#1288 Matthew 17 Part 4 Fishing For Shekels

 

24 When they came to Capernaum, the collectors of the two-drachma tax went up to Peter and said, “Does your teacher not pay the tax?” 25 He said, “Yes.” And when he came into the house, Jesus spoke to him first, saying, “What do you think, Simon? From whom do kings of the earth take toll or tax? From their sons or from others?” 26 And when he said, “From others,” Jesus said to him, “Then the sons are free. 27 However, not to give offense to them, go to the sea and cast a hook and take the first fish that comes up, and when you open its mouth you will find a shekel. Take that and give it to them for me and for yourself.” Matthew 17: 24-27 ESV

Matthew17: 24-27 Paying Taxes

10So Samuel spoke all the words of the LORD to the people who were asking him for a king. 11He said, “This will be the manner of the king who will reign over you: He will take your sons and appoint them to his own chariots and horses, to run in front of his chariots. 12He will appoint some for himself as commanders of thousands and of fifties, and others to plow his ground, to reap his harvest, to make his weapons of war, and to equip his chariots.…

…13And he will take your daughters to be perfumers, cooks, and bakers. 14 He will take the best of your fields and vineyards and olive groves and give them to his servants. 15He will take a tenth of your grain and grape harvest and give it to his officials and servants.… 1 Samuel 8: 10-15

The collectors of the two-drachma tax -  This was a temple tax, used for the maintenance of the temple and required of Jewish men. It was not popular with the Sadducees and was diverted elsewhere after the destruction of the temple in 70 A.D.

ii. “Payment could be made in person at the Passover festival in Jerusalem…but collections were made in other areas of Palestine and abroad a month earlier. This incident therefore takes place about a month before Passover.” (France)

iii. “After AD 70, when the temple was destroyed, the Romans diverted this tax to the temple of Jupiter in Rome, after which it ceased to be a matter of patriotism and became a symbol of their subjection to a pagan power; the fact that the story is nonetheless recorded is one of the incidental indications that Matthew’s Gospel should be dated before AD 70.” (France)

Does your teacher not pay the tax - Because of the varying opinions and positions regarding the tax they were probably trying to figure out which camp Jesus belonged to, and some, probably these men, since they were collectors, would take offense to anyone who did not contribute. 

What do you think Simon - Peter is being called Simon again, and I find that interesting, but this must have been rolling through his mind as he left the tax collectors, and Jesus steps into the conversation that was going on in Peter's head. He must wonder, "this is God's house, Jesus is the Son of God, so why should Jesus pay tax? Why should God pay taxes?" It's a legitimate question, and Jesus has recently told them again, continuing to prepare them for His death, that He is going to Jerusalem to die. Why should the innocent die? Why should God give His life? There must be a lot going on in the mind of Peter and the other disciples, and Jesus is preparing them so that they will eventually recognize that this is from God, that He is sovereign. Jesus has also come to fulfill all righteousness, and remember John the Baptist was confused when Jesus came to be baptized. He also taught them to pay their taxes to Rome as well, remember, render unto Caesar that which is Caesar's, and unto the Lord what is the Lord's. 

More on Government 1689 Confession

From their sons or from others - Obviously kings don't tax their sons, and many that govern find ways to pay their family. At one time Israel could have had a Theocracy, where God gave His law and they upheld it, but they didn't want to uphold God's law, yet they wanted protection still. Israel wanted a king, a hero to rise up from among their ranks, form an army, fight their battles. People today still put hope in men, and even in a democracy their is an issue with the tax. You vote in the person that says what you like the most, and for some this is a stumbling block because they can now vote for those who will give to them from the treasury, no work involved, just vote. I have even heard them say, "it's time to do your job and vote if you want your entitlements." Just the premise of this should frighten everyone away from voting for that party, that you would pay people to vote, not for doing work, but for voting. You would think this would be viewed as insulting, we're not grade schoolers, I am not voting for you so we can have a pool party out your house and free pizza, but no, this works on old and young alike. So you vote for these people, they raise other people's taxes, and these people aren't good at making money, just taking money, so they spend it on contracts to friends, and they overspend. Look at 1 Samuel 8, the government was a huge expense. Even in the times of Solomon, who was good with business, created a time of great wealth and commerce, a lot of prosperity, yet the people complained of taxes in the end. Why? Solomon had like a thousand wives and hundreds of concubines. He pulled resources, workers and money to build them temples, houses, and keep them in the lap of luxury. He made a government so big that it was a burden on the people, and his son only wanted to increase it. Once those that are frivolous with their spending have spent beyond what they are bringing in, well, guess what, they aren't good at managing money, but you gave them the power to tax, so do you think they are going to correct their spending problems or increase taxes?  

From others - Peter answers correctly, he knows what's up. 

Then the sons are free - That is the logical conclusion, it's God's house, and He prefers a free will gift anyway, hates worship that is not in spirit and in truth, and Jesus is God's Son, so it is also His house. Technically, given the facts, Jesus doesn't need to pay the tax, and can decide whether His disciples should or not as well. Of course, a lot of these people don't realize that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of the living God, that this man they see is also a vail to the glory of God inside Him. That He contains the essence of God, the essential nature, has only been revealed to Peter, James and John at the transfiguration. 

