Luke 9:18 - Printer Friendly

ESV: Now it happened that as he was praying alone, the disciples were with him. And he asked them, "Who do the crowds say that I am?"

NIV: Once when Jesus was praying in private and his disciples were with him, he asked them, "Who do the crowds say I am?"

NASB: And it happened that while He was praying alone, the disciples were with Him, and He questioned them, saying, 'Who do the people say that I am?'

CSB: While he was praying in private and his disciples were with him, he asked them, "Who do the crowds say that I am?"

NLT: One day Jesus left the crowds to pray alone. Only his disciples were with him, and he asked them, 'Who do people say I am?'

KJV: 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

NKJV: And it happened, as He was alone praying, that His disciples joined Him, and He asked them, saying, “Who do the crowds say that I am?”

Jesus gave the Twelve power to heal diseases, expel demons, and raise the dead (Matthew 10:8). Then He sent them off to preach the kingdom of God has come (Luke 9:1–6). Herod Antipas, ruler of Galilee, heard what they were doing and became confused about who Jesus is. Herod seems to think Jesus is either John the Baptist raised from the dead or another prophet working in the same spirit as John (Mark 6:16; Luke 6:7–9). The people are divided between Elijah, John, or some other Old Testament-era prophet (Luke 9:19).

The term "alone" must be qualified. Often, crowds so surround Jesus—squeezing, pushing, grasping—that He teaches from a boat (Mark 3:7–10) and has no time to rest or eat (Mark 3:20). "The disciples" certainly include the Twelve, but other faithful followers might also be with Him; Luke doesn't restrict "disciples" to the Twelve (Mark 4:10; Luke 8:9). Even if Jesus is surrounded by fifty of His closest followers, it feels like He's alone compared to being crushed in a crowd.

The Gospels do not necessarily keep the events of Jesus' ministry in chronological order. Precise timelines were not as important to ancient writers as modern journalists. Luke sought to write an "orderly account" (Luke 1:3), which implies intentional organization of some sort, but not necessarily narration of events in timeline fashion. It is, however, interesting to compare Luke's sequence of events to John's. Matthew, Mark, and John line up Jesus feeding the five thousand, walking on water, returning to the west coast of the Sea of Galilee, then re-engaging the crowds.

In John's account, Jesus' identity is given a longer discussion. The people want to make Him king because He has provided food (John 6:15, 26). Through the course of the ensuing conversation, Jesus identifies Himself as the Son of God, the provider of God's bread, the bread of life, and the one who brings resurrection. He then says that anyone who eats the bread of His flesh and drinks His blood will have eternal life. His words are so shocking, many of His disciples abandon Him (John 6:25–66).

It is then that Jesus asks the Twelve what they think. Peter responds, "…we have believed, and have come to know, that you are the Holy One of God" (John 6:69). The crowds would like to keep Jesus restricted as "only" a restoration of the Old Testament prophets. They would even accept Him as an earthly king, if He took care of their material needs. They cannot accept Him as the Christ intended by God: a spiritual Savior.

Luke 9:18–20 records Peter's confession that Jesus is the Messiah. It is the first of several passages in this portion of Luke that show the disciples being challenged to deeper faith. Herod Antipas wonders if Jesus is John the Baptist, back to haunt him for his murder (Mark 6:16). The people Jesus had just fed think He's their coming earthly king (John 6:15). Jesus asks the disciples what they think. Peter answers, "The Christ of God" (Luke 9:20). Mark 8:27–30 also records Peter's confession. Matthew 16:13–20 adds that Jesus will build His church on the "rock" of Peter's words.

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.

Luke 9 straddles the two major sections biblical scholars call "Jesus' Galilean Ministry" (Luke 4:14—9:50) and "The Travelogue to Jerusalem" (Luke 9:51—19:27). The Galilean ministry alternates calls to discipleship with stories on Jesus' authority and teachings. The travelogue records what Jesus did and taught to prepare the disciples for His crucifixion. After a final group of stories on how to respond to Jesus (Luke 9:51—11:13) and several examples of how the Jewish religious leaders reject Jesus (Luke 11:14–54), Luke presents Jesus' teaching on the kingdom of God (Luke 12:1—19:27).

Luke was a traveling companion of Paul (Acts 16:10) and a physician (Colossians 4:14). Unlike Matthew, Mark, and John, Luke writes his gospel as an historian, rather than as a first-hand eyewitness. His extensive writings also include the book of Acts (Acts 1:1–3). These are deliberately organized, carefully researched accounts of those events. The gospel of Luke focuses on the earthly ministry of Jesus Christ. Luke's Gentile perspective presents Christ as a Savior for all people, offering both forgiveness and direction to those who follow Him.