Mission 66 (English podcast)
Matthew 17 A Mission from Another World
Do those who are waiting for a voice from Heaven to tell you that Jesus was the Son of God and to pay attention to Him? Well this was it, right here, on the Mount of Transfiguration. Today we continue our focus on the Gospels. Mission 66 originates from the ministry of Bible teacher and pastor Dr. Louis Ciao and is produced and heard in multiple languages around the world in partnership with Trans World Radio. I want to encourage you to take advantage of a valuable resource. You can enhance your understanding of the Gospels by downloading our free study guide. This guide will deepen your experience with God's Word and complement our daily teachings from John Matthews and Esther Susullo. To access your free study guide of the Gospels, simply visit mission66.org. Make up this valuable resource and also support the ministry of mission 66. Your gift helps sustain this program locally and globally. John Matthews is our teacher. His co-host Esther Susullo gets us started today. Well today we'll be focusing on Matthew chapter 17 and our theme will be A Mission from Another World. And let me tell you, we're not talking about aliens or invaders from, you know, other planets. I'm your host Esther and our teacher John Matthews invites us to climb a mountain along with the disciples and experience an amazing and supernatural revelation of who Jesus Christ really is. John, I'm really excited for today's episode. Good to be with you. Yeah, great to be with you Esther as well as always and a really warm welcome to all of you, our dear listeners. It's great to be with you again today. Thank you for joining us for mission 66 where we've been looking at the life of Jesus and how he revealed himself in the book of Matthew as the messianic king, one who had come to establish the kingdom of God on earth and the disciples, his followers, well, they had their own ideas about what this kingdom would actually look like and being human. They imagined something pretty earthly as, as would we if we'd been in their shoes. In the previous chapter, Jesus said something that was surprising to them, that there was some standing there that would not see death before they saw the Son of Man coming in his kingdom. Well, this was fulfilled in chapter 17 when all of their preconceived notions were suddenly exploded in a blinding flash. Let's read what it says. 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. Peter said to Jesus, Lord, it is good that we are here. If you wish, I will make three tents here, one for you, one for Moses and one for Elijah. He was still speaking when 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. See those who are waiting for a voice from heaven to tell you that Jesus was the Son of God and to pay attention to him. Well, this was it right here on the Mount of Transfiguration. And the disciples heard this, they fell on their faces and they 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. You know, this experience served not only as a spiritual shot in the arm for the three disciples, wouldn't it, just? But it also revealed to them who Jesus really was. He was the one behind this entire mission of establishing the Kingdom of God. And this mission was literally, literally from another world, it had come from the heavenly realm. And, you know, I believe this revelation of a bright and shining glory was intended to support the disciples' faith when they would shortly have to witness Jesus' death by crucifixion. Then they were shortly to be extremely sorrowful and disorientated and they'd have been really tempted to lose hope. But they'd be able to remember this experience of what Jesus looked like in glory. And wouldn't that give them some hope that they too, if they were faithful, would one day shine like the Son in their own resurrection? And this experience also revealed that Jesus was right in tune with the Old Testament. Moses and Elijah are the ones who show up here at his transfiguration. Question is, why do these two figures show up in this passage? Well, Moses represented the Old Testament law and Elijah represented the Old Testament prophets. But the glory here completely overwhelms the disciples. Peter's idea is to try and set up three tents so that they could rest in them. The truth though is that God had a lot of work prepared for the disciples, which was yet to be done. And this is why the glory of the kingdom is revealed at this magnificent moment, proving to them that this mission that they're preparing themselves for is not an earthly kingdom. It comes from another world. The vision then disappears, and they come down from the mountain. The great truth expressed here is that no matter how great, how deep, and how wonderful a spiritual experience may be, the time always comes when we've got to come down from the mountain, at least in this life. Jesus then asked them to keep this secret for now, saying in verse 9, 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. The disciples asked him then, "Why do the scribes say that first Elijah must come?" And Jesus answered, "Well, Elijah does come, and he will restore all things. But I tell you that Elijah has already come, and they did not recognize him, but they did to him whatever they pleased. So also the Son of Man will certainly suffer at their hands." And then the disciples understood that he was speaking to them of John the