Luke 9:44 - Printer Friendly

ESV: “Let these words sink into your ears: The Son of Man is about to be delivered into the hands of men.”

NIV: Listen carefully to what I am about to tell you: The Son of Man is going to be delivered into the hands of men.'

NASB: As for you, let these words sink into your ears: for the Son of Man is going to be handed over to men.'

CSB: "Let these words sink in: The Son of Man is about to be betrayed into the hands of men."

NLT: Listen to me and remember what I say. The Son of Man is going to be betrayed into the hands of his enemies.'

KJV: Let these sayings sink down into your ears: for the Son of man shall be delivered into the hands of men.

NKJV: “Let these words sink down into your ears, for the Son of Man is about to be betrayed into the hands of men.”

Luke has just mentioned the amazement of the crowd. They are stunned, both by Jesus' deliverance of the possessed boy and by His overall miraculous ministry (Luke 9:43). With that praise still on their minds, the disciples hear Jesus talk of His coming betrayal and death. Mark explains that this is an on-going conversation as they travel through Galilee (Mark 9:30). Luke condenses the events to reveal the startling realization the disciples experience. They witness Jesus' glory and power and then hear Jewish leaders will murder Him.

Now, men praise Jesus. Soon, they will kill Him. Judas will betray Him. Peter will deny Him. An unidentified mob will be manipulated into ordering His execution. The civil government tasked with upholding justice will crucify an innocent Man. And the religious leaders will knowingly plan the destruction of the Messiah (Luke 22—23).

Luke alone records Jesus telling the disciples to let His words "sink into your ears." Jesus is reinforcing God's words to Peter, James, and John on the Mount of Transfiguration: "This is my Son, my Chosen One; listen to him" (Luke 9:35). The sentiment is not unlike the seeds that fall into the good soil "and grew and yielded a hundredfold" (Luke 8:8). If the disciples would allow Jesus' warning to penetrate their understanding, they could use the time for great good.

Instead, Luke explains the meaning was "concealed from them" (Luke 9:45). The text isn't clear as to who or what is doing the concealing. Some think it is the Holy Spirit. Others believe that since the disciples earlier refused to believe the Messiah could die (Luke 9:21–22; Matthew 16:21–23; Mark 8:31–33), they veiled their own hearts from the truth.

Luke 9:43–45 presents the fifth story in which Jesus tests His disciples' willingness to follow Him. Three of the disciples have seen Jesus shine with glory and heard God call Him His Son (Luke 9:28–36). The Twelve have watched while Jesus defeated a powerful demon (Luke 9:37–43). Now He repeats the warning that He is going to suffer, face rejection by the religious leaders, be killed, and raise again (Luke 9:21–22). Luke notes that the meaning of Jesus' words "was concealed from them, so that they might not perceive it" (Luke 9:45). Matthew 17:22–23 and Mark 9:30–32 also recorded this event.

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.