Capernaum will be punished more than the three Gentile cities. The Sodomites, Sidonites, and Tyrites will receive lesser punishment in hell than the Jewish people of Chorazin, Bethsaida and Capernaum. What this means, I am not sure.

In Luke 10, the Lord had sent out disciples to every city and place where He Himself was going to come. In v.12 the Lord issues a warning to those who reject the Gospel. "On that day" speaks of the Day when the Judgment of God will be exacted upon those who are not in the family of God. To be exposed to the gospel and to reject it is to invite the wrath of God.  

According to our text, any place the disciples went where the people rejected the truth, it will be more tolerable for Sodom, Tyre and Sidon. This is why the Lord tells these disciples, "Go offer them peace but if they reject it, they will live with the consequences."

In Luke 10:12, the Lord Jesus said, "I tell you, it will be more bearable on that day for Sodom than for that town." He was saying, " you're going to have a hotter hell than Sodom because judgment is not limited to the degree of one's sin; it's much more associated to the degree of one's rejection." 

In v.13 the Lord Jesus said, "Woe to you, Chorazin! Woe to you, Bethsaida! For if the miracles that were performed in you had been performed in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long ago, sitting in sackcloth and ashes."  We don't know much about Chorazin, a little village which is two and a half miles from Capernaum. Chorazin doesn't exist today, it was exposed to the Lord Jesus, His miracles, and His power over disease, death, demons and nature. And He says, "Woe to you, " which means "you are cursed." 

In v.13 Bethsaida is also another little town on the northwest of Capernaum. According to John 1, it was the home of Andrew and Philip and Peter. Bethsaida, along with Chorazin, had been exposed to the power and presence of the Lord Jesus. And they rejected Him. Their rejection of the truth left them in their sin. Tyre and Sidon, mentioned in Luke 10:13-14 were rich and very pagan. God pronounced destruction on them.

On one side, the ungodly and Gentile towns of Sodom, and Tyre, and Sidon rejected the truth from God. And, then there are "the chosen" people of God, the Jews of Capernaum, Bethsaida, and Chorazin. The Lord Jesus is saying to them, "When you all get to the judgment, it's going to be worst for you than it was for them." The Lord was saying to those who had seen the miracles, "If these three Old Testament cities had seen what you saw, they would have repented."

The Jews of Capernaum, Bethsaida, and Chorazin did not repent because of their self-righteousness which is a worse condition than any other. Religious people are the hardest of all to convince of their need of a savior. And so, according to v.14-16, "14 ... it will be more bearable for Tyre and Sidon at the judgment than for you. 15 And you, Capernaum, will you be lifted to the heavens? No, you will go down to Hades. 16 “Whoever listens to you listens to me; whoever rejects you rejects me; but whoever rejects me rejects him who sent me." 

It is the truth that sets us free, it does not matter who is sharing it with us or who we are sharing it with. The design of truth is to lead us ultimately back to the One who is the way, the truth and the life.

Luke 10:5-11

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5 “When you enter a house, first say, ‘Peace to this house.’ 6 If someone who promotes peace is there, your peace will rest on them; if not, it will return to you. 7 Stay there, eating and drinking whatever they give you, for the worker deserves his wages. Do not move around from house to house. 8 “When you enter a town and are welcomed, eat what is offered to you. 9 Heal the sick who are there and tell them, ‘The kingdom of God has come near to you.’ 10 But when you enter a town and are not welcomed, go into its streets and say, 11 ‘Even the dust of your town we wipe from our feet as a warning to you. Yet be sure of this: The kingdom of God has come near.’  ~ Luke 10:5-11

In today's text, two main ideas stand out: peace and contentment. These two very important tools are essential to living the type of life we want to impart to others. This is part of the adorning of the Gospel the Apostle Paul mentions in Titus 2:10.

In Luke 9:9,11 a phrase is mentioned twice: "The kingdom of God has come near to you." This means, "The kingdom is accessible to mankind." 

 

The good news of the Gospel is about the involvement of God in our lives. The Gospel means He has entered into our existence and we now have access to the wisdom, goodness and righteous rule of God in our lives having believed in the finished work of the Lord Jesus on the cross.

In Luke 9:23 the Lord Jesus said, "If any man will come after Me, let him deny himself." When we have done this, we have come to the end of us. We have come to the end of our ambitions, our dreams, our hopes, our goals and our opinions. Now, the Lord Jesus is defining us and leading us each day.

The Lord Jesus had sent out the seventy-two who went out in twos to share the gospel with all who were willing to listen. The   word “Gospel” is used a hundred times in the New Testament, and it means "good news." It is good news because it means our bad news, our sins can be forgiven. It means we can be reconciled to God. It means we can have a personal relationship with God. It means God has become the friend of the willing. 

In v.5 we read, "When you enter a house, first say, ‘Peace to this house." The Lord Jesus was telling these upstart witnessers, "When you go to evangelize, go to the ready heart, go to the eager heart, go to the prepared heart.  Go to the one who is seeking to know the kingdom and it's King." 

In v.6, the Lord Jesus utilizes an ancient Near Eastern expression signifying that we should not waste our message of peace on those who reject it. And, we should go somewhere else. He is not saying our message of peace is given to them and then taken away. No, He is saying if it's offered to them and refused, we're free to leave and go elsewhere. 

