Luke 9- Andy's thoughts

“But who do you say that I am?”

I believe that this is the central teaching of the chapter and perhaps the whole book of Luke. The gospel begins with a description of Luke’s attempt to write a careful account of Jesus so that the truth about Him could be known. So halfway through, Luke puts the question out there. What do you think? Who is this Jesus? This is a recurring question throughout the gospel so far.

“Who does he think he is?” ask the Pharisees and teachers of the law in 5:21
“Are you the Messiah we’ve been expecting, or should we keep looking for someone else?” asks John the Baptist in 7:20
“Who is this man, that he goes around forgiving sins?” asks the crowd at the Pharisees house in 7:49
“Who is this man? When he gives a command, even the wind and the waves obey him.” the disciples asked in 8:25
“Who is this man about whom I hear such stories?” asks Herod in 9:9

I think that if we examined the baggage of our minds and hearts we would find that we carry around a lot of ideas about who Jesus is that do not line up with what the Bible actually says about Jesus. At times, I catch myself reshaping Jesus to be a more admirable social crusader who does what I would do if only I was a better person.

Maybe some of you have also reshaped Jesus to be something other than what He is. Maybe he seems to be like a vending machine or a genie in a bottle that gives us what we wish for. Maybe he seems to be wise philosopher that gives us a better world view. Maybe he seems to be mythical hero that saves the damsel in distress. Maybe he seems to be panacea to fix all of our problems.

Peter tells us who Jesus actually is. He is the Messiah sent from God. The word Messiah or Christ is a Jewish title (Christ is a Greek translation of the Hebrew word Messiah) that means anointed one. The idea of an anointed one is a royal and/or priestly one. The Israelite priests and kings and sometimes prophets were anointed with oil as a sign that they were chosen by God to lead the people. Jesus is the complete fulfillment of the priest and king who would lead His people.

When we proclaim the gospel (“evangelion” in Greek) we are making a royal announcement. We are proclaiming that there is a new king. As N.T. Wright says, it is an announcement that Jesus is king and Caesar is not. In that time, such a statement was highly treasonous and definitely dangerous. I think that when we proclaim the gospel today, we are making a similar treasonous statement.

Apart from Jesus, who would we have believed to have been our king? Maybe it is our political leaders, maybe it is our cultural icons, maybe it is our corporate overlords, and maybe it is ourselves. But in the announcement of the evangelion we boldly state that there is a new king, a new leader, a new Messiah. And His name is Jesus.

When we think about who Jesus is, it has to carry with it something of this royal aspect. He has full rights over us. This ought to be a bit unnerving. We have been taught in this country that we are the master of our destinies, the captain of our own ships. We chaff under the notion of another’s mastery over us.

The good news part of the evangelion is that our new king is not like the others who have held dominion over us. This new king is for us. This new king is loving and just and good and true. He does not come to compel our service. He actually comes to serve us. He does not come to oppress our lives. He comes to give His life for us.

What then is the appropriate response?

Jesus tells us in verses 23-26 and 57-62. We follow Him in his suffering and death. He is completely giving Himself for us and so it is right for us to give ourselves fully to Him. I’m sure that the cross imagery must have been confusing to them since this was before Jesus was crucified. I’m sure that they were thinking that he was being a bit metaphorical. Nope. There was a real cross awaiting Jesus. History tells us that Peter too was later crucified.

Does this mean that we can’t enjoy material blessings? I think that if we ask that, we are missing the point. The chapter closes with several people promising to follow Jesus who just weren’t getting it. He is calling us to a radical following. Not just a radical commitment. A radical following.

Years ago, Lee Toumenoksa told a riddle to some of the ORB leaders. He said, “Once upon a time there were 5 frogs sitting on a log. One of them made a decision to jump off. How many frogs were then sitting on the log?”

5. Not 4. Just because one of them made a decision to jump off doesn’t mean it actually did. Jesus doesn’t commend these people for making commitments to him. He calls them to actually begin following.

I’ll make one last semi-controversial statement here. What does it mean when Jesus says, “Foxes have dens to live in and birds have nests, but the Son of Man has no place even to lay his head.”? I think that He is making a statement about home ownership. People claimed to want to follow Jesus but they were concerned about where they would live. Jesus said that He didn’t even own a house.

I don’t think that owning a house or piece of property is inherently wrong. But I do believe that if owning something ever becomes a cause of hesitation for following Jesus, we ought to let it go. How much property is appropriate for a follower of Jesus to have? However much that follower is willing to part with at a moment’s notice for the sake of the gospel.

Application:
• What are the false notions that we have been carrying about Jesus?
• What have we learned about him so far in this gospel?
• Is there something that would be really hard for us to let go of if Jesus asked?