The Call to Discipleship - 26 August 2018

“The Most Important Question of All Time”

Luke 9:18-27 (SBC, Sligo IE)

26 August 2018

INTRODUCTION:

            We all live with unanswered questions. We are all plagued with questions that come to us in the night and rob us of sleep. Questions like…

Ø  Why are there Braille signs on drive-up ATM keypads?

Ø  Once you are in Heaven do you get stuck for eternity wearing the clothes you were buried in?

Ø  Why is it that people say they “slept like a baby” when babies wake up screaming every two hours, all night long?

Ø  Why do people pay to go up to the top of tall buildings and then put money in those stupid binoculars to look at things down on the ground?

Ø  Why do doctors always leave the room while you change clothes? They are going to see you naked anyway.

Ø  Why is there an expiration date on sour cream?

Ø  Why do we say something is “out of whack”? What is a “whack” anyway?

Ø  Why is it you can be “overwhelmed” and “underwhelmed,” but not simply whelmed?

Ø  Why is the word “phonics” not spelled the way it sounds?

Ø  Speaking of that, if a word is misspelled in the dictionary, how would we ever know?

TRANSITION:

            Those are questions that make us go, “Hmmm” but they are not really all that important in the grand scheme of things. But let’s think for a minute about some of the really important questions of life that most of us have to answer:

Ø  “What are you going to be when you grow up?”

Ø  “Do you take this woman to be your wedded wife, to have and to hold from this day forward, for better or for worse…?”

Ø  “Do you solemnly swear to tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth, so help you God?”

Ø  “What do you believe in so strongly that you would be willing to die rather than back down?”

Ø  “Why did you become a Christian, anyway?”

This morning we are going to look at a question that Jesus posed to His disciples. I believe that it is the most important question in the world, the most important question of all time. In fact, the answer that we give to this question will determine where we go when we die. It is that important!

           

MAIN BODY:

Verses 18-19: And it happened that while He was praying alone, the disciples were with Him, and He questioned them, saying, “Who do the people say that I am?” ¹⁹ They answered and said, “John the Baptist, and others say Elijah; but others, that one of the prophets of old has risen again.”

·         This story is told by three of the Gospel writers: in Matthew 16:13-28, in Mark 8:27-9:1, and in Luke 9:18-27. Luke’s account is the briefest of the three, so we will be supplementing some details from the other two Gospels. For example, Luke does not tell us where this conversation between Jesus and His disciples took place but both Matthew and Mark tell us that it occurred in the district of Caesarea Philippi. The city of Caesarea Philippi was situated in the far north of Israel, about 30 miles above the Sea of Galilee and located on a terrace on the southern slope of Mount Hermon, about 1150 feet above sea level. The area had an unusually beautiful setting. Fertile and lush, it is one of the main sources of the Jordan River. The ancient Canaanites built a sanctuary to Baal there. Later, the Greeks and Romans both built sanctuaries there because of the Cave of Pan. Inside the cave was a seemingly bottomless pit with an unlimited quantity of water, which made the pagans marvel. It was to this beautiful yet spiritually dark center of pagan worship that Jesus led His disciples to pose to them the most important question of all time.

·         Notice that Jesus was praying alone, but the disciples were nearby. Jesus would often get alone by Himself to pray. He knew that the day was approaching when He would go to the cross and He drew His strength from those times alone with His Heavenly Father. I have always wondered what the disciples thought of His prayer life. It didn’t seem to occur to them that they, too, should be in prayer.

·         Seemingly out of the blue Jesus asked His men, “Who do the people say that I am?” I’m guessing that this question took them all by surprise. Remember, Jesus never asked questions to gain information. He already knew all the answers. He asked questions to prod the disciples into thinking about what was really going on around them.

·         To His question the disciples responded, “John the Baptist, and others say Elijah; but others, that one of the prophets of old has risen again.” The disciples answered truthfully. In fact, we saw this same answer back in verses 7-8. The people knew that Jesus was special, but they did not yet understand that He was their promised Messiah of Israel. They thought that He was just a very powerful miracle-working prophet.

Verse 20: And He said to them, “But who do you say that I am?” And Peter answered and said, “The Christ of God.”

·         Here is where Jesus posed the question that is the most important question of all time— “But who do YOU say that I am?” Every man, woman, and child will one day, sooner or later, be forced to answer that question. The answer that we give will determine whether we go to Heaven or Hell for eternity!

·         Peter’s answer is correct in every sense. Jesus is the Christ, the Messiah. These are not names, but rather, titles. And He came from God’s right hand to be our Saviour. The word “Christ” is the anglicized form of the Greek word, “Christos,” which means, “Anointed One.” The Hebrew word, “Messiah,” or “meshiach,” means the same thing, the “Anointed One.” The English form of His proper name, Jesus, comes from the Latin form of the Greek name, Ἰησοῦς [pronounced Iēsous]. However, His Hebrew name is actually “Yeshua” (ישוע‎) meaning “salvation.” Variants are Joshua or Jeshua.

