PT-1 “Life’s Most Important Question” (Luke 9:18-22)

 

MORNING SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR 10/15/2026 1:40 PM

My Worship Time                                                Focus:  PT-1 “Life’s Most Important Question”

Bible Reading & Meditation                                                                 Reference:  Luke 9:18-22

            Message of the verses:  “And it happened that while He was praying alone, the disciples were with Him, and He questioned them, saying, “Who do the people say that I am?”  They answered and said, “John the Baptist, and others say Elijah; but others, that one of the prophets of old has risen again.”  And He said to them, “But who do you say that I am?” And Peter answered and said, “The Christ of God.”  But He warned them and instructed them not to tell this to anyone, since, “The Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed and be raised up on the third day.”

            I hope that one of these days that I learn how to save all of my documents without loosing them like I did earlier this morning.

            “The question that the Lord Jesus Christ asked the apostles in verse 20, But who do you say that I am?” introduces the most critical issue facing any person: the question of Jesus’ identity (cf. 9:9).”

(cf. 9:9)

“9  Herod said, “John I beheaded, but who is this about whom I hear such things?” And he sought to see him.”

“Where people spend eternity, either in heaven or in hell, depends on answering it correctly.  Humanistic philosophy and secularism, as well as aberrant theological systems, cults, and false religions, inevitably reject the truth concerning the nature and work of Jesus Christ.  The number of books articles, papers, symposiums, lectures, and discussions advocating a false identity concerning Jesus Christ is seemingly endless.  That plethora of supposedly scholarly and religious efforts to discover who Jesus is surely suggests to some that the question is a very complex, perhaps even unsolvable one.  In reality, however, it is only difficult for those who reject the clear revelation of the Bible.

            “All four Gospels unambiguously present Jesus’ true identity.  Speaking for himself and the other gospel writers as well, the apostle John revealed the purpose for the inspired records of the life and labor of Jesus when on behalf of all four he wrote, “These have been written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing you may have life in His name” (John 20:31).  That statement is not obscure, but clear and precise: Jesus is the Messiah, God the Son incarnate, the only Savior, and faith in Him results in eternal life.

            “Like the other three historians, Luke clearly records the identity of Jesus Christ.  The angel Gabriel said of Him, ‘He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High; and the Lord God will give Him the throne of His father David; and He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and His kingdom will have no end’ (1:32-33). Later in chapter 1, Zacharias, the father of John the Baptist testified that Jesus would fulfill all the promises of the Old Testament (1:68-69, 76-79).”

(1:68-69, 76-79)

“68  "Blessed be the Lord God of Israel, for he has visited and redeemed his people 69  and has raised up a horn of salvation for us in the house of his servant David,”

“76  And you, child, will be called the prophet of the Most High; for you will go before the Lord to prepare his ways, 77  to give knowledge of salvation to his people in the forgiveness of their sins, 78  because of the tender mercy of our God, whereby the sunrise shall visit us from on high 79  to give light to those who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the way of peace."

“At His birth an angel said to the shepherds, ‘Do not be afraid; for behold, I bring you good news of great joy which will be for all the people; for today in the city of David there has been born for you a Savior, who is Christ the Lord’ (2:10-11).  Later Simeon (2:25-32) and Anna (2:36-38), testified that He was indeed the Messiah, the fulfillment of Old Testament prophecy.”

(2:25-32)

  25 ¶  Now there was a man in Jerusalem, whose name was Simeon, and this man was righteous and devout, waiting for the consolation of Israel, and the Holy Spirit was upon him. 26  And it had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not see death before he had seen the Lord’s Christ. 27  And he came in the Spirit into the temple, and when the parents brought in the child Jesus, to do for him according to the custom of the Law, 28  he took him up in his arms and blessed God and said, 29  "Lord, now you are letting your servant depart in peace, according to your word; 30  for my eyes have seen your salvation 31  that you have prepared in the presence of all peoples, 32  a light for revelation to the Gentiles, and for glory to your people Israel."

(2:36-38)

“36  And there was a prophetess, Anna, the daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Asher. She was advanced in years, having lived with her husband seven years from when she was a virgin, 37  and then as a widow until she was eighty-four. She did not depart from the temple, worshiping with fasting and prayer night and day. 38  And coming up at that very hour she began to give thanks to God and to speak of him to all who were waiting for the redemption of Jerusalem.”

“At the age of twelve, Jesus told His parents that He had to be in His heavenly Father’s house (2:49).”

(2:49)

“49  And he said to them, “Why were you looking for me? Did you not know that I must be in my Father’s house?”

“John the Baptist, His herald and forerunner, also identified Jesus as the Messiah (3:16-18).”

