Lucas 9
John Calvin · Citado em PreceptAustin
Lucas 9
Calvin writes in his Institutes [III. 7. 10], "Therefore, he alone has duly denied himself who has so totally resigned himself to the Lord that he permits every part of his life to be governed by God's will." Such a one considers the commands of God before personal desires. Further, Calvin in his commentary on the Synoptic Gospels expands on denying self. "This self-denial is very extensive, and implies that we ought to give up our natural inclinations, and part with all affections of the flesh, and thus give our consent to be reduced to nothing, provided that God lives and reigns in us" [Calvin's Commentaries, vol. 16, 304]. The focus is on the reign and rule of God in our lives, and demonstrating our joy in His reign by denying selfish and self-centered desires. Our Baptist forefather, John Broadus, breaks denying self down into three facets: 1. He will not have self for his ruler or his aim. 2. He determines not to live according to his own inclinations, but to do and bear whatever may be necessary in the course he has undertaken. 3. He must resolve to live not for pleasure, but usefulness; not for inclination, but for duty; not for self, but God (Rom. 14:7-9; 15:2) [Selected Works, vol. III, 366]. If you are denying yourself, then you are acknowledging your desire to enter into the life of Christ. What He faced for the sake of righteousness, you now accept as your own. If it means loss or persecution or criticism or even death, following Christ bears more weight than following your own desires. "If anyone wishes to come after Me, he must deny himself." 2. A new attitude—"take up his cross" The way of Christ is the way of a cross. In this case, Jesus does not tell us to bear His cross but bear your own cross. Christ bore a cross that we cannot bear. He carried the collective weight of our sins and God's judgment upon Him. Even before He climbed the path to Golgotha, He carried His cross in the same way that He calls upon us to do so as His followers. We see it in those times that He introduced to the disciples the impending suffering He would face. We see it when He rebuked Satan as Peter tried to dissuade Him from the cross. We see it in the Garden when He agonized over drinking the cup of divine wrath. Nothing turned Him from doing the Father's will; not suffering, not jeering, not misunderstanding, not slander, not even death. He calls us to the same. The call to "take up his cross" is not judicial as with Christ's death on the cross; rather it is evidentiary of one that has died to self in order to live unto Christ. It is a different attitude about all of life. It signifies that the way of Christ is now the believer's whole life. Taking up a cross and heading to the site of crucifixion was not an uncommon sight in the first century. The disciples had no mystical ideas about what Jesus said. They understood it because they had witnessed the one-way, solitary march of those bearing their cross to death. At this point, they did not understand that Jesus was going to be crucified. But they understood what He meant by His statement. They were to live every day for Him without thought of turning back, dying to self, dying to the lusts of the flesh and of the eyes and of the pride of life. John
Lucas 9
Calvin wrote, "he was not only tried by a perpetual cross but his whole life was nothing but a sort of perpetual cross. The apostle notes the reason: that it behooved him to "learn obedience through what he suffered" [Heb. 5:8]" [Institutes, III. 8. 1]. Christ learned obedience through suffering even though He had no sin. Can we, who still struggle with remaining sin, learn obedience without a cross? Luke's record of this same scene adds one word, "daily." "He must…take up his cross daily" (9:23). "Christ's meaning is, that there will be no end of our warfare till we leave the world" [Calvin, Commentaries, vol. 16, 304]. It is both a decisive action and a daily practice. It involves intentional dying to self and providential encounters that confront us with the way of Christ and the way of the world. Taking up your cross goes the way of Christ, not the world's way. What does taking up one's cross involve? I found John Calvin's explanation [Institutes, 3.8.2-8] of taking up one's cross to be helpful. 1. The cross leads us to perfect trust in God's power…as we are by nature too inclined to attribute everything to our flesh—unless our feebleness be shown, as it were, to our eyes—we readily esteem our virtue above its due measure. 2. The cross permits us to experience God's faithfulness and gives us hope for the future…the cross strikes at our perilous confidence in the flesh. 