·         Matthew’s account gives Peter’s complete answer while Mark and Luke give only the shortened version. Matthew 16:16 says, “And Simon Peter answered and said, ‘Thou art the Christ [Messiah], the Son of the Living God.’” YES! THAT’S THE RIGHT ANSWER! Peter finally got it! Jesus is the Creator and Sustainer of all that is, the Anointed One, the Promised Messiah who came to be the Sacrifice for our sin, the Lamb of God, the Redeemer, Saviour, Lord of All, and the Righteous Judge of both the living and the dead. Jesus is all that, and more. He is the King, the Healer, the Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, and Prince of Peace.

·         So here for the first time we have the disciples understanding fully that Jesus, was their promised Messiah, God in the flesh, fully God and yet fully Man. It seems like in that moment the full import of that truth hit the Apostles for the first time. I don’t know what they had been thinking up until then, but now they knew for sure.   

Verses 21-22: But He warned them and instructed them not to tell this to anyone, 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 be raised up on the third day.”

·         This is hard to understand until you realize that these guys did not yet have the whole story. Starting in verse 22 we see Jesus beginning to fill them in on the details of what they could expect to see, but He did not want them going off half-cocked, telling half the truth.

·         Jesus yet had many miles to go and much to do before His work on earth would be finished. Without a doubt Jesus wanted everyone in the world to eventually know who He was but He knew that He had a schedule to follow for all the pieces to fit into place before He faced the cross. Here He gave the disciples a hint of what was to come in the weeks and months ahead. This must have shocked them. The idea of such suffering and rejection and death were more than they could comprehend. Yet Jesus knew exactly what He was facing and how it would all play out.

·         This is where Jesus turned a corner with His disciples. At this point in His training of the Twelve He began to be very specific about what He had come to earth to do and what was going to happen to Him in Jerusalem. He told them that He would be arrested, beaten, tried, and crucified, and that He would then rise from the dead on the third day.

·         “The Son of Man must…be killed…” Jesus almost always used this title to describe Himself. It emphasized His humanity in the midst of His divinity, but more importantly it was the ancient OT title which referred to the suffering Messiah. The cross was a necessary aspect of Messiah’s work. He must suffer and die in order to fulfill the many OT prophecies concerning His death, burial, and resurrection.

·         Imagine what the disciples must have thought about such talk. They were undoubtedly shocked and could hardly believe their ears. Up until this point they believed that He was just getting His ducks all lined up in preparation for defeating the Romans and setting up His Messianic Kingdom on earth. Now He is talking about being rejected, suffering, dying, and rising again. None of that fit in with their understanding of who He was or what they thought He was supposed to do and it left them very confused. So much so that Mark 8:32 tells us, “He spoke plainly about this, and Peter took Him aside and began to rebuke Him.” You might remember that Peter’s response didn’t go well for him. Mark 8:33 says, “But when Jesus turned and looked at His disciples, He rebuked Peter, ‘Get behind Me, Satan!’ He said. ‘You do not have in mind the things of God, but the things of men.” I’m guessing that Peter was looking for a hole to climb into about then.     

Verse 23: And He was saying to them all, “If anyone wishes to come after Me, he must deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow Me.

·         Up until this point in His ministry Jesus has called people to repentance and to believe in Him as their Sin-Bearer. But now He changes the appeal somewhat and begins to call them not only to believe in Him but to follow Him as disciples. Up until now His emphasis has been on proving that He was the promised Messiah, the One who was to come as the perfect Sacrifice. He called people to salvation through faith in Him. But salvation is just the first step in the Christ-follower’s life. Discipleship is the life-long commitment to obey and to serve Him.

·         So here Christ gives a call to discipleship, and it has four important components:

1.    “If anyone wishes [desires] to come after Me…” First there must be the desire to become a true disciple. The Lord does not drag anyone into His service against his will, kicking and screaming. This is an all-volunteer army.

2.    “…he must deny himself…” This is very difficult. By nature, we are wired up to serve ourselves and to look out for our own selfish best interests. Christ calls His followers to humble ourselves and put God and His Kingdom purposes as first priority in our lives. Self-denial speaks of readiness to suffer for someone else. Christ is the pattern in this. He calls us to follow in His footsteps.

3.    “…take up his cross daily…” What cross is this? Does it mean that we must die on a cross just like Jesus did to be His follower? For many Christians in the first century that was exactly their fate. However, the cross is a symbol of suffering. Jesus told His followers on several occasions that to follow Him would mean suffering for sure, and that has proven out in history countless times. Jesus was telling His followers that suffering was part of the package. Whoever would come after Christ must walk the path that He walked, the path of self-denial and cross-bearing.

