Unashamed - Luke 9:18-27

A word about context

By comparing Matthew, Mark and Luke (the synoptic gospels) we find that Luke omits several events (e.g., calming the sea) to get to this account. This has been termed “the Great Omission”

Skeptics may use this as an argument against the reliability of scripture, but there is a better answer. Luke is more concerned with a logical order here. This ties in well with Herod’s questions (v. 7-9) and the feeding of the 5000.

Christian Standard Bible Chapter 9

7 Herod the tetrarch heard about everything that was going on. He was perplexed, because some said that John had been raised from the dead, 8 some that Elijah had appeared, and others that one of the ancient prophets had risen. 9 “I beheaded John,” Herod said, “but who is this I hear such things about?” And he wanted to see him.

Three independent witnesses: Matthew, Mark (Peter), Luke (Paul). If Randy and Tim and I went to the same event and made a report of it, would we all include the exact same details and tell the story in the exact same way? Similarly we should expect some differences in these three accounts.

This was at Caesarea Philippi - a Roman capital city (gentile) located at the southwestern base of Mount Hermon. It was adjacent to a spring, and a shrine to the Greek god Pan. When the Romans conquered this territory, Herod the Great gave it to his son Philip who rebuilt the city, named it after himself, and added a Roman temple. Child sacrifice, all manner of immoral behavior took place there, and had for centuries.

Caesarea Philippi

Confess Him

Luke 9:18–20 CSB

18 While he was praying in private and his disciples were with him, he asked them, “Who do the crowds say that I am?” 19 They answered, “John the Baptist; others, Elijah; still others, that one of the ancient prophets has come back.” 20 “But you,” he asked them, “who do you say that I am?” Peter answered, “God’s Messiah.”

the “you” here is emphatic

Why John the Baptist? - current events

Why Elijah?

Power to heal, raise from the dead

Prophecy in Mal 4:5

English Standard Version Chapter 4

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.”

When is this prophecy fulfilled?

John the Baptist

One of the two witnesses in Rev 11:3

Peter is the spokesman for the group: “God’s Messiah”

the Christ - the anointed one

Angels - 2:11

Narrator - 2:26

Demons - 4:41

After seeing His healing miracles, rule over nature, raising of the dead; after hearing His teachings - no other conclusion!

More than…a prophet, teacher, miracle worker, a good man with compassion for hurting people

Accept His Resurrection

Christian Standard Bible Chapter 9

21 But he strictly warned and instructed them to tell this to no one, 22 saying, “It is necessary that the Son of Man suffer many things and be rejected by the elders, chief priests, and scribes, be killed, and be raised the third day.”

“strictly warned” - a serious warning

Luke Comments

for to Jesus, “Christ/Messiah” meant suffering and death as God’s Anointed, whereas among the people it signified the Anointed King who would throw off the Roman yoke, smite the Gentiles, and bring political independence and greatness to Israel. Jesus had rejected such a nationalistic conception of messiahship at the beginning of his ministry (see 4:1–15, “Context”). Because of this popular misconception, the public proclamation of Jesus as the Christ would have brought about an immediate confrontation between Jesus and Rome.

Follow Him Unashamedly

Christian Standard Bible Chapter 9

23 Then he said to them all, “If anyone wants to follow after me, let him deny himself, take up his cross daily, and follow me. 24 For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life because of me will save it. 25 For what does it benefit someone if he gains the whole world, and yet loses or forfeits himself? 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 that of the Father and the holy angels. 27 Truly I tell you, there are some standing here who will not taste death until they see the kingdom of God.”

“deny himself” - reject a life based on self-interest and self-fulfillment

“take up his cross daily” - a daily willingness to suffer martyrdom if need be

“follow Jesus” - verb tense indicates continual following

Who has gained the whole world?

Hugh Hefner - died at age 91

Life is too short to be living somebody else's dream.

In my wildest dreams, I could not have imagined a sweeter life.

The major civilizing force in the world is not religion, it is sex.

Paul Allen - died at age 65

Co-founder of Microsoft

estimated net worth of 20 billion

owned Seattle Seahawks, Portland Trailblazers

Motivation - that Jesus would not be ashamed of us

“see the kingdom of God” - what does that mean??

The Second Coming?

Pentecost?

The spreading of the Kingdom through the preaching of the early church?

The Resurrection?

The Transfiguration?

John’s vision of the Revelation?

Luke: An Introduction and Commentary 3. Taking up the Cross (9:23–27)

The saying is complex, and without further information it is impossible to be sure of the precise meaning intended.

Luke D. Commitment Described: Self-Denial to the Cross (9:18–27)

This kingdom came when he was exalted on the cross, when he was glorified in the resurrection, and when he was enthroned in the ascension. This kingdom came when Pentecost brought previously unknown kingdom power to bear on earth and reaped an unprecedented harvest into kingdom membership.

The New Bible Commentary 9:1–50 Jesus and the Twelve

It is unlikely that Jesus equated seeing the kingdom of God with experiencing the end of the world. More probably he meant that some of his followers would not die until after they had seen the coming of God’s kingdom in his own mission or in the life of the church. The transfiguration was possibly seen as one fulfilment of the saying.