BiblicalMastery Buddy's bible blog

Lesson 26

Man Who Are You?

Luke 9:46-62

Like most of you throughout my career I have had my share of performance evaluations.  Of all the things I had to do they were the part of my job I disliked the most.  It was the practice at the International Mission Board where I worked for twenty six years to start the process by having each person evaluate himself.  I never liked to do that.  It seemed to me that one either built him or herself up or he or she put themselves down. There never ever seemed to be a middle ground. There was one part of the review that I always joked about.  It read something like, “Confused and barely able to function.”  I want to know who in his right mind would put that down as to how well he had done in his position during the year. Although, I tried to be honest I can assure you that I was not about to put myself in that category.

I sometimes wonder what my performance review looks like in the light of God’s standards.  How do I stack up in His eyes? I know that my failures would definitely keep me out of the excellent category.  Many times I have told others that I do not have to worry about having a big ego for just as sure as I do something well today I am going to mess up tomorrow.  Thankfully, He has already taken care of my job evaluation.  He did that on the cross.  My responsibility has become to love Him and in that loving to serve Him out of thanksgiving.

When we consider the qualities that make a church what it is what are they?  All too often we determine how we are doing by:

• The number of people that show up on a Sunday morning.
• The size of our budget
• The number of programs we have going
• The number of activities taking place in the building.

What we forget God is not looking at those things, even though all of them may be good, to evaluate us.  He desires not busyness but transformed lives.  The things mentioned above may cause us to be puffed up and proud, neither of which mean anything in the grand scheme of eternity.  If we are not about the business of making disciples and seeing lives transformed God may look at us and say that the church is confused and barely able to function.  We must learn to get our priorities straight.  After all, the church is about people not organizational stuff.

Today we could set down with a check list and see how the people involved were doing.  In light of all that we have seen in the last two weeks, the question becomes why did the disciples and others still did not get why Jesus came.

 Luke 9:46

It is amazing that even after the disciples should have understood how weak they were without Jesus they would be having the conversation seen in this verse.  What were their short-comings?

• Inability to provide food for the five thousand even when Jesus had commanded them to do so.
• They were commanded to act as waiters and distribute the bread and fish from the hand of Jesus.
• Peter’s desire to stay on the mountain so they would not have to deal with everyday issues.
• Peter wanted to keep Jesus from fulfilling the purpose for which He had come.
• Failure on the part of the other disciples to bring healing to the demon possessed boy.
• The disciples were bewildered by the talk of Jesus about His impending death.

They seemed to have completely forgotten how dependent they were on Jesus.  Now they were not carrying on a discussion but an argument about who was the greatest among them.  From a totally human perspective Peter, James and John may have had the greater amount of evidence for their point of view because they were the inner circle that Jesus always chose to be with Him for the important events.  They did not comprehend that it was an honor and not a privilege that they had been given.

1. In what ways did the disciples show that they were insufficient without Jesus?
2. Why were they having the discussion at all?  (They still did not understand that Jesus was not going to establish an earthly kingdom)
3. Why would Peter, James and John think they had an inside track to be the greatest among them?
4. What had Jesus done for the three? (Given them the honor of being close to Him?
5. What would this mean that He would require of them? (He who is given much more will be required of him.)
6. What is the problem when we compare ourselves to others?

Luke 9:47-48

Jesus knew that their argument was truly reflective of what was in their hearts.  Each had already elevated himself above the others. To help them understand their true positions in this world He took a small child and placed him next to Him in the place of honor. In that society a child had no standing whatever. They were the weak, helpless and dependent members of the community. Each of them expected that place to be reserved for them.  Jesus always had a way of turning standard convention on its head.    Having stood the child next to Him, He then spoke to the disciples.  He used two parallel thoughts to describe how the disciples were to view themselves and others.  To be a part of His kingdom work they had:

• To receive the hopeless, helpless and dependent in order to truly have a relationship with Jesus.
• To secondly understand that having that connection to the Son was to become God’s children.

The one who understand that he was to serve rather than be served would be considered great in the kingdom of God. The least is always the greatest in the mind of Christ.

1. Why did Jesus not speak directly to them at first? (They had not heard other things He had said.  They still did not understand what to be a part of His kingdom meant.)
2. Why did Jesus have a small child stand next to Him? (Sometimes a picture takes the place of many words spoken by not heeded.)
3. Why use a small child to emphasize His point? (To show that it is those who are helpless within themselves are those who are willing to hear and respond to Him.)
4. What are the two relationships that are important in every person’s life?
5. Why must we come to Jesus as a child? (Under any other circumstances it would be on our own terms.  We must realize that we truly are helpless without Him.)

Luke 9:49-50

John had taken it upon himself to discourage those who were ministering to others who were not part of their little group.  It was almost like he believed that the disciples had a license determining who or who could not carry on the teaching and healing ministry.  Jesus would have no part in that kind of thinking.  John was informed that everyone who is willing to serve Jesus was an ally and not an enemy.

1. What kind of attitude was John exhibiting?
2. In what ways do we do the same thing today? (We belong to the right church that does things correctly.)
3. What does Jesus think of such an attitude?
4. How can we make sure that we do not have that kind of mindset? (Do what God calls us to do.)
5. In what ways do we often discourage others?
6. Why do you think we have so many denominations and splinter groups today?

Luke 9:51

All of the above occurred in Capernaum.  Now it was time for Jesus to head toward Jerusalem.  Luke wrote that He was determined to go.  Other translations speak of His setting His face. It is interesting that Luke did not refer to all that was to take place during what is called “Passion Week” but spoke of His ascension.   It would be the culminating event of His time on earth.  Of course the ascension was proof of all of the things that took place before it.  It would not have happened if Jesus had not risen from the dead.    

