Matthew – God’s Purposes
It was a tradition throughout the Old Testament days to pile up rocks as a memorial on the ground where people witnessed a momentous occurrence or glorious moment of provision and protection from God’s hand or from hearing from God, Himself! When they heard from God, it was memorable time to say the least!
Our next chapter begins with a glorious scene on a mountaintop, and ends with Peter catching a fish in order to pay his taxes. What a contrast! Yet, Jesus Christ the King is the theme of the entire chapter.
Matthew 16, NLT
The Transfiguration
Six days later Jesus took Peter and the two brothers, James and John, and led them up a high mountain to be alone. 2 As the men watched, Jesus’ appearance was transformed so that his face shone like the sun, and his clothes became as white as light. 3 Suddenly, Moses and Elijah appeared and began talking with Jesus.4 Peter exclaimed, “Lord, it’s wonderful for us to be here! If you want, I’ll make three shelters as memorials—one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah.”
5 But even as he spoke, a bright cloud overshadowed them, and a voice from the cloud said, “This is my dearly loved Son, who brings me great joy. Listen to him.” 6 The disciples were terrified and fell face down on the ground.
7 Then Jesus came over and touched them. “Get up,” he said. “Don’t be afraid.” 8 And when they looked up, Moses and Elijah were gone, and they saw only Jesus.
9 As they went back down the mountain, Jesus commanded them, “Don’t tell anyone what you have seen until the Son of Man has been raised from the dead.”10 Then his disciples asked him, “Why do the teachers of religious law insist that Elijah must return before the Messiah comes?”
11 Jesus replied, “Elijah is indeed coming first to get everything ready. 12 But I tell you, Elijah has already come, but he wasn’t recognized, and they chose to abuse him. And in the same way they will also make the Son of Man suffer.” 13 Then the disciples realized he was talking about John the Baptist.
GOING DEEPER…
The Transfiguration revealed four aspects of the glory of Jesus Christ the King:
1. The glory of His person.
As far as the record is concerned, this is the only time Jesus revealed His glory in this way while He was on the earth. The word translated transfigured gives us our English word “metamorphosis.” A metamorphosis is a change on the outside that comes from the inside. (Example is when a caterpillar builds a cocoon and later emerges as a butterfly.) Our Lord’s glory was not reflected but radiated from within. There was a change on the outside that came from within as He allowed His essential glory to shine forth. In his gospel, John emphasized the deity of Christ and the glory of His person.
Warren Weirsbe helps us to understand,
“Jesus Christ laid aside His glory when He came to earth (John 17:5). Because of His finished work on the cross, He has received back His glory and now shares it with us (John 17:22, 24). However, we do not have to wait for heaven to share in this “transfiguration glory.” When we surrender ourselves to God, He will “transfigure” our minds (Rom. 12:1–2). As we yield to the Spirit of God, He changes (transfigures) us “from glory to glory” (2 Cor. 3:18). As we look into the Word of God, we see the Son of God and are transfigured by the Spirit of God into the glory of God.”
Wow, did you get that? We are transfigured by this same power!
2. The glory of His kingdom.
At the close of His sermon about cross-bearing, Jesus promised that some of the disciples would see “the Son of man coming in his kingdom” (Matt. 16:28). He selected Peter, James, and John as witnesses to this event. These three friends and business partners (Luke 5:10) had been with Jesus in the home of Jairus (Luke 8:51), and they would go with Him into the garden of Gethsemane before His crucifixion (see Matt. 26:37).
Peter caught this message and never forgot it. “We were eyewitnesses of his majesty. And so we have the prophetic word made more sure” (see 2 Peter 1:12ff.). The experience Peter had on the mount only fortified his faith in the Old Testament prophecies. The important thing is not seeing wonderful sights, but hearing God’s Word. “This is my dearly loved Son, who brings me great joy. Listen to him.” (Matt. 17:5).
3. The glory of His cross.
The disciples had to learn that suffering and glory go together. Peter had opposed His going to Jerusalem to die, so Jesus had to teach him that, apart from His suffering and death, there could be no glory. Peter certainly learned the lesson, for in his first epistle he repeatedly emphasized “suffering and glory” (1 Peter 1:6–8, 11; 4:12—5:11). Moses and Elijah talked with Jesus about His “exodus” that He would accomplish at Jerusalem (Luke 9:31). His suffering and death would not be an accident, but an accomplishment. Peter used the word exodus in describing his own impending death (2 Peter 1:15).
