It Is Even Better Than I Had Hoped
A verse-by-verse explanation of the chapter.
An overview of the principles and applications from the chapter.
Melding the chapter to life.
Tying the chapter to life with God.
Historical, geographical, and grammatical enrichment of the commentary.
Suggested step-by-step group study of the chapter.
Zeroing the chapter in on daily life.
“Our brains are no longer conditioned for reverence and awe. We cannot imagine a Second Coming that would not be cut down to size by the televised evening news, or a Last Judgment not subject to pages of holier-than-Thou second-guessing in The New York Review of Books.”
John Updike
The Transfiguration gives the disciples a glimpse of Jesus' future glory. Not only is it a foreshadowing of Jesus' resurrection and return, but the Father speaks and affirms the true identity of his Son—the Messiah. Immediately following this mountaintop experience, Jesus chastises the other nine disciples for their small belief. It is here that Jesus makes his second formal presentation about his coming suffering, death, and resurrection.
It Is Even Better Than I Had Hoped
At Good Shepherd Church we have worked hard to foster healthy interpersonal friendships on our pastoral staff. We believe the spirit of the New Testament must first be modeled by the leaders before the people can grasp it. And it has been a wonderful process. Staff longevity is amazing as we “learn together to live like Christ.” But our joy in working together is difficult for people to believe.
At a pastor's conference, one of our newer staff pastors, who had been with us only a year or so, was approached by a colleague from a previous ministry. “We hear all the time about the quality of team ministry at Good Shepherd Church,” this person said. “Now that you are on the inside, tell us what it is really like.”
It was clear that he did not believe a word of what he had heard. This young ministerial skeptic had apparently been around the church-staff block a bit. Evidently, he had seen his share of professional jealousy, competition, and backbiting in the ministry. And he had allowed what he had seen to harden him. He had obviously bought into this world's adage, “If it seems too good to be true, it probably is.” He will be in for a real surprise when he walks through the gates of heaven. Like one of my experienced ministry colleagues says, he will probably stand there with his lower jaw on the floor and say, “But you cannot be God. You are too nice!”
It is unfortunate that life on this planet is not all it should be. But we do not have to give in to the world. We do meet fine Christian people who are just as good as they seem. Unfortunately, our experience is often the opposite—the more you get to know people, the less you are able to respect them. But it ought to be the other way around—the longer you are together, the deeper the love and respect.
That is certainly the way it was with Jesus and his disciples. The more they were around him, the more amazing and glorious they found him to be. Matthew is about to make that point in chapter 17. The disciples' minds were about to explode in love, joy, and respect. They would get a glimpse of Jesus as he really is. We call it the Transfiguration.
The King Reveals His Glory
MAIN IDEA: Kingdom citizens must live confidently in the supremacy of the king's glorious power and the truth of the king's teachings. This gives them the faith to follow him to the cross.
Matthew 17 moves the story along from the transition of chapter 16 toward the teaching on the new community, the church, in chapter 18. Chapter 17 also serves to advance the continuing movement of conflict to its climax through the rest of the book. It does this in several ways:
The story of Jesus' transfiguration (17:1-8) gave Peter, James, and John a glimpse of eternal perspective and Jesus' true glory. It was an encouragement that followed some of the difficult sayings of chapter 16 (esp. 16:21,24-26).
Building on the confession of 16:16, the transfiguration of Jesus further advanced these three disciples' understanding of the identity and power of Jesus. Twice (17:9,12 and 17:22-23), Jesus referred to his suffering, death, and resurrection, fulfilling the pattern set in 16:21 and preparing for the fulfillment of all the predictions at the end of Matthew's Gospel.
The episode with the demonized boy (17:14-18) and the subsequent teaching on faith (17:19-20) showed that the disciples still had a long way to go in their faith, even after the breakthrough of 16:16.
The discussion of the temple tax (17:24-27) began to turn the reader's mind toward the privileges and responsibilities of being a part of the community of faith—the church. This is the theme of Matthew's fourth discourse in chapter 18.
The imagery of the mountain as the setting for the Transfiguration may serve to illustrate the “higher” level of understanding and faith of those with proper perspective on the Messiah. In contrast, when Jesus came down and returned to the normal events of life, he met with the usual lack of faith, even from his own disciples. Matthew intended us to see irony in the nine remaining disciples who were unable to cast out a demon (even after being given authority to do so in 10:1,8), while Jesus' awesome power and glory was revealed in the Transfiguration. The reality of power was there, but those without faithful understanding failed to tap into this source of strength.
