Matthew 17:1-8 - "And six days later Jesus took with Him Peter and James and John his brother..."

Matthew 17:1-8

The two other times this story of Jesus' transfiguration is told in the Gospels (Mark 9:2-8 and Luke 9:28-36), it always follows right after Jesus said something to the effect of "some of those standing here will not taste death until they see the coming kingdom of God." That's important to note because otherwise you're thinking, "Well, that never happened. Here we are two thousand years later, the disciples are dead, and Jesus still hasn't returned in glory."

The transfiguration that Peter, James, and John got to witness apparently was the revelation of the Son of Man coming in his kingdom. Normally we think of Jesus' second coming as a time and space event. It will happen in the future. He will come with the angelic host. The final judgment on mankind will take place. But evidently all that is just so much window dressing because the essence of the coming kingdom is centered on Jesus himself and the revelation of his glory.

Jesus pulled back the veil of his humble fleshly garb, and his entire body from his face to his clothes poured forth blazing light. This is what is means for the kingdom of God to come. The king is revealed in his true glory. Apparently what also got torn back was the veil that separated this world from the world to come, because suddenly Moses and Elijah were hanging out with him chatting, a preview of post-resurrection life.

A lot of people think that life in heaven will just be a return to the Garden of Eden, with a lot of trees and eating fruit and petting animals. But this vision tells us that Jesus' glorified existence, and the existence of everyone who shares in it, will not be about continuing to live in a regular fleshly body that doesn't die. It's about receiving a resurrected body that is full of light, power, and immortality (1 Corinthians 15:42-45, 52-54). Your glorified body is suited for a higher existence in the heavenly kingdom, right alongside the angels. When Jesus preaches the promise of eternal life, this is a picture of what it is.

Remember when the apostle Paul had a similar encounter with Jesus on the way to Damascus (Acts 9:3-6)? It changed his life. In a flash he understood that all his law-keeping was a massive dung heap because he saw Jesus in resurrection glory. Immediately he comprehended that Jesus, not the law, was the way to eternal life.

That's probably what should have happened to Peter, James, and John, but these three were a bit slower than Paul. Instead it ended up being an awkward moment of Peter blathering on about making three tabernacles, because, well, we've all been there. That moment when you feel like you're supposed to say something even though you don't know what, and you end up blurting out something stupid. To make things worse, God the Father rebuked Peter's three tabernacles idea, sending them all diving to the ground in fear. It's another instance of the raw honesty of the Gospel writers. I mean, what a disappointment that the moment of The Big Reveal ended up crumbling into a scene of awkwardness and embarrassment. When it was all over, I could just picture the three of them frazzled, bewildered, and probably wishing they had made a better showing in front of Bible celebrities like Moses and Elijah.

But in the end they did get it. John would later say, "We beheld His glory, glory as of the only begotten from the Father, full of grace and truth" (John 1:14). Peter would say, "But to the degree you share the sufferings of Christ, keep on rejoicing, so that also at the revelation of His glory, you may rejoice with exultation" (1 Peter 4:13). They saw Jesus' glory and wanted to pass it along to the rest of the saints. If only you had been there, you would have seen Hope itself. If you had seen what we saw, you would find courage in your sufferings. And yet you can see him. With eyes of faith you can see what we saw. "And though you have not seen Him, you love Him, and though you do not see Him now, but believe in Him, you greatly rejoice with joy inexpressible, and full of glory" (1 Peter 1:8).

Matthew 16:21-28 - "From that time Jesus began to show His disciples that He must go to Jerusalem..."

Matthew 16:21-28

The usual commentary on this passage is, "Look how fast Peter went from confessing Jesus as the Christ to becoming a mouthpiece of Satan! It just goes to show that one moment you could be doing great things for the Lord, and the next thing you know you are siding with the enemy. See how pride goes before a fall?" And so it does. I don't think Peter did a 180 within, say, five minutes of the magnificent confession we saw in the previous passage. It's possible several days or even weeks passed between these events. But it was no accident that the gospel writer placed this story of Jesus rebuking Peter immediately after the story of his giving Peter high praise. Certainly the contrast was meant to be both jarring and instructive.

