Luke 9:37-42
The Results
Through the first half of chapter 9, our Lord had been moving the
disciples from the sidelines of being a spectator to the gridiron of
being a participant. It was time for them to stop watching the
ministry and to start doing the ministry. It was time for them that
they stop learning and start teaching. In short, it was time for them
to "get it, get in, and to get with" the ministry.
But how were they doing? Were they "getting it?" Before I answer
that, let’s get a more accurate idea of the disciples’ condition.
I. They were in a position to have their understanding and ministry
greatly enhanced.
A. They were with Jesus.
1. God was personally, physically with them.
2. That’s important. Not since Adam and Eve in the Garden
has God ever been so WITH humans.
a. God supervised their teaching, lifestyles, and
ministry.
b. God walked with them, talked with them, ate with them,
slept with them.
c. God answered their questions and taught them lessons.
3. If there was ever a ministry-enhancer, it would have to be
having Jesus there.
B. Yet, God was not yet IN them.
1. The Holy Ghost, had not come—at least not in power—to
anoint and fill the disciples.
2. Having God WITH us is a wonderful privilege and blessing
but it is not the same as having God IN us.
3. When it comes to spiritual truth it is not just about what
the ears hear but also about what the spirit perceives.
C. With that in mind, what were the results of Jesus’ teaching
and enabling so far?
II. The disciples were NOT getting it.
A. The disciples failed to understand the identity of Jesus.
came to do, or what their ministry was to be.
1. That is not mere speculation but observation.
2. Notice the Scriptures.
Luke 9:20 …the Christ of God.
Luke 9:33 …and let us make three tabernacles…."
B. The disciples failed to understand the devotion that would be
needed.
1. Three of the disciples were on the mountain with Jesus but
look at what was happening to the other nine down in the
valley.
2. \\#37\\ Jesus, James, John, and Peter come down the
mountain to find the other nine could not cast a demon
out of a child.
3. Luke recorded Jesus rebuking the entire generation for
this miracle failure.
Luke 9:41 And Jesus answering said, O faithless
and perverse generation, how long shall I be
with you, and suffer you? Bring thy son hither.
a. Jesus was not talking directly to the disciples but
the people in Israel in that day.
(1) The rebuke was that the people of that day were
"faithless" and "perverse."
(2) Faithless meaning that the people did not believe
spiritual truth.
(3) Perverse meaning they were distorted; they
misinterpreted truth; they were corrupt.
b. Why would Jesus rebuke the people when it was the
who disciples could not cast out a demon?
(1) Logic would dictate that the people were at least
partially at fault.
(a) Why?
(b) Because they were a wicked and spiritually
weak people.
(2) A lesson - The more wicked and spiritually weak
a generation of people are, the more difficult
it will be to do the work of God.
(3) The life of Jesus demonstrated that too.
Matt 13:58 And he (Jesus) did not many mighty
works there (Nazareth) because of their unbelief.
(a) The people there were spiritually weak
(refusing to believe in Jesus) and wicked
(at one time, wanting to throw Jesus off a
cliff) so that even Jesus did not do many
miracles there.
i. For Jesus, it was not a lack of ability
but a lack of desire!
ii. But for the disciples, a weak and wicked
people limited their ability.
(b) The Christian walk of the 1960’s is not going
to get in the 21st century.
i. We cannot live like the last generation
if we want the power to help this
generation.
ii. A more evil people requires a more
god-like saint.
Eze 14:14 Though these three men, Noah, Daniel,
and Job, were in it, they should deliver but
their own souls by their righteousness, saith
the Lord GOD.
4. But in a parallel passage, the disciples wanted to know
more why THEY could not cast out that demon.
a. Jesus answered:
Matt 17:21 Howbeit this kind goeth not out but
by prayer and fasting.
b. In the context, I am not certain if Jesus was referring
to "this kind" of faith or "this kind" of power, but
whichever it was, the cure was and is more prayer and
fasting.
c. To acquire power for that kind of a battle in that
kind of a day, would require more devotion to the
things of Christ than the disciples had paid as of
yet.
(1) I see this truth revealed and I am convicted and
ashamed at how many times I have wondered if it
were God or me.
