I would guess that we are probably similar in that we get so many unwanted calls each day. Somehow, I’ve been getting calls for some group who says they can get me on Social Security Disability. Other times I’ve been on the list for VA loans - except I’m not a veteran. I’ve received calls for solar estimates and estimates for exterior work on my house. I’ve also received calls inviting me to redeem some vacation that I supposedly signed up for years ago - all I have to do is to pay $199 to have my offer extended.
You may be wondering, why do I answer those? Frankly, most of them I reject. Every now and then I answer to make sure it’s not someone in need, someone from town, or some of you in the event that your number might not be in my phone yet.
With so many of these calls, there is the familiar refrain of how my life will be better or my budget bigger or my interest rate lower if only I heed their call. Whether they are well-meaning or just scam artists, these calls tout benefits way more than they do the costs.
But that’s not the way that Jesus works.
If you have your bibles, open them to Luke 9. We’ll be looking at verses 18-27. If you don’t have a bible with you, let me encourage you to use one the bibles in front of you. You can open to something around page 733.
As we’ve been walking through the book of Luke for several months now, we’ve witnessed Jesus doing so many things. From his humble birth in a stable to feeding 5000+ people to healing the sick, raising the dead, giving sight to the blind, and giving dignity to the outcast - Jesus has amassed quite a following and has been gaining some attention in high places - both political and religious high places. He has moved from times of solitude in prayer to intimate times of teaching with his disciples to fellowship and lectures with crowds so large that he could hardly move.
The verses that we are looking at today begin a pivotal shift in the book of Luke. We’ll take a few sessions to work through this shift, but one of the things that we see in this transitional period, is that Jesus is increasing the clarity of what it means to be his disciple. Rather than enticing His listeners with the benefits, He’s going against every marketers inclination and amping up the cost in His call to follow Him. In this passage there are three calls - two for us and one for Jesus.
First of all, we see…
The call to confess Jesus as the Christ (18-20)
This is essentially a call for us to confess or acknowledge who Jesus is.
Luke 9:18–20 ESV
Now it happened that as he was praying alone, the disciples were with him. And he asked them, “Who do the crowds say that I am?” And they answered, “John the Baptist. But others say, Elijah, and others, that one of the prophets of old has risen.” Then he said to them, “But who do you say that I am?” And Peter answered, “The Christ of God.”
The picture that Luke makes of Jesus throughout his gospel is one of a praying Jesus. So again here, Jesus is praying alone, but it seems that His disciples are not far away. Maybe guided by His time of communion with the Father, He asks the disciples about His identity.
In responding on behalf of the crowds, their answer is the very same answer that Herod’s advisors provided when he was perplexed about the identity of Jesus (Luke 9:7-9) - John the Baptist, Elijah, or another prophet.
If you’re a non-Christian here, I hope you’ll understand that this is a crucial question for you! Who is Jesus to you?
Is He some great prophet? Prophets may have said some wonderful things and performed some powerful miracles, but they all lacked the ability to forgive your sins. Often their ministry was one of reminding people of their sinful condition. They called for repentance and a turning back to the ways of God.
If He is more than a prophet, is Jesus a great teacher? Yes, he taught some life-giving truths that can make a difference in your life. I would urge you to follow and obey His teachings, but recognize that no amount of obedience will bring you eternal life, because you stand in a sin-stained state.
Even the Apostle Paul, who had attained great heights of religious achievement and accolades recognized that his works apart from Christ were useless:
Philippians 3:7–9 MSG
The very credentials these people are waving around as something special, I’m tearing up and throwing out with the trash—along with everything else I used to take credit for. And why? Because of Christ. Yes, all the things I once thought were so important are gone from my life. Compared to the high privilege of knowing Christ Jesus as my Master, firsthand, everything I once thought I had going for me is insignificant—dog dung. I’ve dumped it all in the trash so that I could embrace Christ and be embraced by him. I didn’t want some petty, inferior brand of righteousness that comes from keeping a list of rules when I could get the robust kind that comes from trusting Christ—God’s righteousness.
