Luke 9: 1-27, Messiah, Bread of Life

Luke's gospel begins to climb toward Jerusalem. Chapter 9 is another transitional chapter.

Luke 9: 1-6, The Twelve sent out
When Jesus had called the Twelve together, he gave them power and authority to drive out all demons and to cure diseases, and he sent them out to preach the kingdom of God and to heal the sick.

He told them: "Take nothing for the journey--no staff, no bag, no bread, no money, no extra tunic.  Whatever house you enter, stay there until you leave that town. If people do not welcome you, shake the dust off your feet when you leave their town, as a testimony against them."

So they set out and went from village to village, preaching the gospel and healing people everywhere.  
This is an amazing interlude in Jesus's ministry, for his closest disciples now replicate his actions and his authority.

Luke 9: 7-9, Herod hears

Now Herod the tetrarch heard about all that was going on. And he was perplexed, because some were saying that John had been raised from the dead, others that Elijah had appeared, and still others that one of the prophets of long ago had come back to life. But Herod said, "I beheaded John. Who, then, is this I hear such things about?" And he tried to see him.

The ministry of Jesus, now multiplied by 12 as his closest disciples move about the countryside, draws even the attention of Herod. I wonder what it means, "And he tried to see him." Did he send messengers to Jesus?

Luke 9: 10-17, Feeding the 5000
When the apostles returned, they reported to Jesus what they had done. Then he took them with him and they withdrew by themselves to a town called Bethsaida, but the crowds learned about it and followed him. He welcomed them and spoke to them about the kingdom of God, and healed those who needed healing.

Late in the afternoon the Twelve came to him and said, "Send the crowd away so they can go to the surrounding villages and countryside and find food and lodging, because we are in a remote place here."

He replied, "You give them something to eat."

They answered, "We have only five loaves of bread and two fish--unless we go and buy food for all this crowd."

(About five thousand men were there.) But he said to his disciples, "Have them sit down in groups of about fifty each."  

The disciples did so, and everybody sat down. Taking the five loaves and the two fish and looking up to heaven, he gave thanks and broke them. Then he gave them to the disciples to set before the people. They all ate and were satisfied, and the disciples picked up twelve basketfuls of broken pieces that were left over.

Jesus reenacts the feeding of the Israelites in the Wilderness experience (recorded in Exodus 16).  The disciple John, in his gospel, follows this event with Jesus teaching his followers that he is the Bread of Life.  Just as God met the Israelites' physical hunger in the Wilderness, Jesus is the answer to both their physical and spiritual needs.

Again Jesus challenging his disciples to rise to the situation. But they don't understand what is possible.

Luke 9:18-20, Who do you say I am?
Once when Jesus was praying in private and his disciples were with him, he asked them, "Who do the crowds say I am?"

They replied, "Some say John the Baptist; others say Elijah; and still others, that one of the prophets of long ago has come back to life."

"But what about you?" he asked. "Who do you say I am?"

Peter answered, "The Christ of God."

The crowds are impressed by Jesus and there are many ideas as to who he really is. Jesus follows this speculation by asking his disciples to identify him.  Peter responds quickly with, "You are the [long -awaited] Messiah!"  The Messiah was sometimes called "The Anointed One"; in Greek "Anointed" is the word "Christ".

Luke 9:21-27, Who is the Messiah?
Jesus strictly warned them not to tell this to anyone. And he said, "The Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders, chief priests and teachers of the law, and he must be killed and on the third day be raised to life."

Then he said to them all: "If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me. For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me will save it."

" What good is it for a man to gain the whole world, and yet lose or forfeit his very self? If anyone is ashamed of me and my words, the Son of Man will be ashamed of him when he comes in his glory and in the glory of the Father and of the holy angels."

"I tell you the truth, some who are standing here will not taste death before they see the kingdom of God."

Peter has correctly said, "You are our Messiah!"  But the disciples do not understand who the Messiah really is and how the Messiah will bring salvation.  So Jesus begins to teach them.

The last sentence of Jesus is not clear.  What does it mean to see the kingdom of God?  Some suggest that Jesus is indicating the divine event that will occur just after this, when he is "transfigured", appearing as a divine being, with Elijah and Moses.  Other say that the occurrence of the kingdom of God (here) is simply the Messianic salvation soon to be offered on the cross, as part of the Jewish Passover.  For others this promise comes with some foreboding (described later) and indicates the destruction of Jerusalem.

We will look at The Transfiguration tomorrow.