NOTES for Luk 9:1-27
1 Then he called his twelve disciples together, and gave them power and authority over all devils, and to cure diseases. |
2 And he sent them to preach the kingdom of God, and to heal the sick. |
3 And he said unto them, Take nothing for your journey, neither staves, nor scrip, neither bread, neither money; neither have two coats apiece. |
4 And whatsoever house ye enter into, there abide, and thence depart. |
5 And whosoever will not receive you, when ye go out of that city, shake off the very dust from your feet for a testimony against them. |
6 And they departed, and went through the towns, preaching the gospel, and healing every where. |
7 Now Herod the tetrarch heard of all that was done by him: and he was perplexed, because that it was said of some, that John was risen from the dead; |
8 And of some, that Elias had appeared; and of others, that one of the old prophets was risen again. |
9 And Herod said, John have I beheaded: but who is this, of whom I hear such things? And he desired to see him. |
10 And the apostles, when they were returned, told him all that they had done. And he took them, and went aside privately into a desert place belonging to the city called Bethsaida. |
11 And the people, when they knew it, followed him: and he received them, and spake unto them of the kingdom of God, and healed them that had need of healing. |
12 And when the day began to wear away, then came the twelve, and said unto him, Send the multitude away, that they may go into the towns and country round about, and lodge, and get victuals: for we are here in a desert place. |
13 But he said unto them, Give ye them to eat. And they said, We have no more but five loaves and two fishes; except we should go and buy meat for all this people. |
14 For they were about five thousand men. And he said to his disciples, Make them sit down by fifties in a company. |
15 And they did so, and made them all sit down. |
16 Then he took the five loaves and the two fishes, and looking up to heaven, he blessed them, and brake, and gave to the disciples to set before the multitude. |
17 And they did eat, and were all filled: and there was taken up of fragments that remained to them twelve baskets. |
18 And it came to pass, as he was alone praying, his disciples were with him: and he asked them, saying, Whom say the people that I am? |
19 They answering said, John the Baptist; but some say, Elias; and others say, that one of the old prophets is risen again. |
20 He said unto them, But whom say ye that I am? Peter answering said, The Christ of God. |
21 And he straitly charged them, and commanded them to tell no man that thing; |
22 Saying, The Son of man must suffer many things, and be rejected of the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be slain, and be raised the third day. |
23 And he said to them all, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me. |
24 For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: but whosoever will lose his life for my sake, the same shall save it. |
25 For what is a man advantaged, if he gain the whole world, and lose himself, or be cast away? |
26 For whosoever shall be ashamed of me and of my words, of him shall the Son of man be ashamed, when he shall come in his own glory, and in his Father's, and of the holy angels. |
27 But I tell you of a truth, there be some standing here, which shall not taste of death, till they see the kingdom of God. |
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Today's reading offers us several events that Luke links together, making them links in one chain. The passage begins with a description of how Jesus sends the twelve apostles out to preach (vv. 1-10), continues with the story of the miraculous multiplication of the loaves (vv. 11-17), and ends with the account of Peter's confession, including Jesus' conversation (vv. 18-27). And this connection is, of course, not accidental. Jesus sends His disciples to witness to the Kingdom, and to witness not only by word but also by deed, so that the witness would be supported by such a visible manifestation of the Kingdom as healings (vv. 1-2). And the apostles' preaching, as we see, had success, attracting the attention not only of the people but also of the authorities (vv. 7-9).
Then something happened that perhaps even the apostles did not expect. The miracle of the multiplication of the loaves was, as we see, a surprise even for them. In order to feed the gathered people, they were ready to act by the most ordinary methods (vv. 12-13), but Jesus expected something different from them: He told them to behave as if they were in the Kingdom (vv. 14-16). And then something really happened that could not happen according to the laws of our world, not yet transformed, but that is possible in the Kingdom: a small amount of food was enough for everyone, and more than enough, so that if even more people had gathered, there would have been enough for each one (v. 17).
This was a very important experience of the Kingdom for everyone, and above all, of course, for the apostles themselves. Until now they had been witnesses of how the power of the Kingdom acts in a world not yet transformed, a world where its action manifests itself, in one way or another, in opposition to the evil in which this world remains. Now the apostles saw the Kingdom from within, as it will be when the world is completely transformed and renewed. Such an experience of abiding in the triumphant Kingdom could not pass without a trace, and Peter's confession may have become its result (vv. 18-20).
Then Jesus warns His disciples that before the victory of the Kingdom, which they had already partly had occasion to see, becomes complete, He Himself will have to pass through the cross, and those who follow Him will have to share that cross with Him (vv. 21-27). Thus, by giving His disciples a share in the Kingdom, Jesus at the same time tells them about the price of the Kingdom. About the price of the world's transformation and its deliverance from the evil into which the fall plunged it.
Readings for 7 March 2026
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