(3:16-18)

“16  John answered them all, saying, "I baptize you with water, but he who is mightier than I is coming, the strap of whose sandals I am not worthy to untie. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire. 17  His winnowing fork is in his hand, to clear his threshing floor and to gather the wheat into his barn, but the chaff he will burn with unquenchable fire." 18  So with many other exhortations he preached good news to the people.”

“At His baptism the Holy Spirit anointed Jesus and the Father affirmed Him as His Son (3:21-22) as He did at the transfiguration (9:35).”

(3:21-22)

“21 ¶  Now when all the people were baptized, and when Jesus also had been baptized and was praying, the heavens were opened, 22  and the Holy Spirit descended on him in bodily form, like a dove; and a voice came from heaven, “You are my beloved Son; with you I am well pleased.”

(9:35)

“35  And a voice came out of the cloud, saying, “This is my Son, my Chosen One; listen to him!”

“Even Satan had to acknowledge that Jesus is the Son of God (4:3), as did the demons (4:34, 41; 8:28).”

3  The devil said to him, “If you are the Son of God, command this stone to become bread.”

(4:34, 41; 8:28)

“34  “Ha! What have you to do with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us? I know who you are—the Holy One of God.”

“41  And demons also came out of many, crying,, “You are the Son of

God!” But he rebuked them and would not allow them to speak, because they knew that he was the Christ.”

“28  When he saw Jesus, he cried out and fell down before him and said with a loud voice, “What have you to do with me, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? I beg you, do not torment me.”

10/15/2026 2:27 PM

 

 

I am beginning to hate this computer.

 I am having trouble saving my SD's from time to time and it makes me very upset and so then it takes me a while to calm down.  It takes a great deal of time to write my Spiritual Diaries and then when I click on the wrong thing they are just gone.  I will do this SD this evening.  

“The Need For Provision For His Servants” (Luke 9:17b)

 

EVENING SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR 10/14/2026 10:35 PM

My Worship Time                                         Focus:  “The Need For Provision For His Servants”

Bible Reading & Meditation                                                                 Reference:  “Luke 9:17b”

Message of the verse:  “and the broken pieces which they had left over were picked up, twelve baskets full.”

            This very short SD will end the 26^th chapter of John MacArthur’s second volume on the Gospel of Luke.

            He writes “In His lavish provision of food, Jesu did not forget His won.  After the meal was over, the broken pieces of the loaves and the fish (Mark 6:43) which the crowd had left over were picked up by the apostles.”

 (Mark 6:43)

“43  And they took up twelve baskets full of broken pieces and of the fish.”

“In the Lord’s precision, nothing was wasted; the amount of leftover food was exactly enough to meet the needs of the Twelve.

            “There is a sad postscript to this remarkable story, which John records.  The next day the crowds, thwarted in their attempt to make Him king, followed Jesus back to Capernaum (John 6:22-25).”

(John 6:22-25)

“22 ¶  On the next day the crowd that remained on the other side of the sea saw that there had been only one boat there, and that Jesus had not entered the boat with his disciples, but that his disciples had gone away alone. 23  Other boats from Tiberias came near the place where they had eaten the bread after the Lord had given thanks. 24  So when the crowd saw that Jesus was not there, nor his disciples, they themselves got into the boats and went to Capernaum, seeking Jesus. 25  When they found him on the other side of the sea, they said to him, “Rabbi, when did you come here?”

“They expected Him to provide more food (v. 26), but when He refused and instead presented Himself as the Bread of Life come down from heaven (vv.27-40), they rejected Him (vv. 41-66).

(v. 26)

“26  Jesus answered them, "Truly, truly, I say to you, you are seeking me, not because you saw signs, but because you ate your fill of the loaves.”

(vv.27-40)

“27  Do not work for the food that perishes, but for the food that endures to eternal life, which the Son of Man will give to you. For on him God the Father has set his seal."  28 ¶  Then they said to him, “What must we do, to be doing the works of God?” 29  Jesus answered them, “This is the work of God, that you believe in him whom he has sent.” 30  So they said to him, "Then what sign do you do, that we may see and believe you? What work do you perform? 31  Our fathers ate the manna in the wilderness; as it is written, ‘He gave them bread from heaven to eat.’" 32  Jesus then said to them, "Truly, truly, I say to you, it was not Moses who gave you the bread from heaven, but my Father gives you the true bread from heaven. 33  For the bread of God is he who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world." 34  They said to him, “Sir, give us this bread always.” 35  Jesus said to them, "I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me shall not hunger, and whoever believes in me shall never thirst. 36  But I said to you that you have seen me and yet do not believe. 37  All that the Father gives me will come to me, and whoever comes to me I will never cast out. 38  For I have come down from heaven, not to do my own will but the will of him who sent me. 39  And this is the will of him who sent me, that I should lose nothing of all that he has given me, but raise it up on the last day. 40  For this is the will of my Father, that everyone who looks on the Son and believes in him should have eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day."