But what interests me is the instruction that follows. There seems to be a loosely connected train of thought in Jesus' discourse. He goes from rebuking Peter for failing to understand the necessity of his death and resurrection to telling the disciples that they must not save their lives otherwise they will lose their souls. Then he says the Son of Man will return in glory to recompense mankind for their deeds, adding that some of the disciples will have a chance to catch a preview of said Second Coming very soon. I know it seems like Jesus often makes trapeze-artist-type leaps in thought. But instead of going along with it in lazy indifference, how about we try to unpack it a bit?

After Peter protested Jesus' disclosure that he must be killed and then rise again from the dead, I expected Jesus to turn to his disciples and instruct them on the doctrine of the atonement. "Guys, don't you see why I need to die? The sins of the world need to be paid for, man! I'm the Lamb! You'll die in your sins if I don't do this. You may not like it, but it is what it is." But instead Jesus instructs them on why they need to be willing to die. Now this is a familiar passage where we know he's talking about the cost of discipleship, but I think we assume that he isn't addressing Peter's protest directly. We think maybe he's just leaping to this topic because "while we're on the subject of dying, let me give you some more bad news, which is that you're also gonna have to die if you follow me."

But what if this instruction about costly discipleship was a direct response to Peter's protest? That is, Jesus was confronting Peter's reaction against a deeper principle: he only wanted to be a part of this program for the triumph, not for the suffering. Peter's concern was not just for Jesus but, more viscerally, for himself and what he's signing up for. This was not about Peter's failure to understand the doctrine of atonement, but his aversion to the principle upon which the entire kingdom of God operated. Salvation emerges out of damnation. Life is born out of death. Suffering must precede glory. When Peter exclaimed, "Lord, this shall never happen to you!" he was also saying at a deeper level, "May this never happen to me!" As human beings our problem with the gospel isn't necessarily solved by getting educated about doctrine. Quite often it's about challenging our heart to relinquish it's death-grip on this life, this world, the flesh and its idols.

Which makes it more incredible when Jesus follows up with "the Son of Man...will then recompense every man according his deeds." At first this seems like a slight disconnect with the costly discipleship discourse. That's because we normally think of evil deeds in terms of lying and stealing and sexual immorality and the like. But not taking up our cross? Not despising our own life? Not dying to this world? That's how Jesus describes the deeds that will be judged. He is saying evil is bigger than cheating on your taxes or even committing adultery. This is about cosmic principles at war with each other, where we must choose sides. Jesus has come to call us out of this world, out of enemy territory. Coming to him means nothing less than putting to death everything you hold dear. To reject this calling is not a neutral position, it is siding with the world, the flesh, and the devil. That choice, and all the evil deeds that come out of it, is why the Son of Man will return to judge the world.

Matthew 16:13-20 - "Now when Jesus came into the district of Caesarea Philippi, He began asking His disciples..."

Matthew 16:13-20

Jesus waited until we were sixteen chapters deep into Matthew's Gospel to ask his disciples this critical, fundamental question: "Who do you say that I am?"

This strikes me as odd. You mean, all the way up to this point he wasn't indoctrinating them with the correct answer? He wasn't catechizing them daily? "Question: Who is Jesus of Nazareth?" "Answer: You are the Christ, the Son of the living God!" He actually waited until the disciples spent quite a bit of time observing him, seeing his works, witnessing his interactions, doing ministry for themselves, having him save their bacon a few times, and then he came to them with the question: "Who do you say that I am?"

This is not someone who's interested in hearing only what he wants to hear. This is someone who's interested in what you really think after you've had plenty of time to process. After you've had a chance to develop enough trust in the relationship to be totally honest with him. Jesus actually wants you to weigh the evidence and come to your own conclusion about him.

He didn't even land the question on his disciples right away, but first asked them what other people were saying about him. Was Jesus just warming up to the subject? Getting the ol' icebreaker going before closing in on what he really wanted to know? Probably not. By asking them to list the theories being generated by the rumor mill, he was allowing the disciples to sift through their own hearts. "Well, some say John the Baptist, but we know that's not true. Some say he's Elijah come back from the dead, but we know John had the spirit of Elijah, so it's not that. Jeremiah? But our Teacher is not claiming to be any old prophet. The way he talks about God being his Father and all the miracles we've seen? No, this is big. This is waaaay bigger than even Jeremiah."

