As
he was praying alone, the disciples were with him, and he asked them, “Who do the multitudes say that I am?” They answered, “‘John the Baptizer,’ but others say, ‘Elijah,’ and others, that one of the old prophets is risen again.” He said to them, “But who do you say that I am?” Peter answered, “The Christ of God.” But he warned them, and commanded them to tell this to no one, saying, “The Son of Man must suffer many things, and be rejected by the elders, chief priests, and scribes, and be killed, and the third day be raised up.”
Luke 9:18-22
He said to his disciples, “Make them sit down in groups of about fifty each.” They did so, and made them all sit down. He took the five loaves and the two fish, and looking up to the sky, he blessed them, and broke them, and gave them to the disciples to set before the multitude. They ate, and were all filled. They gathered up twelve baskets of broken pieces that were left over.
Luke 9 [18.] As he was praying alone, the disciples were with him, and he asked them, “Who do the multitudes say that I am?”
Luke 9 [19.] They answered, “‘John the Baptizer,’ but others say, ‘Elijah,’ and others, that one of the old prophets is risen again.”
Luke 9 [20.] He said to them, “But who do you say that I am?”
Peter answered, “The Christ of God.”
Luke 9 [21.] But he warned them, and commanded them to tell this to no one, saying, “The Son of Man must suffer many things, and be rejected by the elders, chief priests, and scribes, and be killed, and the third day be raised up.”
Luke 9 [23.] He said to all, “If anyone desires to come after me, let him deny himself, take up his cross, and follow me. For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever will lose his life for my sake, the same will save it. For what does it profit a man if he gains the whole world, and loses or forfeits his own self? For whoever will be ashamed of me and of my words, of him will the Son of Man be ashamed, when he comes in his glory, and the glory of the Father, and of the holy angels. But I tell you the truth: There are some of those who stand here, who will in no way taste of death, until they see God’s Kingdom.”
Meaning:
Herod had asked, “who is this, about whom I hear such things?” (Luke 9:9), and the disciples had watched Jesus feed five thousand people with five loaves (Luke 9:11-17). Now Jesus himself puts the question to his disciples. Peter’s answer and Jesus’ reply form the turning point of Luke’s Gospel. From here on, Jesus speaks openly of his suffering and sets his face toward Jerusalem. Mark and Matthew place this conversation at Caesarea Philippi (Mark 8:27; Mark 8:29; Matthew 16:13-15).
- “As he was praying alone”
Luke often shows Jesus praying before key moments: at his baptism (Luke 3:21), before choosing the twelve (Luke 6:12), and at the transfiguration (Luke 9:29-31). This question about his identity also comes out of prayer. The disciples were near him while he prayed, and what follows is a moment of revelation.
- “Who do the multitudes say that I am?”
The answers were the same rumours that had reached Herod (Luke 9:7-8): John the Baptizer come back to life, Elijah, or one of the ancient prophets. All of them are compliments. The crowds saw Jesus as a great man sent by God. But every answer fell short, because each placed Jesus alongside others rather than above them.
- “But who do you say that I am?”
The “you” is emphatic. Jesus turns from public opinion to personal conviction. The disciples had lived with him, heard his teaching and seen his power. What did they themselves believe? It is a question that every person must eventually answer for themselves.
- “The Christ of God”
“Christ” is the Greek form of the Hebrew “Messiah,” meaning “Anointed One.” Kings and priests in Israel were anointed with oil, and the prophets promised a coming King from David’s line. At Jesus’ birth the angel had announced “a Savior, who is Christ the Lord” (Luke 2:11). Now Peter, speaking for the twelve, recognises him. Luke’s wording “of God” stresses that this Messiah belongs to God and is sent by him. In Matthew Peter adds, “the Son of the living God” (Matthew 16:16).
- “Commanded them to tell this to no one”
Why silence? Many people expected a political Messiah who would drive out the Romans. If the disciples announced Jesus as Messiah before they understood what kind of Messiah he was, the crowds would have tried to make him that kind of king. Jesus first had to teach them what the title really meant.
- “The Son of Man must suffer many things”
Jesus calls himself “the Son of Man,” the figure in Daniel who receives an everlasting kingdom from God (Daniel 7:13-14). Yet this glorious figure “must” suffer. The word points to God’s plan, foretold in Scripture: the Servant “was despised, and rejected by men; a man of suffering” (Isaiah 53:3), and “The stone which the builders rejected has become the head of the corner” (Psalm 118:22). The elders, chief priests and scribes made up the Sanhedrin, the highest Jewish council, the very leaders who should have welcomed him.
- “And the third day be raised up”
Suffering and death would not be the end. Jesus predicted his resurrection from the start. After he rose, he explained to two disciples, “Didn’t the Christ have to suffer these things and to enter into his glory?” (Luke 24:26).
The Significance of Luke 9:18-22
- Everyone must answer
Admiring Jesus as a great teacher or prophet is not enough. Jesus asks each person, “But who do you say that I am?” The answer shapes everything else.
- A suffering Messiah
The disciples needed to learn that God’s anointed King would win his victory through rejection, death and resurrection. Following him means accepting God’s way, even when it differs from our expectations.
Cross-References:
Mark 8:29: "He said to them, “But who do you say that I am?” Peter answered, “You are the Christ.”" Mark’s account.
Isaiah 53:3: "He was despised, and rejected by men; a man of suffering, and acquainted with disease." The rejected Servant.
Psalm 118:22: "The stone which the builders rejected has become the head of the corner." Rejected yet exalted.
Conclusion: In Luke 9:18-22 Jesus, after praying, asks his disciples who the crowds say he is. They report the opinions: John the Baptizer, Elijah or an old prophet. Then he asks, “But who do you say that I am?” and Peter answers, “The Christ of God.” Jesus tells them to keep this quiet and explains that the Son of Man must suffer, be rejected, be killed and be raised on the third day. Jesus is God’s promised Messiah, and his path to glory runs through the cross.
PIB Scriptures are derived from the World English Bible