There are two forms of "peace" in the scriptures. There is peace with God and there is the peace of God. According to Romans 5:1-2, we have peace with God as a result of trusting in the free gift offered us of forgiven sin through the Lord Jesus' death on His cross. This peace enables us to have a personal relationship with God.

In Philippians 4:6-9 we read, "6 Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. 7 And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. 8 Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things. 9 Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me—put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you." 

In these verses we learn of the peace of God, the ability to live a quality of life that renders a settled existence in a world of troubles. Notice, we go into a deeper relationship with God in these verses, we go from the peace of God in v.7 to the God of peace in v.9. These verses describe an ear increasing intimacy with Him that renders more of His peace in our yielded lives.

In v.7-8 the Lord Jesus draws attention to a valuable commodity: contentment. The Lord Jesus tells these disciples not to go from house to house trying to find better or more food and lodging. They were to stay where they were and eat what was given to them. The main lesson here for the disciples was: God is the one that provides for all our needs, we need not manipulate.

Too often people move from place to place because they are not content with what they have. It is not wrong to better yourself or your circumstances, but such efforts must not rise because of being discontent. It is better to make changes in our lives because we have a godly vision for the future and not because we cannot tolerate the present. 

Contentment is crucial for having a successful life, and a successful ministry. Paul states in Philippians 4:11 that he learned to be content in whatever circumstances. It does not come automatically, we must resist the fear of the flesh. The flesh wants to rule our lives. We must trust in the God who is bigger than we can imagine.

The disciple should stay with the hospitable. In fact, the Lord Jesus instructed the twelve with these same words in Luke 9:4. The emphasis is upon trusting the Lord who will provide all of our needs, even providing the very words we need to share about the faith with others. 

In v.8-9, the Lord continues the instructions with: "When you enter a town and are welcomed, eat what is offered to you. 9 Heal the sick who are there and tell them, ‘The kingdom of God has come near to you." This was delegated authority from the Lord Jesus Himself to the twelve and here to the seventy-two. The Lord delegated this power in order to authenticate these sent ones and their message. Their message was then verified by the miracles.

In v.10-11 we read, "10 But when you enter a town and are not welcomed, go into its streets and say, 11 ‘Even the dust of your town we wipe from our feet as a warning to you. Yet be sure of this: The kingdom of God has come near." The idea is to declare openly God’s absolute displeasure with the rejection of the Gospel. This is a life or death matter, what a person does with the free gift of salvation through Christ Jesus determines where they will spend eternity.

Luke 10:1-4

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1 After this the Lord appointed seventy-two others and sent them two by two ahead of him to every town and place where he was about to go. 2 He told them, “The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field. 3 Go! I am sending you out like lambs among wolves. 4 Do not take a purse or bag or sandals; and do not greet anyone on the road. ~ Luke 10:1-4

Effective witnessing begins in the heart of the one sharing his story with the Lord with others. Witnessing is not about a three step training program, it's about our relationship with the Lord Himself. We can give people all kinds of information, we can unload our theological gun on them, we can give them strategies and methodologies, but effective witnessing comes from a heart that is walking with the Lord. It's not about what we know, it's about who we know.

Of course, the basics of the Gospel are most important as we relationally share with the lost. The first two words in Luke 10:1 are: "After this." These two words indicate relationship. What happens in Luke 10 is the result to what happened in Luke 9. So, subsequent to all of the time the disciple's had spent with the Lord Jesus. Subsequent to their calling, subsequent to their training, subsequent to the close of the Galilean ministry, the Lord sends out the seventy-two.

The word “appointed” in v.1 is a word used only twice in the New Testament. The other time it is used is in Acts 1:24 where the Lord Jesus chose the replacement of Judas. No one can be an apostle by his own will, we can only be chosen by the Lord. And, if the Lord has not appointed us to a task, we do not want to do it. The only assignments we fill are those given to us by Him.

Also, in v.1 we read, "After this the Lord appointed seventy-two others and sent them two by two ahead of him.” Thirty-six pairs of them were sent out. In ancient days, whenever the king was going to come to a town or a village, heralds would be sent by him to inform the town that the king was coming. The Lord Jesus was going to spend the remaining months of His life on this earth going from town to town and village to village and He wanted them to be prepared for His arrival.  

The basis of all effective witnessing is a compassionate heart. It isn't training, it is compassion. It is a deep profound sense of empathy because of the desperate condition of the unsaved. It is a heart-wrenching concern over the lost given to us through our personal relationship with the Lord. Witnessing's thrust is the compassion born of a proper assessment of the eternal destiny of those who are not in a personal relationship with God.

In v.2 we read, "The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field." The precedent of being "sent out" is a heart to heart relationship with the Lord Jesus. This is why the religious community of the Lord Jesus' day never came in line with His modus operandi. They were not in relationship with Him, thus they lacked the heart of grace.

At the end of v.2 we read, "Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field."  We are to pray that the Lord Jesus sends workers to deliver the Gospel message which will deliver people from hell. God seeks to rescue people from His own wrath through the prayers of believers who ask Him for more messengers to work in delivering the Gospel which rescues souls. The executioner becomes the source of messengers to deliver people from His execution. And, the executioner is Himself executed to save people from His execution. 

In v.3 we read, "Go! I am sending you out like lambs among wolves." The believer must expect the hatred of the world toward the Gospel message. In countries that are non-Christian, Christians are suffering and dying at a rate higher than ever in the history of the church, today, tens of thousands a year. 

