By Captain (Major) Michael Ramsay
This is the 2010 version, for the 2024 version click here: https://sheepspeaks.blogspot.com/2024/01/luke-9-math-skills.html
Doctrine 4 of The Salvation Army: We believe that in the person of Jesus Christ the Divine and human natures are united, so that He is truly and properly God and truly and properly man.
We went to men’s camp as you know last weekend and I thought it was a great time of worship and fellowship and I hope teaching and learning as well. I started most sessions off with a test so I think that today I will share one of these tests with you as well…
(vehicle test)
Now about vehicles and transportation and men at camp I want to share another story with you. We men, as you know, can be fairly organized and very task-orientated and when I was in teacher-training many years ago we learned that while women are generally more skilled at the creative side of things men have a much higher aptitude for math and all that side of things. So here is a math question for you. If you start off with 1 driver and 5 other men from Maple Creek and you add 1 Officer and 4 other men from Swift Current, how many men do you have? (11).
Good. Now if you subtract 1 Alvin and plan to add 1 David (David is Captain Ed’s son and we’re going to add him as we drive through Saskatoon at a later time) how many men should you have on your bus as you leave men’s camp? (10) Do you think we could get that right? With nine men on the bus doing a head count we came up with anywhere from 6– 11 people present and we were quite content with that until someone eventually asked, ‘where’s Tim?’ Sure enough as soon as we pulled out of the camp, down came Tim to where the bus was supposed to be and we were already gone - leaving Tim standing at the path wondering what had happened and why we had left without him.
Now to be fair to all of us in the bus who did leave Tim behind, we did come back as soon as we realized our error. And when we were doing our head counts, just as we were pulling out without Tim, I did ask anyone who wasn’t there before we left to raise their hand and speak up now or we’d leave them behind and Tim – Tim didn’t speak up to let us know that we’d left him behind.
We did get Tim and were joking with him most of the way back – all the way through Saskatoon anyway, through Delisle. We were joking as we were talking about how we could be so ‘out of it’ that someone could be left behind when all of a sudden, Ed pulled the bus over to the side of the highway: “we forgot David”, he said. In all our excitement in mocking ourselves for forgetting Tim, we completely forgot to pick up Ed’s son, David, in Saskatoon. To make a much longer story short, we called Alvin and Betty who were in Saskatoon and they kindly picked up David and brought him to Swift Current where they rendezvoused with Ed and then they continued on home.
In Luke’s account of the Transfiguration, Peter, James and John are surprised by a head count. They find Jesus with some unexpected friends that they don’t necessarily know what to do with: Moses (through whom humanity was given the Law) and Elijah, one of the first among the prophets (cf. Matthew 5:17; Luke 24:25-27, 44-46). It says that Peter offered to put up a booth or a tent for Jesus and the extra people but it says in verse 33, that in making that offer – he really didn’t know what he was talking about. Peter would have fit in quite well on our bus trip.
In our text today, Jesus, the Christ, the Son of Man, the Son of God, is found alongside representatives of the Law and the prophets. This is interesting –of course- because we know that Jesus himself fulfills the Law and the Prophets (cf. Matthew 5:17; Luke 24:25-27, 44-46). And when and where this scene is happening in Luke’s Gospel, people have been asking who actually is Jesus (Luke 8:25; 9:9, 18-20).
It is interesting the way the author of the Gospel of Luke puts this all together too because, as Major Bruce Powers tells us, “From the beginning of Chapter 9 the Greek text does not use the name of Jesus until we reach almost the end of the account of the transfiguration… Where English translations supply the personal name Jesus (NIV; Luke 9:1, 10, 18, 21, 28, 31, 33) the Greek text actually reads only ‘he’ or ‘him’. (In 9:33 where the Greek reads ‘And as the men were leaving, Peter said to Jesus,’ NIV translates ‘As the men were leaving Jesus, Peter said to him …’).”[1] Paralleling the search for the answer to the question of ‘who is Jesus?’ in this chapter, is the question who is this man before us in the text? All of this is revealed –in the Greek- only at the end of verse thirty-three, at the end of the story of the Transfiguration. We are kept in suspense – though not without clues – until that time.