Baptist. John, I'm curious, why didn't Jesus want anyone else to know about this vision? Well, the reason is that Jesus was on this secret mission, which had not yet been accomplished, and according to the plan of God, Jesus would have to be condemned by the world, crucified, and have his blood shared as this sacrifice for all sin, and then rise again from the dead. And the sacrifice Esther, well, it wasn't yet offered. And Jesus wanted the disciples to be encouraged, but he didn't want the general populace to know how glorious he really was. I suppose you can imagine them as often people do. They would try and take control, perhaps try and make him king prematurely, or do something which would interfere with God's plan before it was complete. And the reality is that we humans, we hate to think of suffering as the pathway to God, but John the Baptist suffered, and Jesus was about to suffer as well, and we're mistaken if we look for a heaven on earth, because for the believer in Christ, the work comes now and the rewards come later. Now, being eager to know more about the end times, the disciples begin to ask Jesus questions about the timing of this coming kingdom, saying that Elijah was to come first, and maybe they were confused because they had just seen Moses and Elijah in this vision, and now does Elijah need to come again? So Jesus explains to them what it all meant, and what it all meant was that this prophecy was referring to John the Baptist, the one who was in Jude with the spirit of Elijah, and that he was the fulfillment of a prophecy spoken in Malachi that God would send the spirit of Elijah to prepare the way for Messiah. Now, after such a special and extraordinary experience, the disciples are going to begin facing some problems. Matthew 17, verse 14 says, "And when they came to the crowd, a man came up to him and kneeling before him said, 'Lord, have mercy on my son, for he is an epileptic and he suffers terribly, for often he falls into the fire and often into the water, and I brought him to your disciples, and well, they couldn't heal him.'" 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." And Jesus rebuked the demon, and the demon came out of him, and the boy was healed instantly. And then the disciples came to Jesus privately and said, "Why could we not cast it out?" And Jesus 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.'" Some translations add the phrase, "This kind can only come out by prayer and fasting." You know the life of someone who's on a mission for the kingdom of God is a life that is full of everyday problems, that's the truth. Psalm 34 verse 19 says, "The righteous may have many troubles, but the Lord delivers Him out of them all, in Job it says, 'Man is born to trouble as sure as sparks fly upward, so we get trouble. The whole world lies in a state of wickedness at times, and the roaring of Satan ought not to discourage us, but to prompt us to pray even more. You know the daily battles we face, and the reality of warfare is clearly presented here by Jesus as he faces the demon-possessed boy. And here the disciples reveal their lack of faith. But Jesus is going to show them that they need to face the forces of evil, because people everywhere are under the power of Satan. Some are influenced, if not possessed by demons, and so it's necessary to fight a spiritual battle. And without faith, there's no way that anyone can be victorious in these battles. There's the need to redirect our minds and take our faith seriously." Amen. Yeah, you know, just as the word says, John, "For without faith it is impossible to please God." Well, I'm your host Esther, and this is Mission 66. And on our walk through the pages of the Bible, we are digging into Matthew chapter 17 with our teacher John Matthews. Now, we've been reading the part where Jesus was transfigured into his true, bright and shining glory, which was witnessed by several of his disciples. But it's not all peaches and cream, is it, John? It's not Esther, because, you know, after the mountaintop experience, this glory of the coming kingdom, this mission from another world, well, now comes a bit of a letdown. In verse 22, it says, "As they were gathering in Galilee, Jesus said to them, 'The Son of Man is about to be delivered into the hands of men, and they will kill him, and he will be raised on the third day.' And the disciples were greatly distressed, you see? They expected Jesus still in their mind's eye, they're imagining what this would look like, and they're expecting Jesus to lead some military revolt and deliver Israel from the Roman occupation, or maybe they thought they'd all sit on thrones judging the people. But this is, this is news to them, they're distressed to find out that Jesus was not going to be that kind of king, not yet, anyway. And perhaps this is where Judas Iscariot begins to hatch his plot to betray Jesus because he wasn't meeting up to Judas' expectations. Well, Matthew tells us that the disciples in Jesus then arrive in the city of Capernaum, this is a small city in Galilee, and it says, '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?' And 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?' And when he said from others, Jesus said to him, 'Then the sons are free.' This is interesting because this tax was mandatory, it was a half-shekel tax, and everyone had to pay it. But this tax was used for the construction of the temple, and now Jesus Christ, the