Luke 9:21 - Printer Friendly

ESV: And he strictly charged and commanded them to tell this to no one,

NIV: Jesus strictly warned them not to tell this to anyone.

NASB: But He warned them and instructed them not to tell this to anyone,

CSB: But he strictly warned and instructed them to tell this to no one,

NLT: Jesus warned his disciples not to tell anyone who he was.

KJV: And he straitly charged them, and commanded them to tell no man that thing;

NKJV: And He strictly warned and commanded them to tell this to no one,

Jesus' identity has been in question from the moment Joseph first learned Mary was pregnant (Matthew 1:18–25). Since the beginning of His ministry, it has only grown. The religious leaders want to know why He has the audacity to forgive sins (Luke 5:20–21; 7:49). The disciples want to know who can calm a raging sea or walk on water (Matthew 8:27; Luke 8:25; John 6:16–21). The people think He marks the return of the prophets of old—maybe even Elijah, himself—while Herod Antipas wonders if He is John the Baptist, raised from the dead (Luke 9:7–9; Mark 6:14–16).

Peter speaks for the disciples by declaring Jesus is "The Christ of God" (Luke 9:20), a statement Jesus says is an inspired word which will be the foundation of His church (Matthew 16:17–18).

This is the first of two times in this chapter where Jesus tells the disciples not to reveal something about Him. The second is after the transfiguration when Jesus tells Peter, James, and John to keep secret the vision of His glory until after the resurrection (Luke 9:28-36; Matthew 17:9). Several times, Jesus silences demons who compulsively identify Him as the Son of God (Mark 3:11–12).

The people were not ready for this information, yet. God works carefully through history, interacting with people, nations, and cultures to fulfill His plans and promises. Over-zealous followers, having seen how Jesus can provide food, already attempted to make Jesus king by force (John 6:15). The disciples think He is the prophet Moses promised and will win Israel political independence (Deuteronomy 18:15). They don't understand there is much that must happen first (Acts 1:6–7).

Jesus will face a cross before He takes His throne; His disciples need to be willing to follow His example (Luke 9:22–27). They will see miraculous things that affirm Peter's words (Luke 9:28–36), but their faith is still weak (Luke 9:39–40). They are thinking of the glory Jesus will give them (Luke 9:46–56), but before they receive His glory, they need to learn to sacrifice their loyalty to their earthly lives.

Luke 9:21–22 gives the second event during which the disciples must decide who Jesus is and if they should follow Him. Peter's confession that Jesus is the Christ—the Jewish Messiah—is still hanging in the air when Jesus tells them He will suffer and die. Matthew and Mark record how immediately afterwards, Peter rebukes Jesus for saying such things. Jesus calls his words satanic (Matthew 16:21–23; Mark 8:31–33).

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.