Philadelphia Eagles fans are feeling very fine today after the franchise won its first Super Bowl title ever last night. The great joy of being a sports enthusiast is to share in the elation of victory when your team is the champion.

But championships are difficult to come by. On average, it should only happen once ever 32 years in the NFL, for example. When I coached in high school and we were able to win some state championships, I told the kids that we really needed to celebrate. And that is because winning is not easy at all, and you may never again get to experience it.

In following Christ, we are a part of the ultimate winning outfit – God’s kingdom. Nothing can ultimately prevail against it. The creator God has called us to be a member, and this is indeed a great privilege.

Today’s passage is very similar to a previous section in Luke’s gospel where he wrote about the sending out of the 12 disciples. This chapter tells of another group of followers who numbered a total of 72 individuals. In similar fashion as the Disciples, these were other close followers of Jesus who could travel about to towns and villages and announce the nearness of the Kingdom.

As with the 12, these ministers would be subject to many difficulties and persecutions. Those who demonstrated hospitality were the true believers who responded to the message of grace and God’s messiah being upon the earthly scene. But a majority of hearers in places such as several mentioned in the passage (from northern Galilee) would not receive the message. Certain judgment awaited them – condemnation beyond other places that never heard the message or saw the miracles.

The 72 are amazed at the authority they possessed to serve – that even demons were subject to their message. But Jesus answers this by encouraging them to have what is a greater perspective – the blessing they had as members of the winning team.

This section ends with the joy that Christ has at seeing how these simple folks had received the message and were trophies of grace and faith. He reminds the disciples of their rare privilege – to be alive and to be seeing things that the prophets wrote about from a distance. Many of the great saints of the Old Testament had a deep longing to be able to see and experience what the disciples were a part of every day.

And now, post-resurrection, living in the church age with the gift of the indwelling Holy Spirit, we are actually in an even better position. We live and serve in a wonderful time of opportunity to see the gospel spread creatively near and far.

So, in spite of the challenges of oft being like sheep among wolves, it is a wonderful privilege and identification to be a part of God’s kingdom, God’s team.

In serving, do so with joy and confidence, also praying that others may be a part of working in the same joyful harvest that we have as our assignment.

Luke 10:1 – After this the Lord appointed seventy-two others and sent them two by two ahead of him to every town and place where he was about to go. 2 He told them, “The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field. 3 Go! I am sending you out like lambs among wolves. 4 Do not take a purse or bag or sandals; and do not greet anyone on the road.

5 “When you enter a house, first say, ‘Peace to this house.’ 6 If someone who promotes peace is there, your peace will rest on them; if not, it will return to you. 7 Stay there, eating and drinking whatever they give you, for the worker deserves his wages. Do not move around from house to house.

8 “When you enter a town and are welcomed, eat what is offered to you. 9 Heal the sick who are there and tell them, ‘The kingdom of God has come near to you.’ 10 But when you enter a town and are not welcomed, go into its streets and say, 11 ‘Even the dust of your town we wipe from our feet as a warning to you. Yet be sure of this: The kingdom of God has come near.’ 12 I tell you, it will be more bearable on that day for Sodom than for that town.

13 “Woe to you, Chorazin! Woe to you, Bethsaida! For if the miracles that were performed in you had been performed in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long ago, sitting in sackcloth and ashes. 14 But it will be more bearable for Tyre and Sidon at the judgment than for you. 15 And you, Capernaum, will you be lifted to the heavens? No, you will go down to Hades.

16 “Whoever listens to you listens to me; whoever rejects you rejects me; but whoever rejects me rejects him who sent me.”

17 The seventy-two returned with joy and said, “Lord, even the demons submit to us in your name.”

18 He replied, “I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven. 19 I have given you authority to trample on snakes and scorpions and to overcome all the power of the enemy; nothing will harm you. 20 However, do not rejoice that the spirits submit to you, but rejoice that your names are written in heaven.”

21 At that time Jesus, full of joy through the Holy Spirit, said, “I praise you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because you have hidden these things from the wise and learned, and revealed them to little children. Yes, Father, for this is what you were pleased to do.

22 “All things have been committed to me by my Father. No one knows who the Son is except the Father, and no one knows who the Father is except the Son and those to whom the Son chooses to reveal him.”

