HILLDALE BAPTIST CHURCH Virtual Study Notes FOR THE LESSON ON SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 28, 2021 (Phone Call Class, Monday 2/22/2021)

LUKE 9 NOTES* (based on NASB) “Unashamed” Luke 9:18-27 (BACKGROUND TEXT: Luke 9:1-62)

INTRODUCTION: • The of Luke, like the other , places great emphasis on what it means to become a devoted disciple of Christ. In Luke, many of these lessons begin at a point that we will consider today, the time where Jesus asks the disciples who they believe Him to be. Matthew, Mark, and Luke, all three, include this particular episode in the life of Jesus. Later in the same chapter, Jesus begins his journey to where He knows that He will be killed. The beginning of this journey is mentioned in Luke 9:51. • One of the incidents prompting this confession has to do with . Herod Antipas is one of the sons of . Rome granted Antipas the privilege of becoming a tetrarch. The word “tetrarch” means “ruler over one-fourth.” Herod Antipas ruled over and , roughly one-fourth of the land that his father ruled. He was the king who imprisoned and beheaded . He was curious to see if Jesus was John the Baptist raised from the dead. He finally got to see Jesus when Pilate sent Him over during His trial, but Herod did little more than mock Jesus and send Him back to Pilate. • The people of the land debated as to who Jesus might be. Herod Antipas believed He was John the Baptist having come back from the dead. However, many of the common people considered other options, having heard the Jewish teachers explain that the prophecies speak of the coming of , and the coming of a “” predicted by . They did not know what these prophecies meant. They thought that the “Prophet” could be someone like Isaiah, Jeremiah, or one of the other . • Jesus asked the disciples who they believed He was. Peter spoke quickly and said that Jesus was “the Christ of God.” The word “Christ” is the Greek word for “Messiah.” Therefore, Peter was saying that he believed that Jesus was the Messiah that the Jews were waiting for. Some question if Peter understood that Jesus was not only the Messiah, but that He was also the Son of God. However, since Jesus explained that this was not revealed by “flesh and blood” but by His Father in heaven (:17), it seems likely that Peter may have understood this as well. • General Outline of Luke: o Jesus’ Birth and Baptism (1–3) o Jesus’ Ministry in Galilee (4–9) o Jesus’ Journey to Jerusalem (10–18) o Jesus’ Last Week on Earth (19-22) o Jesus’ Passion and Ascension (23-24) • In previous lessons, we have studied how o Jesus was born, celebrated, and dedicated, and amazed the scholars as a boy. o John the Baptist preached repentance and the coming of Messiah. o Jesus preached his ordination message in Nazareth and was rejected. o He performed miracles, healings, and faced opposition. o He dined in the home of a Pharisee and forgave a sinful woman. • In today’s lesson we will study how … o Jesus asked the disciples who they believed Him to be. o Peter confessed that Jesus was the “Christ of God.” o Jesus explained that his followers must take up the cross and follow Him.

Preceeding verses in the background text:

Luke 9:1-6 – Jesus sends out the Twelve on missions to villages where He is about to minister. Luke 9:7-9 – Herod expressed curiosity about Christ wanting to see Him. Luke 9:10-11 – The Twelve return and report to Jesus about their missions. Luke 9:12-17 – Jesus feeds the five thousand.

CONFESS HIM (Luke 9:18-20)

Verse 18: • And it happened that while He was praying alone, the disciples were with Him – Luke makes mention of Jesus praying many times; it is a major sub-theme in his gospel. Jesus prayed when he was coming up from baptismal water. He prayed all night before selecting his twelve apostles. In chapter 11 we will find Him teaching His disciples to pray using what we call “The Lord’s Prayer.” Jesus kept his disciples close while He prayed so they could learn about prayer. • And He questioned them, saying, "Who do the people say that I am?" – This was prompted in part, perhaps, because Herod Antipas was broadcasting his theory that Jesus was John the Baptist raised from the dead. However, Jesus was more interested in clarifying to His disciples what the role of Messiah really was. Verse 19: • They answered and said, "John the Baptist, and others say Elijah; but others, that one of the prophets of old has risen again." – Some people were buying into Herod’s idea that Jesus was John the Baptist risen from the dead. Others mentioned Elijah, because the prophet Malachi prophesied that Elijah would return before the Day of the Lord. Others mentioned one of the other prophets. Moses had prophesied that another prophet like himself would one day arise, but some people thought that could mean one of the prophets. They did not understand that Moses was referring to Messiah. Verse 20: • And He said to them, "But who do you say that I am?" – Jesus wanted them to know that He would not expect them to believe the same things that so many among the people would be saying. • And Peter answered and said, "The Christ of God." – In :29, the words are “You are the Christ.” In Matthew 16:16, the words are “You are the Christ the Son of the Living God.” Matthew presents the most complete record of what Peter said, but the important part of the statement is that Peter proclaimed that Jesus was “the Christ.” “Christ” is from the Greek word “Christos” which is the same as the Hebrew term “Messiah.” It means “Anointed One.” It refers to the One Who is specially anointed by God. For Peter and the disciples, it probably means that they knew that Jesus was more than just a political Messiah, but He was also the literal Son of God.

