Sermon 37 in Series Luke 9:18-22

[18] Now it happened that as he was praying alone, the disciples were with him. And he asked them, “Who do the crowds say that I am?” [19] And they answered, “John the Baptist. But others say, Elijah, and others, that one of the prophets of old has risen.” [20] Then he said to them, “But who do you say that I am?” And Peter answered, “The Christ of God.”

[21] And he strictly charged and commanded them to tell this to no one, [22] 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)

DEEP SHEET: Sermon Study Questions 1. Why does Luke draw attention to the fact that Jesus is praying? How does this connect to what we’ve seen earlier in the Gospel? 2. As we consider the various opinions about Jesus reflected in this passage, what do people in our culture say about him? How can these wrong views sometimes seep into our thinking? 3. In what ways are you specifically teaching your kids who Jesus is? How can you practically deepen your family’s Christology? 4. As Luke describes it, what was Jesus’ immediate response to Peter’s confession? Why is it surprising and how do we make sense of it? 5. How does Jesus clarify what it means to be the Christ? How was this contrary even to the thinking of his disciples? 6. Why does this passage represent a turning point in the overall narrative of Luke’s Gospel? How does it reveal his purposes in writing?

References: Colossians 1:3-20 (corporate reading); John 6:35; Luke 3:21; 5:16; 6:12; 8:25; 9:7-9; Matthew 16:14, 17; Psalm 2:2; 2 Samuel 7:12-13; Daniel 7:13-14; Isaiah 9:6; Luke 2:11; John 12:32; Luke 19:10; Matthew 28:19; John 6:15; Isaiah 53:6; Matthew 16:21-23; Acts 2:23; Luke 24:6-7.

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