Who is Jesus?
Notes
Transcript
For the past several weeks, we have been reading where everywhere Jesus goes, people have been asking the question, who is this man Jesus? When He calmed the storms, who is this man that even the winds and waves obey Him. When He cast the demons out, who is this man that even the spirits listen to Him and do what He says. When He touches someone and says your sins are forgiven, who is this man that takes away the sins of those He touches. And today, we look at this question that Jesus Himself poses to His disciples.
Turn in your bibles to Luke 9. We will begin reading at verse 18.
Before I read this passage, let me set this up for you. When Jesus finished feeding the 5000, according to John 6:14-15
14 After the people saw the sign Jesus performed, they began to say, “Surely this is the Prophet who is to come into the world.”
15 Jesus, knowing that they intended to come and make him king by force, withdrew again to a mountain by himself.
The people saw the miracles that Jesus was performing and wanted to take Him away and make Him king and Jesus knew that it wasn’t His time to bear a crown, but it was His time to bear a cross and so He took His disciples and went to a region that was 25 miles north from where they were. This location is very important for us to understand. Everyone that was with Jesus understood what this region was about.
This region was known as Caesarea-Philippi. It is located at the foot of Mt Hermon, on the main source of the river Jordan. This is the place where fresh water would flow in. It was considered the source of life or living water.
It is also at this place that in later years, archaeologists found the remains of 14 different temples. This is the place that Baal worship took place. If you remember this mentioned in Old Testament time, Baal was the deity worshipped then. The Greeks worshipped their god Pan here. Herod the Great built a marble temple to Augustus Caesar here. All this information is important for you to know when you read the question that Jesus asks in our text.
18 Once when Jesus was praying in private and his disciples were with him, he asked them, “Who do the crowds say I am?”
19 They replied, “Some say John the Baptist; others say Elijah; and still others, that one of the prophets of long ago has come back to life.”
20 “But what about you?” he asked. “Who do you say I am?” Peter answered, “God’s Messiah.”
Peter was a person that was known for putting his foot in his mouth, but this time he gets it right. When Jesus asked Peter, “Who do you say I am?” Peter answered, “God’s Messiah.”
What Peter is saying is Jesus is the Deliverer for whom the people of God had been looking for so long. As believers, we must understand that Jesus is not the messenger; He is the message.
Do you see the importance of why Jesus took them to this spot? The spot where all other deities had been worshipped.
Jesus wanted to make sure that the disciples understood that Jesus wasn’t just another prophet. He wasn’t just another Saint from old. He was more than them. He was greater than them. And they understood that He was Messiah. He is the Christ. He is the Anointed One sent by God to deliver His people. He is the new Moses. The one sent to deliver God’s people and give a permanent exile from sin. And it is only through Jesus that you and I can be set free.
21 Jesus strictly warned them not to tell this to anyone.
22 And he said, “The Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders, the chief priests and the teachers of the law, and he must be killed and on the third day be raised to life.”
So, Jesus just finishes making sure that they understand that He is the Messiah. And then Jesus lays a bomb on them. It was as if the floor just dropped out on them. One minute they were excited that Jesus was the Messiah they had been looking for and the next minute, boom! Jesus was telling them that He was going to have to die.
This was devastating. In their minds Jesus was going to conquer and establish His kingdom. They would no longer be under the oppressive rule of Rome, but Jesus the Messiah was here and He was going to establish His kingdom, but then Jesus tells them that He has to die. That was their plans. They didn’t fully understand what all of this meant, just yet.
23 Then he said to them all: “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow me.
24 For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me will save it.
25 What good is it for someone to gain the whole world, and yet lose or forfeit their very self?
26 Whoever is ashamed of me and my words, the Son of Man will be ashamed of them when he comes in his glory and in the glory of the Father and of the holy angels.
27 “Truly I tell you, some who are standing here will not taste death before they see the kingdom of God.”
