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Luke 9:28-62 – Following Jesus

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This passage is as follows:

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Now about eight days after these sayings he took with him Peter and John and James and went up on the mountain to pray.  And as he was praying, the appearance of his face was altered, and his clothing became dazzling white.  And behold, two men were talking with him, Moses and Elijah, who appeared in glory and spoke of his departure, which he was about to accomplish at Jerusalem.  Now Peter and those who were with him were heavy with sleep, but when they became fully awake they saw his glory and the two men who stood with him.  And as the men were parting from him, Peter said to Jesus, “Master, it is good that we are here.  Let us make three tents, one for you and one for Moses and one for Elijah” - not knowing what he said.  As he was saying these things, a cloud came and overshadowed them, and they were afraid as they entered the cloud.  And a voice came out of the cloud, saying, “This is my Son, my Chosen One; listen to him!”  And when the voice had spoken, Jesus was found alone.  And they kept silent and told no one in those days anything of what they had seen.

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On the next day, when they had come down from the mountain, a great crowd met him.  And behold, a man from the crowd cried out, “Teacher, I beg you to look at my son, for he is my only child.  And behold, a spirit seizes him, and he suddenly cries out.  It convulses him so that he foams at the mouth, and shatters him, and will hardly leave him.  And I begged your disciples to cast it out, but they could not.”  Jesus answered, “O faithless and twisted generation, how long am I to be with you and bear with you?  Bring your son here.”  While he was coming, the demon threw him to the ground and convulsed him.  But Jesus rebuked the unclean spirit and healed the boy, and gave him back to his father.  And all were astonished at the majesty of God.

 

But while they were all marveling at everything he was doing, Jesus said to his disciples, “Let these words sink into your ears: The Son of Man is about to be delivered into the hands of men.”  But they did not understand this saying, and it was concealed from them, so that they might not perceive it.  And they were afraid to ask him about this saying.

 

An argument arose among them as to which of them was the greatest.  But Jesus, knowing the reasoning of their hearts, took a child and put him by his side and said to them, “Whoever receives this child in my name receives me, and whoever receives me receives him who sent me.  For he who is least among you all is the one who is great.”

 

John answered, “Master, we saw someone casting out demons in your name, and we tried to stop him, because he does not follow with us.”  But Jesus said to him, “Do not stop him, for the one who is not against you is for you.”

 

When the days drew near for him to be taken up, he set his face to go to Jerusalem.  And he sent messengers ahead of him, who went and entered a village of the Samaritans, to make preparations for him.  But the people did not receive him, because his face was set toward Jerusalem.  And when his disciples James and John saw it, they said, “Lord, do you want us to tell fire to come down from heaven and consume them?”  But he turned and rebuked them.  And they went on to another village.

 

As they were going along the road, someone said to him, “I will follow you wherever you go.”  And Jesus said to him, “Foxes have holes, and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay his head.”  To another he said, “Follow me.” But he said, “Lord, let me first go and bury my father.”  And Jesus said to him, “Leave the dead to bury their own dead.  But as for you, go and proclaim the kingdom of God.”  Yet another said, “I will follow you, Lord, but let me first say farewell to those at my home.”  Jesus said to him, “No one who puts his hand to the plow and looks back is fit for the kingdom of God.”

 

(End of passage)

 

In the first half of this chapter, Jesus sent out the 12 apostles who went preaching the gospel and healing everywhere.  There were to be no repercussions for not welcoming the gospel – no fire from heaven, just shake the dust off their feet as a testimony against them and go to the next village.  Herod wanted to see Jesus out of curiosity.  Herod heard all the things that Jesus was doing since the wife of his house manager was one of Jesus’ disciples.  Jesus fed a crowd of about 25,000 people from 2 fish and 5 loaves.  Peter confessed that Jesus is the Christ of God.  Then Jesus foretells of his death and resurrection.  Jesus admonishes people that if you want to follow him, you must take up your cross daily and deny yourself.  Now, Jesus is going to head up to Mount Hermon with Peter, James, and John for a few days.  Let’s see what happens up there.

 

Verses 28-36,

 

Now about eight days after these sayings he took with him Peter and John and James and went up on the mountain to pray.  And as he was praying, the appearance of his face was altered, and his clothing became dazzling white.  And behold, two men were talking with him, Moses and Elijah, who appeared in glory and spoke of his departure, which he was about to accomplish at Jerusalem.  Now Peter and those who were with him were heavy with sleep, but when they became fully awake they saw his glory and the two men who stood with him.  And as the men were parting from him, Peter said to Jesus, “Master, it is good that we are here.  Let us make three tents, one for you and one for Moses and one for Elijah” - not knowing what he said.  As he was saying these things, a cloud came and overshadowed them, and they were afraid as they entered the cloud.  And a voice came out of the cloud, saying, “This is my Son, my Chosen One; listen to him!”  And when the voice had spoken, Jesus was found alone.  And they kept silent and told no one in those days anything of what they had seen.

 

Now, what are the implications of the transfiguration of Jesus?