However, not to give offense to them - There was in Christ's mind a higher principle. He accepted and teaches His disciples to accept that there would be offense from the gospel. When you tell men they are sinners, which is the blessed first part of the gospel, or from where else do you repent? Guess what, men don't like that message naturally, and John the Baptist lost his head for preaching against the sexual perversions of a king. This is a maturing thing, learning how to pick your battles, moving from a Simon to a Peter. It is good to suffer for righteousness sake, good to suffer for the gospel, but where it is not a moral question, where you are not forced to go against God's law, like the Babylonians tried to do to Daniel and his friends, then obey man's laws. Drive the speed limit, pay your taxes, and don't die on the hill of unnecessary controversy, be above reproach.  

Let every person be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and those that exist have been instituted by God. 2 Therefore whoever resists the authorities resists what God has appointed, and those who resist will incur judgment. 3 For rulers are not a terror to good conduct, but to bad. Would you have no fear of the one who is in authority? Then do what is good, and you will receive his approval, 4 for he is God's servant for your good. But if you do wrong, be afraid, for he does not bear the sword in vain. For he is the servant of God, an avenger who carries out God's wrath on the wrongdoer. 5 Therefore one must be in subjection, not only to avoid God's wrath but also for the sake of conscience. 6 For because of this you also pay taxes, for the authorities are ministers of God, attending to this very thing. 7 Pay to all what is owed to them: taxes to whom taxes are owed, revenue to whom revenue is owed, respect to whom respect is owed, honor to whom honor is owed. Romans 13: 1-7

Go to the sea and cast a hook - I like this. Now Peter has been making a living his whole life from the Sea, from the water that he didn't create, the fish he didn't make. It would be easy for us to say, you know what, Jesus' kingdom is not of this world, and I am a Christian now, He is my King, my citizenship is elsewhere. He did make this world however so the people that fight over it are being silly in that as well. A lot of people were tired of Roman rule, and this was the basis for formulating, designing the ideal of what Messiah should be in their minds. They were paying the temple tax, the tax to Rome, and everywhere they went it seemed like someone was holding a hand out. If Jesus would have said, look, you are a sojourner, not a citizen of this world, so let them pay their own taxes, and you do your own thing, wow, a lot of people would have jumped on board. Instead, God sends Peter back to Galilee, has him throw in a hook to catch a fish that will have enough money in it's mouth to pay His and Peter's contribution to the temple tax. He didn't have to use the miraculous here, but he did, and it shows Peter, look, I am aware of the taxes, and I will provide for that too. He wants Peter to give up unnecessary offenses, be a man of integrity, a man that works hard, pays his bills, pays his taxes, and doesn't fight over the small stuff. Jesus could have also used a custom of that time that Rabbi's were exempt of this tax, but instead he decided to avoid controversy and teach His disciple to do the same. He was calling Peter to bigger battles, more worthy opponents. 

12So then, each of us will give an account of himself to God. 13Therefore let us stop judging one another. Instead, make up your mind not to put any stumbling block or obstacle in your brother’s way. 14I am convinced and fully persuaded in the Lord Jesus that nothing is unclean in itself. But if anyone regards something as unclean, then for him it is unclean.… Romans 14: 12-14

#1287 Matthew 17 Part 3 What Has To Come

 

22 As they were gathering in Galilee, Jesus said to them, “The Son of Man is about to be delivered into the hands of men, 23 and they will kill him, and he will be raised on the third day.” And they were greatly distressed. Matthew 17: 22-23 ESV

Matthew 17: 22-23 What Must Take Place

14So the LORD God said to the serpent: “Because you have done this, cursed are you above all livestock and every beast of the field! On your belly will you go, and dust you will eat, all the days of your life. 15And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your seed and her seed. He will crush your head, and you will strike his heel.” Genesis 3: 14-15

Jesus said to them - The time for Jesus to atone for the sins of those who believe is fast approaching. He has spoken on this subject with them before, and Peter tried to rebuke the Lord, but there is no good argument against it, and instead Jesus rebukes Peter as taking sides with the devil. Men in their depravity, all of us, have fallen so far away from the reality of God, His holiness, and His eternal nature. If there is an eternal Being, an infinite God, Who called the finite into being, and if He is infinite in His attributes, so when we say, "God is good, Holy, just, righteous, love, and pure," this is His eternal nature. This is beyond difficult for us to understand, especially since we, in accordance with our fallen nature, don't really want to understand. From the position of time and space, we have an inkling, an idea of the possibility of eternity, that the greater establishes the lesser, but with depraved minds we try to establish a "science or theology" of this that matches up with our corruption. We make idols of ourselves and limited intellects in humanistic atheism, we carve idols out of wood or metal in some pagan traditions. We may even borrow from the Bible, yet fashion a Christ that matches our desires, and condones our sins. Some worship nature, or an eternal conscience that absorbs all individual conscience. When Peter tried to rebuke Jesus, He was inadvertently making light of the sin which required so great a sacrifice. I have said it before, "the problem of evil, is that nobody thinks they are."  