According to v.4, the Lord Jesus told the seventy, "Do not take a purse or bag or sandals; and do not greet anyone on the road."  This is a repeat of the message He gave the twelve in Luke 9:3. This is required because He wants the disciple to learn to trust Him. And when we are placed in that position, we are forced to trust and subsequently experience Him. It is then that we get it. Dependency upon the Lord is at the crux of witnessing, for He not only provides our physical needs, He also gives us the very words we need to witness to others.

Luke 10:4 ends with, "greet no one on the way." The Lord is defining the mission He is giving to these disciples. He is essentially saying, "Don't depend on making relationships with people so that they provide for you. Focus on sharing the gospel, and leave the results to me when I go to them."

In Acts 1:8 the Lord Jesus tells His disciples to remain in Jerusalem until the Holy Spirit comes to empower them to be His witnesses in Jerusalem, Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth. “Witnessing” is something more than a spiritual discipline or a Tuesday night activity. It is the very essence of who we are as Christians. Witnessing is an outflow of our personal relationship with God.

Witnesses bear testimony about who they know. As John testifies in his first epistle, “That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we looked upon and have touched with our hands, concerning the word of life." 

Witnessing is not possible for those who do not know Christ; and it is strengthened as those who know the Lord grow in relationship with the One who saved them. The sharing of the story the Lord gives us is most powerful and the most believable.

Luke 9:57-62

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57 As they were walking along the road, a man said to him, “I will follow you wherever you go.” 58 Jesus replied, “Foxes have dens and birds have nests, but the Son of Man has no place to lay his head.” 59 He said to another man, “Follow me.” But he replied, “Lord, first let me go and bury my father.” 60 Jesus said to him, “Let the dead bury their own dead, but you go and proclaim the kingdom of God.” 61 Still another said, “I will follow you, Lord; but first let me go back and say goodbye to my family.” 62 Jesus replied, “No one who puts a hand to the plow and looks back is fit for service in the kingdom of God.” ~ Luke 9:57-62

Every time the Lord Jesus called someone to follow Him, He used the same word, akoloutheō. And, every time He did so, He used the present imperative, meaning it was an ongoing response. 

According to Matthew, this event happened during the Lord Jesus' Galilean ministry in the town of Capernaum. Luke includes it here, out of its sequential order, because it is part of the training of the twelve. He had just given them a lesson on humility and mercy.  And here He indirectly gives them a lesson on discipleship. 

On this day, three men could have become disciples, but they were not willing to meet the conditions of a disciple. According to Matthew 8:19, the first man was one of the Scribes who were very highly esteemed. Scribes were highly educated and loyal to the Jewish religious system. 

This first man volunteered to follow the Lord Jesus until he heard the cost: he had to deny himself. Since the Fall in the Garden mankind has been a slave to his own fallen self. The Bible calls this "the flesh" which, as Paul says in Galatians 5, is the evil within us that is out to destroy us. 

In v.58, "Jesus replied, “Foxes have dens and birds have nests, but the Son of Man has no place to lay his head.” Foxes were everywhere in Israel in those days. They had their burrows and they had their places to go and rest and eat. And, birds were certainly everywhere. Everybody knew birds had nests. Everybody knew foxes had holes. The Lord Jesus uses the common day animals to illustrate to this Scribe, "Don't expect comfort and ease."

In v.59 we read, He said to another man, “Follow me.” But he replied, “Lord, first let me go and bury my father.” With this second man, the Lord Jesus calls him and says, "follow me." The man's response was: "I must bury my father." This is a familiar Middle Eastern statement still used. And when they use it and they say, "I must bury my father," they mean: "I must stay at home until he's gone so that I can bring his estate to its close, so that I can receive my inheritance.  I'll follow You someday, when my father's dead and I've gotten what I need." 

In v.60, the Lord Jesus said, "Let the dead bury their own dead, but you go and proclaim the kingdom of God." The Lord Jesus is essentially saying, "Let the spiritually dead bury their own dead ..." Let the people in this world who are outside the kingdom of God take care of the dead. Leave temporal things to temporal people. You are called to come into the kingdom of God and for the rest of your life to go and proclaim the glories of that kingdom. Let go of the kingdom of this world, even its noble responsibilities. 

This second man was called by the Lord Jesus, but he would not take up the cross and die to self. The Lord Jesus is not suggesting here that we dishonor our parents, but only that we not permit our love for family to weaken our love for the Lord. We should love Christ so much that our love for family would look like hatred in comparison. 

Then in v.61 we read, "Still another said, “I will follow you, Lord; but first let me go back and say goodbye to my family." Perhaps this man was thinking, "I don't need to wait till my father dies to get all the money, I'll just go home and raise some support." 

To this in v.62, the Lord Jesus responded, "No one who puts a hand to the plow and looks back is fit for service in the kingdom of God." Jesus responds with a proverb that can be traced back to a writer named Hesiod in 800 B.C. Essentially He is saying, "You can't have a divided heart."

The third man could not follow Christ because he was looking back instead of ahead. There is nothing wrong with a loving farewell, but if it gets in the way of obedience, it becomes sin. The Lord Jesus saw that this man’s heart was not wholly with Him, but that he would be plowing and looking back.

