41 You unbelieving and perverse generation, Jesus replied, how long shall I stay with you and put up with you? Bring your son here.

Size: px

Start display at page:

Download "41 You unbelieving and perverse generation, Jesus replied, how long shall I stay with you and put up with you? Bring your son here."

Miles Henderson
5 years ago
Views:

1 May 5, 2019 Luke 9:37-45 SCRIPTURE 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, 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. COMMENTARY 9:37. Life cannot be lived on the mountaintop. The most sublime experience with God must end. You must face life again in the valley. There the crowds come clamoring for action. 9: One voice rose above the crowd a father begging for help for his only child, a victim of epileptic seizures. Not just epilepsy, though. Demon-caused epilepsy.

2 Personhood-destroying epilepsy. Epilepsy from demons so strong and powerful that it withstood all efforts of the Twelve even after their successful preaching, healing, and exorcising mission tour. Neither Peter s confession nor the trio s transfiguration experience enabled the disciples to cure this one. Why not? 9:41. Jesus had the answer. This entire generation, including the disciples, were unbelieving and rebellious twisted, perverted, crooked. They had become a burden that Jesus had to endure. His endurance would not last forever; he was headed to the cross and then into his glory. Even in his frustration with his disciples, Jesus did not lose his compassion for those who needed him. He called for the son. 9:42. In one last show of power for the demon, he knocked the son to the ground and threw him into convulsions. Jesus took charge, commanding the demon to depart. Then he took the boy, now in control of his life, and gave him back to his father. 9:43. The crowds and the disciples stood amazed. They might be unbelieving and rebellious, but they knew the power of God at work when they saw it. This was a Godsized work that no one else could do. Followers of the goddess Artemis, with her greatness and magnificence, would be destroyed (Acts 19:27). Peter testified to the greatness of Christ, his majesty (2 Pet. 1:16). These are the only other places in the New Testament where the Greek word for greatness occurs. Jesus greatness or majesty in healing brought amazement to the people. He had unique power no one else had. He had God-given power. 9:44. Jesus had something more amazing for them. Such great power would be harnessed. Mere human hands would capture the Son of Man. How? By human trickery and betrayal. Do not commit yourself to Jesus just because he has amazing, magnificent power. Commit yourself to the Son of Man/Son of God about to be betrayed and crucified. Do not grasp for greatness. Grasp for a cross so you can follow Jesus to Calvary. 9:45. From the top of the world over their mission success, the disciples fell to the bottom. From the mountaintop experience of the transfiguration, they fell to the valley of despair. Those to whom the mysteries of the kingdom of God were revealed found something hidden from them. After long months spending every hour of every day with Jesus, they still did not trust him enough to express their fears to him.1 MAIN POINT Journeying with the Master reveals that Jesus power is all-encompassing but is revealed most clearly in His purpose to lay His life down for the salvation of the world. INTRODUCTION As your group time begins, use this section to introduce the topic of discussion.

3 What are some pictures and descriptions of power that are popular in the world? Why are people drawn to power, whether for themselves or in someone else? How did Jesus demonstrate power in His life? Power draws a crowd. Instinctively, we want power for ourselves for the sake of pride or protection. And if we can t have power for ourselves, we want to be with those who can so we can coast along with them. Power captures the heart of humanity, but it can also deceive and be abused. We must take care with how we align ourselves with power. Jesus taught people with authority, unlike their teachers before Him (Matt. 7:28-29). He performed miracles, making the lame to walk, the blind to see, and the dead to live again. He even cast demons out of people, showing His power over the spiritual realm from the physical realm. People heard and saw these demonstrations of power, and they flocked to Jesus to hear and see more. But Jesus was so often misunderstood because His power did not operate according to the world s standards. His power was not to elevate Himself but to benefit others, and His power was chiefly on display in laying down His life for the salvation of the world. UNDERSTANDING Unpack the biblical text to discover what the Scripture says or means about a particular topic. Jesus and the three disciples who observed His transfiguration (Luke 9:28-36) came down from the mountain to rejoin the other disciples. They were met with a crowd, which provided an opportunity for Jesus to demonstrate His power over the spiritual realm. Ask a volunteer to read Luke 9: How is power represented in this passage? What is the relationship between faith and power? The spiritual power of a demonic spirit manifested itself in the life of a young boy, causing seizures and self-harm. The boy s father felt powerless to protect or help his son. The disciples must have felt powerless as well, even though they had experienced much success in the power of Jesus on their travels (Luke 9:6,10). And then Jesus spoke once again with power and authority as He rebuked His disciples and the crowd for their unbelief and corruption. Faith makes it possible for a disciple to be a vessel of God s power for the blessing of the people. Faith in God will also lead a disciple to use God s power according to His will and for His purposes, not for self-gratification and selfishness. A lack of faith, meaning no faith in God, opens one up to oppression by demonic powers, and even