4.    “…and follow Me.” The form of the verb Jesus used indicates continual following with no stopping or turning back. The disciple is to keep on following Jesus (Greek present imperative).

Verse 24: For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake, he is the one who will save it.

·         Wait a minute! Now He’s talking crazy stuff! If you want to save your life, you’ll lose it. But if you want to lose your life, you’ll save it. Is that what He said? That can’t be right, can it? That just sounds too weird!

·         Let’s back up the lorry and unload this cargo box by box. This verse is the one that led Jim Elliot, one of the five MAF missionaries killed in 1956 in Ecuador by the Auca Indians, to write these immortal words in his journal: “He is no fool who gives up what he cannot keep to gain that which he cannot lose.” The Bible says in James 4:14 that our life is but a vapor, a little bit of fluffy cloud. The more we try to grasp on to it the more it slips through our fingers.

·         The Apostle Paul gives another insight from his personal perspective in Philippians 1:21, “For me, to live is Christ, and to die is gain.” 

Verse 25: For what is a man profited if he gains the whole world, and loses or forfeits himself?

·         In school many of you were forced to study Goethe’s “Faust.” Although you’ve probably tried hard to forget, the story concerns the fate of Dr. Faust in his search for the true essence of life. Frustrated with learning and the limits to his knowledge and power, he attracts the attention of the devil, represented by Mephistopheles, who agrees to serve Faust until the moment he attains the pinnacle of human happiness, at which point Mephistopheles may take his eternal soul to hell. Faust is pleased with the deal, because he believes the moment will never come. But to his surprise, the devil follows through on his promises and Faust finally must face up to the deal he made with the devil. Now this is a fictional story, but it illustrates what many people do. To gain the shiny objects this world offers they put their souls in hock to Satan—not in a direct, “let’s make a deal” kind of way, but by going after the things the devil offers us, the way a fish goes after a shiny lure.

·         In Luke 12:15-21 Jesus taught a lesson about this. Jesus said, “Watch out! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; life does not consist in an abundance of possessions.” ¹⁶ And He told them this parable: “The ground of a certain rich man yielded an abundant harvest. ¹⁷ He thought to himself, ‘What shall I do? I have no place to store my crops.’ ¹⁸ “Then he said, ‘This is what I’ll do. I will tear down my barns and build bigger ones, and there I will store my surplus grain. ¹⁹ And I’ll say to myself, “You have plenty of grain laid up for many years. Take life easy; eat, drink and be merry.”’ ²⁰ “But God said to him, ‘You fool! This very night your life will be demanded from you. Then who will get what you have prepared for yourself?’ ²¹ “This is how it will be with whoever stores up things for themselves but is not rich toward God.” 

·         God is not against us having money and shiny objects as long as they do not come between us and Him, which they so often do.

Verse 26: For whoever is ashamed of Me and My words, the Son of Man will be ashamed of him when He comes in His glory, and the glory of the Father and of the holy angels.

·         Who is Jesus talking about? The word “whoever” takes in all people from all time. However, I believe that He was speaking particularly of those who claim to be His followers but do not pass the four-fold “Disciple Test” of verse 23.

1.    Truly desire to obey and follow Christ

2.    Deny self and selfish ambitions in favour of God’s Kingdom

3.    Take up Christ’s cross daily

4.    Follow the Master without turning back

·         “…when He comes in His glory, and the glory of the Father and of the holy angels.” Here Jesus pulls back the curtain of time for just a second to give His disciples (and us) a peek at what it will look like when He returns someday in power and glory to claim what is rightfully His. On that day the Lamb of God will be recognized as the Lion of Judah, and the Saviour will be seen by all to also be the Righteous Judge.

 

Verse 27: But I say to you truthfully, there are some of those standing here who will not taste death until they see the Kingdom of God.”

·         Most of the people standing there hearing Jesus’ words lived through the remainder of Jesus’ earthly ministry, including His crucifixion, death, resurrection, and ascension. Most of them were present on the Day of Pentecost when the Spirit of God came upon the Church to impower her to carry out the Great Commission. And most of them witnessed the birth of the Early Church and the spread of the Gospel to all the major cities of the Roman Empire. This is what Jesus was talking about. The Church is the visible manifestation of the Kingdom of God. Christ is the Head and the whole thing exists to bring Him glory and to spread the Good News of salvation by grace through faith in Jesus to the ends of the earth. Jesus said, “I will build MY CHURCH and not even the powers of hell will not prevail against it.” We too have the privilege of being part of His Kingdom. 