Two more of Jesus' public miracles are recorded in this passage, but they served a much different purpose than those catalogued in Matthew 8-15. Rather than further validating Jesus as the Messiah, the healing of the demonized boy (17:18) showed up the disciples' lack of genuine faith. The provision of the temple tax in the mouth of a fish (17:27) highlighted God's provision for his children.
SUPPORTING IDEA: Kingdom citizens must maintain a vision of the king's glorious identity and power and heed his teaching.
Jesus had just finished a sobering and motivational discussion with his disciples. They were aware of his upcoming suffering and death. They had been made to realize that suffering and pain was also part of their calling as his disciples. They were probably puzzled and disillusioned. Jesus indicated that at least some of them would not experience death before they saw him in his power and kingdom. What did Jesus mean? Matthew 17 is our answer.
Six days after making the statement that some of them would “see” the kingdom, Jesus took his inner group of three disciples—Peter, James, and John—up on a mountain. There they were amazed by what they witnessed. As overwhelmed as they were, what they saw was only a glimpse of the kingdom. The Old Testament saints represented by Moses and Elijah were there. The New Testament saints were represented by the three disciples. And, most significantly, the Son of Man was transfigured in a demonstration of his awesome glory.
One purpose of Jesus' transfiguration (17:1-8) was to give these three disciples an encouraging glimpse of eternal reality. This experience had an unforgettable impact on Peter (2 Pet. 1:16-18) as well as James and John.
If Jesus was intentionally compared to Moses in this passage, it was for the purpose of showing how Jesus surpassed Moses as a prophet, a leader, and a Savior. While Moses' face shone with the reflected light of Yahweh's glory, Jesus was Yahweh himself, allowing his own glory to show through his Son. Moses went up on the mountain to meet with Yahweh, but Jesus brought Moses to him, and the Father's presence further affirmed the supremacy of the Son. The same kind of comparison may have been intended with Elijah, but, if so, it is not as obvious as the comparison with Moses.
17:1. This is one of the few precise time references in Matthew connecting the Transfiguration with Jesus' statement in 16:28. The events and teaching of the preceding chapter are clearly linked to this experience on the Mount of Transfiguration.
Peter, James, and John were Jesus' inner circle among the Twelve. They, together with Andrew, were the first four disciples whom Jesus called (Matt. 4:18-22; Mark 1:16-20; Luke 5:10-11). They are listed as the first three of the Twelve in four different lists (Matt. 10:2; Mark 3:16-17; Luke 6:14; Acts 1:13). These three alone witnessed Jesus raising the dead girl (Matt. 9:25), witnessed the Transfiguration (Matt. 17:1), and accompanied Jesus at Gethsemane (Matt. 26:37). These three and Andrew questioned Jesus privately about the end times (Mark 13:3; cf. Matt. 24:3), and these four may have been the only ones of the Twelve present at the healing of Peter's mother-in-law (Mark 1:29; cf. Matt. 8:14-15).
Peter and John played prominent roles early in Acts. They were groomed by Jesus as key leaders for the church. James may have had a similar role, but he was not as prominent because he was one of the earliest martyrs in church history, killed by Herod shortly after the stoning of Stephen (Acts 11:19; 12:1-2).
Jesus had used mountains as retreat locations before (Matt. 14:23). This high mountain may have been Mount Hermon, 9,200 feet in altitude, northeast of Caesarea Philippi, the location of Peter's confession (16:13-20). It is unlikely that it was Mount Tabor to the south, the traditional setting most frequently visited by modern tourists.
Matthew emphasized that Jesus and these three disciples were by themselves. Jesus entrusted this glimpse of his glory only to his three closest friends, who would also be the key church leaders to pass on the vision to the rest of the believers after the Resurrection (17:9). This experience would be a source of encouragement to the church through difficult and uncertain times. Peter was struck by the magnificent display, but he indicated in his second epistle that those who were not present need not feel slighted. They had the Scriptures “made more sure” (2 Pet. 1:19) than if they had been eyewitnesses.
