Gospel of Matthew Chapter 17 -- John Karmelich

 

 

1.                  When I wrote the lesson for Chapter 15, I titled the lesson “misconceptions”.

a)                  For Chapter 17, we can call this “Misconceptions, II” – Jesus isn’t done yet.  J

b)                  To explain, it is helpful look at the big-picture of why Matthew wrote this gospel.

i)                    Remember the purpose of the gospel was to present Jesus as the promised Messiah (i.e., King, or “The Christ”) to Israel.  The book is “very Jewish” in its presentation.

ii)                  Matthew goes to extensive time and trouble to prove Jesus is the Messiah.

iii)                Matthew quotes the Old Testament more than any other Gospel in order to prove Jesus is the Messiah.

a)                  The most common quote in the book is “as it is written.”

iv)                Another issue Matthew has to deal with in this gospel is misconceptions about just who is the Messiah and what is his role.

a)                  Religious Jews of that day wanted a ruling a Messiah, not one who would suffer for his sins.

b)                  Further, many thought the Messiah would “just” be a man, say, on the same level as Moses or one of the prophets.

c)                  Part of Matthew’s job is to show Jesus superiority to other great Jewish patriarchs of the Old Testament.

c)                  Interwoven into Matthew’s gospel is what God expects from us as followers of Jesus.

i)                    Remember that this is written to a Jewish reader. 

ii)                  Jews had an elaborate set of “official” interpretations on the Old Testament.

iii)                What Jesus does, through the gospels is to show us how to properly interpret and read the Old Testament as to how it applies to our lives.

iv)                Jesus spends a lot of time dealing with misconceptions about him and his mission.

2.                  With all that in mind let me summarize Chapter 17.  It contains three stories:

a)                  First is Jesus being “transfigured” before 3 of the 12 disciples. 

i)                    His physical appearance changes to brilliant white.

ii)                  All of a sudden Moses and Elijah appear with Jesus.

iii)                The voice of God the Father then says to Peter in effect, “Listen to Jesus, not them”.

iv)                Then, Moses and Elijah disappear.

b)                  The second story in Chapter 17 is about Jesus healing a boy of a demon.

i)                    Further, it talks about the disciples failure to do the same and why.

c)                  The third story is about some tax collectors asking the disciples if Jesus pays a certain tax.

i)                    Jesus told Peter, of all things, to go fish.  Jesus said that in the mouth of a fish would be a coin that would pay the tax for Jesus and Peter.

ii)                  It is a strange story and I’ll analyze it to death when I get there.  J

d)                 What I want you to think about now is why these three stories in this order?

i)                    What was Matthew’s purpose in tying all three together in this order?

ii)                  Let’s tie it to Matthew’s purpose for writing this book:

a)                  First we have Jesus “changing” into more of a Godly-appearance.

(1)               It is another proof that the Messiah is God himself incarnate.

b)                  Second, we have the story of Jesus healing a boy of a demon.

(1)               The main point of this story is that Jesus rebukes the disciples for their lack-of-faith in not being able to heal this boy themselves.

(2)               Jesus was teaching “don’t give up so easily” in their own faith.

c)                  Finally Jesus told Peter to go fish to get a coin out of the fish’s mouth.

(1)               The main application has to do with “being a good witness to the unbelieving world around us”.

iii)                In summary we have:

a)                  1) A story of Jesus showing his deity;

b)                  2) A story of how the disciples are suppose to minister to others;

c)                  3) A story of how the disciples are suppose to be witnesses to the outside world (i.e., non-believers).

d)                 That is a good summary of the Christian life!

(1)               We draw upon God for our strength.  God alone is a deity in the mystery of the Trinity.  We realize that, and serve God.

(2)               We serve God by serving others.  We help lead others to Jesus and help minister to them of their needs.

(3)               Finally, we are to be a witness to the outside world.

(a)               Jesus never calls upon us to rebel against paying our taxes Jesus never called for social revolution, just change from within.  There are times for social revolution, but that is secondary in importance to being a good witness for Jesus.