His focus was now on His impending trial, execution, burial and resurrection.  His plans were to go directly through Samaria instead of the detour on the eastern side of the Jordan River.

1. What shows the determination of Jesus to face what was ahead of Him?
2. Why did Luke leave out the events of “Passion Week” and speak of Jesus’ ascension?
3. What do we know of His plans?
4. Why did He feel it was necessary to go through Samaria? (Shortest route to Jerusalem?
5. When have been incidences in your own life when you knew that God was calling to you to do something and you determined that with His help that nothing was going to stop you?
6. How do we know when an action to be taken is actually from God and just not something we want to do?

Luke 9:51-53

As mentioned above Jesus had decided to travel through Samaria.  He sent some of His disciples ahead of Him to make arrangements for lodging.  When the Samarians understood that Jesus was on His way to Jerusalem they refused to provide housing for Him.  This was their way of discouraging those on a pilgrimage to Jerusalem from going through their territory.  There is not time to go into all the history of why the Jews and Samarians hated each other.  Suffice it to say that the animosity towards each other played a part in their inhospitable treatment of Jesus.

1. Why did Jesus decide to go through Samaria?
2. What opportunities did they miss by refusing Him lodging? (They may have heard the good news of the kingdom and received healing to body and spirit)
3. Why did they refuse to provide housing for Him? (He was on His way to Jerusalem and the fact that He was a hated Jew.)
4. What are the barriers that we erect to separate us from people?
5. How do we truly make people feel when they come into the church?
6. How do we treat our neighbors?
7. In what ways might they see us as arrogant?

Luke 9:54

Once again John along with his brother lived up to the name given to them.  They indeed acted like the “Sons of Thunder” or in the Greek Boanerges.  They asked Jesus if He wanted them to bring about revenge on the people for the way they had treated Him.  Their judgment was to call down fire from heaven to destroy them.  In their words is seen the hatred for others who were not Jews boiling up to the surface.  It was a true indication of the deep bias they held towards those who did not agree with them or who were different.  People like the children and Samaritans were expendable because they had no value in society according to what the Jews believed about them.

1. What was the obvious reason James and John wanted to bring down the wrath of God on the people?
2. How did their words reflect the name given to them by Jesus?
3. What was the true and underlying reason they believed it was okay to bring judgment on the Samaritans?
4. Why would James and John believe those people were expendable?
5. Who are those we believe are expendable and of no use to society?
6. How do we think we have the right to make that kind of judgment call?
7. How does our attitude toward others reflect on the testimony of the church?

 Luke 9:55-56

It is apparent that Jesus turned from His journey to be face to face with James and John.  Looking them squarely in the eyes He indicated that their heart was not right.  To be filled with the kind of hatred that would allow them to destroy others was in total opposition to what Jesus had been teaching them.  He clearly stated that His purpose was always to save mankind not to hate and destroy others.  Instead of forcing the issue they went toward Jerusalem by another route.

1. How did Jesus respond to the two men? (He turned towards them.)
2. What did Jesus think of the attitude of the heart that they obviously possessed?
3. For what purpose did Jesus come to earth?
4. How are we to respond to the words He spoke to disciples?
5. Which attitude do you have, that of man with all of its prejudices and biases or the one Jesus always live out during His time on earth?
6. How can we change not only our lives but others also?

Luke 9:57-62

Jesus met three different men on His journey.  Their response to Him showed the shallowness of their desire to follow Him. 

• Man number one actually asked Jesus if he could become one of His followers.  Evidently, Jesus saw through the man’s request.  He may have wanted to follow Him because of the popularity of Jesus at that point.  Jesus pointedly let him know that to follow Him meant he would have to give away everything because Jesus had nothing of material value not even a roof over His head.
• The second man was approached by Jesus.  He stated he wanted to follow Jesus but he would do so after he had taken care of his family.  It was a delay tactic because most commentators believe that his parents were not actually dead or even close to death. Jesus plainly told him that the decision to follow Him was not something to be put off.  If the man was going to follow it had to be now.  Those at home who refused to come after Him would take care of the needs of his parents when the time came to do so.
• The last man came to Jesus and indicated that he would follow Him.  He too came up with an excuse which was nothing more than a delaying tactic.  He wanted to go back and tell everyone that he was going.  The following remark showed that the man lacked the commitment to actually follow through on his decision.  Jesus’ words are for every man and woman who has ever made a decision. 

He told the man that, “No one, after putting his hand to the plow and looking back, is not fit for the kingdom of God.” It is clear that He was calling the man to complete and total commitment.  It is easy to say that one believes in Jesus.  It is the evidence of living for Him that shows if one is fit for the kingdom.

 

1. Based on the response of Jesus what do you think was man’s motive for wanting to follow Jesus? (He wanted to be part of a popular movement.)
2. What was be implied by Jesus’ words? (If the man expected a worldly kingdom he would be greatly disappointed.)
3. In what ways were the excuses of the last two men similar? (They wanted to put off having to make a commitment.)
4. How were they different? (The family of the second man was no where near the point of death.  His decision was basically saying I do not plan to follow You at all.  The last man at least only wanted to take his time in making the decision.)
5. What was Jesus looking for in the three men? (An immediate decision that signified a long term commitment.  The disciples had made such a choice.)
6. What are the excuses that we use to keep from making a decision to follow and serve Jesus?
7. What did Jesus mean by His statement about putting the hand to the plow?