Jesus' wise approach was rewarded when Simon Peter confessed, "You are the Christ, the Son of the living God." Because then he could respond, "Blessed are you, Simon Barjona, because flesh and blood did not reveal this to you, but My Father who is in heaven." You got that straight out of the mind of God himself, Simon. See how you have been chosen for this blessing? And if you think that's exciting, well it's only the beginning. You are the first among many who will make the same confession. In fact, from now on I will call you Peter, which means rock, because your confession will lay the rockbed foundation for my church that I am building. Many will come after you confessing me as the Christ, and the power of my name is so great not even Hades itself can prevail over it. It is so great you will wield it on earth with the authority of heaven itself."

And Peter did. In the name of Jesus Christ he healed a lame man (Acts 3:6-7) proclaimed salvation before the Sanhedrin (Acts 4:12), and suffered a flogging (Acts 5:40-41). He judged Ananias and Sapphira for putting the Spirit of the Lord to the test (Acts 5:1-11). He raised Tabitha from the dead (Acts 9:36-41). He preached to Cornelius and witnessed the Holy Spirit fall upon Gentile believers (Acts 10:9-48). All this began humbly and stumblingly in Peter's simple confession of Jesus as the Christ. Not out of indoctrination or outside pressure, but out of the depths of his own heart, his own personal conviction. It started small and grew up big. Just as Jesus told us in 13:31-32:

"The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed, which a man took and sowed in his field; and this is smaller than all other seeds; but when it is full grown, it is larger than the garden plants, and becomes a tree, so that the birds of the air come and nest in its branches."

Matthew 16:1-12 - "And the Pharisees and Sadducees came up, and testing Him asked Him to show them a sign from heaven."

Matthew 16:1-12

In this passage Jesus rebukes both the Pharisees and Sadducees, and later on his own disciples, for their unbelief. Jesus scolds both groups for not knowing better: the religious leaders for not knowing how to read the sign of the times, and the disciples for fretting about bread on the heels of his two feeding miracles. One group is openly hostile toward Jesus, and the other are his friends. So what is the difference between the unbelief of the two groups? The first group Jesus would later refer to as sons of hell (23:15). The second group Jesus ends up commissioning to preach the gospel to all the world, even as they stand there doubting his resurrection (28:16-20). So how do we know if we have an unbelieving unbelief or a believing struggle with unbelief? How can we know if Jesus is going to respond to us with scary condemnation or with a fatherly scolding?

When the Pharisees and Sadducees asked Jesus for a sign, they did so because they were "testing him." It wasn't the first time either. The Pharisees along with the scribes had made it a practice to stalk and harass Jesus regularly. Back in 12:38-42 they demanded a sign from him and were denied. Jesus told them then that the only sign they would be getting was the sign of Jonah, and even gave a lengthy explanation of what that meant. So you can understand his curtness to them in this passage. He had been around this merry-go-round with them before. Not to mention the Pharisees were also going around publicly accusing him of casting out demons using satanic power (12:24) and were actively plotting his destruction (12:14).

So there's that history. But even aside from all that, their entire attitude toward Jesus in this encounter reeks of arrogance. "You're guilty until proven innocent." "You need to convince us on our terms, not yours." All the while pretending to be seekers who wanted to know the truth, who needed only one more sign to convince them, as if Jesus' very public mass healings and feedings and exorcisms were a paltry show. They came to him with a dishonesty, insincerity, and deceitfulness that made Jesus turn around and walk away. There was an evil agenda hidden behind those smiling faces. The reason they didn't believe is quite simply because they didn't want to.

The disciples by contrast did believe. Jesus called them "you men of little faith," not "you men of no faith." They did have a weak faith, but they did not come to him deceitfully. They were anxious to do things right, so much so that they got all tied up in knots over forgetting to bring bread for the trip. They thought Jesus would be disappointed because they were irresponsible. It never occurred to them that Jesus actually expected them to be irresponsible at times, and what really disappointed him was that they didn't console themselves with the realization that he could simply provide. Apparently they thought he provided bread for the multitudes because those people were pitiable. But to provide bread for themselves because they had been forgetful was, in their minds, not a good enough reason.