(b)               Jesus tells Peter to pay the tax as to “not offend them”.  It is the idea of being a good witness to the outside world.

e)                  There, I’ve summarized the chapter.  The rest is just the details.  J

3.                  Verse 1:  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.

a)                  The first story in this chapter is about the “transfiguration”.

i)                    To summarize, Jesus takes Peter, James and John up to a mountain, where Jesus becomes “glowing white” before their eyes.

b)                  The first thing to realize is that Verse 1 goes with Verse 28 of the previous chapter.

i)                    Some translations such as the King James have the first word of Verse 1 as “and”. It ties Verse 1 of this Chapter with Verse 28 of the previous chapter.  Here are the two verses together:

a)                  “I tell you the truth, some who are standing here will not taste death before they see the Son of Man coming in his kingdom."  (And) After six days Jesus took with him Peter, James and John the brother of James, and led them up a high mountain by themselves.  (Matthew 16:28-17:1, NIV).

ii)                  In Verse 28 Jesus told the disciples that some of them would not taste death until they see Jesus coming into his kingdom.

a)                  If you recall from the last lesson, this is a difficult verse to translate.

b)                  The best explanation is that the term “kingdom” refers to the kingdom of believers, that is, life here-on-earth as Christians.  It does not refer to Jesus’ second coming nor does it refer to our next life-in-heaven.

c)                  The proof is to tie Verse 28 of Chapter 16 with Verse 1 of Chapter 17.

d)                 Here, six days after Jesus made the “some of you “statement, three of the 12 disciples are lead up unto the mountain to see Jesus transfigured.

c)                  OK, why these three guys?  Why not take all 12 or a whole multitude for that matter?

i)                    The most logical explanation is that Jesus wanted to keep his Messiahship a secret until the time of the cross.  He has stated that many times.

ii)                  If a large multitude of people saw Jesus like this, they would try to force him to be King of Israel there on the spot, like the promises made for Jesus 2nd coming.

iii)                It would be more difficult for the religious leaders to condemn him to death if people saw this glowing-white incident.

iv)                Back to the question, why did Jesus pick Peter, James and John?

a)                  First of all, we don’t know for sure.  This is just speculation. 

b)                  Remember God is in charge and He gets to make the choices, not us.

v)                  For starters, we have to read this story in context of some of the previous stories.

a)                  Remember in Chapter 16 Jesus just told them how he was going to be betrayed and killed.  This is where Jesus made the famous “get behind me Satan” statement to Peter.

b)                  The disciples could be going through some moments of doubts.

c)                  Jesus “showed off his power” in order to validate to the disciples who
He was and the fact that it was worth the price one of his followers.

vi)                But why Peter, James and John?  Here is something to think about:

a)                  Other than Paul, who came later, Peter & John wrote most of the New Testament.  Maybe Jesus picked these two for that reason.

(1)               (Don’t confuse the disciple-John with John the Baptist!)

b)                  Peter wrote about this incident (See 1st Peter 1:16).

c)                  The James mentioned here, is not the same guy who wrote “James”.

(1)               This James is the older brother of John.

(2)               This James is killed by King Herod (Acts 12:2)

(3)               James becomes the first of the 12 disciples to be martyred.

d)                 Therefore, maybe the reason Jesus picked these three guys is that one served as an example of being a martyr for Christ, while the other two were used mightily in the early church growth and in writing epistles.

d)                 Let’s get back to Verse 1.  Why the emphasis on “six days”?

i)                    The story of Jesus transfiguration is told in Mark and Luke’s Gospel.

a)                  Mark also mentions the six days.

b)                  Luke says eight days, but it is not a contradiction.  Luke says “about eight days after Jesus says all this” (Luke 9:28 NIV).  Luke includes some extra days at the start.

ii)                  The bible does not say why this time frame is so important.

a)                  The commentators are filled with speculation, and it is just that.

b)                  The Christian-Jewish commentators see a significance of less-than-a full-week in this time span as somehow symbolic of a Sabbath-week.

(1)               I’m not sure what you do with that information, but there it is.  J

iii)                I think the main point is to point out that soon after Jesus made the prediction that “some of you will see the manifestation of Jesus”, that some did.

4.                  Verse 2 (again):  There he was transfigured before them. His face shone like the sun, and his clothes became as white as the light. 3 Just then there appeared before them Moses and Elijah, talking with Jesus.

a)                  The word “transfigured” describes a change from within. 

i)                    The Greek word for transfigured is similar to the term “metamorphosis”.

ii)                  It does not mean Jesus had a bright spotlight on him; it was a major physical change in his being.

b)                  Remember that Matthew himself was not up there.  He got his information second-hand from one of the three disciples.

c)                  These two verses are full of questions and speculations about the future.

i)                    If Jesus was that “bright”, how was it that the disciples could still look at him?

ii)                  How did the disciples know this was Moses and Elijah?

a)                  Did Jesus introduce them?  “Peter, meet Moses; Moses, meet Peter”, etc.  J

b)                  Did they have nametags?  How did the disciples know which guy was Moses and which guy was Elijah?

iii)                What I am about to say is speculation on my part, so read it as such:

a)                  I think when we get to heaven, we just “know” who people are.  We won’t need nametags.  This is a good thing, because I’m terrible at names.  J

b)                  Further, I think we are all going to “transfigure” somehow, like Jesus in our new manifested body in heaven.

c)                  Notice what John said in his epistle:  (Remember John was 1 of these “3”.)

