In Luke 9:1-6, Jesus sent His disciples out with a specific purpose. He wanted them to do what He did-heal the sick and cast out demons. Realizing they were not qualified, He gave them power and authority to do as they were instructed in Luke 9:1. No degrees required, no extra clothing, no cash, no food-just a complete dependence upon Jesus’ power and authority.

The disciples were wildly successful-so much so that Herod Antipas, the ruler of the area, heard all about it and said, “I beheaded John the Baptist. Who, then, is this I hear such things about?” Herod was both frightened of Jesus and fascinated by Him, as we read in Luke 9:7-9. Reports of the remarkable ministry of Jesus’ disciples led to speculation that either John the Baptist had risen from the dead or Eijah (who had prophesied centuries before in the same territory that Herod now ruled) had returned. Herod became fearful and jealous as rumours reached him that someone was performing mighty miracles in the region. 

Although Herod disregarded the rumours because he knew no one else so executed had managed to come back from the dead, he did worry about reaction to the news spreading out of control and Rome removing him from his throne. Apparently Herod sent several messages to Jesus asking for some sort of meeting, but Jesus ignored him.

People of privilege and power can be afraid to embrace the truth or do the right thing because they risk losing their influence. To follow their conscience may mean that they won’t be re-elected or that their ratings will drop. They can’t risk it, so they close their hearts and cling tightly to their power, even when it means embracing lies and practicing deception. Herod knew the truth personally and was exceedingly sorry, but he chose death-both John the Baptist’s (after all, Herod had John the Baptist executed at the request of both his wife Herodias and her daughter Salome) and his own spiritual death. Herod lacked peace after his fatal choice. He feared his wife and the opinion of others more than he feared God.

Like Herod, we are going to hear all sorts of things about Jesus, especially if we go to church. At a certain point, we, like Herod, want to cut through the noise and meet Jesus directly. The good news is that Jesus is already available. If we feel the desire to meet Jesus directly, that means He is already calling us. God is already at work inside of us.

The disciples were preaching and healing, but Herod tried to see Jesus-singular. Here’s the reason why. Jesus invites us to do things beyond our abilities because He knows we must depend upon Him to empower us. As a result of His empowerment, others will be drawn to seek Him.

An audio version of this message can be found at https://www.spreaker.com/episode/luke-9-verses-7-9-how-to-see-jesus–62149072

Bibliography

1. Jeremiah, David: The Jeremiah Study Bible: New King James Version (Brentwood, TN: Worthy Publishing; 2013; p. 1404)
2. Pete Briscoe, “Beyond Credentials.” Retrieved from Crosswalk@crosswalkmail.com
3. Br. David Vryhof, “Herod’s Perplexity.” Retrieved from www.ssje.org/author/br-david-vryhof/)
4. Andrew Wommack, “No Peace for the Wicked.” Retrieved from info@awmi.org
5. Br. Jack Crowley, “Herod the Perplexed.” Retrieved from www.ssje.org/author/br-jack-crowley/