This reasoning sounds familiar, doesn't it? I don't want to ask God to provide for me if I was irresponsible. I was late getting out of the house. Should I pray that the meeting would start late? But I deserve to face the consequences of my actions, not treat God as a genie to get me out of another scrape! How can this be a time for faith when it should be a time for guilt and self-flaggelation? It never occurs to me that Jesus is more disappointed in my unbelief, in my assumption that he can't (or won't) help me, than he is in my laziness or forgetfulness.

So the unbelief of the disciples was of a completely different kind than that of the Pharisees and Sadducees. It had to do with the limits that they, in their little faith, put on Jesus' love for them. Jesus' rebuke to them was in the vein of what he said back in 6:30: "But if God so arrays the grass of the field, which is alive today and tomorrow is thrown into the furnace, will He not much more do so for you, O men of little faith?" The unbelief of the Pharisees and Sadducees, on the other hand, wasn't even close to being engaged in the struggle to believe in Jesus' love for them. As far as they were concerned, Jesus had nothing to offer them. It was their job to judge him. Their unbelief was all about looking for grounds to discredit him, to ultimately drag him before the authorities and have him killed.

Matthew 15:32-39 - "And Jesus called his disciples to him, and said, 'I feel compassion for the multitude...'"

Matthew 15:32-39

It wasn't too long ago that Jesus performed a very similar miracle with a multitude of five thousand, and now we find him at it again, this time feeding a multitude of four thousand. In the first feeding he multiplied five loaves and two fish resulting in twelve baskets of leftovers. Here he multiplies seven loaves and "a few small fish" resulting in seven baskets of leftovers. The details are meant to distinguish these two similar-sounding miracles. Jesus even discusses the two events and these very details with the disciples in 16:9-10 when he scolds them for their lack of faith.

Speaking of which, it's the disciples' display of unbelief that seems to be the point behind the telling of this second miracle. The circumstances are so similar to the first feeding. Jesus is mobbed by the crowds. He feels compassion for them. He spends all day--actually three straight days this time--healing their sick, and now he doesn't want to send them away hungry. He mentions this concern to the disciples and their response is, "Where would we get so many loaves in a desolate place to satisfy such a great multitude?"

You sort of expect Jesus to raise his eyes at them and wait, his mouth half open with a smile tugging at one corner, as if to say, "You're not serious, right? Tell me this is a joke. Punch line? Punch line please?" But no, the punch line never comes because the disciples are dead serious. Why Jesus! Where on earth would we ever get enough loaves to feed such a multitude, and in such a desolate place--because loaves and multitudes and feedings and desolate places just don't ring a bell with us at all?

The children of Israel saw the parting of the Red Sea, then the next thing you know they're worshipping a golden calf. It doesn't matter how great a miracle is displayed before human eyes, the human heart somehow finds a way to disbelieve. "Yes, but that was then. That was so last week. What have you done for me lately?"

Jesus doesn't betray any impatience, though he must have been exhausted after dealing with three days of non-stop demands. He goes through the exact same ritual. He has everyone sit down. He asks for the loaves. He takes them, blesses them, breaks them, and gives them out for distribution. They eat. They are satified. The disciples collect the leftovers and count the baskets. The repetitiveness is lesson-like. Let's review. Remember this? We've been here before. See how it's the same outcome?

Jesus is very patient, but he does want us to catch on eventually. He's provided for you before, and yet you doubt he will provide again? He's answered so many prayers in the past, and yet you struggle to pray now? Our excuse is that faith feels foolish and illogical. But when you see the disciples' behavior in this story, it becomes apparent that it's really unbelief that is foolish and illogical.

Matthew 15:29-31 - "And departing from there, Jesus went along by the Sea of Galilee..."

Matthew 15:29-31

Jesus just got through saying, "I was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel" in the previous passage. But like the Canaanite woman who wouldn't be turned away, now the multitudes come running after him, and we know this crowd was largely Gentile because Matthew says they "glorified the God of Israel." Didn't they receive the memo that Jesus was only sent to the house of Israel? Haven't they heard that it's not right to feed the children's bread to dogs? Even if they have, do they care?

And Jesus obliges them. What might he be thinking at this point, seeing these desperate Gentile crowds? Well, fresh in his memory is that astounding answer given by the Canaanite woman, that even a dog like herself would happily feed on the crumbs that fall from the master's table. Her faith, humility and insight amazed Jesus, and he could not turn down her request for her daughter's healing. Prior to that encounter Jesus had had a run in with the Pharisees, who condemned the disciples for not following the tradition of washing their hands before they ate, who then became offended when Jesus pointed out how they transgress God's law to uphold the man-made tradition of corban.

