Luke 9
Summary. In this chapter, the Lord Jesus continues His ministry by teaching the good news, healing the sick, casting out demons, feeding the multitudes, and preparing His disciples for what is to come. Two critical events take place in this chapter: first, Peter is the first disciple to confess Jesus as the Christ; second, Jesus is transfigured on a mountain, where the Voice of the Father speaking from the cloud testifies, “This is My Son, My chosen One: hear you Him.” Luke 9:1-9. The Lord Jesus gives His apostles power and authority and sends them out to proclaim the kingdom of God and to heal. News about the ministry of the Lord Jesus is spreading rapidly everywhere. Luke 9:10-17. The Lord Jesus fed five thousand men, along with many women and children, in a desolate place. Luke 9:18-20. Peter is the first disciple to confess the Lord Jesus as “The Christ of God.” The Holy Spirit has revealed the true light about Christ, starting with one disciple, and that light will be shared with others. Luke 9:21-27. The Lord Jesus foretells His death and resurrection on the third day. He then teaches the disciples to take up their cross and follow Him. Luke 9:28-36. The Lord Jesus goes on a mountain with Peter, John, and James to pray. There, He is transfigured, and Moses and Elijah appear to Him. Then, the Voice from the Father comes out of a cloud, saying, “This is My Son, My chosen One: hear you Him.” Luke 9:37-43. The Lord Jesus heals a boy with an unclean spirit whom the disciples were unable to heal, and He teaches them about healing. Luke 9:44-62. The Lord Jesus once again foretells His death and teaches on the following topics: a) who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven; b) anyone that is not against us is for us; c) He came to bring salvation to all, not only to the Jews; d) when you want to follow the Lord, if you truly want to dedicate your life to serving the Lord, you must leave everything behind.
[1]
Then having called the twelve together, He gave them power and authority over all demons, and to heal diseases,
Comments Luke 9:1
See Comments Matthew 10:1.
[2]
and sent them out to proclaim the kingdom of God , and to heal the sick.
Comments Luke 9:2
See Comments Matthew 10:5-8, specifically Comments Matthew 10:5.
[3]
And He said to them, Take nothing for the way, neither staff, nor bag, nor bread, nor money, nor have two shirts.
Comments Luke 9:3
The event described in Luke 9:1-6 is the same as that in Matthew 10:5-14 but it differs from the one in Mark 6:7-13. For further understanding of verses 3 to 6, please refer to Comments Matthew 10:9-14 and Comments Mark 6:7-13. This command was intended to help the disciples develop trust in the Lord Jesus. Also, by this command, the Lord wants the disciple to realize for whom they are working: are they working for themselves, living in this world, or are they working for the Lord, serving Him for the world to come? And, also to take their minds away from worrying about the earth’s living troubles.
[4]
And into whatever house you enter, there remain, and from there go forth.
[5]
And as many as might receive you not, going forth from that city, shake off the dust from your feet as a testimony against them.
[6]
And going forth, they passed through the villages, proclaiming the gospel, and healing in all places.
Comments Luke 9:3-6
Further details about this event can be found in Matthew 10:9-14; see Comments Matthew 10:9-14.
[7]
Now Herod the tetrarch heard of all that was done, and was troubled, because it was said by some, that John has been raised out of the dead;
Comments Luke 9:7
For verses 7 to 9, refer to Comments Matthew 14:1-12 and Comments Mark 6:14-29.
“Been raised.” Meaning that someone raised him out of the dead.
“Been raised.” Meaning that someone raised him out of the dead.
[8]
and by some, that Elijah had appeared; and by others, that one of the ancient prophets was risen.
[9]
Then Herod said, John I beheaded; but who is this, concerning whom I hear such things? And he was seeking to see Him .
[10]
And the apostles, having returned, they declared to Him how much they had done. And having taken them, He withdrew by Himself into a city called Bethsaida.