CONCLUSION:

Christ’s four-fold call to radical discipleship is still a challenge to us today. It messes with our heads. Oh, we want His salvation. We want Heaven. We want forgiveness of sins and a nice life here and now. But we don’t want unqualified obedience, suffering, self-denial, daily cross-bearing, or continual followership. Yet those are what Christ asks of us today.

What will be your answer to Him? Just how serious are you about being a genuine follower of Jesus?

There is an old chorus that most of you know that sums up this text we’ve examined this morning. It goes like this…

I have decided to follow Jesus, no turning back, no turning back.

The world behind me, the cross before me, no turning back, no turning back.

Though none go with me still I will follow, no turning back, no turning back.

Will you decide now to follow Jesus? – No turning back, no turning back.

Sing it with me. It is number 602 in your hymnal.  

Jesus Feeds the 5,000 - 19 August 2018

“Surprise Guests and Nothing on the Hob”

Luke 9:12-17 (SBC, Sligo IE)

19 August 2018

INTRODUCTION:

            Husbands do a lot of stupid things. Gentlemen let’s just admit it because it’s true. However, there are several things that are right up there at the top of the “nasty no-no list”: (1) forgetting your wife’s birthday; (2) forgetting your anniversary and neglecting to buy the little woman a nice gift; (3) saying any kind of insulting things about her parents or siblings, even if you are just agreeing with her; and (4) inviting people home with you for supper without checking first with her.

            Don’t even think about taking somebody home with you for dinner without first giving her a heads-up and finding out if she has anything to feed them. Wives freak out when they hear that guests are coming for dinner and they know there is nothing in the fridge to feed them, or even to begin putting a meal together.

TRANSITION:

            Jesus and the disciples found themselves in just such a situation. They had a whole multitude of hungry guests sitting there staring at them, and it was about more than the disciples could take. In fact, they asked Jesus to make the people all go away because they had nothing to feed them. They had guests show up but there was nothing in the fridge or in the cupboard.

            You should remember the context from last Sunday’s study. Jesus had sent the Twelve out on an extended ministry assignment to preach the Gospel and to heal the sick. Mark 6:12 says, “They went out and preached that people should repent. ¹³ They drove out many demons and anointed many sick people with oil and healed them.” But when their ministry assignment was completed they all returned to Capernaum once again. Luke 9:10 tells us, “When the apostles returned, they gave an account to Him of all that they had done. Taking them with Him, He withdrew by Himself to a city called Bethsaida.” 

            Jesus wanted to give the Twelve some time to relax, and also to talk with them about their experiences while they were out preaching and ministering. Mark tells us in Mark 6:31, “Because so many people were coming and going that they did not even have a chance to eat, [Jesus] said to them, ‘Come with Me by yourselves to a quiet place and get some rest.” But even the best laid plans can sometimes go awry. Mark 6:32-33 tell us what happened next: “So they went away by themselves in a boat to a solitary place. ³³ But many who saw them leaving recognized them and ran on foot from all the towns and got there ahead of them.” Luke tells it this way in 9:11, “But the multitudes were aware of this and followed Him; and welcoming them, He began speaking to them about the Kingdom of God and curing those who had need of healing.” Despite this intrusion on their privacy Jesus dealt with these uninvited guests with utmost kindness and compassion. I especially like something Mark says about this in Mark 6:34, “When Jesus…saw the large crowd, He had compassion on them, because they were like sheep without a shepherd. So, He began teaching them many things.” Not a word of rebuke or sign of resentment. Even though He was tired and personally in need of rest He rose to the occasion because “…He had compassion on them…” So often, that is the very thing that is lacking in us. We often see people as an annoyance, a pain in the neck, or a delay in our schedule. Jesus never looked at people that way. That brings us right up to our text for this morning in Luke 9 starting at verse 12.

           

MAIN BODY:

Verse 12: Now the day was ending, and the Twelve came and said to Him, “Send the crowd away, that they may go into the surrounding villages and countryside and find lodging and get something to eat; for here we are in a desolate place.”

·         This wonderful story is told by all four of the Gospel writers, with each one adding some helpful details to round out our knowledge of what happened. The Bible says that this event occurred in a desolate, remote area in the hills somewhere above Bethsaida. We don’t know the exact location but both Mark and John record that there was much green grass there. The people had followed Jesus without thought for their own personal needs. They left home without food or water or extra clothes. But that is how we are to follow Him as well—with the simple faith of a child, confident that He will provide for our needs. That was the lesson that Jesus was trying to teach the Twelve when He sent them out two-by-two with nothing more than the clothes on their backs. But as they went He met their every need!  

·         But now it was late in the afternoon and it would soon be night. The disciples realized that something must be done. Their suggestion to Jesus was to send everyone back home so that they could get something to eat. To the disciples it seemed like a reasonable solution.