…10My shield is with God, who saves the upright in heart. 11God is a righteous judge and a God who feels indignation each day. 12If one does not repent, God will sharpen His sword; He has bent and strung His bow.… Psalm 7: 10-12

…10As it is written: “There is no one righteous, not even one. 11There is no one who understands, no one who seeks God. 12All have turned away, they have together become worthless; there is no one who does good, not even one.”… Romans 3: 10-12

…24Therefore God gave them over in the desires of their hearts to impurity for the dishonoring of their bodies with one another. 25They exchanged the truth of God for a lie, and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is forever worthy of praise! Amen. 26For this reason God gave them over to dishonorable passions. Even their women exchanged natural relations for unnatural ones.… Romans 1: 24-26

The Son of Man - The Messiah, deity combined with humanity. It was man who offended, but it was the holiness of an eternal God that was offended. Who could redeem the account of so great an offense? It must be the infinite, and only God is thus. God did not sin though, so what satisfies that end, that man rebelled against his design? Who will fulfill man's side of this, to meet all righteousness, to submit to the Creator, walk in perfect obedience? 

19Therefore, brothers, since we have confidence to enter the Most Holy Place by the blood of Jesus, 20by the new and living way opened for us through the curtain of His body, 21and since we have a great priest over the house of God,…

…22let us draw near with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled to cleanse us from a guilty conscience and our bodies washed with pure water. 23Let us hold resolutely to the hope we profess, for He who promised is faithful. 24And let us consider how to spur one another on to love and good deeds.… Hebrews 10: 19-24

…13In my vision in the night I continued to watch, and I saw One like the Son of Man coming with the clouds of heaven. He approached the Ancient of Days and was led into His presence. 14And He was given dominion, glory, and kingship, that the people of every nation and language should serve Him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion that will not pass away, and His kingdom is one that will never be destroyed. Daniel 7: 13-14

…18And He is the head of the body, the church; He is the beginning and firstborn from among the dead, so that in all things He may have preeminence. 19For God was pleased to have all His fullness dwell in Him, 20and through Him to reconcile to Himself all things, whether things on earth or things in heaven, by making peace through the blood of His cross.… Colossians 1: 18-20

Is about to be delivered into the hands of men - This is the gospel, and it's traumatizing for the disciples, it goes against everything their earthly minds desire. It is a story that started at the fall of man, and it is in the prophecies handed down to them by God, look, He gives it to us in pictures and words.

…12“Do not lay a hand on the boy or do anything to him,” said the angel, “for now I know that you fear God, since you have not withheld your only son from me.” 13Then Abraham looked up and saw behind him a ram in a thicket, caught by its horns. So he went and took the ram and offered it as a burnt offering in place of his son. 14And Abraham called that place The LORD Will Provide. So to this day it is said, “On the mountain of the LORD it will be provided.”… Genesis 22: 12-14 The time of Abraham was about 2200 B. C.

6 “Aaron shall offer the bull as a sin offering for himself and shall make atonement for himself and for his house. 7 Then he shall take the two goats and set them before the Lord at the entrance of the tent of meeting. 8 And Aaron shall cast lots over the two goats, one lot for the Lord and the other lot for Azazel. 9 And Aaron shall present the goat on which the lot fell for the Lord and use it as a sin offering, 10 but the goat on which the lot fell for Azazel shall be presented alive before the Lord to make atonement over it, that it may be sent away into the wilderness to Azazel. Leviticus 16: 6-10

Given by Moses circa 1300 B. C. Above and below

15 “Then he shall kill the goat of the sin offering that is for the people and bring its blood inside the veil and do with its blood as he did with the blood of the bull, sprinkling it over the mercy seat and in front of the mercy seat. 16 Thus he shall make atonement for the Holy Place, because of the uncleannesses of the people of Israel and because of their transgressions, all their sins. And so he shall do for the tent of meeting, which dwells with them in the midst of their uncleannesses. 17 No one may be in the tent of meeting from the time he enters to make atonement in the Holy Place until he comes out and has made atonement for himself and for his house and for all the assembly of Israel. 18 Then he shall go out to the altar that is before the Lord and make atonement for it, and shall take some of the blood of the bull and some of the blood of the goat, and put it on the horns of the altar all around. 19 And he shall sprinkle some of the blood on it with his finger seven times, and cleanse it and consecrate it from the uncleannesses of the people of Israel.

20 “And when he has made an end of atoning for the Holy Place and the tent of meeting and the altar, he shall present the live goat. 21 And Aaron shall lay both his hands on the head of the live goat, and confess over it all the iniquities of the people of Israel, and all their transgressions, all their sins. And he shall put them on the head of the goat and send it away into the wilderness by the hand of a man who is in readiness. 22 The goat shall bear all their iniquities on itself to a remote area, and he shall let the goat go free in the wilderness. Leviticus 16: 15-22 

And they will kill Him - This is the atonement, man fell, so man must die. Jesus, as the God/Man, is the perfect Mediator of this covenant.

My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?

Why are you so far from saving me, from the words of my groaning?

2 O my God, I cry by day, but you do not answer,

and by night, but I find no rest.

3 Yet you are holy,

enthroned on the praises of Israel. Psalm 22: 1-3

But I am a worm and not a man,

scorned by mankind and despised by the people.

7 All who see me mock me;

they make mouths at me; they wag their heads;

8 “He trusts in the Lord; let him deliver him;

let him rescue him, for he delights in him!” Psalm 22: 6-8

I am poured out like water,

and all my bones are out of joint;

my heart is like wax;

it is melted within my breast;

15 my strength is dried up like a potsherd,

and my tongue sticks to my jaws;

you lay me in the dust of death.

16 For dogs encompass me;

a company of evildoers encircles me;

they have pierced my hands and feet—

17 I can count all my bones—

they stare and gloat over me;

18 they divide my garments among them,

and for my clothing they cast lots. Psalm 22: 14-18

A Psalm of David approximately 1000 B. C.