In Verse 19, we are told a number of possible answers to who this person that the disciples are speaking with could be; who this Jesus could be: John the Baptist, Elijah, the prophets. Let’s take a look at some of these.
Some were saying that Jesus is Elijah (cf. Matthew 17:10-12; Mark 6:15, 8:28; Luke 9:19). This is of course a possible answer for many people at this point in his ministry.[2] After all – even though Jesus claimed that role for John the Baptist (Matthew 11:14 cf. also 9:11-13; Luke 1:17), John himself denies that very claim (John 1:21) so it is not entirely unreasonable that some of the cast of characters here today have thought that the person before them may have been Elijah.[3] But then Elijah appears with him on the mountain; Jesus is not Elijah.
Jesus could be a prophet Jeremiah or like Moses who appears in our text today for instance (Luke 9:18; cf. Matthew 16:14)? Anyone who heard the voice from heaven or saw the dove at Jesus’ baptism may even recognize, as Peter did, that yes, Jesus is God’s son but maybe they just don’t know what that means (Luke 9:20; cf. Matthew 3:16, Mark 1:10)? After all aren’t we all the children of God? Weren’t angels in the Genesis account sometimes referred to as ‘sons of God’ (Genesis 6:2-4)? So then what does it mean to be the ‘Son of God’ and who, who is Jesus?[4]
Well this is an important question for us today then too, isn’t it? Who is Jesus? Who do we on this season’s second Lenten Sunday thousands of years later, who do we say that he is? Luke gives us a couple of answers to that question in the rest of what is now referred to as Chapter 9 of his Gospel.
In verses 10-17 is recorded the miracle of Jesus feeding the 5000 with just 5 loaves of bread and 2 fish (cf. Mark 6:30-44). Now this is interesting if we stop and think about it for a moment. The five thousand number was just the men. This total did not include women and children. How many people do we have in swift current? 17000 give or take a few. How many of those people are adult men? Probably not that many more than 5000. This miracle would be similar to if Jesus had fed almost the entire population of Swift Current on much less bread (and other food) than is donated to The Salvation Army every week! Can you imagine having a big meal here and feeding everyone in the city with just 5 loaves of bread and 2 fish? Who is this person in Luke 9? Who is Jesus? Well, he is quite a miracles worker if nothing else but Luke tells us to that he is much more.
In verse 22 it is recorded that Jesus gives us a glimpse of the central piece of the gospel – the resurrection – as part of his answer to this question of who Jesus is “saying, ‘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’” (ESV translation, cf. Matthew 16:21-28, Mark 8:31-9:1; cf. also Luke 18:33, 24:7, 46; Matthew 17:12-23, 27:63, Mark 9:30-31, John 2:16).
In Verse 26, it is recorded that he is the Son a Man (a messianic title) and that he will come not only in his glory but also in the glory of God the Father and of the holy angels. Jesus then continues speaking as Luke sets the stage for the transfiguration scene. Jesus says, “I tell you the truth, some who are standing here will not taste death before they see the kingdom of God” (NIV translation, Luke 9:27).[5] Eight days and three verses later, Moses and Elijah appear before Peter, James, and John with Jesus atop the mountain. Peter, James and John do here see the Kingdom of God. Biblical scholar Wayne Grudem says that in the Transfiguration, the question “Who [then] is this?” (8:25; 9:9), which was answered by Peter in v. 20, is now answered decisively by God himself.[6] Let’s see how…
It is a somewhat interesting observation that the Greek word that Luke uses to mean that Jesus’ face ‘was altered’ in Verse 29 would have had some meaning for Gentile readers of / listeners to this letter. The word would bring to their mind the transformation of deities into other forms (for example Proteus by Menelaus).[7] This language would help point the original readers/hearers towards the divinity of Christ. It also – of course – reminds us (and the Jewish readers) of how Moses’ face shone when he met God on the mountain in the Old Testament (Exodus 34:29-35), further connecting this event to the Lord.
