The Jesus Way (Luke 9:1-36)
Journey with Jesus to the Cross (Saturday, March 19)
Read Luke 9:1-36
“Who do you say that I am?”
Jesus asked his disciples this after spending a whole night in prayer. We can’t help but wonder whether Jesus had been praying over that same question: his vocation, his mission, and his marching orders.
Now he wants to know what his disciples think about him. The success or failure of his entire redemptive mission will lie squarely on the shoulders of these twelve. It is vital that they have a clear understanding of who he is. So he asks, “Who do you say that I am?”
Now he wants to know what his disciples think about him. The success or failure of his entire redemptive mission will lie squarely on the shoulders of these twelve. It is vital that they have a clear understanding of who he is. So he asks, “Who do you say that I am?”
Peter responds with conviction: “The Messiah of God.” It is a bold confession. Jesus has been skating around the question since the beginning of his ministry. He knows that his definition of Messiah is very different from the popular conception.
After all, the general expectation was that when the Messiah came, he would incite a rebellion against Rome, win Israel’s independence, restore true temple worship, and establish God’s kingdom through the nation of Israel. But Jesus did not seem to be doing any of these things. Was he really the Messiah?
Peter was convinced. “You are the Messiah of God,” he said. As soon as he said this, Jesus predicted his death and resurrection. The disciples must have been shocked. In fact, they found it so hard to imagine it, that they assumed Jesus was speaking in parables. He surely didn’t mean it literally.
But as we now know, he was deadly serious. No wonder he needed to spend the whole night in prayer! He had received his marching orders, and they weren’t easy to take. He was going to do battle with the powers behind the power of Herod’s regime, and that of the religious leaders. He was being asked to lay down his life before these so that, afterward, God could raise him up victorious over them.
We are grateful that Jesus willingly fulfilled this mission. His sacrificial love for us defeated the powers of sin and death, and offers to us the gifts of forgiveness and life. His faithfulness paved the way for our freedom.
But just as Jesus had to lay down his life in order to rise victorious over sin and death, so too we must lay down our lives in order to follow Jesus. We must be willing to die to our pride, our plans, and our self-determination. Jesus made it clear in the very next words of our text: “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself….”
The Jesus Way has never been the easy way. It has always involved sacrificial, self-giving love. It began with Jesus, continued through the early church, and extends down through the ages. No, the Jesus Way has never been the easy way; but it has always been the best way. It is the path to a fruitful and fulfilling life. When we consider what he has done for us, how can we do any less for him?
“Lord, help me to surrender my life to yours. Help me to learn that although the Jesus way is not the easiest way, it is always the best way.”
After all, the general expectation was that when the Messiah came, he would incite a rebellion against Rome, win Israel’s independence, restore true temple worship, and establish God’s kingdom through the nation of Israel. But Jesus did not seem to be doing any of these things. Was he really the Messiah?
Peter was convinced. “You are the Messiah of God,” he said. As soon as he said this, Jesus predicted his death and resurrection. The disciples must have been shocked. In fact, they found it so hard to imagine it, that they assumed Jesus was speaking in parables. He surely didn’t mean it literally.
But as we now know, he was deadly serious. No wonder he needed to spend the whole night in prayer! He had received his marching orders, and they weren’t easy to take. He was going to do battle with the powers behind the power of Herod’s regime, and that of the religious leaders. He was being asked to lay down his life before these so that, afterward, God could raise him up victorious over them.
We are grateful that Jesus willingly fulfilled this mission. His sacrificial love for us defeated the powers of sin and death, and offers to us the gifts of forgiveness and life. His faithfulness paved the way for our freedom.
But just as Jesus had to lay down his life in order to rise victorious over sin and death, so too we must lay down our lives in order to follow Jesus. We must be willing to die to our pride, our plans, and our self-determination. Jesus made it clear in the very next words of our text: “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself….”
The Jesus Way has never been the easy way. It has always involved sacrificial, self-giving love. It began with Jesus, continued through the early church, and extends down through the ages. No, the Jesus Way has never been the easy way; but it has always been the best way. It is the path to a fruitful and fulfilling life. When we consider what he has done for us, how can we do any less for him?
“Lord, help me to surrender my life to yours. Help me to learn that although the Jesus way is not the easiest way, it is always the best way.”