To follow the Lord Jesus is a way of life. True Christianity is not seasonal. It is following the Lord Jesus all the time. Of course, this is not what makes us right with God, but this is evidence that He is in our lives. We became believers in the Lord Jesus when we were at the end of ourselves, we had a beatitude moment of mourning over our sinfulness, we embraced meekness because we understood the bankruptcy of our hearts. 

Luke 9:51-56

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51 As the time approached for him to be taken up to heaven, Jesus resolutely set out for Jerusalem. 52 And he sent messengers on ahead, who went into a Samaritan village to get things ready for him; 53 but the people there did not welcome him, because he was heading for Jerusalem. 54 When the disciples James and John saw this, they asked, “Lord, do you want us to call fire down from heaven to destroy them?” 55 But Jesus turned and rebuked them. 56 Then he and his disciples went to another village. ~ Luke 9:51-56

Today's text opens with, "As the time approached..." Up to now everything in Luke's gospel accentuates the coming of the Lord Jesus. But here in Luke 9, a shift has taken place. Now, the focus is on His going. And now, the Lord Jesus resolutely sets His sights on Jerusalem. The whole direction of the gospel of Luke dramatically changes. Up to this point we've seen His power, as He has been revealing Himself as the Messiah. But now, He's headed to the cross. Jerusalem meant one thing for the Lord Jesus: certain death.

His Galilean ministry had ended, after more than a year of miracles and preaching the good news of forgiveness. In less than a year He will be the recipient of God's wrath as He takes the place of the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world. Before His exaltation, there has to be His humiliation. 

According to v.51, "Jesus resolutely set out for Jerusalem." He had to do that because it wasn't easy to do. There had to be self-discipline, there had to be conviction. There had to be resolve to go to Jerusalem. Even in the garden of Gethsemane, He said, "If possible, let this cup pass from Me, nevertheless not My will but Yours be done." Those words spoken while in the Garden shows His resolve to go through the suffering, the rejection, the execution, and the wrath of God on Him in His death. His resolve was unwavering.

In v.52 we learn that He sent messengers on ahead of Him to Samaria. They were leaving Galilee for the Galilean ministry was over. They're now headed toward Jerusalem in a meandering fashion for months. The first place they go was a village of the Samaritans. 

Whereas Matthew focused his gospel on the Jews, Luke focuses on the world. Luke knocks down all the conventional walls that separate people from one another, walls of religious prejudice and racism. Luke reminds us extensively of how the Lord Jesus went to the tax collectors, the prostitutes and the criminals. He had a heart for those willing to admit their sinful condition. Of course this is the first step to becoming a follower of the Lord Jesus. Luke writes about lepers, the demonized, the diseased and the dead. The Lord Jesus had time for them all, including the women and thieves and those on the fringes of society. The Lord Jesus shattered all the stereotypes and Luke documents it. 

When a Jew traveled from Galilee down to Jerusalem, he wouldn't walk through Samaria, he'd go all the way around, cross the Jordan twice, just to avoid going through Samaria, the place of those who were defiled and unclean. The Samaritans were a mixed race, semi-pagan offspring of Israelites from the northern kingdom who were left behind when the northern kingdom was taken into Assyrian captivity. They intermarried with pagans who were loyal to the Assyrian king so they were half breeds.They had abandoned their Jewish roots and heritage. They had embraced paganism. 

According to v.53, "the people there did not welcome him, because he was heading for Jerusalem." The Jews had so mistreated the Samaritans down through the years that the Samaritans had mounted a counter hatred toward their aggressors. They hated the fact that the Jews said that one could only worship at the temple in Jerusalem. They despised the Jews and the Jews treated them like dogs. The Samaritans temple had been destroyed in 128 BC, never being rebuilt again. So, they refused to allow the Lord Jesus' trip to Jerusalem to be easy. This wasn't theological, it was years of built up rejection and pain on both sides.

When they arrived in this town in Samaria, according to v.54, James and John said, "Lord, do you want us to call fire down from heaven to destroy them?" James and John were known as the sons of thunder, they were volatile guys, having  long been slaves to their anger. Some translations say, "Do you want us to command fire to come down from heaven and consume them as Elijah did?" Im sure they were thinking back to 2 Kings 1 where Elijah was in the same area. Some of the enemies of God got in a tiff with Elijah and he called down fire from heaven and burned them up. 

A mistaken view of Jesus' journey to Jerusalem can lead to a mistaken view of discipleship. If Jesus had come to execute judgment and take up an earthly rule, then it would make sense for the sons of thunder to begin this judgment on this final siege of the Holy City. But the Lord Jesus came not to judge but to save. The surprise about the Lord Jesus as the Messiah was that He came to give His life as a ransom. This journey of the Lord Jesus to Jerusalem had as its design the liberation of all who will ever believe, and the disciples were the first recipients of such grace. In time, they would become as gracious as He.

In v.55 we read, "But Jesus turned and rebuked them." In the New American Standard Bible, in v.56 He said, "For the Son of Man didn't come to destroy men's lives but to save them." He came to seek and to save the lost. The Son of Man didn't come to destroy our lives but to save them. Compassion always cures more sin than condemnation. Biblical conservatism without compassion is one of the ugliest things in the world, but the addition of compassion makes it the most beautiful thing in the world.