Do any of you have a cross or a picture of a cross hanging in your home? Of course, almost all of us do. Some of you may have it hanging around your neck. If time travel were possible and someone from Jesus time were to travel to the year 2024 and see a cross hanging around your neck they would thing we were morbid people. It would be like you wearing an electric chair around your neck today. The cross was a very brutal means of execution during Jesus’ time. For Jesus, it would represent shame and humiliation.
Remember, Jesus had just told them that He was going to die and now He is telling them, if you want to be my disciple, then you must do what I do.
Do you remember the game we use to play as a kid? We would play the game follow the leader. You would have to do whatever the first person did. Jesus is essentially telling us that if we want to be disciples of Christ then we must follow Christ.
When you decide to become a Jesus “follower”, it is not an individualistic walk with Christ in which we decide the path we wish to take and do whatever we like. You are deciding to follow Christ’s path and you are deciding to imitate Christ.
Once we have made the decision to follow Christ and be His disciple, there is a three step road to discipleship.
1. Deny Yourself
1. Deny Yourself
When you become a disciple of Christ, it is no longer about what you want to do.
Verse 24 gives us the formula of denying self.
24 For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me will save it.
In order to save one’s life you must “lose” or surrender your life. You refuse to allow the “self” to control your life.
N.T. Wright says, “Jesus’ identity and his vocation are tied so tightly together that if you want to have anything to do with him you have to take the whole package or nothing at all. There are no half measures in the kingdom of God.”
N.T. Wright says, “Jesus’ identity and his vocation are tied so tightly together that if you want to have anything to do with him you have to take the whole package or nothing at all. There are no half measures in the kingdom of God.”
When you decide to be a disciple of Jesus you decide to go all in. You cannot be a disciple of Jesus and just go half way. The second step is…
2. Take Up Your Cross Daily
2. Take Up Your Cross Daily
Let me make a point here. Listen closely! When you decide to be a disciple of Christ you are deciding to take up your cross daily. This means every day for the rest of your life.
The image that we get is a person going to be crucified would carry the cross beam of the cross to the execution site. It signifies that you are already dead. There is no double meaning here, it reinforces the meaning of the first requirement of dying to self. When you take up your cross daily, you are claiming to die for Christ if need be. When we follow Jesus, we embark on a road of rejection and hardship. Paul says it this way.
10 I want to know Christ—yes, to know the power of his resurrection and participation in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death,
How well do you want to know Christ?
3. Follow Him
3. Follow Him
We are not free to make our own way and devise our own plan. In order to be a Christ follower you have to live a life of servanthood and sacrifice as He did.
The word “follow” here in the Greek is akoloutheō. It is a behavior. To behave in accordance with or in agreement with.
We sing the song, I have decided to follow Jesus, no turning back. It is more than just a prayer and then that’s all I have to do. There is a change that takes place after you make the decision to follow Jesus.
Then Luke’s Gospel picks up a week later.
28 About eight days after Jesus said this, he took Peter, John and James with him and went up onto a mountain to pray.
29 As he was praying, the appearance of his face changed, and his clothes became as bright as a flash of lightning.
30 Two men, Moses and Elijah, appeared in glorious splendor, talking with Jesus.
31 They spoke about his departure, which he was about to bring to fulfillment at Jerusalem.
32 Peter and his companions were very sleepy, but when they became fully awake, they saw his glory and the two men standing with him.
33 As the men were leaving Jesus, Peter said to him, “Master, it is good for us to be here. Let us put up three shelters—one for you, one for Moses and one for Elijah.” (He did not know what he was saying.)
34 While he was speaking, a cloud appeared and covered them, and they were afraid as they entered the cloud.
35 A voice came from the cloud, saying, “This is my Son, whom I have chosen; listen to him.”
36 When the voice had spoken, they found that Jesus was alone. The disciples kept this to themselves and did not tell anyone at that time what they had seen.
This story is what we know as the mount of transfiguration. Jesus takes with Him His inner circle, the three, Peter, James and John. They go up the mountain to pray. While they are on top of the mountain, two other men appear, it is Moses and Elijah. They discuss with Jesus about His soon departure.
