Jesus goes from rebuker to challenger at the close of Luke 9:
Jesus then turned to another and said, “Come be my disciple.” He replied, “Someday I will, Lord, but allow me first to fulfill my duty as a good son and wait until my father passes away.” Jesus told him, “Don’t wait for your father’s burial. Let those who are already dead wait for death. But as for you, go and proclaim everywhere that God’s kingdom has arrived.” Still another said to him, “Lord, I want to follow you too. But first let me go home and say good-bye to my entire family.” Jesus responded, “Why do you keep looking backward to your past and have second thoughts about following me? When you turn back you are useless to God’s kingdom realm.” (Luke 9.59 – 62, Passion Translation)
What does Jesus challenge in both cases? “But first…” I’ll do it, just not right now this minute. I called this but first attitude Labanizing back in 2016. These guys could be putting Jesus off indefinitely – don’t say no, but never get around to following Jesus.
OR, they could have every good intention. Just like I do some mornings. I’ll have my time with God. But first let me….
Check my email
Catch up on the news
Finish this crossword puzzle
And some days, after I’ve done the but firsts, there’s no time left. Oops.
You always have time for that which you put first. -Debbie Friley, The Navigators
My voice You shall hear in the morning, O LORD; In the morning I will direct it to You, and I will look up.(Psalm 5.3, ESV)
Here’s the final story in our series on Jesus rebuking the disciples in Luke 9, and it’s very fitting for our day and age. The disciples wanted to exercise outrage…
Now it came to pass, when the time had come for Him to be received up, that He steadfastly set His face to go to Jerusalem, and sent messengers before His face. And as they went, they entered a village of the Samaritans, to prepare for Him. But they did not receive Him, because His face was set for the journey to Jerusalem. And when His disciples James and John saw this, they said, “Lord, do You want us to command fire to come down from heaven and consume them, just as Elijah did?” But He turned and rebuked them, and said, “You do not know what manner of spirit you are of. For the Son of Man did not come to destroy men’s lives but to save them.” And they went to another village. (Luke 9.51 – 56, NKJV)
Wow. These disciples, the same ones who couldn’t cast out a demon just a little earlier, want to exercise real power by calling down fire to consume the people of a Samaritan village. What could be more fun than taking out people you don’t like anyway but in the name of defending Jesus’ honor?
Outrage. The great American pastime these days. Someone posted an insightful comment on one of my blogs about this:
Recreational outrage is America’s most popular indoor sport. I think it also ties to what the Bible says about revenge. A lot of this stuff is people satisfying their desire to see other people “get theirs”. That’s real tempting, so long as I don’t ever have to get mine, right? Who was his neighbor? The one who showed mercy on him. Go and do likewise. – Mark E, commenting on a February 3, 2019, blog
I love the simple ending to this story. “And they went to another village.” It wasn’t the end of the world that one village wouldn’t let Jesus in. He just went to another one. Most issues are not let’s draw a line in the sand, life or death issues. Jesus came not to destroy but to save.
For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved. (John 3.16, 17, NKJV)
We’re looking at what Jesus rebuked the disciples for in Luke 9. This time, he rebukes them for wanting to rebuke someone else!
“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.” (Luke 9.49, NIV)
In the footnote, the translator of The Passion Translation attributes the disciples’ behavior to jealousy:
Jealousy blinds our hearts. Nine disciples combined could not cast out a demon spirit, (Luke 9.40) and they were jealous of this one who did.
Jesus simply tells them to cut it out:
“Do not stop him,” Jesus said, “for whoever is not against you is for you.” (Luke 9.50, NIV)
The lesson is simple: recognize and applaud others’ effectiveness.
