One of my wife’s and my favorite movie series is The Lord of the Rings, based on the books by J.R.R. Tolkien. In fact, the first movie in the trilogy, The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring, ranks within the top 10 best movies of all time according to IMDb. I think one of the reasons stories like The Fellowship of the Ring resonate so deeply with us is because they capture something we all instinctively understand: ordinary people being drawn into a mission far bigger than themselves. If you’re unfamiliar with the storyline, a group of unlikely companions is chosen to carry the One Ring to the ends of the world to save all they know from utter darkness.

The Fellowship isn’t made up of perfect heroes. In many ways, they seem completely insufficient for the task ahead: hobbits, wanderers, broken people, unlikely characters. Yet they are gathered together and sent on a mission that will affect the fate of the world.

There’s something compelling about watching ordinary people step into extraordinary purpose. I think part of the reason that resonates with us is because we were made for something bigger than ourselves too.

Similarly, in our passage this morning, we see Jesus gathering His closest friends and followers to impart to them a mission—to proclaim the kingdom of God. If you’ve been following along with us through the book of Luke, you probably recognize a massive development: this is the first time Jesus sends out the Twelve without Him, and the first time someone other than Jesus is proclaiming the kingdom of God and healing. We’ll see later in Luke that this sending is the first stage of an increasing and expanding mission by Jesus. Here He sends the Twelve, in Luke 10 He sends out a broader group of 72 of His followers, and ultimately He sends out all Christians—those who follow Him in faith—in what we call the Great Commission.

In Matthew’s Gospel, the Great Commission reads, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age” (Matt. 28:18–20).

When we see Jesus sending out the Twelve to proclaim the gospel, we too have received the same mission. As believers, we’re all called to join in this proclaiming work, and in our passage this morning we see several reasons why we can confidently do so in Jesus’ name.

And that brings us to the big idea of Luke 9:1–17: Proclaim the gospel with confidence in Jesus.

Our passage provides three reasons why you should proclaim the gospel with confidence:

1. His Calling (vv. 1–6)
2. His Identity (vv. 7–9)
3. His Provision (vv. 10–17)

His Calling

Let’s look at verses 1 and 2 again: “And he called the twelve together and gave them power and authority over all demons and to cure diseases, and he sent them out to proclaim the kingdom of God and to heal.”

We see Jesus assemble the apostles and give them a calling. But first, take notice of the order carefully: Jesus calls them. Jesus empowers them. Jesus sends them.

Jesus never delegates a mission without also supplying what is needed for that mission. Or, in other words, Christ supplies what is needed to obey His commands. The apostles are given a calling here that will shape the rest of their lives. This isn’t a side project or a job that you clock in and out of. Jesus sends them to proclaim the kingdom of God—to announce that God’s reign has arrived in the person of Jesus Christ. And before they go, Jesus gives them His power and authority.

Let that sink in: Jesus, the eternal Son of God, through whom all things were created, the One who holds all things together, called these 12 ordinary men. “For by him all things were created… and in him all things hold together” (Col. 1:16–17).

Not religious leaders. Not the political elite. Not the intellectually superior. Ordinary men, called to an extraordinary purpose.

Let’s say you have the travel bug and travel all across the world. You enjoy rich food and great experiences as you go, and based on your wealth of traveling experience, you assemble a list of things you think could be improved in each place you’ve visited. You naively go to the heads of state of each country and share your recommendations. What might happen? Nothing—you’re dismissed immediately, if you’re even lucky enough to get an audience with them.

Now imagine you are an ambassador for the U.S. government representing the Department of State and its foreign policies. You say, “My government has sent me to…” Suddenly doors open. Meetings happen. You’re not personally all that powerful, but you carry delegated authority from the one who sent you.

That’s the disciples here—and all of us. We can be confident to proclaim Christ because the mission Jesus gives us does not rest in the impressiveness of the messengers, but in the authority of the One who sent them. That means if you are in Christ, it doesn’t matter how extroverted or introverted you are, how persuasive you can be, or even how much you know, because your confidence is not in those things but in Christ’s authority given to us.

