Luke 9:1-17

[0:00] When you leave that town, shake off the dust from your feet as a testimony against them. And they departed and went through the villages, preaching the gospel and healing everywhere.

[0:12] Now Herod the Tetrarch heard about all that was happening, and he was perplexed, because it was said by some that John had been raised from the dead, by some that Elijah had appeared, and by others that one of the prophets of old had risen.

[0:26] Then Herod said, John I have beheaded, but who is this about whom I hear such things? And he sought to see him. On their return, the apostles told him all that they had done.

[0:40] And he took them and withdrew apart to a town called Beth Tseva. When the crowds learned it, they followed him, and he welcomed them and spoke to them of the kingdom of God and cured those who had need of healing.

[0:53] Now the day began to wear away, and the twelve came and said to him, Send the crowd away to go into the surrounding villages and countryside to find lodging and get provisions, for we are here in a desolate place.

[1:08] But he said to them, You give them something to eat. They said, We have no more than five loaves and two fish, unless we are to go and buy food for all these people.

[1:20] For there were about five thousand men. And he said to his disciples, Have them sit down in groups of about fifty each. And they did so, and had them all sit down.

[1:31] And taking the five loaves and the two fish, he looked up to heaven and said a blessing over them. Then he broke the loaves and gave them to the disciples to set before the crowd.

[1:43] And they all ate and were satisfied. And what was left over was picked up, twelve baskets of broken pieces. This is the word of the Lord.

[1:55] You may be seated. Good morning to you, and what a grand picture we have before us in Luke chapter 9.

[2:14] Father, we thank you for your word that's before us. Pray that we would be fed by it, nourished by it, strengthened by it, motivated by it, for the glory and honor of your name in Christ we pray.

[2:29] Amen. How many of you remember when you were children behind the wheel of the family car, pretending to drive?

[2:42] I'm sure that many of us, most of us have probably had that experience. Our legs not yet long enough to reach the brakes or the gas.

[2:56] Our eyes barely able to see over the steering wheel. But how we could pretend. Perhaps one day we would get the keys to the car.

[3:09] We'd be driving ourselves. The family car would be put in our hands. Many find that getting a license is not that smooth, is it?

[3:23] If your initial driving was in any way like mine, your attempts at driving were hazardous both to yourself as well as to those who would dare drive with you or be on the road beside you.

[3:37] I bring this up because in today's text, there's a sense in which the disciples get to drive. They get the keys, if you will.

[3:49] Jesus sends them away. The question is, how would they fare? How would they manage?

[4:00] They'd heard Jesus. They had seen Jesus. Now they're getting on the road for Jesus and his cause.

[4:12] Our text divides nicely into two parts, I believe. In verses 1 through 10, I believe that we see the commission of Jesus.

[4:25] Jesus, in verses 11 through 17, I believe that we see the compassion of Jesus there. First, let's look at the commission of Jesus.

[4:38] You see him there in verse 1? He calls the 12 together, gave them power and authority over all demons, and to cure diseases.

[4:49] He gives them the keys. The sufficiency of Jesus actually fills this passage, even as we have seen him in that particular mode, particularly in these latter chapters of Luke that we've been in.

[5:06] But on the other hand, the 12 figure prominently in both sections of this particular text. We'll see this as we have made our way into Luke chapter 9.

[5:20] That is one of the things that is quite prominent that we see. The disciples, there's 12 or smaller grouping of them, or even individuals. As Jesus begins to set his eyes toward Jerusalem, he wants to make sure that his team is ready to get the pass off of the baton.

[5:41] In today's text, Jesus calls the 12 together. These are Jesus' trainees, if you will. His apprentices, if you will.

[5:53] According to Luke chapter 6, verses 12 through 16, Jesus had chosen these very men after an all-night prayer meeting.

[6:06] He called them to himself, and you'll see their names there of the 12 apostles in that particular text. According to Luke chapter 8 and verse 1, these men were with him.

[6:18] As a matter of fact, take a look at that with me, if you will. And we see that not only had he chosen them, they were with him. Look at 8.1.

[6:29] Soon afterward, he went on through cities and villages proclaiming and bringing the good news of the kingdom of God. And notice, there it is. The 12, these 12 that he had chosen, chapter 6, they are now with him, accompanying him throughout the various region of Galilee.

[6:51] They had been designated apostles. These were his special ambassadors. Men who would be on mission, foundations, if you will, foundation of the new Israel.

