Graduate Studies Series

Luke 9: 49 – 62

Graduate Studies

49 Now John answered and said, “Master, we saw someone casting out demons in Your name, and we forbade him because he does not follow with us.” 50 But Jesus said to him, “Do not forbid him, for he who is not against us is on our side.” 51 Now it came to pass, when the time had come for Him to be received up, that He steadfastly set His face to go to Jerusalem, 52 and sent messengers before His face. And as they went, they entered a village of the Samaritans, to prepare for Him. 53 But they did not receive Him, because His face was set for the journey to Jerusalem. 54 And when His disciples James and John saw this, they said, “Lord, do You want us to command fire to come down from heaven and consume them, just as Elijah did?” 55 But He turned and rebuked them, and said, “You do not know what manner of spirit you are of. 56 For the Son of Man did not come to destroy men’s lives but to save them.” And they went to another village. 57 Now it happened as they journeyed on the road, that someone said to Him, “Lord, I will follow You wherever You go.” 58 And Jesus said to him, “Foxes have holes and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay His head.” 59 Then He said to another, “Follow Me.” But he said, “Lord, let me first go and bury my father.” 60 Jesus said to him, “Let the dead bury their own dead, but you go and preach the kingdom of God.” 61 And another also said, “Lord, I will follow You, but let me first go and bid them farewell who are at my house.” 62 But Jesus said to him, “No one, having put his hand to the plow, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God.”

In today’s studies our Wonderful Holy Teacher, our Lord Jesus Christ, Is going to give His disciples some advance courses. In just these 13 verses we are going to see three separate life applications that our Lord wants to drive home to His men. They courses are these;

1. No Monopoly

2. How to handle rejection

3. Professional Expenses

The disciple Mark wrote about situation #1 and Matthew wrote about lesson #3.

Mark 9:38-41, “38 Now John answered Him, saying, “Teacher, we saw someone who does not follow us casting out demons in Your name, and we forbade him because he does not follow us.” 39 But Jesus said, “Do not forbid him, for no one who works a miracle in My name can soon afterward speak evil of Me. 40 For he who is not against us is on our side. 41 For whoever gives you a cup of water to drink in My name, because you belong to Christ, assuredly, I say to you, he will by no means lose his reward.

Matthew 8:18-22, “18 And when Jesus saw great multitudes about Him, He gave a command to depart to the other side. 19 Then a certain scribe came and said to Him, “Teacher, I will follow You wherever You go.” 20 And Jesus said to him, “Foxes have holes and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay His head.” 21 Then another of His disciples said to Him, “Lord, let me first go and bury my father.” 22 But Jesus said to him, “Follow Me, and let the dead bury their own dead.”

Let’s see if you remember our past study without looking at your bibles, ‘what happened’? Well if you answered that the apostles were in heated arguments over who would be the greatest in God’s kingdom you are correct. Also, if you mentioned about the disciples inability to drive a demon out of a boy you are also thinking about what is happening here in verses 49 and 50.

So, can you see how the first couple of verses fit in perfectly with our Lord’s teaching?

49 Now John answered and said, “Master, we saw someone casting out demons in Your name, and we forbade him because he does not follow with us.” 50 But Jesus said to him, “Do not forbid him, for he who is not against us is on our side.”

Our Precious Holy Spirit is So great here. He takes our mistakes and turns them around for us to learn a spiritual truth. You might be saying, ‘How so?’

You remember that while our Lord Jesus Christ was on Mount Harmon displaying His everlasting Glory to Peter, James, and John, back home on the ranch or rather back down the hill the Lord’s other disciples were in heated arguments with religious people because they were unable to cast out a demon from a boy.