It is my hope and prayer that these spiritual gold nuggets or pearls from Luke chapter nine, which are examples from Yeshua’s life, will bless your day and help to energize your upward look and to focus on the big picture, heavenly perspective on life.

Luke 9:1–2, Gave them power. (See also Luke 10:19.) Spiritual power and authority over demons and sickness is manifested in no greater way than when exercised in conjunction with the preaching of the gospel. It is here on the ragged edge between the kingdoms of light and darkness that YHVH wishes to demonstrate his power most through his servants in an effort to draw outsiders into his spiritual kingdom. Healing from sickness and deliverance from demonic powers is a great enticement for those on the outside to become part of YHVH’s kingdom where they will experience freedom resulting in joy,  peace and hope.

Luke 9:41, Faithless and perverse. Faithlessness and perversity go hand-in-hand with the ability to cast out demons and to heal the sick. To the degree that one is faithful to and has faith in YHVH and his Word and is in sync with it is the degree to which will be able to exercise power over demon spirits and sickness.

Luke 9:46–48, Be greatest. The passions of the flesh like a weed with a deep taproot are always ready to rise up even after the most spiritually elevating moments. That’s why Yeshua urges his disciples to stay humble like little children, so this won’t occur.

Luke 9:49–50, He who is not against us. Yeshua is so beyond and above man-made barriers, delimitations, cliques, labels, denominational constraints and the like. We must always endeavor to emulate the magnanimous heart of Yeshua and give credit where it is due regardless of whether the other party is of our particular stripe and flavor or not. YHVH is always one to judge individuals according to righteous judgment by looking at the heart of the matter, and not simply at the outward appearance of things, which is often deceiving and belies the true nature of a thing.

Luke 9:51–56, Steadfastly set his face. Yeshua’s disciples must discern the spiritual times and seasons. Yeshua was steadfastly determined to go to Jerusalem to fulfill his spiritual destiny, and was thusly disinclined to be distracted by side issues including ministry opportunities that would present themselves to him while en route to Jerusalem. His disciples failed to recognize the importance of his mission and its goal, and were thus offended when the Samaritans failed to give Yeshua the attention they felt he as a dignitary was due. It, however, was not YHVH’s will for Yeshua to become sidetracked in the Samaritan village, and, as such, it was no problem for Yeshua to pass it by without having his feathers ruffled by their cold reception, since it didn’t matter anyway, for Yeshua was on a more important mission.

Luke 9:56, But to save. Everything Yeshua did imparted the spirit of life to those around him. The spirit of death didn’t taint anything he did. If he spoke harshly, corrected or rebuked anyone, it was done out of love and for the greater good of pulling down those spiritual strongholds that were causing death, so that the light of life and truth could pierce and sweep away the darkness thus allowing spiritual life to be birthed in its place. Let us follow his example in all that we do say and think and in all of our encounters with those around us.

Luke 9:58–59, The Son of Man. Yeshua was detached from nearly all earthly cares, so that he could exclusively focus on his divine mission to redeem men. Had he been burdened with having to care for a wife, children, a home and the other typical things humans have to deal with to sustain their lives, it’s unlikely that Yeshua would have been able to fulfill his mission. If we want to follow Yeshua, bigger and more (physically-speaking) isn’t necessarily better, for it demands time and effort to maintain, which takes one away from following Yeshua unreservedly and without the strings of this physical life hold us down.

Luke 9:62, Looking back. Followers of Yeshua must be forward-looking, and not longing for the things of the past life such as the children of Israel who longed for the food of Egypt, or Lot’s wife who longed for her home and family members left behind in Sodom.

Stay tuned, there are more nuggets to come…