Luke 9:18-36
The crowds believe the Lord Jesus to be a prophet, not the Christ, the Son of God (v. 19). This is what leads the Lord to speak about His pathway of rejection and sufferings, along which He invites His own to follow Him. This pathway involves self-denial, not simply of one thing or another, but denial of one’s self, of the whole of one’s own will. Christians are dead (Galatians 6:14) to the world and its lusts, but they are alive to God and to heaven. On the other hand, those who want to live their own lives down here have eternal death before them. Our soul is at risk in this vitally important choice; our soul is worth more than the whole world.
As well as opening up this difficult pathway where the cross must daily be taken up, in order to encourage His own the Lord wishes to show them where it will end: in glory with Him. What will be the great subject of conversation up there? The death of the Lord Jesus. He talks about it to Moses and Elias, since He was not able to do so with His disciples (v. 22; Matthew 16:21-22). But despite the greatness of these Old Testament witnesses, they must fade away before the glory of the "beloved Son". The law and the prophets have come to an end; from now on God is speaking through His Son. May we listen to Him! (v. 35; Hebrews 1:2).