The Disciples Dilemma Luke 9:37-45
Notes
Transcript
Scripture:
Scripture:
Please find your way to Luke 9:37-45 in your copy of God’s word along with me this morning. (Pg. 815 Church Bible)
37 On the next day, when they had come down from the mountain, a great crowd met him.
38 And behold, a man from the crowd cried out, “Teacher, I beg you to look at my son, for he is my only child.
39 And behold, a spirit seizes him, and he suddenly cries out. It convulses him so that he foams at the mouth, and shatters him, and will hardly leave him.
40 And I begged your disciples to cast it out, but they could not.”
41 Jesus answered, “O faithless and twisted generation, how long am I to be with you and bear with you? Bring your son here.”
42 While he was coming, the demon threw him to the ground and convulsed him. But Jesus rebuked the unclean spirit and healed the boy, and gave him back to his father.
43 And all were astonished at the majesty of God. But while they were all marveling at everything he was doing, Jesus said to his disciples,
44 “Let these words sink into your ears: The Son of Man is about to be delivered into the hands of men.”
45 But they did not understand this saying, and it was concealed from them, so that they might not perceive it. And they were afraid to ask him about this saying.
Introduction:
Introduction:
Our passage opens up this morning the day after the events of the transfiguration (found in the previous verses) as Jesus, Peter, James, and John were descending from the mountain where they had spent the night. As Jesus comes down, he is met by a rather tumultous crowd waiting for him below.
Mark’s account of this event explains for us a bit more than Luke as to what was going on
Mark 9:14–16 (ESV)
14 And when they came to the disciples, they saw a great crowd around them, and scribes arguing with them…16 And he asked them, “What are you arguing about with them?”
The crowd, which included 9 of Jesus apostles and scribes (talk about them a bit) were loud becuase they were arguing.
What was it they were arguing about, v.38-40 tell us.
This poor man had brought his only son to Jesus apostles because his son was demon possessed.
39 And behold, a spirit seizes him, and he suddenly cries out. It convulses him so that he foams at the mouth, and shatters him, and will hardly leave him.
15 said, “Lord, have mercy on my son, for he has seizures and he suffers terribly. For often he falls into the fire, and often into the water.
17 And someone from the crowd answered him, “Teacher, I brought my son to you, for he has a spirit that makes him mute. 18 And whenever it seizes him, it throws him down, and he foams and grinds his teeth and becomes rigid. So I asked your disciples to cast it out, and they were not able.”
The problem was, though the Apostles had been given authority by Jesus to be able to such things as cast out demons, they couldnt help this boy no matter how hard they tried. The scribes then pounced on this in an effort to discredit Jesus and his apostles as frauds.
Now, this desperate father sees Jesus, runs up and cries Luke 9:38
Luke 9:38-40(ESV)
38 …“Teacher, I beg you to look at my son, for he is my only child… 40 And I begged your disciples to cast it out, but they could not.”
Jesus then , as the demon makes one final attempt to destroy the boys life, cast out the demon.
The disciples had a major dilemma, they were supposed to be able to do this, they were supposed to be able to perceive spiritual things, but they just couldn't.
What was it that caused their dilemma to be so great. I think there are three observations from the text that show where the 9 were lacking and by comparison where we often fall so dreadfully short in our christian lives as well.
The apostles were plagued by:
Faithlessness. (v.41)
Powerlessness (v.42-43a)
Dullness. (v.43b-45)
1.) The dilemma of faithlessness . (v.41)
1.) The dilemma of faithlessness . (v.41)
Jesus rebuke though not only directed at the apostles (he addressed the whole generation of people), was that they lacked faith.
Faithless- disbelieving; being without faith, being out of faith, not keeping the faith, unbelieving.
Twisted- to distort, to turn aside or away, to be torn in two, to be corrupted or perverse.
The failure of the apostles was not in that they didn't try to cast out the demon, they did try. Probably over and over. Maybe all nine of them tried. They probably had even said some of the same things they had heard Jesus say and that they themselves had said casting out other Demons when Jesus sent them out earlier in Luke 9. But, unlike the last times, it didn't work.