(1)               “Dear friends, now we are children of God, and what we will be has not yet been made known. But we know that when he appears, we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is.”
(1st John 3:2, NIV)

(2)               I suspect that John was reflecting on this vision that he saw many years earlier.  That in heaven, it will be a little or a lot like this “transfiguration”, where Jesus “glows white from within” and we as believers recognize each other.

d)                 Again, this is John’s speculation.  Come to your own conclusion!  J

d)                 OK, why Moses and Elijah?  Why not Abraham, or Noah, or King David?

i)                    Here are some interesting things to think about.

a)                  Elijah never died.  He was “raptured” to use a modern Christian term. 
The verse of Elijah being taken into heaven is in 2nd Kings 2:11

b)                  Moses death is just as strange.  The book of Deuteronomy states that Moses went up to a mountain by himself to die, and God himself buried him and no one “to this day” knows where Moses body is.  (Ref.: Deut. 34:5).

c)                  Also in the New Testament Book of Jude.  There is this strange reference that Satan and the Archangel Michael fought over the body of Moses!  (Reference Jude 1:9)

ii)                  The answer requires that we “think Jewish”.

a)                  More than anyone else, Moses represents “The Law”.

(1)               Moses is considered the greatest leader ever in Jewish history.

(2)               He wrote the first five books of the Old Testament, which to Jews, is honored more than the other books of the bible.

(3)               According to religious Jews to this day, there are 613 command-ments given in the five books of Moses.  The “10 commandments” are those given to everybody-at-once.  The rest were given to Moses, who then related them to everyone else.  With that many commandments, Moses is associated with the law.

b)                  Elijah is considered the greatest of the prophets.

(1)               We’re going to discuss him more in a few verses, but the main idea is that the bible says Elijah was 1) “raptured” by God and 2) will return prior to the coming of the Messiah.

(2)               A Jewish ritual, which is part of the Passover meal, is to leave an empty plate for Elijah in case he shows up.  The door is left open or unlocked for the same reason.

(3)               In a Jewish mind, Elijah is considered the greatest of the prophets.

c)                  Therefore, Moses and Elijah represent “The Law and The Prophets”

(1)               Mathew wants to show in the next few verses that Jesus is not equal to the “Law and the Prophets”, but Jesus is greater than the “Law and the Prophets”.

5.                  Verse 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."  5 While he was still speaking, a bright cloud enveloped them, and a voice from the cloud said, "This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased. Listen to him!"

a)                  The first thing I want you to see is that a purpose this whole thing is to show these disciples and us the reader is that Jesus is greater than Moses and Elijah.

b)                  Let me try to paraphrase what Peter is saying, “Wow Lord, it is an honor that you picked me, and John and James for this great mountaintop experience.  Tell you what, to honor all three of you, let us three guys build three equal-size shrines, one for each of you”.

i)                    When Peter said “shelter’s” (or booths, depending upon your translation), he was referring to a portable tabernacle, designed to be a place of honor.

ii)                  Peter’s mistake was to put Jesus on the same level as Moses and Elijah.

iii)                Luckily, God the Father came on the scene to correct Peter!  J

c)                  Verse 5 talks about the voice of God the Father saying, “This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased. Listen to him!”

i)                    A reason for this statement was to correct Peter.  It was to help the three disciples understand Jesus superiority in rank to Moses and Elijah.

ii)                  For God the Father to call Jesus “his son” implies equality with God the Father.

a)                  Most of this verse is almost identical to God the Father’s statement when the dove descending upon Jesus way back in Chapter 3.

d)                 The verse also mentions a “bright cloud” and a voice from the cloud.

i)                    To understand this, again you have to “think Jewish”.

a)                  When God spoke to Moses at Mt. Sinai, there was a thick cloud surrounding the mountain.  (Reference Exodus 19:9)

b)                  The voice of God is often associated with clouds.  The word picture for us is that we can’t fully comprehend God and his power.  Just as clouds make things “fuzzy” for us to see, so it is with direct communication from God.