These Samaritans didn't reject the Lord Jesus because He claimed to be God, they didn't reject Him because He claimed to save by grace and they wanted law. They didn't reject Him because they didn't like the religious doctrines He taught, they rejected Him because He was Jewish and He was going to the temple. Yet, there's always mercy extended to those who are ignorant of the truth.

At the end of v.56 we read, "Then he and his disciples went to another village." But, a few years later, a man named Philip went down to Samaria and preached Christ to these people. According to Acts 8:6-8, "The multitudes with one accord heeded the things spoken by Philip." 

The God of the second chance showed up again. This just wasn't their time yet to hear and believe the gospel. Christ hadn't yet died and risen. How ironic that the people James and John wanted to incinerate were rescued. Such is the nature of the heart of the God we serve. It is this characteristic of grace and mercy that motivates His followers most. Years later, the Apostle would write, "In view of God's mercies, submit your bodies as a living sacrifice." This is our story and it is our calling, today!

Luke 9:46-50

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46 An argument started among the disciples as to which of them would be the greatest. 47 Jesus, knowing their thoughts, took a little child and had him stand beside him. 48 Then he said to them, “Whoever welcomes this little child in my name welcomes me; and whoever welcomes me welcomes the one who sent me. For it is the one who is least among you all who is the greatest.” 49 “Master,” said John, “we saw someone driving out demons in your name and we tried to stop him, because he is not one of us.” 50 “Do not stop him,” Jesus said, “for whoever is not against you is for you.” ~ Luke 9:46-50

Our text today stages the age old struggle between pride and humility. God resists the proud because the proud resist God. The heart of pride does not confess, does not repent, and does not ask for forgiveness. Pride is the hidden reef that shipwrecks the soul. God opposes the proud but He gives grace to the humble.

In v.46 an argument breaks out among the twelve disciples about which of them is the greatest. And, in v.49, John tries to hinder a person who is casting out demons in Jesus' name because he doesn't belong to their group. So, today's text is about individual and group pride.

Pride inaugurated sin and it is at the core of our corruption.  Self-worship is what real fallenness is all about. Every other sin rises out of the soil of pride. Every kind of rebellion and all sin is lawlessness. All sin is rebellion against God, all of it produced by pride. Pride seeks to dethrone God. Pride grips the sinner's heart, and that's why it's so hard to believe. This is why it is so hard to be saved, this is why it is so hard to repent from our way to God's way.

Even though we have entered into a personal relationship with God through Christ, this does not mean that pride is no longer an issue for us. In fact, the presence of God in our lives has heightened our awareness of the pride which is yet in us. Through the cross of the Lord Jesus pride has been severely wounded, it has been given a death blow but it's still kicking in the throes of death.

Now, the setting of today's text is Capernaum, a city in Galilee at the northern tip of the Sea of Galilee where the Lord Jesus had made His headquarters during His Galilean ministry. It was also the home of Peter. This happens in a house that may have been Peter's house. 

The disciples had just come off the road. They had been walking on the road where the Lord Jesus has been teaching and doing miracles. While they were on the road, they were arguing about which of them is going to be the greatest in the kingdom of the Lord. It was as if His statements about suffering and death had just gone right on by. He had taught them that if they were going to follow Him, they would have to deny self, take up their cross, and be willing to die to self. 

When they get into the house, the Lord Jesus asked them what they were discussing. According to Mark 9 they kept silent. They had made their commitment to Christ, but they still struggled with sin, particularly pride. 

In v.46 we read of these first generation believers who had been given the commission to preach and empowered to preach, they had been given the ability to do signs and wonders, to raise dead people and to give healing to sick people and to cast out demons. Yet, division festered among them.

 

Pride destroys relationships. Since relationships are built on sacrifice, service, and giving oneself away, proud people destroy relationships. Pride is indifferent to others, it is self-absorbed and it is ultimately judgmental and critical and divisive. Pride destroys because it makes us artificial. The answer is humility which makes us real and trustworthy.

In v.47 we read, "Jesus, knowing their thoughts, took a little child and had him stand beside him." The Lord Jesus picked up a little child because a little child was the lowest ranking person in their society. He sets that little child before them and then He picks that little child up in His arms because that little child is going to become an illustration for His lesson on humility.

In v.48, the Lord Jesus graciously uses a child to teach the disciples about true greatness. According Matthew 18:1, the disciples had asked, "Who then is greatest in the kingdom of heaven?" After calling a child over to Him, according to Matthew 18:3 the Lord responds with, "Truly I say to you, unless you are converted.” 

Unless we do a one eighty and go a different direction, and become like children, we are not even going to be in the kingdom. We have got to realize that we are nothing. We have no rank before God. We have no achievement that would rank us over anybody else. It is only the Lord Jesus who earns favor with God for us.

So, in Matthew 18:4 He then says, "Whoever then humbles himself as this child, he's the greatest in the kingdom."  Greatness in the kingdom is not relative, it is absolute.  Everybody in the kingdom is the greatest. We are great because our greatness is seated in Christ's righteousness. When God sees us through the lens of His Son, the Lord Jesus, we are the righteousness of God in Him. 

In Luke 18:15, they were bringing even their babies to Him.  In v.14 the Lord Jesus said, "Everyone who exalts himself shall be humbled, he who humbles himself shall be exalted." All who exalt themselves are going to end up being humbled. All who exalt self, He's talking about the religious leaders of Israel, the self-righteous, are going to be humbled by God in judgment.  But all of those who humble themselves are going to end up being exalted, co-heirs with Christ Himself.