(vv. 41-66)

“41  So the Jews grumbled about him, because he said, “I am the bread that came down from heaven.” 42  They said, “Is not this Jesus, the son of Joseph, whose father and mother we know? How does he now say, ‘I have come down from heaven’?” 43  Jesus answered them, "Do not grumble among yourselves. 44  No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him. And I will raise him up on the last day. 45  It is written in the Prophets, ‘And they will all be taught by God.’ Everyone who has heard and learned from the Father comes to me— 46  not that anyone has seen the Father except he who is from God; he has seen the Father. 47  Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever believes has eternal life. 48  I am the bread of life. 49  Your fathers ate the manna in the wilderness, and they died. 50  This is the bread that comes down from heaven, so that one may eat of it and not die. 51  I am the living bread that came down from heaven. If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever. And the bread that I will give for the life of the world is my flesh." 52  The Jews then disputed among themselves, saying, “How can this man give us his flesh to eat?” 53  So Jesus said to them, "Truly, truly, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you have no life in you. 54  Whoever feeds on my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day. 55  For my flesh is true food, and my blood is true drink. 56  Whoever feeds on my flesh and drinks my blood abides in me, and I in him. 57  As the living Father sent me, and I live because of the Father, so whoever feeds on me, he also will live because of me. 58  This is the bread that came down from heaven, not like the bread the fathers ate, and died. Whoever feeds on this bread will live forever." 59  Jesus said these things in the synagogue, as he taught at Capernaum. 60 ¶  When many of his disciples heard it, they said, “This is a hard saying; who can listen to it?” 61  But Jesus, knowing in himself that his disciples were grumbling about this, said to them, "Do you take offense at this? 62  Then what if you were to see the Son of Man ascending to where he was before? 63  It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh is no help at all. The words that I have spoken to you are spirit and life. 64  But there are some of you who do not believe." (For Jesus knew from the beginning who those were who did not believe, and who it was who would betray him.) 65  And he said, “This is why I told you that no one can come to me unless it is granted him by the Father.” 66  After this many of his disciples turned back and no longer walked with him.”

“So do all sinners who spurn God’s generosity, compassion, and kindness (cf. Romans 2:4-5).”

(cf. Romans 2:4-5)

“4  Or do you presume on the riches of his kindness and forbearance and patience, not knowing that God’s kindness is meant to lead you to repentance? 5  But because of your hard and impenitent heart you are storing up wrath for yourself on the day of wrath when God’s righteous judgment will be revealed.”

            “Believers need to proclaim the Lord’s power and mercy to those who need relief from life’s physical and emotional struggles.  But supremely, we must present to them the Savior who alone delivers from sin.  It is our task to point them to the all-sufficient Bread of Life, the Lord Jesus Christ, the embodiment of God’s compassion.  Only through the salvation that He alone provides will lost sinners find eternal blessing and rest for their souls (Matt. 11:28-30).”

(Matt. 11:28-30)

“28  Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. 29  Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30  For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.’”

(I guess when you add all the verses into this SD it was much longer than I thought it would be.)

10/14/2026 11:01 PM

 

PT-2 “The Need for Daily Food” (Luke 9:12-17a)

 

MORNING SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR 10/14/2026 10:14 AM

My Worship Time                                                            Focus: PT-2 “The Need for Daily Food”

Bible Reading & Meditation                                                                Reference:  Luke 9:12-17a

            Message of the verses:  “¹² Now the day was ending, and the twelve came and said to Him, “Send the crowd away, that they may go into the surrounding villages and countryside and find lodging and get something to eat; for here we are in a desolate place.” ¹³ But He said to them, “You give them something to eat!” And they said, “We have no more than five loaves and two fish, unless perhaps we go and buy food for all these people.” ¹⁴ (For there were about five thousand men.) And He said to His disciples, “Have them sit down to eat in groups of about fifty each.” ¹⁵ They did so, and had them all sit down. ¹⁶ Then He took the five loaves and the two fish, and looking up to heaven, He blessed them, and broke them, and kept giving them to the disciples to set before the people. ¹⁷ And they all ate and were satisfied;” (Luke 9:12-17a)

            I began this section in last evening’s SD, and I did something that I don’t usually do and that is end my SD in the middle of a paragraph so I will pick up quoting where I left of from MacArthur’s commentary.

“Incredibly, even after this amazing display of Christ’s divine power, the apostles’ faith was still weak.  While Jesus, Peter, James, and John were on the mountain for the transfiguration, the nine who had not accompanied them were unable to cast out a demon because they failed to pray in faith (Luke 9:37-40).”

