Who is Jesus? Luke 9:7-9, 18-22 - April 23, 2023

 Luke 9:7-9, 18-22 Who is Jesus?

Good morning! Turn with me in your Bibles to Luke chapter nine, page 866 in the pew Bibles. We are going to be doing our study a little differently this morning in that we are going to look at two different small sections of Luke nine that address one issue while skipping over verses 10-17 which we will look at next time. So we are going to look at verses 7-9 and then 18-22.

And as we look at these verses we are going to consider the most important question ever asked. There are lots of important, life-altering questions that have been asked like, which way to the bathroom, and, do you want to marry me or what?

But the question that we are going to consider this morning is a more important question and it is a question that every person must answer and undoubtedly will have to answer on the Day of Judgment: Who is Jesus?

And in our text this morning we are going to see the answers to that question given by Herod, the crowds, the disciples, and Jesus Himself.

Let’s look at Luke nine.

7 Now Herod the tetrarch heard about all that was happening, and he was perplexed, because it was said by some that John had been raised from the dead, 8 by some that Elijah had appeared, and by others that one of the prophets of old had risen. 9 Herod said, “John I beheaded, but who is this about whom I hear such things?” And he sought to see him.

And skip down to verse 18.

18 Now it happened that as he was praying alone, the disciples were with him. And he asked them, “Who do the crowds say that I am?” 19 And they answered, “John the Baptist. But others say, Elijah, and others, that one of the prophets of old has risen.” 20 Then he said to them, “But who do you say that I am?” And Peter answered, “The Christ of God.” 

21 And he strictly charged and commanded them to tell this to no one, 22 saying, “The Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and on the third day be raised.”

Let’s pray.

So after Jesus had sent the Twelve out into the villages of Galilee word reached all the way into the halls of government that something was going on, that some new teacher was out there stirring things up. The word was out and everybody had an opinion about Jesus.

Herod the Tetrarch was the son of Herod the Great and he was in charge of the district of Galilee for the Romans. He had often had John the Baptist come and speak to him out of a sense of morbid curiosity but at the request of his wife and daughter had him beheaded in prison.

So when people started saying that John was once again preaching and teaching in Galilee he started to get concerned. In fact, he was scared of ghosts. Herod’s guilty conscience prompted him to wonder if John had come back to get him.

Those around him were telling him all different ideas about who Jesus might be but it only further perplexed Herod. He kind of wanted to know who Jesus was, he kind of wanted to see Jesus himself but he wouldn’t get down off his high horse to seek Him out. Whether it was fear, or pride, or indifference, Herod wasn’t willing to go find out for sure.

So Herod’s answer to the question: Who is Jesus? Remained: I don’t know, I might like to know but I’m not really willing to do anything to find out for sure.

I think we all know people like this still today. I’m curious about who Jesus is but I’m not willing to go where I might actually find out. Whatever their reasons really are fear, or pride, or indifference they won’t come and find out who Jesus is.

Herod, of course, did finally meet Jesus as we read in Luke 23:7-11.

7 And when [Pilate] learned that [Jesus] belonged to Herod’s jurisdiction, he sent him over to Herod, who was himself in Jerusalem at that time. 8 When Herod saw Jesus, he was very glad, for he had long desired to see him, because he had heard about him, and he was hoping to see some sign done by him. 9 So he questioned him at some length, but he made no answer. 10 The chief priests and the scribes stood by, vehemently accusing him. 11 And Herod with his soldiers treated him with contempt and mocked him. Then, arraying him in splendid clothing, he sent him back to Pilate.

Herod was curious but eventually rejected Jesus, mocking Him and treating Him with contempt though He had done nothing wrong.

So leaving verses 7-9 let’s skip ahead to verses 18-22.

Herod settled for answering: I don’t know who Jesus is. Next let’s look at who the crowds said Jesus was in verses 18-19.

18 Now it happened that as he was praying alone, the disciples were with him. And he asked them, “Who do the crowds say that I am?” 19 And they answered, “John the Baptist. But others say, Elijah, and others, that one of the prophets of old has risen.”