Yet it was the Lord’s will to crush him and cause him to suffer,

and though the Lord makes his life an offering for sin,

he will see his offspring and prolong his days,

and the will of the Lord will prosper in his hand.

11 After he has suffered,

he will see the light of life and be satisfied;

by his knowledge my righteous servant will justify many,

and he will bear their iniquities.

12 Therefore I will give him a portion among the great,

and he will divide the spoils with the strong,

because he poured out his life unto death,

and was numbered with the transgressors.

For he bore the sin of many,

and made intercession for the transgressors. Isaiah 53: 10-12

Written by Isaiah circa 700 B. C.

Will be raised on the third day - Even in light of this it says of the disciples, "they were greatly distressed."

#1286 Matthew 17 Part 2 The Lunar Cycle

 

14 And when they came to the crowd, a man came up to him and, kneeling before him, 15 said, “Lord, have mercy on my son, for he has seizures and he suffers terribly. For often he falls into the fire, and often into the water. 16 And I brought him to your disciples, and they could not heal him.” 17 And Jesus answered, “O faithless and twisted generation, how long am I to be with you? How long am I to bear with you? Bring him here to me.” 18 And Jesus rebuked the demon, and it came out of him, and the boy was healed instantly. 19 Then the disciples came to Jesus privately and said, “Why could we not cast it out?” 20 He said to them, “Because of your little faith. For truly, I say to you, if you have faith like a grain of mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move, and nothing will be impossible for you.” Matthew 17: 14-20 ESV

Matthew 17: 14-20 Lunatic

And when they came to the crowd - So Jesus and the three that were on the mount at His transfiguration are coming down from the mount, returning to the other disciples, and this is the setting of the scene. I think it is important to have Mark's account with it, and this will provide more context for what they are walking into. Mark tells us that the other disciples were surrounded by a crowd and also that scribes were arguing with the disciples. The scribes have not done well in their debates with Jesus, so they were probably happy that the teacher was away, and that His students were struggling.

14 And when they came to the disciples, they saw a great crowd around them, and scribes arguing with them. 15 And immediately all the crowd, when they saw him, were greatly amazed and ran up to him and greeted him. 16 And he asked them, “What are you arguing about with them?” 17 And someone from the crowd answered him, “Teacher, I brought my son to you, for he has a spirit that makes him mute. 18 And whenever it seizes him, it throws him down, and he foams and grinds his teeth and becomes rigid. So I asked your disciples to cast it out, and they were not able.” 19 And he answered them, “O faithless generation, how long am I to be with you? How long am I to bear with you? Bring him to me.” 20 And they brought the boy to him. And when the spirit saw him, immediately it convulsed the boy, and he fell on the ground and rolled about, foaming at the mouth. 21 And Jesus asked his father, “How long has this been happening to him?” And he said, “From childhood. 22 And it has often cast him into fire and into water, to destroy him. But if you can do anything, have compassion on us and help us.” 23 And Jesus said to him, “‘If you can’! All things are possible for one who believes.” 24 Immediately the father of the child cried out and said, “I believe; help my unbelief!” 25 And when Jesus saw that a crowd came running together, he rebuked the unclean spirit, saying to it, “You mute and deaf spirit, I command you, come out of him and never enter him again.” 26 And after crying out and convulsing him terribly, it came out, and the boy was like a corpse, so that most of them said, “He is dead.” 27 But Jesus took him by the hand and lifted him up, and he arose. 28 And when he had entered the house, his disciples asked him privately, “Why could we not cast it out?” 29 And he said to them, “This kind cannot be driven out by anything but prayer.” Mark 9: 14-29 

A man came up to Him - This man and his son were part of the argument between the crowd, the disciples and the scribes. 

Kneeling before Him, said, "Lord have mercy on my son" - His son has epilepsy, and it appears to be complicated even more by a demonic presence that would use it to take the boy's life. The scriptures tell us that the devil is like a roaring lion seeking whom he may devour, and this boy's condition leaves him in a helpless state. I have epilepsy myself, and sometimes there is not enough warning or I ignored the aura preceding it in order to attend to something else. I have woken up in the water, gone some rounds with a cast iron wood stove, which didn't give, but my face, nose and a tooth did. This boy has had to be pulled from the water where he could drown and the fire where he would be burned. This father must be at his whit's end with concern, and so he is kneeling, a sign of worship, something that would make the scribes there cringe, before the Son of God. This was called the lunatic's disease back then relating it to the moon (Luna), whose movement they thought triggered the attacks, like werewolves and the full moon. The father had probably seen physicians, sought answers for a long time, yet his boy still suffered, and was at the mercy of whatever place in which he fell. In Mark's gospel we find out that he was also mute.

I brought him to your disciples - Was this a good idea? Yes, because the apostles had been commissioned earlier to do this sort of thing. 

1And calling His twelve disciples to Him, Jesus gave them authority over unclean spirits, so that they could drive them out and heal every disease and sickness. 2These are the names of the twelve apostles: first Simon, called Peter, and his brother Andrew; James son of Zebedee, and his brother John;… Matthew 10: 1-2

…7As you go, preach this message: ‘The kingdom of heaven is near.’ 8Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse the lepers, drive out demons. Freely you have received; freely give. Matthew 10: 7-8

They could not heal him - Probably much to the joy of the scribes, who were constant antagonists to Jesus and His disciples. They would enjoy this because they did not want to see Jesus for Who He was and is, the Messiah. Now this is an interesting episode to record, the failure of the disciples, two of which, Matthew and Mark, are giving the accounts we are studying here. We also see here that the power to do this does not come from themselves, but rather from God. Christ, being God, had sent them out before, commissioned them to do these things, and whoever Christ commanded to do this had success in doing so. What is the problem here?