Verse 13: But [Jesus] said to them, “You give them something to eat!” And they said, “We have no more than five loaves and two fish, unless perhaps we go and buy food for all these people.” ¹⁴ (For there were about five thousand men.)

·         In order to really grasp this verse, you have to underline and emphasize the word “YOU.” “YOU give them something to eat!” Why did Jesus say this? He must have known that the Twelve did not possess enough money to feed this crowd. Jesus was certainly not naïve in any way. So why would He command them to do something that was impossible for them to accomplish? That seems unfair!

·         However, His command was only undoable if you take Him out of the equation. We have many examples in Scripture of God calling men to do humanly impossible tasks:

o   He called Moses to lead the Israelites out of Egypt = impossible

o   He called Joshua to conquer all of Canaan = impossible

o   He called Gideon to defeat the Midianites = impossible

o   He called David to defeat Goliath = impossible

o   He called Esther to save her people = impossible

·         John’s Gospel records that Jesus then sent them out on a reconnaissance mission to scout out how much food they could come up with on their own. Of course, He already knew the answer, but He wanted them to see the absurdity and impossibility of the situation. He was letting them see for themselves that there was no human explanation for what He was about to do. Listen to John 6:5-9, “When Jesus…saw the great crowd…He said to Philip, ‘Where shall we buy bread for these people to eat?’ ⁶ He asked this only to test him, for He already had in mind what He was going to do. ⁷ Philip answered Him, ‘It would take more than half a year’s wages to buy enough bread for each one to have a bite!’ ⁸ Another of His disciples, Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother, spoke up, ⁹ ‘Here is a boy with five small barley loaves and two small fish, but how far will they go among so many?’” Indeed! That is a great question! Humanly speaking this whole thing was insane!

Verses 14-15: And He said to His disciples, “Have them sit down to eat in groups of about fifty each.” ¹⁵ They did so and had them all sit down.

·         Jesus used the Twelve as His servants and His crowd controllers. They spread out and explained to the people what Jesus wanted them to do and the people meekly complied. Although they were tired and hungry they were probably curious about what would come next. Why did He have them sit in groups of fifties? Probably just to make paths between the groups and also to be able to verify afterward about how many were fed that day.   

Verse 16: Then He took the five loaves and the two fish, and looking up to Heaven, He blessed them, and broke them, and kept giving them to the disciples to set before the people.

·         Because this was the season of the Passover (mid-April), I am almost positive that Jesus used the traditional Jewish prayer that is the blessing for the bread that is always said at the Passover service. Jesus held the loaves in His hands and lifted them toward Heaven as He offered up this short but beautiful prayer to His Father. It probably sounded something like this: “Barúch atάh Adonái elohénu, mélech ha-olám, hamotsí léchem min ha-árets.” That means, “Blessed art Thou, O LORD our God, King of the universe, who brings forth bread from the earth.”

·         After Jesus prayed and gave thanks He began to break up the bread and fishes with His fingers. As He worked, the food multiplied. It grew in His hands. He filled one basket, then another, and then yet another. As quickly as He filled the baskets the Apostles took them and distributed the food to the hungry people. One after another Jesus filled the baskets and the disciples carried them out to where the people were seated on the grass and patiently waiting. Everyone was eating. It was a simple meal but good and nutritious. Some asked for more, and there was plenty to go around. The disciples made a second pass through the crowd and people took more. Jesus continued breaking the bread and dividing the dried fishes as long as the people wanted to eat. The disciples were hungry, so they ate too. Finally, after everyone was fed Jesus took some bread and fish and He ate as well, for He too needed nourishment.

·         I would love to have seen the looks on the faces of His disciples. They saw the whole miracle, up close and personal. Many of the people were seated too far back to understand what had just happened. They just knew that they had been well fed and were no longer hungry. But the Twelve and anybody else sitting close to Jesus knew exactly what had just transpired, although they could hardly believe their own eyes.

Verse 17: And they all ate and were satisfied; and the broken pieces which they had left over were picked up, twelve baskets full.

·         “They all ate and were satisfied…” When Jesus feeds us, He does it right. Our God is not stingy. He gives us all that we need. The Bible says in Psalm 84:11, “For the LORD God [Yahweh Elohim] is a sun and shield; the LORD [Yahweh] gives grace and glory; no good thing does He withhold from those who walk uprightly.” And again, in Psalm 107:8-9, “Let them give thanks to the LORD for His unfailing love and His wonderful deeds for men, ⁹ for He satisfies the thirsty and fills the hungry with good things.” He alone can truly satisfy us.

·         “…and the broken pieces which they had left over were picked up, twelve baskets full.” Why is this important? For one thing it was a verification that a miracle actually occurred. Yes, but why twelve basketfuls? After feeding the multitude Jesus sent all twelve of His men back out into the crowd to gather up the leftovers. They each came back with a full basket. All twelve of them participated in the miracle and saw with their own eyes what Jesus had done. I believe that this miracle was more for the sake of the twelve disciples’ than for the crowd’s.

