Matthew 17, The Transfiguration

And today we talk about the Transfiguration. Now, this is an event that is super important and maybe gets not as much attention as it deserves. But I'll tell you why I think it's so important. Number one, as we talked about last week in Matthew 16, 28, this is a reference to the Transfiguration.

I believe that strongly. I went over it a little bit last week. It is the first sign, the first foreshadowing of the Son of Man coming in His Kingdom. Even before the Resurrection, even before the Ascension.

All three of the synoptics, Matthew, Mark, and Luke, mention this. And they all mention it immediately after Jesus said that sentence. Some of you will not taste death until you see the Son of Man coming in His Kingdom.

Which means it's probably referring to the Transfiguration because that's the next logical thing in all three of those Gospels. Now, if those three weren't enough, Peter himself, who is one of the three disciples allowed to be present at the Transfiguration, talks about it in 2 Peter.

We're going to look at that in just a minute. So let's just read it. Now, we've only heard the voice of the Father a few times, once at the baptism. When the disciples heard this, they fell on their faces and were terrified.

But Jesus came and touched them, saying, Rise, have no fear. When they lifted their eyes, they saw no one but Jesus alone. When they were coming down the mountain, Jesus commanded them, Tell no one of the vision until the Son of Man is raised from the dead.

And the disciples asked Him, Why did the end of the scribes say that Elijah must first come? He said, Elijah does come, and he will restore all things. But I tell you that Elijah has already come. You don't recognize him.

But did to him whatever they pleased. So also the Son of Man will certainly suffer at their hands. Then the disciples understood He was speaking to them of John the Baptist. Okay, so this is a super important event because it takes place in all three of the synoptics.

And it refers to the Son of Man coming in His kingdom, the Jesus coming in His kingdom. And if you notice Jesus' appearance, His face shone like the sun, His clothes became white as light. It sounds quite a bit like how He's going to return in Revelation 19.

At the second coming. Thus this is a foreshadowing of what Jesus looks like in His spiritual divine essence. And not clothed in the flesh, if you will. At least not fully. So what I want to do is I want to actually look at Peter's commentary.

Divinely inspired commentary of this event in 2 Peter chapter 1. Which has to be, in my opinion, one of the most important chapters of the Bible. But in 2 Peter chapter 1, let's look at what he says. Just verse 16 through 21.

This is 30 so years after the event took place. And this is Peter's commentary on it. For when He received honor and glory from God the Father, and the voice was born to Him by majestic glory, this is my beloved Son with whom I am well pleased.

We ourselves heard this very voice born from heaven, and we were with Him on the holy mountain. And we had the prophetic word more fully confirmed, to which you do well to pay attention, as a lamp shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts.

Knowing first of all that no prophecy of Scripture comes from one's own interpretation, for no prophecy was ever produced by the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit.

Now, I just want to point out a few things here. Peter can pick from a litany of things he saw Jesus do when he was with Him on earth. In fact, John says that he saw Jesus do so many things that if every one of them were written down, the world could not contain the books that would have to be written.

Peter saw Jesus do so many wonderful things. But according to Peter, the thing where Jesus made known His majesty, where He was an eyewitness of it, was His transfiguration. Not His ascension, not even His resurrection, but His transfiguration.

When He was transformed, for a moment they didn't see Him covered in veiled flesh, but they saw Him at least in part of His deity. This is my beloved Son with whom I am well pleased. So they heard the Father speak from heaven.

So they have the Father speaking to the Son. God the Son is transfigured where they can see His deity, and God the Father is speaking to Him. And then Peter says this. We have this prophetic word more fully confirmed, to which you would do well to pay attention.

But he says this. The already completed prophetic word is the Holy Scriptures. The eyewitness testimony will become the New Testament. Peter could have chosen any of anyone to explain what Jesus' return would be like.

He could have chosen the resurrection, the ascension, Pentecost. But he chose this event, the transfiguration, as an example of what Jesus will be like when He returns to earth to collect His kingdom and His people and destroy His enemies.

The significance of Moses and Elijah being there symbolize the Law and the Prophets, i .e. the whole Old Testament. It is fulfilled in the finished work of Jesus Christ, thus why the death, burial, resurrection, and ascension is what the three of them discussed.

If you read the parallel accounts, I believe it's Luke mentions that Elijah and Moses were speaking about His death to come. Peter did not know what he was saying and was afraid. It's incredible. When he wants to build tabernacles for all three of them, or at least tents for all three of them, the voice from heaven says, This is my Son, in whom I am well pleased.