There is the cloud here as a further symbol of divine presence as well: We remember of course the cloud pillar through which God led the Israelites out of Egypt and the cloud that filled Solomon’s Temple at its dedication (cf. also Exodus 13:21, 14:19, 16:10, 19:16; 24:12-18, 40:35; 1 Kings 8:10; Psalm 78:14, 104:3; Nehemiah 9:19; Acts 1:9, Revelation 14:14-16). This is very likely another symbol that Luke is using here to point his audience towards the reality of the divinity of the Christ, who is Jesus.
A part of Jesus’ identity is revealed here through his company atop this mountain as well. We know Elijah, don’t we (Malachi 4:5; cf. also 1 Kings 17-2 Kings 10; 1 Chronicles 8:27; 2 Chronicles 21:12; Luke 4:25; James 5:15)? He is the famous prophet who was used by God to begin and end a drought throughout the Promised Land (1 Kings 17-18; cf. James 5:15). He is the one who God used to prove His power on top of Mt. Carmel over the false prophets and the pretend god, Baal (1 Kings 18). This was Elijah on top of Mt. Carmel - he was an instrument to show the power and glory of God.
We know who Moses is as well. Moses is known as the great lawgiver. He was the one God used to deliver the people out of slavery in Egypt (Exodus). He is the one through whom God delivered the Law, and the Ten Commandments atop Mt. Sinai / Mt. Horeb (Exodus 20; Deuteronomy 5). God used Moses on Mt. Sinai as an instrument to show the power and the glory of God.
Now here they are – fully recognisable to the disciples[8] – Moses, the representative of the Law, and Elijah, the representative of the prophets, being used as instruments of God on top of the mountain to show the power and the glory of God to Peter, James, and John and to all of us who will read this passage later (Luke 9:18-24).
Here in our text before us today we have the representatives of the Law and the prophets as well as the symbolism of the cloud and all the other things that we have mentioned pointing to the divinity of Christ who is the completion of the Law – the final sacrifice. It is finished. It has served its purpose: praise the Lord. The cloud envelops the people on the mountain and when it raises only Jesus remains – Christ alone. Where the law and the prophets once stood now there is only Jesus (verse 36). “And a voice came from out of the cloud, saying, ‘This is my Son, my Chosen One; Listen to him!’” (ESV, Luke 9:35) As we obey the voice when all else has passed away and when we look up seeking our Lord – like Peter, James and John on the mountain – surely we shall see Jesus (cf. Matthew 6:33).
Jesus is the fulfillment of the Law and the prophets. I encourage us to turn our eyes upon Jesus who is standing in our midst. When we do truly I say unto you that we will find Him not only sitting on the heavenly bus of our salvation but we will find that indeed He is our driver and He is taking us home. And as we remain with Him, He will neither leave us behind nor forsake us (cf. John 15; Romans 3:3,4).
Let us pray.
---
[1] Major Bruce Power, ‘The Transfiguration – Lent: Second Sunday Sermon’ in Journey to the Cross: Seven Lenten Sermon Outlines, Seven Small Group Studies, (The Salvation Army Canada and Bermuda Territory, 2009), p. 7.
[2] Cf. D.A. Carson, The Expositor's Bible Commentary, Pradis CD-ROM: Matthew/Exposition of Matthew/IV. Book Version: 4.0.2. re: Schweitzer.
[3] Hans F. Bayer, Note on Mark 6:14b-15 in ESV Study Bible. (Crossway Bibles: Wheaton, Illinois: 2007), page 1904. Available on-line: http://www.esvstudybible.org/search?q=Mark+6%3A14-15: The list of popular beliefs (see also 8:27–28) about Jesus includes that he is (1) the revived John the Baptist, (2) the expected Elijah (from Mal. 4:5), or (3) one of the prophets. The first belief, held by Herod Antipas (see Mark 6:16), is clearly false. The second opinion reflects the widespread expectation in Judaism (Mal. 3:1–2; 4:5–6) that Elijah, who was caught up to heaven without dying (2 Kings 2:11), would return at the end of time. Contrary to popular speculation that Jesus might be the expected Elijah, Jesus himself describes John the Baptist as having come “in the spirit and power of Elijah” (Luke 1:17; cf. Mark 9:11–13). The third proposal—“a prophet, like one of the prophets of old”—might have arisen from Deut. 18:15, 18. Jesus was far greater than any of these theories, something that Peter's confession at Caesarea Philippi will show (cf. Mark 8:27–30).
