“And after six days Jesus taketh Peter, James, and John his brother, and bringeth them up into an high mountain apart, and was transfigured before them: and His face did shine as the sun, and His raiment was white as the light. And, behold, there appeared unto them Moses and Elias talking with Him.
Then answered Peter, and said unto Jesus, ‘Lord, it is good for us to be here: if Thou wilt, let us make here three tabernacles; one for Thee, and one for Moses, and one for Elias.’
While he yet spake, behold, a bright cloud overshadowed them: and behold a voice out of the cloud, which said,
‘This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased; hear ye Him.’
And when the disciples heard it, they fell on their face, and were sore afraid. And Jesus came and touched them, and said,
‘Arise, and be not afraid.’
And when they had lifted up their eyes, they saw no man, save Jesus only.
And as they came down from the mountain, Jesus charged them, saying,
‘Tell the vision to no man, until the Son of Man be risen again from the dead.’
And His disciples asked Him, saying, ‘Why then say the scribes that Elias must first come?’ And Jesus answered and said unto them,
‘Elias truly shall first come, and restore all things. But I say unto you, That Elias is come already, and they knew him not, but have done unto him whatsoever they listed. Likewise shall also the Son of Man suffer of them.’
Then the disciples understood that He spake unto them of John the Baptist. ” Matthew 17:1-13
Transfiguration
Day 69 – Discourse Unto Death
Christians the world wide celebrated the resurrection of Jesus Christ yesterday. We often fail to remember that Jesus was more than a martyr though. He was more than a man dying for a cause. He was the Man sent to fulfill all the law and the prophets. He was the God/Man sent and set to fulfill the Scriptures.
There is many a time in Matthew’s account of the life of Jesus where we read something like, “That the Scriptures might be fulfilled”, even up to His death on the cross and His resurrection.
Matthew records several discourses which Jesus spoke. The first one was the Sermon on the Mount (chapters 5-7). The second was in chapter 13 and was short messages dealing with the kingdom. One had to do with Him sending forth His disciples with the message of the kingdom (chapter 18). The final one is called the Olivet Discourse, and deals with the last days, and His return following His death.
My reading this morning took me from Matthew 15 through 28. Today’s reading took me a little more than an hour, and I struggled with the length, and time spent; however, I was blessed in reading the Scriptures; especially since they were spoken by my Saviour and Lord.
In chapter 17 of Matthew we have an event that is also recorded in Mark 9 and Luke 9; and that is the event of Jesus’s Transfiguration. It is a meeting that takes place between Jesus, Moses, and Elijah. We read,
“And after six days Jesus taketh Peter, James, and John his brother, and bringeth them up into an high mountain apart, and was transfigured before them: and His face did shine as the sun, and His raiment was white as the light. And, behold, there appeared unto them Moses and Elias talking with Him. Then answered Peter, and said unto Jesus, ‘Lord, it is good for us to be here: if Thou wilt, let us make here three tabernacles; one for Thee, and one for Moses, and one for Elias.’ While he yet spake, behold, a bright cloud overshadowed them: and behold a voice out of the cloud, which said, ‘This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased; hear ye Him.’ And when the disciples heard it, they fell on their face, and were sore afraid. And Jesus came and touched them, and said, ‘Arise, and be not afraid.’ And when they had lifted up their eyes, they saw no man, save Jesus only.” Matthew 17:1-8 (KJV)
In the appearance of Moses we have the representative of the Law. In the appearance of Elijah we have the representative of the Prophets. Jesus Himself is the fulfillment of the Law and the Prophets, thus the voice out of the cloud which spoke was that of the Father, declaring that His Son holds all authority of the Law and the Prophets. He says, “This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased; hear ye Him.”
At this transfiguration the three disciples; Peter, James and John saw Jesus in His glorified state. This event of itself, then with the testimony of His Father gives the disciples assurance, that this truly is the God/Man, Son of God and King of kings. They would need to learn to trust that now was not the time for His reign, but the time of His sacrifice.
With these several discourses of Jesus He went to the cross, presenting Himself as a sacrifice for the sins of the people; laying His own life down on the cross, forsaken by the Father, buried in a borrowed tomb, rising again victoriously from that grave. After His resurrection He gives another short discourse,
“All power is given unto Me in heaven and in earth. Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world.” Matthew 28:18-20
The life of Jesus the King of kings was to give His life. In His life we have many teachings on how to live, have faith, trust, and pray. He did not come at this time to rule, but to serve us and to die for our sins. He did, and He rose again. He is coming again.