Comments Luke 9:10
For verses 10 to 17, refer to Comments Matthew 14:13-21, Comments Mark 6:30-44, and Comments John 6:1-13.
[11]
Now the multitudes having learned followed Him ; and having received them, He spoke to them concerning the kingdom of God , and those having need of healing H e cured.
[12]
And the day began to decline; and the twelve came, and said to Him , Dismiss the multitude away, that they may go into the surrounding villages and countryside, and lodge, and get provisions; for we are here in a desolate place.
[13]
But He said to them, Give you them to eat. And they said, We have no more than five loaves and two fishes; except we should go and buy food for all this people.
[14]
For they were about five thousand men. And He said to His disciples, Make them sit down in groups of about fifty each.
[15]
And they did so and made all recline.
[16]
Then having taken the five loaves and the two fishes, having looked up to the heaven, H e blessed them, and broke; and kept giving to the disciples to set before the multitude.
[17]
And they ate and were all satisfied; and was taken up that which remained of broken pieces, twelve hand-baskets.
Comments Luke 9:10-17
This passage of Scripture, as discussed in Comments Mark 6:30-44, describes the same feeding event found in Matthew 14:13-21 and Mark 6:30-44. However, it does not correspond to the feeding event recorded in John 6:1-13. For further details, please refer to the Map of Jesus’ Travels in the Gospel of Mark section on our website, which provides a map of Jesus’ travels during the time of these two feeding events.
[18]
And it came to pass, as He was praying in private, the disciples were with Him , and He questioned them, saying, Who do the multitudes say that I am?
Comments Luke 9:18
For verses 18 to 21, refer to Comments Matthew 16:13-20 and Comments Mark 8:27-30.
[19]
And they answering said, John the Baptist; but others say, Elijah; and others, that one of the ancient prophets has risen.
[20]
And He said to them, But who do you say that I am? And Peter answering said, The Christ of God .
[21]
But He strictly warned them, and commanded them to tell this to no one,
[22]
saying, It is necessary for the Son of Man to suffer many things and to be rejected by the elders and chief priests and scribes, and to be killed, and on the third day to be raised.
Comments Luke 9:22
For verses 22 to 27, refer to Comments Matthew 16:21-28 and Comments Mark 8:31 to Mark 8:31.
[23]
Then He said to all, If anyone desires to come after Me , let him deny himself, and let him take up his cross every day, and let him follow Me .
[24]
For whoever desires to save his life, will lose it; but whoever will lose his life on account of Me , the same will save it.
[25]
For what is a man profited, if he gains the whole world, but loses or forfeits himself?
[26]
For whoever will be ashamed of Me and of My words, of him the Son of Man will be ashamed, when He comes in His own glory, and of the Father , and of the holy angels.
Comments Luke 9:26
See Comments Matthew 10:32-36.
[27]
Now I say to you, truly, There are certain of those standing here, who will in no way taste of death, until they may see the kingdom of God .
[28]
Now it came to pass, about eight days after these sayings, and having taken Peter and John and James, He went up into the mountain to pray.
Comments Luke 9:28
For verses 28 to 36, refer to Comments Matthew 17:1-8 and Comments Mark 9:2-8. The comparative analysis in Comments Mark 9:2-8 provides a detailed examination of these three passages of Scripture.
[29]
And it came to pass in His praying, the appearance of His face became altered, and His garment became white and dazzling.
[30]
And behold, there talked with Him two men, who were Moses and Elijah.
[31]
Those having appeared in glory, spoke of His departure which He was about to accomplish in Jerusalem.
[32]
Now Peter and those with Him were heavy with sleep; but when they were fully awake, they saw His glory, and the two men standing with Him .
[33]
And it came to pass, as they were parting from Him , Peter said to Jesus , Master , it is good for us to be here; and let us make three tabernacles: one for Thee , and one for Moses, and one for Elijah, not knowing what he is saying.
[34]
Then as he is saying these things, a cloud came and overshadowed them, and they feared in their entering into the cloud.