[4] Cf. for a detailed discussion of this question, Captain Michael Ramsay, ‘Luke 23: Who do you say He is?’ presented to the Community Good Friday Service in Nipawin, Saskatchewan at the Apostolic Church (April 10, 2009). Available on-line: http://sheepspeaks.blogspot.com/2009/04/luke-23-who-do-you-say-he-is.html
[5] Leon Morris Luke: An Introduction and Commentary, (TNTC3: Downers Grove, Il.: InterVarsity Press, 1988). Disc: Tyndale Old and New Testament Commentaries (US) (3.0f) version 2009-10-09T22:50:34Z: “The paragraph is rounded off with a mysterious saying. …But there are many ways in which the kingdom comes and there is much also to be said for the view that Jesus is referring to the critical time of the crucifixion, resurrection and the coming of the Spirit. The saying is complex, and without further information it is impossible to be sure of the precise meaning intended.”
[6] Wayne Grudem, see notes on Luke 9:28 and Luke 9:28-36 in ESV Study Bible. (Crossway Bibles: Wheaton, Illinois: 2007), p. 1973, available on-line at http://www.esvstudybible.org/search?q=luke+9.
[7] Marvin R. Vincent, ‘Was Altered’ in Word Studies in the New Testament Vol. I, (Peabody, Mass.: Hendrickson Publishers, Inc., 2009), pp. 343-344.
[8] Cf. for a good discussion of this, William Hendriksen, Exposition of the Gospel According to Luke (NTC: Baker Academic: Grand Rapids Michigan, 2007), 506.
Doctrine 4 of The Salvation Army: We believe that in the person of Jesus Christ the Divine and human natures are united, so that He is truly and properly God and truly and properly man.
We went to men’s camp as you know last weekend and I thought it was a great time of worship and fellowship and I hope teaching and learning as well. I started most sessions off with a test so I think that today I will share one of these tests with you as well…
(vehicle test)
Now about vehicles and transportation and men at camp I want to share another story with you. We men, as you know, can be fairly organized and very task-orientated and when I was in teacher-training many years ago we learned that while women are generally more skilled at the creative side of things men have a much higher aptitude for math and all that side of things. So here is a math question for you. If you start off with 1 driver and 5 other men from Maple Creek and you add 1 Officer and 4 other men from Swift Current, how many men do you have? (11).
Good. Now if you subtract 1 Alvin and plan to add 1 David (David is Captain Ed’s son and we’re going to add him as we drive through Saskatoon at a later time) how many men should you have on your bus as you leave men’s camp? (10) Do you think we could get that right? With nine men on the bus doing a head count we came up with anywhere from 6– 11 people present and we were quite content with that until someone eventually asked, ‘where’s Tim?’ Sure enough as soon as we pulled out of the camp, down came Tim to where the bus was supposed to be and we were already gone - leaving Tim standing at the path wondering what had happened and why we had left without him.
Now to be fair to all of us in the bus who did leave Tim behind, we did come back as soon as we realized our error. And when we were doing our head counts, just as we were pulling out without Tim, I did ask anyone who wasn’t there before we left to raise their hand and speak up now or we’d leave them behind and Tim – Tim didn’t speak up to let us know that we’d left him behind.