-Tim A. Blankenship
Without Faith In Jesus
Jesus had been on the Mount where three disciples who were with Him had seen His glory. He was transfigured before their eyes; and He spoke with Moses and Elijah concerning the matter of His coming death and resurrection (Luke 9:30-31). While down below, at the foot of the mount, the other nine disciples were being unsuccessful delivering a man from the power, and torment of an evil spirit – a demon.
When Jesus came down from the encounter with His glory, Moses and Elijah; and Peter, James and John; He finds disappointment with the others. He says,
“O faithless and perverse generation, how long shall I be with you? how long shall I suffer you? bring him hither to me.” Matthew 17:17 (KJV)
and then delivers the young man from this demon.
Here was a father with a son who is tormented by a demon, the disciples “faithless and unbelieving” and Jesus in His glory [temporarily] to give us a lesson of faith.
Jesus knew of His impending death on the cross and the following resurrection, and that He was going away. In His absence -bodily – we would need faith. The disciples left at the foot of the mountain could be you and me, who are believing in Him, in the world today; and we have troubled people all around us.
People plagued by marriages, failing marriages, children, troubled children, elderly parents, sickness, disease, joblessness, fear; various fears concerning health, finances, world troubles, and as believers it seems sometimes that we have not much to offer a hopeless world. At least that is how we are seen.
After the disciples and Jesus leave the mountain they ask Jesus a question and He answers them –
“Then came the disciples to Jesus apart, and said, Why could not we cast him out? And Jesus said unto them, Because of your unbelief: for verily I say unto you, If ye have faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye shall say unto this mountain, Remove hence to yonder place; and it shall remove; and nothing shall be impossible unto you. Howbeit this kind goeth not out but by prayer and fasting.” Matthew 17:19-21 (KJV)
Why do we seem so powerless in this day of trouble? Because we are not practicing the things of God. Prayer and fasting is often the farthest thing from our minds, and hearts. Prayer and fasting requires that our heart be on the things of Christ. If there is ever a time for prayer, communicating with our Lord, and denying ourselves the desires of the world it should be now.
Jesus is away from us bodily, but with us in His Spirit, living within guiding, comforting, convicting, teaching, and showing us all things concerning Jesus Christ. Are we listening? When we listen do we do what we know to do? What do we do when we don’t know what to do? Do what we know to do?
We are the disciples at the foot of the mountain awaiting the return of our King. Will He return and say to us,
“O faithless and perverse generation…”?
I pray not.
Let us who are the disciples of Jesus Christ be a people of faith, believing that Jesus will soon return, praying, fasting from the pleasures, and “tastiness” of this world; hearing the Lord Jesus speaking the words of peace as only He can. Get into His Word, read it, study it; let the Word by the Spirit of God read you; believe it, practice it, and let others see Jesus in you. When the world brings their problems – demons – to us then, by and in the power of the Spirit of Jesus Christ – cast those demons – problems – out.
Let’s appropriate the power of the Spirit of Christ in us with that faith that declares Jesus is coming soon. The focus of genuine faith is Jesus Christ.
-Tim A. Blankenship
Have Mercy On My Son
Jesus and three of His disciples have descended the mount of transfiguration. The other disciples had remained down at the foot of the mountain with multitudes coming to them, and awaiting the return of Jesus, Peter, James and John.
A man with a son who was prone to epilepic seizures believes Jesus can heal him, however when he arrives Jesus is not present, only the nine disciples; and they have been unable to heal his son.
“And when they were come to the multitude, there came to him a certain man, kneeling down to him, and saying, Lord, have mercy on my son: for he is lunatick, and sore vexed: for ofttimes he falleth into the fire, and oft into the water. And I brought him to thy disciples, and they could not cure him. Then Jesus answered and said, O faithless and perverse generation, how long shall I be with you? how long shall I suffer you? bring him hither to me. And Jesus rebuked the devil; and he departed out of him: and the child was cured from that very hour.” Matthew 17:14-18 (KJV)
Epilepsy is a ailment affecting the brain, and causes dramatic seizures at times, and sometimes frozen stares; each case with individuals varries.
