DOWN FROM THE MOUNTAIN (Luke 9:37-45) Sunday, October 7, 2018 Series: The Gospel of Luke, Message #42 - Summit EFC - Pastor Doug Corlew

Transcription

1 DOWN FROM THE MOUNTAIN (Luke 9:37-45) Sunday, October 7, 2018 Series: The Gospel of Luke, Message #42 - Summit EFC - Pastor Doug Corlew Luke 9: 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. The final masterpiece of Raphael, the Italian painter of 500 years ago, is called The Transfiguration. One unusual feature of the painting is that it s divided into two distinct parts Not only capturing the glorious appearance of Christ on the mountain, but also the next episode in His ministry, the healing of the demon-possessed boy. In the top half of the painting, we see the transfigured Christ floating in an aura of light and clouds above the mountain. This was last week s text, v 28-36, where three disciples wake up to see Moses and Elijah with Christ in glory. Peter wanted to prolong the mountaintop experience, if at all possible. He was ready to build tents so everyone could stay awhile. But Jesus was preparing for His departure, His exodus. He s about to deliver His people, saving them through His own death. He tried to tell them a week earlier, but the disciples didn t want to hear that. So the Shekinah glory of God appears in the form of a cloud that envelops Jesus and the two prophets. A voice comes out of the cloud: This is My Son, My Chosen One; listen to Him! Then Moses and Elijah are gone, and Jesus alone is before them, as the only Savior. In the bottom half of the painting, we see the crowd at the base of the mountain. This is today s text, where a frantic father is looking for some help for his son. So when Jesus descends from the mountain, with Peter and James and John, they are immediately confronted by spiritual torment and demonic opposition. They see people in great need suffering emotionally, physically, and spiritually. The raised hands of the crowd link the two parts together and highlight the contrast between the divine light the disciples saw transfigured on the mountain, and the demonic darkness they were unable to dispel when they came back down to earth. Thankfully, Jesus is more than able to dispel the darkness, and He is always ready to touch the needs of people and heal their pain. He didn t come to earth to revel in a mountaintop experience, but to minister in a world of illness, evil, and unbelief. Jesus came to conquer the devil, that we might be delivered from sin and death. 1

2 And I want you to notice that after this miracle, v 43 says, all were astonished at the majesty of God. Interesting choice of words! astonished at His majesty? That s the same word Peter uses in 2 Peter 1:16 when talking about the disciples experience on the mountain. He says, we were eyewitnesses of His majesty. So a display of His majesty above is followed by a display of His majesty below. What is first visible only to the chosen three on the mountain is here visible to a greater number. And the majesty or greatness of Jesus shines, not only through an experience of heavenly glory, but also through an experience of earthly suffering. So what s the main point for us today? I would put it like this, here s the sermon in a sentence: Until we depart for heaven, we must care for people, in dependence on Christ, to display His majesty. As much as we look forward to heaven, God calls us to care about the needs of people on earth. As much as we enjoy our times of worship on Sundays, God sends us out to make a difference in the lives of hurting people. But it s only by depending on Christ s power that people will receive the help they most need, and the majesty of Jesus will be seen below as it is above, on earth as it is in heaven. The account begins 1 st, with the DESPERATION of the FATHER (v 37-39). On the day after His Transfiguration, Jesus descends from the mountain, with Peter, John, and James. What a conversation these three disciples must have had, as they hiked down the slopes! Lots of good theology to discuss: the role of Moses and Elijah, the cloud of God s presence, the voice from the cloud, and what it means that Jesus is God s Son, God s Chosen One. They must have been thrilled by all they had experienced, all they were learning. But no sooner do they reach the base of the mountain, when Jesus is met by a large crowd (v 37) 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. Some scholars have thought this boy was suffering from epilepsy; many of the symptoms are similar. But whatever the physical problems he had, the boy was under the influence of supernatural evil what his father called a spirit, and what Luke calls a demon in v 42. Here s an example of how Satan tries to destroy us and our children. According to the other gospels the demon often threw the boy into fire and water, trying to kill him (Matthew 7:15). The demon had also made him mute and deaf (Mark 9:25), so he can t talk about what he s experiencing, or hear any word of comfort from his parents. Obviously demonic activity was more prominent in the ministry of Jesus than what we re aware of today. But there is often a spiritual component to the physical challenges we face. And all suffering in this life is a consequence of living in a fallen world, where Satan roars and rules. And if it s hard to suffer; it s much harder when you see your child suffer. We watch little Noah, our grandson with Down Syndrome, as he struggles to drink his bottle, or even to breathe sometimes, and we wish he didn t have these developmental challenges to overcome. We ve watched another grandson undergo surgery on his skull at six months of age, while his dad was receiving treatments for stage four tongue cancer. 2