 

• Pray for true humility.
• Understand that true humility is emptying of oneself and acknowledging as creator and Lord of your life.
• Do not be like James and John who considered themselves as having the right to judge and inflict justice on others.
• Have the heart of a child who is completely dependent on Jesus.
• Do not make excuses to keep from serving Christ. Remember He has gifted you to serve.
• Decide to make a lifelong commitment to follow Christ.

Let us take to heart the things that Jesus shared with His disciples and those who might potentially follow Him.  Our hearts are to be like that like a child.  They are helpless as we are with Christ.  We are not to be in competition with other churches and believers. We are all here to do one thing to make Christ known to the world. Finally, He is calling out to all of us giving us the opportunity to be a part of His kingdom. We are never to make excuses that the task of sharing the good news is too big for us.  Remember with God nothing is impossible.

Lesson 25

From Mountain Top to Reality

Luke 9:28-45

I cannot remember the number of retreats and conferences I have attended over the years.  The one thing that I do remember is that the ideas shared or the experience itself pumped me up for a short time. It did no matter whether it was as a youth leader on a retreat or just a participant in a training session I came away with the desire to make changes in my life or in the organization that sent me.  Sadly all too often just the opposite happens.  It really makes no difference whether it is a youth or an adult that feeling soon goes away as we get involved once again in the day to day activities.

I would like to believe that there is one experience that can be viewed as a defining moment.  Hopefully the cumulative effect of all those mountain top experiences has made me a better person.  The chances of that happening may not have occurred, if I had not been given the opportunity to be there in the first place.  I have seen in my lifetime that such occasions do alter lives of people.  Although a change may take place in one’s life it takes time before the evidence becomes obvious. Many of the young people with whom I was involved many years ago still talk about what brought them together for that special time where they met God. Sadly, there have also been those who heard the same message I and others heard and have drifted away from the church.  Somehow all the effort was not able to break through the barriers they put up to the gospel.

Since the church is made up of individuals the results in the lives of each of them is only multiplied by the number of people in a church setting.  For almost two hundred years the word revival has been used to speak of a coming together to hear the gospel preached and to repent of our sins.  If we look at the landscape today we have to wonder what happened to all those who came out of those meetings ready to change society for the better.  Usually within weeks it is business as usual. 

The devil, I am afraid has done a good job at diverting our attention away from what is important to the things of the world. He has brought about wars and economic calamities to take our focus off what God wants to do in our lives. In last week’s lesson Jesus asked, “For what is a man profited if he gains the whole world and, loses or forfeits himself?” (Luke 9:25)

Continuing from last week we will see that the disciples still had much to learn about the real mission of God.  It was important that they learn those lessons well because it would not be many day in the future when they were going to have to deal with real life situations without the physical presence, protection and leadership of Jesus.

Luke 9:28-29

There was a period of eight days following the discourse about His identity of which nothing is written in any of the gospels.  He may have used this time to further explain to His disciples what was going to take place in the days to come.  At the end of that time He decided to seek a time of solitude when He could pray.  He took with Him His inner circle of disciples, Peter, James and John with Him.  It was important for them to see Him in a time of prayer.  They would need to follow His example of seeking God’s will in the days ahead. Jesus never did anything without seeking His Father’s approval.

1. Why are the writers silent about the eight day period?  (It was a private time just for the disciples.  He may even have again reviewed what had just been said.)
2. Why did He decide to get away for a time of prayer?
3. What does His example say to us?
4. Why did He take Peter, James and John with Him?

Luke 9:29

There is not another example in all of the other times that Jesus prayed that such a total transformation took place in His appearance.  Up until this point His attention was on the people.  Now it turned to what was going to occur with weeks of His experience on Mount Hermon.  Matthew and Mark wrote that He was transfigured.  G. Campbell Morgan in his book, “The Gospel According to Luke” described using the term metamorphosed.  Jesus’ appearance was completely altered in the same way that a caterpillar becomes a butterfly.  Luke wrote that His appearance became different and His clothes began to glisten. Theologians differ about what was taking place.  Some think that Jesus appeared as He did in His pre-incarnation body. Others view it as a picture of His manifestation of His sinless life.  Whichever it was, it definitely was a sign of what was about to take place.

1. Why was the result of His praying different than previous times? (He was preparing for the events ahead of Him.) 
2. What does metamorphose mean?
3. How does it apply here? (His appearance was completely changed.)
4. In what way does give us a picture of those coming to Christ? (We are to be changed from our old way of life and become a new creation.)

Luke 9:30-31

Besides the change in appearance something else happened. Two men appeared. As Luke wrote they were there to speak to Jesus about His impending departure. Most theologians believe they were there to encourage Him and to indicate to Him that He was carrying out God’s purpose for His life.  There could have been no better representation than Moses and Elijah to bring the news to Jesus.  Moses had brought God’s law to the Israelites.  He spoke for all those who had died under the law and would be raised again at Christ second coming.  Elijah was believed to be the greatest prophet by the Jews. He was considered the reformer of Israel. (See 1 Kings 18:21-40)

1. Why did God send Moses and Elijah to speak to Jesus?
2. What news would they have brought to Him?
3. Why were these two men among all the men of history sent to Him?
4. Who did each of them represent?
5. How did this cover the whole span of history?
6. What does this say about us? (There has never been a time in history when man was not under the watchful eye of God.)

Luke 9:32

While all the conversation was taking place the disciples were in an all too familiar position.  They had been overcome with sleep. Suddenly they awoke and were able to get a glimpse of the Jesus in His glory and the two men who were with him.

1. How would the disciples fail to give Jesus the companionship He needed?
2. What would cause the men to fall asleep?
3. How do we disappoint Jesus with the things we do?
4. In what ways are we like the disciples?
5. How often do we miss opportunities to serve God because of our apathy, lethargy etc.?
6. How did their fatigue play into the plan of God? (Jesus had time to talk with Moses and Elijah who understood what was coming.)
7. What did they miss? (An opportunity to hear God’s plan.)

