Bible Study Materials

Matthew 17:1-27

by Paul Choi   09/13/2015  

Question


This is My Son ... Listen to Him!"

Matthew 16:21-17:27

Key Verse: 17:5

 

1. What secret about Jesus' identity had the disciples learned in Chapter 16? Read 16: 21-23. From now on, what did Jesus begin to teach his disciples about what he must do? How did Peter respond?  Why did Jesus rebuke him?

2. Read 16:24-26. What is required of one who would be a disciple? What does it mean to want to save one's life? What does it mean to lose ones' life for Jesus? What is of supreme value? Read verses 27-28. What does Jesus promise?

3. Read 17:1-3. Where did Jesus go? What happened? Describe his transfigured appearance. Whom did he meet? Why these two? What were they talking about? (Lk 9:30-31) How is this event related to 16:28? What does this tell us about Jesus?

4. Read verses 4-8. How did Peter react? Why? How did the voice of God testify about Jesus? What does this mean? Why did God tell the disciples to listen to him? How did the disciples respond?

5. Read verses 9-13. What were Jesus' instructions to them? Why? What great promise is hidden in these instructions? What did the disciples ask? Why? (Mal 4:4-6) What did Jesus teach about Elijah?

6. Read 17:14-21. What was going on at the foot of the mountain when Jesus arrived? Why did Jesus rebuke the "unbelieving and perverse generation"? What did he do for the boy? What did he teach his disciples? (see Mk 11:24; 1Jn 5:14)

7. Read verses 17:22-27. What did Jesus tell his disciples when they came together in Galilee? How did they respond? To what extent did they understand? Who challenged Peter when they arrived in Capernaum? What does his response show about him? What did Jesus teach him about his true identity?


Attachment


Message


This Is My Son. Listen To Him

Matthew 16:21-17:27

Key Verse: 17:5 “While he was still speaking, a bright cloud covered them, and a voice from the cloud said, “This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased. Listen to him!”

  Last week we learned who Jesus really is through Peter’s confession of faith. When Jesus asked his disciples, “Who do you say I am?” Peter answered, “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.” (16) Jesus blessed Peter’s confession and promised to build his church on his rock. As Peter confessed, Jesus is the Messiah, the Christ, who came to save us from our sins. In today’s passage Jesus for the first time predicted his death and resurrection to his disciples. He was also on a mountain transfigured before their eyes into a glorious image. Today we’ll study about the meaning of Jesus’ suffering, death, resurrection, and transfiguration. We will study more about who Jesus is through these events.

First, deny yourself, take up your cross and follow Jesus. (21-28) After Peter’s confession, the atmosphere among the disciples was cheering with a sense of victory. Peter gave a perfect answer to Jesus’ question. Jesus promised to build his church on and give the keys of his kingdom to Peter. This was the same feeling as when you successfully finish an exam. Look at verse 21. “From that time on Jesus began to explain to his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem and suffer many things at the hands of the elders, the chief priests and the teachers of the law, and that he must be killed and on the third day be raised to life.” Jesus predicted his suffering, death, and resurrection to his disciples for the first time. Jesus taught them how he would be the Messiah, the Savior of the world. The Messiah didn’t come to receive honor and glory from the world. The Messiah came to suffer and die for the sins of the world. The Messiah came to save his people from their sins and destroy the power of death through his resurrection.

  What was the disciples’ response? Peter took Jesus aside and began to rebuke him. “Never, Lord!” he said, “This shall never happen to you!” (22)Who would rebuke Jesus on this earth other than Peter? Why did he rebuke Jesus? It was because he loved Jesus. He did not want Jesus, his master, to suffer and die in Jerusalem. He did not want to lose his lovely master and Lord Jesus. How did Jesus respond to Peter? Look at verse 23. “Jesus turned and said to Peter, “Get behind me, Satan! You are a stumbling block to me; you do not have in mind the concerns of God, but merely human concerns.” Jesus didn’t apologize to Peter by saying, “Oh, Peter, I am sorry for the short notice.” But Jesus rebuked Peter calling him Satan and a stumbling block. Indeed, Peter is not Satan. Jesus rebuked Satan who was working behind Peter. Satan was a stumbling block to the way of Jesus. Satan tried to stop the way of cross through Peter because Jesus’ death and resurrection would destroy the work of Satan and liberate all human beings from the hand of Satan. Satan tried to stop the cross and resurrection of Jesus by all means. As we studied in chapter 4, in the desert Satan tempted Jesus to give up the cross by promising to give him all the glory and splendor of the world instead of taking up the cross. Jesus rebuked Satan who was working in Peter’s heart.

  What was wrong with Peter? Not long ago he was praised by Jesus through his confession of faith. According to Jesus, Peter did not have in mind the concerns of God, but merely human concerns. What are the concerns of God and what are the concerns of men? The concerns of God are the things related to God and to his kingdom. The concern of God is the work of the Messiah through Jesus’ death and resurrection. The concerns of men are things related to Peter himself such as Peter’s human love for Jesus, his earthly messianic dream, hidden ambition, and so on. Peter made a great confession of faith that Jesus is the Messiah. However, he did not quite understand what the word ‘Messiah’ meant. He did not know how Jesus was working as the Messiah. Peter’s concept of the Messiah was somewhat earthbound. Like other disciples, he also expected Jesus to restore Israel from the hand of the Roman Empire. He expected Jesus to destroy all their enemies and establish the messianic kingdom on this earth. His expectations and dreams were more earthly than heavenly. In this aspect he could not accept Jesus’ prediction about his suffering, death, and resurrection.