3 Every family faces challenges like this; that s life after Genesis 3 in a world that s been wrecked by sin. So maybe you pray constantly for an adult child who struggles to overcome an addiction to alcohol. Or your heart breaks, as you watch one of your children deal with the pain of divorce. Someone is diagnosed with a disease, or an accident leaves them disabled, and you cry out to Jesus. You understand this father s heartache, as he begs Jesus to look at his son, his only child. He s devastated by the harm being done to his boy, his pride and joy. The demon shatters him, and will hardly leave him. He s being crushed continually, and his dad can t bear to see him endure any more. Maybe Jesus was on the mountain when the father first needed help, so he went to the disciples. 40 And I begged your disciples to cast it out, but they could not. So now we have desperation and failure. Desperation of the father, and 2 nd, the FAILURE of the DISCIPLES (v 40-41). Presumably, these would be the disciples who did not go up on the mountain the other nine. They re left behind to carry on the work, and this should be no problem, right? They ve been called and trained and empowered by Jesus to minister on His behalf. At the beginning of chapter 9, He called the twelve together and gave them power and authority over all demons and to cure diseases, and he sent them out to proclaim the kingdom of God and to heal (v 1-2). So they ve done this kind of thing before, with success. And if anything, now they should have even more confidence, having received more teaching about Jesus identity and mission. So why were they unable to cast out this demon and heal the boy? Why the failure? Well, it was not for lack of effort, but lack of faith Jesus answered, O faithless and twisted generation, how long am I to be with you and bear with you? Bring your son here. That may not be the response we would have expected from Jesus! Who s He talking to, and what does He mean? Something is clearly wrong, according to Jesus. And obviously He isn t talking to the boy s father. He s just done what any godly parent ought to do with a child in trouble: he brings him to Jesus and says, Please help my son. He s a good dad. In fact, in Mark s Gospel, the father says to Jesus with great sincerity, I believe; help my unbelief (9:24). So Jesus doesn t rebuke the father. Then was He talking to all the people who were there that day? The word generation would seem to imply that He s speaking broadly, to a wider group. Similar language is found in Deuteronomy 32:5, when the nation of Israel is called a crooked and twisted generation, and then later, a perverse generation, children in whom is no faithfulness (v 20). Every Jew would have been familiar with these words and realized Jesus was calling them out, like their forefathers were called out for their unbelief in the days of the wilderness wandering. But the faithless and twisted people in this case were primarily the disciples, who failed to cast out the demon because they were not depending on the power of God to do what only He can do. Throughout the context of this section, in paragraph after paragraph we ll see, it s the disciples whose failures are being highlighted. They just keep making one mistake after another. These guys still have a lot to learn! By the way, this is actually a strong argument for the historical authenticity of the gospels. The early church would not have invented stories like this, which emphasize the failures of their leaders. 3

4 The disciples are receiving some harsh criticism here from Jesus. But this is a righteous frustration. Like a parent who wonders when a child will start taking responsibility for his actions, or a schoolteacher who wonders when a class will start paying attention and follow instructions, Jesus is growing weary of the unbelief of His own people, including His closest friends. Jesus is longing for His disciples to trust Him with a simple faith. Why had they failed? It was not because they had lost their powers, or because they were using the wrong technique, or had forgotten the formula for exorcising demons. It was because of their unbelief. Sometimes we grieve Jesus the same way. We say we believe in Him. But then we serve Him in our own strength prayerless depending on our own ability and experience to make things happen. Then nothing happens! At least nothing that demonstrates the majesty of God. This week I read an interview with Albert Mohler, President of Southern Seminary. One question he was asked was this: What is something you d like every pastor to know, understand, and apply? And his answer was surprising. Dr. Mohler said, I would want every pastor to know that he is incompetent in the most fundamental sense. Oddly enough, medical schools believe that they produce competent physicians, and law schools tell us that they produce competent lawyers. But, a faithful seminary would never claim to produce competent ministers The most dangerous presumption of any Christian pastor is to believe that he is competent The greatest assurance of any man called to the gospel ministry is that Christ is sufficient not that he is competent. Now, Mohler makes it clear that seminaries can impart theological knowledge and ministry skills. And this is important. We should all seek to serve Christ to the utmost of our abilities. But at our best, we are still jars of clay, to use Paul s phrase in 2 Corinthians 4:7. We re ordinary people, nothing special about us. We re breakable, vulnerable, weak jars of clay. But, Paul says, we have this treasure in jars of clay, to show that the surpassing power belongs to God and not to us. Only the Holy Spirit can equip us and empower us, making us useful in ministry. 2 Corinthians 3:5 - Not that we are sufficient in ourselves to claim anything as coming from us, but our sufficiency is from God. The desperation of the father and the failure of the disciples is followed 3 rd, by the HEALING of the BOY (v 42-43). The disciples couldn t cope with the problem, but the father still has hope. He comes to Jesus, begging for help And Jesus now takes matters into His own hands. Bring your son here, He says. 42a - While he was coming, the demon threw him to the ground and convulsed him. Wow, if anyone doubted the severity of the situation, this should ve made it clear enough. As the boy approaches Jesus, the demon takes control of him again, throwing him to the ground. In the original language, this is a wrestling term. It must have been terrifying, as the evil spirit makes one last attempt to pin his young victim. Satan never gives up without a fight. He ll do anything he can to keep us from coming to Jesus. And it s often right before a person comes to Christ that they will sense the strongest opposition. So don t be surprised if you take a step toward Jesus, and things suddenly seem to get worse in your life. And when praying for others, don t lose hope or grow complacent because the devil is relentless. 4