Luke 9:33

Having finished with their business Moses and Elijah were getting ready to depart.  As usual Peter seized the moment to say something.  Both Luke and Mark indicated that he spoke because of fear and not really knowing what to say.  (See Mark 9:6) If a person does not have something to say he should remain silent.  Peter suggested that the disciples were there so that they could build three places of worship one for Jesus and one each for Moses and Elijah.  What he seemed to be saying was that as long as they stayed on Mt. Hermon Jesus would not face the death about which He had spoken.  They could just remain there and worship God continually.  It might also have been an indication of wanting to keep this experience all for himself and the two others.

1. Why were Elijah and Moses leaving?
2. What did the disciples do at that moment? (They woke up in time to see the two men leaving.)
3. What do you think of Peter’s comments?
4. Why did he along with the help of the other two disciples want to build tabernacles?
5. How would that once again work against God’s plan?
6. In what ways was Peter’s comments selfish?

Luke 9:34-35

God cut off Peter’s thoughts immediately.  Jesus said nothing. A cloud then formed and covered them.  They then became terrified.  As He had done so many times before, God spoke from the cloud.  He emphatically let them know that Jesus was His Son and His chosen One.  Instead of making their own plans they were to listen to what Jesus had to say.  Jesus had said He was going to suffer.  The holy men had confirmed it, which the disciples would have heard if they had been awake.

1. Why did God not allow Peter continue with his dialogue?
2. Why did Jesus not say anything? (His Father was going to do the talking for Him.  The disciples had not listened to Jesus so maybe they would listen to God.)
3. How did God describe Jesus?
4. What did this indicate to the disciples? (His deity)
5. What was the thing that God wanted to hear from the Son? (The thing they had not understood before.)

Luke 9:36

God finished what He had to say.  When they looked up the only person who was still there was Jesus.  In Mark Jesus warned them not to tell anyone what had just occurred on the mountain. Luke said they kept silent and did not tell anyone.  This was part of the plan of Jesus to have the events play out according the timing of God. If the people knew what had occurred they would have once again tried to change history.

1. Why did God leave them at that time? (It was time to leave the Mountain.)
2. Why was it important for Jesus to come to them? (To comfort them.)
3. Why did He not want them to tell of the incident on the Mountain?
4. How different was His command to them than us today?
5. What is the difference?

Luke 9: 37-39

Among those who came to Jesus as He and the others came down from the mountain was a man in desperate need.  After the experience on the mountain, Jesus came back down to face the real life situations of the people for whom He came to die. His work was still not complete. He approached Jesus begging Him to help his son.  He described in detail what was wrong.  The evil spirit that possessed him would:

• Seizes him
• Screams
• Throws him into convulsions
• Causes him to foam at the mouth
• Upon leaving him it would maul him.

In his mind the worse injustice was the fact that he had brought his son to the disciples who had been left behind to heal him.  They were unable to do for the man as he had requested.

1. Why were the people waiting for Jesus when He returned?
2. How difficult is it for you to once again face real life situations after having had a mountain top experience?
3. Why did the man give Jesus such a complete description of his son’s predicament? (He was desperate.  Since the failure of His disciples he wanted Jesus to know what he was up against.)
4. After the failure of the disciples what did he expect Jesus to do?
5. When people who are supposed to be strong Christians fail you what does that do to your faith?

Luke 9:41

Then turning to the people but most certainly for His disciples, He had some pretty strong words for all of them.  He really wanted to know how long would it take for them to come to the point that they truly believe.  In His description they were called a perverse people.  Like their forefathers they were a clueless, hardheaded and obstinate people.  He had to wonder what it would take for them to get over that condition.

1. Why did He speak in such harsh terms to the people?
2. What did He mean by calling them unbelieving?
3. In what way was the description of perversion accurate for them?  (They saw only what they wanted to see and receive what benefited them.)
4. In what ways do we show that the same characteristics would truly depict who we are?
5. Why did Jesus put up with people who He described in that way?
6. Why does He put up with us?

Luke 9:42

Having said those words, He turned his attention once again to the man.  He commanded that the boy be brought to Him.  In Mark Jesus wanted to know if the man believed He could do what he had asked.  There is a powerful statement found there.  After having been disappointed by the disciples He still believed that Jesus could heal his son, but if there was any doubt lingering within him, he wanted Jesus to remove it. (See Mark 9:24)

1. What did Jesus command the man to do?
2. After His strong statement to the people what did His actions show? (He deeply cared for them.)
3. What are the important details found in Mark 9 that Luke leaves out?
4. What do we see in the man’s reaction to the words of Jesus?
5. How did Jesus answer the doubts of all the people? (Nothing is impossible with God.)

Luke 9:42-43

The demon did not give up easily.  Even as the boy was being brought to Jesus he once again attacked him.  Jesus rebuked the demon who had no choice but to leave the boy alive and well.  He was returned to his father whole. The reaction of the people confirmed the words of Jesus when He called them an unbelieving and perverse generation.  They had just witnessed a miraculous healing and all they could do was stand in amazement.

1. Why did the demon once again attack the boy?
2. What did the reaction of the people show about them?
3. How did it confirm the words of Jesus?
4. Why we even today amazed when God does a work in the heart and life of a person that would seem impossible?
5. How do we get beyond that point?

Luke 9:44-45

So that the disciples would not get carried away by what they had just witnessed, He spoke again of the coming events. He said listen carefully, pay attention to what I am about to say. They needed to understand that nothing had changed.  He was still going to be turned over to the men who were opposed to Him.