Why?
Matthews account of this day actually records the apostles asking Jesus why,
Matthew 17:19–20 (ESV)
19 Then the disciples came to Jesus privately and said, “Why could we not cast it out?”
20 He said to them, “Because of your little faith…”
It is because they had moved and twisted their faith away from God and into their own ability.
They didnt lack authority, ability, or experience in casting out demons, they lacked faith to deal with this exceptionally powerful demon.
How do we know they lacked faith?
29 And he said to them, “This kind cannot be driven out by anything but prayer.”
20 He said to them, “Because of your little faith. For truly, I say to you, if you have faith like a grain of mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move, and nothing will be impossible for you.”
The number one sign that we lack faith in God’s ability to help us through any situation is that we fail to pray. We don’t pray, because we think we don’t need his help and can handle it on our own.
All they needed to do, was believe and pray for help and they didn't.
Faith dies through lack of prayer.
Unknown
These men who had walked with Jesus for nearly three years, and seen miracle after miracle now were being plagued by the unbelief in God’s ability that plagued the entire generation.
You can’t pump up faith out of your own heart. Whenever faith is starved in your soul, it is because you are not in contact with Jesus; get in contact with him, and lack of faith will go in two seconds.
Oswald Chambers
Friends the less time we spend in the presence of the Lord, the more prone we are to unbelief and acting in our unbelief.
2.) The dilemma of powerlessness. (v.42-43)
2.) The dilemma of powerlessness. (v.42-43)
The nine disciples who were not on the mountain with Jesus were powerless to help this man’s son, despite the boys desperate need of deliverance.
The problem wasn’t that the Lord lacked the power to deliver this boy, the problem was that the disciples lack of faith had rendered them powerless.
Jesus simply says to the man “Bring your son here” and Jesus miraculously heals they boy while the demon was actively attacking him.
37 For nothing will be impossible with God.”
38 how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power. He went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with him.
All Jesus had to do was rebuke the spirit and by the power of his word the demon fled in retreat leaving the crowd astonished at the power of Jesus.
Powerlessness in the life of the believer in inexcusable because we have access to the very strength of God.
The disciples powerlessness over this demon was directly connected to their lack of faith.
As believers, we far to often live powerless lives because we don’t believe God can work in us, on us and through us. So we instead try to do things in our own strength.
The crisis of the church is not at its deepest level a crisis of authority or a crisis of dogmatic theology. It is a crisis of powerlessness in which our sole recourse is to call on the help and inward power of the Holy Spirit.
James K. Baxter
3.) The dilemma of dullness. (v.43b-45)
3.) The dilemma of dullness. (v.43b-45)
Seeing this grand display of Jesus power to conquer the demonic and in doing so acquire the praise of the people apprently stirred the apostles thoughts toward the Lord setting up his earthly kingdom.
The Lord knew this and immediately rebuked them.
44 “Let these words sink into your ears: The Son of Man is about to be delivered into the hands of men.”
Delivered- to be ordained, predetermined in the counsel and plan of God.
This is something the apostles just could no seem to grasp, that Christ had come, not to set up an earthly kingdom but to die on a cross for the sin of the people. Luke goes as far to tell us that they didn't understand it because it was concealed from them.
Why was it hidden from them? Because of their own preconceived ideas and inability to perceive spiritual things. They refused to see it. so much so that they didn't even dare ask him about it because they didn't want to know. They were afraid to know.
This shouldnt be odd to us because we much act in the same way.
We know things the Bible says, we know the things the Holy Spirit presses upon our hearts and yet we bury it deep and ignore it. Because, if those things are true, then I need to alter my behavior.
One of the first symptoms of spiritual regression, or backsliding, is a dullness toward the Bible.
Warren W. Wiersbe
We are content being faithless and powerless because we want things to just continue on comfortably the way they always have been. They were content to live faithless and powerless lives.
Conclusion:
Conclusion:
Is that you today?
Do you lack faith?
Are you powerless?
Are you content in that, so much so that it has dulled your senses to what God is doing?