17:2. Without further preamble, Matthew came right to the point. Jesus was transfigured before them. The three disciples observed the entire process. Matthew's emphasis here is important, because they would be the only eyewitnesses of the event for others. Regarding Jesus' shining face, Moses' face also shone, but with reflected and transient glory (Exod. 34:29-35; 2 Cor. 3:7-18; also Matt. 13:43, which takes wording from Dan. 12:3). Compare Jesus' shining garments with the white clothing of the angels in 28:3. This was not simply “white.” This was of such brilliance that it partook of the very nature of light itself. To understand the Transfiguration, we must stretch our minds to another dimension beyond earthly white (Mark 9:3).
The word transfigured is the passive form of the Greek verb metamorphoo, meaning “to transform.” It is the word from which we derive our English term metamorphosis. Aside from the parallel passage in Mark 9:2, this verb is used only in Romans 12:2 and 2 Corinthians 3:18, both describing the inner transformation that takes place in a believer. It is noteworthy that 2 Corinthians 3 also compares this transformation with that of Moses when he met with God. But in that instance, it was the transience and superficiality of Moses' outer transformation that was emphasized, compared with our deep and lasting inner transformation.
17:3. As if the dazzling transformation of Jesus' appearance was not enough, Matthew drew attention to the appearance of two additional figures with the phrase just then. Moses and Elijah may represent the two most prominent of the prophets from two divisions of the Old Testament—the Law and the Prophets. Although there is a third division, the wisdom books, “the law and the prophets” was a common phrase summarizing the whole of the Old Testament. The presence of Moses and Elijah with Jesus indicated their complete unity with him.
We know from Scripture that Elijah did not die but was taken directly into heaven (2 Kgs. 2:11-12). But Deuteronomy 32:50; 34:5-6 states that Moses died and was buried by God, although the site of his grave was unknown. Both men had prophetic roles beyond their lifetime. Moses was a model future prophet (Deut. 18:18) and Elijah was a model for Jesus' forerunner (Mal. 4:5-6).
Those two revered historical figures must have loomed high over Jesus in the disciples' minds because of their limited understanding of Christ. The reality was that Jesus was the one who loomed over the rest, for he was their Creator and the mighty God who gave Moses and Elijah the prophetic words they spoke and wrote. “Listen to him,” the Father commanded (Matt. 17:5). One purpose of the Transfiguration was to rearrange the order of priority that Jesus and the human prophets had in the disciples' minds. Note that the theme in Peter's recounting of the Transfiguration (2 Pet. 1:12-21) was the accuracy and reliability of God's inspired Word.
The fact that Moses and Elijah were talking with Jesus (Greek present tense participle) indicates familiarity, which would further heighten Jesus' stature in the eyes of the three disciples and Matthew's readers.
17:4. Peter, consistent with his character, did not know what to do. But he wanted to do something. It is good for us to be here! is an expression of his amazement and joy. Any Jew would have recognized the privilege of being in the presence of the glorious Messiah as well as Moses and Elijah. Feeling the need to do something, Peter offered (if you wish) to show reverence to Jesus and the two prophets by building three shelters.
Evidently, what Peter had in mind was not protection from the sun or weather, but sacred shrines, like the tabernacle or other Old Testament memorials. Jesus apparently did not wish for such an expression of reverence, because he did not respond to Peter's offer.
17:5. Peter's offer was interrupted by the appearance of the Father himself. There is a connection between the cloud's appearance and the Father's voice and Peter's offer to build the shelters. Matthew says the cloud enveloped them while he [Peter] was still speaking. God recognized Peter's good intention in wanting to honor Jesus, Moses, and Elijah, but he corrected Peter's misperception by elevating his Son above the others.
In addition to Jesus' dazzling transformation and the appearance of Moses and Elijah, the awesome display drew to its climax as the cloud of the Shekinah glory came down and the voice of God spoke from the cloud.
The cloud was bright, with the same glory that shone from Jesus' face and clothes, reminding us of the cloud of God's presence during Israel's wanderings (Exod. 13:21-22), and his indwelling of the tabernacle (Exod. 40:34-38) and the temple (1 Kgs. 8:10-13).
