In terms of development, Luke favors geography more than chronology (Krol). After alternating between the early lives of John and Jesus in the first three chapters, he takes us to Galilee (4-9), Samaria (10-19), and Jerusalem (20-24) in telling us the story of Jesus. Chronology isn’t ignored (see 7:21, 9:51), but neither does he strictly adhere to a timeline. Instead, he does what we frequently do and uses themes and topics to drive his narrative. As we look at what is often referred to as the Limited Commission (9:1-9), we’re in the closing stage of Jesus’ Galilean ministry.
Galilee was where Jesus grew up and the place on this planet He knew best. It was the largest of the three Palestinian provinces the Romans had created. It had the greatest Gentile population, and the Galileans were more resistant to the Roman occupation than Judea to the south (see John 6:14-15). All the apostles were Galileans—either by birth or by residence (Acts 1:11). Jesus’ ministry there lasted about 18 months—longer than anywhere else.
Luke has just shown us Jesus casting out demons (8:26ff), raising a dead girl, and healing a sick woman (8:40ff). Now he will tell us how this power was extended to The Twelve.
“He gave them power and authority.” It was power and authority that the people at Capernaum had marveled at when Jesus cast a demon out of a man in their synagogue (4:36). Furthermore, they “were amazed at His teaching, because His words had authority” (Luke 4:32).
What Luke tells us here represents a significant development in the ministry of Jesus. Up to this point, the disciples had simply been with Him, watching what He did. Now they were being sent out as apostles.
This episode also informs us about Jesus. It was one thing for Him to possess the ability to do these things Himself, it was quite another for Him to be able to empower others to do them—yet that’s exactly what He does. Who is this man? That’s the question Luke wants Theophilus and us to consider.
“He sent them out to proclaim the kingdom of God and heal the sick.” As they went throughout the cities, towns, and villages, they were to proclaim that the One who ruled over demons, diseases, and death was getting ready to reign through Jesus. Then they demonstrated His rule by the miracles they performed. Anyone who was at all open to the truth would be able to see the truth of their proclamation (Luke 9:5).
Disciples haven’t been gifted by God as the apostles were to work these kinds of wonders today, yet they still have the same message to proclaim. What sign are we to offer to support our proclamation?
The answer might surprise you. Our lives are to function in much the same manner as the miraculous signs the apostles performed. But more than that, our lives are a proclamation of God’s reign. That means that every follower of Jesus is a sign of the kingdom of God—they proclaim as well as provide evidence of God’s reign.
How does that work?
The proclaiming aspect is straightforward. Paul will speak of the Corinthians proclaiming Jesus’ death as they ate the unleavened bread and drank grape juice (1 Corinthians 11:26). From that, it’s not hard to see that people practicing mercy, hungering and thirsting for righteousness, and living as peacemakers are proclaiming the reign of Christ as they do these things.
But what about the idea that a disciple’s life also provides supporting evidence? Isn’t the disciple’s behavior simply evidence of their belief rather than of what they believe? Yes, yes, yes—but don’t stop there.
Think of it like this. You meet a man who loves his wife. He is constantly talking about how wonderful she is, doing things for her, and how he couldn’t make it without her. Your initial thought is, “Well, this is someone who really loves his spouse,” and think about what a wonderful thing that is.
But after a while, you notice that this man is himself a solid person—even-tempered, a person of sound judgment and understanding—not given to embellishing or overstating things. So you start to think a little differently about his wife. You think that maybe there is something to what the man has been saying—that maybe it can’t be explained as simply being a “love is blind” situation.
See what’s happening? The man’s behavior (his witness) is causing you to second-guess your initial assumption. He’s pushing you in the direction of believing that his wife is a special person. I think that’s exactly how disciples provide evidence supporting the proclamation of their lives. They live in a way that’s leaves the world scratching its head and wondering if maybe there isn’t something to what they’re saying.
This is exactly what Peter is referring to when he speaks of husbands being “won over without words by the behavior of their wives” (1 Peter 3:1). He’s not talking about proclamation (although these women would have been doing that in a non-verbal way), he’s speaking about their behavior winning their husbands over—convicting and convincing them. As Bonhoeffer said, “Your life as a Christian should make non-believers question their disbelief in God.” (By the way, none of this is undermines the witness of Scripture—what someone reads in the word and sees in a disciple’s life should be complementary). In living for Christ then, the disciples are proclaiming the reign of God as well as providing proof of such.
There’s more to be said though.
A Taste of Grace with Bruce Green 