As before when He told them they did not understand.  Luke wrote that the meaning of His words was hidden from them. They just could not comprehend the magnitude of what was being said.  Because of the gravity of the events to come they were afraid to ask Him about them.  For the events to occur would destroy their plans of an earthly kingdom.

1. Why did Jesus choose that moment to tell them about His impending death?
2. Why did He want to get their full attention?
3. Why did they not understand what was He was telling them?
4. In what ways was the meaning of the message hidden from them?
5. What did they not want to hear?
6. What have been occasions when you have had trouble believing what is being said to you?

 

• Use every opportunity you have to spend time in sweet communion with the Lord.
• Stay alert so that you do not miss what God is trying to do in your life.
• Whenever doubts enter into your mind believe that Christ will help you work through them.
• Stay in fellowship with God through prayer and Bible study so that it can be said that you are part of an unbelieving and perverse or obstinate people.
• Understand that Jesus died for you.  

The church has been asleep for a while and has missed the opportunity to impact the impact the world for Christ.  The world has passed us by and no longer sees us as a factor in society.  It is not too late but time is running out. God calls us to listen to His beloved Son.  His message for us is to believe and make disciples.   

 

Lesson 24

Who Is This Man Jesus?

Luke 9:18-27

It has been almost two thousand years since Jesus asked the question to his disciples, “But who do you say that I am?” (Luke 9:20)  Today people are still trying to answer that question. There are more books on what is called apologetics than any of us could hope to read in a lifetime. Every time I pick up a book on the defending of the gospel the bibliography list multiple choices on every topic covered.

You would think that by this time all of us would be clear on who Jesus is and why he came to earth.  Sadly that is not the case. I intentionally do not read books by anti-theist because I do not want to encourage them by buying any material they write.  They have been and are continually trying to under mind the faith of each of us by presenting their false doctrine.

I enjoy reading the philosophers who present solid arguments for God and Christ so that I can be prepared to give an answer for the hope that is within me.  Personally I settled issue of who Jesus is in my own life many years ago.  I know, however, I cannot let my guard down for a moment.  I must continually put on the whole armor of God which includes the study of His word. Even now there are those inside and outside the church who are determined to destroy us and make our witness ineffective.

One of the reasons that the church has been rocked back on its heels is its failure to take seriously the need to approach its walk with God both intellectually and emotionally.  For too long now we have been very good at reaching people for Christ (Evangelism) while allowing the discipleship, the training of the followers of Christ, to atrophy from neglect.  I just heard a story the other day in which a middle school student who had been in church his whole life knew nothing about the Bible.  I wonder how many adults and children are in the same position in churches all over the country.  This condition is setting up the church to be totally marginalized in society because we have no weapons with which to defeat the enemy unseen and seen.

Even during the last weeks of His life there was much confusion of who Jesus was.  After today I hope that you will be able to answer that question in your own mind. 

Luke 9:18

Following the feeding of the five thousand Jesus had continued to travel in the area around the Sea of Galilee.  He would soon conclude His teaching and healing ministry there and begin to move south towards Jerusalem.  Luke does not mention the place where this event took place but Matthew and Mark wrote that He was in Caesarea Philippi.  While in that location He had some time to get alone in prayer.  There is no indication of the content of His prayer, but He may have been praying for strength for what lay ahead of Him. 

As He finished praying He turned to His disciples asking an important question.  After almost three years of teaching and healing the people He wanted to know how effective had He been in getting His message across.  The question simply was, “Who do people say that I am? There be no significant in the way He ended the question, but is interesting that He did not say, “What do people say about Me” but finished it with “I am.”  The real question was did the people understand Him to be the Messiah for whom they were looking to come?

1. What does the location where Jesus was praying tell us about His plans? (He was beginning to move towards Jerusalem.)
2. What may have been the subject of His prayer?
3. Why did He ask His disciples about the opinion of the people?
4. What did Jesus truly need to find out?

Luke 9:19

Their answers spoke volumes to Jesus.  The people thought that He may be:

• John the Baptist (This means that they believed that he had risen from the dead.)
• Elijah (It was believed by all the Jews that before the Great Day of the Lord occurred that Elijah was to return and restore order in the families of Israel. See Malachi 4:5-6
• One of the many prophets that God had sent to Israel who may have at that point in time risen from the dead.

Notice two major exclusions from their answer.  No one saw Him as:

• The Prophet spoken about in Deuteronomy 18:19, who would be like Moses. That Prophet would speak the word of God and would need to be heeded by everyone.
• The Messiah of Israel.

There may have been a couple of reasons that the people did not see Him as anything greater than those just mentioned.

• He did not spend a considerable amount of time in any one place therefore the people never got the full message taught to them.
• He had done nothing that would indicate to the people that He was the kind of Messiah they expected to come on the scene.  His time had been spent in teaching and healing not building an army to chase the hated Romans out of Israel.

 

1. What did the answers given by the disciples say about the people?
2. Why did the people think Jesus was the one of different people mentioned?
3. What had the people missed about Jesus that was obvious in their answers?
4. What may be some reasons that His words and actions had not changed the attitudes of the people?
5. Why do we sometimes come up short in our understanding of who Jesus is? (He does not meet the criteria that we have set up in our own minds of what a Savior should look like.)
6. What are your expectations of Christ?
7. How can we make sure that we truly understand who Christ is and what He can mean in our life? (Spend quality fellowship time with Him.)

