The Savior for All: He Set His Face Toward Jerusalem
Luke 9 is the turning point of Luke's Gospel.
Up to this point, Jesus has been moving through Galilee — teaching, healing, gathering disciples. From chapter 9:51 forward, He sets His face toward Jerusalem — and everything He does is now framed by the cross at the end of the road.
The twelve are sent out. Five thousand are fed. Peter confesses. Jesus predicts His death. The Transfiguration unveils His glory. And then the verse that changes the trajectory of the whole Gospel:
"When the days drew near for him to be taken up, he set his face to go to Jerusalem."
The Savior for All has come — and the all includes Jerusalem, the cross, and the world.
The twelve are sent
Jesus calls the twelve together and gives them power and authority over all demons and to cure diseases. He sends them out to proclaim the Kingdom of God and to heal.
"Take nothing for your journey, no staff, nor bag, nor bread, nor money; and do not have two tunics."
They are to depend wholly on God. Where they are welcomed, they stay. Where they are not, they shake the dust off their feet as a testimony.
They depart and go through the villages, preaching the gospel and healing everywhere.
The Savior for All does not work alone. He multiplies His mission through ordinary disciples sent in His authority.
Herod is perplexed
Herod the tetrarch hears about all that is happening. He is perplexed:
"John I beheaded, but who is this about whom I hear such things?"
He seeks to see Him.
A man with blood on his hands now wants an audience with the Christ. He will get one eventually — at a trial that condemns the innocent. Curiosity without repentance never finds the Savior.
Five loaves and two fish
The apostles return and tell Him all they have done. He takes them away by themselves to a town called Bethsaida.
The crowds learn it and follow. He welcomes them, speaks to them of the Kingdom of God, and heals those who need healing.
When the day begins to wear away, the twelve come and say: "Send the crowd away to find lodging and provisions, for we are here in a desolate place."
He answers:
"You give them something to eat."
They protest: "We have no more than five loaves and two fish — unless we are to go and buy food for all these people."
About five thousand men, plus women and children.
He directs them to sit down in groups of about fifty. Taking the five loaves and the two fish, He looks up to heaven, blesses them, breaks them, and gives them to the disciples to set before the crowd.
They all eat and are satisfied. Twelve baskets of leftovers are gathered.
The Savior for All feeds the hungry crowd through the hands of His disciples. What was multiplied was given through them.
"You are the Christ"
Once when He is praying alone, the disciples are with Him. He asks them:
"Who do the crowds say that I am?"
They answer: John the Baptist, Elijah, one of the old prophets risen.
"But who do you say that I am?"
Peter answers:
"The Christ of God."
This is the confession. The Savior is identified by His disciple as the long-promised Anointed One.
But immediately, Jesus charges them to tell no one. And He begins to teach what kind of Christ He is:
"The Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and on the third day be raised."
The Christ is the Crucified. This is the truth the disciples will struggle with for the rest of the journey.
Take up your cross
He says to all:
"If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me. For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will save it. For what does it profit a man if he gains the whole world and loses or forfeits himself?"
This is the Christian life in three sentences. Deny yourself. Take up your cross daily. Follow.
The cross is daily. Not a one-time decision. A daily dying.
"For whoever is ashamed of me and of my words, of him will the Son of Man be ashamed when he comes in his glory."
The Transfiguration
About eight days later, He takes Peter, John, and James and goes up on the mountain to pray.
As He prays, the appearance of His face is altered, and His clothing becomes dazzling white. Two men talk with Him — Moses and Elijah — speaking of His departure, which He is about to accomplish at Jerusalem.
The word departure is literally exodus. Just as Moses led the first exodus out of Egypt, Jesus is about to lead the great Exodus out of sin and death — accomplished at Jerusalem on the cross.
Peter, half asleep, blurts: "Master, it is good that we are here. Let us make three tents."
He does not know what he is saying.
A cloud overshadows them. A voice from the cloud:
"This is my Son, my Chosen One; listen to him!"
When the voice has spoken, Jesus is found alone. Just Jesus.
The Father will not allow Christ to be ranked with Moses and Elijah. He stands above them. Listen to Him.
Down the mountain
The next day, a man in the crowd cries out: "Teacher, I beg you to look at my son, for he is my only child. A spirit seizes him… and your disciples could not cast it out."
Jesus answers with weariness:
"O faithless and twisted generation, how long am I to be with you and bear with you?"
He heals the boy and gives him back to his father. All are astonished at the majesty of God.
The second prediction
While they are marveling, Jesus says to His disciples:
"Let these words sink into your ears: The Son of Man is about to be delivered into the hands of men."
But they do not understand. It is concealed from them. They are afraid to ask.
"Who is the greatest?"
An argument arises among them as to which of them is the greatest.
Jesus, knowing the reasoning of their hearts, takes a child and puts him by His side:
"Whoever receives this child in my name receives me, and whoever receives me receives him who sent me. For he who is least among you all is the one who is great."
The Savior teaches them — again — that greatness in His Kingdom is service of the small.
"He set his face"
Then comes the verse that changes the whole trajectory of Luke's Gospel:
"When the days drew near for him to be taken up, he set his face to go to Jerusalem."
He sends messengers ahead. A Samaritan village does not receive Him, because His face is set toward Jerusalem. James and John want to call down fire — Jesus rebukes them.
The Savior for All will not destroy the Samaritans who reject Him. He will keep walking. There is no village along the road that He hates. Even the rejection of His enemies will not turn Him aside.
The cost of following
Three would-be disciples meet Him along the road.
"I will follow you wherever you go." Jesus answers: "Foxes have holes and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay his head."
"Lord, let me first go and bury my father." Jesus answers: "Leave the dead to bury their own dead. But as for you, go and proclaim the kingdom of God."
"I will follow you, Lord, but let me first say farewell to those at my home." Jesus answers: "No one who puts his hand to the plow and looks back is fit for the kingdom of God."
The Savior for All offers everyone the call to follow — but the call is total. There is no half-following. The plow does not look back.
Closing prayer
Father, thank You that Your Savior set His face toward Jerusalem and did not turn back, even when villages rejected Him, even when the cross loomed at the end of the road. Teach us to deny ourselves, take up our cross daily, and follow Him. Save us from the half-discipleship that looks back from the plow. And when the cloud overshadows our small confidence, let Your voice ring in our ears: This is my Son; listen to him. In Jesus' name, amen.