They don’t get in each other’s way. Each one knows his job and does it. (Joel 2.8, MSG, from Lessons from Locusts that I’ve written about before)
Now there are varieties of gifts, but the same Spirit; and there are varieties of service, but the same Lord; and there are varieties of activities, but it is the same God who empowers them all in everyone. (1 Corinthians 12.4 – 6, ESV)
So tend to your knitting. You’ve got your hands full just taking care of your own life before God. (Romans 14.12, MSG)
An argument arose among them as to which of them was the greatest. (Luke 9.46, ESV)
You have to love it. The disciples having just been royally chewed out for their lack of faith are now arguing about which of them was the greatest! This time, Jesus takes a gentler approach:
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.” (Luke 9.47, 48, ESV, emphasis mine)
It’s not the only time Jesus had this conversation with them:
They came to Capernaum. When he was in the house, he asked them, “What were you arguing about on the road?” But they kept quiet because on the way they had argued about who was the greatest. Sitting down, Jesus called the Twelve and said, “Anyone who wants to be first must be the very last, and the servant of all.” (Mark 9.33 – 35, NIV)
When the ten heard about [James and John wanting the top positions], they became indignant with James and John. Jesus called them together and said, “You know that those who are regarded as rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their high officials exercise authority over them. Not so with you. Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first must be slave of all. For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.” (Mark 10.41 – 45, NIV)
Jesus stayed with this lesson until the very end.
Jesus knew that the Father had put all things under his power, and that he had come from God and was returning to God; so he got up from the meal, took off his outer clothing, and wrapped a towel around his waist. After that, he poured water into a basin and began to wash his disciples’ feet, drying them with the towel that was wrapped around him… When he had finished washing their feet, he put on his clothes and returned to his place. “Do you understand what I have done for you?” he asked them. “You call me ‘Teacher’ and ‘Lord,’ and rightly so, for that is what I am. Now that I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also should wash one another’s feet. I have set you an example that you should do as I have done for you. (John 13.3 – 5, 12 – 15, NIV)
Yesterday I introduced us to four rebuking incidents from Luke 9. Let’s explore the first one in more detail:
The next day, when they came down from the mountain, a massive crowd was waiting there to meet them. And a man in the crowd shouted desperately, “Please, Teacher, I beg of you, do something about my boy. He’s my only child. He’s possessed by an evil spirit that makes him scream out in torment and hardly ever leaves him alone. It throws him into convulsions and he foams at the mouth. And when it finally does leave him, he’s left with horrible bruises. I begged your disciples to drive it out of him, but they didn’t have enough power to do it.” Jesus responded, “You are an unbelieving people with no faith! Your lives are twisted with lies that have turned you away from doing what is right. How much longer should I remain here, offering you hope?” Then he said to the man, “Bring your son to me.”(Luke 9.37 – 41, Passion Translation, emphasis mine)
As I write this, the Internet writing assistance program Grammarly rightly diagnosed Jesus as angry.
What was Jesus angry about? It’s clear: “you are an unbelieving people…” It sounds harsh, but he’s talking to the disciples here.
The gospels record that Jesus “marveled” only twice. Once was at the faith of the centurion:
For I too am a man set under authority, with soldiers under me: and I say to one, ‘Go,’ and he goes; and to another, ‘Come,’ and he comes; and to my servant, ‘Do this,’ and he does it.” When Jesus heard these things, he marveled at him, and turning to the crowd that followed him, said, “I tell you, not even in Israel have I found such faith.” (Luke 7.8, 9, ESV)
The other was for the people of Nazareth’s lack of faith:
And Jesus said to them, “A prophet is not without honor, except in his hometown and among his relatives and in his own household.” And he could do no mighty work there, except that he laid his hands on a few sick people and healed them. And he marveled because of their unbelief. (Mark 6.4 – 6, ESV)
Here his reaction is anger. Why? These are the same disciples who just returned from a successful ministry trip that involved healing people and casting out demons. I wrote about it a couple of weeks ago. Now they can’t cast out a demon, and Jesus tells them, “You are an unbelieving people with no faith! Your lives are twisted with lies that have turned you away from doing what is right.” What lies? That this demon was too strong for them? That since they weren’t on an official mission trip the power they had before wasn’t there? We don’t know. But Jesus was not pleased.
I believe he simply wanted them to believe in and exercise the power that Jesus had given them.