Ultimately, we all have to wrestle with the question - is Jesus the Christ? Or to say it another way, is Jesus Messiah? Is He the anointed One of God? Is He the Son of God? If He is, then what will you do with Him? Will you repent of your sin and turn to follow Him, trusting Him for the consequences from your sin and the promise of eternal life? Or will you reject Him and stand condemned?
So the disciples answer for the crowds. Jesus follows up with a more pointed and personal question- who do you say that I am. Always one to speak out, Peter speaks on behalf of the other disciples, clearly and boldly stating that Jesus is the Christ or the Messiah of God. The ESVSB notes:
“Jesus’ identity as the “Christ”—confessed by angels (Luke 2:11); by the Gospel narrator (2:26); by demons (4:41); and by Jesus himself (4:18)—is now confessed for the first time by the Twelve.”
Now for them, this had some interesting ramifications. Being this anointed person of God in some ways, represented a political revolution. Many at that time believed that the Messiah would usher in a new Kingdom - all the while forgetting important passages like Isaiah 52-53 - where the Messiah would also be a suffering servant. This was a profound confession from Peter.
So to this, Jesus calls for them to keep quiet about His identity - at least for now, because there is still…
The call of the cross for Christ (21-22)
Following Peter’s response, Luke writes:
Luke 9:21–22 ESV
And he strictly charged 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 on the third day be raised.”
Now, in our day and age, we often want people to see our achievements. On LinkedIn we tout about our certifications or degrees. We’ll use other social media sources to put our best foot forward - showing people about our lives. It’s not that that is good or bad, it just is. But for Jesus, it seems that he did not want Messiah mania surrounding His ministry. And so here, after telling His disciples to keep quiet, He communicates for His disciples the four-fold call of the Christ, in what we will see as the first of three times in Luke’s gospel that Jesus foretells his death. First of all, He must…
suffer - not just one instance, but many things - He doesn’t go into detail about the nature of this suffering, but notes that rather than the success or fame that they thought being the Christ would bring, the call of Christ is a call to suffer.
Secondly, His is a call to be
rejected - by the elders, chief priests and scribes - essentially, these religious leaders made up the Sanhedrin - the Jewish ruling council. The very people who should have known the scriptures the best are the ones who would cherry pick it in order to look for a Messiah to their liking. That Messiah didn’t look like Jesus.
Thirdly, His is a call to be…
killed - the Greek word He uses here has with it the connotation of being “killed, normally by violent means with or without intent or legal justification” (Louw-Nida). The suffering and rejection would ultimately put an end to His life. But is that really the end?
Jesus gives them this promise, finally, of a resurrection as he will be…
raised on the third day - His crown of glory will only come through the cross of suffering. Annually we celebrate that resurrection on Easter. But Mark Dever also noted that this is not simply an annual celebration, but a weekly one. Since Jesus was raised, as he promised, on the third day, which was the first day of the week, Sunday is often called Lord’s day. Everything we do in our time of worship is intended to be centered on the glorious victory that Jesus accomplished for Himself and for us as He rose from the grave. In fact, we have already reminded ourselves of this as we sang Come Behold the Wondrous Mystery.
The first verse talked about his advent - his mysterious birth
The second verse referenced his perfect life and his suffering
The third verse referenced his death on the tree in our place.
The final verse gloriously references the resurrection:
Come behold the wondrous mystery
Slain by death the God of life
But no grave could e’er restrain Him
Praise the Lord; He is alive!
What a foretaste of deliverance
How unwavering our hope
Christ in power resurrected
As we will be when he comes
So Jesus called His disciples and us to confess his identity as Christ. He then communicates about His call to go to the cross. Finally, He communicates…
The call to the crucified life for us (23-27)
Just as Jesus would face suffering and challenges before His ultimate glory, so too His people must follow His example!
Luke 9:23–27 ESV
And he said to all, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me. For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will save it. For what does it profit a man if he gains the whole world and loses or forfeits himself? For whoever is ashamed of me and of my words, of him will the Son of Man be ashamed when he comes in his glory and the glory of the Father and of the holy angels. But I tell you truly, there are some standing here who will not taste death until they see the kingdom of God.”