5 Thankfully, Jesus cares for our loved ones more than we do, and He has all power to accomplish His perfect will. The boy is thrown to the ground in a seizure 42b - But Jesus rebuked the unclean spirit and healed the boy, and gave him back to his father. There s no lengthy, drawn-out incantations or hocus pocus. Jesus deals quickly with the problem: It s an easy victory over demonic forces, then Jesus lovingly gives the boy back to his father. That s a beautiful phrase, isn t? In a sense the demon-possession had taken the boy away from his dad. Satan is a thief. The father had been robbed of the chance to enjoy a normal relationship with his son. But Jesus restores the relationship, and gives the boy back! Remember, in 7:15 after He raised the widow s son, Luke says, Jesus gave him to his mother. Praise God when Jesus restores what the devil has stolen, and heals what the devil has destroyed! Praise God when we see His wonders in this life! But can you imagine heaven, when Jesus restores families, and makes all things new and good? I think of mothers who have miscarried or buried their young children in this life when Jesus gives them back their baby boys and baby girls, perhaps do you suppose? to raise them from infancy to maturity in the new heavens and new earth?! We have a merciful and gracious God, and I think He ll have all kinds of good surprises in store for us! We can imagine the crowd cheering, as Jesus sets this boy free and gives him back to his father. He s able to speak again, and hear, and think clearly. His boyhood is back, along with a bright future. Then comes Luke s unique summary, in v 43a - And all were astonished at the majesty of God. The magnificent splendor of God that was displayed the day before on the mountain was now apparent to the people below. And the glory of God was shown in His goodness, His compassion, His mercy. Still today, we see lots of examples of God s majesty in the changed lives of people touched by Jesus. And by God s grace, He accomplishes His work through us! So God s Word calls us to live out our faith as children of God without blemish in the midst of a crooked and twisted generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world (Philippians 2:15). Until we depart for heaven, we re called to shine to display His majesty in the midst of an unbelieving world, as we live and serve each day, in dependence on Christ. We ve seen the desperation of the father, failure of the disciples, and healing of the boy. And finally, 4 th, we see the MISSION of the CHRIST (v 44-45). In v 43, 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. Once again, Jesus reminds His followers of what s coming next. After another exciting miracle, with everyone marveling at what Jesus can do, the disciples probably had visions of cabinet positions in the kingdom of God, at Jesus right hand. But Jesus doesn t want them to get so caught up in His miracles that they miss the main point of His ministry. 5

6 A week earlier, Peter had confessed that Jesus is the Christ of God (v 20). And Jesus responded in v 22, saying, The Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected and be killed, and on the third day be raised. Now they need to hear it again: Let these words sink into your ears, He says! Because He knows they don t want to hear this, and it will be easy to not let it sink in. No doubt, they were more interested in the power and glory than in the suffering and rejection. But Jesus was committed to deny Himself and take up His cross. People were marveling that Jesus cast out demons, but His mission would take Him to the cross, which was the main event in His battle with the devil. It was at the cross that (Jesus) disarmed the rulers and authorities and put them to open shame, by triumphing over them (Colossians 2:15). It was at the cross that Jesus paid the debt, that our sins might be forgiven. This was the reason He came, and Jesus would not be distracted from His mission. The Son of Man is about to be delivered into the hands of men. How fickle the crowds can be! On this day they re amazed, in awe of Jesus greatness. Soon religious leaders will conspire against Him, and Judas will betray Him. An angry mob will call for His crucifixion. Wicked soldiers will mock Him and beat Him. And Jesus will be nailed to a Roman cross to die a horrible death 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. This was the second time they d heard it; but it didn t make any more sense to them than before. They knew Jesus was the Messiah, but they didn t see how the Christ could suffer or die. It was concealed from them they were not granted the divine insight which was needed. But neither were they willing to ask the questions that might lead them to a deeper understanding. Eventually they ll get it, after Christ is raised, and the Holy Spirit is sent to them. But I wonder, has the cross made sense to you? The majesty of Jesus Christ was displayed here below, not only in His miracles, but also in His death. On His way to the cross, Jesus said, The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified Now is the judgment of this world; now will the ruler of this world be cast out. And I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all people to myself (John 12:23, 31-32). Is Christ drawing you to Himself this morning? Come to Him in faith, and don t let the devil deter you. The ruler of this world has been cast out because of the cross! So believe in Jesus. Surrender your life to Him, and He ll give you eternal life. When you depart from this earth, you will see His majesty above. In the meantime, your life can display His majesty below! Who knows, people may be astonished at the transformation of your life, as you invest it in caring for others, as a disciple of Jesus, sharing His good news, depending on His power. Amen. 6