Messiah, Himself, the King, the Son of God, well, he shouldn't have had to pay the tax, but despite this, Jesus goes on to say, 'However, not to give offense to them, go to the sea, cast a hook and take the first fish that comes up, and when you open its mouth, you will find a shekel. Take that and give it to them for me and for yourself.' And Peter obeys, and this is exactly what happens. You know, money is never a problem for the Son of God. Sometimes we need to deny ourselves in the interests of the Kingdom of God. Jesus does not wish us to cause offense to anyone, and he's trying here to direct his disciples and teach them to think in accordance to their mission and the Kingdom of God, and through this, that they would come to know who Jesus really is. God can make money appear out of nowhere if he wants to, and notice also that the coin is found in the act of fishing here. Remember, Jesus' instructions to the disciples at first. From now on, you will be fishing for men, and that's why the fish has become this universe emblem of the Christian faith. You know, my dear friends, we need to understand that we're not joining a social club. We're not entering into the politics of this world. The truth is that the great King Jesus himself is on a great mission, and it's a mission from another world. And that is to bring forth and establish the Kingdom of God here on earth. And you know, we're able to help him do that by seeking to bring lost people to him. Well, that powerful statement there, John, but I'm looking to get some clarity on what happened at the Mount of Transfiguration, you know, where Moses and Elijah appeared from the dead or wherever they were. And Jesus said to John the Baptist, he said this was Elijah. Was there some kind of reincarnation going on here? Well, you know, they're people who came up with the idea, didn't they, that Elijah existed in the time of the Old Testament and that he was reincarnated as John the Baptist. But you know, that that's not right. Elijah is still Elijah because he shows up during the Transfiguration as Elijah. And if he had died and was reborn as John the Baptist, then how come he was still Elijah showing up at the Transfiguration and not John the Baptist? No, no, Elijah and John the Baptist are two different people. Now when Jesus says that John the Baptist is Elijah, he's saying that John the Baptist came in the same spirit and power as Elijah. You know, it's interesting that for, for these people that they'd never seen before, the disciples kind of knew that this was Moses and Elijah, I mean, what does this mean that, you know, can we call up the saints who have died and have conversation with them? Yeah, it's a really, really good observation, Esther, you know, this amazing transformation event, if you want to call it that gives us a bit of a hint, doesn't it? That we will be able to recognize people in heaven and it's by the, well, by the look of what we've just read, it'll be in a different way to how we recognize people here. We don't know how the disciples knew that it was Moses and Elijah, but they knew, they knew straight away. Now the disciples, they weren't expecting this and it wouldn't have happened if it wasn't God who initiated it. And so this was a very specific case where Jesus himself was in control of what was happening. And so he chooses to show his disciples just a little glimpse into what future bodies will be like. In heaven, I believe we'll be able to recognize our loved ones and people who have gone before and just for a moment, think of that. Boy, am I looking forward to talking to the likes of King David, Apostle Paul, Mary and Joseph, many others. I'm also eager to sit and chat with the great preachers of history and find out what life was really like in their day. But it's a little word of caution and important one, the Bible does forbid us to attempt to communicate with the dead. Does that also apply to even the saints? Yeah, even to those who are believed to be saints, not our loved ones who've died, nor anyone who has died, and there's a word for this, it's called necromancy, and it means trying to communicate with the dead, it's the realm you see of the occult. And that is dangerous ground, because we open ourselves up to all sorts of doors, portals from hell, all kinds of demonic activity. And when we try to cross into that forbidden territory, well, that is dangerous territory, because there's an incident, isn't there, in the book of 1 Samuel, as King Saul, who had by this time, become reckless, goes to visit the witch of Endor to try and bring up the spirit of the prophet Samuel for advice, and for reasons that we don't know, Samuel was actually allowed to appear to him. But Samuel didn't tell Saul anything different than what he told Saul when he was alive. And the reckless act of consulting with a witch to try to communicate with the dead in the end, costs all his life. You can read about that in 1 Samuel 28, and it's a warning, that's for sure. And there's another thing here as well to consider Esther, and that is that the Bible doesn't record that Elijah ever died. He was one of those very rare occasions where he was taken up into heaven in a miraculous and special way by God, in a chariot of fire. As for Moses, on the other hand, well, Scripture clearly says that he did die, even though the location of his burial was kept as a secret. There's a verse, isn't there, in Deuteronomy 29, that