Then, when the disciples saw the people were bringing their babies to the Lord Jesus, the disciples rebuked them. It was at this point that the Lord Jesus said, "Permit the children to come to Me.  Don't hinder them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these. Truly I say to you, whoever doesn't receive the kingdom of God like a child shall not enter it at all." Humility is so difficult to lay hold of because we most often learn it through humiliating circumstances. It is only when we see ourselves as valueless, that we grow in humility and are favored by God.

Luke 9:44-45

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44 “Listen carefully to what I am about to tell you: The Son of Man is going to be delivered into the hands of men.” 45 But they did not understand what this meant. It was hidden from them, so that they did not grasp it, and they were afraid to ask him about it.” ~ Luke 9:44-45

Our text for today begins with, "Listen carefully to what I am about to tell you: The Son of Man is going to be delivered into the hands of men." The Lord Jesus knew that listening is one of the easiest things we will ever do, and yet, one of the hardest. It seemed most hard for the disciples, so the Lord Jesus made it a point for them to listen.

In a sense, listening is easy or hearing is easy. It doesn’t demand the initiative and energy required in speaking. That’s why “faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ” (Romans 10:17). The point is that hearing is easy, and faith is not an expression of our activity, but our receiving the activity of another. It is “hearing with faith” (Galatians 3:2, 5) that accents the achievements of Christ and thus is the channel of His grace that starts and sustains the Christian life.

But despite this ease, or perhaps precisely because of it, we often fight against it. In our sin, we’d rather trust in ourselves than another, amass our own righteousness than receive another’s, speak our thoughts than listen to someone else. True, sustained, active listening is a great act of faith, and a great means of God's grace, both for ourselves and for those whom we influence.

After the transfiguration on the mountain, just when the disciples thought the Lord Jesus was about to set up His kingdom, He says, "The Son of Man is going to be delivered into the hands of men." 

 “Delivered” means handed over as a criminal to those who would punish Him. He was saying, I'm going to suffer and you too are going to have to deny yourself and take up a cross as well. There's going to be suffering for you. They didn't hear it.  It didn't register.  They didn't hear the part about the cross. They just looked at the crown.  They saw the glory and not the suffering. 

Even though the Lord Jesus had already told them back in the Luke 9:22, "The Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders and chief priests and scribes and be murdered, be raised up the third day," it still had not sunk in. It just didn't compute in the minds of the disciples.  And so, it was necessary for Him to say to them, "Listen carefully to what I am about to tell you." In another translation of this verse reads, "Let these words sink into your ears."

In addition to what had happened on the mount of transfiguration, the disciples were excited by the rising popularity of the Lord Jesus. The Populace exacerbated their expectations that He would establish His kingdom then and there.

The theme of Luke's Gospel is: the Lord Jesus is "the Son of Man." Taken from Daniel 7, the designation is that of a very exalted figure. A study of the term "Son of Man" in the Gospels reveals the Lord Jesus referred to Himself most often as the "Son of Man." He said in Mark 10:45, "The Son of Man came not to be served but to serve and to give his life as a ransom for many."

The Lord Jesus was subtle while enabling others to recognize His identity, but He didn't reveal Himself so blatantly that everybody would come to accept Him as the king. He made claims that were explicit in certain settings and implicit in others. And only when the time was right, when He was on trial for His life that He was asked, "Are you the Christ, the Son of the living God?" In response He said, "I am, and you will see the Son of Man coming with great power and glory." So the Lord Jesus confessed His deity openly, right at the point when He knew He would be crucified for it.

The Lord Jesus is referred to as the “Son of Man” 88 times in the New Testament. The phrase “Son of Man” is a reference to the prophecy of Daniel 7:13-14 which reads, “13 In my vision at night I looked, and there before me was one like a son of man, coming with the clouds of heaven. He approached the Ancient of Days and was led into his presence. 14 He was given authority, glory and sovereign power; all nations and peoples of every language worshiped him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion that will not pass away, and his kingdom is one that will never be destroyed.” 

Daniel's description of the “Son of Man” is Messianic. The disciples, on the heels of His transfiguration, expected the Lord Jesus to set up His eternal kingdom on earth as the "Son of Man." This expectation was created by the fact that He used this phrase of Himself most often. 

God called the prophet Ezekiel “son of man” 93 times. God was simply calling Ezekiel a human being. A son of a man is a man. The Lord Jesus was fully God and He was also a fully human. 

But, according to Luke 9:45, the disciples "did not understand what this meant. It was hidden from them, so that they did not grasp it." The disciples did not understand how this could take place in the context of God’s plan for the Messiah. If the Lord Jesus was the Messiah, how could He be delivered into the hands of men and be put to death?  The disciples did not understand because it was concealed from them so that they might not perceive it. 

In Luke 8:10 we learn that the reason the disciples were able to know the secrets of the kingdom was because they were seeking. The crowd did not come to the Lord Jesus and ask Him to explain the parable of the soils, but the disciples did. Since they were asking and seeking, the Lord Jesus revealed to them the meaning of the parable. 

Luke 9:45 reads, “They were afraid to ask him about this saying.” The disciples stopped asking for explanations. Before, when the Lord Jesus said something they did not understand, they went to Him and asked Him. Now, the disciples stop asking. Since they stopped asking they could not understand what the Lord Jesus meant.

