Christ is not a proper name or even a surname, despite the impression that is sometimes given by talk of Jesus Christ. We might do better to talk about Jesus The Christ as with John The Baptist. The Christ is an anglicised form of the Greek for “anointed one” or “The Messiah.” This referred to the way in which the Israelite kings had been appointed by having oil poured over them. We might say that every king from Saul, through David, Solomon and onwards were “christs” or “Messiahs.” However, it became clear that the prophets were looking forward to a specific descendant of David as “The Messiah”, one anointed by God in a particularly unique way as David’s eternal heir.
14.1 Read Luke 9:1-6
Jesus sent out the twelve men from his inner circle, they were commissioned and delegated with authority to act on his behalf. We might conclude that this is the basis on which they are designated “apostles” (v1a). The specific authority they are given is to announce the kingdom of God and this is to be accompanied by miraculous signs in the same way that Jesus’ preaching was (v1b-2).
Jesus instructs the apostles to travel light. They are not to be like the travelling cynics and other teachers, rabbis and philosophers. For example, there was to be no bag for money in order to take payments or to provide for their needs. They were to trust others to provide for them, this eas an act of trust in God himself to provide through others (v3).
If welcomed, they were to stay in one place, accepting the hospitality there. They were not to move around looking for a better deal. If rejected, they were to leave swiftly. Shaking the dust off their feet was a symbolic indication that they wanted nothing to cling to them from there. They wanted nothing to do with those people (v4-5).
14.2 Read Luke 9:7-9
Herod the Tetrarch hears about all that is happening. This will include Jesus’ miraculous signs, teaching and commissioning of the twelve. This is all happening under his watch in Galilee and creating quite a commotion. Herod Antipas was Herod The Great’s Son and as a tetrarch was given rule by Ceasar over one quarter of his father’s territory (v7a).[1] This piques his interest, especially given the rumours going round about Jesus being a famous prophet, from the past, whether Elijah returning as promised at the end of Malachi, the recently executed John the Baptist, resurrected back to life, or someone else (v7b-8)
Herod is clear in his mind that it isn’t John, he may have been more alert to the fact that the men’s missions overlapped but also there is the sense that both men are different in some way. The most obvious way being that John had not engaged in signs and wonders and had made it clear that he was the forerunner for someone great whereas Jesus was acting with authority by sending the twelve out. However, exactly who Jesus is remains the unanswered question for Herod which he seeks to find answers to (v9).
14.3 Read Luke 9:10-17
The twelve return and report back to Jesus. He takes them to Bethsaida. The aim seems to be to withdraw alone but the crowd find him and keep following. He continues to teach them about God’s kingdom and heals the sick (v10-11). When evening comes, the disciples want to disperse the crowds so they can find food (v12).
Jesus instead encourages the apostles to provide food. Remember that they have been authorised by him to do miracles and preach on his behalf. They respond by insisting that this isn’t possible. All they can muster between them is a small lunch of fish and bread. We know from John’s account that it was specifically Andrew who responded and the lunch belonged to one boy. (v13)[2]
However, Jesus gets the disciples to have the people sit down. He takes the bread and fishes, blesses them and distributes them through the twelve, allowing them to take a role in the miracle even though they doubted (v14-16). Everyone has enough to eat and there are even leftovers. The twelve baskets point to there being abundant supply for each of the twelve when they trust but also reflects God’s overflowing provision for the twelve tribes of Israel (v17).
14.4 Read Luke 9:18-20
On another occasion, Jesus asks his disciples who the people think he is (v18). Their answers reflect the rumours that Herod had overheard. Was Jesus a prophetic figure from the past, maybe even Elijah, or was this someone more recent such as John retuning (v19)? Jesus turns the attention on them. “Who do you say I am?” Peter acts as their spokesman and identifies Jesus as Messiah. Matthew will observe that Jesus recognises this as revealed by God to Simon and also links it to Simon’s identification as Peter. Jesus declares “On this rock I will build my church.” This is the basis for Roman Catholic identification of Peter as the founding father of the church and first pope. However, it is more likely that Jesus is referring to Peter’s testimony as the foundation or rock (v20).[3]
14.5 Read Luke 9:21-27
Luke moves quickly to Jesus’ sobering response. The disciples are to keep his identity secret for the time being because other things will happen first. Jesus will be rejected by his own people, betrayed by the leaders, suffer, die but ultimately rise from the dead (v21-22). Mark tells us that Peter latches onto the “suffer and die” bit and now rebukes the very person he had announced as Davidic king. Peter goes from hero to zero and Jesus rebukes him with strong words “Get behind me Satan”. Peter’s words are not godly but rather this is the Devil seeking an opportunity through Peter.[4]
The big question for the disciples is whether they are willing to follow him through death. Jesus’ route to the Messianic kingdom was via the Cross. Here he indicates how he will die. The call to “take up your cross” is not about minor grievances and suffering but rather about a willingness to die to self too (v23). The paradox is that those who seek self-preservation will lose their life and fail in their ambitions anyway. However, if Jesus’ route to glory is through the Cross, then a willingness to give up your ambitions, even your life itself is the only way to save yourself (v24). Furthermore, seeking earthly power is pointless. You can gain everything but if your own eternal security is non-existent, then you will lose everything (v25). The choice then is to follow and honour Christ or to forsake him, not merely out of fear but out of shame and embarrassment, not wanting to be associated with one who seems to have lost and who will die a cruel, humiliating death. Jesus however warns that he will be ashamed of and disown those who are ashamed of him now whilst those who stick with him in his humiliation can look forward to a share in his glory (v26).
