“Down from the Mountain”

Luke 9:37–51

In this section of his gospel, Luke strings a series of short encounters with Jesus together to clarify the path by which Jesus will glory God and restore God’s reign. Each of these events or encounters highlights the majesty of Jesus and is contrasted with the failures of his disciples.

First we are told that Jesus, Peter, James and John come down from their mountaintop experience. The three were given a glimpse of Jesus’ majesty. Jesus’ face had changed so that it shined like the sun and his clothes became bright like lightning (Mt.17:2, Lk 9:29). Moses and Elijah had appeared talking to Jesus about his 'departure or Exodus’ that would be fulfilled in Jerusalem. A cloud covered them and a voice confirmed that Jesus was God’s unique son to whom they were listen.

At the foot of the mountain a large crowd meets Jesus. From the crowd a man cries out, “Teacher, I beg you to help my only son. A spirit seizes him; he screams, then he shakes and foams at the mouth. The spirit rarely leaves him and it is destroying him.” The man had begged Jesus’ disciples, but they had failed to drive the demon out. We get a sense of the ‘powerlessness’ of the disciples which is contrasted with the power of the demon who seizes the boy, it rarely leaves him and its destroying the life of this man’s ‘one and only’ son.  

Surprisingly, Jesus renounces that present generation as ‘unbelieving and perverse’ (See Deut. 32:20). He appears 'weary and even frustrated with them' when he says, “How long must I put up with you? Bring me your son.” The demon throws the boy to the ground, but Jesus rebukes spirit, heals the boy and restores him to his father.  Now the destructive power of the demon is contrasted with the far greater power of Jesus to liberate the boy and restore him to his father. The crowd is amazed at the ‘majesty or greatness’ of God. The demonic power is overcome by the power of Jesus which depicts the ‘greatness or majesty of God’. Peter, James and John had seen in Jesus on the mountain something of the 'majesty of God' and now that same 'majesty' is witnessed by the crowd in Jesus’ healing of the boy and restoring him to his father (Luke 9:43, 2 Peter 1:16-18).

As the crowd marveled at what Jesus did, which far surpassed the power of the demon, Jesus instructed his disciples. Peter, James and John had been told by the ‘Voice’ from heaven to listen to God’s Son, Jesus. Now Jesus tells them to listen carefully as he tells them that, “the Son of Man is going to be delivered into the human hands” (Lk.9:35-36, 44-45). Yet again, they hear his words at one level but fail to understand at another. Having failed to deliver the demonized boy, the disciples now fail to comprehend the meaning of Jesus’ statement about his betrayal. The meaning remained hidden from them. Evidently, they were thought they would look ‘small and foolish’ because they were afraid to ask Jesus to help them understand what he meant.

In Luke's gospel after their failures to understand Jesus' statement about his betrayal we find the disciples 'caught up' in an argument. Even after their failures they are, of all things, arguing over which of them would be the greatest. Who will be the 'big man’ among them and Jesus is clearing aware of what they arguing about (9:46-47). In contrast Jesus confronts them with what he considers the ‘true path of greatness’ in God's kingdom! To make his point Jesus takes a little child and has the little child stand beside him. Jesus tells them that to welcome a ‘little child’ in Jesus’ name is to welcome Jesus and to welcome Jesus is to welcome the one who sent Jesus. According to Jesus this is the way of greatness. The 'least will be the greatest' and to be big you have to 'treat the small and insignificant' as 'big and important'. To welcome those otherwise considered insignificant is 'welcome Jesus and the Father who sent him' and this is the path of greatness. Greatness is evidenced in our care and concern for those who can never repay or elevate us in the eyes of others. In other words if we want to be ‘big’ we must become ‘small’ (9:48).

Their failure to understand Jesus’ way of greatness blinds them to the ‘way of the cross’ and therefore the resurrection.  They have been hand selected by Jesus, but they want to be superior to their own brothers. Then the ‘Apostle John’ speaks to Jesus about someone outside their group who was casting out demons in Jesus’ name. This man was doing what the disciples had been doing, but were incapable of doing in the incident with the father's only son (9:1, 40). Because this person wasn’t ‘one of them’ the disciples had tried unsuccessfully to stop him. They failed to comprehend the Jesus’ death. They had failed to understand 'the way of greatness' Jesus had laid out for them and now we are told that the disciples had opposed someone who was successfully driving out demons in Jesus’ name. Jesus tells them, “Do not stop him,” and went on to say, “Whoever is not against you is for you.” They needed to delight in those doing the work of liberating the oppressed in Jesus’ name’. They were to glory in the fact that people were being 'set free' in the name of Jesus! Again they are more concerned for their own status and power than the glory of Jesus and the good of others. 

Now with this in mind, Luke’s gospel now takes a dramatic shift towards the advancement of Jesus’ kingdom purpose. Jesus resolutely sets out now for Jerusalem. Having revealed to his disciples his true identity as the ‘Son of God’ and after their experience on the ‘Mount of Transfiguration’ Jesus now sets his path towards Jerusalem and the cross. It is the path of glorification for Jesus will come through the humiliation of the cross. This is the path by which Jesus will bring to fulfillment the ‘New Exodus’ in Jerusalem.  

As the time approached for him to be taken up to heaven, Jesus resolutely set out for Jerusalem.  (Luke 9:51)