So, why was Moses and Elijah there with Jesus?
Both of these men during their ministry on earth met with God on a mountain. Both of these men had departed the earth in an unusual way, Elijah was taken up into Heaven in a whirlwind and Moses was buried by the Lord. These men represented God’s plan of salvation across the ages. Moses represented the Law, or the Old Covenant. He wrote the first 5 books of the Old Testament and had predicted the coming of a great prophet. Elijah represented the prophets who had foretold the coming of the Messiah. It was on this mountain that these men were speaking of how Jesus was about to fulfill God’s plan by dying in Jerusalem. Jesus’ death would accomplish true freedom for all people who believe in Him. This would all take place according to God’s plan.
At some point during the prayer, the disciples fall asleep. They are awakened by this commotion that takes place. And just as Peter said something great a few days ago, here Peter is saying something stupid again. Of course, Luke points out that he did not know what he was saying. God comes in a cloud of glory and says, “This is my Son, whom I have chosen; listen to Him.”
In other words, do not place these other two men on the same pedestal as my son. Jesus is above all. He is the chosen One. He is the Messiah. If you remember this is the second time that God has declared this. He also said this at the Baptism.
The theme is continuing today. This man is Jesus. Jesus asked them the question a few days ago. Who do you say I am? Peter, God’s Messiah. Then, if there was any question, God done squashed that by saying, “this is my Son, whom I have chosen; listen to Him.”
In other words you don’t have to guess who He is because I am telling you who He is. Jesus is the king of kings and Lord of Lords. He is our ruler. There is no king on this earth that can touch. There is no deity ever in history that is above Jesus. He is the only king to die and rise again. He is greater than buddha. He is greater than Muhammad. He is the first and the last. His name is Jesus.
Then they come down from the mountain. Look at verse 37.
37 The next day, when they came down from the mountain, a large crowd met him.
38 A man in the crowd called out, “Teacher, I beg you to look at my son, for he is my only child.
39 A spirit seizes him and he suddenly screams; it throws him into convulsions so that he foams at the mouth. It scarcely ever leaves him and is destroying him.
40 I begged your disciples to drive it out, but they could not.”
41 “You unbelieving and perverse generation,” Jesus replied, “how long shall I stay with you and put up with you? Bring your son here.”
42 Even while the boy was coming, the demon threw him to the ground in a convulsion. But Jesus rebuked the impure spirit, healed the boy and gave him back to his father.
43 And they were all amazed at the greatness of God. While everyone was marveling at all that Jesus did, he said to his disciples,
I believe that Luke uses this story after the Transfiguration to show the ignorance and unbelief of the disciples because it was the same issue that God had spoken about on the mountain. There was no reason for the disciples to be defeated by any demon; all they needed to do was to believe in Jesus and dedicate themselves to prayer.
The same authority that Jesus had, it has been given to you. You don’t have to let the enemy defeat you. Just believe in the name of Jesus and every demon in hell has to flee.
44 “Listen carefully to what I am about to tell you: The Son of Man is going to be delivered into the hands of men.”
45 But they did not understand what this meant. It was hidden from them, so that they did not grasp it, and they were afraid to ask him about it.
46 An argument started among the disciples as to which of them would be the greatest.
47 Jesus, knowing their thoughts, took a little child and had him stand beside him.
48 Then he said to them, “Whoever welcomes this little child in my name welcomes me; and whoever welcomes me welcomes the one who sent me. For it is the one who is least among you all who is the greatest.”
49 “Master,” said John, “we saw someone driving out demons in your name and we tried to stop him, because he is not one of us.”
50 “Do not stop him,” Jesus said, “for whoever is not against you is for you.”
So here, Jesus is once again reminding them of His upcoming death. They still don’t understand it though because they are concerned with what they think will be Him establishing His earthly Kingdom. They are on cloud nine right now. People are happy with all the miracles that Jesus is doing. They are amazed and in the disciples minds they are thinking about the kingdom being established and who will get the greatest position in the new kingdom.