23 Then he turned to his disciples and said privately, “Blessed are the eyes that see what you see. 24 For I tell you that many prophets and kings wanted to see what you see but did not see it, and to hear what you hear but did not hear it.”

I cannot help but tie together the big idea of today’s passage with the biggest news item that is predicted to gain great attention on this date. That item is the release of a document that will allegedly demonstrate that high powers of authority in the country were “weaponized” against a political enemy for political benefit.

I certainly do not want to get into any evaluation of the merits of this memo nor the politics that drive both its supporters and its critics. The point is that for whomever, in any time or place, being targeted unjustly by the powers of government and authority would be a terrible thing. How do you defend yourself when the ultimate, highest authorities are set against you?

This was becoming the reality for Jesus. Though there had been great crowds and high levels of interest, overall, the nation was not turning toward following him and recognizing him as the Christ. Even for many who did follow him, their level of commitment would evaporate quickly when it became clear that to be a disciple was to be a part of a targeted, hated minority.

Here again is another statement made by Jesus that would have, at the time he uttered it, only a fractional amount of impact as reflections upon it at a later date would yield. “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow me.”  The figurative nature of that statement would become terribly literal before very long.

There is a cost in following Christ. This has always been true. By the standards of the rest of the world, we have it easy in America, living in what has historically been a Christianized culture. There are followers of Christ who are martyred somewhere in the world every day. That is not an exaggeration. It happens daily. And even here, our faith is becoming a more odious thing to increasing numbers of secularized people. I could name at least two people in our church who lost jobs in the last year because of their faith. That was not the reason given, of course; but being a bold witness was at the heart of the matter.

The passage today shares several stories of people who said they wanted to follow Christ, but they had some matter that had to be taken care of first. Jesus rightly recognized that the hearts of these marginal followers were not fully devoted.

I have seen these sorta-Christians over my decades of pastoral work. There are always just one or two more things that need to be cleared off the calendar; after that, they will be a big part of serving Christ in the church. But just about the time those items clear … guess what!… several more come along to make yet another discipleship postponement.__

The illustration at the end is colorful – about putting the hand to the plow and not looking back. My grandfather grew up on a farm in the early 1900s and regularly plowed with teams of horses. I asked him one time about this verse. He told me that it was a disaster to look back at all. To make a straight furrow, you had to fix your eyes on a point in the distance. If you looked down too much or looked back, it would appear that a giant snake had plowed the field. Additionally, unless you were focused upon the task in front of you with your entire concentration, you never knew when the blade would hit a rock and pop up out the ground – whacking you on the chin.

The application is obvious. To be a true follower, it takes regular commitment that does not care about the negative fallout and even the persecution from others. Disdain for your faith is normal. This is not to be unexpected in a world under the control of the evil one. Opposition and persecution are par. But the ultimate rewards are worth it. So don’t be a half-hearted follower of Christ.

Luke 9:23 – Then he said to them all: “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow me. 24 For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me will save it. 25 What good is it for someone to gain the whole world, and yet lose or forfeit their very self? 26 Whoever is ashamed of me and my words, the Son of Man will be ashamed of them when he comes in his glory and in the glory of the Father and of the holy angels.

27 “Truly I tell you, some who are standing here will not taste death before they see the kingdom of God.”

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Luke 9:51 – As the time approached for him to be taken up to heaven, Jesus resolutely set out for Jerusalem. 52 And he sent messengers on ahead, who went into a Samaritan village to get things ready for him; 53 but the people there did not welcome him, because he was heading for Jerusalem. 54 When the disciples James and John saw this, they asked, “Lord, do you want us to call fire down from heaven to destroy them?” 55 But Jesus turned and rebuked them. 56 Then he and his disciples went to another village.

57 As they were walking along the road, a man said to him, “I will follow you wherever you go.”

58 Jesus replied, “Foxes have dens and birds have nests, but the Son of Man has no place to lay his head.”

59 He said to another man, “Follow me.”

But he replied, “Lord, first let me go and bury my father.”

60 Jesus said to him, “Let the dead bury their own dead, but you go and proclaim the kingdom of God.”

61 Still another said, “I will follow you, Lord; but first let me go back and say goodbye to my family.”

62 Jesus replied, “No one who puts a hand to the plow and looks back is fit for service in the kingdom of God.”

It must have been a heady thing to be travelling around with Jesus. Yes, there was opposition, often from prominent people in both religious and civil governance. But the power of miracles and resurrections was clearly so exceptionally greater. Pretty much everywhere they went, there was a crowd waiting to see Jesus and be a part of what was happening.