[36]
And as the V oice came, Jesus was found alone. And they kept silent and told to no one in those days anything of what they had seen.
[37]
And it came to pass on the next day, on their coming down from the mountain, a great multitude met Him .
Comments Luke 9:37
For verses 37 to 42, refer to Comments Matthew 17:14-19 and Comments Mark 9:14-29. For this portion of Scripture, see the comparative analysis in Comments Mark 9:14-29.
[38]
And behold, a man from the multitude cried out, saying, Teacher , I beg Thee to look upon my son, for he is my only child.
[39]
And behold, a spirit seizes him, and he suddenly cries out, and it convulses him with foaming, shattering him, and hardly departs from him.
[40]
And I begged Thy disciples that they might cast it out; and they were not able.
[41]
And Jesus answered and said, O unbelieving and corrupted generation, until when will I be with you, and bear with you? Bring here your son.
[42]
Then while he was coming near to Him , the demon threw him down, and convulsed him. But Jesus rebuked the demonic spirit, and healed the boy, and gave him back to his father.
[43]
Then were all amazed at the majesty of God . But of all marveling at all which He did, He said to His disciples,
Comments Luke 9:43
“Then were all amazed at the majesty of God.” People have seen the glory of God through the work of the beloved Son of God. All these people have seen God with them on earth.
[44]
Let these words sink into your ears: for the Son of M an is about to be delivered up into the hands of men.
[45]
But they understood not this saying, and it was hidden from them, that they should not understand it. And they were afraid to ask Him concerning this saying.
Comments Luke 9:43-45
For verses 43 to 45, refer to Comments Matthew 17:22-23 and Comments Mark 9:30-32. The Lord often reminds the disciples about His death and resurrection because He knows that their faith will be tested after His departure.
[46]
Then came up a debate among them, which of them may be the greatest.
[48]
and said to them, Whoever may receive this little child in My name, receives Me ; and whoever may receive Me , receives Him that sent Me . For he that is least among you all, this shall be great.
Comments Luke 9:46-48
For verses 46 to 48, refer to Comments Matthew 18:1-5 and Comments Mark 9:33-37. See the comparison analysis in Comments Mark 9:33-37.
[49]
And John answered and said, Master , we saw someone casting out demons in Thy name; and we forbade him, because he follows not with us.
[50]
Then Jesus said to him, Forbid not, for whoever is not against us, is for us.
Comments Luke 9:49-50
For verses 49 to 50, refer to Comments Mark 9:38-40.
[51]
Then it came to pass, when the days drew near that He should be lifted up, He steadfastly set His face to go to Jerusalem,
[52]
and He sent messengers before His face. And having made their way, they entered into a village of the Samaritans, to make ready for Him .
Comments Luke 9:52
“He sent messengers before His face.” Here, the messengers sent were angels who took human form. If these angels did not take human form, people would not be able to communicate with them.
Comments Luke 9:53
By tradition, the Jews do not associate with the Samaritans because the Jews consider them to be outsiders. Because of the direction the Lord has taken in His travel, the Samaritans understood only that He is not coming for them, so they felt that the Lord rejected them as well, which is why they acted this way.
[54]
And having seen the disciples James and John, said, Lord , wish Thou that we command fire to come down from heaven, and consume them?
[55]
Then having turned He rebuked them.
Comments Luke 9:55
As the Lord rebuked the disciples, we ourselves must also rebuke, in the name of the beloved Son of God, any anger coming upon us. When someone wishes you harm or harms you, pray for them and ask God’s mercy to cover them, that their heart will be opened and they will see the light of mercy.
Note: This verse, as given here, is part of the original Gospel, without the later additions (see Greek NT: Westcott and Hort 1881).
Note: This verse, as given here, is part of the original Gospel, without the later additions (see Greek NT: Westcott and Hort 1881).
[56]
And they went to another village.