So Jesus was sent to the lost sheep of the house of Israel, but the leaders of Israel are already hardening their hearts, violating God's commands in favor of the teachings of men. Meanwhile, the Gentile woman had more faith in her little pinkie than all those Pharisees put together . . . Jesus had to be thinking that the Canaanite woman is more of an Israelite than the ones who are born into the privilege. And surely these Gentile multitudes clamoring for his attention are also looking for some crumbs for themselves.

So he heals them, their lame and crippled and blind and mute. The Pharisees were too righteous and whole to have need for the Messiah. But the ones who feel so unworthy they ask only for crumbs will find themselves seated at the banqueting table with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.

Matthew 15:21-28 - "And Jesus went away from there, and withdrew into the district of Tyre and Sidon."

Matthew 15:21-28

The big question about this passage is why Jesus seems to give the cold shoulder to the Canaanite woman who requests his help. Her plea for her demon-possessed daughter is exactly like all the other needs that Jesus has attended to without protest. He has already cast out demons from the two men of the Gadarenes (8:28-34), raised a young girl from the dead (9:18-26), and even healed the servant of a Gentile centurion (8:5-13), so surely this woman's request isn't unreasonable.

The reason Jesus gives is that his primary mission is to the Jews, not Gentiles. He tells his disciples, "I was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel." And to the woman he is even more plain: "It is not good to take the children's bread and throw it to the dogs [a derogatory reference to Gentiles]." The question is whether Jesus is just being facetious in making this remark, or if he really is telling her to get lost.

Some people think that Jesus is merely engaging in verbal sparring with the woman, that while his words seem harsh he is actually encouraging her with a knowing look, and she in turn understands that she should persist in asking him to heal her daughter. In other words, Jesus gets her to play along in this conversation for the benefit of the disciples, who need to be instructed about the inclusion of Gentiles into the kingdom. The merit to this theory is that it explains Jesus' seemingly perverse behavior toward this clearly desperate woman. The one who famously offered living water to the Samaritan woman at the well in John 4 does not sound like someone who would reject an entreating Gentile woman so out of hand. And how else can you explain why Jesus would call her a dog? That sounds like something a Pharisee would say, not Jesus.

Yet on the other hand the text doesn't give any hint that Jesus is merely sparring with the woman, or that he is speaking "with a twinkle in his eye" as some commentators put it. Even the disciples read Jesus' body language as one of disinterest, which is why they are bold enough to ask him to send the woman away. The last time they asked Jesus to send people away, they got rebuked and ended up feeding a multitude of five thousand! So they must be reading Jesus as already annoyed by her, otherwise they wouldn't risk making this request. Furthermore, when Jesus tells them, "I was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel," he is echoing his commission to the disciples back in 10:5-6 when he said, "Do not go in the way of the Gentiles, and do not enter any city of the Samaritans, but rather go to the lost sheep of the house of Israel."

I've landed somewhere in the middle. I don't think Jesus is giving any visible encouragement to the woman, but it does seem that he is testing her. For a Gentile the woman is surprisingly educated about the Jewish faith, addressing Jesus properly as "Son of David" and even coming up and worshiping him. Perhaps Jesus knows that she is not far from the kingdom, and yet her knowledge of these proprieties doesn't satisfy him. He wants to push her. She knows she is an outsider. She knows she doesn't "deserve" the blessings of the covenant. Why should he help her? What claim does she have on him?

The woman answers that she doesn't have a claim on him, that she knows she is merely a dog beneath her masters' table, yet she points out that even a dog can lick up the crumbs that fall to the floor. By saying this she reveals her insight into the Son of David, which is that he will not turn away even the unworthy, that he is merciful to the outsider, that his blessings are so rich an unclean dog needs only a crumb to find satisfaction.

Jesus is amazed. "O woman," he says, as if her answer has pierced him straight to the heart. This woman knows that he cannot deny her, because that is the essence of who he is. She knows it. And he knows that she knows it. And now she knows that he knows that she knows it. What can Jesus do in the presence of such faith except grant her her request? "O woman, your faith is great. Be it done for you as you wish."