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The Gospel of Luke Chapter 9:37-62 Deliverance of a Demon Possessed Boy 9:37-38 Now on the next day, when they had come down from the mountain, a large crowd met him. Then a man from the crowd cried out, "Teacher, I beg you to look at my son — he is my only child! The day following the transfiguration, a multitude met Jesus as he came down from the mountain. One man in the crowd began to shout and plead earnestly for Jesus to attend to his only son. 9:39 A spirit seizes him, and he suddenly screams; it throws him into convulsions and causes him to foam at the mouth. It hardly ever leaves him alone, torturing him severely. The boy was possessed by an evil spirit which would frequently take violent control of him, throwing him into such terrible convulsions that he foamed at the mouth. Each attack left badly bruised and wounded. 9:40 I begged your disciples to cast it out, but they could not do so. Since when the boy’s father had arrived, Jesus was up the mountain, he brought him to the disciples and begged them to cast out the spirit - but they were unable to. 9:41 Jesus answered, "You unbelieving and perverse generation! How much longer must I be with you and endure you? Bring your son here." It is unclear whether it was the unbelief of the father or of his disciples which occasioned this rebuke from Jesus. In Mark's account of this incident, Jesus directly challenges the father’s faith (Mark 9:2428); yet Jesus’ remarks are addressed to the whole nation – those who were part of the unbelieving and morally corrupt age. They were so obstinate that Jesus was vexed as he lived among them. His words ‘how long shall I stay with you and put up with you’ may be taken to mean ‘put up with you as you are now, without you changing’ – tat is, Jesus is expressing his desire for their reformation rather than his own return to heaven. 9:42 As the boy was approaching, the demon threw him to the ground and shook him with convulsions. But Jesus rebuked the unclean spirit, healed the boy, and gave him back to his father.
As the father obeyed Christ’s command and brought his son to Jesus, the demon took hold of the boy and threw him to the floor in a severe convulsion. Jesus rebuked the demon and it came out of the boy and He handed Him back to his father completely cured. 9:43 Then they were all astonished at the mighty power of God... All the people were astonished at this manifestation of the greatness of God.
Jesus Foretells His Betrayal 9:43-44 But while the entire crowd was amazed at everything Jesus was doing, he said to his disciples, "Take these words to heart, for the Son of Man is going to be betrayed into the hands of men." While the crowd were taken up with amazing at the things that He was doing, Jesus had a private message for his disciples. He wanted them to take careful note that he (the Son of Man) was about to be betrayed to those who were seeking to kill Him. 9:45 But they did not understand this statement; its meaning had been concealed from them, so that they could not grasp it. Yet they were afraid to ask him about this statement. The disciples could not understand what Jesus meant by this; even though the idea of a prophet suffering for his message should not have been strange to them (e.g. Jeremiah, John the Baptist). Yet the powerful message of salvation through the cross can only be known by revelation (1 Cor. 2:14) and at this time it was still hidden from them. Moreover, the message was somehow so transcendent that they were afraid to ask him about it.
The Greatest in the Kingdom 9:46 Now an argument started among the disciples as to which of them might be the greatest. It is around the time that Jesus would begin his journey to Jerusalem that Luke highlights this incident, as do other gospel writers (who apparently locate it in Capernaum: Matt. 18:1-5; Mark 9:33-37) in order to contrast Jesus’ obedient humility with the power seeking of the world. 9:47 But when Jesus discerned their innermost thoughts, he took a child, had him stand by his side. Jesus perceived what they were thinking in their hearts, and so gives them an object lesson in humility. Interestingly, rather than reference to his own coming suffering as an example of humility (which is what Luke is doing in this overall narrative) Jesus takes a little child for an example, and has him stand beside him. 9:48 And said to them, "Whoever welcomes this child in my name welcomes me, and whoever welcomes me welcomes the one who sent me, for the one who is least among you all is the one who is great." Jesus told his disciples that whoever was prepared to receive a little child in his name, that is, because he belongs to Christ, would be receiving him; and whoever receives Jesus also receives the Father who sent him. The most important things among men are not important to God. God takes
no notice of human position or importance. It is those who are lowly with whom God dwells (Isa. 57:15; 66:2), and this is what makes a person truly great – fellowship with God.
