Matthew 17:1-13 Jesus Transfigured on the Mount.
“Now after six days Jesus took Peter, James, and John his brother, led them up on a high mountain by themselves; and He was transfigured before them. His face shone like the sun, and His clothes became as white as the light. And behold, Moses and Elijah appeared to them, talking with Him. Then Peter answered and said to Jesus, “Lord, it is good for us to be here; if You wish, let us make here three tabernacles: one for You, one for Moses, and one for Elijah.”
While he was still speaking, behold, a bright cloud overshadowed them; and suddenly a voice came out of the cloud, saying, “This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased. Hear Him!” And when the disciples heard it, they fell on their faces and were greatly afraid. But Jesus came and touched them and said, “Arise, and do not be afraid.” When they had lifted up their eyes, they saw no one but Jesus only.
Now as they came down from the mountain, Jesus commanded them, saying, “Tell the vision to no one until the Son of Man is risen from the dead.”
And His disciples asked Him, saying, “Why then do the scribes say that Elijah must come first?”
Jesus answered and said to them, “Indeed, Elijah is coming first and will restore all things. But I say to you that Elijah has come already, and they did not know him but did to him whatever they wished. Likewise, the Son of Man is also about to suffer at their hands.” Then the disciples understood that He spoke to them of John the Baptist.”
Oh, the thrill! When Jesus chooses Peter, James, and John to accompany him to the top of a mountain, they have no idea what’s coming. All they know is that Jesus has singled them out for some great honor. Jesus has already been treating Peter as a leader, and now Jame and John have joined Peter in that exclusive club. As the three disciples follow Jesus up the mountainside, they have no idea what’s in store for them; however, they are sure it will be great. But the disciples are totally unprepared to see Jesus’ face and clothes shining like the sun or watching as Moses and Elijah join Jesus on the mountaintop and begin conversing with him.
“Moses! Elijah! My friends!” Jesus exclaims as he embraces them. “Tell me all the news from heaven.”
At this point, Peter wants to do something, anything, to deal with the situation. Sitting and watching are two activities foreign to Peter, so he immediately suggests, “Lord, it is good for us to be here; if You wish, let us make here three tabernacles: one for You, one for Moses, and one for Elijah.” Just as Peter finishes this statement, God envelopes the mountaintop with a thick bright cloud and speaks, saying, “This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased. Hear Him!”
The disciples fall on their faces in fear and awe and when they open their eyes, all they see is Jesus by himself. “Jesus, did we really see you with Moses and Elijah just now?” “Yes,” Jesus answers, “but you can’t tell anybody about this experience until I have risen from the dead.”
Non-plussed, the disciples feel the urge to say something. If they can’t discuss the incredible thing they have just witnessed, they should at least be able to ask questions. “Why then do the scribes say that Elijah must come first?” The disciples have just seen Elijah, so they figure that Elijah will be a safe topic.
Jesus smiles and replies, “Indeed, Elijah is coming first and will restore all things. But I say to you that Elijah has come already, and they did not know him but did to him whatever they wished. Likewise, the Son of Man is also about to suffer at their hands.” The disciples look at each other. Is Jesus really saying that John the Baptist, Jesus’ cousin who ran around baptizing people, wearing simple clothing and eating locusts and honey, THAT GUY was the modern Elijah??? Sure, the disciples are fully aware of all the prophecies about Elijah coming ahead of the Messiah, but they have always assumed that Elijah would look majestic and aloof, possibly riding in on a white horse. Mental pictures of John standing in the middle of the Jordan River baptizing people and teaching flash through the disciples’ heads. The disciples remember the last time they saw John’s headless body. At this point, the disciples are likely thinking, “Okay, Jesus, if you say so!” But if Peter, James, and John think things have been weird this morning, they are in for a surprise, for things are about to get much weirder.
Matthew 17:14-21 A Boy Is Healed
“And when they had come to the multitude, a man came to Him, kneeling down to Him and saying, “Lord, have mercy on my son, for he is an epileptic and suffers severely; for he often falls into the fire and often into the water. So I brought him to Your disciples, but 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 bear with you? Bring him here to Me.” And Jesus rebuked the demon, and it came out of him; and the child was cured from that very hour.
Then the disciples came to Jesus privately and said, “Why could we not cast it out?”
So Jesus said to them, “Because of your unbelief; for assuredly, I say to you, if you have faith as a mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move; and nothing will be impossible for you. However, this kind does not go out except by prayer and fasting.”
Entire books have been written about these two passages from Matthew. Here we are simply examining a few lessons for disciples. While Peter, James, and John have been up on the mountaintop observing Jesus’ transfiguration, the rest of the disciples have been at the foot of the mountain teaching, preaching, and healing. Things are going well until one man brings his demon-possessed son. Despite all their best efforts, the disciples cannot rout the demon. Just as the disciples and the boy’s father are becoming completely frustrated, Jesus arrives. Jesus rebukes the demon and heals the boy.
The disciples are thoroughly baffled, for when Jesus sent them out previously, they spoke to demons and the demons left immediately. Why didn’t the demon leave this time? Jesus explains, “Because of your unbelief; for assuredly, I say to you, if you have faith as a mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move; and nothing will be impossible for you. However, this kind does not go out except by prayer and fasting.”
Notice that Jesus is not criticizing the disciples for their lack of results but is simply stating a principle of the kingdom. Some demons leave as soon as someone lays hands on the person. Other demons are far more stubborn and require what Father Francis McNutt calls “soaking prayers,” repeated and persistent prayers. Here Jesus also advises that particularly stubborn demons will only leave if the person praying has been fasting and praying before he/she encounters the demoniac.
From the mountaintop to the valley where the demons lurk-this morning Peter, James, and John have experienced the ecstasy of the transfiguration and the agony of failure. We don’t know that Peter, James, or John have attempted to get rid of the demon, but it would certainly be reasonable for them to try, given their recent heavenly experience. . We are not made to remain on mountaintops; and indeed, we would be of no use were we to remain there. Ministry can only be done where there are people and people live in the valleys of life. Oswald Chambers advises that mountaintop experiences are not given so that we will live in a constant state of ecstasy but so that we will learn lessons we may then apply in the valley. In one Peanuts cartoon several decades ago, Charles Schulz has Lucy insisting that “I don’t want any downs! I only want ups and ups and ups!” Most of us would far rather have nothing but exhilarating and inspiring experiences; however, we are like those chargers for the new phones and tablets that take “C” charging cords. If not watched carefully, those chargers may overheat, causing catastrophic fires.
Eugene Peterson has written a book about the pilgrimage psalms entitled A Long Obedience in the Same Direction. Discipleship is not a matter of rebounding from one mountaintop experience to another but consistently obeying. May we apply the lessons learned on the mountaintops when we return to the valleys!
PRAYER: Father God, thank You for loving us and for caring for us. Lord, help us to enjoy those moments of inspiration and then turn their lessons into useful ministry. In the mighty and precious Name of King Jesus. Amen.
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