In Luke 8, Christ Himself preaches the gospel of the kingdom. In chapter 9, He sends forth His twelve disciples with the same testimony; and in chapter 10, having been rejected as "the Christ," and on the ground of this rejection, and after the declaration of His coming glory as "Son of man" (seen in the transfiguration), He sends the seventy on a wider mission, which the judgment day will vindicate if refused.
Now I find a remarkable break in chapter 9. The testimony of the twelve, and Christ's own testimony, had reached far and wide, even to king's courts; but what was the result of it? The power of healing the sick and casting out devils, which the Lord gave to His disciples, were samples of the powers of the world to come—the millennial kingdom—but it was all of no avail. In verse 18, the Lord asks His disciples what it had all come to—"Whom say the people that I am?" "They answering said, John the Baptist; but some say, Elias; and others say, that one of the old prophets is risen again." You see it had all come
to nothing. "But whom say ye that I am? Peter answering said, The Christ of God. And He straitly charged them, and commanded them to tell no man that thing." Why? Because it was of no use. "The Messiah" had been rejected; and now He speaks of Himself, not as the Christ, or Messiah, but as the "Son of man"; and this wider title characterizes the remaining chapters of this Gospel.
You will see a similar transition between the 2nd Psalm and the 8th. In the 2nd Psalm, the Lord is spoken of as the Christ, or "Anointed"—in the 8th Psalm, as the "Son of man." All things were once put in subjection to Adam and his wife, but they lost this headship through sin. And now the Lord Jesus—the Son of man—will not take the inheritance of all things simply as Heir, but as Redeemer Heir. He has a personal right to it, it is true, but could He take it apart from redemption as well?
He never speaks of His sufferings as Son of man, without speaking of His rising again. It is as the risen Son of man that He takes the headship of creation and all things, as we see in Heb. 2
In this passage in Luke 9, the Lord speaks of His sufferings as a martyr under man's hand, not as a victim under the hand of God for sin. You know His death had this double aspect. He suffered as a victim, and as a martyr. As a martyr, we can have "the fellowship of His sufferings." He tells His disciples then of the path of those who would follow Him in His rejection, but He does not speak of the path without showing what the end of it will be.
Would you mind a rough, thorny path, if you knew surely what the end would be? Here is the journey, and the end of it. Paul's desire was that he might apprehend that for which he was apprehended of Christ Jesus (Phil. 3:1212Not as though I had already attained, either were already perfect: but I follow after, if that I may apprehend that for which also I am apprehended of Christ Jesus. (Philippians 3:12)). In the transfiguration, which follows, we get the end of the pathway in a figure of the coming kingdom and glory of the Son of man, in which those who are His have a share. We see in Moses and Elias the type of the saints raised and changed. How is this? Moses died and was buried. Elias was taken up to heaven without passing through death. These are the heavenly saints. Paul tells us that the dead in Christ shall rise first, and we which are alive and remain when He comes shall be changed, and all caught up to meet the Lord in the air (1 Cor. 15; 1 Thess. 4).
Peter, James, and John, who were looking on, are typical of the earthly saints in the kingdom, who are looking upon the heavenly saints, raised and changed, in the same glory with Christ Himself. There is one glory of the celestial, and another glory of the terrestrial.
"But Peter and they that were with him were heavy with sleep." This is typical of the spirit of slumber which will rest upon the Jewish remnant in the latter day, and who, like the apostles "when they were awake," will see His glory.
We have, too, what flesh is. It is ever the same—nothing can mend it. The disciples were asleep here in the presence of the glory, as we afterward find they were asleep in the presence of the agony in Gethsemane.
After Peter had made his mistake, "There came a cloud, and over-shadowed them: and [as it might be more clearly translated] they feared as those entered into the cloud."
What did the cloud signify? It was the symbol of Jehovah's presence. Why did the earthly ones fear then? Because nobody had ever "entered into" it before! It had led the Israelites out of Egypt and through the Red Sea. It became cloud and darkness to the Egyptians, and light to Israel. It spoke to Moses face to face. It rebuked them, and led them, and fought for them. But no one had ever entered into that which was the unveiled presence of God. Yet Moses and Elias were perfectly at ease there. The earthly ones could not understand this new thing of entering into the cloud. Here we get the end of the journey—the Father's house (John 14:1-3; 17:241Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in me. 2In my Father's house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. 3And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also. (John 14:1‑3)
24Father, I will that they also, whom thou hast given me, be with me where I am; that they may behold my glory, which thou hast given me: for thou lovedst me before the foundation of the world. (John 17:24))—for the voice that came out of the cloud said, "This is My beloved Son: hear Him." Who could say this but the Father?