This is where Jesus really begins to baffle the logic of marketing experts and church growth gurus. Many would urge us to tout the benefits of the Kingdom of God - forgiveness, purpose-filled life, eternal life, peace with God through Christ. And while those are all true, ultimately Jesus tells us that those only come through the crucified life.
He essentially gives anyone who is considering coming after him, including us, a three-fold command. First of all, we are called to:
deny ourselves - This is the same word that is used of Peter on the night that Jesus was arrested when he denied Christ three times. It essentially means to disregard, to repudiate or disown (Louw-Nida). It’s a giving up of what I want for the things that God knows is best for me.
John Stott has said:
“Self-denial is not denying to ourselves luxuries such as chocolates, cakes, cigarettes and cocktails (although it might include this); it is actually denying or disowning ourselves, renouncing our supposed right to go our own way. To deny oneself is to turn from the idolatry of self-centeredness.”
John Wesley has noted that “self-denial”:
“It is the denying or refusing to follow ours own will, from a conviction that the will of God is the only rule of action to us. And we see the reason thereof, because we are creatures; because “it is he that hath made us, and not we ourselves.”
Where do God’s Kingdom and my kingdom clash? Where are my ambitions and affections over ruling the ambitions and affections of God?
Not only does he command us to deny ourselves, but we are also called to…
take up our crosses daily - This doesn’t fall on us quite as powerfully as it did them. We see crosses everywhere. Here in the sanctuary. Some wear it as jewelry. We see crosses marking the sides of roads where people have died. We see them in cemeteries. From the early days of the Roman empire, the cross was a means of tortuous and humiliating execution. Convicted criminals would be stripped naked, beaten and then nailed to crosses of wood - often along roadsides or at intersections. The gruesome punishment was a way of preventing further crime. But it was a death that was so shameful that it could cause even the most notorious criminals to think twice about the consequences of their actions.
Taking up our cross is a willingness to face shame for the sake of Jesus. It’s death to our old way of life, our old definition of success, our old way of thinking.
Deitrich Bonhoeffer has stated that: “When Christ bids a man to follow him, he bids that man to come and die” (Cost, 89).
What attitude toward my classmate or teacher to I need to die to? Where am I harboring anger toward someone else? Where am I relishing jealousy over what someone else has? Where am I making small decisions that compromise my faith?
How can I take up my cross/die to myself…
in my speech?
with my children?
with my finances?
with my friendships?
with my time?
with what I watch or listen to?
with who I’m dating?
Now, we could easily go overboard on this and turn the life that we are supposed to live into a murky mire of self-sacrifice. Frankly, I think that as we grow older and mature in our faith, we’ll find new, deeper more nuanced ways take up our crosses. I would guess that for most of us, myself included, a little more cross-taking could be useful for the Kingdom.
John Wesley concluded his sermon on this topic of self-denial with this exhortation:
“this” and “it” meaning “self-denial”
Sermons, on Several Occasions Sermon 48: Self-Denial
See that you apply this, every one of you, to your own soul. Meditate upon it when you are in secret: Ponder it in your heart! Take care not only to understand it throughly, but to remember it to your lives’ end! Cry unto the Strong for strength, that you may no sooner understand, than enter upon the practice of it. Delay not the time, but practise it immediately, from this very hour! Practise it universally, on every one of the thousand occasions which will occur in all circumstances of life! Practise it daily, without intermission, from the hour you first set your hand to the plough, and enduring therein to the end, till your spirit returns to God!
But Jesus doesn’t just stop with denying self and dying to self, he calls us to live for Him. He calls us to…
follow Him - unashamedly - Let’s re-read a couple of verses:
Luke 9:25–26 ESV
For what does it profit a man if he gains the whole world and loses or forfeits himself? For whoever is ashamed of me and of my words, of him will the Son of Man be ashamed when he comes in his glory and the glory of the Father and of the holy angels.
Taking up our crosses and denying ourselves are not actions without a purpose. These things help to identify us with Christ. These actions help us to relate to Christ.
What does it mean to follow Jesus without shame?
I think it’s not apologizing for what He teaches or how the Bible speaks on topics that are contentious today.