Luke 9:20

Having heard the impressions of the people, He now wanted to know what the disciples thought.  He asked, “But who do you say that I am?”  Jesus said them in essence, okay.  Put aside all you have heard from the people and tell Me what you think about Me.  It was important at this stage of His time on earth if there was anyone who had figured out who He was.  If there was not a person who could identify Him as the Messiah and the Son of God then all was lost.

Peter once again was the first to speak.  It was possible even at that late date that he did not understand completely who Jesus was, he had seen and heard enough to able to proclaim Him as The anointed One of God.  Jesus was the Messiah of that Peter, at that point, was sure.  What was still not clear to him was the type of Messiah Jesus would turn out to be. In Matthew 16:17 Jesus told Peter there was only one way he could have made the statement concerning His deity. It had to be revealed to him by the Father.    

1. Why did Jesus wait to hear what the people thought before asking the question to His disciples?  (He wanted to know if His ministry had altered anyone’s life to the extent they would recognize Him as Messiah.
2. Why did He begin His question with the word, But?  (He wanted them to put aside what others were saying and give Him an honest straightforward answer.)
3. How would you honestly answer the question posed to His disciples?
4. What evidence have you seen in the life of Jesus that caused you to answer the way that you did?
5. Why was their answer so important? (If they were not convinced that He was the Christ after having spent three years with Him then no one else would be convinced by their testimony. 
6. Why is it so important for you to answer that question for yourself? (If you do not believe then no one will listen to what you have to say.)
7. Who is the source of our ability to accept Jesus as the Messiah and Savior of our lives? (See Matthew 16:17)

Luke 9:21

Jesus immediately warned them now to tell anyone about the revelation just made by Peter.  Those who had not understood who He was would certainly not comprehend the claim of being the Messiah.  He also did not want to have what He had come to accomplished short circuited by man’s attempt to force Him into a role He was not willing to accept. To announce it to the world would have possibly caused open conflict with the Romans.

1. Why did Jesus warn the disciples not to reveal His identity? (Everything must occur at the proper time.  He often said that His hour had not come.)
2. What would the people have wanted Jesus to do if they found out who He was? (They would want Him to lead them in a rebellion against the Romans?
3. What would have been the results of a rebellion?
4. How do we sometimes short-circuit what God is trying to do for us individually and the church as a whole?
5. When is the proper time to speak out in Jesus’ name in the community in which we live?

Luke 9:22

After hearing the confession of Peter, Jesus shared with them the kind of Messiah He had come to be.  Instead of becoming king of an earthly rebellion against the enemies of the Jews, He was going to suffer at the hands of those in authority.  Three different groups would be responsible for His suffering and death.  They were

• Elders who were the respected men in the Jewish community.
• The chief priests who were the Sadducees. They were more political than religious being collaborators with the Romans.
• Scribes were the men who knew the Law.

As a result of their efforts Jesus would be executed, but on the third day would rise again. In Matthew and Mark Peter after having proclaimed Jesus as the Christ rebuked Him upon hearing the words just spoken by Jesus.

1. Why did Jesus tell the disciples what He was about to experience at the hands of the Jewish religious leaders and the Romans? (He did not want them to live under a false illusion of what was to happen.)
2. What message was imbedded in His words? (He did not have to play by the rules of men.)
3. Why was God’s plan better than what the people and disciples desired?
4. Why should we be thankful that He did give into the pressure everyone was exerting on Him?
5. What encouragement should we gain from what He said?

Luke 9:23

Jesus never sugar coated what it meant to be His disciple.  He was very open and honest with them concerning what it meant to follow Him.  This whole exchange had taken a different turn than they had expected. They had gone from the elation of the announcement of Jesus being Messiah to the realization that things were not going to end well.  Jesus now shared with them the qualities of a true disciple.  There were several requirements. They were to

• Deny oneself.  They were to forget about themselves and their needs.
• Take up ones cross daily.  They were to identify with the suffering and humiliation that Jesus experienced.
• Follow Him. Wherever Jesus was to go and wherever He sent them they were to be always be faithful to Him.

He continued on with additional strong words.

• If a person is wrapped up with his life in the world he would lose out in eternity.
• If a person is willing to give up his life for Christ he will have it for eternity with Him.
• What profit is there for a man if he has all that this world has to offer but loses eternal life?

Finally, they needed to determine what their relationship Him would be.  If they denied Him and were ashamed of Him while on earth, meaning to reject Him and His teachings, Jesus would feel the same way when He returns to receive those who are His followers. 

1. Why did Jesus speak in such a strong way?
2. What does it mean to deny oneself?
3. What did Jesus mean by taking up His cross daily?
4. What does it take to follow Jesus completely with our lives?
5. What is the danger of thinking this world is the most important thing in your life? (Lose eternal life because the things of this world become your god.)
6. In what ways do we show that we are ashamed of Jesus?
7. How could Jesus say that He would be ashamed of us when He returns? (He will just agree with those of us who do not want a relationship with Him.)

Luke 9:23

Jesus then gave some encouragement. By that point the disciples could use some.  They were told to expect the coming of the kingdom of God in their lifetime.  Jesus sharing with them that God was about to re-establish the relationship with mankind lost in the Garden of Eden.  God was once again going to rule in the hearts of man. They would see the resurrected Savior of the world in person.

• Settle in your own mind the answer to the question, “But who do you say that I am?”  Nothing else will matter until you deal with that issue.
• Take seriously the fact that there is a real enemy willing and able to destroy your faith and begin to do everything in you can to make sure that does not happen.
• Read your Bible faithfully it is the sword of your faith.
• Believe that the word is living and is able to provide you with answers for life.
• Read books by men and women who have proven to be qualified to help you to be able give a good defense for the gospel.  (If you are interested check with the elders for resources for varying ages and maturity levels.)
• Be willing to make Jesus the most important thing in your life.
• Fellowship and grow with other believers that you may be encouraged and strengthened in your daily walk with Christ.