(Luke 9:37-40)

37 ¶  On the next day, when they had come down from the mountain, a great crowd met him. 38  And behold, a man from the crowd cried out, "Teacher, I beg you to look at my son, for he is my only child. 39  And behold, a spirit seizes him, and he suddenly cries out. It convulses him so that he foams at the mouth, and shatters him, and will hardly leave him. 40  And I begged your disciples to cast it out, but they could not.’”

“Exasperated by their continual lack of faith, Jesus sharply rebuked them, calling them an ‘unbelieving and perverted generation’ (cf. Matt. 17:17).”

  (cf. Matt. 17:17)

“17  And Jesus answered, “O faithless and twisted generation, how long am I to be with you? How long am I to bear with you? Bring him here to me.”

“Rather than trust, Jesus to deal with the obvious need for food, the apostles thought only of a human solution.

            “Jesus’ response, “You give them something to eat!” , seemingly detached from reality, must have amazed and surprised them.  Incredulously they protested, “We have no more than five loaves and two fish.  Andrew, anticipating the problem, had taken an inventory of what meager food the crowd possessed (John 6:8-9).” 

(John 6:8-9)

“8  One of his disciples, Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother, said to him, 9  “There is a boy here who has five barley loaves and two fish, but what are they for so many?” 

Then somewhat sarcastically the apostles added , ‘unless perhaps we go and buy food for all these people.’  Perhaps playing off their remark, the Lord asked Philip, ‘”Where are we to buy bread, so that these may eat?’ (John 6:5).  Aghast, “Philip answered Him, ‘Two hundred denarii (nearly a year’s pay for a common laborer) worth of bread is not sufficient for them, for everyone to receive little’’(v. 7).  As Luke’s parenthetical note indicates, there were about five thousand men present.  The five loaves (small biscuits or crackers) and two small dried fish were obviously intended as a protest if not a mockery of the Lord’s request.

            “Their amazement must have turned to complete shock when the Lord commanded the apostles to have them sit down to eat in groups of about fifty each.’  Mark 6:40 notes that they ‘sat down in groups of hundreds and of fifties.’  Organizing the crowd like that would have made it easier to serve them.  But the obvious question that would have arisen is, ‘Serve them what?’  The apostles had just finished telling Jesus that they had nothing with which to feed them.

            “Despite their misgivings, the disciples obeyed the Lord and had the people all sit down.  It was spring, just before Passover (John 6:4), and as previously noted there was plenty of green grass for the people to sit comfortably on.”

(John 6:4)

“4  Now the Passover, the feast of the Jews, was at hand.”

“When all were seated, the Lord took the five loaves and the two fish, and then doing what every Jewish father did at a meal, looking up to heaven, He blessed them.  By looking up to heaven, Jesus acknowledged God as the source of all provision.  There was nothing mystical or spiritual that happened to the food by the Lord’s blessing; eulogeo (blessed) simply means that He gave thanks to God.

            “Then, also doing what a father would do at a meal, Jesus broke the loaves and fish.  But unlike any father had ever done, He dept giving them to the disciples to set before the people.  In that understated way Luke described this astonishing display of Christ’s power to create ex nihilo—the same power He used to create all things from nothing (John 1:3; Col. 1:16; Heb. 1:2).”

(John 1:3; Col. 1:16; Heb. 1:2)

“3  All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made.”

“16  For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things were created through him and for him.”

“2  but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed the heir of all things, through whom also he created the world.”

“There was no doubt as to the source of the food; it was obvious to all who saw that it was being created in the Lord’s hands and then given to the apostles to distribute to the crowd.

            “The people did not merely receive a minimal snack, but in keeping with God’s bountiful grace, they all ate and were satisfied. Satisfied translates a form of the verb chortazo, which was originally used to describe fattening animals, who gorged themselves until they could not eat no more (it is so used in Rev. 19:21).  The people ate their fill until the were satiated.

(Rev. 19:21)

“21  And the rest were slain by the sword that came from the mouth of him who was sitting on the horse, and all the birds were gorged with their flesh.”

Spiritual meaning for my life today:  Trust the Lord to give me what I need when I need it, even though at times to me it seems to come late, but that is where faith has to be involved.

My Steps of Faith for Today:  Trust the Lord to give wisdom to those that are helping me to get my blood pressure down as it has been way too high even after taking the medicine given to my by my doctors.

10/14/2026 11:05 AM  

 

 

 

 

 

“The Need For Healing” (Luke 9:11b)

 

EVENING SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR 10/13/2026 9:03 PM

My Worship Time                                                                        Focus:  “The Need For Healing”

Bible Reading & Meditation                                                                     Reference:  Luke 9:11b

            Message of the verse:  “and curing who had need of healing”

            This section of this evening SD will be very short, but I think that I will at least begin the next section and then I want to finish it in the morning.