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1. Jesus could at any moment change his physical appearance and nature.One of the gospels described it with the Greek word “metamorphO,” which means to change form.Luke says the appearance of his face was altered.The Greek word for altered here is “heteron,” which means altered, different, or other.Matthew says that his face shone like the sun.Luke says that his clothing became dazzling white.Mark said that his clothes were whiter than anyone could bleach them.The transformation proves that Jesus was, at all times, fully God as well as fully human.

2. Jesus brought 3 apostles with him, Peter, James, and John.Just a few days ago, Jesus promised that there would be some standing there that would not see death till they saw the kingdom of God.These 3 apostles would see the kingdom of God.They would be witnesses of this glory.Deuteronomy 19:15 stipulated that all things must be established on the testimony of at least two or three witnesses.Peter testifies to this in 2 Peter 1:16-18, “For we did not follow cleverly devised myths when we made known to you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but we were eyewitnesses of his majesty.For when he received honor and glory from God the Father, and the voice was borne to him by the Majestic Glory, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased,” we ourselves heard this very voice borne from heaven, for we were with him on the holy mountain.”

3. Not only are there 3 witnesses to Jesus’ glory to go out and testify to the world, but there are also 3 witnesses to testify to the three apostles that Jesus’ glory is true – Moses, Elijah, and God!The presence of Moses bears witness that his Law and his prophesies are fulfilled in Jesus.The Presence of Elijah bears witness that Jesus fulfills the prophesies of the prophets.Notice that Moses and Elijah spoke of Jesus’ departure, which he was about to accomplish at Jerusalem.The Greek word for departure is “exodon,” which means exit, and also is the title of the Book of Exodus, which was given to it with the Septuagint, the Greek translation.So, Moses and Elijah are confirming God’s plan, exactly what Jesus told them recently, that he must be killed and rise again on the third day.Then there is the Testimony of God.God says, “This is my Son, My Chosen One.Listen to him.”

4. This whole event gives the apostles the assurance that the kingdom of God is here and will be manifest fully in the future.Just a few days before this, Jesus told the apostles that he must suffer many things, be rejected by the chief priests and scribes, and be killed only to rise on the third day.Peter scolded Jesus for saying this according to the gospel of Matthew.Peter didn’t want this to happen.Here again, Peter seems to be rebelling against God’s plan.Peter suggests that they make three tents, one for Moses, one for Elijah, and one for Jesus.Peter would be satisfied if everything stayed the same, even if they had to stay on top of a mountain.Staying on the mountain is not God’s plan.God’s plan is for Jesus too die on the cross for the sins of the world, and then to rise from the dead.The transformation of Jesus gives complete assurance that this will happen.If Jesus can transform his body at will, then there is assurance that he can do so even when his body is dead.In the time right after the crucifixion of Jesus, this event would give them hope.

 

In the gospel of Matthew, Jesus told Peter, James, and John not to tell anyone about the transfiguration until he rose from the dead as they were walking down from the mountain.  Luke does not record that, but let’s read what he does record next.

 

Verses 37-43a,

 

On the next day, when they had come down from the mountain, a great crowd met him.  And behold, a man from the crowd cried out, “Teacher, I beg you to look at my son, for he is my only child.  And behold, a spirit seizes him, and he suddenly cries out.  It convulses him so that he foams at the mouth, and shatters him, and will hardly leave him.  And I begged your disciples to cast it out, but they could not.”  Jesus answered, “O faithless and twisted generation, how long am I to be with you and bear with you?  Bring your son here.”  While he was coming, the demon threw him to the ground and convulsed him.  But Jesus rebuked the unclean spirit and healed the boy, and gave him back to his father.  And all were astonished at the majesty of God.

 

A man begs Jesus to heal his son that the disciples could not.  From the description what does it sound like this boy has?  This sounds just like epilepsy, which we know is a physical condition.  Why does Jesus treat this as an unclean spirit?  Epilepsy has a number of triggers such as highly active  physical exercise or even mental stress.  It is entirely possible that the energy from an evil spirit could trigger it.  Notice that is says here that Jesus rebuked the unclean spirit AND healed the boy.  Jesus understood that physical healing was needed.  Jesus also understood that the people of that time attributed a number of physical ailments to evil spirits.  It was not Jesus’ goal to correct everyone about every misconception.  Jesus had a focused purpose to fulfill, and he focused his time to fulfill that purpose.

 

Why did Jesus scold his apostles so harshly for not healing the boy with epilepsy?  Remember that this is a time of special authority and mission.  In Luke 9:1-2, Jesus first gave his apostles the authority and power to cast out demons and to heal all illnesses.  Then he commanded them to heal the sick.  So, why weren’t they able to heal the boy?  We can find the answer in Matthew’s account in Matthew 17:20.  It was because they had so little faith.  Why did they have so little faith?  Was it because Jesus recently told them that he would be killed and then rise from the dead?  The answer to that question is in Matthew 17:21.  Jesus said that this kind does not go out except by prayer and fasting.  In other words, they just needed to try harder and be persistent in prayer.  Does Jesus expect us to always heal everyone that comes to us for healing?  No, because this expectation was in a time of special authority and mission being given to the apostle’s only.