The Father's words were identical to those spoken at Jesus' baptism (3:17, see comment there), with the addition of Listen to him (the Greek present imperative, which means “keep on listening” or “always listen”). When the Father affirmed Jesus as his Son, the disciples gained a better idea of Jesus' true identity—the glorious and suffering Messiah. When the Father expressed his love for his Son, the disciples had a more complete idea why Jesus was pleasing to the Father. He had been and would be obedient to the Father, even to death.
The command to the disciples was “Listen to him,” elevating the word of Jesus above the words of Moses and Elijah. Indeed, Moses himself commanded God's people to heed the prophet “like me” who would come (Deut. 18:15). This reminds us of Jesus' repeated challenge, “He who has ears, let him hear” (11:15; 13:9,43). The disciples had heard all of Jesus' teachings, but the “ears” of their hearts were not fully open to the meaning of what had been revealed to them.
17:6-8. The Father's proclamation was so frightening that the three disciples were unable to stand and face him, so they fell facedown to the ground, terrified.
There was a real element of worship in this action, even though it was motivated by fear. This fear of the Lord is much more than some vague form of respect or reverence. It is real fear. The command to fear the Lord (e.g., Prov. 1:7; 1 Pet. 1:17) includes the idea of literal fear at the awesome power and holiness of God. For a similar effect, see Daniel 10:7-9.
Jesus ministered to his disciples through the ministry of touch (see introductory thoughts on Matthew 8-9). Jesus also calmed the fears of the disciples after they had witnessed his glorious, awesome power (14:27; cf. 9:2,22). Because the glory of God was something his people could witness without shrinking away, and because the theophany (appearance of God) had ended, Jesus instructed the disciples to Get up.
As they raised their faces from the ground and looked around, the scene was restored to normal. The cloud and voice were gone. Moses and Elijah had vanished. Jesus stood alone. The brilliant light from his face and clothes had faded. But the memory would be theirs for life.
17:9. Jesus knew that such a revelation would be misused and misunderstood by others—even among the Twelve. His purpose in the Transfiguration had been to provide a striking testimony to and through Peter, James, and John after his resurrection. But in the wrong hands, this testimony could turn into a show, distracting from Jesus' purpose while the cross still loomed in the future. For this reason Jesus instructed the disciples not to tell anyone what they had seen, until the Son of Man has been raised from the dead.
17:10-13. Jesus' command for silence grew out of his realization that the multitudes of Israel had a wrong concept of the Messiah. They wanted a conquering king. They did not anticipate a suffering Messiah. Jesus did not want this magnificent display to encourage the masses to interfere with his suffering. He must go to Jerusalem, and he must die. And he did not want to encourage anyone to follow him for the wrong reason.
As the vision of Moses and Elijah lingered in the three disciples' minds, their heads must have been filled with questions. Then indicates that their question was a reaction to something they had witnessed or to Jesus' warning. They had just seen Elijah on the mountain. They knew the scribes anticipated Elijah's presence in association with Messiah's arrival. They did not understand why the Lord forbade them to tell anyone that Elijah had come.
Jesus assured them (17:11) that they had understood the Old Testament promise correctly. Jesus' promise that Elijah will restore all things was Jesus' paraphrase of Malachi 4:6: “He will turn the hearts of the fathers to their children, and the hearts of the children to their fathers; or else I will come and strike the land with a curse.” He was using the future tense as though quoting the words of Malachi, for whom John's coming was future.
Then, with his I tell you, Jesus went on to explain that the prophecy had already been fulfilled in John the Baptizer—a fact he had already made known in 11:14. They (v. 12) means Israel, particularly as represented by the hypocritical leaders, who did not recognize John as God's coming Elijah because of their stubborn blindness and hardness of heart. Out of their hatred and ignorance, the enemies of the kingdom—Herod in particular—did to John everything they wished, rather than responding in the way God wished (see the Jewish leaders' rejection of John in 21:24-27). Just as they had mistreated the Messiah's forerunner, so they would also mistreat the Messiah. The same group of rebels would reject and persecute both John and Jesus (11:18-19).
With this, the three disciples' understanding was complete. They had come to realize that the prophecy of Elijah was fulfilled in John, and that it was John whom Jesus referred to in 17:11-12. In spite of Jesus' announcement in 11:14, it had taken them this long to realize more fully John's place in God's plan. Now they knew that God's plan was further along in its fulfillment.