How might you be feeling if you were one of the twelve?  Likely, any of us might be thinking, “Hey, I’m kind of a big deal here. Look at what I’m a part of!  The relatives are back in Galilee fishing, and here I am romping around the countryside as Jesus’ homie. Dog! I be some kind o’ special!”

The disciples truly did see Jesus as the King, the Promised One. They believed the Kingdom promised to Israel was right at hand. This was such a major part of their thinking that it was a last question asked of Jesus just before his ascension to heaven, “Will you at this time restore the kingdom to Israel?”

If the King was there with them and if the Kingdom was about to come soon, and they were clearly the selected and closest companions to the King, surely they were in line to have some significant positions in the official cabinet!  This sort of thinking (likely a part of each one’s minds) came blurting out in conversation between them, and Jesus heard it (though not as if he did not know already what they were thinking).

To combat that wrongful, self-centered thinking, Jesus takes a child and uses him as an illustration. This represented simplicity and innocence, a person with a lack of standing – dependent and weak, relatively speaking.

That is the kind of person the followers of Christ should be quickest to serve, befriend and minister to. Though not an explicit part of the teaching, that is who the disciples were – not from the greatest in Israel, but rather from the least and simplest. That is who Christ chose.

The following verses about rebuking some others who were casting out spirits in the name of Jesus naturally follow this discussion. John did this, not because what they were doing was wrong, but because they were not a part of the inner circle. Their exact belief status is unknown, but Jesus uses a parable of the time to teach the disciples again to not think so much about status or competition.

That is difficult to do, even in church ministry. It is easy to be competitive and not have larger Kingdom purposes in mind. It is easy to desire the greatest places in the Lord’s vineyard and to see the bigger successes of someone else as your own loss. If it was appropriate to name situations and circumstances, I could illustrate this with multiple stories. Allow it to suffice that I state the simple principle I’ve come to understand over years of experiences: my greatest personal blessing, and the greatest blessings of the church I’m leading, are most often in conjunction with my (or our) serving the least among us and around us. We can trust God with results, our need is merely to be faithful with the tasks before us. We were once the least – when God set his love upon us and called us to himself through the simple service of some follower just doing his or her vineyard work.

Luke 9:46 – An argument started among the disciples as to which of them would be the greatest. 47 Jesus, knowing their thoughts, took a little child and had him stand beside him. 48 Then he said to them, “Whoever welcomes this little child in my name welcomes me; and whoever welcomes me welcomes the one who sent me. For it is the one who is least among you all who is the greatest.”

49 “Master,” said John, “we saw someone driving out demons in your name and we tried to stop him, because he is not one of us.”

50 “Do not stop him,” Jesus said, “for whoever is not against you is for you.”

The transfiguration was an amazing experience, especially for the disciples. Likewise, for Jesus, the meeting with Moses and Elijah and discussion about the pending close of his mission on earth, this too must have been a glorious experience. In that our text today speaks of Peter, James and John descending the mountain with Jesus, we may surmise that the transfiguration was at night. Surely that was extra impressive.

Coming down from the mountain, there again was the crowd. The loudest voice out of the crowd was a father interceding for his only son. It surely felt like this was going from the way things God intended relationship to be, to the realities again of a fallen world in the grips of Satan’s influence. Thus Jesus says to a perverse and unbelieving generation, “how long shall I stay with you and put up with you?”  Soon, Jesus would endure the work of the cross and pay the price that would atone for the conditions such as were suffered by this child.

The nine disciples who were not with Jesus on the mountain were unable to cast out the controlling demon and heal the boy of the physical malady. But Jesus does it instantly. Once again we see the statement of the amazement of those who witnessed this. This is a most powerful Greek word that speaks of people being stunned out of their senses.

The main point to be taken from this passage is the juxtaposition of the glorious transfiguration with the frustration and brokenness of a world where sin has a child infested with both a malady and a demonic influence.

There are more than a few times when I also feel this frustration, especially in these days where as a church family we have experienced such a list of people with sad and difficult health crises.

It will not always be this way!  Jesus, likewise the only son of a Father, has paid the price for the ultimate change to be realized. Some days, and at certain times – like recently – that confident hope seems especially extra good.

