Luke 9:18-23

It all comes down to this…

I B.E.L.I.E.V.E.

Thank you for making a way for a sinner like me…I love you Daddy!

Luke 9:18-23

18 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?”

19 So they answered and said, “John the Baptist, but some say Elijah; and others say that one of the old prophets has risen again.”

20 He said to them, “But who do you say that I am?”

Peter answered and said, “The Christ of God.”

21 And He strictly warned and commanded them to tell this to no one, 22 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.”

In light of the earlier discussion about Jesus’ identity, Jesus asks His disciples what they have heard people saying. Then He asks for their opinion, and Peter responds correctly: Jesus is Yahweh’s Messiah.

The ot prophet Malachi had foretold that the return of Elijah would precede the day of judgment. Although Jesus’ ministry may be compared to Elijah’s, who was prophesied by Malachi as preceding the day of judgment, John the Baptist was the primary fulfillment of that prophecy. Jesus implies that His mission, like Elijah’s, includes the Gentiles (non-Jews). Jesus travels to Nain to raise the widow’s son, which resembles Elijah’s raising of the widow’s son in Zarephath. 

As in Matthew and Mark, Peter’s confession is followed immediately by Jesus’ first prediction of His death and resurrection. Following His resurrection, Jesus’ disciples would be commissioned to make known explicitly what His signs and wonders revealed—Jesus’ identity as God’s Son and anointed one. 

This is Jesus’ first discussion in Luke about the cost of discipleship. It refers to setting aside one’s interests for the sake of God’s kingdom. Jesus’ disciples must be willing to follow Him every day, no matter what the cost. Faithlife Bible.

The emphasis here is on the messianic role of Jesus. He is the Promised One who was ushering in a new era. However, Jesus would soon reveal to the disciples that His messiahship would have elements of suffering that the disciples did not expect. Jesus knew that the messianic role that the people and the disciples expected was much different from His actual role as the Messiah. The element of suffering that the Messiah would endure was not a part of popular expectation. Thus Jesus’ messiahship could not be openly proclaimed before the true nature of the Messiah was revealed.

This is the first of several predictions in Luke of Jesus’ suffering and vindication. The disciples struggled to understand what Jesus was saying. They could not comprehend how Jesus’ predictions fit into God’s plan. Only after Jesus’ resurrection and His explanation of the Scriptures to them did they begin to understand. Although Jesus offered salvation as a free gift, He also warned that following Him would entail suffering and hardship. NKJ Bible..

Matthew 8:4 And Jesus said to him, “See that you tell no one; but go your way, show yourself to the priest, and offer the gift that Moses commanded, as a testimony to them.”

Matthew 10:38 And he who does not take his cross and follow after Me is not worthy of Me.

Matthew 14:2 and said to his servants, “This is John the Baptist; he is risen from the dead, and therefore these powers are at work in him.”

Matthew 16:13 When Jesus came into the region of Caesarea Philippi, He asked His disciples, saying, “Who do men say that I, the Son of Man, am?”

Matthew 16:16 Simon Peter answered and said, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.”