We did get Tim and were joking with him most of the way back – all the way through Saskatoon anyway, through Delisle. We were joking as we were talking about how we could be so ‘out of it’ that someone could be left behind when all of a sudden, Ed pulled the bus over to the side of the highway: “we forgot David”, he said. In all our excitement in mocking ourselves for forgetting Tim, we completely forgot to pick up Ed’s son, David, in Saskatoon. To make a much longer story short, we called Alvin and Betty who were in Saskatoon and they kindly picked up David and brought him to Swift Current where they rendezvoused with Ed and then they continued on home.
In Luke’s account of the Transfiguration, Peter, James and John are surprised by a head count. They find Jesus with some unexpected friends that they don’t necessarily know what to do with: Moses (through whom humanity was given the Law) and Elijah, one of the first among the prophets (cf. Matthew 5:17; Luke 24:25-27, 44-46). It says that Peter offered to put up a booth or a tent for Jesus and the extra people but it says in verse 33, that in making that offer – he really didn’t know what he was talking about. Peter would have fit in quite well on our bus trip.
In our text today, Jesus, the Christ, the Son of Man, the Son of God, is found alongside representatives of the Law and the prophets. This is interesting –of course- because we know that Jesus himself fulfills the Law and the Prophets (cf. Matthew 5:17; Luke 24:25-27, 44-46). And when and where this scene is happening in Luke’s Gospel, people have been asking who actually is Jesus (Luke 8:25; 9:9, 18-20).
It is interesting the way the author of the Gospel of Luke puts this all together too because, as Major Bruce Powers tells us, “From the beginning of Chapter 9 the Greek text does not use the name of Jesus until we reach almost the end of the account of the transfiguration… Where English translations supply the personal name Jesus (NIV; Luke 9:1, 10, 18, 21, 28, 31, 33) the Greek text actually reads only ‘he’ or ‘him’. (In 9:33 where the Greek reads ‘And as the men were leaving, Peter said to Jesus,’ NIV translates ‘As the men were leaving Jesus, Peter said to him …’).”[1] Paralleling the search for the answer to the question of ‘who is Jesus?’ in this chapter, is the question who is this man before us in the text? All of this is revealed –in the Greek- only at the end of verse thirty-three, at the end of the story of the Transfiguration. We are kept in suspense – though not without clues – until that time.
In Verse 19, we are told a number of possible answers to who this person that the disciples are speaking with could be; who this Jesus could be: John the Baptist, Elijah, the prophets. Let’s take a look at some of these.
Some were saying that Jesus is Elijah (cf. Matthew 17:10-12; Mark 6:15, 8:28; Luke 9:19). This is of course a possible answer for many people at this point in his ministry.[2] After all – even though Jesus claimed that role for John the Baptist (Matthew 11:14 cf. also 9:11-13; Luke 1:17), John himself denies that very claim (John 1:21) so it is not entirely unreasonable that some of the cast of characters here today have thought that the person before them may have been Elijah.[3] But then Elijah appears with him on the mountain; Jesus is not Elijah.
Jesus could be a prophet Jeremiah or like Moses who appears in our text today for instance (Luke 9:18; cf. Matthew 16:14)? Anyone who heard the voice from heaven or saw the dove at Jesus’ baptism may even recognize, as Peter did, that yes, Jesus is God’s son but maybe they just don’t know what that means (Luke 9:20; cf. Matthew 3:16, Mark 1:10)? After all aren’t we all the children of God? Weren’t angels in the Genesis account sometimes referred to as ‘sons of God’ (Genesis 6:2-4)? So then what does it mean to be the ‘Son of God’ and who, who is Jesus?[4]
Well this is an important question for us today then too, isn’t it? Who is Jesus? Who do we on this season’s second Lenten Sunday thousands of years later, who do we say that he is? Luke gives us a couple of answers to that question in the rest of what is now referred to as Chapter 9 of his Gospel.
In verses 10-17 is recorded the miracle of Jesus feeding the 5000 with just 5 loaves of bread and 2 fish (cf. Mark 6:30-44). Now this is interesting if we stop and think about it for a moment. The five thousand number was just the men. This total did not include women and children. How many people do we have in swift current? 17000 give or take a few. How many of those people are adult men? Probably not that many more than 5000. This miracle would be similar to if Jesus had fed almost the entire population of Swift Current on much less bread (and other food) than is donated to The Salvation Army every week! Can you imagine having a big meal here and feeding everyone in the city with just 5 loaves of bread and 2 fish? Who is this person in Luke 9? Who is Jesus? Well, he is quite a miracles worker if nothing else but Luke tells us to that he is much more.