Luke 9:37 – 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.

Think back just three years ago from right now. What were you doing? What was happening in your life in late January of 2015?  That isn’t really very long ago, is it?  If you’re like me, it seems more like months ago than three years ago.

Three years – that is the total time of Christ’s public ministry and the time that the disciples were exposed to this greatest experience of their lives. It must have been a whirlwind sort of adventure. Going from mere fishermen (thinking of Peter, James and John specifically) to becoming foremost witnesses of the life, death and resurrection of Christ – that was a lot to absorb.

Throughout the gospel narratives we see the disciples struggling to take it all in and rightly understand everything. Of course, it could not all be understood until it was all over. This was especially true of the atoning work of the cross.

At the transfiguration, Jesus pulls back the curtain a bit so that these three disciples can see the bigger picture of his glory. Moses represented the beginning of the nation – the giving of the Law and the exodus from Egypt through the Passover. And Elijah was the eschatological (last times) figure of the nation, stated in Malachi that he would return before the great and terrible day of the Lord. (In the parallel passages in Matthew and Mark, it is clear from the words of Jesus that this was fulfilled in John the Baptist.)

All in all, this was a profound experience for these three disciples. It would deeply affect them, though the full significance was not understood until later. This experience surely bolstered their lives and their ministries in the future: James as the first Christian martyr, Peter as the rock upon which the church would be built, and John as a foremost leader and the writer of his gospel, letters, and the Revelation.

Yes, the transfiguration experience was surely confusing. The statement of Peter to put up shelters is a bit cryptic, probably being a desire to continue in the moment and have the heavenly visitors stay.

The voice coming out of the cloud – clearly that of God – contains the same authenticating words as at the baptism of Jesus. “This is my Son, whom I have chosen; listen to him.”  Yes, it was all confusing and too much to comprehend. What the disciples needed for that moment was to be reminded to listen to what Jesus said.

Now there is a timeless truth if ever there was one!  In the confusion, listen to Jesus. That’s what you really need. Maybe you didn’t need that message today quite as much as I have needed it. Listen. Obey. Stay the course. Be faithful. Trust and move forward.

Luke 9:28 – About eight days after Jesus said this, he took Peter, John and James with him and went up onto a mountain to pray. 29 As he was praying, the appearance of his face changed, and his clothes became as bright as a flash of lightning. 30 Two men, Moses and Elijah, appeared in glorious splendor, talking with Jesus. 31 They spoke about his departure, which he was about to bring to fulfillment at Jerusalem. 32 Peter and his companions were very sleepy, but when they became fully awake, they saw his glory and the two men standing with him. 33 As the men were leaving Jesus, Peter said to him, “Master, it is good for us to be here. Let us put up three shelters—one for you, one for Moses and one for Elijah.” (He did not know what he was saying.)

34 While he was speaking, a cloud appeared and covered them, and they were afraid as they entered the cloud. 35 A voice came from the cloud, saying, “This is my Son, whom I have chosen; listen to him.” 36 When the voice had spoken, they found that Jesus was alone. The disciples kept this to themselves and did not tell anyone at that time what they had seen.

One of the most famous questions ever asked in American history is that attributed to Tennessee Senator Howard Baker in the midst of the Nixon investigations: “What did the President know, and when did he know it?”  That question is often slightly morphed in many situations as a bottom line sort of inquiry to clearly understand an event and to assign either guilt or innocence.

This is actually a good question for us to ask in Bible study, “What did particular characters of Scripture know, and when did they know it?”  It is easy for us to especially read too much understanding back into a biblical account, and that is because we know the outcome. This is a challenge for historians as well – to not read the inevitabilities of an event we know as accomplished back into the minds of the participants before it all unfolded. I see this all the time as people discuss the Battle of Antietam – with folks attributing way more clarity of the pending battle into the minds of either General McClellan or General Lee. It just looks so obvious … to us!

Today we look at the three passages where Jesus told the disciples that he was going to die, yet be also raised to life again. Christ was very specific on the third occasion, saying that he would rise again on the third day. That is VERY precise!  So why are the disciples such dopes about the entire passion narrative?

We should read into this a divine element of them being prevented by God from clearly understanding. The words of Jesus were then later remembered after the death and resurrection, as the disciples at that point clearly understood that the Savior had indeed spoken of this explicitly. That may be all the answer we need.