In the case of this father’s son his epilepsy was brought on by a demon. We can see by this that the devil and his minions have no love for the human race. The devil is seeking with every opportunity to destroy, divide, kill, maim, and cause humanity to hate God even more.
Some have wondered, “To whom was Jesus speaking when He asked the question, ‘O faithless and perverse generation, how long shall I be with you? how long shall I suffer you?” The answer to that question is the disciples who were unable to cast out the demon.
Jesus had given them the power and authority to cast out demons, and to heal (Matthew 10:5-10). It seems at this point their faith was wavering. We will deal with this issue later in our study in Matthew.
The father’s faith led him to bring his tormented son to Jesus. Jesus was not present at his coming to the base of the mount, but His nine disciples were. Therefore the father seeks their help, and their efforts were fruitless, and the young man continues in the torment of the demon.
The power of Jesus Christ is without question. He simply requested that the child be brought to Him; He rebukes the demon, and the demon flees. The child is cured. No more demon. No more epileptic seizures. No more epilepsy. The child was healed that very hour.
There is one thing for sure when it comes to being in a place of spiritual leadership; and the disciples were in that place. There are times when we are confronted with difficult situations, and circumstances. People will bring them to us. We have been given authority and power through Christ Jesus and our faith is week. We can try every thing; prayer is good; but are we praying with faith that we are being heard?
There is no doubt, that for these disciples this was a difficult situation, with a tormented child, afflicted and tormented by a demon; only divine intervention could provide the care, and heal the child. They had the power, but were not able or faithful to use it.
What about you and me? We have been given great power and authority by Jesus Christ our Lord; but do we walk in faith and appropriate it as we ought? I think not. Let us seek, through Christ, to put to work the power He has given us, and walk daily with Him.
There are mothers and fathers all around us who are hurting with hurting and suffering children. They need our touch, love and care. That is the only touch of Jesus Christ they can see and feel until they know Him for themselves.
Through the power of the gospel of Jesus Christ hearts and lives can be changed. Do we trust more in the efforts and “powers” of politics to change men’s hearts and lives? Do we trust more in the human endeavors of effort and work for the good of humanity, without any thought of God? Only to our destruction and death.
-Tim A. Blankenship
Descending The Mount
A few hours had been spent on the “Mount of Transfiguration” – the name for which the place has been called – and now they were descending. Having taken place with the glory of Jesus being revealed to Peter, James and John; and they seeing Moses and Elijah with Jesus in His glory.
When Moses and Elijah depart; in verse 8; we have the words: “…they saw no man, save Jesus only”. That implies clearly that the law and the prophets declare, reveal, and glorify the Lord Jesus. It goes along with what the apostle John wrote in the Revelation 19:10 “For the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy.” The law and the prophets cannot make man righteous before God; only Jesus can.
Now, we come to the descent from the mount of Jesus with His disciples:
“And as they came down from the mountain, Jesus charged them, saying, Tell the vision to no man, until the Son of man be risen again from the dead. And his disciples asked him, saying, Why then say the scribes that Elias must first come? And Jesus answered and said unto them, Elias truly shall first come, and restore all things. But I say unto you, That Elias is come already, and they knew him not, but have done unto him whatsoever they listed. Likewise shall also the Son of man suffer of them. Then the disciples understood that he spake unto them of John the Baptist.” Matthew 17:9-13 (KJV)
What the three disciples had witnessed was not to be told until the resurrection of Jesus had taken place. It is almost certain that these three did not yet understand what He was even talking about – Resurrection – “Yeah! Sure!” Their thoughts were still on the idea of Jesus being their reigning King in a few days; and not crucifixion. God forbid that their King hang on a tree.
They are probably thinking of the prophet’s writing,
“Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the LORD: And he shall turn the heart of the fathers to the children, and the heart of the children to their fathers, lest I come and smite the earth with a curse.” Malachi 4:5-6 (KJV)
Their thinking is needing to be set in order. They are thinking of a different day than what is going to happen. “The great and dreadful day of the LORD…” is when the Lord comes and pours His wrath out on an unbelieving and godless world. At this time God is going to pour His wrath out upon His Son for the atonement of the sins of mankind.