  Here we learn that if we expect something else from Jesus other than spiritual blessings such as eternal life in the kingdom of God, we may make the same mistake as Peter did. If we have in mind the things of the world more than the things of God, we may be disappointed at Jesus’ words. If we expect material blessings, financial safety, and better relationships by following Jesus, we may become angry when all things do not go as well as we expected. The Messiah Jesus came to suffer and die for our sins. He came here to bless us more than we expect. He wants to give us eternal life and the kingdom of heaven, not just temporary satisfaction or financial comfort. Of course Jesus blesses us in all aspects of our lives with long life, good health, material blessings and so on. Still Jesus wants to give us more than these.

  Then Jesus said to his disciples, “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me will find it. What good will it be for someone to gain the whole world, yet forfeit their soul? Or what can anyone give in exchange for their soul? For the Son of Man is going to come in his Father’s glory with his angels, and then he will reward each person according to what they have done.” (24-27) In these verses Jesus taught his disciples that being his disciples is not easy. It is like taking up a cross and following Jesus. To where? To the site of cross, and then to heaven. How nice it would be if we could go to heaven without experiencing death! How wonderful it would be if we could follow Jesus without any struggles with our sins! But being a disciple of Jesus is denying myself and taking up my cross and following him daily. It requires daily struggling against my sins and daily walking with Jesus. This is painful, but the reward is great. Jesus promised eternal life and heavenly rewards. When he comes again in the Father’s glory, he will reward each person according to what they have done. What good would it be for you to become a billionaire, yet lose your soul? What could you do with all your money? What good would be it for you enter a good school, gain a high-paying job, marry a nice person, but die tonight? What have you done on this earth for your salvation and reward in heaven? I know an old man who has traveled around the world. His room was decorated with all kinds of souvenirs from where he had visited, such as mugs, caps, badges, pennants, and so on. He even drew with a pen all his journeys on a world map, following the places he had visited. He enjoyed his life traveling around the world. But how is it good for him if he does not go to the kingdom of heaven? Where does he go eventually if he insists on not believing in Jesus?

Second, This is my Son, whom I love,…Listen to him.” (16:28-17:1-13) Look at 16:28. “Truly I tell you, some who are standing here will not taste death before they see the Son of Man coming in his kingdom.” This verse is difficult to understand and it is interpreted in several ways. But mainly we accept his word to indicate the approaching event of Jesus’ transfiguration on a mountain. What happened next? After six days Jesus took with him Peter, James, and John the brother of James, and led them up a high mountain by themselves. (17:1) The high mountain is known as Mount Hermon (9,232 ft), but it is too high and cold for Jesus and his disciples to spend a night and come down the next day. Mount Miron (3,926 ft), the highest mountain within Israel and on the way from Caesarea Philippi to Capernaum is acceptable. In the Bible a mountain is a metaphor for God’s presence. God called Moses from a mountain. (Ex 3:1,19:20)Moses received the Ten Commandments on a mountain. The glory of God covered Mount Horeb.  Elijah called God’s name on Mount Carmel, and God sent fire from heaven to burn Elijah’s sacrifice on a mountain. (1 Ki 18:38) Jesus frequently went up on a mountain to pray to God. (Mt 14:23, Lk 6:12) Jesus taught the crowd a “Sermon on a Mount”. (Mt 5:1)

  What happened to Jesus on the mountain?  Verse 2 says that there he was transfigured before them. His face shone like the sun, and his clothes became as white as the light.  Jesus was transfigured into a glorious image of God. The verb ‘transfigure’, metamorphoo in Greek, does not mean only a change of outward appearance, but a change of inmost nature. Moses’ face shone because it reflected something of God’s glory.( Ex 34:29-30). But as for Jesus, he himself was transfigured and the change of his inmost nature was outwardly visible.  His face shone like the sun, and his clothes became as white as light. Brightness reveals glory and white refers to holiness.  Jesus was transfigured into the glorious and holy image of God. This image is not new to Jesus. This is his original image as the Son of God. Hebrews 1:3 says, “The Son is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation of his being…” In Revelation 1:16 John the Apostle describes Jesus in this way, “In his right hand he held seven stars, and coming out of his mouth was a sharp, double-edged sword. His face was like the sun shining in all its brilliance.

