Luke 9:37 - Printer Friendly

What does Luke 9:37 mean?

ESV: On the next day, when they had come down from the mountain, a great crowd met him.

NIV: The next day, when they came down from the mountain, a large crowd met him.

NASB: On the next day, when they came down from the mountain, a large crowd met Him.

CSB: The next day, when they came down from the mountain, a large crowd met him.

NLT: The next day, after they had come down the mountain, a large crowd met Jesus.

KJV: And it came to pass, that on the next day, when they were come down from the hill, much people met him.

NKJV: Now it happened on the next day, when they had come down from the mountain, that a great multitude met Him.

Verse Commentary:

Luke 9:18–50 presents seven stories in which Jesus calls the disciples to a deeper relationship. As the stories progress, they increasingly show the disciples' lack of understanding of who Jesus is. Peter starts strong by calling Jesus "The Christ of God" (Luke 9:20), but then wavers when he seems to show Moses and Elijah the same honor as Jesus (Luke 9:33). Here, the disciples lose their faith to cast out demons—a power Jesus had given them (Luke 9:1). Next, they will show confusion when Jesus again predicts His crucifixion (Luke 9:43–45), argue over who is the greatest (Luke 9:46–48), and attempt to exclude someone they should invite into their community (Luke 9:49–50). All this occurs right before Jesus begins His transition from serving and teaching the crowds in Galilee to training the disciples to prepare them for His crucifixion and the establishment of the church (Luke 9:51).

Jesus had taken Peter, James, and John to the top of a mountain. The disciples fell asleep while Jesus spoke with Moses and Elijah. When the three woke up, Jesus and the Old Testament legends shone with God's glory. Peter offered to make tents for them. God chose that time to reveal His glory and affirm Jesus as His Son, the Chosen One, thus fulfilling Jesus' prophecy in Luke 9:27. Peter, James, and John won't speak of the event until much later (Luke 9:28–36; 2 Peter 1:16–18; 1 John 4:14).

Now, the four have returned. We aren't told exactly where this mountain is. Scholars present three candidates: Mount Hermon in Philip the Tetrarch's territory to the west and northwest of the Sea of Galilee, Mount Tabor in the south of Galilee, or Mount Meron, west and just north of Bethsaida.

Wherever they are, the crowd is typical. Jesus is often surrounded by mobs; some come to hear Him teach and some to receive healing. This time, it turns out, the crowd initially gathered around the remaining nine disciples. Earlier, Jesus had given them the power to heal and cast out demons (Luke 9:1–6). A man has asked them to rescue his possessed son, but the disciples, once powerful with faith, cannot command the demon out. Luke rarely records Jesus becoming frustrated with His disciples, but he does here. Despite His irritation, Jesus heals the boy (Luke 9:38–43).

Mark and Matthew include an interlude, describing that as Jesus and His three disciples descend from the mountaintop, they talk about the role of Elijah in the end times (Matthew 17:9–13; Mark 9:9–13). Luke often includes historical Hebrew background for his Gentile audience, but this time chose not to.

Mark also mentions that the nine disciples are arguing with scribes. We don't know why for certain; when Jesus asks, the father immediately starts talking about his demon-possessed son (Mark 9:14–18).

Gospel writers often group stories by theme, rather than by time. In this case, the connection seems important. This account is tied to the transfiguration both by time—"on the next day"—and location—"from the mountain."

Luke 9:37–43 records another story highlighting the disciples' misunderstanding of Jesus and their lack of faith. Jesus, Peter, James, and John return from the mountain. There, Jesus shone with God's glory and the disciples encountered Moses, Elijah, and God the Father. The disciples they left behind, despite having been empowered by Jesus to perform miracles (Luke 9:1–6), find it impossible to rescue a boy from a violent demon. Jesus scolds the lack of faith before He drives the demon away. This story is also in Matthew 17:14–20 and Mark 9:14–29.

Chapter Summary:

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.

Chapter Context:

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.

Accessed 5/5/2024 1:46:44 AM