by Stan Feldsine (www.tojesusbeallglory.com)
Matthew 17:1-2 - The Transfiguration
Mat 17:1-2 After six days Jesus took with him Peter, James and John the brother of James, and led them up a high mountain by themselves. (2) There he was transfigured before them. His face shone like the sun, and his clothes became as white as the light.
Jesus continues His instruction of the disciples in preparation for His rapidly approaching departure. He again withdraws and takes 3, Peter, James and John (sons of Zebedee) up what is likely to be Mt. Hermon, a high and secluded mountain.
What happens next is the fulfillment of Mat 16:28. What Jesus was saying is that there were disciples in attendance who would witness the extraordinary power of the Messianic Kingdom revealed in the person of Jesus. Peter reveals his confusion again thinking that this event was the coming of the Kingdom. He did not yet understand that Jesus was going to depart and would come again a second time a couple thousand years later.
Mat 16:28 "Truly I tell you, some who are standing here will not taste death before they see the Son of Man coming in his kingdom."
Mark's gospel actually puts the statement about the disciples seeing the kingdom of God in the same chapter as the transfiguration.
Mar 9:1-2 And he said to them, "Truly I tell you, some who are standing here will not taste death before they see that the kingdom of God has come with power." (2) After six days Jesus took Peter, James and John with him and led them up a high mountain, where they were all alone. There he was transfigured before them.
As they approach their destination, Jesus undergoes a change, "metamorpheai".
Mat 17:2 There he was transfigured before them. His face shone like the sun, and his clothes became as white as the light.
Mar 9:2-3 After six days Jesus took Peter, James and John with him and led them up a high mountain, where they were all alone. There he was transfigured before them. (3) His clothes became dazzling white, whiter than anyone in the world could bleach them.
Luk 9:29 As he was praying, the appearance of his face changed, and his clothes became as bright as a flash of lightning.
Jesus was completely changed, and the Shechinah glory was shining through Him. His face was as the sun and his body and clothing was brilliant beyond what a man could produce.
"Shechinah" means "He caused to dwell", meaning that the brightness that the people who saw the shechinah were seeing a divine visitation of God Himself. All in the area could see God's shechinah glory.
Exo 14:24-25 During the last watch of the night the LORD looked down from the pillar of fire and cloud at the Egyptian army and threw it into confusion. (25) He jammed the wheels of their chariots so that they had difficulty driving. And the Egyptians said, "Let's get away from the Israelites! The LORD is fighting for them against Egypt."
The disciples saw Him as He will appear at His second coming.
Rev 1:7 "Look, he is coming with the clouds," and "every eye will see him, even those who pierced him"; and all peoples on earth "will mourn because of him." So shall it be! Amen.
Rev 19:11-12 I saw heaven standing open and there before me was a white horse, whose rider is called Faithful and True. With justice he judges and wages war. (12) His eyes are like blazing fire, and on his head are many crowns. He has a name written on him that no one knows but he himself.
Mat 24:29-30 "Immediately after the distress of those days "'the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light; the stars will fall from the sky, and the heavenly bodies will be shaken.' (30) "Then will appear the sign of the Son of Man in heaven. And then all the peoples of the earth will mourn when they see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven, with power and great glory.
Matthew 17:3-4 - Moses and Elijah
Mat 17:3-8 Just then there appeared before them Moses and Elijah, talking with Jesus. (4) Peter said to Jesus, "Lord, it is good for us to be here. If you wish, I will put up three shelters--one for you, one for Moses and one for Elijah."
As the 3 disciples arrived at their destination, two men appeared with Jesus, Moses and Elijah.
Moses - According to rabbinic Judaism Moses is God's exalted right hand man. The Jewish people expect him to not only to have been God's vice regent on earth, but in heaven as well. In spite of this, we know very little from scripture about his role in heaven or the future.