Listen to Him. Moses and Elijah disappear, and only Jesus is there, Jesus alone. So Moses is the Law. He represents the Law. That's the first five books of the Bible. Elijah represents the Prophets. So the Law and the Prophets is a common denotation of the Old Testament.

So the whole Old Testament is fulfilled in Jesus. Now the disciples ask a great question. Malachi speaks of John the Baptist returning before the Messiah does. So the disciples are like, hey, we really do believe you are the Messiah, but we haven't seen Elijah.

And Jesus says you have in John the Baptist, who is the spirit of Elijah. Now, it is possible, by the way, that Elijah will also return before the Messiah's second coming. You can go back and watch the video on Revelation 11, I think it is, on the two witnesses.

But at any rate, what's happening in this transfiguration is this. Peter, James, and John see Jesus in His deity, not clothed in human flesh, which Jesus describes as somewhat of what He will look like when He returns.

The Father speaks to the Son so that the disciples can hear that Jesus is His own unique person, but is also God, Yahweh Himself. Peter uses that event 30 years later to describe how we know that Jesus fulfills the Old Testament.

They were eyewitnesses of His majesty. Moses and Elijah were there. By the way, little side note, since there was no Facebook profile picture of Moses and Elijah, the fact that Peter, James, and John were able to recognize that they were Moses and Elijah, though they had never seen them, gives us an insight to how we're spiritually going to be able to recognize our loved ones in heaven.

At any rate, back in Matthew, after this transfiguration, they go down the mountain, and Jesus tells them to not tell the others until after He's raised, after He's resurrected. Remember, they're about to go to Jerusalem, and Jesus wants to die at His appointed time, not early, so He doesn't need a mob.

Jesus has already declared Himself to be God and the Messiah, but He won't declare it again in Jerusalem until the time is near. Now, then Jesus goes about, and He heals a demon-possessed boy. Let's read this.

When they came down to the crowd, a man came up to Him, kneeling before Him, and said, Lord, have mercy on my son, for he has seizures and suffers terribly, for he often falls into the fire and into the water.

I brought him to disciples, and they couldn't heal him. 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 to me. Jesus rebuked the demon, and it came out of him, and the boy was healed instantly.

When the disciples came to Jesus privately and said, why couldn't we cast him out? He said, because of your little faith. For truly, I say to you, if you had faith like a grain of mustard seed, you would say this mountain moved from here, and it would move, and nothing would be impossible for you.

As they were gathering in Galilee, Jesus said to them, Remember, this is the area where most of Jesus' ministry has been, in the north. The Son of Man is about to be delivered into the hands of man. They will kill Him, and He will be raised on the third day.

And they were greatly distressed. So this is even more detail. This is now the second time Jesus has foretold His death, burial, and resurrection. Remember, Jesus predicted His own death, burial, and resurrection.

He said, I'm going to die, and three days later, I will rise again. Only God can do that. Nobody else can predict their own resurrection. Now later, He's going to say which men are going to kill Him. But for now, He says, the Son of Man is going to be delivered into the hands of man.

They will kill Him, and He will be raised on the third day. Please, church, do not forget. Jesus predicted His own resurrection. They were distressed about it. Now, as this chapter ends, They come to Capernaum, and the collectors of the two drachma tax went up to Peter and said, Does your teacher not pay the tax?

And he said, Yes. And he came to house and spoke to Jesus first, saying, What do you think, Simon? And Jesus spoke to him first. He read his mind. From whom do kings of the earth take toll or tax? From their sons or from others?

And he said from others. He said, Then the sons are free. However, not to give offense to them, go into the sea, cast a hook, and take the first fish that comes up. And when you open its mouth, you'll find a shekel.

Take that, and give it to them for me and yourself. In other words, Jesus is saying, I don't really owe that tax. I'm a son of a king. So are you. But, to not give offense, go pay the tax. Alright, that was chapter 17.

I know we went through that pretty quick. I've got a wedding today. I've got to do, but I get to do, I should say. But at any rate, the transfiguration is the key event in this passage. And Peter says that event is where Jesus showed his glory.

What we have with this metamorphosis, what we have with this transfiguration, what we have with this is, let's see if I can find it. Yeah, here's the word for transfigured. Metamorphose. Metamorphose, like metamorphosis.

He was transfigured before them. He was changed forms. Metamorph, changed forms. I believe the veil of his human flesh was removed so that they could see his deity. Pretty amazing stuff. Alright guys, I love y 'all very much.

As always, like, share, subscribe. You can find all of our stuff on the Witton app. You can donate to our ministries on the Witton app, on the Give tab. At any rate, love you guys, and I hope to send a blessing to you.

Chapter 18 next time. Bye.