Meanwhile, Down Below: The Disciples' Continued Lack of Faith (17:14-21)SUPPORTING IDEA: True dependence on God's power will give the kingdom citizen all he or she needs to do the kingdom work successfully.
The failure of the nine disciples, who had remained below at the foot of the mountain, happened as the glory and authority of Jesus was being revealed on the mountain. In spite of the power available to them (17:2-5; also 10:1,8) and in spite of the truth about Jesus that they had confessed (16:16), their understanding and faith were still limited.
17:14-16. There was always a crowd near Jesus. We are probably to assume that this crowd was at or near Caesarea Philippi, awaiting his return from Mount Hermon and the Transfiguration. If this was the case, then this crowd was made up primarily of Gentiles.
As with the Canaanite woman (15:25), this man knelt before Jesus in desperation, begging for his help. Addressing Jesus with the title of respect, Lord (similar to “Sir” in English), the father explained that his son had seizures.
This Greek word for seizures (used only here in the New Testament) means literally, “to be moon-struck.” The similarity between the backgrounds of the Greek and English words reveals the belief, common to many cultures, that insanity waxed and waned with the phases of the moon. The symptoms described by the boy's father were similar to those of epilepsy, but the context makes it clear that the boy's self-destructive behavior (falling into fire or water) was due to the influence of a demon (17:18-19).
While Jesus was experiencing his transfiguration on the mountain, the father had brought his son to the nine disciples. They had failed to draw on their delegated authority to cast out the demon and cure the boy. In 17:19, they expressed their puzzlement over this failure.
17:17-18. Jesus' harsh rebuke was directed toward the disciples. It was not surprising to hear him call them unbelieving, for he had already confronted their lack of faith many times. But for Jesus to address the disciples as part of an unbelieving and perverted generation was to lump them together with obstinate Israel and its hypocritical leaders (cf. 11:16; 12:39; 16:4).
The word perverted is the perfect passive participle of a Greek verb meaning “to make crooked, misshapen.” It implies corruption or distortion of something to the point that the object is no longer useful. The disciples of the Messiah were empowered to draw upon his authority to advance the kingdom of heaven. Instead they failed miserably because of their lack of dependence on his power. This was symbolic of the failure of Israel.
At Jesus' command, the boy was brought to him. Jesus exercised the power of his word, rebuking the demon, who obeyed immediately. Matthew's wording that the boy was healed from that moment is parallel to the healing of the demonized girl in 15:28 (cf. 8:13). Jesus knew the power available to him. Although he was different than the disciples in that he was the Messiah-King, nevertheless he had delegated to them the same power and authority he had. Their failure to have enough faith to use this power frustrated Jesus.
17:19-21. Privately, the chastised disciples expressed their puzzlement over their failure (see comment on 17:16). Jesus' answer shed new light on the issue of a believer's faith. After grabbing their attention with I tell you the truth, Jesus stated that their faith was so tiny that it was almost nonexistent. Even faith as small as a mustard seed (see comment on 13:31-32) was enough to move this mountain (possibly 9,200-foot Mount Hermon, looming above as Jesus pointed toward it) from here to there at a word (cf. this with 21:21, where Jesus taught that faith could enable the disciples to move another mountain). If such limited faith could give a follower of Jesus the same power he had exercised with his words, then the same power should be available to the follower to command a demon to leave a boy. In fact, with even this limited faith in God's infinite power, nothing will be impossible for you. The issue was not quantity of faith but quality of faith.
Attempting to quantify faith can be misleading. There is a common misperception today that “faith” in itself is the source of power, when true faith is actually an admission of powerlessness and a dependence on God's power. When Jesus spoke of faith as small as a mustard seed, he was encouraging us to let go of our own efforts and to rely instead on God's power.
A believer's lack of faith affects his or her ability to appropriate God's power to do God's work—to advance God's kingdom in the world. We are his instruments in this world. But if we choose to act without his power, we become useless to him.
Many people misinterpret the promise, “nothing will be impossible for you,” and similar statements in the New Testament (e.g., John 14:13-14). This is not a blanket coverage of any desire we might express to God in prayer. Biblical faith taps into God's power and authority, but it can be exercised only in accordance with God's will (cf. 1 John 5:14). Biblical faith assumes not only a belief in God's power, but also a heart after God's own heart, which desires and asks for the things of God—not personal “wants.” This is an important caution in light of the erroneous “name it and claim it” theology we hear so often today.
