9:21–22 Luke leaves out the interaction with Peter that we see in Mark 8:31–33; Matthew 16:21–23. He reports how Jesus tells the disciples not to share with others his identity (cf. Luke 4:41; 5:14; 8:56; 9:36). Presumably the command to be silent can be attributed to the political aspirations that would be stirred up if it were noised about that Jesus claims to be the King of Israel (cf. Psalms of Solomon 17–18). The Markan and Matthean texts cited above show that even the disciples do not grasp the nature of Jesus’ messiahship, and we will see this as we proceed in Luke as well. If the disciples’ understanding is askew, even if they know Jesus is the Messiah, the people will doubtless misconstrue even more radically what it meant for Jesus to be the King of the Jews.

Jesus then begins to teach his own disciples the nature of his kingship. He speaks of what “must” (Gk. dei) happen, which refers to God’s plan, to his purposes and intentions (cf. Luke 22:22, 37; 24:7, 26, 44). The reference to God’s plan is important because, for the disciples. what Jesus says would not make sense as God’s plan. They would see his suffering as some kind of mistake. Still, Jesus says that as the Son of Man he is destined to suffer, to be rejected by the religious leaders, and, astonishingly enough, to be put to death (cf. 9:31, 44; 13:33; 17:25; 18:32–33; Acts 17:3). Still, his death will not be the end, for on the third day he will be raised from the dead (cf. Hos. 6:2). It is not evident from Daniel 7:13–14 that the Son of Man would suffer, unless we should also see the Son of Man’s suffering in the suffering of the saints in the chapter (Dan. 7:21, 25). Perhaps as well the Son of Man is merged here with the suffering servant of Isaiah 53.

9:23 Jesus’ destiny, which includes his suffering before his vindication, functions as a pattern for his disciples. Those who wish to follow Jesus in discipleship must deny themselves, which means they must renounce their own plans and purposes for their lives. They are to take up their cross “daily” (only Luke includes this word). When Jesus takes up his cross, he bears it to the place of execution (John 19:17). So too disciples of Jesus are to follow Jesus to death, so to speak, every day (cf. Luke 14:27). Romans typically made “condemned persons carry their crossbar to the place of execution.”116 This is not a call to asceticism or renunciation for its own sake, for disciples are called to follow Jesus (cf. 5:27; 9:59; 18:22).

9:24 Jesus provides an incentive or motivation for following him. Those who want to preserve and save their lives will end up losing their lives, and the opposition between “save” (Gk. sōzō) and “lose” (apollymi) indicates that eternal destruction is at stake, since the latter term is often used to refer to the loss that will occur at the last judgment (cf. 4:34; 13:3, 5; 17:33; 20:16; John 3:16; 10:28; Rom. 2:12; 2 Thess. 2:10; 2 Pet. 3:9). It will be of little comfort to preserve one’s life for a short time only to lose it forever. On the other hand, those who give up their lives for Jesus’ sake will save their lives forever. The call to discipleship is bracing, but the reward makes it worth it (cf. Luke 17:33; John 12:25).

9:25 The motivation to be a radical disciple of Jesus continues. He asks about the benefit of gaining the entire world now but in the end suffering loss of one’s own life. Such a trade-off obviously does not make any sense. The story of the rich fool (Luke 12:15–21) illustrates what Jesus teaches here, since he had gained the whole world, in that he was rich and looked forward to a comfortable retirement. His sudden death, however, meant that his joy had vanished in an instant; since he was not rich toward God, the only prospect for him was judgment.

9:26 We see here what it means on the last day for people to lose their lives. Those who are ashamed of Jesus and of his words will face judgment. The Son of Man will reject those who do not honor him or his word. Jesus will be ashamed of them when he comes with resplendent glory, with the glory of the Father and of the angels (cf. 12:8–9; Matt. 10:33; 2 Tim. 2:12). It is clear that Jesus speaks of eschatological shame here, of eschatological rejection, of final judgment when the Son of Man comes (cf. Luke 17:24, 26, 30; 18:8; 21:27, 36). Stephen stands out as one who was not ashamed of Jesus but confessed him publicly (Acts 7). We see here that the call to discipleship is not optional; those who are not disciples of Jesus will lose their lives, and Jesus will be ashamed of them on the last day.

9:27 Jesus promises that some of the disciples will not die before they see God’s kingdom. What is meant here is intensely debated. Some scholars argue that Jesus is mistaken. We can reject this view on the basis that, as God, Jesus never errs (Ps. 19:7), but the interpretation should also be set aside as flat footed. The Gospels were written later, and it is hard to imagine why the prediction would be preserved into the AD 60s or even later if it were not yet fulfilled. Others argue that this prediction relates to the experience of the disciples at Jesus’ resurrection and Pentecost. This interpretation could be correct, but there is no clear reference to such in Luke, and the reference to Pentecost raises problems for the same text in Matthew 16:28 and Mark 9:1, since neither of them mention Pentecost. Thus the best answer is that this is a reference to the transfiguration, which follows immediately in Matthew and Mark (Matt. 17:1–8; Mark 9:2–10) and is the next scene in Luke as well. The restriction to only some disciples fits, since only Peter, James, and John will be with Jesus there. The reference cannot be to the inauguration of the kingdom in Jesus’ ministry, since all the apostles experience the kingdom in the person of Jesus and his amazing works. The reference must be limited to a remarkable experience of the kingdom, and this fits with the transfiguration. Peter tells us in his second letter that the transfiguration proleptically anticipated the second coming, since Jesus was so gloriously transformed (2 Pet. 1:16–18).