·         Jesus wanted them to experience what it is like to feed hungry people. He was preparing them to spend the rest of their lives sharing the Living Bread that saves and satisfies people’s spiritual hunger and giving out the Living Water that quenches people’s spiritual thirst.

·         This miracle is traditionally called, “The Feeding of the 5,000” because the text records that there were approximately 5,000 men present. But that number does not include their dependents, the women and children. In reality the number was probably closer to 15,000 people. At any rate all the people who got a free meal that day were hungry again by the next morning, because physical food is only a temporary cure for hunger. But the Bread of Life and the Living Water last forever, and satisfy the heart, soul, and mind as nothing else ever can.

CONCLUSION:

In performing this miracle Jesus was teaching His disciples about much more than bread and fish. He was teaching them about compassion for the lost and the fact that nothing in the world is more important than doing the work of the Kingdom.

For years this text has been preached as a Missions message showing that our job, like that of the disciples, is to give out the Living Bread to those who are lost and dying for want of that Bread, who is Jesus. One of the most powerful Missions songs ever composed was inspired from these verses. It is entitled, “The Breaking of the Bread” and was written by Beatrice Bush Bixler and dedicated to Mrs. J.J. Van Hine who served for many years with her husband as a missionary in French Indochina. I want to close by simply reading to you the words of this song.

1. Along the shores of Galilee, when Christ five thousand fed,

Not one was omitted in the breaking of the bread.

Today they die in heathen lands, they die in want and dread,

For they have been omitted in the breaking of the Bread.

2. Long years have passed, and few have heard that Jesus Christ has bled

That they might feed on Him who died to be that Living Bread.

To gods of stone and wood they cry, yet they are never fed,

For they have been omitted in the breaking of the Bread.

3. Great God, who gave Thine only Son, help us now Spirit-led,

To tell the story of Thy love to those who ask for bread.

Then gladly will we go or send, till this blest news has spread,

And they have been included in the breaking of the Bread.

Refrain:

Lord, I would give them the Bread of Life, the Living Water too;

My heart cries out, “Oh, here am I, ready, Thy will to do.”

Jesus Sends Out the Twelve - 12 August 2018

“Power and Authority to Preach and Heal”

Luke 9:1-11 (SBC, Sligo IE)

12 August 2018

INTRODUCTION:

            Power and authority are related concepts, but they are not equal, not the same thing. A king must have authority. He must be rightfully enthroned and be recognized and respected by the people over whom he rules. But to maintain his position he must also have the power to protect his throne from any usurper who would try to unseat him and take over his kingdom.

            Police officers and soldiers also understand these two important concepts. In both cases they train and equip themselves with the skills and tools that enable them to overcome their foes. To carry out their mission they must have superior power. But they also operate based on the authority that has been bestowed on them. They do not act on their own volition or their own authority, but on the authority with which they have been entrusted. In other words, they exercise their power within the parameters of conferred authority.

TRANSITION:

            In our text for today we find Jesus moving His chosen Twelve into the next phase of their training. Up until now He had been with them every step of the way. He had done all the preaching and instruction. He had been the one to lay His healing hands on the sick. He alone had cast out demons. All the while the disciples had observed, listened, and learned. But now it was time for them to enter into the ministry to which Jesus had called them.

MAIN BODY:

Verse 1: And He [Jesus] called the twelve together and gave them power and authority over all the demons and to heal diseases.

·         Where had the disciples been? Apparently after the events in chapter 8 Jesus had allowed the disciples to return to their homes to take care of their families, and perhaps just to rest up for a while. But now it was time to head back out into the battle. But this time would be different because Jesus would not be going with them.

·          This story is found in all three of the Synoptic Gospels: in Matthew 10, in Mark 6, and in Luke 9. In Mark 6:7 we learn that Jesus sent His disciples out in pairs. We are not told the groupings but I’m sure Jesus made the assignments based on what He knew of each man, pairing men who would work well together.

·         Verse 1 says He “…gave them power and authority over all the demons and to heal diseases.” Here we see those two words in the same sentence. On their own these men had neither the power nor the authority. But now Jesus was giving them both things in order to carry out their mission on His behalf. Jesus had authority over the powers of darkness and the demons trembled in His presence. Moreover, He had the power to command them and they had no choice but to obey Him. Now Jesus has conferred this same authority and power to the Twelve. Jesus also had authority over sickness and death because He was God in the flesh and was the Lord of Life and Death. Now He gave to these twelve men the authority over sickness and death and the power to defeat these cruel enemies. In His name, sickness and disease would be subject to the commands of these, His appointed servants.

