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And it happened, as He was alone praying, that His disciples joined Him, and He asked them, saying, "Who do the crowds say that I am?" So they answered and said, "John the Baptist, but some say Elijah; and others say that one of the old prophets has risen again." He said to them, "But who do you say that I am?" Peter answered and said, "The Christ of God."And He strictly warned and commanded them to tell this to no one, 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 the third day."Then He said to them all, "If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow Me. For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will save it. For what profit is it to a man if he gains the whole world, and is himself destroyed or lost? For whoever is ashamed of Me and My words, of him the Son of Man will be ashamed when He comes in His own glory, and in His Father's, and of the holy angels. But I tell you truly, there are some standing here who shall not taste death till they see the kingdom of God."- Luke 9:18–27
On Saturday, we read that Jesus called His twelve disciples
together and gave them power and authority over all demons, and to cure
diseases. He sent them to preach the kingdom of God and to heal the
sick. And He said to them, "Take nothing for the journey, neither
staffs nor bag nor bread nor money; and do not have two tunics apiece.
Whatever house you enter, stay there, and from there depart. And
whoever will not receive you, when you go out of that city, shake off
the very dust from your feet as a testimony against them." So they
departed and went through the towns, preaching the gospel and healing
everywhere. Now
Herod the tetrarch heard of all that was done by Him; and he was
perplexed, because it was said by some that John had risen from the
dead, and by some that Elijah had appeared, and by others that one of
the old prophets had risen again. Herod said, "John I have beheaded,
but who is this of whom I hear such things?" So he sought to see Him. And
the apostles, when they had returned, told Him all that they had done.
Then He took them and went aside privately into a deserted place
belonging to the city called Bethsaida. But when the multitudes knew
it, they followed Him; and He received them and spoke to them about the
kingdom of God, and healed those who had need of healing. When the day
began to wear away, the twelve came and said to Him, "Send the multitude
away, that they may go into the surrounding towns and country, and
lodge and get provisions; for we are in a deserted place here." But He
said to them, "You give them something to eat." And they said, "We have
no more than five loaves and two fish, unless we go and buy food for
all these people." For there were about five thousand men. Then He
said to His disciples, "Make them sit down in groups of fifty." And
they did so, and made them all sit down. Then He took the five loaves
and the two fish, and looking up to heaven, He blessed and broke them,
and gave them to the disciples to set before the multitude. So they all ate and were filled, and twelve baskets of the leftover fragments were taken up by them.
And it happened, as He was alone praying, that His disciples joined
Him, and He asked them, saying, "Who do the crowds say that I am?" So
they answered and said, "John the Baptist, but some say Elijah; and
others say that one of the old prophets has risen again." My study Bible comments here that, as in every generation, what the crowds have to say about Jesus is usually unpredictable and misguided.
He said to them, "But who do you say that I am?" Peter answered and said, "The Christ of God." My study Bible notes that who do you say that I am? is the ultimate question in Scripture and in all theology. How this question is answered will define the universe. Christ (in Hebrew, Messiah) means "Anointed One." This declaration of Peter that Jesus is the Christ of God is a revelation that Jesus is not simply another anointed king or prophet, but in fact the long-awaited Savior.
And He strictly warned and commanded them to tell this to no one,
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 the
third day." Why does Christ wish to keep His identity a secret? My study Bible comments that He wishes to avoid popular political and theological misunderstandings. Only after His Passion and Resurrection can His identity as Messiah be properly understood. My study Bible adds to this reason the growing hostility of the religious leadership; the people's belief that the Messiah will be an earthly, political leader; and that Christ's desire is to evoke genuine faith not based solely on marvelous signs. Jesus' words hearken to Isaiah's prophecy of the Suffering Servant, including the mission to the Gentiles (see Isaiah 42:1-4).