The disciples had partially discerned rightly concerning the prophecy of Scripture; however, it was not until Jesus gave the word, that they realized that John the Baptist was a fulfillment of the prophecy, but unrecognized by the religious leaders, and “royalty”, and they put John to death. John the Baptist came in the Spirit and power of Elijah. There is no idea of “reincarnation” given here. John the Baptist is John the Baptist, not reincarnated Elijah.
John Baptist came having the same type ministry of Elijah. A bold and fiery message of repentance; calling the people of God to prepare their hearts for the coming of the LORD.
Jesus also informed the three that the “Son of man” would suffer by the hands of those same people.
It would do the disciples of Jesus Christ in the world of 2009 to hear the message of God’s servants; preachers who preach the inerrant, infallible, literal, and living word of God; Sunday School teachers who present the word without favor or fear; Deacons who honor the word of God with their lives in witness, work and service. We dishonor our Lord when we fail to listen to God through His servants who proclaim the Word and “diminish not a word” of it.
Do we really understand the impact of the message of the Gospel of Jesus Christ and the word proclaimed and taught without “shunning to declare the whole counsel of God”? Are we prepared, willing and able to give our lives for the preaching of the Word of God to a world who hates God? It is time to think about this and ponder it in our prayer life; and all of life.
When we are descending our “Mount” of joy, encouragement, let not forget that it is Jesus who remains with us.
-Tim A. Blankenship
The King’s Glory Before The Cross
Just six days before Jesus spoke unto His disciples of some seeing Him coming in His kingdom before they died (16:28). If someone chooses to believe that the Bible contradicts itself, they could assume that there is a contradiction between Luke’s account and of this account by Matthew, and Mark’s account. Matthew and Mark both declare six days, but Luke says eight days. If we would consider that Matthew and Mark are probably not counting the day of Peter’s confession and the day of transfiguration, and that Luke does we have no contradiction; just a difference of accounting for the days.
“And after six days Jesus taketh Peter, James, and John his brother, and bringeth them up into an high mountain apart, And was transfigured before them: and his face did shine as the sun, and his raiment was white as the light. And, behold, there appeared unto them Moses and Elias talking with him. Then answered Peter, and said unto Jesus, Lord, it is good for us to be here: if thou wilt, let us make here three tabernacles; one for thee, and one for Moses, and one for Elias. While he yet spake, behold, a bright cloud overshadowed them: and behold a voice out of the cloud, which said, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased; hear ye him. And when the disciples heard it, they fell on their face, and were sore afraid. And Jesus came and touched them, and said, Arise, and be not afraid. And when they had lifted up their eyes, they saw no man, save Jesus only.” Matthew 17:1-8 (KJV)
Peter, James, and his brother John were the “…some standing here, which shall not taste of death till…” whom Jesus speaks of in 16:28. Matthew’s intent seems to be to direct this story to this point to bring the last words of Jesus in chapter 16 into account with this event in Jesus’s and the disciples lives. The three of them and Jesus went to a mountain without the other disciples, and were about to witness the most glorious event of their lives.
Matthew was not at the event, so this has been told him by those who were present; and recounted by the Spirit of the Lord as well. This is a trustworthy accounting. There were three witnesses to the event; and that is one more than necessary for something to be certifiably true; and the fourth witness would have been Jesus, and a fifth for recounting later was the Holy Spirit. Peter is referring to this event when he writes;
“For we have not followed cunningly devised fables, when we made known unto you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but were eyewitnesses of his majesty. For he received from God the Father honour and glory, when there came such a voice to him from the excellent glory, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased. And this voice which came from heaven we heard, when we were with him in the holy mount.” 2 Peter 1:16-18 (KJV)
Jesus “was transfigured before them…”; often called His transfiguration, and the place as the “Mount of Transfiguration”. What is meant by “Transfiguration”? It comes from the Greek word – “metamorphoo”, and a word, with which many people today are somewhat familiar is “metamorphosis” comes from that word. The word “Metamorphosis” means “a change of physical form, structure, or substance, esp. by supernatural means;…” THE MIRRIAM/WEBSTER DICTIONARY. The Greek word “metamorphoo” means – “to transform (literally, or figuratively): change, transfigure, transform.” STRONGS (e-Sword edition).
