January 25, 2022

Jesus Didn't Come to Throw Out the Old Testament!

Matthew 17

Brent Buemi
Tuesday's Devo

January 25, 2022

Tuesday's Devo

January 25, 2022

Central Truth

We all want to be on the mountain of glory. God will bring believers there one day, but for now we must listen to Him. Powerful, subjective experiences are fleeting, but the seed of faith will flourish in the soil of God's Word—so plant yourself there daily. 

Key Verse | Matthew 17:5

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."
 

Matthew 17

The Transfiguration

And after six days Jesus took with him Peter and James, and John his brother, and led them up a high mountain by themselves. And he was transfigured before them, and his face shone like the sun, and his clothes became white as light. And behold, there appeared to them Moses and Elijah, talking with him. 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.” He was still speaking when, behold, a bright cloud overshadowed them, and a voice from the cloud said, “This is my beloved Son, 1 17:5 Or my Son, my (or the) Beloved with whom I am well pleased; listen to him.” When the disciples heard this, they fell on their faces and were terrified. But Jesus came and touched them, saying, “Rise, and have no fear.” And when they lifted up their eyes, they saw no one but Jesus only.

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.

Jesus Heals a Boy with a Demon

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, 2 17:18 Greek it and it 3 17:18 Greek the demon came out of him, and the boy was healed instantly. 4 17:18 Greek from that hour 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.” 5 17:20 Some manuscripts insert verse 21: But this kind never comes out except by prayer and fasting

Jesus Again Foretells Death, Resurrection

22 As they were gathering 6 17:22 Some manuscripts remained 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.

The Temple Tax

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. 7 17:27 Greek stater, a silver coin worth four drachmas or approximately one shekel Take that and give it to them for me and for yourself.”

Footnotes

[1] 17:5 Or my Son, my (or the) Beloved
[2] 17:18 Greek it
[3] 17:18 Greek the demon
[4] 17:18 Greek from that hour
[5] 17:20 Some manuscripts insert verse 21: But this kind never comes out except by prayer and fasting
[6] 17:22 Some manuscripts remained
[7] 17:27 Greek stater, a silver coin worth four drachmas or approximately one shekel

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Dive Deeper | Matthew 17

Matthew 17 consists of four stories that Peter experienced firsthand. Right off the bat he witnesses one of the greatest physical pictures in human history: on a mountain, overshadowed by a bright cloud, he heard the actual voice of God say, "This is my beloved Son . . . listen to him." It's interesting to note that God doesn't say, "Just merely look at Him," which would have been an unbelievable sight to behold. God said, "Listen."

You see, the disciples were so confused because of what they thought the Messiah would look like. Peter must have thought, "I just got through saying Jesus was the Christ and then He told me He was going to die. So I rebuked Him for that and then He rebuked me. Then He takes me up this hill, and I see I was right! But now He is talking about dying again. This makes absolutely no sense!" That's because he heard passages like Psalm 2 that spoke of the Messiah as this great conquering king. But he neglected other passages such as Isaiah 53 that stated the Messiah would suffer. In Luke 24:25-27, Jesus Himself instructed two confused disciples on the road to Emmaus how the Scriptures from Moses and all the Prophets taught that it was necessary for the Christ to suffer. 

So how do we hear from God? Thankfully, Peter left us a commentary in 2 Peter 1:16-21. He essentially says the Mount of Transfiguration was unbelievable, but better than that experience is the Word of God, which is sure. If you could choose between being on the Mount of Transfiguration with Jesus or in the Word, choose the Word because experiences are unreliable. Don't believe me? Well, not too long after seeing Jesus transfigured, Peter denies Him three times (Matthew 26:69-75). So if you think that mountain would have been awesome, well, get in the Word! Because experiences are fleeting—praise be to God for the more sure Word!

Society today craves subjective experiences to feel something, but Peter tells us that even better than seeing and feeling is the anchor of God's Word that is available to us.

Discussion Questions

1. The word transfiguration used in Matthew 17 is the same word used in Romans 12:2 where Paul exhorts us to be transformed by the renewing of our mind. One day God will finish the job (Philippians 1:6), but while we're here we ought to work out our salvation (Philippians 2:12-13) and continually discipline ourselves for the purpose of godliness (1 Timothy 4:7). How are you doing, church? What are some ways that you can excel still more (1 Thessalonians 4:10)?

2. One way to be transformed is by spending time in the Word. But another way that is just as vital is doing life with other believers. (Acts 2:42-47; Hebrews 10:24-25) At Watermark we call it community. Call it whatever you want, but we need it. Are you plugged into a small group of other believers you can admonish, encourage, and help (1 Thessalonians 5:14)? If not, don't just take my word for it, test it! www.watermark.org/community

3. Another way all of us can excel more is improving our prayer life. Right after the Transfiguration, Jesus finds His disciples unable to heal a demon-possessed boy. We read in Mark's Gospel that Jesus says, "This kind cannot be driven out by anything but prayer." (Mark 9:29) Jesus was not talking about some magic incantation or special prayer. He's talking about ultimately what prayer is—communication with God and abiding with Him. With Him we're able to do things we couldn't otherwise do to bring Him glory. But all too often, we try to do things in our own strength without inquiring of God. Are you talking with God about every aspect of your life, not only the struggles or pain, but your areas of competency as well?