It records the sending of the twelve disciples, several great miracles performed by Jesus, the story of his transfiguration, Peter's confession and the final departure from Galilee towards Jerusalem.

[1] Scottish minister William Robertson Nicoll describes this chapter as unfolding "sundry particulars which together form the closing scenes of the Galilean ministry".

[2] The book containing this chapter is anonymous, but early Christian tradition uniformly affirmed that Luke the Evangelist composed this Gospel as well as the Acts of the Apostles.

[4] Some early manuscripts containing the text of this chapter are: American biblical writer Henry Hampton Halley states that between verses 17 and 18, about 8 months intervene.

In his critical commentary, Heinrich Meyer suggests that Luke "evidently had [Mark] before him" and added "a definite object", namely "everything which was done", whereby is meant, "which was done by Jesus".

According to the Luke's narrative, when the twelve returned from their mission, Jesus withdrew with them by boat privately to a solitary place near Bethsaida.

Presbyterian minister Marvin Vincent notes that "each evangelist gives Peter's confession differently".

In German, it became the title of a hymn "So nimm denn meine Hände" by Julie Hausmann, asking for guidance, and often used for funerals.