And without faith it is impossible to please him, for whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him. (Hebrews 11.6, ESV)
[Abraham] did not waver at the promise of God through unbelief, but was strengthened in faith, giving glory to God, and being fully convinced that what He had promised He was also able to perform. (Romans 4.20, 21, NKJV)
What comes to mind when you think of Jesus’ relationship with the disciples? Loving? Encouraging? Patient with their foibles? Rebuking doesn’t always rise to the top of such a list, but I’ve just seen four stories in a row in Luke 9 involving rebukes (and none of them is the famous “Get behind me, Satan!”). Jesus addresses:
Their not being able to cast the demon out of the young boy while Jesus was on the Mount of Transfiguration. (Luke 9.37 – 43)
Their arguing about who was the greatest among them (Luke 9.46 – 48)
Their wanting to stop someone who was casting out demons. (Luke 9.49 – 50)
Their wanting to call down fire on a Samaritan village. (Luke 9.51 – 56)
I may explore some of these in more detail over the next few days, but for now, let’s remember that Jesus wasn’t always “gentle, meek and mild” as the old Charles Wesley hymn suggests. There’s truth in “Gentle Jesus, Meek and Mild,” especially regarding his relationship with children, but as a complete picture of Jesus, it falls short.
Those whom I love, I reprove and discipline, so be zealous and repent. (Revelation 3.19, ESV)
And don’t forget what his current appearance is. His friend John, who knew him as well as anyone, was terrified when he saw the risen Lord in Revelation 1:
Then I turned to see the voice that was speaking to me, and on turning I saw seven golden lampstands, and in the midst of the lampstands one like a son of man, clothed with a long robe and with a golden sash around his chest. The hairs of his head were white, like white wool, like snow. His eyes were like a flame of fire, his feet were like burnished bronze, refined in a furnace, and his voice was like the roar of many waters. In his right hand he held seven stars,from his mouth came a sharp two-edged sword, and his face was like the sun shining in full strength. When I saw him, I fell at his feet as though dead. (Revelation 1.12 – 17, ESV, emphasis mine)
I saw something new from the story of the Transfiguration:
As Moses and Elijah were about to return to heaven, Peter impetuously blurted out, “Master, this is amazing to see the three of you together! Why don’t we stay here and set up three shelters: one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah?” While Peter was still speaking, a radiant cloud of glory formed above them and overshadowed them. As the glory cloud enveloped them, they were struck with fear. Then the voice of God thundered from within the cloud, “This is my Son, my Beloved One. Listen carefully to all he has to say.”(Luke 9.33 – 35, Passion Translation)
Usually, I make two points about Peter: one from Mark’s account that “He did not know what to say…” Apparently Peter’s not knowing what to say didn’t stop him from saying something anyway! The second point is that Peter seemed enamored with the spectacular. Let’s set up some shelters and just stay here!
But I’ve been studying John 15.1 – 17 about Jesus explaining that we need to “abide” in him. For example:
I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing. (John 15.5, ESV)
And Peter on the Mount of Transfiguration wants to build three shelters. For what? For abiding! So what’s the problem? Why did the Father reject Peter’s idea?
The answer is clear. Note what happens:
The next day, when they came down from the mountain, a massive crowd was waiting there to meet them. (Luke 9.37, Passion Translation, emphasis mine)
We are to abide with Jesus…where? In everyday life! In the midst of real people. Abiding with Jesus doesn’t occur primarily in church or even primarily in our daily time with God, as important as those are. Our abiding has to occur after we come down from the mountain.
Listen to this portion of Jesus’ prayer for his disciples:
I do not ask that you take them out of the world, but that you keep them from the evil one. They are not of the world, just as I am not of the world…As you sent me into the world, so I have sent them into the world. (John 17.15 – 18, ESV)
Jesus said to them again, “Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, even so I am sending you.” (John 20.21, ESV)
What appliance could you most easily do without if it broke?
Did you think dishwasher? That’s my answer after ours just went on the fritz. It’s working fine one day, and the next, it just thinks it’s working fine. Like my microwave where everything worked except the microwaves, the dishwasher ran its cycle, drained the water out at the end, and reported “Clean.” Except it wasn’t. It put in just enough water to dissolve the casing of the detergent pod, but you could still see the detergent sitting on the floor of the dishwasher. Like my microwave when it broke, all form, no substance – no transformation of dirty dishes to clean dishes.