            MacArthur writes “Christ’s compassion had constantly extended into the realm of human suffering caused by sickness, prompting Him again to cure those who had need of healing.  Matthew 14:14 uses a form of the verb splagchinizomai, which refers to inner feelings, suggesting the physical effects of sympathy on the body, to describe the compassion Jesus felt.  Human suffering truly caused Him pain, and moved Him to alleviate it.  The Lord’s healing, like His provision of food, foreshadows the blessings of the millennial kingdom (cf. Isa. 33:24; Jer. 30:17; Ezek. 34:16).”

(cf. Isa. 33:24; Jer. 30:17; Ezek. 34:16)

24  And no inhabitant will say, "I am sick"; the people who dwell there will be forgiven their iniquity.”

“17  For I will restore health to you, and your wounds I will heal, declares the LORD, because they have called you an outcast: ‘It is Zion, for whom no one cares!’”

“16  I will seek the lost, and I will bring back the strayed, and I will bind up the injured, and I will strengthen the weak, and the fat and the strong I will destroy. I will feed them in justice.”

Now I will move on to look at part of the next section from MacArthur’s commentary.

THE NEED FOR DAILY FOOD

“¹² Now the day was ending, and the twelve came and said to Him, “Send the crowd away, that they may go into the surrounding villages and countryside and find lodging and get something to eat; for here we are in a desolate place.” ¹³ But He said to them, “You give them something to eat!” And they said, “We have no more than five loaves and two fish, unless perhaps we go and buy food for all these people.” ¹⁴ (For there were about five thousand men.) And He said to His disciples, “Have them sit down to eat in groups of about fifty each.” ¹⁵ They did so, and had them all sit down. ¹⁶ Then He took the five loaves and the two fish, and looking up to heaven, He blessed them, and broke them, and kept giving them to the disciples to set before the people. ¹⁷ And they all ate and were satisfied;” (Luke 9:12-17a)

            MacArthur writes that “Luke’s narrative now turns to the actual miracle.  His simple, unadorned account, framed in straightforward language, should not be allowed to obscure the staggering implication of this creative miracle.

            “As the day was ending (lit., ‘began to decline’ after the sun reached its highpoint at noon) and the afternoon wore on, the apostles became concerned.  Focused as they too often were on earthly things, the twelve came to Jesus and brashly, almost impertinently said to Him, ‘”Send the crowd away, that they may go into the surrounding villages and countryside and find lodging and get something to eat.’  They wanted the Lord to disperse the crowd before it got any later because, they informed Him, ‘Here we are in a desolate place.’  Eremos (desolate) does not refer here to a desert, since there was abundant green grass (Mark 6:39), but rather to an uninhabited place.  Evening was approaching and there was nowhere for the crowd to acquire food.

(Mark 6:39)

“39  Then he commanded them all to sit down in groups on the green grass.”

            “The apostles’ concern once again exhibited their lack of faith (cf. Matt. 8:26; 14:31; 16:8).”

(cf. Matt. 8:26; 14:31; 16:8)

“26  And he said to them, “Why are you afraid, O you of little faith?” Then he rose and rebuked the winds and the sea, and there was a great calm.”

“31  Jesus immediately reached out his hand and took hold of him, saying to him, “O you of little faith, why did you doubt?”

“8  But Jesus, aware of this, said, "O you of little faith, why are you discussing among yourselves the fact that you have no bread?”

“They had a disconnect from all the miracles they had seen and they themselves had performed on the just-completed preaching tour.  They might also have recalled that God had miraculously provided food in Israel’s past:

“Now a man came from Baal-shalishah, and bought the man of God bread of the first fruits, twenty loaves of barley and fresh ears of grain in his sack.  And he said, ‘Give them to the people that they may eat.’  His attendant said, ‘What, will I set this before a hundred men?’  But he said ‘Give them to the people that they may eat, for this says the Lord, ‘They shall eat and have some left over.’ “So he set it before them, and they ate and had some left over, according to the word of the Lord. (2 Kings 4:42-44; Cf. 1 Kings 17:10-16).

 (Cf. 1 Kings 17:10-16)

“10  So he arose and went to Zarephath. And when he came to the gate of the city, behold, a widow was there gathering sticks. And he called to her and said, "Bring me a little water in a vessel, that I may drink." 11  And as she was going to bring it, he called to her and said, "Bring me a morsel of bread in your hand." 12  And she said, "As the LORD your God lives, I have nothing baked, only a handful of flour in a jar and a little oil in a jug. And now I am gathering a couple of sticks that I may go in and prepare it for myself and my son, that we may eat it and die." 13  And Elijah said to her, "Do not fear; go and do as you have said. But first make me a little cake of it and bring it to me, and afterward make something for yourself and your son. 14  For thus says the LORD, the God of Israel, ‘The jar of flour shall not be spent, and the jug of oil shall not be empty, until the day that the LORD sends rain upon the earth.’" 15  And she went and did as Elijah said. And she and he and her household ate for many days. 16  The jar of flour was not spent, neither did the jug of oil become empty, according to the word of the LORD that he spoke by Elijah.”