So what was the public opinion of Jesus? This was the voice of the masses, the voice of flesh and blood. 

Some said that John the Baptist had been raised from the dead, after all, how could such a great man of God be taken away forever? That’s just not fair!

Some said that He was Elijah returned from heaven in his chariot of fire. Malachi 4:5-6, the last verses of the Old Testament say: 5 “Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the great and awesome day of the Lord comes. 6 And he will turn the hearts of fathers to their children and the hearts of children to their fathers, lest I come and strike the land with a decree of utter destruction.”

Others said that one of the other prophets of old had risen from the dead. It was clear that popular opinion held that Jesus was definitely neither ordinary nor insignificant. He was a messenger of God for sure, but still nobody was saying that He might actually be Messiah.

There are still plenty of people today that will agree that Jesus was a great teacher and a person of great historical importance without actually placing their faith in Him. How we designate our years are based on the life of Jesus: BC means Before Christ, and AD Annio Dominae, the year of our Lord, though folks are trying to wipe that away by using the expression, “Before Common Era and After Common Era.”

So Jesus turns to the disciples to ask them the question directly, “Who do you say that I am?”

And of course Peter speaks up on behalf of the disciples and says, in verse 20, “You are the Christ of God.”

To be clear, the word, Christ, and the word, Messiah, mean the same thing. Christ is a Greek word, it’s not Jesus’ last name, and Messiah is a Hebrew word, and they both mean: Anointed One.

What’s interesting to me is that this confession of faith by Peter on behalf of the disciples was not based on complete understanding, they didn’t fully comprehend what Jesus’ work on earth would really entail. All they knew was that Jesus was indeed Messiah, the Christ of God, and at this point that simple faith was enough. It was saving faith.

In response to this confession, which, though incomplete, was the right answer to the question: Who is Jesus, Jesus gives the disciples some strange instructions and then answers the question Himself.

Look at verse 21. 21 And he strictly charged and commanded them to tell this to no one,

Doesn’t this seem a little strange? Why would Jesus tell them not to tell anybody that he was indeed the long awaited Messiah? Isn’t that what He wanted people to know so that they could trust in Him and be saved?

Well, eventually yes, just not yet.

JJ vanOosterzee put it this way, “There existed a little congregation in which the faith on Jesus as the Christ was the center of its union. If this community, with its manner of thinking, manifested itself externally, it would here have found premature adherents, and here roused renewed opposition.”

In other words, if everybody believed that Jesus was Messiah at this point He would not be able to do the work that He came to do. The people may have carried him to Jerusalem and put Him on the throne instead of Jesus carrying Him cross through Jerusalem to be crucified outside the city.

And that brings us to Jesus’ answer to the question, who is Jesus?

In verse 22, Jesus said: “The Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and on the third day be raised.”

Jesus’ answer to the question was that He is the Suffering Servant from Isaiah 53 and that His work as Messiah was far greater than just teaching and healing.

Who has believed what he has heard from us? And to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed? For he grew up before him like a young plant, and like a root out of dry ground; he had no form or majesty that we should look at him, and no beauty that we should desire him. He was despised and rejected by men, a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief; and as one from whom men hide their faces he was despised, and we esteemed him not. Surely he has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows; yet we esteemed him stricken, smitten by God, and afflicted. But he was pierced for our transgressions; he was crushed for our iniquities; upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace, and with his wounds we are healed. All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned—every one—to his own way; and the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all. He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth; like a lamb that is led to the slaughter, and like a sheep that before its shearers is silent, so he opened not his mouth. By oppression and judgment he was taken away; and as for his generation, who considered that he was cut off out of the land of the living, stricken for the transgression of my people? And they made his grave with the wicked and with a rich man in his death, although he had done no violence, and there was no deceit in his mouth. Yet it was the will of the Lord to crush him; he has put him to grief; when his soul makes an offering for guilt, he shall see his offspring; he shall prolong his days; the will of the Lord shall prosper in his hand. Out of the anguish of his soul he shall see and be satisfied; by his knowledge shall the righteous one, my servant, make many to be accounted righteous, and he shall bear their iniquities. Therefore I will divide him a portion with the many, and he shall divide the spoil with the strong, because he poured out his soul to death and was numbered with the transgressors; yet he bore the sin of many, and makes intercession for the transgressors.