16Whoever listens to you listens to Me; whoever rejects you rejects Me; and whoever rejects Me rejects the One who sent Me.” 17 The seventy-two returned with joy and said, “Lord, even the demons submit to us in Your name.”  Luke 10: 16-17

O faithless and twisted generation, how long am I to be with you - You can hear the frustration, they had seen Christ do great things, and He had done marvelous things through them as well, but he was gone up on the mount this time. While he was gone they had hit a mountain of their own, a situation that was proving more difficult. It's like when Peter stepped out of the boat to walk to Jesus, he didn't start sinking until he took his eyes off the object of his faith, and looked at the surrounding circumstances, relating them to his own inadequacy. He became afraid and would have drowned except for the hand that caught him. To be faithless is to be unbelieving, and that in the presence of much proof. To be twisted is to be perverted, bent, a condition that needs to be repented of, and this was the call of John the Baptist. Repent of believing in yourself, in your traditions, in your own power and autonomy, stop being crooked and perverse. 

…2As it is written in Isaiah the prophet: “Behold, I will send My messenger ahead of You, who will prepare Your way.” 3“A voice of one calling in the wilderness, ‘Prepare the way for the Lord, make straight paths for Him.’” 4John the Baptist appeared in the wilderness, preaching a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins.… Mark 1: 2-4

Bring him here to Me - This is where we want to take men, even when Christ was elsewhere physically the disciples could have still brought the boy and all else to Him. We do not want to draw men to ourselves, those that do such give up the gospel, and they are false teachers, elevating themselves, seeking worldly gain, human honor, vain glory. In Mark's gospel we see that the boy went into a seizure as he was being brought to Christ. Jesus asked, and the boy's father said this had been going on since he was a child, and the father prayed, because we will all find this is a key, and by prayer look at it: He is on his knees, he ask for help and compassion. God, look on me and have mercy. 

In Mark's account in Mark 9: 23 and 24 Jesus tells the man, "all things are possible for one who believes" and the father answers, "I believe, help my unbelief." This is epic prayer, brilliant petitioning, like the faith of the gentile woman. I believe because I have heard or seen that you have healed others, and though I went to your disciples and they failed, yet they are not you, so I press on. You are telling me to believe, and yet if there is an inkling of doubt in me then I still come to you, for if you can heal the sick then you can also heal my unbelief. This prayer doesn't give up, it doesn't fail to confess doubt. This is very different than the wicked prosperity teachers who cannot heal and throw the result of their vain stomping and stage strutting, the unhealed multitudes, back in the face of those who came believing. They believed, but these idiots base it upon a "twisted" idea of faith, one that rest in the sinner and not upon the giver of faith. These false teachers think faith is something they energize from inside themselves, the strutting, the smack talk, they are psyching themselves up for something, thinking that they can invoke faith just like the pagans who cut themselves trying to get Baal to send down fire. All Elijah did was pray to God. Listen, faith comes by hearing and hearing by the Word of God. These prosperity teachers treat God's word as a book of spells, know nothing of sound doctrine, and God has not ordained them or anointed them in this blasphemy. The disciples were commissioned by God to go out and do these things, but these ridiculous people you see on tv today, have not heard from God. They aren't pedaling actual faith; it's just a bad pyramid scheme that takes advantage of the poor and naïve. Even as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of Man be lifted up, turn your eyes to Jesus. 

…26But Jesus replied, “It is not right to take the children’s bread and toss it to the dogs.” 27“Yes, Lord,” she said, “ even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their master’s table.” 28“O woman,” Jesus answered, “your faith is great! Let it be done for you as you desire.” And her daughter was healed from that very hour.… Matthew 15: 26-28

…23Now the words “it was credited to him” were written not only for Abraham, 24but also for us, to whom righteousness will be credited— for us who believe in Him who raised Jesus our Lord from the dead. 25He was delivered over to death for our trespasses and was raised to life for our justification.… Romans 4: 23-25

1Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, 2through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we stand. And we rejoice in the hope of the glory of God. 3Not only that, but we also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance;… Romans 5: 1-3

Why could we not cast it out - They were perplexed, they had been in similar situations with much different results, and now they were being rebuked with this generation for lack of faith. I think it is important that before this he had also rebuked Peter recently for not wanting Him to fulfill His mission to the cross. He is about to bring this up again, and I think it is a stumbling block even for them, but one that Judas will ultimately fall into destruction over. We believe Jesus when things are going well, and this is the premise of the prosperity gospel, the error of Job's companions, that faith and godliness are measured by health and wealth. It takes much more faith, a mature faith to see God's hand in trials, petition Him, yet like Paul, accept His answer even when it is not the play you would like to see called. Real faith trust God through trials and afflictions, it never ceases in prayer, never stops believing. 