In verse 22 it is recorded that Jesus gives us a glimpse of the central piece of the gospel – the resurrection – as part of his answer to this question of who Jesus is “saying, ‘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’” (ESV translation, cf. Matthew 16:21-28, Mark 8:31-9:1; cf. also Luke 18:33, 24:7, 46; Matthew 17:12-23, 27:63, Mark 9:30-31, John 2:16).
In Verse 26, it is recorded that he is the Son a Man (a messianic title) and that he will come not only in his glory but also in the glory of God the Father and of the holy angels. Jesus then continues speaking as Luke sets the stage for the transfiguration scene. Jesus says, “I tell you the truth, some who are standing here will not taste death before they see the kingdom of God” (NIV translation, Luke 9:27).[5] Eight days and three verses later, Moses and Elijah appear before Peter, James, and John with Jesus atop the mountain. Peter, James and John do here see the Kingdom of God. Biblical scholar Wayne Grudem says that in the Transfiguration, the question “Who [then] is this?” (8:25; 9:9), which was answered by Peter in v. 20, is now answered decisively by God himself.[6] Let’s see how…
It is a somewhat interesting observation that the Greek word that Luke uses to mean that Jesus’ face ‘was altered’ in Verse 29 would have had some meaning for Gentile readers of / listeners to this letter. The word would bring to their mind the transformation of deities into other forms (for example Proteus by Menelaus).[7] This language would help point the original readers/hearers towards the divinity of Christ. It also – of course – reminds us (and the Jewish readers) of how Moses’ face shone when he met God on the mountain in the Old Testament (Exodus 34:29-35), further connecting this event to the Lord.
There is the cloud here as a further symbol of divine presence as well: We remember of course the cloud pillar through which God led the Israelites out of Egypt and the cloud that filled Solomon’s Temple at its dedication (cf. also Exodus 13:21, 14:19, 16:10, 19:16; 24:12-18, 40:35; 1 Kings 8:10; Psalm 78:14, 104:3; Nehemiah 9:19; Acts 1:9, Revelation 14:14-16). This is very likely another symbol that Luke is using here to point his audience towards the reality of the divinity of the Christ, who is Jesus.
A part of Jesus’ identity is revealed here through his company atop this mountain as well. We know Elijah, don’t we (Malachi 4:5; cf. also 1 Kings 17-2 Kings 10; 1 Chronicles 8:27; 2 Chronicles 21:12; Luke 4:25; James 5:15)? He is the famous prophet who was used by God to begin and end a drought throughout the Promised Land (1 Kings 17-18; cf. James 5:15). He is the one who God used to prove His power on top of Mt. Carmel over the false prophets and the pretend god, Baal (1 Kings 18). This was Elijah on top of Mt. Carmel - he was an instrument to show the power and glory of God.
We know who Moses is as well. Moses is known as the great lawgiver. He was the one God used to deliver the people out of slavery in Egypt (Exodus). He is the one through whom God delivered the Law, and the Ten Commandments atop Mt. Sinai / Mt. Horeb (Exodus 20; Deuteronomy 5). God used Moses on Mt. Sinai as an instrument to show the power and the glory of God.
Now here they are – fully recognisable to the disciples[8] – Moses, the representative of the Law, and Elijah, the representative of the prophets, being used as instruments of God on top of the mountain to show the power and the glory of God to Peter, James, and John and to all of us who will read this passage later (Luke 9:18-24).