The King's Second Prediction of His Death and Resurrection (17:22-23)SUPPORTING IDEA: The road to the cross is the most difficult work of the kingdom servant. To take this road, we need the vision of the king's glory and the truth of the king's teaching.
17:22-23. Jesus and his disciples were together in Jewish territory, before starting on the road to Jerusalem (19:1). Jesus made the second formal prediction of his suffering, death, and resurrection. This time he used the title the Son of Man. This clarified even further the suffering aspect of the Son of Man, the Messiah.
Even though Jesus was not yet literally moving toward the cross, Matthew's narrative is definitely moving in that direction, building the tragic picture in small bits.
The disciples' response to Jesus' prediction was deep distress and grief. Matthew used the extreme adverb (see comment on 17:6) to modify the verb “to distress, grieve.” Their hopes were dashed because their preconceptions about the promised Messiah were so deeply ingrained in their Jewish hearts. They also feared the repercussions of such persecution upon them as the followers of Jesus. They overlooked the strong note of hope in Jesus' mention of the Resurrection.
The Privileges and Responsibilities of Royal Sonship (17:24-27)SUPPORTING IDEA: Even though the king's death exempts his servants from obligations under the old covenant, we must be willing to give up our privileges for the ministry of the kingdom in the lives of others.
In 16:17-19, Jesus introduced the church, together with some basic information about its invincibility, authority, responsibility, and mission. Beginning with this brief passage, Matthew turns our mind back to the church—the community of faith. This passage serves as a transition into Jesus' fourth discourse, Matthew 18, which clarifies the guidelines by which believers are to conduct their relationships with each other within the church. These verses emphasize the qualities of humility, purity, and mercy.
This introductory passage shares with Matthew 18 an emphasis on “children” of God in the community of faith, but it is also different from Matthew 18 in some significant ways. Matthew 18 deals with relationships within the church, while 17:24-27 deals with relationships between believers and unbelievers. Matthew 18 deals primarily with responsibilities, while 17:24-27 describes both the responsibilities and privileges of believers.
The central message of this passage is that the children of the king are no longer under the old covenant (temple tax of Exod. 30:13) but the new covenant. Modern believers are free from certain old covenant obligations. But we do have a responsibility to the king to live without sacrificing godly character. In this way, we may live at peace with others (Rom. 12:18 and context; 1 Tim. 2:1-2), and win as many as possible into the kingdom (1 Cor. 9:19-23). While sonship has its advantages, they are to be sacrificed to bring others to Christ.
17:24. Jesus had returned to Capernaum on the north shore of the Sea of Galilee, his base of operations after his withdrawal into Gentile territory throughout the events of 16:5-17:20. By the quick succession of events, Matthew gives us the impression that Jesus had not had much time to settle in before he was being harassed by those representing the Jewish religious establishment. This time it was the collectors of the temple tax.
17:25-27. Peter answered the tax collectors in the affirmative, either based on assumption or on Jesus' previous practice of paying the tax. But he did not have the means to pay this tax at the moment.
Jesus asked Peter to consider an analogy. Everyone knew that an earthly king's family was exempt from the king's taxes. This was part of the privilege of royalty. But all the commoners outside the royal family were obligated to pay taxes to the king. We must not become distracted from the main point of the passage concerning the payment of the temple tax.
Jesus was not teaching a lesson about civil taxes. Rather, he was paralleling the temple tax with the civil tax. The kings of the earth are parallel to God, and the sons represent true believers and children of God (5:9,45). The customs or poll tax paralleled the temple tax. Jesus left the implications for members of God's family unstated, but it is clearly implied: God's royal children are free from old covenant obligations that have been nullified by the new covenant.
In order not to offend them (literally, “causing them to stumble”), Jesus gave up the privilege for a higher value. The miraculous means by which God provided the tax money makes two points: (1) it underscored Jesus' point that the children of God are free from this kind of obligation; and (2) it testified again to the Father's faithfulness to provide for his children (6:19-34). The actual fulfillment of the miracle was not recorded. This has the effect of deemphasizing the miracle and drawing attention to the main lesson of the passage.