Luke 9:37-43

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37 The next day, when they came down from the mountain, a large crowd met him. 38 A man in the crowd called out, “Teacher, I beg you to look at my son, for he is my only child. 39 A spirit seizes him and he suddenly screams; it throws him into convulsions so that he foams at the mouth. It scarcely ever leaves him and is destroying him. 40 I begged your disciples to drive it out, but they could not.” 41 “You unbelieving and perverse generation,” Jesus replied, “how long shall I stay with you and put up with you? Bring your son here.” 42 Even while the boy was coming, the demon threw him to the ground in a convulsion. But Jesus rebuked the impure spirit, healed the boy and gave him back to his father. 43 And they were all amazed at the greatness of God. ~ Luke 9:37-43

After the Lord Jesus and His three guys came down from the mountain, there was a large gathering of people waiting for the Lord Jesus. A man in the crowd begged Him to look at his demon-possessed son for he had begged His disciples to drive it out, but they could not.

Most people would have us focus on the demon, but that would be to miss the point. The Lord Jesus says in v.41, "You unbelieving and perverse generation, how long shall I stay with you and put up with you? Bring your son here." The focus should not be the demon, the focus should be on our faith in the God of the Bible. This sad story is about the importance of believing what God has said, and the power that flows from the promises that He has given.

This story takes place on the heels of the mountaintop transfiguration of the Lord Jesus. It provides a contrast between being defined by the light or by the darkness. It takes place in the contrast of their mountain top experience and this man's valley experience. 

On the mountain the Lord Jesus was front and center, whereas in the valley Satan is getting a lot of attention. Two sons, one is fulfilling a plan from God devised from before time began. The other is trapped in the wicked web of the one who is trying to thwart the purposes of God. One is controlled by a demon, the other controls the demon. The demon-possessed son is delivered and given back to his father. The Son of God is killed and raised from the dead and has ascended back to His Father.

This father of the demon-possessed boy believes the Lord Jesus has the power to deliver his son. He falls down in a reverent posture and humility before the only One who can do what needed to be done. It is, as if, he had gone up the mountain and had seen the transfiguration.

In v.38, the father begged the Lord Jesus "to look at my son."  He wanted Him to look at his boy with great and deep concern. This word for "look" is an intense word. Anytime we have a preposition in the front of a verb, it is intensified. And, he is saying, "Could You please, out of all of this crowd of needy people, pay special attention to my one and only son?"   

Now, here is a boy that is so dominated by a demon, he can't hear, can't speak, and the demon is doing everything he can to throw him into a fire. And the father has tried to protect his son over and over from this deadly power. 

In v.39, the father says, "A spirit seizes him." He knew it wasn't psychological or physiological. He knew it was demonic.  He knew he was possessed with a spirit that made him mute. 

And so, the father pleads for the intervention of God Himself.   

Previous to this story when the Lord Jesus sent the disciples out to do ministry, He gave them the ability to heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse the lepers, cast out demons. But, as indicated in v.40, the disciples could not free this boy from this demon.

According to Matthew 17:19-20, the disciples couldn't free the boy due to the smallness of their faith. There was no lack of available power. There was no lack of experience. There was no lack of knowing whatever a formula they might have known. There was no lack of commission. There was a lack of faith. And, so, in v.42, the Lord Jesus said, "You unbelieving and perverse generation, how long shall I stay with you and put up with you? Bring your son here.” 

They did not fail because they did not expect anything to happen, because they did. We almost always think of faith as some kind of expectation that something is going to happen. If we can just believe something is going to happen, it will happen. But these disciples did believe something was going to happen. They were surprised when it did not happen. They expected the boy to be delivered. They had seen people delivered before from demons when they said the word, and did so in Jesus' name. But this time it did not happen. So, faith is not merely a sense of expecting something to happen. The Lord Jesus said their problem was that they were faithless. Yet they did have a kind of faith, they expected that something would happen. 

They had faith, but it had changed from faith in God to faith in the process they were following. They thought that if you said the right words, and followed the right ritual, that the demon would have to leave. Without their even realizing it, they had transferred their faith from confidence in a God who can act, to a formula that can bring it about. 

In Mark's gospel we are told what the boy's father said. He said, "I do believe; help my unbelief!" Out of the honesty of his weakness, he cast himself on the Lord. That kind of faith is small, but it is like a grain of mustard seed, it is able to move mountains. The moment he said those words, the moment he cast himself in his weakness back on the Lord, that was all God wanted. Our Lord spoke the words, and his son was delivered. 

In v.42-43, we read, "42 Even while the boy was coming, the demon threw him to the ground in a convulsion. But Jesus rebuked the impure spirit, healed the boy and gave him back to his father. 43 And they were all amazed at the greatness of God."

Peter, John, and James saw the greatness and power of God on the mountaintop. Now, the other nine, as well as the crowd, see His greatness and power down in the valley. In order for our faith in Him grows, we need the contrast. We like comfort, yet it is when we are most uncomfortable that we depend upon Him. 

We need constant reminders of His greatness, and power to keep our faith going. The reality is we live in the valley, and we will never see, for ourselves, His greatness and power until we are more and more dependent upon Him. Of course, this is the role of those unwanted trials that come into our lives. Thank Him for those trials, because it is through the trials that we are enabled to see Him more clearly and depend upon Him more deeply.