4 possession. And apart from faith in God, which we know now to be faith in Christ, there is no reprieve from the destructive forces of sin and the devil. Ask a volunteer to read Luke 9:42-43a. How did Jesus show His power over the demonic force at work in the boy? What did the people s astonishment at the greatness of God say about their understanding of this event? Jesus rebuked the demon, much like He had rebuked His disciples and the crowd. Even while the demon was demonstrating its spiritual power over the boy, Jesus spoke and the demon had to obey. The demon could not remain when the power of God in Christ commanded it to go. So Jesus healed the boy of his demonic oppressor and brought peace to his family. The people of the crowd rightly recognized that God s power and greatness had been revealed to them in Jesus healing of the boy. That they were astonished could mean they didn t expect a peaceful resolution to the father s pleadings for his son. It could also mean that such displays of power were simply rare and unexpected. But beyond their response of astonishment, it seems they failed to recognize the full identity of the Man who stood in their presence. Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, fully God and fully human. The power that rebuked the demon indeed came from God, and He was standing and speaking in their midst. Ask a volunteer to read Luke 9:43b-45. What does it mean that Jesus told His disciples about His upcoming betrayal while everyone around them was amazed at His display of power? How does a gospel understanding of power compare to the world s understanding of power? Jesus concern was not the limelight. He didn t come into this world seeking attention for His power. Rather, while people are attracted to and amazed by displays of power, Jesus focus was on His mission to save the world, which would come at the cost of His life. Jesus had the power to heal and to cast out demons, yet He foretold to His disciples that He would be betrayed into the hands of men. If Jesus knew this beforehand, then He could have done something about it. In His power, He could have dismissed the one who would betray Him and deposed those who sought His life. But He didn t, and this is where we see the greatest display of Jesus power He refused to exercise His power for His benefit and self-preservation in order to lay His life down for the salvation of His friends and even His enemies. The people were drawn to and amazed by His miracles, but He came for the cross, and without the eyes of faith, this appears as weakness. With the eyes of faith, however, this is the power of God (1 Cor. 1:18-25).

5 Worldly power is used for the benefit of self and is often prideful. In contrast, the power of the gospel is manifested in humility and self-sacrifice. It accomplishes salvation for the good of others even at great cost to self. The gospel gives testimony to the power of Christ in His humble sacrifice to save us from our sins. Such a sacrifice does not fit with the direction of this world, but the world can only be saved from its abuse of power by giving it up to follow Christ in faith. APPLICATION Help your group identify how the truths from the Scripture passage apply directly to their lives. What steps of faith do you need to take in light of God s power in Christ? How will God s power over all things, both physical and spiritual, spur you on to greater faith and obedience? How will your presentation of the gospel in words, and backed up in deeds, change with a gospel understanding of God s power? PRAYER Father, You are almighty and all-powerful. By Your infinite power, You accomplish everything You set out to do. By Your grace, You have made possible the way for us to be saved from our sins by faith in Jesus Christ, the powerful Son of God who laid His life down in our place and took it up again for our eternal life. And now, in Your power, may we honor the sacrifice Jesus made for us as we lay our lives down for others, living to serve and sharing the gospel with all so others may believe and be saved by Your power. Amen.

The Miracles of Jesus Miracle # 23. Jesus Delivers A Boy Of A Demon (Mt 17:14-21, Luke 9:37-43, Mark 9:14-29)

The Miracles of Jesus Miracle # 23 040804 1Bt We Jesus Delivers A Boy Of A Demon (Mt 17:14-21, Luke 9:37-43, Mark 9:14-29) Mark gives the most complete account of this miracle and of the conversation of