I think it involves a willingness to speak of Jesus when the Holy Spirit’s still small voice brings something to mind in conversation.
For those going to Philly this week, it’s being willing to talk about Jesus with those to whom you are ministering - this trip is more than a fun camp and SSL hours - it’s willingness to let the love of Jesus be known in the city of brotherly love.
I think it’s a willingness to sing loudly in corporate worship - even when you feel like you don’t have a good voice. (Ibis)
The Apostle Paul has some helpful encouragement for us in his letter to the Philippians:
Philippians 3:12–16 ESV
Not that I have already obtained this or am already perfect, but I press on to make it my own, because Christ Jesus has made me his own. Brothers, I do not consider that I have made it my own. But one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus. Let those of us who are mature think this way, and if in anything you think otherwise, God will reveal that also to you. Only let us hold true to what we have attained.
Closing thoughts
Jesus closed his comments with a promise that some who were with him there would not taste death until they see the kingdom of God (Luke 9:27). While there are a lot of places we can take that, one thing that we realize is that when Jesus gave up his perfect life for ours and overcame the curse of our sin with his resurrection, He ushered in the Kingdom of God in ways that only He could. This is the Kingdom that we read about earlier in Daniel. A Kingdom that will have no end and will have no boundaries. In many ways, this Kingdom comes because Jesus responded to the call of the cross so that He might reconcile the holiness, love, and justice of the triune God with the fallenness, sinfulness, and rebellion of the people created in His image - namely you and me.
When He calls us to answer the question of who He is, will we respond with a resounding confession that He is the “Christ of God” or will will reject the call as if He is a telemarketer?
When He calls us to live an increasingly crucified life, will we answer the call with obedience or pretend we can’t hear what He’s saying?
How will you and I answer the call of Jesus?
Let’s pray
Benediction
Jude 24–25 ESV
Now to him who is able to keep you from stumbling and to present you blameless before the presence of his glory with great joy, to the only God, our Savior, through Jesus Christ our Lord, be glory, majesty, dominion, and authority, before all time and now and forever. Amen.
Questions for reflection and discussion
When have you made a sacrifice for the sake of someone else?
What was Jesus’ series of questions? (9:18, 20)
What was Jesus’ reaction to the statement by Peter? (9:21)
Why do you suppose that Jesus strictly warned His disciples not to tell anyone about His heavenly identity?
What are the conditions for discipleship with Jesus? (9:23)
What does it mean to deny ourselves? How can we apply that?
What does it look like to take up our crosses? Where do you find that to be most difficult?
How often is our allegiance to Christ demanded? (9:23)
What kind of commitment does discipleship require? (9:24–25)
What did Jesus say would happen to anyone who is ashamed of Him and His words? (9:26)
With what prediction did Jesus conclude His admonition to the disciples? (9:27)
In what situations would you be uncomfortable stating plainly that Jesus is the Christ of God?
With whom can you pray this week for the purpose of denying yourself and following Jesus?
Sources:
Anyabwile, Thabiti. Exalting Jesus in Luke. Christ-Centered Exposition Commentary. Nashville, TN: Holman Reference, 2018.
Bock, Darrell L. Luke 1:1-9:50. Baker Exegetical Commentary on the New Testament. Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Books, 1999.
Dever, Mark What does it profit a man if he gains the whole world? Capital Hill Baptist Sermons: https://www.capitolhillbaptist.org/sermon/what-does-it-profit-a-man-if-he-gains-the-whole-world/
Louw, Johannes P., and Eugene Albert Nida. Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament: Based on Semantic Domains. New York: United Bible Societies, 1996.
Martin, John A. “Luke.” In The Bible Knowledge Commentary: An Exposition of the Scriptures, edited by J. F. Walvoord and R. B. Zuck. Wheaton, IL: Victor Books, 1985.
McKinley, Mike. Luke 1–12 for You. Edited by Carl Laferton. God’s Word for You. The Good Book Company, 2016.
Wesley, John. Sermons, on Several Occasions. Oak Harbor, WA: Logos Research Systems, Inc., 1999.
Wilcock, Michael. The Savior of the World: The Message of Luke’s Gospel. The Bible Speaks Today. Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1979.