But, unlike the microwave, we can get along without a dishwasher. It will be a week before the repair guy can come, but no problem. We just switch into vacation cabin mode where we wash the dishes after use. What a concept!
Not that I am speaking of being in need, for I have learned in whatever situation I am to be content. (Philippians 4.11, ESV)
Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you. (1 Thessalonians 5.16 – 18, ESV)
In keeping with our theme of truth of the past couple days, I was shocked to see a modern-day application of who is Jesus and what is Christianity. John Stonestreet shared this on Breakpoint:
In a pair of tweets that recently made rounds on social media, a young progressive woman issued her doctrinal creed: “I am a Christian and I believe proselytizing is violence…I am a Christian and I believe LGBTQ+ ppl are divine and should lead us…I am a Christian and I don’t go to church. I am a Christian and I don’t believe the Bible is the word of God.” – Breakpoint, September 14, 2020
John correctly pointed out that a person can believe anything they want, but their beliefs don’t redefine what “Christian” really means. That’s settled, even with all its variations. It’s like my high school student’s opinions about math. He can have opinions, but don’t call it math.
Luke in writing “an orderly account” of the life of Jesus is very clear, as is Jesus in this conversation:
Are you ashamed of the revelation-truth I give to you? I, the Son of Man, will one day return in my radiant brightness, with the holy angels and in the splendor and majesty of my Father, and I will be ashamed of all who are ashamed of me.But I promise you this: there are some of you standing here right now who will not die until you have witnessed the presence and the power of God’s kingdom realm. (Luke 9.26, 27, Passion Translation)
The accounts are true. Jesus will one day “return in my radiant brightness.” The “presence and power of God’s kingdom realm” are real. One can choose to disbelieve, but John Stonestreet argues, and I agree:
We need to abandon the self-constructed, Build-A-Bear, buffet approach to religion that is so pervasive in our own hearts and our own churches.
Our task remains: know the truth, live the truth, help others to do the same.
For Ezra had set his heart to study the Law of the LORD, and to do it and to teach his statutes and rules in Israel. (Ezra 7.10, ESV)
Anyone who does not know the teaching, you teach them! (Ezra 7.25, MSG)
Run away from infantile indulgence. Run after mature righteousness—faith, love, peace—joining those who are in honest and serious prayer before God. Refuse to get involved in inane discussions; they always end up in fights. God’s servant must not be argumentative, but a gentle listener and a teacher who keeps cool, working firmly but patiently with those who refuse to obey. You never know how or when God might sober them up with a change of heart and a turning to the truth, enabling them to escape the Devil’s trap, where they are caught and held captive, forced to run his errands. (2 Timothy 2.22 – 26, MSG)
Yesterday I observed that people are often convinced of something that isn’t true as illustrated in all the opinions about Jesus’ identity. A few days before, I noticed that confusion is not limited to common people.
Now, Herod, the governor, was confused and perplexed when he heard the reports of all the miracles of Jesus and his apostles. Many were saying, “John the Baptizer has come back to life!” Others said, “This has to be Elijah who has reappeared or one of the prophets of old who has risen from the dead.” These were the rumors circulating throughout the land. Herod exclaimed, “Who is this Man? I keep hearing about him over and over. It can’t be the prophet John; I had him beheaded!” Herod was very eager to meet Jesus. (Luke 9.7 – 9, Passion Translation)
It’s not unusual for government leaders to be confused and perplexed about things of God. We often see politicians misquoting scripture or otherwise betraying ignorance of what seems to some of us basic knowledge. And as with many politicians, Herod perceived the world only from his narrow perspective: “He couldn’t be John; I beheaded him!” Herod never did meet Jesus until it was too late.
When Herod saw Jesus, he was elated, for he had heard a great deal about his ministry and wanted Jesus to perform a miracle in front of him. Herod questioned him at length, but Jesus wouldn’t even answer him. (Luke 23.8, 9, Passion Translation)
Brothers and sisters, think of what you were when you were called. Not many of you were wise by human standards; not many were influential; not many were of noble birth. (1 Corinthians 1.26, NIV)