[7:02] These are the ones that Jesus had called to be with himself in chapter 9 and verse 1, as we've read. He gives them, from the get-go, he gives them power for the mission.

[7:16] You see that in the verse 9 one again? He gave them power and authority over all demons and to cure diseases. Power for the mission came from Jesus himself.

[7:29] And it was comparable to the power that he himself had exercised as he ministered. Power over all demons and to cure the disease.

[7:40] These disciples, the 12, if you will, were his authorized agents. They were, in a sense, those in which he had given the keys to.

[7:53] Several keys are on the ring. You see, the first one, the key for defeating demonic power was there. These were the spiritual forces of darkness.

[8:04] It was on the ring. The key for healing crippling, debilitating disease. One of the keys that was on the ring. Deliverance from demons and disease.

[8:16] These were evidences of the nearness of God's reign. The nearness of the kingdom of God. As a matter of fact, if you look back in chapter 8, what Jesus had done, he had delivered from demons and disease and death.

[8:33] The death key wasn't on the ring that he gave them. This go around. What Jesus did was comparable to giving these men the company credit card.

[8:44] Ever had a company credit card? How did you use it? Authorized to use what had been issued by him. They were going to use the authorization, the power that he had delegated to them in the work of mission.

[9:02] Such authority was evidence of heaven's glorious rule in and through the ministry of Jesus. And they had been authorized to exercise that counter power.

[9:14] Power for the mission. Verse 2. What about the purpose of the mission? Look there with me. And he sent them out to proclaim the kingdom of God and to heal.

[9:29] Proclamation was also on the ring that he had given them. He then sent them as his ambassadors to preach near and the near and the presence of God's kingdom that was appearing in Jesus in new and fresh, redemptive kind of ways through the very Son of God.

[9:50] Evidence was given through his signature works. Power over illness and ailments for all of humankind. That's what Jesus did. And he gave that kind of power to his men.

[10:04] Notice the provision for the mission in verses 3 through 5. Before sending the twelve out, Jesus gave them instructions that would help them to focus on the mission. You see that there?

[10:16] He said to them, take nothing for your journey. And notice the no. No staff, nor bag, bread, or money. Do not have two tunics. In other words, they were to travel light on the mission.

[10:29] They were not to be preoccupied with lots of stuff. Stuff can really be distracting, can't it? No staff, no bag, food, money, or even an extra undergarment, the long tuna that would go from the shoulder down past the knees.

[10:45] Not only were they to travel light, they were to stay put. Don't be preoccupied with upgrades in your accommodations. Just because you can get a little something better somewhere else.

[10:56] No, stay put. Hey, don't be worried about, don't be too self-focused. The mission needs to be prioritized. In verse 5, they weren't even to be preoccupied with how they were received.

[11:08] You see that there? In verse 5, and when they, wherever they do not receive you, when you leave that town, shake off the dust from your feet as a testimony against them.

[11:19] Huh? Just leave the defiling, dust of rejection behind. Don't make it about you. Huh? It's about the mission. Huh?

[11:30] It's the mission that matters. It was the mission that mattered then, and it's the mission, friends, that matters now. Huh? And this is particularly to those of us who you might lead in the mission.

[11:44] Sometimes we can make it about ourselves. Huh? We can be overly self-conscious about what we do and how we do it and how we say it. I was interacting with Dave a little bit this week, and we were reminded once again about the power of the Word.

[12:02] God's Word getting in the sanctified soil of the human heart is that which has power for life change for you and for me.

[12:13] So ultimately, it's sort of like we need to get behind the, I don't know if this, you could call this a sacred desk, a little modern sacred desk, if you will, because ultimately it's not about me or you.

[12:29] It's about the advance of the mission. Near and far appreciated the prayers of the whites for the mission. The mission in the city. The mission in the nation.

[12:39] The mission in the world. The mission matters. Don't make it about you. We should never confuse the two. Jesus' instructions to them were good even for those of us who are on short time mission trips even today.

[12:56] Travel light. I remember when I was in Kenya preached for Mark chapter 6 and there was a guy that got up. I don't know much about the protocol over there, but basically he was saying when you came, how many suitcases did you have?

[13:12] You know, said you're supposed to be on mission. What about you? I said, okay brother. It's not about you. It's not about me.

[13:22] Huh? Jesus' words could liberate them his words here from needless care so that they could focus on the mission. Huh? Boy, those are good words for you and me today.