…8Three times I pleaded with the Lord to take it away from me. 9But He said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for My power is perfected in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly in my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest on me. 10That is why, for the sake of Christ, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong.… 2 Corinthians 12: 8-10

Because of your little faith - What is the root of the problem? Your faith is small. They, like us, need to quit looking at circumstances that are beyond us, and stop believing in ourselves and our efforts. Watch this, what's the next line?

If you had faith like a grain of mustard seed - Talk about little right? Keep looking, remember the parable of the mustard seed? It is the smallest of seeds that they were familiar with, but what happens, the seed is planted in the ground, it dies, and then what? It grows. The disciples have been walking with Jesus, seeing Him perform miracles, kind of listening to Him, but what He gave them easily before is now a struggle, why? They were growing very slowly. In Mark's account we get more about this, what would help them grow? We are given a couple of very important things throughout Scripture, these are the means towards our growth in faith and spiritual maturity. Remember the mustard seed went from something very small to something that housed the birds of the air, something large.

…16But not all of them welcomed the good news. For Isaiah says, “Lord, who has believed our message?” 17Consequently, faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of Christ. 18But I ask, did they not hear? Indeed they did: “Their voice has gone out into all the earth, their words to the ends of the world.”… Romans 10: 16-18

So first of all, we need to read the word, and we need to read it looking for the Author's intent, not trying to force our own will upon it, and where do I get that? From Scripture. Paul sought the Lord in prayer about His thorn in the flesh, and it is in God's word and through prayer that we come to understand His will. The caveat is His will. He is not going to go against that, and when I was young I even asked God for things that I not only didn't need but would have been to my detriment. 

13I have written these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, so that you may know that you have eternal life. 14And this is the confidence that we have before Him: If we ask anything according to His will, He hears us. 15And if we know that He hears us in whatever we ask, we know that we already possess what we have asked of Him.… 1 John 5: 13-15

…2You crave what you do not have; you kill and covet, but are unable to obtain it. You quarrel and fight. You do not have, because you do not ask. 3And when you do ask, you do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, that you may squander it on your pleasures. 4You adulteresses! Do you not know that friendship with the world is hostility toward God? Therefore, whoever chooses to be a friend of the world renders himself an enemy of God.… James 4: 2-4

This kind cannot be driven out by anything but prayer - This we learn from Mark's gospel account, so we see the means we are given, the word, believing what the Word says, praying in accordance with God's will, and we are told to pray without ceasing. Our faith should not rest on who we are, but on Who God is. It should not be conditional to our trials, bank account levels, but rest upon His word and obedience to His commands. 

…15And the prayer offered in faith will restore the one who is sick. The Lord will raise him up. If he has sinned, he will be forgiven. 16Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous man has great power to prevail. 17Elijah was a man just like us. He prayed earnestly that it would not rain, and it did not rain on the land for three and a half years.… James 5: 15-17

#1285 Matthew 17 Part 1 He Tabernacled With Us

 

And after six days Jesus took with him Peter and James, and John his brother, and led them up a high mountain by themselves. 2 And he was transfigured before them, and his face shone like the sun, and his clothes became white as light. 3 And behold, there appeared to them Moses and Elijah, talking with him. 4 And Peter said to Jesus, “Lord, it is good that we are here. If you wish, I will make three tents here, one for you and one for Moses and one for Elijah.” 5 He was still speaking when, behold, a bright cloud overshadowed them, and a voice from the cloud said, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased; listen to him.” 6 When the disciples heard this, they fell on their faces and were terrified. 7 But Jesus came and touched them, saying, “Rise, and have no fear.” 8 And when they lifted up their eyes, they saw no one but Jesus only.

9 And as they were coming down the mountain, Jesus commanded them, “Tell no one the vision, until the Son of Man is raised from the dead.” 10 And the disciples asked him, “Then why do the scribes say that first Elijah must come?” 11 He answered, “Elijah does come, and he will restore all things. 12 But I tell you that Elijah has already come, and they did not recognize him, but did to him whatever they pleased. So also the Son of Man will certainly suffer at their hands.” 13 Then the disciples understood that he was speaking to them of John the Baptist. Matthew 17: 1-13 ESV

Matthew 17: 1-13

And after six days - This is following Jesus's gospel call to the disciples and the crowd that He had assembled. He also spoke about His second coming, and then now He is giving Peter, James, John, the brother of James, the Sons of Thunder, a preview of His coming glory. We covered this some in the last post because this answers questions brought up in the last passage. 

See previous post

Jesus took with Him Peter, James and John - Not the most highly educated of the twelve, three fishermen, and what they are about to witness is more than a plastic grocery bag to unpack. It's an honor that no one could ever possibly deserve, but these are His core group, and I have written about them individually in past posts, so for now I am just going to stick with the present context. 

More on the twelve

And He was transfigured before them - Jesus is the Word become flesh, right, and we know that God is described as light, that is the representation of His glory, the Shekinah that filled the temple, the fire by night and the cloud by day. Moses reflected or glowed with the glory of God when he came down from the mountain, but this glory is revealed by transfiguration, by opening the veil, pulling back the covering of the flesh, revealing the essence within. This is not reflective, it is internal, the same in essence as the Father and the Holy Spirit. 