ACCEPT HIS RESURRECTION: (Luke 9:21-22)

Verse 21: • But He warned them and instructed them not to tell this to anyone – Although this sounds strange, we understand from Matthew’s gospel that “flesh and blood,” or human understanding, had not explained Jesus as Messiah to Peter, but it was God the Father Who revealed it to him. Jesus is explaining that the knowledge of Who He is must not be something conveyed as a political or popular notion that spreads among people, because this would promote a political movement, not a spiritual conversion. It is a truth that can be revealed only by the Spirit of God to one’s heart. Verse 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 the first time that Jesus predicts His passion. However, he will do it five more times in the . He emphasizes and repeats this prophecy for at least two reasons: (1) The disciples are having a hard time hearing, believing, and understanding what He is saying. (2) He wants them to know that this is a part of God’s special plan. It is not something that will take the Lord by surprise.

FOLLOW HIM UNASHAMEDLY: (Luke 9:23-27)

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 – Jesus is saying that anyone is invited to become His disciple. However, to do so, one must be willing to make a serious and costly commitment. It demands (1) denying oneself. One must be willing to lay down all self-interests, putting Christ first, and loving all others more than self. It also demands that one must (2) take up his cross daily. This means that a person must be willing to be subject to suffering, shame, and even death for Jesus, if necessary. This must be an attitude held “daily,” or every day for the rest of one’s life. Then, said Jesus, one can follow Him. Verse 24: • For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it – Jesus is now answering an important question: Why should one consider following Him if the demand is so great? The answer is, “If your desire is to make the very best for yourself in life and you work as hard as possible to protect yourself and make good for yourself, you will find that you will lose yourself and everything in your life at the very end.” • But whoever loses his life for My sake, he is the one who will save it. – On the other hand, Jesus is saying that if you are willing to turn loose of your life and give it all up, all for the sake of loving and serving and following after Him, you will find the very best and most wonderful life of all, that is, eternal life. Verse 25: • For what is a man profited if he gains the whole world, and loses or forfeits himself? – Jesus finalizes the logic of the choice. It is wise to choose Christ. “What sense does it make,” explains Jesus, “to grab for everything you possibly can get in this life, only to lose it all?” Jesus is saying that this is what will happen if you live for yourself instead of Christ. 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 . – Jesus is explaining that our priority should be Him and His words. We can apply the principle of “His words” to all of Scripture. If we are ashamed of Jesus and the Word of God, then the day will come when we will be shocked to realize that we will be subjected to horrible shame in the face of the Lord Jesus in all His power and glory when He returns with the angelic hosts of heaven. 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." – This verse is difficult to interpret, because it sounds as though Jesus is saying His second coming will take place before some of the apostles physically die, and obviously, that did not happen. There are two interpretations commonly offered for this verse: (1) It could refer to the coming of the Kingdom of God being the coming of the Holy Spirit on the Day of Pentecost, when the world sees the birth of the church. (2) Other scholars believe that it refers to the which will take place eight days later (in the very next passage of this chapter). Some believe the Transfiguration refers to the coming of the kingdom because Jesus is glorified with Moses and Elijah with the glory of heaven coming down on Him.

Following verses in the background text:

Luke 9:28-36 – Jesus is transfigured before Peter, James, and John. Luke 9:37-45 – Jesus heals a demonized boy and warns of His coming death. Luke 9:46-50 – Jesus teaches the disciples a lesson about who is great. Luke 9:51-56 – Jesus begins His journey to Jerusalem and encounters unfriendly . Luke 9:57-62 – Jesus responds to three would-be disciples.

OUR LESSON NEXT WEEK:

Neighbors? :25-37

* The following study are sometimes used to obtain information for these notes:

The NIV Study Bible, Revised. Kenneth L. Barker, editor. Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1985. ESV Study Bible, English Standard Version. Wheaton: Crossway Bibles, 2008. HCSB Study Bible, Holman Christian Standard Bible. Nashville: Holman Bible Publishers, 2010. NIV Zondervan Study Bible, D. A. Carson, editor. Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2015. NIV Cultural Backgrounds Study Bible. Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2016.