Jesus was the perfect sacrifice for the sin of mankind. He is the only one who could give His perfect life in our place on the cross. That was His purpose here on earth.

Jesus is Messiah. Jesus is the Christ of God. Jesus is Lord. That’s the answer to the question.

Amen.

The Twelve Sent Out - Luke 9:1-6 - April 16, 2023

 Luke 9:1-6 The Twelve Sent Out

Good morning! Turn with me in your Bibles to Luke chapter 9. Today we are going to look at verses 1-6, and that’s on page 866 in the pew Bibles.

So here we are, national let down Sunday. The week after all the pomp and pageantry of Easter, those who are brave enough to go back to church after their typical yearly visit experience the let down from the heights of the Easter production value to the mundane regularness of a typical Sunday service.

It’s also national let down day for pastors, who saw their congregations swell in number last weekend and now have to deal with the let down of going back to the regular size crowd of faithful family members.

I don’t know if that’s the case here this morning, I certainly don’t feel that way but if you think of it pray for the church and her pastors today that may be experiencing this annual phenomenon. 

Our particular church family has another reason to feel let down today, as today marks my eleventh anniversary here as pastor!

I can say that it has been the great privilege of my life to serve the Lord Jesus here in this place and to serve you wonderful people who truly have become my family. I am so grateful to the Lord for bringing us here to you and sustaining us and empowering us to do the work that He has called us to.

And that’s really the topic of our text for this morning, the Lord Jesus sustaining and empowering His disciples to do the work to which He has called them. So let’s look at the text.

And he called the twelve together and gave them power and authority over all demons and to cure diseases, 2 and he sent them out to proclaim the kingdom of God and to heal. 3 And he said to them, “Take nothing for your journey, no staff, nor bag, nor bread, nor money; and do not have two tunics. 4 And whatever house you enter, stay there, and from there depart. 5 And wherever they do not receive you, when you leave that town shake off the dust from your feet as a testimony against them.” 6 And they departed and went through the villages, preaching the gospel and healing everywhere.

Let’s pray.

One of the great challenges of interpreting Scripture is identifying which parts are descriptive and which parts are prescriptive. That is to say, which parts are merely informational and which parts are instructional.

This idea will be extremely important for us to have a handle on as we continue to look into the works of Luke, especially when we get to the book of Acts.

There is a great deal of debate about what certain things meant to them then as opposed to what they mean to us now. But as I have said before, the Scriptures will never mean what they never meant. The meaning doesn’t change, only the application of the principles will change.

So as we examine this text before us today we have to consider which parts are descriptive and which parts are prescriptive, which parts are there for our information and which parts are there for our instruction. After all, we want to do what the Bibles tells us, right?

So there in verse one, Jesus calls together the Twelve and gives them power and authority over all demons and to cure diseases, and He sent them out to proclaim the kingdom of God and to heal.

Jesus gives the Apostles the might and the right to heal, the power over demons and disease, and the authority to remove both from people. And He gave the might and right to heal people as an authenticating sign for their preaching of the gospel.

This was Jesus’ seal of approval on their proclamation. Just as He had proclaimed the Good News of the kingdom of God and accompanied His Word with signs and wonders so would the Twelve Apostles on this trip around Galilee.

I wanted to think that this was like the disciples earning their wings. When I was learning to fly radio controlled airplanes years ago, our club required that each new pilot be able to take off and land three times in both directions, right to left and left to right regardless of the direction that the wind was blowing. After I was able to do that solo I got a little pin that represented my wings. I’m sure the other pilots in the room had similar experiences with much bigger and more expensive aircraft.

