Luke

9:18-27

The mission of the Messiah, 1:5-9:50

6. The nature of the Messiah's kingdom, 9:1-50

iii] Meaning of Peter's confession

Jesus, while in a private place, asks his disciples if they know who he really is, not just who the crowds think he is, but who they think he is. Peter replies on behalf of the disciples that they believe Jesus is the messiah. Jesus then speaks to his disciples about the nature of cross-bearing discipleship.

In six separate episodes, The Mission (Acts) of Messiah, Luke sets out from 9:1 to 9:50, to give the reader an insight into the nature of the kingdom of God. The imagery of the episodes takes us back to the Exodus story. As Moses is sent to call the people of Israel out of Egypt, so Jesus sends out his apostles to call out a people for God, 9:1-9. As God fed Israel in the wilderness, so Christ feeds the five thousand, 9:10-17. As the wilderness is the way of suffering, so Christ must go this way, and we must stand with him in this journey, 9:18-27.

Jesus' linkage of his suffering-servant role with cross-bearing discipleship is quite fascinating. Both Mark and Luke constantly note this link. Whenever Jesus speaks of his suffering he goes on to speak about discipleship. The radical nature of the discipleship, seemingly demanded by Jesus, is next to impossible (although Francis did give it a go!). Commentators either record the impossible and hope that no one ever asks them to live it out, or get into reductionism and end up with a pale imitation of servanthood. So, how do we handle our Lord's call to cross-bearing?

Jesus' words probably serve a two-pronged function. First, they prompt dependence (rather than a law to obey). Law functions to remind us that our "righteousness is but filthy rags" and ideals perfectly serve this end. So, in response, we rest on Christ's cross-bearing on our behalf, we identify with his suffering for us. Second, Jesus' words prompt Christ-likeness by setting an ideal to aim at (rather than a law to obey). Law functions as a guide to the Christian life and Ideals effectively serve this end. So, in response, we press at servanthood.

The disciples confess Christ - "[we say you are] the Christ of God", v18-20.

egeneto "once" - it came about, it happened. Used with kai to introduce a new episode.

en tw/ einai proseucomenon (proseucomai) pres. part. "when Jesus was praying" - while/during he is praying [alone]. The infinitive of the verb "to be" and the participle forms a paraphrastic infinitive. The preposition, with the articular infinitive, serves to form a temporal clause, "while/when", as NIV. The subject, "Jesus" (Gk. "he") is accusative = accusative of respect. "While Jesus was praying."

kata monaV prep + acc. "alone" - according to alone. "By himself", "along", BAGD.

sunhsan (suneimi) imperf + dat. "were with" - Used of being with someone or something, or sometimes of movement together with someone or something. Jesus has moved away from the frenzied feeding of the 5,000 and is now with his disciples, although probably off away praying by himself.

autw/ dat. pro. "him" - Dative of direct object / accompaniment to the verb sunhsan.

ecloi (oV) "crowds" - Mark has "people" and for meaning we could use the word "people" instead of "crowds". The plural "crowds" indicates that Jesus is not just asking for the opinion of the crowd which witnessed the miraculous feeding.

einai inf. "[Who do the crowds say] I am?" - The infinitive of the verb to be functions here as an interrogative pronoun, predicate of the subject "who", in that it tells us the identity of "who". "In the opinion of the people we have ministered to in the last year or so, who do they say I am?"

de "-" - but, and. Coordinative, "and".

oiJ "they" - Subject, as NIV.

apokriqenteV (apokrinomai) aor. pas. part. "replied" - having answered [he said]. Attendant circumstance participle expressing action accompanying the verb "they said", semi-redundant Semitism.

alloi de "[Some say ....] others say ..... and still others ....." - but others ........ and others ....... The disciples simply answer Jesus' question, "John the Baptist." "Some say" is added for meaning. "Say" is implied. The grammar may imply that the majority say John the Baptist, but some others say ....

oJti "that" - that. Introducing a dependent statement, indirect speech, expressing what the others say, legousin, "say", is implied.

profhthV tiV twn arcaiwn anesth "one of the prophets of long ago has come back to life" - a certain prophet of the ancients rose again. Mark has "one of the prophets." There is some truth in the fact that Christ is a Baptist, Elijah and Prophet type, but the question is, do the disciples see beyond this limited understanding of Christ's person.

uJmeiV de "but what about you?" - but you. Emphatic

eipen de autoiV "he asked" - he said to them. The dative autoiV serves as a dative of indirect object. What Jesus said serves as the direct object.

ei\nai pres. inf. "[who do you say] I am" - [whom do you say me] to be. The infinitive forms an object clause / dependent statement of inderect speech; "whom do you say that I am?"

aporkiqeiV (apokrinomai) "answered" - As in v19.

ton criston "the Christ" - Mark simply has "Christ". "God's messiah", God's davidic deliverer, but as we will see, Christ's messianic credentials are defined by the prophet Isaiah. That is, Christ's messiahship is expressed more as a suffering servant than a king. It is this function of Jesus' messiahship that Peter has yet to understand.

tou qeou (oV) "of God" - The genitive is ablative, source; "from God."