Jesus' payment of the unnecessary tax by supernatural means highlighted his humility. This will be an important theme in the discourse of chapter 18. The king did not have to pay the tax, but he sought to avoid causing offense to others.
MAIN IDEA REVIEW: Kingdom citizens must live confidently in the supremacy of the king's glorious power and the truth of the king's teachings. This gives them the faith to follow him to the cross.
As children of God, we are responsible to follow the example of Jesus, relinquishing our privileges when they conflict with the ministry of redemption in the lives of people. (By extension, note that Jesus himself, the unique Son of God, relinquished his greatest privilege and right—uninterrupted life in glory with the Father—for the ministry of redemption to us, who are the most unworthy.)
APPLICATIONS
We are attracted to displays of power. The forces of nature—hurricanes, tornadoes, earthquakes, and so on—get our attention, especially when they affect us directly. And rightly so. The damage these natural phenomenon cause is staggering. They demand a healthy respect.
Even beyond that direct involvement, we are awed by the power we see in nature. And, we are creative in capturing what natural power we can for our benefit. Dams store water that have energy potential. Nuclear power plants span our nation.
We are so quick to recognize and understand physical power, and quick to harness it. We need power to live our lives on this earth. That same principle applies to the spiritual world and kingdom living. But too often we fail to harness the spiritual power God makes available to us for kingdom living. God has delegated to us the power we need to be citizens of his kingdom.
An understanding of the truth of Jesus' teaching and a grasp on God's power will enable us to live righteously in God's kingdom, in spite of difficulties we may face. It was the vision of Jesus' power and glory in the Transfiguration that gave sustenance to the disciples and motivated them to persevere through persecution.
Without his strength and the power he provides for kingdom living, we will fail. Are you living by the power God provides, or trying to generate your own?
Lord, forgive us when we fail to exercise the power you have delegated to us as citizens of your kingdom. Make us bold witnesses to others of your love and grace and life-changing power. Amen.
A. “Nothing Will Be Impossible for You” (17:19-21)
Several other New Testament passages state this condition more clearly in various ways. For example, we find that answered prayer is dependent on:
All such promises in Scripture assume that God will answer all prayers that are according to his will, and that we can exercise his authority to do anything that is according to his will (the equivalent of praying “in his name”). However, from this truth comes yet another misconception—that we must be able to discern God's will before we ask for anything or draw upon his authority to act in the world. The prayer lives of many believers have been paralyzed by such assumptions.
None of the passages above prohibit making requests that are contrary to God's will. The New Testament simply tells us that such requests will not be granted. This should give the believer great freedom and security. We can ask for literally anything, and then trust our wise and loving Father to sort out that which is according to his will (and also in our best interest; 7:9-11).
Where we are likely to stray is in expecting something that we have no right to expect. If we ask in faith for something clearly promised in Scripture (e.g., wisdom, Jas. 1:5-8), then we are guaranteed to receive it (although not necessarily in the way or at the time we expect). If we ask for something that is contrary to God's will (e.g., harm to a person), then we are either guaranteed not to receive it, or we will receive it as an act of God's judgment (cf. “they have received their reward in full,” 6:2,5,16).
Finally, in the many areas where God's will is unclear, we must search our hearts for right motives, ask God for wisdom, and then come to the Father as a child and place our request before him. The Father delights to please his children. He will grant our requests whenever he can and refuse them whenever he must—for our good and his glory.
As we grow in our knowledge of the Father and in our faith in him, we will develop a mind and heart more and more like his. Out of this heart will flow fewer of our selfish desires and more of his desires. Our prayers will reflect this transformation (Ps. 37:4; 1 Cor. 2:6-16, esp. v. 16; Rom. 12:2).
B. Summary
Without this chapter, we would not understand an important motivation for the disciples' spiritual sustenance through persecution—their vision of Jesus' transfiguration. Nor would we understand Jesus' supremacy over all holy men of history, or his continuity with or fulfillment of the Old Testament. Without this chapter, we would miss an important lesson on the abundant power of God (17:1-8) and our freedom to tap into it for success in kingdom work (17:20). And finally we would miss an important key to understanding our privileges and responsibilities under the new covenant (17:24-27).
A. INTRODUCTION
B. COMMENTARY
C. CONCLUSION