The problem with this idea is that it implies that Jesus sent the disciples out to prove themselves, to show that they had what it took to be preachers of the gospel. But nothing could be further from the truth. 

In fact, the truth is that it was the exact opposite. 

As we have seen over and over in the last few chapter of the book of Luke, the disciples were totally powerless and were utterly dependant on Jesus’ almightiness.

Jesus Himself gave them the power and authority to cast out demons and heal the sick, signs to accompany their preaching of the kingdom of God, it wasn’t up to them, the resources weren’t theirs.

All they had was trust in Jesus. And as it turned out, that was all Jesus wanted them to take with them.

3 And he said to them, “Take nothing for your journey, no staff, nor bag, nor bread, nor money; and do not have two tunics. 4 And whatever house you enter, stay there, and from there depart. 5 And wherever they do not receive you, when you leave that town shake off the dust from your feet as a testimony against them.”

Now here is where people have gotten hung up on the descriptive versus prescriptive argument.

Jesus instructed the disciples to not stop at the general store and grab a bunch of extra stuff for their trip. If they didn’t have a staff or a walking stick, don’t go get one, don’t pick up a new backpack and stuff it full of bread and clothes and money.

So the question is, is this prescriptive for all gospel preachers? Is this a rule for taking a vow of poverty? 

I think we look at this today and say, obviously not, this is not a prescriptive pattern for ministers to follow, who would think that it was? Ever heard of a vow of poverty? Thousands of would be ministers of the gospel have renounced all earthly possessions based on these verses.

There’s nothing wrong with renouncing earthly possessions but it would be incorrect to base that philosophy on these words of Jesus.

This was particular to the disciples in this text for two reasons. 

One, this was to be a short trip. Whether it was days or weeks we aren’t sure but we do know that the distance they traveled was not that long , they started in Galilee and ended in Galilee and were in the villages of Galilee the whole time, this is not a huge area.

Not only was this a short trip but it was a training exercise for the disciples. They were to take nothing with them so that they would learn to not only trust Jesus’ word but to rely on Him fully for their own provision as well as the hospitality of others.

Were these permanent commands for the disciples and therefore us to follow? No.

Later in Luke 22:35-36, [Jesus] said to them, “When I sent you out with no moneybag or knapsack or sandals, did you lack anything?” They said, “Nothing.” 36 He said to them, “But now let the one who has a moneybag take it, and likewise a knapsack. And let the one who has no sword sell his cloak and buy one.

So was this all just descriptive, are there any prescriptions for us to follow? I’m glad you asked!

Though this assignment from Jesus to the disciples was a temporary one it would later become a permanent one, not only for them but for the whole church, and not just a fixed area but to the ends of the earth.

After His resurrection Jesus said to them in Matthew 28:18-20:

18  …“All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19 Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”

The assignment became permanent but so also did the power to perform it. Just before Jesus ascended back to the Father He said to the disciples:

8 But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.”

So what did the disciples do on that first trip in Galilee that is prescriptive for us the whole church to follow?

Go and preach the Good News of the coming of the kingdom of God through faith in Jesus just like they did, have compassion, exercise mercy like they did, recognize our full dependence on the Father for everything like they did, trust Jesus and obey Him, just like they did.

People started doing that and it turned the world upside down, if we all did the same I bet it would happen again.

Amen.

Talitha Cumi - Luke 8:40-56 - March 26, 2023

 Luke 8:40-56 Talitha Cumi

Good morning! Please turn with me in your Bibles to Luke 8:40-56, page 866 in the pew Bibles.

It seems to me that the Lord has been driving home a message over the last few weeks. I don’t know if you’re hearing it, I don’t know if it’s even for you or if it’s just for me.

It’s the lesson of the gifts given to the disciples in the storm on the Sea of Galilee. A reminder of their powerlessness, and of Jesus’ almightiness.