says, "The secret things belong to the Lord our God, but the things revealed belong to us and to our children, that we may do all the words of this law." So we don't know everything there is to know God hasn't revealed everything to us in our earthly lives. But meanwhile, we do have plenty of information that's been given, and plenty of things that we can be focusing and working on, and we have to heed the warnings of the Bible as long as we're alive on earth, and until, by faith in Christ, we join that joyous gathering in heaven when we will have all our questions answered, won't we, once and for all? Well, yes, indeed, amen to that, John. But in the meantime, perhaps you can answer this question for me. Early at verse 15, it says that the afflicted boy was an epileptic. Now, is there a difference between an epileptic or someone who is controlled or possessed by demons? Yes, there is, you know, different translations of the Bible, as to use different words to translate this Greek word. For example, the ESV uses the word epileptic, but then you've got the new international version translated as someone who has seizures, you know, in ancient times people would seek ways to describe or explain sickness or illness according to their understanding of the world around them. It's a concept that's known as phenomenology, which is a long old word, isn't it? But it's clear here that Matthew's talking about a person whose demon possessed. So whatever the problem was, there was a demon behind it. So that's what he's on about here. And in this passage, we see someone who has an illness that the text states is of demonic origin. You know, I've noticed that the concept of faith comes out quite a bit in today's study, and Jesus talks about faith that moves mountains. So is it true that if we have enough faith, we can do whatever we want, anything is possible? I mean, that's quite the promise, eh? It is quite a promise, isn't it? And the answer is yes, it is. You know, Jesus is talking to people who believed in him saying basically that faith is an essential and fundamental element, but we're not to use this verse perhaps as, I don't know, in a lad-ins magic lamp to get whatever we want, you know, we to be helpers for God's kingdom and desire his will, not greedy to build our own empires. Jesus is a miracle-working saviour, but he's not our slave. And he doesn't perform tricks at the command of sinners. But if we trust and believe him, he trusts us to ask for the right things elsewhere. He said that if we abide in him and his word abides in us, we can ask what we will and it shall be done. And like you say, Esther, this is quite a promise, but it does come with a stipulation that we abide in him and his word. So Jesus was always encouraging people to pray always and not give up. If we pray for someone's salvation or for a tough situation to change, we shouldn't quit doing that. If you need wisdom or a job or a car or food, what's to keep you from asking our Heavenly Father? You know, our problem is not that we pray for the wrong things. Our problem usually is that we don't pray at all, or very little, or we give up 15 minutes perhaps before the answer would have come. You know who knows what is possible if we who say we believe in prayer would spend more time doing it? And who knows what God wants to do but is just waiting for one of us to ask? Many amazing things have happened in the apostolic age and indeed throughout history with the extraordinary intervention of God's power in response to believing prayer from his people. Oh, that's fantastic, definite food for thought, wouldn't you say my dear friend? Well, John, now that we've come to this point, what are our takeaways from chapter 17? Well, our theme today on Mission 66 was a mission from another world. We were talking about the coming eternal kingdom of the Lord Jesus Christ who will bring heaven to earth. And we read how Jesus revealed his power and glory on that mount of transfiguration, having Peter, James and John with him, but they couldn't stay on the mountaintop. And afterwards his disciples had to go back down into the valley of the everyday world with its human needs, its demons, its troubles and its taxes. You know, Christ proves that he is able to lead us to victory over every single situation that we may be facing and bring us to his great and glorious eternal kingdom if we trust in him. Well, that is it for Mission 66 today, friend. Thank you so much for joining us on this journey through God's word, the Bible. Well, John and I leave you with quite a lot to chew on and to process as we've studied in Matthew 17. However, we invite you to come back ready to explore Matthew 18 with us in the next episode of Mission 66. So until then, goodbye and God bless you. Has God used today's program in your life? Then you'll want to receive the free study guide of the Gospels that we've prepared. You can get it right away by downloading it at mission66.org. Review what you've heard on our series in the Gospels and have the guide handy for the next program. Visit mission66.org and download your free study guide of the Gospels. At mission66.org, you can also leave a comment or make a donation to help this listener-supported ministry. Thank you for helping Mission 66 continue here and around the world. Pick up your study guide of the Gospels at mission66.org. Mission 66 is a Ministry of Transworld Radio. I'm Rob Dempsey. (upbeat music)