3. The cross trains us to patience and obedience…Obviously, if everything went according to their own liking, they would not know what it is to follow God. 4. The cross as medicine…the Lord himself, according as he sees it expedient, confronts us and subjects and restrains our unrestrained flesh with the remedy of the cross. And he does this in various ways in accordance with what is healthful for each man. 5. The cross as fatherly chastisement…For he afflicts us not to ruin or destroy us but, rather, to free us from the condemnation of the world. 6. Suffering for righteousness' sake…For it ought to occur to us how much honor God bestows upon us in thus furnishing us with the special badge of his soldiery. . Suffering under the cross, the Christian finds consolation in God. 3. A new occupation—"follow Me" The title "disciple" means a learner or a follower. We see disciples of the scribes and Pharisees, disciples of ancient philosophers, and other disciples in that era. But a disciple of Jesus Christ has particular focus—that of learning from Christ, being taught by Him through His Word, being shaped by His commands, learning to follow in His steps of obedience to the Father. "Follow Me," Jesus tells us, if we would come after Him. That's what He said to Peter and Andrew as well as to James and John. He did not give them a syllabus so that they would know what lay ahead. He offered no caveats so that they could retreat to safety if things got rough. "Follow Me," He commanded. Much like a military commander that calls upon his troops to follow his lead, Jesus Christ calls us to follow Him. We are to march to His orders; we are to keep our eyes on His leadership. Think about life without Christ for a moment. All of us follow someone or something. One without Christ may follow his own self-centered desires that have been shaped by his world—how pathetic! Or he may follow the voice of the crowd—how cowardly! Or he may follow another god or another religion—how foolish! Each of us is following someone. You are not detached from the world in which you're living. You're not in isolation. Someone or some ideology or some philosophy or some influence has caught your affections—and you're following. Where is that other leader leading you? 'Oh, it's leading me to a good time; it's leading me to great ambitions; it's leading me to fame and success.' Whatever you might say or add to that, let me ask, what happens when you die? Where will all of the good time, ambitions, fame, and success leave you? Jesus Christ's way is the only way to the Father (John 14:6). His way is the only true life. There's a reminder for all of us that profess to be Christians. Jesus calls us to follow Him. That means we listen to His instructions from His Word; it calls for paying close attention to the details and giving ourselves resolutely to obedience. Where will following Christ lead you? I do not know what path you or I will tread as disciples of Christ. There may be suffering and loss mixed with joy and peace. There may be persecution and death amidst the bounty of grace. But it's the way of Christ for each of us. The intention of His way is to prepare us for life with Him for eternity. He is shaping us in His image that we might reflect His life and glory. Following in the way of the cross fits us for eternity where luxuriating in flowery beds of ease never will. II. Three arguments for true discipleship I realize that some may object to the austerity of Christ's command to deny oneself, take up his cross, and follow Him. Indeed, here is where we part company with the soft, sanitized version of Christianity so popular in our day. Self-denial, the gore of a daily cross, the steadiness of following Him who was rejected and despised by men, but choice and precious in the sight of God—that's what's before us as disciples. Yet, though illogical to the world that lives for the moment, that pursues pleasure at every turn, and that recoils at hardship or loss—what Christ sets forth bears the clear logic of eternity. Here the Creator and Judge explains why the way of self-denial and the cross is the only eternally satisfying life. Each of the next verses begins with "For," showing it as a continuation and explanation of what He has demanded of disciples. 