10/13/2026 9:38 PM

 

 

 

 

 

“The Need For Rest” (Luke 9:10)

 

MORNING SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR 10/13/2026 9:10 AM

My Worship Time                                                                             Focus:  “The Need For Rest”

Bible Reading & Meditation                                                                       Reference:  Luke 9:10

Message of the verse:  “When the apostles returned, they gave an account to Him of all that they had done.  Taking them with Him, He withdrew by Himself to a city called Bethsaida.”

            In an earlier we looked that Jesus had sent His Disciples out to preach the gospel, and now they have returned from this preaching tour.  After the apostles returned, they met up with Jesus, and this may have been in Capernaum, and gave an account to Him of all they had done.  Recognizing that they were exhausted after their time of travel and ministry, Jesus then took them with Him and withdrew by Himself to a city called Bethsaida.  MacArthur writes “There they could rest and recover away from the crowds that kept them so busy that they did not even have tome to eat (Mark 6:31).  Jesus, the great high priest of His people, is aware of their weaknesses (Heb. 4:15) and sensitive to their every need. Having Himself experienced the fatigue that comes from extensive ministry (cf. Mark 4:38), Jesus understood the apostles’ need for rest.”  Now I will look at the verses mentioned in the order that they are in.

(Mark 6:31)

“31  And he said to them, “Come away by yourselves to a desolate place and rest a while.” For many were coming and going, and they had no leisure even to eat.”

(Heb. 4:15)

“15  For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin.”

            “The exact location of Bethsaida is not precisely known, but its name means ‘house of fish,’ indicating it was one of many lakeside fishing villages.  Bethsaida was perhaps located along the northeastern shore of the Sea of Galilee.  (Some have suggested there may have been another village by the same name on the shore west of Capernaum [Mark 6:45].)”

(Mark 6:45)

“45 ¶  Immediately he made his disciples get into the boat and go before him to the other side, to Bethsaida, while he dismissed the crowd.”

“This small village was important for a couple of reasons.  First, it was the hometown of as many as four of the apostles: Peter and his brother Andrew (John 1:44; although they  later moved to Capernaum [Luke 4:31, 38]), Philip (John 12:21, and possibly Nathanael (John 1:45).”

(John 1:44)

“44  Now Philip was from Bethsaida, the city of Andrew and Peter.’

(Luke 4:31, 38)

“31 ¶  And he went down to Capernaum, a city of Galilee. And he was teaching them on the Sabbath,”

“38  And he arose and left the synagogue and entered Simon’s house. Now Simon’s mother-in-law was ill with a high fever, and they appealed to him on her behalf.”

(John 1:45)

“45  Philip found Nathanael and said to him, “We have found him of whom Moses in the Law and also the prophets wrote, Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph.”

            MacArthur then goes on to write: “But on a more somber note, Bethsaida was singled out by the Lord, along with Chorazin, as being more deserving of judgment than Tyre and Sidon (Luke 10:13).”

(Luke 10:13)

“13  "Woe to you, Chorazin! Woe to you, Bethsaida! For if the mighty works done in you had been done in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long ago, sitting in sackcloth and ashes.”

“Those two Gentile cities were symbols of paganism, idolatry, and evil to the Galilean Jews.  The Old Testament records God’s past devastating judgment on Tyre and Sidon for their unspeakable wickedness (Isa. 23:1-18; Ezek. 26-28; Amos 1:9-10; Zech. 9:3-4). I will leave out Ezekiel 26-28. 

(Isa. 23:1-18; Amos 1:9-10; Zech. 9:3-4)