Using the Name of Jesus 9:49-50 John answered, "Master, we saw someone casting out demons in your name, and we tried to stop him because he is not a disciple along with us." But Jesus said to him, "Do not stop him, for whoever is not against you is for you." As the miracles of Jesus had become well known, and the disciples had been empowered to cast out demons in his name, it is perhaps not surprising that others had begun to use the name of Jesus in this way. John, however, was not happy about this unauthorised use of his Lord’s name, and had tried to stop a man from using it. But Jesus is not disconcerted; the day would come when all men might become believers and appropriate the name of Jesus to so such miracles (Mark 16:15-18). So rather than stop him, John should have seen his actions as a sign that people were becoming ready to believe in Jesus, a very useful fact for John’s later evangelistic ministry, and so John was to win such people for Jesus, not oppose them.
Jesus Rejected 9:51 Now when the days drew near for him to be taken up, Jesus set out resolutely to go to Jerusalem. The time was coming closer for Jesus to be crucified, raised and return to glory; so he resolutely, that is with deliberate decision and unwavering firmness, set his face to go to Jerusalem. 9:52 He sent messengers on ahead of him. As they went along, they entered a Samaritan village to make things ready in advance for him. Jesus sent messengers ahead of him to a Samaritan village to prepare for him, probably that he might stay overnight before proceeding with his journey to Jerusalem. 9:53 But the villagers refused to welcome him, because he was determined to go to Jerusalem. Surely you might think that such a blessing granted to the Samaritans – the king of glory wishing to stay among them – would be accepted with joy. But unfortunately, because Jesus was on his way to Jerusalem, the old argument about legitimate worship came up, and the Samaritans would not accept someone who by his journey advocated the Jerusalem temple over their mount Gerizim. They saw it as a threat to their national identity. Ironically, Jesus was going to Jerusalem so that by his death, he might open God’s kingdom for all people, to worship God in Spirit and truth wherever they were (John 4:21-24). 9:54 Now when his disciples James and John saw this, they said, "Lord, do you want us to call fire to come down from heaven and consume them?" When James and John saw the Samaritan rejection of Jesus they wanted his permission to command fire down from heaven to burn them up as Elijah had done (2 Kings 1:12).
9:55-56 But Jesus turned and rebuked them, and they went on to another village. But Jesus severely rebuked them, and merely turned aside to another village. Some manuscripts record Jesus words: ‘You know not what manner of spirit you are of, for the Son of man is not come to destroy men's lives, but to save them.’ Jesus had given them opportunity to receive him at this time, and they had rejected it. But there would be another opportunity and many would be saved (Acts 8:5-8). This might be the first time where Jesus speaks of salvation being for non-Jews.
Discipleship means Full Commitment 9:57 As they were walking along the road, someone said to him, "I will follow you wherever you go." As they journeyed toward Jerusalem someone approached Jesus with the bold statement that he would follow him wherever He went. 9:58 Jesus said to him, "Foxes have dens and the birds in the sky have nests, but the Son of Man has no place to lay his head." The depth of this rush of religious enthusiasm is at once tested by Jesus. By telling the man what he might expect if he did indeed follow him, he was revealing that true devotion may involve privation. Jesus Christ had become homeless for our sakes, and many missionaries have been called – at least temporarily – to do the same, and have left their homes and all forms of security behind. 9:59 Jesus said to another, "Follow me." But he replied, "Lord, first let me go and bury my father." When Jesus called another person to follow him, they were not ready to do so immediately, but wanted to attend the burial of their father first. In other words this person put off their commitment and so was not prepared to commit themselves fully to following the Lord. 9:60 But Jesus said to him, "Let the dead bury their own dead, but as for you, go and proclaim the kingdom of God." It was not the intention of Jesus in this reply to be disrespectful to the burial of the dead. Rather, his call to proclaim the kingdom of God had to come first over everything. The burial of the dead was important but it was to be put in its right place – not as important as full commitment to Jesus Christ (Matt. 10:37-39). 9:61-62 Yet another said, "I will follow you, Lord, but first let me say goodbye to my family." Jesus said to him, "No one who puts his hand to the plow and looks back is fit for the kingdom of God." Another person came to Jesus and said that he would follow him after he had goodbye to those at his home. These incidents have been arranged by Luke in order to highlight the cost of discipleship. It is not that family is unimportant, but that if one is called to work for Jesus but then leaves off and turns back for whatever reason is not fit for the kingdom of God. Note that all those whom Jesus spoke to in this section wanted to follow him but imposed their own conditions. Following Jesus can only be done under his conditions. This is what full commitment means. © Derek Williams & Mathew Bartlett 2014. Bible Studies Online UK www.biblestudiesonline.org.uk You may copy, print or distribute our studies freely in any form, just so long as you make no charges. Sign up today for our FREE monthly Bible study magazine “Living Word” Scriptures taken from the NET Bible www.bible.org