[13:37] Aren't they? Huh? When I was drafted into the army as a 19-year-old kid, I went on a new mission. For two years, all that I needed was going to be provided by my rich uncle.

[13:50] Huh? Uncle Sam. Huh? Huh? I didn't have to worry myself with anything. All the way from my head to my toe. I had an army haircut that they paid for.

[14:02] Huh? I had dog tags that reminded me that I was a part of the United States Army. I even had army underwear and army socks.

[14:12] Huh? Everything. Huh? And Uncle Sam paid me. I started at about $87 a month. Huh? But everything that I needed. Food.

[14:23] And then when I brought my wife in the picture, they took care of her too. Huh? It wasn't much, but it was enough. So that I could focus on the mission. All that is needed, he provides for those who are on mission.

[14:42] Huh? What about the execution of the mission in verse 6? Ministry expansion expansion is what we have here. Huh? They departed. They went through the villages preaching the gospel and healing in every place.

[14:57] Huh? A movement was in motion. Jesus' men were on the ground in Galilee. And they spread out in every direction.

[15:08] Some of the other, the synoptics let us know they went out probably two by two. They went out together, not as a group of twelve. But Jesus multiplied his ministry through these men that he had equipped.

[15:22] Huh? They went and in the wake of their going they preached about God's reign, God's rule in and through the person and the work of Jesus.

[15:33] God had drawn near. This was the visitation that Zachariah had prophesied about. God was visiting his people in that particular day.

[15:46] Huh? Agents of Jesus were spreading the good news of the visitation of God through Jesus and they were healing. And the buzz about that reached the Galilean ruler Herod Antipas and guess what?

[16:01] He was perplexed. Look at verse 7. Now Herod the Tetrarch heard about all that was happening and he was perplexed because it was said by some that John had been raised from the dead by some that Elijah had appeared and by others that one of the prophets of old had risen.

[16:21] Herod said John I beheaded. Oh here's our question isn't it? The identity question shows up yet again. But who is this about whom I hear such things and he sought to see him?

[16:37] Huh? God was at work in Galilee. And this was upsetting perplexing if you will to Herod.

[16:48] Reports varied as to exactly who this was. John has been raised from the dead. It's John. I can hear it in the preaching. It's John.

[17:00] Others equated him with the Old Testament prophet par excellence Elijah. And others may not exactly but he's a prophet.

[17:11] He's God's person sent. Again that was the report. And again just think about the mushrooming of that when Jesus' men went out among them. So in verse 9 the query about Jesus' identity continues.

[17:26] It was raised. We've seen it haven't we? 749. Huh? Who is he to forgive sins? 825. Take a look yet again and at that he said to them where is your faith?

[17:38] And they were afraid and they marveled saying to one another who then is this that he commands even the winds and the water that they obey him. His identity comes up yet again.

[17:52] God was at work but who was his agent? Who was the ringleader? Who was the orchestrator of these things? Who is this? Huh? Huh? Here he is Herod in the notice he's somewhat in the background he's in the shadow he's in the shadow of this successful mission.

[18:11] One appears who really was not ultimately friendly to the mission. Huh? In Herod's response we see already what has happened to John.

[18:23] He had been executed he had been beheaded and here we have a sneak preview of what would await Jesus and some of his followers. Huh? Persecution Huh?

[18:35] Opposition that would await them the methods and the manner of this death dealing earthly ruler contrasted with the matter and the methods of the one who was proclaiming God's kingdom and delivering from disease and demons and death.

[18:53] Huh? The text notes that he sought to see him. He would do that at the end of his life but in between that time Jesus would be on his radar again.

[19:05] Luke 13 31! Herod is seeking to kill you and what does Jesus tell him? Go tell that fox! Huh?

[19:17] Seeking to kill him. Here's a fitting reminder for us isn't it? Where mission is in motion opposition is not very far away is it?

[19:29] Think about it. Where mission is in motion opposition is not very far away. Sometimes we forget this.

[19:40] There are those who will rise up against God's people in very kinds of ways and his word. Huh? Huh? We must not forget that.

[19:53] Huh? Jesus sends his own out as sheep in the midst of wolves. Opposition is there and it lurks and stalks those who are a mission.

[20:10] Huh? Who is he? He's the one who cares with the care of God for the bruised and hurting of that day. He cared about their spiritual and emotional and physical well-being and he sent his men on mission and thereby multiplied what he was doing in and through them.