The Son of Man must suffer, v21-22.

de "-" - but, and. Here coordinative, so not translated.

oJ "Jesus" - he. Subject.

oJ epitimhsaV (epitimaw) aor. part. "[Jesus strictly] warned" - having warned/warning [he gave orders/ordered]. Attendant circumstance participle expressing action accompanying the main verb "gave orders", so, "gave orders to them and warned" = "he forbid them strictly", Moffatt. Jesus is not rebuking his disciples, but giving them strict orders not to tell anyone that he is the suffering servant. "He gave them strict orders", NEB.

autoiV dat. pro. "them" - to them. Dative of direct object / accompaniment.

legein (legw) pres. inf. "[not] to tell" - The infinitive forms a dependent statement of indirect speech expressing what Jesus commanded his disciples. Mark uses a hina clause - a small piece of evidence indicating that both Luke and Mark may be working off a common oral tradition.

touto "this" - [to tell no one] this. What is the "this" that the disciples must not "tell"? Is it Christ's claim to messiahship, or more particularly, the suffering servant nature of his messiahship? Jesus is often less than frank about his messiahship and its atoning work. Numerous reasons are given for the "messianic secret", the most common being the necessity to limit popular messianic expectations and the inevitable reaction from the authorities. Yet, it is more likely that Jesus refrains from open disclosure so as to draw out the genuine seeker, those with eyes to see, eg. the kingdom parables. The synoptic gospels, as a whole, retain the nature of a riddle such that we are very much dependent on the apostle Paul to exegete the message for us. Only those who recognize Jesus as messiah have the right to know the secret that he is the suffering servant, the benefits of whose sacrificial death may be appropriated through faith.

eipwn (oJraw) aor. part. "and he said" - saying. Attendant circumstance participle expressing action accompanying the "strictly warned" of v21.

oJti - that. Introducing a dependent statement of direct speech which serves to expand on the warning not to speak about the suffering-servant and the nature of his messiahship.

ton uiJon tou anqrwpou "the Son of Man" - The genitive "of man" is descriptive, relational, limiting "Son". Jesus happily uses this messianic title with the crowds. Jesus is Daniel's Son of Man, the one who possesses divine authority to reign. Yet, although a classic messianic title, in that it is Davidic in nature, it is also not easily recognized as messianic. For those without eyes to see Jesus is just "the man", a special man, but not necessarily the messiah. The special information for the disciples is not that Jesus is "the Son of Man" ("the Christ"), this much they know, but that he "must suffer."

dei pres. "must" - it is necessary. Divine necessity is often implied when this word is used in the gospels.

paqein (pascw) aor. inf. "suffer" - to suffer. The infinitive functions as the subject of the sentence (along with the other infinitives, "to be rejected", "to be killed" and "to be raised"), "to suffer is necessary for the Son of Man." The focus is necessarily on the cross, but includes the wider rejection of Christ's ministry.

polla (polluV) neut. adj. "many things" - much, many. May be rendered as an adverb, "greatly".

apodokimasqhnai (apodokimazw) aor. pas. inf. "be rejected" - to be rejected/repudiated. As above, the infinitive functioning as the subject of the sentence, "to suffer and be rejected is necessary ...."

apo + gen. "by" - by, from. Instrumental; "at the hands of." The list of those who do the rejecting covers the members of the Sanhedrin.

th/ trith/ hJmera/ "on the third day" - Dative of time. More accurate, or probably better, more precise than Mark's "after three days"

egerqhnai (egairw) pas. inf. "raised to life" - to be raised. The passive indicates the divine act of raising (a theological passive). The authorities may condemn, but God vindicates his chosen one. The infinitive, as above.

A condition of discipleship - to gain life a disciple must give away their life, v23-27.

elegon (legw) imperf. "he said" - he was saying. The imperfect is durative, often used for speech.

pantaV "them all" - all. The "all" is probably the disciples, given the context. Mark has Jesus including the crowd with the disciples for these words, but Luke does not mention the crowd, further implying that, in his opinion, these are words for disciples, not crowds.

ei tiV qelei "if anyone would" - if anyone wills, wants, wishes. The construction ei + ind. forms the protasis of a conditional clause, 1st. class, where the stated condition is assumed to be true. The NIV "would" is a bit weak, the NRSV "if any want" is closer to the Greek and conveys a more decisive desire to follow.

ercesqai (ercomai) pres. inf. "come" - to come/go [after me]. The infinitive is complementary, completing the sense of the verb qelei, "wills, wishes".