Deu 34:9-12 Now Joshua son of Nun was filled with the spirit of wisdom because Moses had laid his hands on him. So the Israelites listened to him and did what the LORD had commanded Moses. (10) Since then, no prophet has risen in Israel like Moses, whom the LORD knew face to face, (11) who did all those signs and wonders the LORD sent him to do in Egypt--to Pharaoh and to all his officials and to his whole land. (12) For no one has ever shown the mighty power or performed the awesome deeds that Moses did in the sight of all Israel.
Elijah - was taken into heaven alive. As is the case with Moses, little is known about Elijah's role in heaven.
2Ki 2:11 As they were walking along and talking together, suddenly a chariot of fire and horses of fire appeared and separated the two of them, and Elijah went up to heaven in a whirlwind.
One theory about why it was Elijah and Moses that appeared at the Transfiguration is that both had seen the glory of the Lord and spoke to Him previously on Mt. Sinai.
1Ki 19:9-13 There he went into a cave and spent the night. And the word of the LORD came to him: "What are you doing here, Elijah?" (10) He replied, "I have been very zealous for the LORD God Almighty. The Israelites have rejected your covenant, torn down your altars, and put your prophets to death with the sword. I am the only one left, and now they are trying to kill me too." (11) The LORD said, "Go out and stand on the mountain in the presence of the LORD, for the LORD is about to pass by." Then a great and powerful wind tore the mountains apart and shattered the rocks before the LORD, but the LORD was not in the wind. After the wind there was an earthquake, but the LORD was not in the earthquake. (12) After the earthquake came a fire, but the LORD was not in the fire. And after the fire came a gentle whisper. (13) When Elijah heard it, he pulled his cloak over his face and went out and stood at the mouth of the cave. Then a voice said to him, "What are you doing here, Elijah?"
Exo 3:1-6 Now Moses was tending the flock of Jethro his father-in-law, the priest of Midian, and he led the flock to the far side of the wilderness and came to Horeb, the mountain of God. (2) There the angel of the LORD appeared to him in flames of fire from within a bush. Moses saw that though the bush was on fire it did not burn up. (3) So Moses thought, "I will go over and see this strange sight--why the bush does not burn up." (4) When the LORD saw that he had gone over to look, God called to him from within the bush, "Moses! Moses!" And Moses said, "Here I am." (5) "Do not come any closer," God said. "Take off your sandals, for the place where you are standing is holy ground." (6) Then he said, "I am the God of your father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob." At this, Moses hid his face, because he was afraid to look at God.
Moses had also previously experienced a radiance coming from the presence of the Lord.
Exo 34:29-35 When Moses came down from Mount Sinai with the two tablets of the covenant law in his hands, he was not aware that his face was radiant because he had spoken with the LORD. (30) When Aaron and all the Israelites saw Moses, his face was radiant, and they were afraid to come near him. (31) But Moses called to them; so Aaron and all the leaders of the community came back to him, and he spoke to them. (32) Afterward all the Israelites came near him, and he gave them all the commands the LORD had given him on Mount Sinai. (33) When Moses finished speaking to them, he put a veil over his face. (34) But whenever he entered the LORD's presence to speak with him, he removed the veil until he came out. And when he came out and told the Israelites what he had been commanded, (35) they saw that his face was radiant. Then Moses would put the veil back over his face until he went in to speak with the LORD.
Peter, James and John became aware that Moses and Elijah were talking about Jesus' soon departure. Peter offers to put up 3 tents for Jesus, Moses and Elijah. There is some disagreement with the meaning of Peter offering to set up the three tents. Gentiles generally talk down Peter believing that he, acting as his impulsive self was placing Jesus as God on the same level as Moses and Elijah as people, thus demoting Jesus by having three equal tents.
The Jewish understanding of the passage however shows that Peter's response was proper, just ill timed. Although the Feast of Tabernacles would have been the event where the booths are set up to observe the feast, Peter's timing was off as the Passover had not taken place yet. The Passover Feast precedes the Feast of Tabernacles.
