What does Luke 9:46 mean?
Luke 9 swings wildly from highs to lows. It begins with the disciples experiencing great victory. They use Jesus' empowerment to heal, cast out demons, and spread the message of God's kingdom (Luke 9:1–6). Peter confesses Jesus is the Messiah (Luke 9:18–20). Three of the disciples get to see Jesus' glory (Luke 9:28–36).After the transfiguration, however, the disciples lose the narrative. They are defeated by a demon, can't understand Jesus' warning about the crucifixion, reject a potential ally, and offer to burn down a village (Luke 9:37–55). In this center story, they argue over who is greatest.
This event takes place in Capernaum, possibly in Andrew and Peter's house (Mark 9:33). The trip to the house has been marked by two ongoing conversations: Jesus' coming death and an argument about which of them is greatest in the kingdom of heaven (Matthew 18:1; Mark 9:31–34).
Luke arranged his stories primarily by theme, not strict chronology. Luke 9:18–50 is a collection of stories wherein Jesus calls the disciples to a deeper followership, and the disciples largely fail. Some time has transpired between Jesus' exhortation that a follower must "deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow" (Luke 9:23). The awe-inspiring transfiguration was past enough that Peter, James, and John apparently have lost their fear of Jesus' glory. Yet they remember He is chosen by God and, therefore, will one day rule.
But His rule will not look like the world. Jesus explains that status in God's kingdom is based on humility, not position. A child has no power and is therefore humble (Matthew 18:4). Seemingly powerless and humbled, Jesus will submit to the hands of men who will kill Him (Luke 9:44). The disciples need to learn to do likewise.
Luke 9:46–48 describes the disciples learning more about following Jesus deeply. Jesus has twice revealed He will be killed (Luke 9:21–22, 44–45). At least once He told the disciples they will need to sacrifice if they want to be associated with Him (Luke 9:23–26). The disciples have missed the point and, instead, argue over personal glory and ranking. Jesus tells them that in God's kingdom, the one who is least is actually greatest. Jesus will have to readdress the issue right before the crucifixion (Luke 22:24–27). This story is also in Matthew 18:1–6 and Mark 9:33–37.
Luke 9 completes Jesus' Galilean ministry and begins describing His journey towards Jerusalem. Jesus gives His disciples miraculous power and commissions them to preach. The empowerment thrills the disciples but confuses Herod Antipas. A hungry crowd of thousands and hard teachings about following Jesus, however, shows the disciples' faith is short-lived. The transfiguration and the demonized boy precede stories of the disciples' continued confusion. They still struggle to accurately represent Jesus. Luke 9:51–62 begins the "travelogue" (Luke 9:51—19:27) with examples of the patience and sacrifice needed to represent Jesus as His followers.