arnhsasqw (arneomai) aor. imp. "he must deny" - let him deny [himself]. Usually understood to mean self-denial, setting aside the enjoyment of life for the greater cause of following Christ. Yet, it may mean the setting aside of self-reliance, as far as right standing in the sight of God is concerned, for reliance on a crucified messiah.

aratw (airw) aor. imp. "take up" - let him lift up [his cross]. Usually understood to mean share in the sufferings associated with following Christ, suffering that involves self-denial through to persecution. Yet, it may well mean that the one who wills to follow must identify with Christ's suffering on their behalf, ie. it is a symbol of allegiance rather than self-denial / self-sacrifice. If this is the case the only negative consequence for the disciple is the shame of following a crucified messiah. Both ideas are present.

kaq hJmeran (a) "daily" - according to the day. Luke's addition to Marks' words of "daily", serves to underline the fact that taking up our cross is to be understood figuratively and not literally. A literal crucifixion is not intended.

akolouqeitw (akolouqew) pres. imp. "follow me" - Unlike the other imperatives in this verse, being aorist, this imperative takes the present tense. The sense may be that the punctiliar actions of denying and taking up the cross precede the act of following.

gar "for" - Expressing cause/reason explaining why it is important to apply the above imperatives. The person who saves their life is opposite to the one who takes up their cross. The person who takes up their cross is one who trusts in the suffering servant's redemptive work. This is the one who loses their life in their loyalty to the person and work of Jesus, and as a consequence, gains life eternal. The loss of their life entails the setting aside of any claim to righteousness on the basis of race, religious pedigree, or law-obedience. "The one who trusts God, who gives life and saves through death, gains for his life freedom and eternity", Grundmann.

o}V an + subj. "whoever" - who if. This verse contains two indefinite relative conditional clauses, 3rd. class, where the condition has the possibility of becoming true; "whosoever, as may be the case, ..... then ....."

qelh/ (qelw) pres. "would" - wishes, wills... Here an intent backed up with action. If I think that I can gain eternity on the basis of my own goodness etc., then I am lost. On the other hand, if I abandon any dependence on my own self-righteousness and look to the righteousness of the crucified one, then I will find life eternal.

swsai (swzw) aor. inf. "to save" - save, preserve, keep.... The infinitive forms an object clause / dependent statement of perception expressing what a person may want.

autou gen. pro. "his" - The genitive is adjectival, possessive.

yuchn (h) acc. "life" - The Greeks used the word of the "soul", the spiritual element that separates from the body at death. The Jews had no such idea and used the word of a person's life force, their breath, their being as a God-breathed creation with the potential for immortality. The word "life" carries the sense of mere existence and is not the intended meaning. "Soul" is better, but in common thought it is understood in Platonic terms which inevitably work against the Biblical notion that we are a unified being. What about "eternal being"?

apolesei (apollumi) fut. "will lose [it]" - will destroy/lose.

eneken + gen. "for [me]" - because of, for the sake of / on account of [me]. Causal. Definitely not "for the benefit of me", but rather "for my sake", ie. because of loyalty to me.

gar"-" - for. Possibly coordinative, linking this verse to v23 and 24, but probably better viewed as emphatic, introducing a strong restatement of the point being made in v23-24.

wfeleitai (wfelw) pres. pas. "[what] good" - [for what] profits/benifits. "In what respect is a person benefited". The words illustrate a profit loss situation.

kerdhsaV (kerdainw) act. part. "to gain" - having gained [the whole world]. The participle, as with "having lost" and "having forfeited", is adverbial, modifying "profits", probably conditional, "if he gain." Understandably commentators have generally understood these words in terms of the gaining of riches. On the surface, at least, v25 does seem to reinforce the interpretation that cross-bearing is all about self-denial. "Looking to one's own well-being and security in the world turns out not to be so important after all. Jesus' call to self-denial leads to life; the accumulation of the good things of this world cannot secure us against its loss", Nolland. Interestingly, Luke drops Mark 8:37, "for what can a person give in return for their life", and moves directly to "if anyone is ashamed .......", again with the connective gar, "for". So Luke has actually reduced the possibility of a literal interpretation, to encourage a figurative interpretation. Verse 26 clearly states this figurative meaning. Gaining the world is all about affirming our own self-righteousness through race, religious purity and law-obedience, rather than accepting the shame of following a crucified messiah.

de "and yet" - Adversive, "but" ....

eJauton ... apolesaV (apollumi) act. part. "lose [or forfeit] his very self" - himself having lost. The participle is adverbial as above, ie. conditional. "Having lost/ruined himself."

h zhmiwqeiV (zhmiow) pas/mid. part. "or forfeit" - or having forfeited. "Or be punished/destroyed/judged/lose everything...."