4We write these things so that our joy may be complete. 5And this is the message we have heard from Him and announce to you: God is light, and in Him there is no darkness at all. 6If we say we have fellowship with Him yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth.… 1 John 1: 4-6

13children born not of blood, nor of the desire or will of man, but born of God. 14 The Word became flesh and made His dwelling among us. We have seen His glory, the glory of the one and only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth. 15John testified concerning Him. He cried out, saying, “This is He of whom I said, ‘He who comes after me has surpassed me because He was before me.’ ”… John 1: 13-15

And so, God chooses, then, primarily to reveal Himself as glorious, dazzling light. In fact, as you proceed into the book of Revelation, you find that when you get to the eternal state, the eternal heaven, the holy city, the new Jerusalem, which is the eternal habitation of the saints, the Bible says there’s no moon, and there’s no sun, and there’s no stars to light it because the glory of God is the light of it, and the Lamb is the lamp. It’s a great picture. In your house, you have a lamp, but the lamp doesn’t give the light; it’s the light in the lamp that does. The lamp contains the light.

And so, in heaven forever, Jesus is the lamp containing the light of the glory of God. And the same was true on earth. When Jesus was here, He was the lamp, and in Him was the light of the glory of God veiled. In heaven it’ll be unveiled, and it’ll light all of the eternal domain for all eternity, in glorious, blazing light.

So, when Jesus wants, then, to reveal Himself for who He really is, He pulls back the veil of His flesh and reveals Himself as glorious, radiant, dazzling light. The Shekinah of God. And that’s what we’re seeing in this text. - J Mac

There appeared to them Moses and Elijah - Moses had predicted Christ as a prophet who would come later and that the people should "listen to." Moses was the great law giver in Judaism and Elijah was the great champion of the prophets. Elijah was a powerful reformer, standing before wicked rulers and destroying false prophets. Here the two stand, the Law and the Prophets. The disciples have been hearing about Christ going to the cross, and they are slow to get this, as we all would be, and they are probably a little disillusioned at this point, because their hope, their expectation, is that this guy with all this power to do countless miracles, feed thousands and control nature, will use it to institute the kingdom right now. Peter is ready to cut off ears and James and John are vying for who will get to sit at Jesus' right and left hand, so they need to see this. They need to continually be brought in closer to the reality of suffering, of a wilderness period much like Moses' exodus from Egypt, only the disciples need to now see that those things were shadows, that Moses was a type and that Egypt is now sin and death. Moses gave the law from God, and Christ, Who has added humanity to His deity, is now fulfilling all righteousness. Elijah, like John the Baptist, is reforming people back to God, preaching repentance, pointing to Christ.

15The LORD your God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among your brothers. You must listen to him. 16This is what you asked of the LORD your God at Horeb on the day of the assembly, when you said, “Let us not hear the voice of the LORD our God or see this great fire anymore, so that we will not die!”… Deuteronomy 18: 15-16

I will make three tents - A cool tidbit here, this is about six months prior to Passover, and this is another important time of the year according to the Jewish Feasts. This is the Feast of Booths or Tabernacles. A booth or a tabernacle is a dwelling place, a tent, and during the feast the people commemorate the time of God dwelling with Moses and the people in the wilderness. They build tents or shacks and live in these during the time of that feast, and so Peter is wanting to build a tent for the three here, like this is marking the beginning of the Kingdom, the time of Christ's Millennial Reign. The Tabernacle and the temple were places where God "tabernacled" or dwelt with men. These are places where God's presence was made known, the Shekinah glory, and the reality that has not struck these men so much, until now, is that God has been doing tabernacle with them in the body of Christ, the Son of Man, for He is also the Son of God. 

…18And He is the head of the body, the church; He is the beginning and firstborn from among the dead, so that in all things He may have preeminence. 19For God was pleased to have all His fullness dwell in Him, 20and through Him to reconcile to Himself all things, whether things on earth or things in heaven, by making peace through the blood of His cross.… Colossians 1: 18-20

…18On account of this, the Jews demanded, “What sign can You show us to prove Your authority to do these things?” 19Jesus answered, “Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up again.” 20“This temple took forty-six years to build,” the Jews replied, “and You are going to raise it up in three days?”…

…21But Jesus was speaking about the temple of His body. 22 After He was raised from the dead, His disciples remembered that He had said this. Then they believed the Scripture and the word that Jesus had spoken. 23While He was in Jerusalem at the Passover Feast, many people saw the signs He was doing and believed in His name.… John 2: 18-23

A bright cloud overshadowed them - God the Father is making His presence known, much like He did at Jesus' baptism.

Listen to Him - These are the same words that Moses stated more than a thousand years before, "listen to Him." This is the Word become flesh, this is God the Son, same in essence with the Father, so be quiet, put away your hopes and plans for the kingdom, get rid of your time frames, and listen to the Son of God. 

They fell on their faces and were terrified - Being in the tall grass in a land that is known to have lions is one thing. Being there looking at one is another, but the Lion of Judah is their friend, their teacher, yet to hear His Father roar, that is paralyzing. We like to call ourselves truth seekers, yet we only go so far, and there is some truth here that would cripple the mind. Who can stand before a Holy God? If the glory of Christ were not veiled in humanity, if they were to receive more than a glimpse, outside of the cleft of the Rock that is Christ's substitutionary atonement, His pleasing sacrifice, they would melt away. When the people heard God at Mt. Sinai they begged not to hear His voice again. Yeah, you want the truth till you find out that it isn't what you wanted, that it is so pure and otherly, unapproachable, damning. We should confess with Isaiah, "I am a man of unclean lips, living amongst a people with unclean lips", what am I doing here? I don't belong here. 