Here in our text before us today we have the representatives of the Law and the prophets as well as the symbolism of the cloud and all the other things that we have mentioned pointing to the divinity of Christ who is the completion of the Law – the final sacrifice. It is finished. It has served its purpose: praise the Lord. The cloud envelops the people on the mountain and when it raises only Jesus remains – Christ alone. Where the law and the prophets once stood now there is only Jesus (verse 36). “And a voice came from out of the cloud, saying, ‘This is my Son, my Chosen One; Listen to him!’” (ESV, Luke 9:35) As we obey the voice when all else has passed away and when we look up seeking our Lord – like Peter, James and John on the mountain – surely we shall see Jesus (cf. Matthew 6:33).
Jesus is the fulfillment of the Law and the prophets. I encourage us to turn our eyes upon Jesus who is standing in our midst. When we do truly I say unto you that we will find Him not only sitting on the heavenly bus of our salvation but we will find that indeed He is our driver and He is taking us home. And as we remain with Him, He will neither leave us behind nor forsake us (cf. John 15; Romans 3:3,4).
Let us pray.
---
[1] Major Bruce Power, ‘The Transfiguration – Lent: Second Sunday Sermon’ in Journey to the Cross: Seven Lenten Sermon Outlines, Seven Small Group Studies, (The Salvation Army Canada and Bermuda Territory, 2009), p. 7.
[2] Cf. D.A. Carson, The Expositor's Bible Commentary, Pradis CD-ROM: Matthew/Exposition of Matthew/IV. Book Version: 4.0.2. re: Schweitzer.
[3] Hans F. Bayer, Note on Mark 6:14b-15 in ESV Study Bible. (Crossway Bibles: Wheaton, Illinois: 2007), page 1904. Available on-line: http://www.esvstudybible.org/search?q=Mark+6%3A14-15: The list of popular beliefs (see also 8:27–28) about Jesus includes that he is (1) the revived John the Baptist, (2) the expected Elijah (from Mal. 4:5), or (3) one of the prophets. The first belief, held by Herod Antipas (see Mark 6:16), is clearly false. The second opinion reflects the widespread expectation in Judaism (Mal. 3:1–2; 4:5–6) that Elijah, who was caught up to heaven without dying (2 Kings 2:11), would return at the end of time. Contrary to popular speculation that Jesus might be the expected Elijah, Jesus himself describes John the Baptist as having come “in the spirit and power of Elijah” (Luke 1:17; cf. Mark 9:11–13). The third proposal—“a prophet, like one of the prophets of old”—might have arisen from Deut. 18:15, 18. Jesus was far greater than any of these theories, something that Peter's confession at Caesarea Philippi will show (cf. Mark 8:27–30).
[4] Cf. for a detailed discussion of this question, Captain Michael Ramsay, ‘Luke 23: Who do you say He is?’ presented to the Community Good Friday Service in Nipawin, Saskatchewan at the Apostolic Church (April 10, 2009). Available on-line: http://sheepspeaks.blogspot.com/2009/04/luke-23-who-do-you-say-he-is.html
[5] Leon Morris Luke: An Introduction and Commentary, (TNTC3: Downers Grove, Il.: InterVarsity Press, 1988). Disc: Tyndale Old and New Testament Commentaries (US) (3.0f) version 2009-10-09T22:50:34Z: “The paragraph is rounded off with a mysterious saying. …But there are many ways in which the kingdom comes and there is much also to be said for the view that Jesus is referring to the critical time of the crucifixion, resurrection and the coming of the Spirit. The saying is complex, and without further information it is impossible to be sure of the precise meaning intended.”
[6] Wayne Grudem, see notes on Luke 9:28 and Luke 9:28-36 in ESV Study Bible. (Crossway Bibles: Wheaton, Illinois: 2007), p. 1973, available on-line at http://www.esvstudybible.org/search?q=luke+9.
[7] Marvin R. Vincent, ‘Was Altered’ in Word Studies in the New Testament Vol. I, (Peabody, Mass.: Hendrickson Publishers, Inc., 2009), pp. 343-344.
[8] Cf. for a good discussion of this, William Hendriksen, Exposition of the Gospel According to Luke (NTC: Baker Academic: Grand Rapids Michigan, 2007), 506.
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