(2) Friend, it has always been me and if there is a
lack of power, it will always be us.
(3) Like the disciples, we may be a better than
average group of people and we may be around
Jesus quite a bit, but we do not understand who
Jesus really is or how much devotion will be
required for us to do the work of God in this
generation.
C. The disciples failed to understand the price to be paid.
Luke 9:43 And they were all amazed at the mighty
power of God. But while they wondered every one
at all things which Jesus did, he said unto his
disciples,
44 Let these sayings sink down into your ears:
for the Son of man shall be delivered into the
hands of men.
45 But they understood not this saying, and it
was hid from them, that they perceived it not:
and they feared to ask him of that saying.
1. Even while the disciples looked in amazement at what Jesus
did, they could not understand what He would sacrifice
when He arrived at Jerusalem.
2. Jesus had just told the disciples this same truth a few
verses before:
Luke 9:22 Saying, The Son of man must suffer
many things, and be rejected of the elders and
chief priests and scribes, and be slain, and be
raised the third day.
3. Why tell them again now?
a. Because they were getting closer and closer to that
event taking place.
b. Because the disciples have not gotten ahold of that
truth yet!
4. In fact, these verse tie the amazement of the disciples
to the their lack of comprehending what was about to
happen to Jesus.
a. Why?
b. Perhaps it was because the disciples were going to
have a difficult time understanding how anything as
horrible as the crucifixion could have happened to
Someone as powerful as Jesus.
c. He casts out demons. He raised the dead. He opens
the eyes of the blind. How could anyone lay hands on
this Man and crucify Him?
5. They failed to understand that Jesus’ death was the price
for sin that had to be paid.
D. The disciples failed to understand the humility required.
Luke 9:46 Then there arose a reasoning among
them, which of them should be greatest.
47 And Jesus, perceiving the thought of their
heart, took a child, and set him by him,
48 And said unto them, Whosoever shall receive
this child in my name receiveth me: and
whosoever shall receive me receiveth him that
sent me: for he that is least among you all, the
same shall be great.
1. Each time I read of the disciples’ behavior I stand
amazed and ashamed.
a. Jesus was going to the cross to die and they were
debating about which of them would be head disciple.
b. Has anyone ever missed the humility of being a true
disciple of Jesus more?
(1) I am sad to say yes.
(2) I have on many occasions.
2. To help the disciples to understand this, the night He was
arrested, Jesus will put on a towel, gather a basin with
water, and wash the disciples feet.
3. But then like here they will not understand it. They will
not grasp it.
4. They will fail to comprehend the servant’s attitude that
is required for discipleship.
E. The disciples failed to understand the differences allowed.
Luke 9:49 And John answered and said, Master, we
saw one casting out devils in thy name; and we
forbad him, because he followeth not with us.
50 And Jesus said unto him, Forbid him not: for
he that is not against us is for us.
1. Notice that this was John the disciple speaking.
a. I think we get confused about the disciples names.
(1) There were two James and two Judas, but there was
only one John.
(2) John is often called the loving apostle because
he had such a loving heart.
(3) However, that is John the finished product while
here we are seeing John in the rough.
b. John the loving Apostle was saying, "I saw this guy
who had the same message as ours but he was not a
part of our group so I told him to hush."
(1) I suppose John thought he would get an "atta boy"
from Jesus, but he did not.
(2) Instead he was told, "If he is not against us, he
is for us."
2. What does that mean? It means everyone does not have to
belong to our club house to play the game.
a. The body of Christ is bigger than club I belong to.
b. That is hard to accept because we all believe we are
right and everybody should be as right as we are.
c. If we did not believe we were right, we would change.
d. And we believe that since they are not right, they
ought to change.
3. There are some things over which we should separate, but
there are also a lot of things over which we should not.
4. John will learn this but right at this point, he does not
get it.
Let me close with a thought from this text. You can be a good person
and even be around God and His Son and still not get the important
things of God. This passage tells us of 12 that were just like that.
What we also need to be a disciple of Jesus Christ is the filling of
God’s Holy Spirit. Without Him, we won’t get.
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