Luke 9:33-36

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33 As the men were leaving Jesus, Peter said to him, “Master, it is good for us to be here. Let us put up three shelters—one for you, one for Moses and one for Elijah.” (He did not know what he was saying.) 34 While he was speaking, a cloud appeared and covered them, and they were afraid as they entered the cloud. 35 A voice came from the cloud, saying, “This is my Son, whom I have chosen; listen to him.” 36 When the voice had spoken, they found that Jesus was alone. The disciples kept this to themselves and did not tell anyone at that time what they had seen. ~ Luke 9:33-36

In John 1:14 John wrote, “And we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth.” He saw the glory of the Lord Jesus on that mountain that day and it was the same glory that belongs to God. John, Peter and James did not see light shine on the Lord Jesus, they saw the glory of God shining out from the Lord Jesus.

In the valley before going up the Mount Hermon, the Father had revealed to Peter that the Lord Jesus was "the Christ, the Son of the living God." In Peter's mind, down in the valley, He was something because he had come to the conclusion that the Lord Jesus was "the Christ, the Son of the Living God." But, since having that experience on the mountain with John and James, Peter discovered he was wrong. On the mount of transfiguration God showed Peter, this message of the mountain was not for those in the valley, for the people in the valley were not quite ready for its message.

Moses, the giver of the law, and Elijah, the greatest upholder of the law, conversed with the Lord Jesus for a time. And, the word used to describe their discussion with the Lord Jesus is the Greek word  “exodon.” The English translation is EXODUS.

Before coming to this scene, Moses and Elijah had been in the eternal kingdom, they had been in the presence of God. And, there they would have known the Son of God, they would have known Him well before He was ever born in Bethlehem. And they therefore would have known God's plan of redemption.

In v.33 Peter suggests, "Let us put up three shelters—one for you, one for Moses and one for Elijah." Peter's first comment does make sense. According to v.33 he said, "Master, it is good for us to be here." Peter thought, "This is what I've been waiting for. Yeah, it got a little bit confusing when we heard You were going to be rejected and killed and we were going to have to be taking up a cross, and all this sadness and all of this disappointment. But, now here we are and this is what we expected." 

Perhaps Peter remembered Zechariah 14 where we are taught that in the Millennial Kingdom of Christ, the Feast of Tabernacles will be held every year as a remembrance of the Exodus; and not just the exodus out of Egypt, but the exodus out of bondage to sin into the glorious life of God.

Peter didn't realize that this was not the beginning of the eternal kingdom. Sure, Elijah was to come at the time of the kingdom, he knew that. Sure, during the eternal kingdom there was going to be a Feast of Tabernacles. All of the elements of the kingdom that Peter had longed for were there. And, the glory of Christ was displayed. But he doesn't realize that there is more, that there must be the cross. Before there will ever be a crown for the Lord Jesus and His followers, there has to be a  cross for the Lord Jesus, alone.

According to v.34, "While he was speaking, a cloud appeared and covered them, and they were afraid as they entered the cloud."  Back in Exodus, when Moses went up Mount Sinai to meet with the Lord, "the cloud of the glory of God" came down and hovered over the cloud. And it was that cloud that led them through the wilderness. Moses was very familiar with this cloud. It was a cloud that represented the presence and glory of God. This cloud didn't frighten Moses.

But the disciples were afraid. And, according to v.35, '"A voice came from the cloud, saying, “This is my Son, whom I have chosen; listen to him."' Unbeknown to Peter, he was  placing Elijah and Moses on the same level as the Lord Jesus. When the Father spoke, there was no mention of Elijah and Moses. He spoke of and to the Lord Jesus only. 

This is why in v.36 we read, "When the voice had spoken, they found that Jesus was alone. The disciples kept this to themselves and did not tell anyone at that time what they had seen." 

Months after this, after the Lord Jesus had risen from the dead, this experience would certainly make more sense and become more believable. Peter, John and James were told not to say anything about this experience to the others because if they explained what they had seen, it would have caused problems. If they explained that they saw the eternal kingdom and that the Lord Jesus was transfigured and that He was the King, they would have then become a greater threat to the Jews and to the Romans. This could have precipitated an attack against them and a premature execution of the Lord Jesus and the apostles, and so the Lord Jesus doesn't want that to happen. 

The timing of God is perfect. Always! We spend a lot of time in our lives waiting because change is a process. Many people want change, but they don't want to go through the waiting process. But the truth is, waiting is a given.

The question is, are we going to wait the wrong or right way? If we wait the wrong way, we'll be miserable; but if we decide to wait God's way, we can become patient and even enjoy the wait. It takes practice, but as we let God help us in each situation, we develop patience, which is a fruit of the Spirit. It's developed only under trial, so we must not run from difficult situations. But let endurance and steadfastness and patience have full play and do a thorough work, so that we may be [people] perfectly and fully developed [with no defects], lacking in nothing (James 1:4).

Our souls are made up of our minds, wills and emotions. When the Word, His definition of things, gets rooted in our souls and begins to change our minds, it begins to heal our emotions and turn our wills away from self-will and onto doing the will of God. Living out of one's own soul is equivalent to staying in the wilderness. When we say "no" to our flesh, and we get to doing the will of God, that's when we enter and experience His glory.