1. Divine mathematics: keeping is losing; losing is finding It doesn't add up in the common scheme of things. Keeping is losing; losing is finding. Jesus strikes right at the heart of the desire for comfort and ease with no cross. "For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it; but whoever loses his life for My sake will find it." To save one's life, in this instance, doesn't refer to being careful while driving or watching your diet or not jumping out of airplanes. "Life" is the same word translated as "soul" in verse 26. The dual use is instructive. Verse 25 focuses on those whose chief aim in life centers on self. Saving his life means saving himself from self-denial and from cross-bearing and from following Jesus. It's an act of self-rule, establishing a mini-kingdom with oneself on the throne and one's desires as kingdom policy. That's the normal mode of humanity. It's the normal desire for self-protection that ultimately morphs into self-rule. It's what Paul put in other terms as he quoted the Psalmist. "There is none who understands, there is none who seeks for God; all have turned aside, together they have become useless; there is none who does good, there is not even one" (Rom. 3:11-12). If you try to save your life you will ultimately lose it. Jesus is dealing with not only the present life but eternity. He's calling each of us to consider that the soul lives on; either with Him or with His wrath. To lose one's life for the sake of Jesus Christ means that one's whole life consciously belongs to Christ. It is giving up your perceived rights; it's giving up your fondest ambitions; it's giving over the reins of your life to the wise rule of the Lord. But, some might object to this. "How can I trust Christ with my life?" I would ask you, if you understand anything about yourself, how can you trust yourself with your own life and eternity? Lose your life to Christ and find more than you ever imagined and can ever fathom! 2. Divine question: what is comparable to the soul? Jesus Christ asks two questions, first, quizzing us on the soul's value and second, seeing if there is any business deal that matches the worth of the soul. "For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world and forfeits his soul? Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul?" What is the soul? It's the same word translated as "life" in the previous verse. Here, the soul is the real you that not only expresses your personality and distinctions but lives on in eternity. It is immaterial and eternal while your body is material and subject to decay and death. The Christian's bodily resurrection restores the original unity of the whole person that had been corrupted by sin in the fall. As the Creator, Jesus declares the soul to be of more value than the whole material world. Why is this so? The world will one day pass away (2 Pet. 3:10)—it's temporal while the soul is eternal. So count it up. Add a country or two or three to your portfolio. Add the diamond mines of South Africa and the oil of the Persian Gulf. Move into the Biltmore Mansion as you primary residence and Buckingham Palace as your vacation home. But Jesus Christ said that compared with your soul, these things have no value. This implies that it is folly, pure folly to neglect your soul while you pursue the world that will perish. So, will you strike a business deal? "What will a man give in exchange for his soul?" Would you forfeit eternity for a few paltry pleasures in this life? Are you so enchanted with "Turkish Delight," like Edmund in Chronicles of Narnia, that you forfeit everything for a few morsels of a sweet? 3. Divine government: a day of reckoning lies ahead The last argument points to the great day of Christ as a reason to go the way of the cross. "For the Son of Man is going to come in the glory of His Father with His angels, and will then repay every man according to his deeds." It's Judgment Day that is ahead; each of us will come to that day. So would you face God's wrath on that day for the passing fancies of this world? Conclusion It's the way of the cross or the way of destruction. There's no other option. Christ bids us come and die to self, following after Him. Hear Him and follow!(From A Disciple and His Cross) Related Resources: How should a Christian view self-esteem? What does the Bible say about self-love, loving self? Taking Shortcuts Read: Luke 9:57–62 Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow me. Luke 9:23 Sipping her tea, Nancy gazed out her friend’s window and sighed. Spring rains and sunshine had coaxed a riotous expanse of color from a well-groomed flowerbed of lilies, phlox, irises, and evening primrose. “I want that look,” she said wistfully, “without all the work.” The work of following Christ is difficult, but the reward is a full, joyful life now and forever. Some shortcuts are fine—even practical. Others short-circuit our spirit and deaden our lives. We want romance without the