Not only should everyone be confident, but confident everywhere. Just as an ambassador’s authority only extends as far as they’re sent, Christ’s authority has no limits. Psalm 24:1 says, “The earth is the Lord’s and the fullness thereof.” So we can confidently proclaim Him boldly even in places like work, our neighborhoods, or out in public. We don’t go anywhere Christ’s authority can’t reach.

Do you ever feel ill-equipped to do what Jesus is calling you to do? Maybe you keep quiet because you don’t think you’re allowed or have the authority to proclaim Jesus among your extended family, at your school board meeting, or in your office. To get practical, what would it look like to memorize Psalm 24:1 as a reminder of the power and reach of Christ’s authority as a means to confidently proclaim the gospel?

Jesus has made it clear through Luke what it is they were to proclaim. In verses 3–5, Jesus gives instruction as to how they are to proclaim. We see two ways we’re to proclaim: undivided and urgently. Let’s look at those verses together.

Verse 3 says, “Take nothing for your journey, no staff, nor bag, nor bread, nor money; and do not have two tunics.”

You might ask yourself, “Well, if they can’t bring any of those things, what can they bring?” They have a pretty short packing list. I think what Jesus is getting at is that, when it comes to proclaiming the gospel, it’s more about the message than the materials. The disciples weren’t supposed to be overly reliant on worldly security, but on God’s provision. They were traveling light because they were not meant to make a home in this world.

By all means, while you’re here: build. Build households, homes, careers, and businesses. But all building should be done to expand the influence and reach of our gospel proclamation.

David Guzik, a pastor and Bible commentator, stated that “the apostles wanted to avoid even the appearance of being engaged in any other business than the service of the Lord. The disciples were engaged in such holy work (preaching the gospel and bringing God’s healing) that they could not give the impression that they have any other motive.”

In other words, in traveling light, they were undivided. Their aim and their dependence were solely set on their calling, and their very lives were meant to communicate: “Christ is enough.”

Verse 5 says, “And wherever they do not receive you, when you leave that town shake off the dust from your feet as a testimony against them.”

At first, this strikes us as harsh—almost like a “good riddance” toward those who don’t receive you. Guzik is helpful again. If Jewish people of that time had to go in or through a Gentile city, as they left they often shook the dust off their feet as a gesture saying, “We don’t want to take anything from this Gentile city with us.” Essentially, Jesus told His disciples to regard a Jewish city that rejected their message as if it were a Gentile city. They were symbolically saying, “We don’t belong to that unbelief,” and that if a town rejected the message about Jesus, they were placing themselves outside the people of God—regardless of their Jewish identity.

And notice this: Jesus does not tell the disciples to endlessly argue or force acceptance. Why? Because their responsibility and calling was faithful proclamation, not controlling outcomes.

That’s incredibly freeing. We speak faithfully. We love faithfully. We proclaim faithfully. And we trust Jesus with the response.

I don’t think Jesus is saying to be impatient with people as they consider the message, but that once it’s clear they have not received it—move on. There’s more work to be done and more people who need to hear. There is an urgency to Jesus’ call.

I think there are a few ways to apply this personally.

1. This should be a gut check for each of us: Am I holding earthly things with open hands? Is my reliance on money, job, status, or relationships muddying the waters of my gospel-proclaiming intentions?
2. This should help us assess whether anything distracts us from faithfulness to Christ’s mission. Is my life arranged in a way that helps or hinders gospel proclamation?
3. Is the weight of others’ rejection slowing you down from sharing or living out your faith? Be confident—you’ve been faithful in proclaiming. Just keep going.

So as you proclaim the gospel, take confidence that His delegated authority is all the power you need and extends anywhere you go.

His Identity

The next few verses of the passage zoom out a bit from the on-the-ground view of the disciples and bring us to Herod. Let’s look at verses 7–9.