Jesus uses a child to illustrate greatest in the kingdom because children were considered second-class citizens. So, Jesus was telling them to become like children.
I want to close this morning with this last part. As I read this I would like the worship team to come back and get ready for one more song. Look at verse 51.
51 As the time approached for him to be taken up to heaven, Jesus resolutely set out for Jerusalem.
52 And he sent messengers on ahead, who went into a Samaritan village to get things ready for him;
53 but the people there did not welcome him, because he was heading for Jerusalem.
54 When the disciples James and John saw this, they asked, “Lord, do you want us to call fire down from heaven to destroy them?”
55 But Jesus turned and rebuked them.
56 Then he and his disciples went to another village.
57 As they were walking along the road, a man said to him, “I will follow you wherever you go.”
58 Jesus replied, “Foxes have dens and birds have nests, but the Son of Man has no place to lay his head.”
59 He said to another man, “Follow me.” But he replied, “Lord, first let me go and bury my father.”
60 Jesus said to him, “Let the dead bury their own dead, but you go and proclaim the kingdom of God.”
61 Still another said, “I will follow you, Lord; but first let me go back and say goodbye to my family.”
62 Jesus replied, “No one who puts a hand to the plow and looks back is fit for service in the kingdom of God.”
It is at this point that we are continuing to read about Jesus heading back to Jerusalem. He knows that His time is coming to an end. He is preparing Himself for what is to come.
He is going from Galilee to Jerusalem, so He has to travel south. Samaria lay between Galilee and Judea and so He would have to travel through that area. Jesus had sent people ahead to prepare for his arrival in Samaria, but because of the animosity between the Jews and the Samaritans, the people in the Samaritan village refused to welcome Him. This makes James and John furious. And so they ask Jesus if He wanted them to call down fire from Heaven and burn them up. And Jesus rebukes them. So, they decide to go a different way. And it is along this different route that I want to finish with today.
In this entire passage that I have read to you today, we read that there is a cost to follow the Messiah. We must leave everything behind in order to follow Jesus. We must put everything behind and decide to do what God wants us to do.
One guy approaches Jesus and says, “I will follow you wherever you go.” Jesus response is I have nothing. In other words, “I don’t have any possessions.” I have no house. I sleep from town to town.
The second man is someone that Jesus approaches and the man says he wants to go and bury his father first. There is no definite time that his father has died. He just wants to wait before he makes the decision to follow Christ.
And the third one says, “I will follow you, but first let me go back and say goodbye to my family.”
And Jesus uses an illustration here. He says…
62 Jesus replied, “No one who puts a hand to the plow and looks back is fit for service in the kingdom of God.”
This is compared with Elijah’s call of Elisha in 1 Kings 19:19-21
19 So Elijah went from there and found Elisha son of Shaphat. He was plowing with twelve yoke of oxen, and he himself was driving the twelfth pair. Elijah went up to him and threw his cloak around him.
20 Elisha then left his oxen and ran after Elijah. “Let me kiss my father and mother goodbye,” he said, “and then I will come with you.” “Go back,” Elijah replied. “What have I done to you?”
21 So Elisha left him and went back. He took his yoke of oxen and slaughtered them. He burned the plowing equipment to cook the meat and gave it to the people, and they ate. Then he set out to follow Elijah and became his servant.
Elisha was called to be a prophet right in the middle of plowing a field and he never looked back. In fact, he slaughtered the oxen so that there would be no temptation to return. Elisha then moved wholeheartedly into the ministry to which he had been called.
Jesus was letting them know that service in the Kingdom of God was of such vital importance that his followers must make it their top priority. They must step out in faith to serve Him, without looking back.
There should be nothing that distracts us from our service in the kingdom of God. God is calling you this morning to step out and follow Him. If you don’t know Jesus as your Savior, let me encourage you this morning to make Him your savior. Follow Jesus wherever He goes.
I want us to sing a song this morning. As we sing this song, I want you to join me here around the altar. I want this song to be your prayer.