gar "-" - for. Again either coordinative or emphatic, so not translated, as NIV

o}V an "if" - Indefinite relative conditional clause with a subjunctive in the protasis and a future in the apodosis, ie. 3rd class, where the condition has the possibility of being realized; "whosoever, as may be the case, ..... then ......"

epaiscunqh/ (episcunomai) sub. "is ashamed" - A sense of shame or disgrace. What we have here is an unidentified pressure which prompts shame and so causes the person to shrink from their reliance on the teachings of Jesus, and as a consequence, they disown him. If we are embarrassed to associate with the rejected suffering servant, then when he comes in his glory, he will be embarrassed to associate with us.

touV emouV logouV "of my words" - "Of my teachings."

tou anqrwpou (oV) gen. "[the Son] of man" - The genitive is adjectival, relational.

touton acc. pro. "[will be ashamed] of him" - this one [the son of man will be ashamed of]. Emphatic by position.

oJtan + aor. subj. "when he comes" - This construction forms a temporal clause, the aorist subjunctive used to express a singular event, so "when", as NIV. A reference to the coming Son of Man, Dan.7:13, the one who comes with his angels into the presence of the Ancient of Days, to receive dominion and power -rule. He is the one we must stand before on that dreadful day. Note that the "coming", assuming that this is an allusion to Daniel 7:13, is a coming into heaven, and not a coming to earth. In Daniel's perspective, the angels (messengers) are the saints, believers.

en th/ doxh/ (a) "in the glory" - This prepositional phrase is probably adverbial, modal, expressing manner; "surrounded by, clothed In glory." In Mark, glory belongs to the Father, but here it belongs to the Son as well as the Father and also to the angels, all of whom add to the glory associated with Jesus' coming.

de - but. Adversive, ie. those who are ashamed are now contrasted with the faithful.

legw .. uJmin alhqwV "I tell you the truth" - I say truly to you. The dative uJmin is a dative of indirect object. This phrase serves to underline the following statement.

twn ... esthkotwn (iJsthmi) gen. perf. part. "[some] who are standing here" - [some] of the ones having stood [here]. The participle functions as a substantive, the genitive is adjectival, partitive, limiting "some". The verb is used in the sense of the disciples' presence with Jesus. "I tell you honestly, some of you who are present here with me today ..." The implication is that not all "see" the kingdom of God.

autou gen. pro. "here" - The pronoun is being used here as an adverb. We would expect w|de.

ou mh + subj. "not" - never, not in any way, by no means, certainly not. A subjunctive of emphatic negation.

gouswntai (gouomai) aor. sub. " will [not] taste" - taste. Used in the sense of "experience".

qanatou (oV) gen. "death" - of death. Genitive direct object of the verb "will [not] taste", partitive.

eJwV an + subj. "before they see" - until/before they see. This construction forms an indefinite temporal clause expressing future time in relation to the main verb - a time up to which. Some of those presently with Jesus will "see" the kingdom "before" they die. Given that the kingdom of God is already inaugurated in the ministry and person of Jesus, what is it that some of the disciples will see? Will some see its manifestation in the transfiguration? Certainly, the context pushes in this direction. Will some see it powerfully manifested in Christ's death, resurrection and ascension, or even in the coming of the Holy Spirit (Judas being the one who misses out)? Have we here an example of Jesus (or the apostles! cf. John 21) getting it wrong (he/they thought he/Christ would return in the lifetime of some of the disciples)? Is this a reference to the kingdom's manifestation in judgement? There have been many such "comings" of kingdom power, in the sense of God's reign/judgment, and so here the reference could be to the destruction of Jerusalem in 70AD. It is interesting to note how Luke leaves out Mark's concluding phrase "having come with/in power." Ellis suggests it is not a significant omission, since for Luke, the kingdom always comes in power. Yet, this may well be the point of the exercise, Luke doesn't want us to think in terms of the kingdom's powerful coming. Bock, reflecting on Ellis' study Eschatology in Luke, notes that the disciples' seeing means much the same as believing. Jesus is simply saying that "some" with him at the moment will see/enter the kingdom, and of course, as a consequence, experience the kingdom ie. witness the manifestations of its present reality, eg. the transfiguration, signs and wonders, etc.. Unlike those who are ashamed of Christ's teachings, there are some who will rely wholly on the truth of the cross and empty grave. They will enter the kingdom and taste something of its glory long before they die. Those who are ashamed must wait till their death before they "see" and experience (in a negative way!) that terrible day. Most commentators think Jesus is speaking about his coming in judgment upon Jerusalem, the destruction of which occurred in 70AD. We probably have to admit that the intended meaning is allusive.

tou qeou (oV) gen. "[the kingdom] of God" - The genitive is possibly adjectival, possessive, "the kingdom that belongs to God", or ablative, source, "the kingdom that comes from God."

Luke Introduction

TekniaGreek font download

lectionarystudies.com