“They were in the immediate presence of God, and listening to their Father’s voice: well might they lie and prostrate and tremble. Too clear a manifestation of God, even though it related to Jesus, would rather overpower than empower us.” (Spurgeon)

Jesus came and touched them - I can't say for sure, but I can see in their reaction that terror had taken them, and I would think in touching them that He did something similar to healing them, atoning like the coal upon the lips. If Christ does not intervene then we are consumed, like darkness before light, we will not hold our place. 

Tell no one the vision, until the Son of Man is raised from the dead - He has been telling them about His coming suffering, that He is going to face sin and death, conquering both at Calvary. They have seen Him raise people from the dead, and He is saying it so matter of fact like, "wait until I come back from the grave." These are difficult concepts though, not because they hadn't seen miracles, they had, but because of their hopes, expectations, and also what they had been taught by the Pharisees. They are living every day eagerly hoping and thinking that at any moment Jesus will announce His right to rule, claim the throne of David, and kick Rome back to Italy. He is actually here to take on sin, and they still don't understand what an opponent that is, that if Jesus didn't do this, didn't die, then they could not live. If this temple isn't torn down then all they have to look forward to is eternal judgment, and if He does not raise this temple on the third day, then He did not win, and history ended at the cross. 

Why do the Scribes say that first Elijah must come - This comes from Malachi, and it is a true prophecy that Jesus will give more light on. I think it is ultimately fulfilled in the coming of the two prophets that precede Christ's second coming. They are mentioned in Revelation 11: 3-13. Note in Malachi, both Moses and Elijah are mentioned.

…4“Remember the law of My servant Moses, the statutes and ordinances I commanded him for all Israel at Horeb. 5Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and awesome Day of the LORD. 6And he will turn the hearts of the fathers to their children, and the hearts of the children to their fathers. Otherwise, I will come and strike the land with a curse.”… Malachi 4: 4-6

Elijah does come and he will restore - Jesus puts this into a future perspective with does and will. There will be a prophet preceding Christ's second coming, before the Millennial Kingdom, and he will reform the people back to God through the soundest of preaching.

3 And I will appoint my two witnesses, and they will prophesy for 1,260 days, clothed in sackcloth.” 4 They are “the two olive trees” and the two lampstands, and “they stand before the Lord of the earth.” 5 If anyone tries to harm them, fire comes from their mouths and devours their enemies. This is how anyone who wants to harm them must die. 6 They have power to shut up the heavens so that it will not rain during the time they are prophesying; and they have power to turn the waters into blood and to strike the earth with every kind of plague as often as they want.

7 Now when they have finished their testimony, the beast that comes up from the Abyss will attack them, and overpower and kill them. 8 Their bodies will lie in the public square of the great city—which is figuratively called Sodom and Egypt—where also their Lord was crucified. 9 For three and a half days some from every people, tribe, language and nation will gaze on their bodies and refuse them burial. 10 The inhabitants of the earth will gloat over them and will celebrate by sending each other gifts, because these two prophets had tormented those who live on the earth.

11 But after the three and a half days the breath of life from God entered them, and they stood on their feet, and terror struck those who saw them. 12 Then they heard a loud voice from heaven saying to them, “Come up here.” And they went up to heaven in a cloud, while their enemies looked on.

13 At that very hour there was a severe earthquake and a tenth of the city collapsed. Seven thousand people were killed in the earthquake, and the survivors were terrified and gave glory to the God of heaven. Revelation 11: 3-13

But Elijah has already come - John the Baptist came before Jesus first advent, but he is already dead now. 

They did not recognize him - He was the forerunner of Christ, the herald of Messiah, but they killed him, and the religious elite are rejecting Jesus and seek His life as well. John spoke out against sin, and Jesus claims to be "I Am", making both unpopular with the ruling classes.

…42and said, “If only you had known on this day what would bring you peace! But now it is hidden from your eyes. 43For the days will come upon you when your enemies will barricade you and surround you and hem you in on every side. 44They will level you to the ground—you and the children within your walls. They will not leave one stone on another, because you did not recognize the time of your visitation from God.”… Luke 19: 42-44

So also the Son of Man will certainly suffer at their hands - This fulfills prophecy, that Messiah, the Servant of the Lord, must suffer, must become the sacrifice for His people. Before they look on Him Whom they pierced, He must be pierced.

…4Surely He took on our infirmities and carried our sorrows; yet we considered Him stricken by God, struck down and afflicted. 5But He was pierced for our transgressions, He was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon Him, and by His stripes we are healed. 6We all like sheep have gone astray, each one has turned to his own way; and the LORD has laid upon Him the iniquity of us all.… Isaiah 53: 4-6

10Then I will pour out on the house of David and on the people of Jerusalem a spirit of grace and prayer, and they will look on Me, the One they have pierced. They will mourn for Him as one mourns for an only child, and grieve bitterly for Him as one grieves for a firstborn son. 11On that day the wailing in Jerusalem will be as great as the wailing of Hadad-rimmon in the plain of Megiddo.… Zechariah 12: 10-11

Then the disciples understood - They realized that the one who baptized Him, who preached the message of repentance, who stood up to the powers that be and condemned their adultery, fornication, and incest, that he was a type of Elijah. So much here, I think I am going to stop because I need to turn it all over in my head, and some of this will come up again and we will look at it yet again from the perspective of another gospel writer. This will also come up in Revelation.