This Sunday we will be discussing "Peter's Confession" found at Luke 9:18-27 (parallel passages: Matthew 16:13-20 and Mark 8:27-30).
Once when Jesus was praying in private and his disciples were with him, he asked them, "Who do the crowds say I am?" They replied, "Some say John the Baptist; others say Elijah; and still others, that one of the prophets of long ago has come back to life." "But what about you?" he asked. "Who do you say I am?" Peter answered, "The Christ of God." Jesus strictly warned them not to tell this to anyone. And he said, "The Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders, chief priests and teachers of the law, and he must be killed and on the third day be raised to life." Then he said to them all: "If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me. For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me will save it. What good is it for a man to gain the whole world, and yet lose or forfeit his very self? If anyone is ashamed of me and my words, the Son of Man will be ashamed of him when he comes in his glory and in the glory of the Father and of the holy angels. I tell you the truth, some who are standing here will not taste death before they see the kingdom of God."
Here it is with the a concordance and lexicon for each verse (just press the button labeled C next to the verse that you want to examine in more detail): Luke 9
Life Lessons with Max Lucado - Book of Luke is a study journal that poses thoughts and questions on various sections of Luke. I found the chapter that covers our passage very interesting. I thought I would share some of it with you:
REFLECTION
How would your friend's and coworkers answer the question: "Who is Jesus?"
DISCOVERY
Why do you think that Jesus posed probing questions to His disciples about His identity?
Why did Jesus want the disciples to keep His true identity secret?
What kind of commitments does Jesus require from His followers?
What rewards are there for sacrificing one's life to follow Jesus?
RESPONSE
How would you explain what you believe about Jesus to a person who had never heard His name?
What does it mean to you to give up your life daily to follow Jesus?
ADDITIONAL QUESTIONS
What opportunities have you had to proclaim your faith in Jesus?
What circumstances do you find it difficult to share your religious views?
How does Peter's declaration and this passage motivate you to speak about your faith in Jesus?
ADDITIONAL STUDY ON BELIEVING
John 3:14-18; 4:42; 8:24; 9:35-38; 13:19-20; 16:30-31; 20:24-31; Acts 16:31; 19:4; Romans 3:22; 10:14; Phillippians 1:29; I Thessalonians 4:14; I John 5:1-12
I hope this is helpful in your study.
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Luke 9:23-25 Then he said to them all: "If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me. For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me will save it. What good is it for a man to gain the whole world, and yet lose or forfeit his very self?
In class today we had a short discussion about the meaning of "taking up your cross" and also what that meant to the disciples at the time of the statement and then after Jesus' death when they reflected on teachings of His life. During the discussion it occured to me that Jesus' gave us the answer in verse 24.
When a person was taking up their cross in the literal sense during Roman rule it would be to walk the road to their death. In the same way Christ is asking us to deny our own lives, to give up our lives to follow Him. "Whoever seeks to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake, he is the one who will save it" Christ is asking what he asks many times, self denial and the willingness to give up everything, even our lives and follow him daily.
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