[20:31] Isaiah 35 I believe Dave read it on last week but it's very clear. This is the one who comes to save. He touches people at the point of their need and he will as Isaiah prophesied he will come and save you.

[20:48] The Lord our God is strong and with his loving arms he will come to save. Verse 10 includes the report about the mission.

[20:59] You see it there. On their return the apostles told him all that they had done and he took them and withdrew apart from a town called and thank you Drayton for pronouncing it correctly.

[21:14] Bethsaida is an easy pronunciation for me. so but that you took him there. Indeed. What's the idea here? We see here Christ's sufficiency for those who are on mission comes into view in these verses for us.

[21:37] And guess what folks that's not just the 12. That's the church today and Christ's sufficiency all we need for what he has called us to do. Praise God for the deacons who have just been installed and the role that they play in mission.

[21:55] Christ is sufficient for those who are on mission. Whether you are an officer or not the sufficiency of Christ is there for you. What about the compassion of Jesus that we see in verses 11 through 17?

[22:11] I love this particular snapshot that we see of Jesus. Look at what we see there.

[22:22] When the crowds learned it they followed him and he welcomed them and spoke to them of the kingdom of God and cured those who had need of healing.

[22:33] Here's what we see. Here friends is the welcoming Jesus. that's the snapshot that we get here of him. He extends what can rightly be called gospel hospitality to those who were coming to him in that day.

[22:55] Gospel hospitality that's rooted in his compassion. Mark in his parallel passage so much as uses that word said Jesus had compassion on them and he says that he began to teach them.

[23:12] Gospel hospitality being extended or gospel welcome. That word there welcome is another one of Luke's favorite words as it concerns Jesus.

[23:24] He is about the welcoming business and he uses several forms of the word to help express that the word is decamai and it means to receive or to welcome but he uses various expressions that add a prefix on that emphasize or accent or intensifies what he's saying here.

[23:43] So here the idea is he gladly received them he received them without reserve. In Luke chapter 15 verse 2 it speaks about Jesus as the one who welcomes sinners and spoke to them about God's reign and cured their diseases.

[24:03] Often the first thing that we think about when we think hospitality what is it? Food. Jesus really helps us to see the range of gospel hospitality.

[24:17] Huh? Sometimes we think no food no hospitality. Huh? Food is nice but food alone doesn't define compassionate gospel hospitality.

[24:32] Again we see it broadened here and what we see in our Lord. Huh? It includes welcome it includes words and it includes the works of Jesus too.

[24:45] You see that there back in 9-11 he welcomed them he spoke to them in other words he preached or taught them of the kingdom of God and he cured those who had need of healing.

[25:00] a full range of gospel hospitality. Huh? Did you notice in verse 12 too that though the ones who were sent by Jesus to proclaim and heal are here asking Jesus to send them send the crowd away so that they can fend for themselves and providing lodging and provision.

[25:22] Look at verse 12. Now the day began to wear away. The 12 came and said to him send the crowd away to and to the surrounding villages and countryside to find lodging and get provisions for we are in a desolate place.

[25:39] Wait a minute. Are you not the same guys that Jesus sent on mission and provided everything that you need in that process?

[25:51] You say send them away. I mean they were taking the easy route out. Send them away. Go into the surrounding villages countryside to find lodging and get provision for here we are again in a desolate place.

[26:07] This is a wilderness like kind of situation Lord. But he said to them you give them to eat.

[26:19] They said we have no more than five loaves and two fish unless we are to go and buy food for all these people. Jesus redirected them. You feed them.

[26:32] You give them something to eat. Well Lord we took inventory and all we came up with is these five barley loaves and two fish among us and unless we go and buy food for all these people Lord you know what's in the purse there we just can't do it so Lord why don't we just dismiss them and let them go on the way.

