Luke 9 - Introduction

Jesus The Messiah.

We have seen above how Jesus, the One rejected by His own family, has, in a place situated between Jews and Gentiles in the midst of the Sea of Galilee, revealed His power over stormy seas, and thus over all the nations, and how in Gentile territory He has revealed His power over the legions of the spirit world that held the Gentiles in thrall, and how in Jewish territory He has revealed His power over death itself, a power that held the Jews, and all men, in thrall. Now He sends out His emissaries in order to exercise that power. They are given power and authority over all demons, and over diseases, and sent to proclaim the Kingly Rule of God, to bring men into subjection to God, and to heal the sick. The exercise of His authority and ministry of salvation (very much a Lucan word) continues. Through His Apostles He is ‘opening their eyes, turning them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan to God' (Acts 26:18). But from this moment danger is seen to loom in the person of Herod (Luke 9:9). The increase of His ministry results in an increase in danger.

There is unquestionably here a clear turning point in the ministry of Jesus. For from this time on He has suffering and death in mind for Himself (Luke 9:22) and martyrdom for His followers (Luke 9:23). And the remainder of the Gospel will proceed with His face set towards Jerusalem in order for Him to be ‘received up' (Luke 9:51). It is now that He establishes a covenant community (Luke 9:12 compare Matthew 16:18), with that in view. Here we have Luke's equivalent to John 6. For in John 6 Jesus fed the crowds and then proclaimed the fact that it pointed to His coming death in terms of His body offered and His blood shed, so much so that many of His disciple withdraw themselves from His company (John 6:66), and His disciples were faced with a stark choice (John 6:67) in which they revealed that they know that He was the Holy One of God. There too His coming death has become prominent immediately after the feeding of the crowds. Here there is the hint of death in the attitude of Herod.