difficulties and messiness of committing to someone so different from ourselves. We want “greatness” without the risks and failures necessary in the adventure of real life. We desire to please God, but not when it inconveniences us. Jesus made clear to His followers that there is no shortcut that avoids the hard choice of surrendering our lives to Him. He warned a prospective disciple, “No one who puts a hand to the plow and looks back is fit for service in the kingdom of God” (Luke 9:62). To follow Christ requires a radical altering of our loyalties. When we turn in faith to Jesus, the work just begins. But it is oh-so-worth-it, for He also told us that no one who sacrifices “for me and the gospel will fail to receive a hundred times as much in this present age . . . and in the age to come eternal life” (Mark 10:29–30). The work of following Christ is difficult, but He’s given us His Spirit and the reward is a full, joyful life now and forever. Father, I will find the strength to do the work You have for me to do, only as I rely on Your Holy Spirit. Help me, please, to be sensitive to that today. By Tim Gustafson Most things worth doing are difficult. True Self-Denial Read: Luke 9:18-25 If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow Me. —Luke 9:23 Lent is a period of 40 days prior to Easter (excluding Sundays). For many people it commemorates Jesus’ fasting in the wilderness. They “give up something” for Lent every year, like sweets or TV. This can yield spiritual benefits, but denying yourself things and denying yourself aren’t the same. In Luke 9:23, Jesus taught the latter. This verse can be broken down into three parts. In the statement “If anyone desires to come after Me,” the word desires indicates that this is for sincere disciples only. In the phrase “let him deny himself,” the words let and denyhimself imply a willingness to renounce one’s selfish will and ways. And in the statement “take up his cross daily,” the word daily emphasizes a continual dying to self-will. It’s easier to give things than to give ourselves. Yet Jesus gave Himself, and so must we. To those who deny themselves in obedient service, He has promised, “Whoever loses his life for My sake will save it” (v.24). And to His question, “What profit is it to a man if he gains the whole world, and is himself destroyed?” we are called to answer, “There is no profit!” We show that we believe this when we deny ourselves and follow Christ. -- Joanie Yoder To follow Christ we must let go Of all that we hold dear; And as we do deny ourselves, Our gains become more clear. —Sper By living for ourselves we die; By dying to ourselves we live. Dying To Live Read: Luke 9:18-26 If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow Me. —Luke 9:23 The cross in Roman times was designed for death. It had no other use. So what did Jesus mean when He said that anyone who wants to follow Him must “take up his cross daily”? (Luke 9:23). He wasn’t saying that we must all be crucified. The “cross” to which He was referring is the act of putting to death our own heart’s desires and quietly submitting to God’s will. Such dying is denying our need for larger homes, more compliant children, more accommodating mates. It’s putting up with misunderstanding, embarrassment, and loss of esteem. It’s accepting our unchangeable circumstances. Missionary and poet Amy Carmichael, who knew much about pain and suffering, wrote, “In acceptance lieth peace.” Jesus said we must take up our cross daily. We are to rise each morning and cheerfully, bravely shoulder our load, because there is something else that is “daily.” It is the continuous, sufficient grace of the One whose strength is made perfect in our weakness (2 Corinthians 12:9), and who will never leave us nor forsake us (Hebrews 13:5). He promises that through our dying He will make us more alive than ever before (1 Corinthians 15:53-57). Are you dying to live? - David H. Roper Day by day, to fight the battle, Day by day, Thy will to do, Day by day, the cross to carry, Seeking only to be true. —Fisher In acceptance we find peace "Consumer Christianity" Read: Luke 9:18-26 If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow Me. —Luke 9:23 In his book The Empty Church, historian Thomas C. Reeves says: “Christianity in modern America . . . tends to be easy, upbeat, convenient, and compatible. It does not require self-sacrifice, discipline, humility, an otherworldly outlook, a zeal for souls, a fear as well as love of God. There is little guilt and no punishment, and the payoff in heaven is virtually certain. What we now have might best be labeled ‘Consumer Christianity.’ The cost is low and customer satisfaction seems guaranteed.” If we were only customers of Almighty God, we could be selective in our faith and reject anything we didn’t like. But that’s not an idea we get from Jesus. He pointed us to a cross, not to a spiritual check-out counter. He said: “If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow Me. For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will save it” (Luke 9:23-24). Christ died on a cross for our sins, not for our satisfaction. And He calls us to trust in Him, then follow Him with a life of self-denial. In a world where the customer is always right, it takes radical obedience to God to keep from buying into “Consumer Christianity.” -- David C. McCasland When Jesus said to follow Him Regardless of the cost, He promised He would surely give Much more than would be lost. —Sper Following Jesus is not always easy, but it's always right. Miserable Success Read: Luke 9:18-27 If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow Me. —Luke 9:23 “In whatever a man does without God, he must fail miserably—or succeed more miserably,” wrote George MacDonald (1824–1905), a Scottish novelist, poet, and Christian minister. This intriguing statement is often cited by modern speakers and writers and appears in MacDonald’s book Unspoken Sermons. MacDonald was dealing with the difficult subject of a Christian’s self-denial and how we are to apply this teaching of Jesus: “If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow Me. For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will save it” (Luke 9:23-24). Rather than merely trying to suppress our natural desires, MacDonald said that true self-denial means “we must see things as [Christ] saw them, regard them as He regarded them; we must take the will of God as the very life of our being . . . . We are no more to think, ‘What should I like to do?’ but ‘What would the Living One have me do?’” Getting only what we want is succeeding miserably. True success is found in “losing” our lives for Jesus’ sake and finding them again full and free in His will. --David C. McCasland More like the Master I would live and grow, More of His love to others I would show; More self-denial, like His in Galilee, More like the Master I long to ever be. —Gabriel The spirit of humility and self-denial precedes a deeper and closer walk with God. Starting Today Read: Matthew 16:21-28 If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow Me. —Luke 9:23 When Charles Swindoll was a young boy, he was greatly influenced by this remark from an old Texan: “The problem with the Christian life is that it’s so daily.” It’s true. Following Jesus is a lifestyle that builds on past lessons and decisions, but it also depends on our dedication day by day. We cannot live off yesterday’s successes, last week’s prayers, or the Bible stories we heard when we were children. Each new day is both a challenge and an opportunity. Our faith will be challenged, and we can use that challenge as an opportunity to grow in our relationship with God. Jesus Himself said that those who wanted to be His disciples were expected to be in a continual attitude of self-denial and obedience to Him. Here’s how the Lord put it: “If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow Me” (Lk. 9:23). As each day unfolds, we must pause and remind ourselves that this is a day dedicated to God, that it is to be used for His glory, and that it is best lived with a continual recollection of what Jesus did for us on the cross. Starting today, let’s look at life that way. It’s a daily commitment. - Dave Branon The Christian life is more than just A prayer of faith made in the past; It's dedicating every day To live for Christ and what will last. —Sper Dedication to Christ is not just a one-time choice, it's a daily challenge. Luke 9:24 "For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake, he is the one who will save it. KJV For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: but whosoever will lose his life for my sake, the same shall save it. Lk 17:33; Acts 20:23,24; Hebrews 11:35; Revelation 2:10; 12:11 Luke 9 Resources - Multiple Sermons and Commentaries Luke 9:23-24 - Steven Cole Luke 9:24-26 - Steven Cole Luke 9:23-25 The Gospel: Self-Love or Self-Hate? - John MacArthur Luke 9:23-26 The Gospel in Perspective - John MacArthur Parallel passages in Matthew and Mark Matthew 10:39+ “He who has found his life will lose it, and he who has lost his life for My sake will find it. Matthew 16:25+ “For (term of explanation - explains Mt 16:24) whoever wishes to save his life will lose it; but whoever loses his life for My sake will