48 lines
2.5 KiB
Markdown
48 lines
2.5 KiB
Markdown
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title = "Luke 9:18–27"
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date = "2022-11-30"
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### [Read the passage.](https://biblia.com/bible/esv/Lk9.18-27)
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After feeding the multitude of people, Jesus and His disciples somehow manage
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to get that retreat they had planned. Jesus spends much of His time in prayer,
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but He also takes the opportunity to reveal some of God's mysteries to the
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disciples. At this point, they probably don't understand fully, and it's not
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until later that they remember His words.
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Jesus contrasts popular opinion of Himself with who the disciples think that He
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is. Peter, acting as the spokesman for the disciples as usual, gives the right
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answer: "The Christ of God". (_v. 20_) "Christ" is Greek for "anointed", and is
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the same as the Hebrew "Messiah". It hearkens back to the priests and kings of
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Israel being anointed with oil to signify God choosing those men to fulfill
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those roles; they had been set apart from the rest of the people for a purpose.
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Because the people didn't understand what the Messiah's role was going to be
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this first time, Jesus keeps His disciples from revealing this new
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understanding to anyone else. He then explains that He is going to suffer and
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die at the hands of evil men, but after three days would rise again. This
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sounds very obvious to us in the Church Age, but at the time the disciples
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didn't get it, mostly because God kept them from understanding until the right
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time.
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Even still, Jesus continues to teach them the consequences of following in His
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footsteps. They too must be willing to suffer and die, but the rewards they get
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from God will more than make up for it. The disciples must have been completely
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shocked to hear Jesus talk like this. It'd be like someone saying today, "Tie a
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noose around your neck and follow me," or "Put a bullet with your name on it in
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your pocket and follow me." None of those sound like good ideas! But the point
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Jesus is making is that it is worth it. Don't be ashamed of the truth when
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people scoff and mock, or torture and kill you. For then God will not be
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ashamed of you when He comes in glory to set right everything on the earth
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again.
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Finally, I'm going to punt on explaining verse 27. There are lots of possible
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ways to interpret it, and they all sound reasonable. The meaning of "see the
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Kingdom of God" is less important than the encouragement that the disciples
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received from hearing Jesus say so.
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* * *
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Help us to live for Your kingdom and not our own lives and pleasures. They are
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not a lasting legacy when compared to Your glory.
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