What these blessed and trusted disciples witnessed, therefore, was a pre-death and pre-resurrection appearance of the resurrected glory of the Lord Jesus Christ. This fulfilled Jesus’s words in 16:28, “Verily I say unto you, There be some standing here, which shall not taste of death, till they see the Son of man coming in his kingdom.” They witnessed Jesus in His glory. This was the glory which He had with the Father, before He became flesh, and the glory He would have with the Father after his physical death, and His bodily/physical resurrection.
There were two men speaking with Jesus. One was Moses, and one was Elijah. It appears that the disciples identified them without Jesus telling them who they were. They had never seen the physical Moses of Elijah, yet they recognize them. The Law and the Prophets is represented here, along with the one is the Law Giver. Moses represents the Law, and Elijah the Prophets. These men are unique in this appearance. Moses died and his body was buried by God (Deuteronomy 34:5-8); and Elijah never died, but was carried away in a whirlwind chariot of fire (2 Kings 2:9-12); and they were speaking to the One who would die, yet rise again from the grave in His own power.
The following are notes from The Scofield Study Bible –
The transfiguration scene contains, in miniature, all the elements of the future kingdom in manifestation:
(1) the Lord, not in humiliation, but in glory. (Matthew 17:2).
(2) Moses, glorified, representative of the redeemed who have passed through death into the kingdom. (Matthew 13:43); (Luke 9:30-31).
(3) Elijah, glorified, representative of the redeemed who have entered the kingdom by translation. (1 Cor 15:50-53); (1 Thes. 4:14-17).
(4) Peter, James, and John, not glorified, representatives (for the moment) of Israel in the flesh in the future kingdom (Ezekiel 37:21-27).
(5) The multitude at the foot of the mountain (Matthew 17:2); representative of the nations who are to be brought into the kingdom after it is established over Israel (Isaiah 11:10-12); etc.
It also seems that Peter, James and John were sleepy and had fallen asleep, and were awakened; according to Luke’s account of the event. Jesus had brought the three up to the mountain to witness His glory, and the appearance of Moses and Elijah, and they were about to sleep through it. It sounds kind of like many today. Asleep when we should be awake, and awake when we should be sleeping; and we miss those God-opportunities. Upon witnessing the appearances Peter; the one who always opens his mouth; spoke saying what seems to be the obvious thing for the human race, in the event of something wonderfully unique; powerfully spiritual; and maybe historical: “…Let us make here three tabernacles…”. Let us do something really spiritual to mark this event. Humanity has built shrines and monuments for everything; and in the end move toward worship of it.
Peter is quickly rebuked by a voice from heaven, “While he yet spake, behold, a bright cloud overshadowed them: and behold a voice out of the cloud, which said, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased; hear ye him.” It wasn’t that they were not to hear the written words of Moses and Elijah; after all they were inspired by God Himself; it was that monuments or “tabernacles” are of the flesh and will perish. The Word of God, written and Living will never perish.
When you hear the words of Moses; the Law, the songs he wrote, etc; and you hear the words of Elijah and the prophets; you hear the words of Jesus. When you hear the words of Jesus and do them, you are hearing the word of the Law and the prophets. Remember Jesus said, “This is the work of God, that ye believe on him whom he hath sent.” John 6:29 (KJV)
Upon hearing the voice of the Father from heaven they were struck with fear, and fell face down on the ground. That is a great response for all who will fear God. Jesus then came and touched them, and when they looked up the only One they saw was the One whom they had seen glorified before their eyes, and speaking with Moses and Elijah. The Law and the prophets is the Word of God, still worthy of hearing, doing, and bringing to light the light of Christ in a dark world.
In a time when we are pressured to do what we know is Biblically wrong we have Scripture as a sure footing to stand on for the encouragement of making that right decision. In order to make Biblical/Scriptural decisions you must know the Bible, and be filled with the Spirit of God, or you will fall.
How can we know that Jesus is coming in His glory? By the evidence that He revealed His glory previous to His death, burial, and bodily resurrection. His bodily resurrection was witnessed by His disciples and over 500 brethren (1 Corinthians 15:1-8).
In verse 8 of chapter 17 Matthew we have one of the Bible’s “Be not afraid(s)”. I just imagine that at that moment those three men needed that “Fear not” from the lips of our Savior. They are always good to hear.
-Tim A. Blankenship
Broken Pieces 