Comments Luke 9:51-56
The time of departure for the beloved Son of God comes closer, but before the time comes, the beloved Son of God will continue to fulfill His work. The Samaritans, even though they are not His people, have come from Him, and the Lord Himself has plans for them as well. The disciples did not understand the Lord’s extended love for all people, not just for His people, because all people belong to Him, and the disciples need to learn this.
Note: This verse, as given here, is part of the original Gospel, without the later additions (see Greek NT: Westcott and Hort 1881).
Note: This verse, as given here, is part of the original Gospel, without the later additions (see Greek NT: Westcott and Hort 1881).
[57]
And as they were making their way, someone said to Him , I will follow Thee wherever Thou might go.
Comments Luke 9:57
For verses 57 to 60, refer to Comments Matthew 8:18-22. These portions of Scripture in the Gospels of Matthew and Luke have the same meaning. When you want to follow the Lord Jesus, and if you truly want to dedicate your life to serving the Lord, you must leave everything behind, including your past life. This act is like being cut off from everything from that point on and becoming a new person in the Lord.
Note: The phrase “in the road,” found in some translations, is not included in the original text.
Note: The phrase “in the road,” found in some translations, is not included in the original text.
[58]
And Jesus said to him, The foxes have holes, and the birds of the air have nests; but the Son of M an has nowhere to lay His head.
[59]
Then He said to another, Follow M e . But he said, Lord , allow me first to go off to bury my father.
[60]
Then He answered him, Leave the mortal to bury their own dead; but you, going forth, declare the kingdom of God .
[61]
Then another also said, I will follow Thee , Lord ; but first allow me to say farewell to those at my house.
[62]
Then Jesus said to him, No one, having laid the hand upon a plow, and looking behind, is fit for the kingdom of God .
Comments Luke 9:61-62
“Allow me to say farewell to those …” Think of yourself when you first committed your heart to the Lord, but you also felt that you were not ready yet to leave all things behind. You tended to use the responsibility towards the life left behind as the reason for telling yourself that you are not ready, and the time is not now to respond to the Lord’s call for work.
“No one, having laid the hand upon a plow …” Here, consider this: when you have some free time, your hand can reach out to open and read the Bible. However, you tell yourself that you can only do a few pages, so it’s better to leave it now and do something else, so you will have more free time later and can do a bigger portion all at once. But if you find a reason to stop reading the Bible, then your heart is not yet there to follow the Lord; you do not see yourself fit to be the Lord’s servant. For the reason of this earth that you value those, they are prices in shadow, not true value; the true value is the Word of God. As the verse tells us, “laid the hand upon a plow, and looking behind,” you have work to do for the Lord, but you turn to look back. You take your heart off from the work of the Lord, because of the things left behind, because the things left behind have more value for you.
“No one, having laid the hand upon a plow …” Here, consider this: when you have some free time, your hand can reach out to open and read the Bible. However, you tell yourself that you can only do a few pages, so it’s better to leave it now and do something else, so you will have more free time later and can do a bigger portion all at once. But if you find a reason to stop reading the Bible, then your heart is not yet there to follow the Lord; you do not see yourself fit to be the Lord’s servant. For the reason of this earth that you value those, they are prices in shadow, not true value; the true value is the Word of God. As the verse tells us, “laid the hand upon a plow, and looking behind,” you have work to do for the Lord, but you turn to look back. You take your heart off from the work of the Lord, because of the things left behind, because the things left behind have more value for you.
Life and Faith Applications. 1) As a servant of the Lord Jesus, put your trust in the Lord for all your daily provisions. 2) Do not be ashamed of the Lord Jesus and His teachings; tell people that you are a follower of the Son of God and believe in the Trinity of God (God the Father, God the Son, Jesus Christ, and God the Holy Spirit). 3) If someone is against you, do not curse them or wish harm to them, but pray for mercy from God to cover them. 4) If the Lord calls you in your heart to do any work for Him, even just reading the Bible, do not look behind; just follow the Lord’s call.