FACE DOWN

AUGUST 13, 2009 THURSDAY; SCRIPTURE: MATTHEW CHAPTER 17

TEXT: http://net.bible.org/bible.php?book=Mat&chapter=17

MESSAGE

Six days after Peter’s confession of Jesus this was confirmed without doubt by God Himself when Jesus took Peter, James and John up a high mountain where he was transfigured and they saw Him in his Glorified state. Moses and Elijah appeared with Him as the voice of God came out of the bright cloud that surrounded them saying, “This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased. Listen to him! Petrified, the disciples fell face first to the ground until Jesus came over and touched them telling them not to fear. Getting up, they found they were once again alone with Jesus.

While descending the mountain Jesus tells his disciples not to tell anyone about what they had witnessed until after he is raised from the dead. God having just verified Jesus as the Christ, His Son, the disciples ask Jesus why the experts on the law teach that Elijah must come before Christ appears. Jesus responds by telling them Elijah does come and restore all things and in fact had already come but wasn’t recognized and suffered and died as he too will - which led to the disciples’ understanding that the Elijah who was to come had been John the Baptist.

Coming down from the mountain, a man comes out from a crowd, kneels before Jesus and begs for mercy for his demon possessed son suffering from seizures who the disciples that remained behind were unable to heal. Calling the disciples an unbelieving and perverse generation, Jesus rebukes the demon, it comes out and the boy is healed. Afterwards in private when the disciples ask why they were unable to heal the boy Jesus tells them because of their little faith, i.e. because they were relying on their own strength instead of on the power of God in their attempts to heal the boy. Jesus tells them that God’s power is so great that it doesn’t take a lot of faith to do the impossible if that faith is rightly placed.

Together in Galilee, He again tells his disciples about the path he must follow as the Son of God, that he will be betrayed, killed and rise three days later; which caused them great distress even though they had already heard him say this.

In Capernaum, when Peter is questioned by the temple tax collectors about whether Jesus pays his yearly tax to support the temple he tells them that he does. On entering the house Jesus asks Peter whether earthly kings collect taxes from their sons or others to which Peter replies “others”. Jesus’ point is that the sons are free and that from the standpoint that the Kingdom of Heaven has come, He as the Son of God and King is exempt and Peter as a son in the Kingdom is exempt from paying the temple tax based on the old temple system as opposed to those who do not believe or belong to the Kingdom of Heaven. However, in humility he tells Peter to not offend the temple tax collectors by going fishing at the lake where he will find a coin in the mouth of the first fish he catches that will pay the yearly temple tax for both of them.

TEACHING

Peter, James and John see Jesus in his divine radiant state on a mountain top in the company of Moses and Elijah who he outshines as God, present in a cloud, declares Him his Son. This occurs only days after the Pharisees and Saducees demanded that Jesus give them a miraculous heavenly sign, Jesus was told by his disciples that the people thought he was a prophet like Elijah, and after Peter had confessed Him as the Christ, the Son of the Living God, but then was rebuked for what his human expectations of the Christ should be. The radiance of Jesus as God was so frightening to the disciples they fell to their faces on the ground. A touch from Jesus comforts them as they get up and head back down the mountain pondering out loud their knowledge of Malachi (4:5-6) that Elijah must come first and restore all things before the Christ (Messiah) comes – confused by the Scriptures having just witnessed firsthand that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of Living God. Their confusion is cleared up when they understand that John the Baptist was the Elijah who was to come and thus preceded Jesus.

Coming down from the mountain, there is more confusion amongst a crowd and a man who emerges begging Jesus for mercy for his demon possessed son with seizures who the 9 disciples who remained behind were unable to heal. Jesus expresses his disappointment with his disciples attempts at healing the boy, rebukes the demon, it leaves and immediately the boy is well. In a private discussion that follows Jesus tells his disciples that they have become self-reliant in their approach to healing instead of having faith and relying on the power of God as the source of all healing – something that allows them to do things for the Kingdom that are otherwise totally impossible.

Back in Galilee, Jesus again tells the disciples of the difficult path he must follow, something they all heard from him recently and Peter, James and John heard about on the way down the mountain when discussing Elijah coming before the Messiah. This time, in addition to him telling them about his having to suffer, die and rise from the dead three days later he also tells them of his pending betrayal.

With Jesus’ crucifixion at the hands of the religious leaders of the temple imminent, their representatives in the form of the temple tax collectors come to Peter questioning whether Jesus pays the yearly temple tax. After Peter tells them that Jesus does, Jesus discusses with Peter that His paying the temple tax is akin to God paying a tax to Himself, i.e. Jesus paying the temple tax to God as the Son of God and that in addition Peter is exempt from paying a tax to the old temple system when he is a son of the Kingdom of Heaven (in contrast to those who do not believe in Jesus as the Son of God and do not belong to the Kingdom of Heaven). However, out of humility Jesus tells Peter they will not needlessly offend the temple tax collectors and that there will be a coin in the mouth of the first fish he catches in the lake that will cover the tax for the both of them – again showing Peter his ability to miraculously multiply to provide.

HEALING

Our Father who art in Heaven. Your radiance reflected so brightly off the face of Moses it frightened the people of Israel so that he had to wear a veil to cover his face. How much brighter and radiant did your Son shine as he was seen in His transfigured, glorified state by Peter, James and John next to Moses and Elijah as they heard you speak within a cloud that he was your Son, that you loved Him, that you were pleased with him and that they should listen to Him. He did not reflect glory, He was Glory - a Glory so frightening it brought these disciples face first to the ground. Father, we come to you today in awe of Your Glory, your Son’s Glory, and the Glory of your Holy Spirit. We come face down to You today in humility as we try to comprehend what the disciples were trying to understand about who the Elijah who was to come first was and about what your Son’s difficult path involved and about what rising from the dead meant and means. Forgive us for our lack of understanding and for our lack of faith when we attempt to live for the Kingdom based on our own wisdom and our own strength instead of relying upon the power of the Holy spirit and the wisdom of Your Word that makes the impossible possible. Give us the wisdom and power to do the impossible when faced with confusion, with suffering, with persecution, and with unbelief. Help us to approach all of these situations with the humility shown by Your Son when he avoided creating needless offense by paying the temple tax to those who were plotting to crucify Him. Help us more and more each day to love and listen to Your Son. We ask for his comforting touch as we get up from the floor and return to our day. Help the light we have received to multiply by shining on someone else over the rest of today, lighting in them a spark and bringing them the comfort and touch that we have received from spending this time with you. In Jesus Name, Amen.

SONG: 'We Fall Down' by Kutless @imeem http://x.imeem.com/JJGww0PuQ5