Luke 9
Risky Business
Sometimes God allows us to achieve our deepest desires in our life work. This does not mean we own the call, however. We often use the phrase, “God’s purpose for my life,” to describe our calling from the Lord. If we are not careful, this kind of thinking can compartmentalize our life into areas that God never intended to be separate.
Of course, we rejoice when we find “God’s call.” We understand that our highest and noblest purpose comes from God. It belongs to him—his purpose, his design, and his plan.
The risk comes in when we assume that he made his call to fit “my life.” His calling is not an opportunity for us to reach our full potential. It is a summons to submit to his authority and ownership so that we can show his great name.
Calling as a Summons
An example of mistaken human glory takes place in Luke 9. Jesus is about to set his face on Jerusalem, where he will submit to torture and death, and then to rise again and ascend to heaven. Jesus knows that when he goes back to heaven, the apostles must continue his work on earth.
Luke 9 covers the beginning of the disciples’ final exam period. Jesus gives his men a mix of assignments designed to teach them the difference between obeying God’s call and thinking they own it. At first, their assignments make them soar. Here are four events that take place in Luke 9.
- The disciples go out to the villages to evangelize, with the power to heal and cast out demons (Luke 9:1-6, 10).
- They participate with Jesus in the feeding of the five thousand (Luke 9:11-17).
- When Jesus asks, “Who do you say that I am?” Peter recognizes that Jesus is the Messiah that the Jews have anticipated for centuries (Luke 9:18-20).
- Three of the disciples see Jesus in his glory in the Transfiguration (Luke 9:28-36).
The Addictive Taste of Success
This is the heady stuff. How did the disciples fare?
Three subsequent events tell us the answer. First, they smell opportunity in the realization that Jesus was the Messiah and began to argue about who gets to be the greatest (Luke 9:46-48).
Then they began to think they are exclusive and try to stop another person from casting out demons in Jesus’ name (Luke 9:49-50).
Finally, they mistake calling for power. When Jesus begins his journey to Jerusalem, he tries to go through Samaria, but the villagers there reject him. James and John say, “Lord, do you want us to tell fire to come down from heaven and consume them?” (Luke 9:54).
Excuse me. Jesus gave you the authority to heal and announce the kingdom. He never called you to be his thugs.
The Remedy for Temptation
The picture in Luke 9 is sobering. Great authority means great responsibility, and responsibility requires right reasoning. Here are several areas where Jesus corrected his men:
- Jesus identity as Messiah is sacrificial: He must go to Jerusalem to die, not to overtake the Romans (Luke 9:21-22, 45).
- Following is costly: “If anyone would come after me, het him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me” (Luke 9:23).
- Calling is about Jesus, not us: “This is my Son, my Chosen One. Listen to him!” (Luke 9:35-36).
- Jesus’ followers are not a club: When they try to stop the other man from casting out demons, Jesus tells them, “Do not stop him, for whoever is not against you is for you” (Luke 9:50).
- Jesus does not need protection: He rebukes James and John for their fire from heaven comment and goes through another village (Luke 9:55-56).
Discerning the Fruits
When the Lord reveals our calling, the rush can be addictive. But we must not mistake the authority to serve for prestige, exclusivity, or power. Many good men have fallen to the deception.
God’s calling involves humility, identity with Jesus, and meekness. That is where authority in calling bears its greatest fruit.
Doug Knox