Peter would not have "demoted" Jesus, as in the previous chapter he clearly shows he understood Jesus to be the Messianic King and living God. What Peter did not understand yet was the program of the death and resurrection of Jesus and the accompanying program of two comings.
Peter, also having seen the glory of the Kingdom just now would have been thinking that Jesus was about to establish the Messianic Kingdom, and that the celebration of the Feast of Tabernacles would indicate it's fulfillment.
Zec 14:16-19 Then the survivors from all the nations that have attacked Jerusalem will go up year after year to worship the King, the LORD Almighty, and to celebrate the Festival of Tabernacles. (17) If any of the peoples of the earth do not go up to Jerusalem to worship the King, the LORD Almighty, they will have no rain. (18) If the Egyptian people do not go up and take part, they will have no rain. The LORD will bring on them the plague he inflicts on the nations that do not go up to celebrate the Festival of Tabernacles. (19) This will be the punishment of Egypt and the punishment of all the nations that do not go up to celebrate the Festival of Tabernacles.
Matthew 17:5-8 - The Shechinah
Mat 17:5-8 While he was still speaking, a bright cloud covered them, and a voice from the cloud said, "This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased. Listen to him!" (6) When the disciples heard this, they fell facedown to the ground, terrified. (7) But Jesus came and touched them. "Get up," he said. "Don't be afraid." (8) When they looked up, they saw no one except Jesus.
Before Peter can finish his offer to set up the tents, a cloud descends and there comes a voice declaring that Jesus is God's son, and God is well pleased with Him. This terrifies Peter, James and John, and they fall to the ground. But Jesus tenderly reaches out and touches them bidding them to get up and not be afraid.
All in all, the three disciples witnessed an event that revealed the power and majesty of the coming Messianic Kingdom, as Jesus said it would.
The Transfiguration brought into focus 5 things:
It validated the Messiahship of Jesus. God the Father declared this was His son, in whom He was well pleased.
It pointed at the coming of the Messianic Kingdom. He told the three that they would not die until they had seen the glory Jesus would have in the kingdom.
2Pe 1:16-18 For we did not follow cleverly devised stories when we told you about the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ in power, but we were eyewitnesses of his majesty. (17) He received honor and glory from God the Father when the voice came to him from the Majestic Glory, saying, "This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased." (18) We ourselves heard this voice that came from heaven when we were with him on the sacred mountain.
The Transfiguration was the promise of the fulfillment of all scripture. Moses represented the Law, Elijah the Prophets. Peter refers to this as well.
2Pe 1:19-21 We also have the prophetic message as something completely reliable, and you will do well to pay attention to it, as to a light shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts. (20) Above all, you must understand that no prophecy of Scripture came about by the prophet's own interpretation of things. (21) For prophecy never had its origin in the human will, but prophets, though human, spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit.
This was also a pledge and evidence of life beyond the grave. Moses had died, was in spirit form only, and was representing the resurrected saints, and Elijah who did not die, was in a translated body, was representing the translated saints.
The Transfiguration shows how much God loves mankind. He had to veil His glory, but will eventually no longer hide His glory. We will all see Him as He is, and how John describes Him.
Rev 1:12-16 I turned around to see the voice that was speaking to me. And when I turned I saw seven golden lampstands, (13) and among the lampstands was someone like a son of man, dressed in a robe reaching down to his feet and with a golden sash around his chest. (14) The hair on his head was white like wool, as white as snow, and his eyes were like blazing fire. (15) His feet were like bronze glowing in a furnace, and his voice was like the sound of rushing waters. (16) In his right hand he held seven stars, and coming out of his mouth was a sharp, double-edged sword. His face was like the sun shining in all its brilliance.