When the disciples were on the Sea and tossed around by the waves and water started filling their boat they thought they were going to die and that there was nothing they could do about it so they went to Jesus. In Jesus’ almightiness he calmed the storm and calmed their hearts.

It’s a great reminder that in our pride we often think that we are in control of our lives but as soon as a storm whips up, reality is revealed to us that we are indeed powerless, but the eventual stopping of every storm is a reminder of Jesus’ almightiness, whether it’s immediate or over the course of time.

Our text for this morning is another reminder of the frailty and weakness of mankind and the great power of our Savior. It is the overlapping account of the raising of Jairus’ daughter and the healing of the woman with the issuance of blood. Last week we looked at the woman who was healed and today we’ll look at Jairus’ little daughter.

40 Now when Jesus returned, the crowd welcomed him, for they were all waiting for him. 41 And there came a man named Jairus, who was a ruler of the synagogue. And falling at Jesus’ feet, he implored him to come to his house, 42 for he had an only daughter, about twelve years of age, and she was dying. 

As Jesus went, the people pressed around him. 43 And there was a woman who had had a discharge of blood for twelve years, and though she had spent all her living on physicians, she could not be healed by anyone. 44 She came up behind him and touched the fringe of his garment, and immediately her discharge of blood ceased. 45 And Jesus said, “Who was it that touched me?” When all denied it, Peter said, “Master, the crowds surround you and are pressing in on you!” 46 But Jesus said, “Someone touched me, for I perceive that power has gone out from me.” 47 And when the woman saw that she was not hidden, she came trembling, and falling down before him declared in the presence of all the people why she had touched him, and how she had been immediately healed. 48 And he said to her, “Daughter, your faith has made you well; go in peace.” 

49 While he was still speaking, someone from the ruler’s house came and said, “Your daughter is dead; do not trouble the Teacher any more.” 50 But Jesus on hearing this answered him, “Do not fear; only believe, and she will be well.” 51 And when he came to the house, he allowed no one to enter with him, except Peter and John and James, and the father and mother of the child. 52 And all were weeping and mourning for her, but he said, “Do not weep, for she is not dead but sleeping.” 53 And they laughed at him, knowing that she was dead. 54 But taking her by the hand he called, saying, “Child, arise.” 55 And her spirit returned, and she got up at once. And he directed that something should be given her to eat. 56 And her parents were amazed, but he charged them to tell no one what had happened.

Let’s pray.

I know that some of you here have been in Jairus’ shoes, I know that Karole-Ann and I have. We once watched a helicopter take off for the hospital with our baby boy, blue, and barely able to breathe. In that hour we were desperate for help, desperate to hear if Sammy was going to live. As evidenced today, praise God, he did!

But I can resonate with that feeling of desperation, of not knowing whether or not my child would live. But I can only imagine what this desperate father would have felt if help was finally on the way but got interrupted by somebody else’s problem and while delayed the word comes that it’s too late.

This was for me and for Jairus, powerlessness on display. I couldn’t help Sam and Jairus could no longer help his little girl. Sam got the help he needed in time and made it to the hospital and received the care he needed to get better but for Jairus’ daughter, the assumption was that it was too late. The assumption was that nobody had power over death. It is one of life’s two great constants: death and taxes.

I’d offer a third great constant: The almightiness of Jesus.

49 While he was still speaking, someone from the ruler’s house came and said, “Your daughter is dead; do not trouble the Teacher any more.” 50 But Jesus on hearing this answered him, “Do not fear; only believe, and she will be well.”

Only believe and she will be well. The word Jesus used is “pisteou,” to believe, to have faith, to trust, to have confidence.

This reminds of another time Jesus raised somebody from the dead, a friend named Lazarus in John 11.

Jesus was speaking to Lazarus’ sister just before raising him from the dead

25 Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live, 26 and everyone who lives and believes in me shall never die. Do you believe this?” 27 She said to him, “Yes, Lord; I believe that you are the Christ, the Son of God, who is coming into the world.”