The church is still being asked the same question today that Jesus asked His disciples.  Our answer will clearly indicate our commitment to Him.  It is easy to say we believe in Him and to still not understand completely who He is.  We read the Bible and see all kinds of words to describe Him. To discover His identity we have to go all the way back to Genesis. 

The church that gets to the truth of the gospel which tells us why the Son of God found it necessary to come to earth, we will have a message that can be proclaimed to the world.  To do less is to dilute our effectiveness in the world.  Jesus calls us to hear and know the truths of His word.  He then lays out for us the heart attitude it takes to be a disciple.  In order to be a testimony to the world He calls us to deny ourselves, take up our cross daily, and follow Him.

God promised that His disciples would see His kingdom in their lifetime.  Thankfully we now are beneficiaries of what Christ did on the cross.  Let us show the world what it means to us by faithfully serving Him.     

 

Lesson 23

Proclaiming the Kingdom

Luke 9:1-17

During all the time I was involved in the FAITH evangelistic strategy I never became comfortable knocking on someone’s door who I did not know and sharing the outline that would hopefully lead them to Christ. If a person wants to sit down with me and discuss Christianity or the Bible I can do that all day long. I do not know if it is the idea of having to use a formula that had to be memorized or just making that cold contact that caused me the most problem but something made me very uncomfortable. I have still not reconciled this issue in my life.

Thankfully there are those who have no problem talking to anyone anywhere.  My anxiety goes away when I know the other is willing to take the lead and I give input or assistance as needed.  This tag team approach is what I need when I have to make those kinds of visits.

I am afraid that my own situation is reflected of many churches as a whole.  The people do not take the time to share the gospel. Worse than that is the unwillingness to move beyond the doors of the church even to obey the command of Christ in Matthew 28:18-20.  It is much easier for us to stay inside the building where we are comfortable with our safe brand of Christianity and hope that others will want to join us there.

We will find that we will never reach the world by staying indoors.  Our health and survival calls for us to move out with courage and conviction to touch the world with the gospel. No one else is going to do it for us.  In today’s lesson we have the model that Jesus used with His own disciples.  Surely if it worked for Him it should work for us.

Luke 9:1-2

It was time for the men whom Jesus had been training to be sent out to begin ministering in His name. They could have continued to follow Him around and soaking up His teaching and watching Him perform miracles as they had been doing for almost three years.  Although not mentioned here He knew that His time on earth was growing to a close. It would soon become their responsibility to carry on His work. There was another factor that played into the sending out of His disciples.  Even as the Son of God in the flesh He was one man and therefore was limited in the scope of His impact on His nation. To multiply His ministry He needed those men to step up and be sent out on their own. Their assignment was to in the power of Jesus to “cast out demons and heal diseases.”  Mark wrote in Mark 6:7 that the men were sent out two by two. There were probably two or three reasons why this was done.

• Safety in numbers
• In that culture the witness of two or three was necessary for something to be believed.
• Moral support for each other.

 

1. Why did Jesus choose to send the men out at that point in His ministry? (His earthly ministry was ending.)
2. How would they have been hurt in their spirit growth if He had not provided the opportunity at that time? (The longer they depended on Him the harder it would be to go out on their own. Of course even after His death and resurrection they would be guided by the Holy Spirit?)
3. What lesson can we learn from the question above? (The longer we cloister within the walls of the church soaking up what God word the less likely we are to be a witness for Him in the world.)
4. What were they called to do?
5. How does their mission differ from what we are called to do today?
6. Why did He send them out in pairs?
7. Which of the reasons is applicable to us today and why?

Luke 9:3

His next command may have shocked them a little.  He told them to take nothing extra with them other than the clothes they were wearing.  His mission was too important for them to be concerned with keeping up with all the baggage that might slow them down.  They needed to be focused on what they were going to be doing rather than on any material comforts.  He did not want them to be dependent on what they had but how God was going to provide.  It may have caused them to isolate themselves from the very people Jesus wanted them to reach.

1. Why did He not want them to carry personal items like money and clothing with them?
2. In what ways do things sometimes keep us from serving as we should?
3. In what ways would the things that Jesus commanded them to leave behind keep them from carrying out His mission? (They could have fellowshipped among themselves.)

Luke 9:4-5

Jesus wanted them to depend on the hospitality of the people.  By that interaction they would know who was willing to hear the message they had for them.  There was always the possibility as it is today there those who simply will not listen to the Word of God.  Jesus did not say if you come across them you are to shake out the dust from having been present in their homes but when you encounter them.  As He had experienced during the three years of dealing with His fellow countrymen He knew that many would not receive the disciples.  The practice of shaking out the dust would have been understood by one and all.  A Jew who had walked through the territory of a Gentile would shake out the dust of that place so He would not be contaminated by them.  He was saying to disciples you are to treat your fellow Jews just like they are Gentiles.

1. What was the real reason that Jesus wanted them to travel lightly?
2. What did it mean for both the disciples and a host home when they treated the disciples kindly?
3. What did it mean for the disciples to shake off the dust of a home where they had not been received?
4. What is your feeling when someone rejects the message of the gospel that you are trying to share?
5. Why would it be especially hard for a Jew to receive the message of the kingdom of God as taught by Jesus and the disciples?
6. Who are the most difficult people for you to reach? Why?   

Luke 9:6

The disciples did just as Jesus had commanded them.  They preached the gospel and healed in many of the towns and villages of Galilee. 