Matthew 17:9-13 - Concerning Elijah
Mat 17:9-13 As they were coming down the mountain, Jesus instructed them, "Don't tell anyone what you have seen, until the Son of Man has been raised from the dead." (10) The disciples asked him, "Why then do the teachers of the law say that Elijah must come first?" (11) Jesus replied, "To be sure, Elijah comes and will restore all things. (12) But I tell you, Elijah has already come, and they did not recognize him, but have done to him everything they wished. In the same way the Son of Man is going to suffer at their hands." (13) Then the disciples understood that he was talking to them about John the Baptist.
The subject of Elijah coming back had come up before. The reason it had come up is because the return of Elijah before the establishment of the Kingdom had been prophesied, and since the Kingdom was at hand there was an expectation that Elijah's return must be at hand as well.
Mal 4:5-6 "See, I will send the prophet Elijah to you before that great and dreadful day of the LORD comes. (6) He will turn the hearts of the parents to their children, and the hearts of the children to their parents; or else I will come and strike the land with total destruction."
Jesus explained to the disciples that John, as the forerunner of the King and Kingdom could yet fulfill the role that Elijah was destined for if the Jews would just accept Him and His kingdom.
Mat 11:12-14 From the days of John the Baptist until now, the kingdom of heaven has been subjected to violence, and violent people have been raiding it. (13) For all the Prophets and the Law prophesied until John. (14) And if you are willing to accept it, he is the Elijah who was to come.
As the Jews came to reject Jesus as King and His Kingdom, and Jesus turned His focus to training His disciples, they brought the subject up again and asked "Why then do the teachers of the law say that Elijah must come first?".
The question is if Elijah comes before the Kingdom and restores all things, how does that relate to the fact that the Kingdom has just been rescinded. If the kingdom has been rescinded then how would Elijah be able to restore all things?
Mar 9:12 Jesus replied, "To be sure, Elijah does come first, and restores all things. Why then is it written that the Son of Man must suffer much and be rejected?
The prophecy of Malachi is speaking of the second coming of Christ, not the first when he sets the time of Elijah's return as "before the great and dreadful day of the Lord". The first coming was not the "great and dreadful day". He would come before the second coming. The questions the disciples are asking show they they did not yet have the understanding of Jesus's rising from the dead and the two returns of Jesus to earth.
Mal 4:5-6 "See, I will send the prophet Elijah to you before that great and dreadful day of the LORD comes.
At this point Jesus tells them that the time for Elijah's role being fulfilled by John have past. For one thing John was already dead, and for another at this point the religious leaders and people had already committed the unforgivable sin and rejected Him. So Elijah's role, whether fulfilled by John or Elijah would await a future fulfillment, namely the second coming.
Jesus explained that in the same way they caused John to suffer, Jesus would also suffer at the hands of the religious leaders.
Matthew 17:14-20 - Healing the Boy With Unclean Spirit
Mat 17:14-20 When they came to the crowd, a man approached Jesus and knelt before him. (15) "Lord, have mercy on my son," he said. "He has seizures and is suffering greatly. He often falls into the fire or into the water. (16) I brought him to your disciples, but they could not heal him." (17) "You unbelieving and perverse generation," Jesus replied, "how long shall I stay with you? How long shall I put up with you? Bring the boy here to me." (18) Jesus rebuked the demon, and it came out of the boy, and he was healed at that moment. (19) Then the disciples came to Jesus in private and asked, "Why couldn't we drive it out?" (20) He replied, "Because you have so little faith. Truly I tell you, if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, 'Move from here to there,' and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you."
As the four come down from the mountain where the Transfiguration took place they come upon the other disciples in the midst of a large crowd arguing with them. The subject is the lack of ability of the disciples to heal a boy, and the instigators are the scribes once again. The intent of the scribes was to discredit Jesus's Messiahship.
Remember that at this point in Jesus's ministry, miracles of healing were no longer being performed to validate the Messiahship of Jesus, since He and the Kingdom had been rejected. Healings were now performed based on the compassion that Jesus had for the sick and the faith of those involved in the healing.