But let’s try to drop into the sandals of the disciples for a moment. They are travelling around with Jesus for quite some time. They have witnessed incredible things: miracles galore, and even resurrections from the dead. Their ears have heard teachings about the coming kingdom, and they were believing that he was indeed the king. Though opposition was regular, clearly Jesus had the greater power. The disciples perceived themselves as on a winning team.

Projecting out into the future on the other side of the return of Jesus Christ and the consummation of the grand end-times events, it is imaginable that Christian people will look back at us in our Nikes and Reeboks and wonder why we were such dopes. Why in the world could we not better see and anticipate the approach of Christ’s return?  Why could we not see and understand the degradation of the material world and have a more profound sense of the time when Christ returned?

Even so, though we don’t know those details that are yet future, we live in a wonderful time of an advanced knowledge of God’s big story. We are so privileged to have the entire, completed Word of God. In it we know the entire account of the unfolding, redemptive work of Christ. We are able to see how it relates in great detail to the Old Testament systems of worship and atonement.

We are richly blessed by the knowledge we possess.

Luke 9:21 – Jesus strictly warned them not to tell this to anyone. 22 And he said, “The Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders, the chief priests and the teachers of the law, and he must be killed and on the third day be raised to life.”

Luke 9:43 – 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.

Luke 18:31 – Jesus took the Twelve aside and told them, “We are going up to Jerusalem, and everything that is written by the prophets about the Son of Man will be fulfilled. 32 He will be delivered over to the Gentiles. They will mock him, insult him and spit on him; 33 they will flog him and kill him. On the third day he will rise again.”

34 The disciples did not understand any of this. Its meaning was hidden from them, and they did not know what he was talking about.

Everything we believe and trust in will rise and fall on the question we discuss today: who do you say Jesus is?

The wise men wondered this, as did Herod. John the Baptist asked, and even Christ’s own family seemed to struggle with the identification as well. The religious leaders knew who they did not want him to be! The whole nation was pondering.

And so, in a moment of retreat with the disciples, Jesus asks the question of them as to what the many crowds had to say about it. As they begin to answer, you can imagine the laughter around this circle of 13 men.

The first answer was John the Baptist, who of course had been beheaded prior to this time. And there were similarities, as each preached about personal repentance and the kingdom’s soon coming. John could prepare men to receive God, but Christ could enable men to receive God.

Next is the common suggestion that Jesus was a second coming of Elijah. Both were men of prayer who performed miracles. It was a common teaching (based upon a passage in Malachi) that Elijah would come before the Messiah. So, as with John, those who saw Jesus as Elijah perceived him to be a forerunner of the actual Christ.

The third suggestion is that it was one of the prophets (in Matthew’s gospel, the name Jeremiah was suggested). Like these servants of God, Jesus was a man of suffering in the midst of preaching and seeking to do good.

The poor and insufficient Jewish anticipation of the Messiah is evident. They anticipated a liberating figure who would supply their every need and overthrow their oppressors. Rather, Jesus emphasized personal repentance and spiritual liberation.

The jovial atmosphere was brought up short with a sudden jolt, as Jesus asks them, “Who do you say that I am?”  You get the feeling that there may well have been a pregnant pause.

This is one of those times where the Greek language has an advantage. To emphasize a word in a sentence (since word order is less important than in English), you write or speak the most important word first. So, the question is more like this: “You! Who do YOU think I am?”

As the most common spokesman for the group, Peter – this time – nails the answer with the crisp sound of the hammer upon the head. “God’s Messiah.”  The passage in Matthew 16:16 gives us an even clearer sense of his response: “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.”  And Peter is commended highly for the accuracy of his answer.

Over the years, all sorts of pseudo-Christian groups have failed to answer this question fully and accurately, groups like the Ebionites, Gnostics, Marcionites, Monarchianists, Arians, etc. These groups and their leading teachers did not rightly understanding the divinity and the humanity, emphasizing one to the exclusion of the other. And every cult or heresy since that time is simply one of these sects dressed up in different clothes.

It does not matter what others say, be they people at the office, the shop, the school, etc.  It matters what YOU say. Jesus is the perfect son of God – fully man without sin, and fully God at the same time. This qualifies him as the only perfect sacrifice for sin who could defeat death and offer a valid eternal life to those who believe.