“1 ¶  The oracle concerning Tyre. Wail, O ships of Tarshish, for Tyre is laid waste, without house or harbor! From the land of Cyprus it is revealed to them. 2  Be still, O inhabitants of the coast; the merchants of Sidon, who cross the sea, have filled you. 3  And on many waters your revenue was the grain of Shihor, the harvest of the Nile; you were the merchant of the nations. 4  Be ashamed, O Sidon, for the sea has spoken, the stronghold of the sea, saying: "I have neither labored nor given birth, I have neither reared young men nor brought up young women." 5  When the report comes to Egypt, they will be in anguish over the report about Tyre. 6  Cross over to Tarshish; wail, O inhabitants of the coast! 7  Is this your exultant city whose origin is from days of old, whose feet carried her to settle far away? 8  Who has purposed this against Tyre, the bestower of crowns, whose merchants were princes, whose traders were the honored of the earth? 9  The LORD of hosts has purposed it, to defile the pompous pride of all glory, to dishonor all the honored of the earth. 10  Cross over your land like the Nile, O daughter of Tarshish; there is no restraint anymore. 11  He has stretched out his hand over the sea; he has shaken the kingdoms; the LORD has given command concerning Canaan to destroy its strongholds. 12  And he said: "You will no more exult, O oppressed virgin daughter of Sidon; arise, cross over to Cyprus, even there you will have no rest." 13  Behold the land of the Chaldeans! This is the people that was not; Assyria destined it for wild beasts. They erected their siege towers, they stripped her palaces bare, they made her a ruin. 14  Wail, O ships of Tarshish, for your stronghold is laid waste.  15 ¶  In that day Tyre will be forgotten for seventy years, like the days of one king. At the end of seventy years, it will happen to Tyre as in the song of the prostitute: 16  "Take a harp; go about the city, O forgotten prostitute! Make sweet melody; sing many songs, that you may be remembered." 17  At the end of seventy years, the LORD will visit Tyre, and she will return to her wages and will prostitute herself with all the kingdoms of the world on the face of the earth. 18  Her merchandise and her wages will be holy to the LORD. It will not be stored or hoarded, but her merchandise will supply abundant food and fine clothing for those who dwell before the LORD.”

“9  Thus says the LORD: "For three transgressions of Tyre, and for four, I will not revoke the punishment, because they delivered up a whole people to Edom, and did not remember the covenant of brotherhood. 10  So I will send a fire upon the wall of Tyre, and it shall devour her strongholds.’’

3  Tyre has built herself a rampart and heaped up silver like dust, and fine gold like the mud of the streets. 4  But behold, the Lord will strip her of her possessions and strike down her power on the sea, and she shall be devoured by fire.”

“They were headed for another destruction because they had rejected the Lord Jesus, who performed many miracles there (Luke 10:13).

(Luke 10:13)

“13  "Woe to you, Chorazin! Woe to you, Bethsaida! For if the mighty works done in you had been done in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long ago, sitting in sackcloth and ashes.”

“Undoubtedly some of the apostles (most likely the three or four who were from that village) also worked miracles in Bethsaida during their preaching tour.  The massive miracle that occurred nearby only refused, leads to greater judgment; thus, as Jesus warned, ‘It will be more tolerable for Tyre and Sidon in the judgment than for [Chorazin and Bethsaida]” (Luke 10:14).  The outwardly religious people of Bethsaida who rejected the truth will face a more severe judgment than pagans with less knowledge.”

            Spiritual Meaning for my life today:  Learn the examples of who is going to receive a severe judgment, what they did to deserve it and then don’t do it.

            My Steps of Faith for Today:  I am trusting the Lord to help me to lower my Blood Pressure, to show me what I am to do as I live in this house alone, something that I never wanted to do.  Trusting the Lord to continue to give my grandson Jagger healing of his body due to a motorcycle wreck.

10/13/2026 10:06 AM

 

 

 

 

PT-2 Intro to Luke 9:10-17; The Compassionate Lord” (Luke 9:10-17)

 

EVENNING SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR 10/12/2026 8:48 PM

My Worship Time                        Focus: PT-2  Intro to Luke 9:10-17; The Compassionate Lord”

Bible Reading & Meditation                                                                  Reference: Luke 9:10-17

            Message of the verses:  “10When the apostles returned, they gave an account to Him of all that they had done. Taking them with Him, He withdrew by Himself to a city called Bethsaida. 11But the crowds were aware of this and followed Him; and welcoming them, He began speaking to them about the kingdom of God and curing those who had need of healing.

Five Thousand Fed

      12Now the day was ending, and the twelve came and said to Him, “Send the crowd away, that they may go into the surrounding villages and countryside and find lodging and get something to eat; for here we are in a desolate place.” 13But He said to them, “You give them something to eat!” And they said, “We have no more than five loaves and two fish, unless perhaps we go and buy food for all these people.” 14(For there were about five thousand men.) And He said to His disciples, “Have them sit down to eat in groups of about fifty each.” 15They did so, and had them all sit down. 16Then He took the five loaves and the two fish, and looking up to heaven, He blessed them, and broke them, and kept giving them to the disciples to set before the people. 17And they all ate and were satisfied; and the broken pieces which they had left over were picked up, twelve baskets full.

            I will pick up where I left off from this morning’s SD, continue to quote John MacArthur’s commentary.