[26:51] And Lord not only that but the count of men men men appetites Lord it's five thousand of these guys you add to that the women and the children you got us at least twice as many here's the idea of friends the provision was small people were many and what does one do with that kind of contrast when there's great need small provision and it seems like it just can't make the two connect they don't come together such disparity such a gulf between what a person needs and what they have what do you do when you're in place in that kind of predicament in you if you will what would you do if you had to feed 5,000 men our Lord knew what he would do the twelve returned from one aspect of their training but in reality the training was still going on at that very moment the identity of

[28:04] Jesus began to be further unpacked for them the one who provided for the mission was the one who here would provide for the masses even in their need for food Jesus took charge and put his disciples to work on Thursday night we had the privilege of going to the by the hand fundraising dinner it was well organized you know how it goes tables of ten place settings water and all of those utensils on the table that you don't know exactly what to do with you ever been there ten at a table I would guess about a thousand people there but guess what the evening went extremely smooth it was a great meal there and guess what we see a similar kind of scene a kind of banquet in the text that is before us don't you love what you see there

[29:08] Jesus had them to sit down they get in groups not of ten but of fifty and can you imagine that the disciples moving in among them hey give me a group of fifty over here and fifty over here you probably heard that sound hey we need a few more over here get them in gather them in huh gonna get ready huh there would be a hundred groups of fifty if it was just five thousand men likely it was more two hundred groups of fifty if there were ten thousand there but what a great great plan for ministering to this mass of people huh the welcoming Jesus verse eleven the worshiping Jesus before us in verse sixteen you see him there he takes the five loaves and two fish he looks up to heaven and said a blessing over them that is the fish and loaves then he broke the loaves and gave them to the disciples and sat before the crowd meager substance is put into the hands of

[30:22] Jesus he looks up to his father the one from whom all blessings flow oh isn't this a wonderful picture God from whom all blessings flow and then you see the one through whom he uses all blessings to flow here he is he's offering up his thanks acknowledging perhaps the father is the source of all good things from whom every good and perfect gift comes the one who gives life and the one who sustains life he looks to him both in faith and in thanksgiving wow and then he begins to break one loaf after another his hands are the very hands of God his heart is the heart of God the disciples become the agents of

[31:23] God and they distribute there to the people of God in this wonderful setting and what we have here in the whole of the scene is nothing less than a banquet and you see banquets here involve more than the distribution of the food it included the words it included the works gospel hospitality included them all and so we have nothing less than a banquet a banquet that reflects and anticipates the banquet of all banquets turn with me to Isaiah chapter 25 and we'll take a look at this end time feast that Isaiah describes for us there 25 verses 6 through 9 actually it started 25 1 but we'll just read 3 4 verses on this morning on this mountain the

[32:29] Lord of hosts will make for all peoples a feast of rich food a feast of well-aged wine of rich food full of marrow of aged wine well refined and he will swallow up on this mountain the covering that is cast over all peoples the veil that is spread over all nations he will swallow up death forever!

[32:54] in the Lord this is what John reflects on in Revelation Lord God will wipe away tears from all faces and the reproach of his people he will take away from the earth for the Lord has spoken it will be said on that day here it is look here behold this is our God we have waited for him and here's again Luke in words that he might save us this is the!

[33:22] we have waited for him let us be glad and rejoice in his salvation this banquet and that on that in Galilee anticipates the banquet ahead but again reflects it to our Lord breaking bread and feeding the masses on that day Thursday evening's meal that I mentioned included quite a few things two kinds of meat several kinds of bread potatoes and vegetables and for those who wanted a clump of chocolate dessert to boot the meal that we see in the text it's simple bread and fish but guess what friends it's bread and fish for all and the results with satisfaction for all and guess what you have left over twelve doggy bags let's call them disciple bags if you will one for each disciple as a reminder of the sufficiency of the living

[34:41] God the passage answers the question Christ is sufficient he he sufficient for those on mission but also he is sufficient for those in need of mercy as we see him in compassion who is he he's the one who commissions followers to share his work and compels his disciples to share his compassion for those in need he empowers his followers for mission he extends his welcome to the masses of hurting people at the point of the very need and guess what friends he meets you and me and he satisfies us at the point of our needs even to the point of the greatest of all human needs the need for salvation the need for forgiveness the need for being made right with the living

[35:45] God Jesus does that too who is he he's the life giving king who satisfies by meeting us at the point of our greatest need true satisfaction comes from him the sufficiency of Jesus spreads both to those who follow him as well as through those who follow him may we be channels may we be instruments for his mission may we be channels of his mercy and may through the ministry of those who follow him there be many who find soul satisfaction indeed his sufficiency extends to those on mission and extends to those who are among the masses may God help us to be his agents in both let me pray father we give you praise this morning we worship you and give thanks we say as we have said this morning already blessed be your name we honor you and celebrate you through

[36:57] Jesus Christ our living and lovely Lord Amen