It is the most important question … and answer.

Luke 9:18 – Once when Jesus was praying in private and his disciples were with him, he asked them, “Who do the crowds say I am?”

19 They replied, “Some say John the Baptist; others say Elijah; and still others, that one of the prophets of long ago has come back to life.”

20 “But what about you?” he asked. “Who do you say I am?”

Peter answered, “God’s Messiah.”

I am terrified of not having enough food!  No, I’m not talking about myself, but rather when there is a big event for which I have some responsibility. For example, a week from Sunday (Superb Owl night – I’m going to use that title somehow next year since we’re not supposed to use “the other one!”) we will be hosting the Kingdom United Fellowship – our new partnership with a number of African-American churches in the community. This is a first time that they are coming to our place, versus me and a few of us from TSF attending an event at one of their facilities. I really, really want this to go well!  I’m planning food and seeking helpers (give me a call!), and I’m also counting on A.C.&T. down the street for a lot of chicken. We’ll bring other stuff, as will our guests, but I’m still worried about it. It would be great to have Jesus here as he was in the passage we look at today – the account of the feeding of 5,000 with just a few fish and some bread. He could repeat that with chicken and hot dogs and salsa dip, right?

I try not to worry, because it always works out. Only once in the history of TSF did we not have enough food at an event. Very early in my time here (probably around 1995) we had one particular Sunday morning outdoor service at Camp Joy-El, with a luncheon to follow. Somehow, we didn’t have enough food brought by the people attending. The women of the church were HORRIFIED!!  They said that this would NEVER happen again, and it hasn’t. But, I worry … so help me out.

This account of Jesus with the 12 disciples would be after their return from having been sent out by Christ to preach, etc.  Back now with the Master, he was taking them to a more secluded place to likely debrief (as we see in tomorrow’s passage) and to rest, etc.  But the crowds would have none of this. They followed him, along with the disciples; and now they found themselves at a place with insufficient resources to feed this multitude. The disciples have a Randy-esque… TSF women-esque response of “OH NO!!”

We are left to wonder what the crowd was thinking. Maybe they had less concerns than the disciples. They were looking for miracles. As we know from one of the other gospels, there was one Jewish, first-century boy scout in the crowd who was prepared with some food; that was all that could be found. But Jesus orders them to sit in groups of 50s and he multiplies the scant resources into enough that there was plenty left over.

Those who were there would have surely had two Old Testament stories come immediately to mind. The first would be the way that God through Moses provided for the children of Israel in the wilderness, sending them their daily manna. Beyond that, they would likely also recall a more obscure story of Elisha (in 2 Kings 4:42-44) providing more than enough vittles for 100 prophets to eat, doing so out of a mere supply of 20 loaves of bread.

Beyond that, looking back at this account from the church age, Christians would see Jesus giving thanks and breaking bread, recalling the scene from the last supper. And of course, this represents Jesus’ provision for our spiritual needs through the giving of his life.

Be it bread for physical life or spiritual life, God provides for his people. There are dozens of passages and stories to support this primary idea. So why should we ever live in any actual concern for ourselves about our basic needs?  Maybe we fear too much that our basic needs may be met just in that way … basically, rather than abundantly. But in any event, it is silly to not trust God. “He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all—how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things?”

From Luke 9:10ff …

When the apostles returned, they reported to Jesus what they had done. Then he took them with him and they withdrew by themselves to a town called Bethsaida, 11 but the crowds learned about it and followed him. He welcomed them and spoke to them about the kingdom of God, and healed those who needed healing.

12 Late in the afternoon the Twelve came to him and said, “Send the crowd away so they can go to the surrounding villages and countryside and find food and lodging, because we are in a remote place here.”

13 He replied, “You give them something to eat.”

They answered, “We have only five loaves of bread and two fish—unless we go and buy food for all this crowd.” 14 (About five thousand men were there.)

But he said to his disciples, “Have them sit down in groups of about fifty each.” 15 The disciples did so, and everyone sat down. 16 Taking the five loaves and the two fish and looking up to heaven, he gave thanks and broke them. Then he gave them to the disciples to distribute to the people. 17 They all ate and were satisfied, and the disciples picked up twelve basketfuls of broken pieces that were left over.