Then he indicates that they don’t have long to wait. Some of those listening to him will get to see the kingdom arrive in power and glory before they die. This has confused those who treat it as a reference to the second coming. That would suggest an error on Jesus’ part. However, if the coming of the kingdom is about the defeat of the enemy, Satan and the fulfilment of Gospel promises in Jesus at Calvary, then they would get to see that day (v27).
14.6 What kind of king, what kind of kingdom?
The three synoptic Gospels set up the question of Jesus’ identity alongside the feeding of the five thousand in relation to the existing king, Herod Antipas. The contrast is made explicit in Matthew 14 and Mark 6 where the Gospel writers go into a bit more detail, describing the nature of John’s fate. He had been arrested by Herod and imprisoned for speaking up against Herod’s adultery. Herod however remained curious about John. Herod’s new bride has a daughter who dances for the king at a feast. Herod offers her anything she wants and on her mother’s instruction asks for John’s head on a plate.[5]
Herod of course, like his father owed his kingdom to Rome. He was an appointed king. Luke chooses not to even refer to him as king but as Tetrarch here. Jesus is presented in the Gospels as the one born to be rightful king, he is David’s heir and the title “The Son of God” also identifies him as God’s chosen or anointed one (Messiah). He is the one who rules not just with power but legitimate authority. Herod is a false king then and his feast becomes a place for selfish indulgence at cost to others. The king’s banquet brings death. Jesus on the other hand offers a feast out of nothing, providing abundantly for others, he is the king whose banquet offers life.
The question about Jesus’ identity is therefore not just about him being the king but what kind of king he is, not just that he is The Messiah but what that means for people. The question “what kind of king” is intrinsically tied up with the question “what kind of kingdom?”
In 2 Samuel 7:1-2, David declares his intention to build a house or temple for YHWH. God responds, insisting that David is not going to do this. Instead, it will be David’s descendant who will build the house. God will establish that descendant’s reign as eternal over God’s people. In other words, David does not need to build God a house, God will build or establish David’s house or dynasty. Focus tends to be on Solomon’s literal and almost immediate fulfilment of the promise that an heir will build the Temple but his death is followed by civil war and later his descendants will be killed off and the people exiled. It doesn’t seem that his fulfilment fits the expectations of the prophecy. The people were looking for a greater fulfilment, expecting an anointed heir who would bring back the glory days and re-establish the kingdom.
We should not see this as purely a political expectation. It is clear from the words and behaviour of agitators such as the Pharisees that the Messianic reign was expected, yes to remove hostile occupation but also to either bring about or result in spiritual renewal. The presence of God’s chosen king would symbolise the presence of God with his people, much as the Temple was meant to.
The Gospel writers all identify Jesus with this kingdom expectation. Luke will refer to “the kingdom of God” 31 times and Mark 14. Whilst the phrase is used only 5 times in Matthew, the synonymous term, Kingdom of Heaven is used 31 times there, and uniquely to the Gospels in Matthew’s account.[6] The kingdom of Heaven and Kingdom of God are one and the same thing. We are not intended to think of the kingdom of Heaven in terms of a place but rather, the word “heaven is being used” as a stand in for “God” or “Yahweh”, noting Jewish sensibilities about the public use of God’s name. It is possible that Jesus talked euphemistically in terms of “Heaven’s kingdom” but that Mark and Luke altered this to “God’s kingdom” in order to clarify the term’s meaning for Gentile readers.
Jesus will proclaim that the kingdom has drawn near and will teach frequently about what it is like through parables. If it has drawn near because Jesus is the king, then the kingdom is not so much a geographical place as it is everywhere and everyone that is under his control and lordship. That being so, debates popular in the 20th century about whether the kingdom had arrive or merely drawn near in Jesus’ day and whether is here and inaugurated now or merely still near and coming are a bit of a red herring. For the kingdom to draw near was for the king to arrive and he kingdom is present and active wherever and whenever Christ is Lord and obeyed as such.
[1] The kingdom was divided between Herod The Great’s three sons, Herod Archelaus, Herod Antipas and Philip, and his sister Salome.
[2] John 6:8=9/
[3] Matthew 16:18.
[4] Mark 8:32-33. See also Matthew 16:22-23.
[5] Mark 6:21-29; Matthew 14:3-12.
[6] Caraggounis, “Kingdom of God/Kingdom of Heaven” Pages 417-430 in Dictionary of Jesus and the Gospels (Ed. Green, McKnight & Howard Marshall, Downers Grove, IL.: IVP, 1992), 417.
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