STUDY
NOTES on previous study
The Kingdom
Chapter nine is so
full of teaching concerning authentic discipleship that it requires three weeks
just to cover the basics. The first 27
verses which we are studying this week serve as the first plot climax in Luke’s
gospel. All that Jesus
has done up to verse 20 leads to Peter’s proclamation of belief in Jesus as the
Messiah of God. The story then
takes a dramatic shift. Up to this
point, the ministry of Jesus has been to proclaim the coming of the
It is very important
that we take this journey with the disciples of Jesus. I am not sure we have heard Jesus’ voice
about the nature of His “Messiahship.”
It seems to me we want to continue what is called a “triumphalistic”
reading of the text. We want the story
of Jesus to be about one who came to bring us comfort and happiness and
security in this world and then, when this world is over, we want the same
things in the next life. We tend to read
the story as if it is about us gaining power and goodness through Jesus,
allowing us to reign in this world over material things and also be assured of
a heavenly mansion. But such is not the
nature of life in the kingdom. While
there will be ultimate triumph, this life is not about us having what we want
while awaiting an even “better deal” after death. Fasten your seat belts, the ride is about to
get rough and uncomfortable.
Let’s return to the
beginning of chapter 9. Here Jesus is
now sharing His ministry. He will later
send out the seventy (chapter 10), but for now He sends out the twelve.
Luke inserts an
interesting paragraph in the middle of this drama. Herod is now aware of what is going on. He wants to know who this might be. He thought he had eliminated this “prophet”
problem by killing John. But clearly,
something else is now happening. The question “who is this?” serves as centering point for the story
of Jesus. As Luke masterfully tells
the story of Jesus, this question is definitely answered with one more miracle
story.
The apostles return
from their first evangelistic journey full of excitement for what they had
done. Jesus intended to withdraw to a
private place and discuss their experiences but the crowds found them. We see Jesus’ heart once again as He welcomes
them and continues His proclaiming the good news of
the
As one of the most
important happenings in the ministry of Jesus begins, we once again find Jesus
praying alone. The time has come. Directed by His Father, Jesus asks, “Who do people
think that I am?” We should not be
surprised that Jesus is not considered by the people to be Messiah. That was such a sacred thought that it would
not be spoken without complete assurance of its truth. But there was no hesitation on the part of
Peter. He knew. Jesus was indeed Messiah. This is the point where the plot changes
direction – dramatically. Now Jesus is
preparing Himself and His followers for the trip to
He tells them what it
means to be Messiah. It is not what they
think. He also tells them what the
nature of following Him will be. As He
submits Himself to the will of the Father, which will lead not to His
enthronement but His crucifixion, so we must die if we are to live. Jesus was indeed exalted! But only after His death. There is a profound lesson is this that we
absolutely must learn. Only when we die
can be find our true purpose in life.
This is where I think we must review our understanding of baptism. I do not think “we” (churches of Christ) over
teach it. I am convinced we under teach
it. It is the opportunity to participate
in the drama of redemption. If we are
unwilling to die, we cannot live. Baptism
will be presented in Acts as it has already been presented in Luke. It is a symbol of a radical change of direction. It is death to self. It is losing one’s life for the sake of
Jesus. And in that death, miraculously,
life is found. When we teach baptism
outside of the context of following Jesus, we make it a religious act and strip
it of its meaning. It is a wonderful way
of celebrating birth into a new way of living - based on the daily denial and
death of self. While the physical act of
baptism means nothing apart from an earnest faith response, it is an important
symbol of true repentance and a desire for new life.
“Denying self” is the
one most important aspect of authentic discipleship. This is it.
Of course, we must follow Jesus, or we wouldn’t be disciples. But we cannot maintain a life of self-focus
and still be disciples. Jesus came to
show us the way to life. There is more
to His death than the paying for our sins.
He willingly submitted His life to God, intentionally walked toward the
cross, and laid down His life – to show us the way to life. When Jesus says, “You must lose your life to
find it”, these are not just empty words.
He embodied that truth. This is a
truly unique message. This sets
Christianity apart from every world religion.
Many teach self sacrifice for the good of others, but none teach denial
of self in order to find life. This
teaching, by the way, is meaningless without an active God to whom we are
called to submit our lives. Jesus calls
us to self death in order to make ourselves available to a God who would lead
us to a new life. This is not self-death
for some kind of spiritual state of nothingness. This is denial of self in order to receive
direction from a God who would lead us to true and abundant life. This life is found in following Jesus! It is an offer to find life at its best,
guided by the very Creator Himself!
Jesus
asks a very penetrating question as He guides us to this new life. What does it profit a person if he gains
everything he seeks, only to find he has gained nothing more than a wasted
life? God did not send Jesus to ruin our
lives with a boring religiosity! He sent
Jesus to show us the way to LIFE! God is
a loving God who wants what is best for us.
So much so that He sent His only Son to show us the way to life. Jesus is MESSIAH. But He comes, as the anointed of God to show
us that life as we know it in this world is terribly misdirected. We need to give up on directing our own
steps. We are not capable of living life
as God intended without His constant help.
So acknowledge the fact that you are not capable of directing your own
life - deny your self interest, give up on focusing on your well being, and
follow Jesus, carrying the visible sign of sacrifice on your shoulders and thus
expanding the
In so doing, we
receive the only approval we need, that of Jesus. He reminded His disciples of what we
know. What was then a rapidly
approaching reality is now what we experience - the
The Kingdom
After having read the study notes,
answer the following questions:
1.
Is there a lesson for us in the guidelines Jesus gave His disciples
before sending them out to proclaim the kingdom? If so, what?
2.
What can we learn about our capacity to help the hurting in our world
from the “feeding of the five thousand”?
3.
What do you think Peter envisioned when He acknowledged Jesus as
Messiah? How is that same
misunderstanding sometimes manifested in our thinking?
4.
What is the key to life in Christ (v. 24)? To what extent have we practiced this in our
lives?
The Transfiguration
(Luke
Read
1.
Why do you think Jesus just took Peter, James and John with Him up the
mountain?
2.
What happened while Jesus was praying?
3.
Why do think it is significant that Moses and Elijah appeared with
Jesus?
4.
What were they discussing?
Read
1.
What were the three apostles doing while Jesus prayed?
2.
What did the three see?
3.
What was Peter’s reaction, and why do you think he reacted this way?
4.
Why were the apostles terrified by the cloud?
Read
1.
What problem did Jesus encounter as he came down the mountain to the
rest of the apostles?
2.
What was Jesus’ response?
3.
What does this tell us of the problem leading to the apostles
lack of power?
4.
What does this event teach us about our abilities to effectively present
God’s kingdom to those around us?
Read
1.
What was the topic of the argument in these verses?
2.
Why did Jesus respond to their petty arguing, with a child?
3.
How does this event influence our own thinking about “greatness”?