 

So, Jesus heals the boy and everyone is astonished at the majesty of God, but Jesus has something to say to his disciples.

Verses 43b-45,

 

But while they were all marveling at everything he was doing, Jesus said to his disciples, “Let these words sink into your ears: The Son of Man is about to be delivered into the hands of men.”  But they did not understand this saying, and it was concealed from them, so that they might not perceive it.  And they were afraid to ask him about this saying.

 

So, Jesus once again alludes to his death, but his disciples were afraid to ask him what he meant.  Why do you think the disciples were afraid to ask him what it meant?  Perhaps they were afraid of what it could mean – that Jesus would be taken away from them.  This was something that they did not want.  Are the disciples hoping that Jesus would remain, become king of Israel, call down 100 legions of angels to defeat his enemies and kick the Romans out of the country, then appoint them to special positions in his government?

 

Let’s see if it says anything about that.

 

Verses 46-48,

 

An argument arose among them as to which of them was the greatest.  But Jesus, knowing the reasoning of their hearts, took a child and put him by his side and said to them, “Whoever receives this child in my name receives me, and whoever receives me receives him who sent me.  For he who is least among you all is the one who is great.”

 

Why are the disciples arguing which of them is the greatest?  This argument comes up again in Luke 22:24, during the Lord’s Supper. 

They just came into Jerusalem a few days ago with Jesus riding on a colt and people singing Messianic praises to Jesus.  Surely they must have thought that Jesus was going to take his kingship by force and kick the Romans out.  They were lining themselves up for high positions in Jesus’ apparent kingdom.  In Matthew 20:20, the mother of James and John asks Jesus to give her sons positions sitting on his right and left hand in his kingdom.  This shows that the attitude of many of Jesus’ followers were centered around the physical kingship right away, and to put their faith in that, the disciples had to ignore what Jesus was saying about that he was going to be killed and rise again on the third day.

 

What kinds of things might the disciples been saying to say that they were the greatest.  Who healed the most people?  Who read the most scripture?  Who prayed the most?  Who was the wisest, oldest, strongest?

What does Jesus do to try to turn their thoughts in the right direction?  Jesus uses a child as an example of who is great.  When Jesus says, “Whoever receives this child in my name receives me,” he is saying that whoever serves the child serves him.  In other words, the one who is the lowest servant is the one who makes things good with Jesus.  Jesus concludes that “he who is least among you all is the one that is the greatest.”  So, in other words, the one who serves the most is the greatest.

 

One of the disciples had an answer to this.

 

Verses 49-50,

 

John answered, “Master, we saw someone casting out demons in your name, and we tried to stop him, because he does not follow with us.”  But Jesus said to him, “Do not stop him, for the one who is not against you is for you.”

 

Now what does John’s answer have to do with what Jesus said?  Nothing, it is totally irrelevant.  This must be something that John had on his mind and wanted to ask.  John was a teenager yet at this time.  It seems to be something that John was perplexed about and just wanted to know what Jesus thought.  Someone was casting out demons in Jesus’ name.  The disciples tried to stop him because he did not follow with the disciples.  How did this person come about to doing this?  He wasn’t taught or trained by Jesus.  He could have been a Jew or a Gentile.  He could have been a rich man, or a poor man.  He could have known the scriptures or not.  Somehow he must have at least seen the disciples casting out demons in Jesus’ name.  Maybe he just heard about it from someone that saw it happen.  One thing that is for certain that this man knew is that there is power in the name of Jesus.  There have been times that I prayed for something, but my prayer was not answered until I prayed in Jesus’ name.  So, I think we should always pray in Jesus’ name.  There are a couple other things to learn from this.  Do not stop someone that is working for the cause of Jesus Christ.  Also, those that are not against you are for you.  If they are not opposing you, they are helping the cause of Jesus Christ by letting you continue.

 

Let’s see what happens next.

 

Verses 51-56,

 

When the days drew near for him to be taken up, he set his face to go to Jerusalem.  And he sent messengers ahead of him, who went and entered a village of the Samaritans, to make preparations for him.  But the people did not receive him, because his face was set toward Jerusalem.  And when his disciples James and John saw it, they said, “Lord, do you want us to tell fire to come down from heaven and consume them?”  But he turned and rebuked them.  And they went on to another village.

 

So, the time is drawing near for Jesus to be killed and rise from the dead, then taken up to heaven.  He set his face to go to Jerusalem means that he was determined to go to Jerusalem.  Jesus sends messengers ahead of him.  They enter a village of the Samaritans to prepare for him.  Why do the people refuse to receive Jesus?  They refuse because his face was set toward Jerusalem.  Why do these Samaritans have a problem with that?  Samaritans believed that the holy mountain was Mount Gerizim, not Mount Zion.  In the picture below, you can see where Mount Gerazim is at and Mount Zion is where Jerusalem is at.