“Now Herod the tetrarch heard about all that was happening, and he was perplexed, because it was said by some that John had been raised from the dead, by some that Elijah had appeared, and by others that one of the prophets of old had risen. Herod said, ‘John I beheaded, but who is this about whom I hear such things?’ And he sought to see him.”

Here we see Herod perplexed at what has been happening and the reports that have made their way to him—not just about the miracles and ministry of Jesus Himself, but also about the works of the Twelve apostles going out from verses 1–6.

At first glance, these verses seem out of place in the story. We see the apostles going out, and in verse 10 we see them returning. In between, we have this odd aside and glimpse into the mind of Herod. How do these verses relate to the rest of the passage?

Luke dwells on Herod’s perplexity and questions because he wants the reader to wrestle with the same question: Who is this Jesus?

Rather than being out of place, these verses are actually the hinge that ties verses 1–6 to verses 10–17. These verses connect the mission of Jesus to the miracle of Jesus by bringing one question into focus: Who is this Jesus?

You see, the mission and miracles of Jesus don’t find their intended meaning without properly understanding the identity of Jesus. That’s why Herod was so confused.

Notice Herod’s distant interest but lack of commitment. You can be intrigued by Jesus without surrendering to Jesus. You can be curious about Jesus without trusting Jesus. Herod is fascinated—but unchanged.

Church, one of my biggest fears for us is that we would be informed about Jesus, but not transformed by Jesus.

Who Jesus is becomes the central question not only of this passage, but of every human life.

As we proclaim the gospel, the miracles or works of Jesus aren’t meant to point to the greatness of what Jesus can do for us, but are signs that point to who Jesus is. The aim of our gospel proclamation should be Jesus Christ.

So let’s apply this to our gospel proclamation. When you proclaim the gospel, do people leave thinking primarily about morality or about Jesus? Does our proclamation elevate the importance of who Jesus is? Do you ever feel like your proclamation sounds more like giving advice or presenting a list of things to do?

Does your conversation revolve around rules, politics, or behavior, or does it point to Christ?

Here at Citylight Church, we believe in gospel centrality. In a sentence, this means we believe the message of Jesus—His life, death, and resurrection—is the motivation for everything we do in the Christian life. Everything God rightly calls us to do flows out of what Christ has done for us.

Because confidence in gospel proclamation ultimately rests in this: Jesus is who He claimed to be. And that means we proclaim Him confidently because “there is salvation in no one else” (Acts 4:12).

His Provision

After the apostles return, they retreat with Jesus to debrief how things went. Despite their best efforts to withdraw, the crowds find them. The crowds saw where Jesus was headed and rushed around the shoreline until a massive crowd gathered before Him.

Once they had gathered, we come to the feeding of the 5,000. A few quick notes on this miracle will help us see it for as miraculous as it really is. Did you know that aside from the resurrection, the feeding of the 5,000 is the only miracle of Jesus recorded in all four Gospels? The Gospel writers put this right up there with the resurrection as something that needed to be included in their accounts. This is important—let’s pay attention.

In addition to its textual importance, the scale of this act is truly miraculous. While the passage lists a crowd of 5,000, other Gospel accounts and the customs of the time clarify that this is the number of men who were present. Some historians estimate the total number to have been around 15,000 to 20,000 people.

For reference, if you’ve been following along with the Philadelphia Flyers or Philadelphia 76ers playoff runs, the Wells Fargo Center, where they play and where concerts and other entertainment events take place, has a capacity of around 20,000. In contrast, some first-century scholars estimate the population of Bethsaida would have been between 500 and 1,000 people at this time. This was not a small gathering.

Jesus begins teaching the crowds, and eventually the apostles tell Jesus they think He should send the crowd away to find food and lodging for the night. Jesus tells the apostles to feed the crowd.

Can you imagine how the apostles felt when Jesus told them to feed the crowd? Talk about an impossible assignment. I don’t think it could have been more apparent that they were unable to do so. Yet they brought what they had to Jesus and trusted Him with the results.