Then He said to them all, "If anyone desires to come after Me, let him
deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow Me. For whoever
desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My
sake will save it. For what profit is it to a man if he gains the
whole world, and is himself destroyed or lost? For whoever is ashamed
of Me and My words, of him the Son of Man will be ashamed when He comes
in His own glory, and in His Father's, and of the holy angels." My study Bible asks that we note two things. First, that each person must take up one's own cross. The burden in this world is different for each person, for each has been chosen by God to bear certain struggles for one's salvation and for the salvation of those around oneself. Second, our cross is to be taken up daily. Commitment to following Christ is not simply a one-time event. It is, in fact, the continual practice of faith and obedience, even to the point of being shamed and persecuted by the world.
"But I tell you truly, there are some standing here who shall not taste death till they see the kingdom of God." My study Bible calls this verse a reference to those who will witness the Transfiguration (in Friday's reading, Luke 9:28-36), as well as to those in each generation who experience the presence of God's Kingdom.
The emphasis found on our last verse by my study Bible seems to be very important at this time. It's essential that we understand the responsibility for this experience and the living out of faith that falls on each generation. The presence of the kingdom of God is an important experience and understanding. We might feel this presence "where two or three are gathered together" (Matthew 18:20), and so we learn that kind of fellowship that is present in such circumstances. It is a subtle experience, that might make itself understood only after the gathering and in retrospect, but so often there is a hidden current running through such times that make them special. Upon reflection, we find insights that come from inside the group or the meeting that don't happen elsewhere. We can find this with Bible Study circles as well, in which important questions are asked and answered, and there is a group experience of a hidden thread of common experience that feeds each one somehow -- each with one's own life experiences, and one's own answer. Often it is in the practice of worship that we will find "quiet moments" although we are in the midst of many people, and a transforming type of energy gives insight, or space to reflect and accept what we never manage to otherwise, even alone with no one else present. These are common, subtle experiences of the presence of the Kingdom with us. It is important that we recognize such things when they occur for us in our lives, because each experience is a testimony to that presence, and serves us as a foundation for forward movement, deepening faith, and our own testimonies we may wish to give to people and so share the gospel message. The emphasis my study Bible places on each generation is important, because while we can rely on "the Church" and all the myriad ways we see efforts to evangelize, and ever-expanding translations of the Bible and biblical literature that publishers will place on the market, ultimately the Church rests upon each one of us to carry on, and carry into the world in every generation. There will never be a substitute for this, nor a doctrine promoted that substitutes, nor even a book published that does the same. This is because the presence of God is something that gives life to everything else, and without that reality somewhere in our vocabulary of life, we're not going to understand the Gospels or the Bible anyway. This is not an abstract exercise, and Jesus did not give us purely theoretical concepts to think about and judge. He gave us commandments, most notably the "new commandment" to love one another. For it is that love that really forms the Church, makes it real, makes it work in our lives, and helps us to share it with others. There is no substitute for this. Jesus was asked what the greatest commandment was, and He gave two as His answer: to love God with all one's heart and soul and strength, and to love neighbor as oneself. In Luke's Gospel, we will read a version of this question and answer in which Jesus is also asked, "Who is my neighbor?" as a follow up question. He then responds with the parable of the Good Samaritan, found only in Luke's Gospel (see Luke 10:25-37). These "greatest commandments," and also the parable, affirm for us the importance of faith as based in living, in action. If we follow Christ's command to love one another, then we find that our lives are equipped with something that all the slogans and doctrines and theories in the world cannot give, and that is love. Our Scriptures tell us that God is love (1 John 4:8), and so we may conclude that where two are three are gathered in the name of Christ. so love is there with us. If we are truly living our faith, this is what we will find that binds us, giving a sense of what we can give and share with others, even if we feel our own resources are scarce, for this is truly what the parable of the Good Samaritan teaches us. We will find that we have something that is a part of us that we won't find elsewhere, and that is love. It is in this linked sense in which we deny ourselves, and take up our cross daily, as Jesus teaches. For the practice of love is about giving, and in so doing we strangely gain. We find that our lives our saved by "losing" and then "finding" ourselves in this sense. Christ's commandments are commandments of love, and the living of love. It is a power that supersedes all others, because nothing else is like it.