Is it so much matter that the pathway is thorny, when we know it leads there?
Now, the Lord has shown them the journey and the end of it; but He does not have us to tread that way alone. He leaves the glory on the mount, and goes along the path with us, giving us His company to comfort us by the way.
In verse 40, we see their unbelief while He was yet with them, at their very side. "How long shall I be with you, and suffer you?"
They have had His company by the way, but His perfect devotedness exposes their selfishness. In verse 51, we find His intense devotedness; "He steadfastly set His face to go to Jerusalem"—the place where He was to suffer. His was the entire surrender of self—the giving up of self altogether. The law only told me to love my neighbor as myself; the gospel goes immeasurably beyond. It teaches us to do what Christ did—to give up self altogether for His enemies. We find self exposed in the various traits of selfishness which actuate us, in this portion of the chapter (verses 46-56); and the perfect devotedness of Christ makes this all the more apparent.
The 46th verse shows us personal selfishness: "Then there arose a reasoning among them, which of them should be greatest." And Jesus rebuked them. Perceiving the thought of their heart, He took a child and set him by Him. "He that is least among you all, the same shall be great." This was true greatness, because most like His own.
Here we have another sort of selfishness in the next verse—the selfishness of a clique. They saw one laboring for the Lord, but as he did not go with them in everything, they forbade him.
Then in verse 54 we see selfishness under the cloak of apparent zeal for the Lord's honor; they wanted to call down fire from heaven to consume those who would not receive Him. How His presence exposes us!
I find a perfect contrast to all this in that beautiful chapter, the 2nd of Philippians. Every one gives up self in that chapter. First we see the Lord Himself emptying Himself of His glory. He "made Himself of no reputation," "humbled Himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross." Then self was nothing to Paul—what he cared for was the state of the Philippians. "Yea, and if I be offered [poured forth] upon the sacrifice and service of your faith, I joy, and rejoice with you all." Timotheus was likeminded, and would care for their state. Epaphroditus, instead of being troubled by his sickness, was troubled that the Philippians had heard of his sickness, and would be anxious about him; he counted on their love.
What we want is occupation of heart with Christ. If you have a bad temper, and go on praying about it and mourning over it, you will never get a bit better, or overcome it; but if you are occupied with Him, do you think your temper will rise while He is before you? It is the only way to get the victory.
We get an exposure of nature in the 57th verse. One whom the Lord had not called offers to follow Him. "It is an easy thing to follow Jesus—anyone can do it," he thinks. But the Lord tells him that he had not counted the cost. "Foxes have holes, and birds of the air have nests; but the Son of man hath not where to lay His head."
Next, we find one whom the Lord had called finding a difficulty in following, and making excuses for delay. It was the effectual call of grace here. But he was not up to the mark, and, as we often do, he found difficulties and hindrances in the way when the call had come. "Let the dead" (to God) "bury their dead: but go thou and preach the kingdom of God," is the Lord's reply.
There is, I think, a reference to Elisha in the next passage. You remember that one day when he was plowing, Elijah cast his mantle over him, and he said, "Let me, I pray thee, kiss my father and my mother, and then I will follow thee." The real call had come, but he was not up to the height of the call just then; but Elijah answered, "What have I done to thee?" And Elisha returned and, after slaying the yoke of oxen, he arose and went after Elijah.
We get a great deal in this chapter: the rejection of Jesus as the Christ, or Messiah; and then the thorough change in everything which characterizes the remaining part of this Gospel. Then we have a beautiful line of truth. The Lord shows the path of those who would follow Him—a thorny way—a daily taking up of the cross—losing of life here. And He shows the end of it—the glory of the kingdom and the Father's house. Then leaving the glory, He gives His company to cheer and rebuke and comfort His people as needed by them; and He Himself being God's standard for us, exposes us to ourselves.