find it. Mark 8:35+ “For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake and the gospel’s will save it. THE PRECIOUS PARADOX: LOSERS ARE WINNERS! Adrian Rogers - When I was a child, we used to play a little game called "Finders, Keepers, Losers, Weepers." But our Lord is saying, "Losers, Finders, Keeper's, Weepers." Jesus said, "Losers are keepers." This is a fundamental law of life. No one is excepted, in time or eternity. -- R Kent Hughes For (gar) is a term of explanation. Jesus is explaining why He placed supreme value on obedience to His commands deny self, take up your cross and follow Him. In comparison everything else was of no significance when viewed from an eternal perspective. Lose some of your "self rights" temporally now (which is the behavior a believer would practice, and being enabled to do so ONLY by the supernatural enabling power of the Holy Spirit) or lose your soul eternally forever. Whoever wishes (thelo) to save (sozo) his life (soul - psuche) will lose (apollumi) it - Wishes describes an exercise of the will from a motive of desire (and so to wish). The present tense describes this as this person's lifestyle. This is what they live for so to speak. They are focused on the NOW and to their peril forget about the THEN! They live to save their life (soul - psuche), which in the end is the ultimate exercise in futility, for only One Name can save their life (Acts 4:12+)! They treasure the temporal but will lose the eternal! That's a tragic tradeoff! Save (sozo) pictures them in a futile fight to keep their life (and all it's "goodies"), and to fill the "God shaped" hole in their soul whole by filling their life with pursuits and pleasures of this world which is passing away and even its lusts (1 John 2:17+)! The gospel promises everlasting life for the one who believes. The failure to possess this life will result in utter ruin and eternal uselessness (but not a cessation of existence). The point Jesus is making is if one lives merely for this temporal life, the following life will be lost forever! Stephen Olford - Anyone who hoards life selfishly will lose it. Life is like sand: the harder one tries to grasp it, the faster it flows through one’s fingers. There must be selfless sacrifice. Whoever loses apollumi) his life (psuche) for My sake - No other saying of Jesus is given such emphasis as shown by the repetition of this idea in the Gospels. (see Lk 14:26-27; 17:33; Mt 10:38-39; 16:24-25; Mk 8:34-35; Jn 12:25). Jesus is not saying works by us (self-effort) can save. In fact seeking to save yourself by good deeds will result in eternal loss of your soul! So what does Jesus mean? The only person who would willingly lose his life for Jesus is a person who has been born again by the Spirit of Jesus. He then has the indwelling Spirit of Jesus Who gives him supernatural desire to die to self and his innate selfishness (e.g., by serving others, giving to others, spending time with Jesus in His Word and prayer, etc). No man would die to self by himself! In other words the natural tendency of our flesh is to survive and to pamper self. But in our day to day life we encounter many opportunities to die to self interests (enabled by the Spirit) and to put the interests of God and others before our interests. This is absolute antithesis of the way the world works! The world's motto is "Look out for number one!" Jesus' motto is deny number one! And dying to self and living to God is the only way to a truly happy and fulfilling life in this world and the world to come. Selfless investment in time will yield priceless returns in eternity (cf Lk 19:11-27; Mt. 6:19-21; 19:27-30). Alison Trites on losing temporarily paradoxically means gaining eternally – Perhaps this is what Hudson Taylor, the famous missionary to China, meant when, after a life of tremendous sacrifice, he solemnly declared, “I never made a sacrifice.” He had truly lost all for Christ but in return found his all in Christ. Like Paul, he could say, “I have discarded everything else, counting it all as garbage, so that I could gain Christ and become one with him” (Phil 3:8-9). (See Luke, Acts -Cornerstone Biblical Commentary) Norval Geldenhuys - Everyone who tries selfishly to secure for himself pleasure and happiness in life will in fact doom his life to failure—he will never find real joy or full life. He commits spiritual suicide. But he who lays his life upon the altar in the service of Christ, who strives for His honour and for the extension of His kingdom, while keeping self in the background, will spontaneously find true joy and life—here and hereafter.(Borrow Commentary on the Gospel of Luke)