Mar 9:14-29 adds considerable detail that Matthew leaves out. We find here that the demon that the disciples were dealing with was a mute spirit (vs. 17). Previously, we saw that the Pharisees could not cast out demons that presented as mutes, since the Pharisees exorcism protocol required them to know the name of the demon they were casting out. When Jesus had cast this mute demon out, it was a miracle, which now the disciples were attempting to repeat (Mat 9:32-34).
Jesus states the cause of the failure was a lack of faith on the part of the father and the disciples (vs. 19, 22). Jesus deals with the father first (vs. 23), then with the disciples (vs. 29). This is supported by the fact that Jesus took the boy aside out of sight of the crowds, and when the crowds were on the verge of catching up with Him He quickly healed the boy (vs. 19, 25).
Like many of the previous situations where miracles were being performed, the focus of the lesson here is to personally build faith (vs. 19), and that is done with prayer (vs. 29).
Matthew 17:22-23 - Jesus Foretells His Death Again
Mar 9:30-32 They left that place and passed through Galilee. Jesus did not want anyone to know where they were, (31) because he was teaching his disciples. He said to them, "The Son of Man is going to be delivered into the hands of men. They will kill him, and after three days he will rise." (32) But they did not understand what he meant and were afraid to ask him about it.
This is the second time that Jesus brings up His approaching death, which was intimated in Mat 17:12. The first was Mat 16:21-23. Again, they do not understand what He meant, and they didn't want to ask Him about it. They were grieved that He was telling them that He would be killed.
Matthew 17:24-27 - The Temple Tax
Mat 17:24-27 After Jesus and his disciples arrived in Capernaum, the collectors of the two-drachma temple tax came to Peter and asked, "Doesn't your teacher pay the temple tax?" (25) "Yes, he does," he replied. When Peter came into the house, Jesus was the first to speak. "What do you think, Simon?" he asked. "From whom do the kings of the earth collect duty and taxes--from their own children or from others?" (26) "From others," Peter answered. "Then the children are exempt," Jesus said to him. (27) "But so that we may not cause offense, go to the lake and throw out your line. Take the first fish you catch; open its mouth and you will find a four-drachma coin. Take it and give it to them for my tax and yours."
After coming down from the Transfiguration and dealing with the demon possessed boy, Jesus and His disciples return to Capernaum. Peter is then approached by a tax collector apparently dealing with the fact that Jesus had not paid the temple tax.
Jesus is the Lord of the Temple, and the Lord of the Temple does not pay tax on His own temple. Of course, the tax collector did not recognize Jesus as the Lord of the temple, and expected it to be paid.
Jesus, rather than making an issue of this, arranged for Peter to be the participant in a miracle. Peter was to catch a fish, and in that fishes mouth would be the amount needed to pay the tax, and so that tax was paid.
Unlike the oral law which consisted of the traditions of men, the tax was a matter of Mosaic Law. So rather than speak against the tax and refuse to participate in a tradition, Jesus chose to obey the law and pay the tax even though He was not required to as the Lord of the temple.
Exo 30:11-16 Then the LORD said to Moses, (12) "When you take a census of the Israelites to count them, each one must pay the LORD a ransom for his life at the time he is counted. Then no plague will come on them when you number them. (13) Each one who crosses over to those already counted is to give a half shekel, according to the sanctuary shekel, which weighs twenty gerahs. This half shekel is an offering to the LORD. (14) All who cross over, those twenty years old or more, are to give an offering to the LORD. (15) The rich are not to give more than a half shekel and the poor are not to give less when you make the offering to the LORD to atone for your lives. (16) Receive the atonement money from the Israelites and use it for the service of the tent of meeting. It will be a memorial for the Israelites before the LORD, making atonement for your lives."
As the children of God, the disciples were also not required to pay the tax.
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