            “As He neared the end of His Galilean ministry in the spring of A.D. 29, the Lord performed what was on a visible scale His most extensive miracle.  Underscoring the significance of this incident, it is one of only two miraculous events recorded in all four Gospels, the other being Christ’s resurrection.  The feeding of the five thousand men, along with surely an equal number of women and children, was the largest work of divine creative power since creation week and the restructuring of earth after the flood (Genesis chapters 6-8).  It was also the highpoint and culmination of Christ’s ministry in Galilee—and the last great opportunity for its people.  The Lord would shortly depart Galilee to minister in the largely Gentile regions of Tyre and Sidon, and the Decapolis (where another such feeding miracle occurred; (cf. Mark 8:1-8), then head south to Judea and Jerusalem.”

(cf. Mark 8:1-8)

“1 ¶  In those days, when again a great crowd had gathered, and they had nothing to eat, he called his disciples to him and said to them, 2  "I have compassion on the crowd, because they have been with me now three days and have nothing to eat. 3  And if I send them away hungry to their homes, they will faint on the way. And some of them have come from far away." 4  And his disciples answered him, “How can one feed these people with bread here in this desolate place?” 5  And he asked them, “How many loaves do you have?” They said, “Seven.” 6  And he directed the crowd to sit down on the ground. And he took the seven loaves, and having given thanks, he broke them and gave them to his disciples to set before the people; and they set them before the crowd. 7  And they had a few small fish. And having blessed them, he said that these also should be set before them. 8  And they ate and were satisfied. And they took up the broken pieces left over, seven baskets full.”

“But after this undeniable demonstration of His divine power, only willful, stubborn, hard-hearted unbelief could explain why anyone in Galilee would continue to reject Him as Lord and Messiah—as they came to do in spite of momentary exuberance.

            “The miracle was so monumental in its impact and potential that the people wanted to make Jesus king by force (John 6:15).”

(John 6:15)

“15 ¶  then that they were about to come and take him by force to make him king, Jesus withdrew again to the mountain by himself.”

“Their plan was for Him to topple Herod Antipas, install Himself as ruler in his place, and then oust the hated Roman occupiers.  The result would be a welfare state with no sickness and all the free food they could eat.  In fact, the day after the miracle, the crowd showed up in Capernaum, where Jesus had gone after the miraculous feeding (John 6:16-21), looking for breakfast (vv. 22-27).”

(John 6:16-21)

“16  When evening came, his disciples went down to the sea, 17  got into a boat, and started across the sea to Capernaum. It was now dark, and Jesus had not yet come to them. 18  The sea became rough because a strong wind was blowing. 19  When they had rowed about three or four miles, they saw Jesus walking on the sea and coming near the boat, and they were frightened. 20  But he said to them, “It is I; do not be afraid.” 21  Then they were glad to take him into the boat, and immediately the boat was at the land to which they were going.”

(John 6:22-27)

“22 ¶  On the next day the crowd that remained on the other side of the sea saw that there had been only one boat there, and that Jesus had not entered the boat with his disciples, but that his disciples had gone away alone. 23  Other boats from Tiberias came near the place where they had eaten the bread after the Lord had given thanks. 24  So when the crowd saw that Jesus was not there, nor his disciples, they themselves got into the boats and went to Capernaum, seeking Jesus. 25  When they found him on the other side of the sea, they said to him, “Rabbi, when did you come here?” 26  Jesus answered them, "Truly, truly, I say to you, you are seeking me, not because you saw signs, but because you ate your fill of the loaves. 27  Do not work for the food that perishes, but for the food that endures to eternal life, which the Son of Man will give to you. For on him God the Father has set his seal.’”

            “But while our Lord’s miraculous feeding of the multitude is an astounding display of His divine power, it is far more than that.  As with all the miracles Jesus performed, this one is also a demonstration of God’s tender, compassionate care, showing that His power cannot be divorced from His compassion.  This miraculous provision of food on a massive scale is a striking exhibition of God’s concern for even the most mundane issues of life.  That Jesus fed people who would ultimately reflect Him illustrates God’s common grace, because of which ‘He causes His sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous’ (Matt. 5:45).  It also previews Christ’s power to usher in the blessings of the earthly millennial kingdom (cf. Isa. 25:6-9).”

(cf. Isa. 25:6-9)

“6 ¶  On this mountain the LORD of hosts will make for all peoples a feast of rich food, a feast of well-aged wine, of rich food full of marrow, of aged wine well refined. 7  And he will swallow up on this mountain the covering that is cast over all peoples, the veil that is spread over all nations. 8  He will swallow up death forever; and the Lord GOD will wipe away tears from all faces, and the reproach of his people he will take away from all the earth, for the LORD has spoken.  9 ¶  It will be said on that day, "Behold, this is our God; we have waited for him, that he might save us. This is the LORD; we have waited for him; let us be glad and rejoice in his salvation.’”

            “Luke’s account of this miracle reveals Christ’ sensitivity to five needs:  The need for rest, the need for divine truth, the need for healing, the need for daily food, and the need for provision for His servants.”

10/12/2026 9:23 PM