6.                  Verse 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.

a)                  Notice that the voice of God scared the disciples.  The “white-Jesus” didn’t invoke fear.

i)                    Maybe I’m reading too much in the text, but there is no mention of any fear when they saw Jesus with Moses and Elijah.  When they heard the voice of God the Father, now they were scared.

ii)                  One can read that of some of the Old Testament prophets as well.  When one realizes they are in the presence of a holy and perfect God, one realizes their own imperfections and fear-of-judgment sets in.

b)                  God wanted them (and us!) to learn more about Jesus, and who Jesus was, in comparison to the great leaders of Israel’s past.

i)                    The application to us is that it is ok to honor and respect great Jewish and Christian leaders, but our primary focus needs to be on Jesus.

a)                  To quote God the Father about Jesus, “Hear Him!”

7.                  Verse 9:  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."

a)                  Jesus told these 3 guys not to tell anyone about the vision until after the resurrection.

b)                  That means that Matthew himself didn’t hear about this until later.

c)                  This had to be tough for the disciples.  Imagine seeing this and not being able to tell anyone about it!  I also suspect that their egos went up a notch that “they” were chosen and not the others.  Jesus will deal with that in the next section of the text.

d)                 It was probably a long walk down the mountain.  Jesus was trying to let Peter, James and John “digest” all the information presented on the mountaintop.

8.                  Verse 10:  The disciples asked him, "Why then do the teachers of the law say that Elijah must come first?"

a)                  In the last book of the Old Testament, in the last chapter, in the second to last verse, it does say that Elijah comes prior to the Messiah coming.

i)                    “See, I will send you the prophet Elijah before that great and dreadful day of the LORD comes.”  (Malachi 4:5, NIV)

b)                  There is a possibility that some Jewish scribes were telling the disciples that Jesus is not the Messiah because “Elijah must come first”.  Therefore, they asked Jesus this question.

9.                  Verse 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.

a)                  Jesus is saying there is a double-fulfillment of Malachi’s prediction about Elijah.

b)                  Jesus says in Verse 12 that Elijah has already come. 

i)                    In that sense it refers to John the Baptist as stated in Verse 13.

c)                  Jesus then says in Verse 12 that Elijah will come.  Remember that Jesus made this statement after the appearance of Elijah and Moses up on the mountaintop.

i)                    Therefore, Jesus is predicted another appearance by Elijah before Jesus 2nd coming.

d)                 Let’s talk about the past tense appearance of “Elijah”.  Although Jesus never bluntly said it is John the Baptist, the disciples understood it was about John the Baptist.

i)                    It is important to understand that John the Baptist came in the spirit of Elijah.

ii)                  In John’s Gospel, The Jewish religious leaders asked John directly are you Elijah and he said “no”.  (Reference John 1:21)

iii)                On the other hand, before John the Baptist was born, an angel appeared to John the Baptist’s father and said, “He (John) will go on before the Lord in the spirit and power of Elijah (Luke 1:15, NIV).

iv)                Tying John 1:21 and Luke 1:15 together, John was not the literal fulfillment of Elijah as promised in Malachi, but he is the spiritual fulfillment (a “type” or word-picture) of Elijah as part of Jesus first coming.

e)                  Let’s talk about the future appearance of “Elijah”.  This has not happened yet.

i)                    Look at Malachi 4:5 again.  It says that Elijah will come “before that great and dreadful day of the LORD”. 

a)                  Jesus death and resurrection is not a “dreadful day”.  Not to me at least. J

b)                  It is referring to the events of Jesus second coming.  I don’t know if you’ve read Revelation, but it is pretty full of some dreadful things.  J

ii)                  In Revelation, Chapter 11, it speaks of “my (God’s) two witnesses” in Verse 3.

a)                  I believe that one of those two witnesses is Elijah.

b)                  Elijah is not mentioned by name in Revelation Chapter 11, but it is logical speculation because Jesus said Elijah would come and restore all things.

c)                  Personally, I believe the other guy in Revelation 11 is Moses.

(1)               I can’t prove it, but the fact that Moses and Elijah appear in this chapter as two witnesses does tie very well to Revelation 11.

(2)               Besides these two guys in Revelation 11 have the power to turn water to blood and strike the earth with plagues (ref: Rev. 11:6). That sounds very Moses-like to me. J

(3)               The other powers given to these two guys is to “shut the sky so that it does not rain”.  (Ref.:  Rev. 11:6).  That is one of the miracles that is associated with Elijah (Ref. Luke 4:24 and 1st Kings 17:1).

iii)   &nb