1. What did it show that the disciples were willing to do as Christ commanded? (They believed that He was going to usher in the Kingdom of God.)
2. How did they carry out His command?
3. In what ways do we carry out His command to us?
4. What must we believe in order to carry out His mission?

Luke 9:7-9

The people throughout the land were not the only ones who heard the message that was being proclaimed by the disciples.  Herod, the tetrarch of Galilee also became aware of what was taking place. The message that reached him was that John the Baptist had come back from the dead.  Others were saying that maybe it was Elijah or one of the other prophets who were to return before the Great Day of the Lord which would be the culmination of history and the restoration of the Jews to their rightful place.  Herod’s response showed the guilt he felt for having put John to death. He had to wonder if John’s spirit had not come to back to haunt him.

He therefore wanted to know who Jesus was. Probably to convince himself that it was not John after all.  He made every effort to try and see Him but to no avail.

1. What was the news that Herod heard from the people concerning Jesus?
2. Why did he ignore the other possibilities of Elijah or even the Prophet mentioned by Moses in Deuteronomy 18:19? (He was obsessed by the guilt of what he had done to John.)
3. What would the appearance of Elijah or the Prophet mean for the Jewish people? (The End of the age and the coming of the Great Day of the Lord.)
4. Why did Herod want to see Jesus? (To convince himself that Jesus was not John and he had nothing to worry about.)

Luke 9:10

Upon returning to Jesus the disciples filled Him in on all of the details of their journey.  What a celebration that would have been for all of them.  They had an opportunity to share the good news with more people than Jesus could have done in the short time He would spend on the earth. Knowing that they needed a time of rest, reflection and debriefing, He took them away to a city called Bethsaida, a city on the northeast tip of the Sea of Galilee.

1. What would have been the news that the disciples brought to Jesus?
2. Why would this been a time of celebration?
3. Why did Jesus believe it was necessary to take His disciples away on a short retreat?
4. Why would He choose the city of Bethsaida?
5. When are times that you like to be alone with Jesus?
6. What happens during those times?
7. If you have never had that desire what may be missing in your life?

Luke 9:11

As He had experienced at other times when He had tried to get away for awhile, the crowds followed Him.  His reaction was to welcome them.  He once again spoke to them about the Kingdom of God. Those among the people who needed healing received it?

1. Why did the people not leave Him alone?
2. When have you had the experience of being around people who were so hungry to hear about the Kingdom of God?
3. Why did Jesus welcome them and not send them away?
4. What possibility would have been your reaction to the crowds?
5. How do you think the disciples felt?
6. How was this good training for them?

Luke 9:12

When the day was almost over the disciples came and suggested that Jesus send the people away so they could find a place to stay and food to eat.  Jesus did not seem to be concerned about the physical needs of the crowd because He already had a plan in mind.  Although not explicitly written, Jesus was going to use the event as a learning experience for the disciples.  They may have been somewhat upset because the crowd had encroached in on their private time with Him.  By having them participate in the miracle, He was going to show them the greatest thing they could ever do was to serve people with compassion.  He simply turned to the disciples and told them to feed the people. They must have looked at each other not believing what they had just heard.  As John wrote, the best that they had been able to do was find 2 fish (like dried sardines) and five small barley loaves of bread that a little boy had bought.  They mentioned going to buy food in Mark 6:37. The Bible indicated that it would have cost about two hundred days worth of wages to feed the five thousand men plus women and children. 

Without further explanation He had all of the people to sit down in groups of fifty, blessed the five loaves and the two fish and began to give them to the disciples to distribute to the people.  The men who had earlier proclaimed the gospel and healed people now became waiters serving food to the five thousand. 

After the people had eaten their fill, they collected the leftovers and with them filled twelve baskets.  This is the only miracle that is mentioned in all four gospels. In John 6 it has special significance. Following the feeding the people desired to make Jesus their king. 

1. Why was Jesus not concerned about the lateness of the hour?
2. How may the disciples have felt about the people encroaching on their time alone with Jesus?
3. Why did the disciples react the way they did?
4. When they came to Jesus how much was their concern for Him and how much was it out of envy because of the actions of the people?     
5. If Jesus knew what He was going to do why did He suggest that the disciples give the people food? (To help them understand that nothing is impossible in God’s hands.)
6. What was Jesus trying to teach the disciples?
7. Why did the disciples in Mark mention two hundred denarii? (To show that in their mind the impossibility of what Jesus had requested)
8. Why did Jesus have the people sit down in groups of fifty? (To bring order to the situation and provide a means to serve everyone there better.)
9. Why is this miracle especially meaningful in light of what we read in John 6?

 

• Think about ways you can overcome the mindset that everything that you do spiritually has to be done within the four walls of the church.
• Prepare yourself through the study of God’s word and training to begin sharing the gospel with non church people everywhere.
• Do not look at Jesus as your own personal property.
• Be willing to serve in areas that may be outside your giftedness just because a ministry needs to be done.
• Stop limiting God. He who created the world can do the impossible for the church.

It has been probably ten years since there has been any intentional effort to have an organized way to do outreach to our community.  Since FAITH there have been weak attempts to get people involved in touching the lives of those outside the church.  We have tried to use big events like the egg drop, harvest festivals and trunk or treat to bring people into the church.  Jesus gave us the example of the proper way to reach people.  He sent his disciples two by two out into the community to share the gospel.  Having said the above, I am not sure how to do this exactly because our culture has changed so dramatically in the ten years since we did FAITH.  We do need to learn the way to do the two by two if it means having them attend events in the neighborhood together to begin impact the lives of the people.  It may mean that we begin doing projects that touch others. Let us work together to discover the way that broadens the base of the kingdom of God.