Similarly, Jesus isn’t asking His followers to have it all together or have everything worked out, but to completely surrender all they have to Him. And Christian, that is still what Jesus does today.

J.C. Ryle, the 19th-century Anglican bishop and preacher, is helpful here:

“We see, for another thing, in these verses, a striking emblem of Christ’s ability to supply the spiritual needs of mankind. The whole miracle is a picture. We see in it, as in a mirror, some of the most important truths of Christianity. It is, in fact, a great acted parable of the glorious gospel.

What is that multitude which surrounded our Lord in the wilderness; poor and helpless, and destitute of food? It is a figure of mankind. We are a company of poor sinners, in the midst of a wicked world, without strength, or power to save ourselves, and severely in danger of perishing from spiritual famine.

What is that gracious Teacher who had compassion on this starving multitude in the wilderness, and said to His disciples, ‘Give them something to eat?’ It is Jesus Himself, ever full of pity, ever kind, ever ready to show mercy, even to the unthankful and the evil. And He is not altered. He is just the same today as He was eighteen hundred years ago. High in heaven at the right hand of God, He looks down on the vast multitude of starving sinners, who cover the face of the earth. He still pities them, still cares for them, still feels for their helplessness and need. And he still says to His believing followers, ‘Behold this multitude, give them something to eat.’”

As Ryle points out, this miracle is a sign that points to our spiritual need—a need we cannot supply on our own. Apart from Christ, we will spiritually hunger forever. People have no more ability to meet their spiritual need than the crowd had the ability to meet their physical need.

In the same way that Christ multiplies the bread and sends out the apostles to distribute it to the hungry masses, so too Christ multiplies the spiritual food He offers to every open mouth willing to receive it, and He sends us out to distribute it to the hungry masses.

We can have confidence that Christ is just as able to feed the billions in this world today as He was able to feed the 5,000 in His day.

Church, Jesus’ provision in this miracle should help us be confident in proclaiming the gospel because we see that whatever we have to offer Christ is enough for Him to turn into more than enough. The success of our gospel proclamation ultimately doesn’t depend on the strength of the messenger, the size of the resources, or the impressiveness of our talents, but on the sufficiency of Christ.

Jesus does not ask you to bring greatness. He asks you to bring what you have and trust Him with the results.

Do you ever feel like you don’t attempt great things for God because you don’t have enough? Maybe you don’t think you know enough or have enough time or resources. Maybe you think you’d get plugged into a Citygroup or read the Bible more regularly if you just had more time.

The truth is, if you’re waiting to feel like you have everything you need, you never will. Start now. Bring whatever you have to Jesus’ feet and ask Him to turn it into more than enough.

But tragically, many in the crowd missed who Jesus was.

A bit of a spoiler alert, but later in Luke, Jesus says:

“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. But it will be more bearable in the judgment for Tyre and Sidon than for you” (Luke 10:13–14).

Jesus is condemning the people in Bethsaida for not responding in faith to the mighty works they had witnessed.

I’m sure we’re all tempted to think, “If I had been there and seen Him multiply all that food, I would have believed.” Would we?

The feeding of the 5,000 reminds us that miracles alone do not create faith. The issue is never ultimately a lack of evidence. The issue is the heart.

As I said earlier, every person must answer the question: Who is Jesus?

There is no neutral position. Even Herod’s apparent indecision was itself a conscious decision to keep Jesus at arm’s length.

As the late theologian Jerry Bridges said, “You’re either growing in holiness or evil.” There’s no neutrality.

We all must answer the question: Who is Jesus?

So if you’re here this morning and not trusting in Jesus, what is keeping you? Like the crowds, more evidence is not going to convince you. Would you come to Jesus today with whatever little “loaves and fishes” faith you have and ask Him to multiply it so that you might trust Him more—maybe for the first time?

And for those of us who are resting in Christ, be confident in our mission of proclaiming the gospel because Christ has called and equipped you, Christ is who He claimed to be, and Christ will richly provide what you lack.

Let’s pray.