Though this was a very real situation with very real people Jesus shows that He is in fact the resurrection and the life in the life of Lazarus, in the life of this little girl, and in the life of everyone who believes in Him.

51 And when he came to the house, he allowed no one to enter with him, except Peter and John and James, and the father and mother of the child. 52 And all were weeping and mourning for her, but he said, “Do not weep, for she is not dead but sleeping.”

Jesus said that the little girl was only sleeping because her death was only temporary.

I shared at Anita’s service last weekend that we often think that this is the land of the living, and that when we die we go the land of the dead. The opposite is really true – this is the land of the dying, when our life here is over, we are transferred into the land of the living – either to a place of eternal joy or to a place of eternal destruction. There are only two possible destinations.

Warren Wiersbe wrote, “Sleep is a normal experience that we do not fear, and we should not fear death… At the resurrection, the body will be ‘awakened’ and glorified, and God’s people will share the image of Christ.”

When Jesus said that the little girl was only sleeping all those who had gathered to mourn laughed at Him. In First Century Israel you couldn’t wait a week to bury someone who had died. Mourners, sometimes hired, professional mourners, would gather immediately and the body would be anointed and prepared for burial right away, usually within one day.

I can’t imagine Jairus and his wife laughing at the words of Jesus that the little girl wasn’t dead but just sleeping, but professional mourners? Probably.

Jesus put everybody out of the room except the little girl’s parents, Peter, John, and James.

These three disciples were chosen to witness Jesus’ power over death here in this room, at the Mount of Transfiguration they would witness that He would be glorified in His own death, and in the Garden of Gethsemane they would witness His willing submission to death.

54 But taking her by the hand he called, saying, “Child, arise.” 55 And her spirit returned, and she got up at once. And he directed that something should be given her to eat. 56 And her parents were amazed, but he charged them to tell no one what had happened.

In both cases, both with this little girl and with the woman with the bleeding issue, human resources were at an end, they were utterly powerless to fix their problems, and it caused everybody involved considerable suffering. But as Ray Stedman said, “He is able to meet the suffering of the heart, whatever its cause, when the world’s resources are brought to an end.”

This man, Jairus, and his family were powerless to fix his little girl. He could not bring her back to life. His resources were at an end.

But this is exactly the meaning of Romans 8:28, I’m sure you’ve heard it, especially when everything is your life went sideways, “…in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.”

Why did the woman bleed for twelve years, spend all her money on doctors, and reach out desperately for the hem of Jesus’ garment? Why did this little girl get sick and die only to be raised by Jesus?

For you. For you and for everybody else that needed to be reminded of our powerlessness and Jesus’ almightiness. Not just powerless in the face of the difficulties of this life but powerless in the face of sin and its consequences.

The physical reality of the death and resurrection of this little girl is a picture of the spiritual reality of our own being dead because of our sin.

Ephesians 2:1-10 says,

As for you, you were dead in your transgressions and sins, (Just like the little girl) 2 in which you used to live when you followed the ways of this world and of the ruler of the kingdom of the air, the spirit who is now at work in those who are disobedient. 3 All of us also lived among them at one time, gratifying the cravings of our flesh m and following its desires and thoughts. Like the rest, we were by nature deserving of wrath. 4 But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, 5 made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions—it is by grace you have been saved. 6 And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus, 7 in order that in the coming ages he might show the incomparable riches of his grace, expressed in his kindness to us in Christ Jesus. 8 For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—9 not by works, so that no one can boast. 10 For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.

The Lord Jesus encouraged Jairus, “Do not fear; only believe, be confident, have faith, trust, and she will be well.”

The same is true for us, for you, “Do not fear; only believe, be confident, have faith, trust Jesus and you will be well.

Your sickness may not be cured, your earthly problems may not go away, but by trusting in Jesus our real problem, our sin and its eternal consequences is dealt with forever on the cross of Christ.

Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. 2 Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things. 3 For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God. 4 When Christ, who is your life, appears, then you also will appear with him in glory. Colossians 3:1-4

Amen.