Title: The Cross and Our Generation (Take Up Your Cross and Follow Me)
Text: Luke 9:37-45
Today’s message is based on two paragraphs of scripture. This is because there were passages in the first paragraph that are difficult to understand on their own.
When Jesus came down from the mountain with a few of His disciples, a crowd greeted Him. And then, from among the crowd, a man cried out loudly to Jesus. Since there were so many people, there must have been some distance between Jesus and the man, and the man likely raised his voice so that Jesus could hear him in the crowd.
When we listened to the man’s cry, it sounded like a complaint. He said that his son was possessed by a demon, and that upon hearing the news, he had asked Jesus’ disciples to help him, but they were unable to do so. So, he asked Jesus to heal his son, who was possessed.
When Jesus heard this, He lamented, saying, “O unbelieving and perverse generation,” and then He told the man to bring his son to Him. Immediately, Jesus healed the boy and returned him to his father.
If we focus only on the first part, we could mistakenly emphasize the exorcism. We might think that casting out demons was a privilege given only to the disciples. This could lead us to question whether the disciples are not truly disciples if they are unable to cast out demons. And we may also struggle to understand the meaning of Jesus’ words, “O unbelieving and perverse generation.” It may be hard for us to understand why Jesus, who is full of love, would say something like this.
Jesus had given His disciples the power to cast out demons, and they had done it successfully at first. Their ability even became well known. But in this passage, we see that they were unable to use that power.
This brings up a question: Wasn’t Jesus’ statement, “O unbelieving and perverse generation,” too harsh? The disciples must have felt burdened by those words. They had followed Jesus, leaving everything behind, so wasn’t this a harsh thing for Jesus to say to them?
If such words were spoken to me, I would have felt deeply wounded. Just like the disciples, it was not easy to leave family behind, follow Jesus day and night, and endure the exhaustion of walking with a younger Jesus.
But through the rest of the story, we can begin to understand why the exorcism event took place. People were amazed at the miracles Jesus performed, but in that very moment, He said something that no one could fully understand: “Let these words sink into your ears: The Son of Man is going to be delivered into the hands of men.”
Once again, Jesus predicted that He would be handed over and crucified. After healing the boy, could the man who had just witnessed this miracle really betray Jesus? Could someone who had seen the event firsthand still betray Him and hand Him over to be crucified? The Bible says, “Yes, that is what happens.”
Jesus knew that people, crowds, and the masses could easily change. He knew they could praise Him for His miracles but could just as easily betray Him. This is why He told them, “Let these words sink into your ears.”
Even the disciples, at that time, probably couldn’t understand what He meant. They were caught up in the atmosphere, and they couldn’t fully grasp the meaning of His words. Jesus knew how weak and unreliable our emotions, knowledge, and willpower are, but we didn’t realize it. However, now, we understand these words because we are looking back at them through the lens of the Gospel of Luke.
Jesus knew that people would betray Him and hand Him over, but He did not condemn or criticize them. Instead, He planned His path and followed it. Even though He knew that the crowds would betray Him and turn away, He chose to walk the path of the cross, carrying their sins.
This truth can be applied in two ways. First, we can apply it to ourselves. We need to recognize that we, too, could betray and hand Jesus over. Jesus knew our weakness and accepted it, taking up the cross for us. Even when we sin greatly, He doesn’t abandon us; He continues to love us. We can find peace in His love.
Second, we can apply this to others who betray us. We must follow the path Jesus showed us. The way of the cross is to continue walking the path God has set for us, even when others betray us and repay our kindness with enmity. Jesus commanded us to love our neighbors and even love our enemies. This is the cross we must carry.
Our generation may be an unbelieving and perverse generation. Many people live without understanding why they dislike, hate, or discriminate against others. All of us are trapped in sin, and we may not even realize it.
This is true even in the society we live in today, especially in America. The society is divided, and people cannot understand each other. One side cannot understand the logic of the other, and vice versa. However, one thing is certain: both sides are part of the same generation. We are all part of a generation that can be unbelieving and perverse. This is something the scriptures after this passage continue to explain. We will look forward to next week.
We have been given a path by God. It is the path of loving our neighbors, saving the world, saving our community, saving our families, and saving ourselves. It is not a path taken for anyone else’s sake, but our own. It is the path God has given us, and we are called to walk it.
Let us make plans according to God’s will, execute them, and regularly check our steps before God. May we all walk that path, and I sincerely pray that we will walk it with purpose and faith.
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