Verse 2: And He sent them out to proclaim the Kingdom of God and to perform healing.

·         He sent them out to do the very things that He Himself had been doing from the beginning: preaching the Good News of the Gospel and healing the sick. They were to continue the good work that He had started. They were simply an extension of His arms, His hands, and His voice. We must remember that in those ancient days there was only one way of spreading a message and that was by word of mouth. There were no newspapers or radio or magazines. That is why Jesus sent the Twelve out on this mission. Although He was God, in His earthly body He was limited by time and space, so these 12 Apostles had to be mouths to speak for Him, and hands to do His work.

Verse 3: And He said to them, “Take nothing for your journey, neither a staff, nor a bag, nor bread, nor money; and do not even have two tunics apiece.

·         Here in verses 3-5 Luke gives us a brief synopsis of Jesus’ instructions to the Twelve. Both Matthew and Mark go into a bit more detail.

·         Jesus told His men to travel light. That is because the person who travels light can move farther and faster. Jesus wanted these men to be unshackled from material things that might bog them down. We have no idea how long this training mission lasted but I believe it was at least several weeks and possibly as much as 2 or 3 months. But Jesus was very clear: “Don’t take anything with you. Trust Me when I say that your needs will be met. I’ve got you covered.” When people traveled in those days they usually carried an extra cloak so that if they had to sleep rough they had something to use as a blanket to keep them warm. But Jesus forbade them to do even this. He forced them into the position of being dependent upon Him and upon the people they would meet for even their basic necessities. He did not give them any wiggle-room, did not allow them to sock away something “just in case.” He sent them out with nothing but the clothes on their backs. How many of us would have the courage to take up such a challenge? How would our faith fare if we were put into the same sort of testing situation?

Verse 4: Whatever house you enter, stay there until you leave that city.

·         Jesus warned them that they were not to go hopping from one host home to another where they might receive more luxurious accommodations and better food. They were to honor their host by being gracious and grateful.

Verse 5: And as for those who do not receive you, as you go out from that city, shake the dust off your feet as a testimony against them.”

·         It was the custom of Jewish rabbis when returning to Israel after traveling to Gentile lands to shake off every bit of heathen dust from their garments and from their feet. Jesus told His men that if a village or town refused to receive them they were to treat that place as heathen country. The people’s condemnation would be on their own heads for having rejected these bearers of Good News.

·         Matthew 10:5-15 gives us a little more thorough account of Jesus’ instructions to the 12: ⁵ These twelve Jesus sent out after instructing them: “Do not go in the way of the Gentiles, and do not enter any city of the Samaritans; ⁶ but rather go to the lost sheep of the house of Israel. ⁷ And as you go, preach, saying, ‘The Kingdom of Heaven is at hand.’ ⁸ Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse the lepers, cast out demons. Freely you received, freely give. ⁹ Do not acquire gold, or silver, or copper for your money belts, ¹⁰ or a bag for your journey, or even two coats, or sandals, or a staff; for the worker is worthy of his support. ¹¹ And whatever city or village you enter, inquire who is worthy in it, and stay at his house until you leave that city. ¹² As you enter the house, give it your greeting. ¹³ If the house is worthy, give it your blessing of peace. But if it is not worthy, take back your blessing of peace. ¹⁴ Whoever does not receive you, nor heed your words, as you go out of that house or that city, shake the dust off your feet. ¹⁵ Truly I say to you, it will be more tolerable for the land of Sodom and Gomorrah in the day of judgment than for that city.”

Verse 6: Departing, they began going throughout the villages, preaching the Gospel and healing everywhere.

·         The instruction session at an end, they now had their marching orders and they set off to obey what Jesus had told them to do. The six pairs divided up and went in different directions, heading to different towns and villages.

·         These men must have been fearful of what they would find. They knew nothing of what they would encounter or how they would be treated. By this time Jesus was running into opposition wherever He went and I’m quite certain that this was on the minds of the 12 as they set out. Would they be beaten or jailed? Would they go hungry? Or would they find kind people who would put them up and be responsive to their message? At this point they had more questions than answers.

·         But what is remarkable is their obedience to Christ even in the face of their fears. Courage is defined not as a lack of fear, but of doing what needs to be done despite the fear. And these twelve men demonstrated remarkable courage and unquestioning obedience to Christ, despite not knowing what lay ahead of them.

Verses 7-9: Now Herod the tetrarch heard of all that was happening; and he was greatly perplexed, because it was said by some that John had risen from the dead, ⁸ and by some that Elijah had appeared, and by others that one of the prophets of old had risen again. ⁹ Herod said, “I myself had John beheaded; but who is this man about whom I hear such things?” And he kept trying to see Him [Jesus].

