What Jesus Did

One day Jesus called together his twelve disciples and gave them power and authority to cast out all demons and to heal all diseases. Then he sent them out to tell everyone about the Kingdom of God and to heal the sick.

—Luke 9:1-2 NLT

Key Thought


Power, or "the right and authority to powerfully to act" as the Greek word more appropriately means, is something that belongs to Jesus. It is his because of his work in creating and sustaining the universe. It is his because...

 

[After Jesus blessed the bread and the fish and the disciples distributed them to the people, they] all ate as much as they wanted, and afterward, the disciples picked up twelve baskets of leftovers!

—Luke 9:17 NLT

Key Thought


Our story began with Jesus telling his disciples to feed the 5,000 themselves. "Impossible!" was effectively their reply. Yet when all was said and done, the twelve apostles picked up twelve baskets of leftovers. Each of them got to hold the...

 

For there were about 5,000 men there. [After the apostles said there wasn't enough food,] Jesus replied, "Tell them to sit down in groups of about fifty each." So the people all sat down. Jesus took the five loaves and two fish, looked up toward heaven, and blessed them. Then, breaking the loaves into pieces, he kept giving the bread and fish to the disciples so they could distribute it to the people.

—Luke 9:14-16 NLT

Key Thought


For those of us who have read...

 

But the crowds found out where [Jesus] was going, and they followed him. He welcomed them and taught them about the Kingdom of God, and he healed those who were sick. Late in the afternoon the twelve disciples came to him and said, "Send the crowds away to the nearby villages and farms, so they can find food and lodging for the night. There is nothing to eat here in this remote place." But Jesus said, "You feed them." "But we have only five loaves of bread and two fish," they answered. "Or...

 

When the apostles returned [from their teaching and healing mission], they told Jesus everything they had done. Then he slipped quietly away with them toward the town of Bethsaida.

—Luke 9:10 NLT

Key Thought


Jesus often worked to give his disciples some quiet downtime. With the pressures of the crowd, their own experience with ministry, the teaching Jesus was giving them, and the pressures of everyday living, they needed rest. So do we! As later parts of the...

 

When Herod Antipas, the ruler of Galilee, heard about everything Jesus was doing, he was puzzled. Some were saying that John the Baptist had been raised from the dead. Others thought Jesus was Elijah or one of the other prophets risen from the dead. "I beheaded John," Herod said, "so who is this man about whom I hear such stories?" And he kept trying to see him.

—Luke 9:7-9 NLT

Key Thought


Despite the fact that Jesus didn't do his miracles to impress people, the...

 

[After Jesus commissioned the disciples,] they began their circuit of the villages, preaching the Good News and healing the sick.

—Luke 9:6 NLT

Key Thought


Like Jesus' preaching, the preaching of the Gospel by the Twelve involved an effort to reach both heart and body. I believe we must take away two important understandings from what Jesus instructed (Luke 9:1-2) and what the disciples did. First, we are called to walk in the footsteps of Jesus and serve others...

 

On the other side of the lake the crowds welcomed Jesus, because they had been waiting for him. Then a man named Jairus, a leader of the local synagogue, came and fell at Jesus' feet, pleading with him to come home with him. His only daughter, who was about twelve years old, was dying. As Jesus went with him, he was surrounded by the crowds.

—Luke 8:40-42 NLT

Key Thought


Jesus was on the east side of the Sea of Galilee when he cast the demons out of the man and into the...

 

"Take nothing for your journey," [Jesus instructed the disciples]. "Don't take a walking stick, a traveler's bag, food, money, or even a change of clothes. Wherever you go, stay in the same house until you leave town. And if a town refuses to welcome you, shake its dust from your feet as you leave to show that you have abandoned those people to their fate."

—Luke 9:3-5 NLT

Key Thought


Some folks are determined to reject the message of Jesus. There are many reasons...

 

Then Jesus took [the dead girl] by the hand and said in a loud voice, "My child, get up!" And at that moment her life returned, and she immediately stood up! Then Jesus told them to give her something to eat. Her parents were overwhelmed, but Jesus insisted that they not tell anyone what had happened.

—Luke 8:54-56 NLT

Key Thought


I had a good friend who lost his hearing when he was just a boy. He talked about the first words he would ever hear. At the coming of...