What did his transfiguration mean to his disciples? Jesus was transfigured before the eyes of three of his disciples. After Peter’s confession and the prediction of his suffering death and resurrection, Jesus wanted to show them the real picture of the Messiah. Jesus wanted to teach them glory behind suffering and resurrection after crucifixion. Being disciples of Jesus is denying themselves, taking up their cross, and following Jesus. Following Jesus is not easy. This is like entering the narrow gate. But after passing the narrow gate there is eternal glory and eternal life. Eternal glory and eternal life cannot be compared to sufferings on this earth, as our soul cannot be exchanged for anything on this earth. Paul said in Romans 8:18, “I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us.” Life on this earth is short and life in God’s kingdom is permanent. Splendor and pleasure on this earth is temporal, but glory in God’s kingdom is eternal. Jesus’ disciples are followers of Jesus. Jesus taught them how glorious and blessed their lives would be in heaven when they follow Jesus to the end.  

Look at verse 3. “Just then there appeared before them Moses and Elijah, talking with Jesus” Before the eyes of the three disciples Moses and Elijah appeared and talked with Jesus. We are not sure how the disciples recognized Moses and Elijah, but we believe that the Holy Spirit enabled them to recognize them. Why Moses and Elijah? Who were they? Moses and Elijah are figures in the Old Testament and both received God’s revelation on a mountain. Moses was the representative of the law, and Elijah, the representative of the prophets. Moses and Elijah represent the Old Scripture. This means that Jesus is the fulfillment of the Old Testament. Also, according to Luke’s gospel they were talking with Jesus about his departure, which means Jesus’ death and resurrection. (Lk 9:31) God sent Moses and Elijah as envoys to confirm Jesus’ departure. They came to encourage Jesus to fulfill his redemptive mission as the Messiah.

What was the disciples’ response to Jesus’ transfiguration? Look at verse 4. “Peter said to Jesus, “Lord, it is good for us to be here. If you wish, I will put up three shelters-one for you, one for Moses and one for Elijah.” Peter did not know what he was talking about. According to Luke’s gospel, Peter and his companions were very sleepy, but when they became fully awake, they saw his glory and the two men standing with him. (Lk 9:32) Peter did not understand Jesus’ transfiguration. He just did not want to go down from the mountain and suffer again. He desired to stay there with Jesus and the two great men of God and live forever.  His messianic dream seemed to be fulfilled. Like Peter we also want to stay in our comfort zone forever. No one wants to suffer. No one wants to deny himself or herself and to take up crosses and follow Jesus. Especially when we are well paid and everything seems to be going well, we ask as Peter did, “Lord, it is good for me to stay here.” “The spirit is willing, but my body is weak.”

What happened next? While Peter was still speaking, a bright cloud covered them, and a voice from the cloud said, “This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased. Listen to him!” (5) In the Bible, a cloud refers to the glory of God and his holy presence. A voice came from the cloud. God delivered his message to his disciples directly. God delivered the same message when Jesus was baptized. After Jesus was baptized and came out of the water, heaven was opened and a voice from heaven said, “This is my Son, whom I love; with whom I am well pleased.” (Mt 3:16,17) As God confirmed Jesus’ baptism as the inauguration ceremony as the Messiah in the water, God confirmed again Jesus’ death and resurrection as the messianic work on a mountain.

Why did God command his disciples to listen to Jesus? His disciples were full of merely human concerns, not concerns of God. They did not listen to Jesus’ words to the end. They accepted Jesus’ words as they desired. They selected Jesus’ words for their own sake. They pretended to listen to Jesus, but they didn’t. God rebuked the disciples so that they would deny their own ideas, plans, selfish ambition, and earthly messianic dreams, and obey Jesus’ words. ‘Listen to him’ means ‘obey his words. The verb ‘listen’, “Shama” in Hebrew means obey. Here we learn two things. First, Jesus is the Son of the living God. Second, we must listen to him. Jesus is our Lord and Savior. The word ‘Lord’ kurios in Greek’ means master, owner, or ruler, who has absolute authority and power. The Lord ‘Adonai’ in Hebrew means Yahweh, the Almighty Creator God. When we call Jesus ‘Lord’, we accept him as our king, master, and ruler of our lives. Who is Jesus to you?  Is he only a Savior to you, not the Lord? Let us make confession of faith to Jesus. “Jesus. You are my Lord and Savior.  I accept you as the Lord of my life. Please rule over my thoughts and control my desire so that I may submit myself to you.”

When the disciples heard the voice from heaven, they fell face down on the ground, terrified. But Jesus came and touched them. “Get up,” he said, “Don’t be afraid.” When they looked up, they saw no one except Jesus. (6-8) As they were coming down the mountain, Jesus instructed them not to tell anyone until he was raised from the dead. This was because they could not understand the meaning of Jesus’ transfiguration, and they were not ready to accept Jesus as the Son of the living God.

Today we learned about Jesus’ transfiguration on a mountain. The picture of Jesus’ transfiguration is the prelude of his second coming to this world (Parousia). Jesus will come again in a great glory and power. Jesus’ transfiguration is also the preview of our own resurrection. The day when we are resurrected, we will be changed. We will be transfigured into a glorious and immortal image like the transfigured Jesus. Amen!


Attachment




St Louis UBF University Bible Fellowship

7375 Tulane Ave University City, MO 63130, USA
314-898-3512 choi8149@yahoo.com


  Website : UBF HQ | Chicago UBF | Korea UBF | Pray Relay Site |   YouTube : UBF HQ | UBF TV | Daily Bread

Copyright St Louis UBF UBF © 2020