Matthew 17

Matthew 17

 Six days later, three of them saw that glory. Jesus took Peter and the brothers, James and John, and led them up a high mountain. His appearance changed from the inside out, right before their eyes. Sunlight poured from his face. His clothes were filled with light. Then they realized that Moses and Elijah were also there in deep conversation with him. 
Peter broke in, "Master, this is a great moment! What would you think if I built three memorials here on the mountain—one for you, one for Moses, one for Elijah?" 
While he was going on like this, babbling, a light-radiant cloud enveloped them, and sounding from deep in the cloud a voice: "This is my Son, marked by my love, focus of my delight. Listen to him." 
When the disciples heard it, they fell flat on their faces, scared to death. But Jesus came over and touched them. "Don't be afraid." When they opened their eyes and looked around all they saw was Jesus, only Jesus. 
Coming down the mountain, Jesus swore them to secrecy. "Don't breathe a word of what you've seen. After the Son of Man is raised from the dead, you are free to talk." 
The disciples, meanwhile, were asking questions. "Why do the religion scholars say that Elijah has to come first?" 
Jesus answered, "Elijah does come and get everything ready. I'm telling you, Elijah has already come but they didn't know him when they saw him. They treated him like dirt, the same way they are about to treat the Son of Man." That's when the disciples realized that all along he had been talking about John the Baptizer. 

At the bottom of the mountain, they were met by a crowd of waiting people. As they approached, a man came out of the crowd and fell to his knees begging, "Master, have mercy on my son. He goes out of his mind and suffers terribly, falling into seizures. Frequently he is pitched into the fire, other times into the river. I brought him to your disciples, but they could do nothing for him." 
Jesus said, "What a generation! No sense of God! No focus to your lives! How many times do I have to go over these things? How much longer do I have to put up with this? Bring the boy here." He ordered the afflicting demon out—and it was out, gone. From that moment on the boy was well. 
When the disciples had Jesus off to themselves, they asked, "Why couldn't we throw it out?" 
"Because you're not yet taking God seriously," said Jesus. "The simple truth is that if you had a mere kernel of faith, a poppy seed, say, you would tell this mountain, 'Move!' and it would move. There is nothing you wouldn't be able to tackle." 

Devotional (by Emily Gray)

  In the beginning of this section, Jesus is allowing his three closest disciples, his friends, to catch a glimpse of who He really is.  What an amazing experience!  Jesus is going to a private area away from the crowds and as He spent time with God, His appearance changed from the inside out.  He got the chance to talk with some of the biggest heroes of the Old Testament, Moses and Elijah.  Moses was the one who led the Israelite slaves out of Egypt, received the 10 commandments from God, and walked in the dessert for years to reach the land God promised to His people (See Exodus in the Old Testament for his story).  Moses represents the Law and was a founding father of the Israelite faith.  
Elijah was a major prophet from the Old Testament.  He performed amazing miracles, spoke the words God told him, was persecuted, and experienced a close walk with God.  He was one of the beginning prophets of the Old Testament and the forerunner of the Messiah (See more of his story beginning in 1 Kings 17 in the Old Testament).  

It’s also interesting that both of these Old Testament figures had experiences of God’s glory on a mountain.  Moses received the 10 commandments and exposure to God’s glory on Mount Sinai and Elijah on Mount Horeb where God appeared not in the wind, earthquake, and fire, but in a still, gentle whisper (1 Kings 19:11-13).  While these men experienced God’s glory in a tangible way, they are now face-to-face with God’s ultimate glory: Jesus.  Not only does Jesus exceed both of them in power, glory, authority, and connection with God, but He fulfills the Law and the Prophecies which they represent.  He is the embodiment of God’s glory.    So what did they talk about?  Maybe He was asking Moses about leadership and the challenges therein.  Maybe He was asking Elijah about persecution and what its like to feel fear.  Maybe He’s drawing strength from their wisdom and experience as He thinks about His upcoming death on a cross.  Or maybe they were asking Him questions about His ministry and what was coming next.  Whatever they talked about, it must have been an awesome sight to behold.

And then something we’ve seen before happens; God speaks and affirms who Jesus is and commands the disciples (and us) to listen to Him.  I love to see God as the Father, encouraging His Son, “This is my Son, marked by my love, focus of my delight.”  I think this is vital, because soon (in less than 10 chapters) Jesus will face His death and ultimately separation from His Father.  But God makes a point to reassure Jesus that He is loved.   Then God tells us to listen to Him, because Jesus fulfills hundreds of prophecies that came centuries before His birth.  He not only lives out the Law, but gives us a new perspective of the Old Testament laws and how to live more like God everyday.  He is the glory of God and we can trust in Him.

Prayer: Jesus, I am in awe of who You are and the glory You represent.  Thank You for coming to earth to show us more of who God is.  It’s hard to comprehend, but help me understand and appreciate who You are and how You changed the world.  Amen.