·         The proof that the Apostles’ ministry was effective can be seen in the fact that news of what they were doing reached all the way into Herod’s palace. Herod Antipas, aka Herod the Tetrarch, had his spies in every town and village in Galilee and they would report to him any bits of news. He was also a superstitious man. He was the same man who had ordered John the Baptist beheaded, but his guilt in murdering that holy man had robbed him of sleep ever since. Now he was hearing about this “Jesus of Galilee” person and it occurred to him that this guy bore a striking resemblance to John. In fact, some were saying that Jesus was actually John returned from the dead. Other people said that Jesus was the reincarnation of Elijah, the prophet. Still others had other theories, but Herod was perplexed and wanted to see Jesus for himself. The problem was that Jesus was constantly on the move and it was impossible to know where He would pop up next.    

  

Verse 10: When the apostles returned, they gave an account to Him of all that they had done. Taking them with Him, He withdrew by Himself to a city called Bethsaida.

·         Again, we do not know how long the Apostles were out in the field on this assignment. I believe that it is likely that Jesus told them to return home by a specific date, but that is just conjecture on my part because the Bible is silent about this. They apparently met up with Jesus in or near Capernaum because Mark tells us in 6:30ff, “The Apostles gathered together with Jesus; and they reported to Him all that they had done and taught. ³¹ And He said to them, ‘Come away by yourselves to a secluded place and rest a while.’ (For there were many people coming and going, and they did not even have time to eat.) ³² They went away in the boat to a secluded place by themselves.” Putting this together with what Luke tells us I conclude that Jesus took them a few kilometers away to the area north of the village of Bethsaida that was sometimes called, “Bethsaida Julius,” where there were some lovely secluded places where they could get away from the crowds.

 

Verse 11: But the crowds were aware of this and followed Him; and welcoming them, He began speaking to them about the kingdom of God and curing those who had need of healing.

·         This is quite remarkable. The Twelve had come back from their busy ministry tour and they were exhausted, needing a break. Never was a time when Jesus needed more to be alone with them, so He guided them to a place of seclusion for some much-needed rest and relaxation. But when the people discovered where they had gone the crowds came running, pushing, shoving, asking, needing. And yet, Jesus welcomed them! Most people would have been resentful to have their privacy violated this way. Sometimes, we think we are too busy or too important to be disturbed, but Jesus was ever kind and gracious, putting the needs of others above His own needs, or even those of His servants. Seemingly unperturbed He began sharing with the people the Good News of the Kingdom, preaching the Gospel message, and healing their diseases, illnesses, and afflictions.

CONCLUSION:

You may have noticed that the ministry Jesus laid upon the Apostles had two main elements: preaching and healing. It joined His concern for men’s bodies and men’s souls. General William Booth, the founder of the Salvation Army, was once criticized for offering clothing and meals to poor people instead of just preaching the Gospel to them. The old warrior quickly responded, “It is impossible to comfort men’s hearts with the love of God when their feet are perishing with cold.” Over the centuries the Church has erred in both directions. Some groups have only preached the Gospel, caring only for men’s souls, giving no thought to the physical needs of the people. Other groups have erred on the other side, feeding the hungry and treating the sick without dealing with the lostness of their souls, neglecting to tell them the Good News that Christ died to save sinners and that by faith in Him we can inherit eternal life. We must never forget that Jesus sent out His disciples to preach the Kingdom and to heal, to save men in body and in soul. The Gospel is incomplete if we neglect either of these.

Jesus is still calling us, His disciples, to go out with this two-fold mission. I do not believe we have the same power and authority He gave to the Twelve to heal the sick and to raise the dead. Those were exceptional gifts reserved for the Apostles to herald the arrival of the Messiah and to establish the Early Church. However, we have been commanded to do good and to perform works of kindness and charity in Jesus’ name. And we have been authorized to preach the Gospel and to compel men to place their faith in Jesus for their eternal salvation. Moreover, He has given us His Holy Spirit to empower us to do the work of the Kingdom, so we do have power and authority in Jesus’ name as His representatives.

After the Resurrection and just before He ascended to Heaven He told a group or His disciples in Matthew 28:18-20, “All authority has been given to Me in Heaven and on earth. ¹⁹ Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, ²⁰ teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” And in Acts 1:8 He told them, “But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be My witnesses both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and even to the remotest part of the earth.”  

How are we doing in this two-fold mission? Are we filled with the same compassion and zeal that marked the early Christians? We are going to end our service this morning by singing an old hymn called, “Rescue the Perishing.” The first verse goes like this: “Rescue the perishing, care for the dying, snatch them in pity from sin and the grave. Weep o’er the erring one, lift up the fallen, tell them of Jesus, the mighty to save. Rescue the perishing, care for the dying. Jesus is merciful, Jesus will save.” It is number 441 in your hymnal.