When I was a boy growing up with a commited church environment, it was the weekly duty to fill out questions in a Sunday School lesson book. The class time would involve both teaching and the discussion of the questions we all answered and brought with us. I cannot remember a single class in particular or any one topic of discussion, but it must have accomplished some good instruction in my life.

After my 9^th grade school year had concluded, my best friend in the church talked me into going to a Christian camp in South Jersey to work there with him on the staff. He was the pastor’s son and was really into cooking, so he was going to work in the kitchen (where one of the girls serving with him was Katie Williams’ mother!). I was targeted to work with the grounds crew on the large property that included many buildings and rustic cabins, along with three lakes.

The first day at the camp held a surprise for me. Whereas my friend was sent off to the kitchen while others were called aside to do grounds work, my name was read off as one of the children’s workers for the counseling staff. It was explained to me that they were short on having enough counselors, and that my former pastor (who was on the board of directors) told them that though I was younger than the rest, they should just tell me to do it.

But I had to pass a Bible knowledge test, and to my surprise, I scored higher than several of the Bible College students in the group. It was all of those years of Sunday School lessons paying off! After a week of training, the first group of campers arrived. Suddenly I was in charge of a cabin of seven 10-year-olds for a week, teaching a daily bedtime devotional that I had to do on my own without any supplied materials. Though a bit terrified at first, I was amazed at how easy it turned out to be. And I distinctly remember a sense of the Spirit helping me put thoughts together and bring them out of my mouth with relative ease.

It was a transitional period of life where I went from being the constant disciple and student, to being a teacher of others who had not yet heard the stories and information that were now familiar to me.

This is essentially what happens in our account today. The 12 disciples are sent out by Jesus with the power AND authority to preach the message of the kingdom (and the Messiah King who was now with them), authenticated by the power to heal and defeat the demonic elements encountered.

The 12 were certainly prepared in many ways by their personal association with Christ and his teachings to have the content to successfully complete the task. But Jesus sends them out with no reserve of material supports to depend upon. They would have to discover that God was able to sufficiently supply their daily needs in every way.

The mission throughout Galilee was to call people to a commitment about who exactly Jesus Christ was. There was confusion amongst the people, as the word about Jesus was spreading widely. And this news came to Herod the Tetrarch, the ruler of that area. He had beheaded John the Baptist and gave no credence to the suggestion that Jesus was a resurrection of the eccentric preacher. Others told him that Jesus was a return of Elijah or one of the prophets. Herod desired to see Jesus himself.

I see two timeless applications from these few verses today.

The first is that a time comes in our Christian lives when we should be moving from primarily being a mere hearer and follower, to a time where we are sharing that truth with others. We never stop growing and learning, but our lives are not to be ultimately about the mere gaining of knowledge. Rather it is for the purpose of being better equipped to serve in whatever place the Lord has for us to move about in our lives here.

A second application is to see that, be it then or be it now, the key question in life for every person is to accurately identify who Jesus Christ is. The answer to this means everything. There are people in religious leadership as a career who cannot and do not answer this question correctly. They think Jesus is merely a great teacher or moral example, if indeed there really was a historic Jesus at all beyond a legend that grew to enormous proportions. But the only answer that is correct and that gives life is to understand that Jesus is the divine Son of God who, in fulfillment of God’s promises dating back to the beginning of the human race, came in the flesh to pay the price of sin through his death and offer life through his resurrection.

Our mission in life is to accurately understand this truth, and then to grow in sufficient knowledge of it to be able to pass along that truth to others. We are all sent into the world in this regard. As God empowers you and supplies your needs, who are you telling about him today?

Luke 9:1 – When Jesus had called the Twelve together, he gave them power and authority to drive out all demons and to cure diseases, 2 and he sent them out to proclaim the kingdom of God and to heal the sick. 3 He told them: “Take nothing for the journey—no staff, no bag, no bread, no money, no extra shirt. 4 Whatever house you enter, stay there until you leave that town. 5 If people do not welcome you, leave their town and shake the dust off your feet as a testimony against them.” 6 So they set out and went from village to village, proclaiming the good news and healing people everywhere.

7 – Now Herod the tetrarch heard about all that was going on. And he was perplexed because some were saying that John had been raised from the dead, 8 others that Elijah had appeared, and still others that one of the prophets of long ago had come back to life. 9 But Herod said, “I beheaded John. Who, then, is this I hear such things about?” And he tried to see him.