For the believer, death is not a one-way street into oblivion. It is an exodus—a release—from the bondage of this life into the glorious liberty of the life in heaven. Because Jesus died and paid the price, we have been redeemed—purchased and set free. Our redemption in Christ is final and permanent.
4. The glory of His submission.
Peter could not understand why the Son of God would submit to evil men and willingly suffer.The Transfiguration was God’s way of teaching Peter that Jesus is glorified when we deny ourselves, take up our cross, and follow Him. The world’s philosophy is “Save yourself!” but the Christian’s philosophy is “Yield yourself to God!” As He stood there in glory, Jesus proved to the three disciples that surrender always leads to glory. First the suffering, then the glory; first the cross, then the crown.
REMEMBER….
In his humanness on the Mount of Transfiguration Peter tried to tell Jesus what to do. He wanted to build three booths (memorials) for Jesus, Moses, and Elijah so that all of them could remain there and enjoy the glory! But the Father interrupted Peter and gave other directions: “LISTEN TO HIM!” The Father will not permit His beloved Son to be put on the same level as Moses and Elijah. “Jesus only” (Matt. 17:8) is God’s pattern.
We must be careful to worship and adore “Jesus Only” with our lives. It is easy to “worship” our church family, the building of memories where we found Christ, the places where we had epiphanies, our worship bands or choir directors, our pastors, elders who mentored us but we must stay focused to worship of Jesus only. All other things or people should only point us to Jesus. We worship Jesus with our very lives, 24/7, because He is THE Truth, Way and Life!
Listen to Him.
Dear Lord and Savior,
Thank you for making a way for us to come to our Father in Heaven with thanksgiving and praise. Thank you for all you have done, are doing and will do in our lives. Thank you fro saving our souls through your redemptive work on the cross for us. Thank you Holy Spirit for guiding us this day with strength and renewed faith with joy unspeakable and full of glory!
In Jesus Name, Amen
And I’m singing…
Oh, it’s joy unspeakable and full of glory
Full of glory, full of glory
It is joy unspeakable and full of glory
Oh the half has never yet be told…
To deny self does not mean to deny things. It means to give yourself wholly to Christ and share in His shame and death. Paul described this in Romans 12:1–2 and Philippians 3:7–10, as well as in Galatians 2:20. We will be mocked for knowing and following Christ. This is sharing in what He went through for us.
So, what is your soul worth? 
So, Jesus words to his disciples then is what He is asking of us today who say we love and follow Him;
13 When Jesus came to the region of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, “Who do people say that the Son of Man is?”
5 Later, after they crossed to the other side of the lake, the disciples discovered they had forgotten to bring any bread. 6 “Watch out!” Jesus warned them. “Beware of the yeast of the Pharisees and Sadducees.”
“Little faith” was one of our Lord’s favorite names for His disciples (Matt. 6:30; 8:26; 14:31). Of course, “little faith” is better than no faith. The disciples had many lessons to learn before they would graduate to “great faith.”
Comedian, Jeff Foxworthy, had a catch phrase after telling stories of the follies and antics of people he grew up with in his family and among his Southern country friends, “And, here’s your sign.” If you want to know who people are, you watch what they do. Sometimes we just shake our heads.
There is much more going on in this short, simple passage. Why did our Lord talk about the weather? To reveal to His enemies their own dishonesty and stubborn blindness. They could examine the evidence in God’s world and draw valid conclusions, but they would not examine the evidence He had presented. His enemies would not believe, and therefore they could not believe (John 12:37ff.). 
Do we ask God for signs along our journey of faith? This is tricky to understand. If we are asking for God to confirm our next step in a work He is inviting us to do, then we pray asking for details to be worked out for His glory. This sign of confirmation that we are on the right track and in sync with His Holy Spirit is welcomed. But to question WHO He is not. We do not test God.
Jesus Heals Many People
32 Then Jesus called his disciples and told them, “I feel sorry for these people. They have been here with me for three days, and they have nothing left to eat. I don’t want to send them away hungry, or they will faint along the way.”
The feeding of the four thousand differs from the feeding of the five thousand. The five thousand were mostly Jewish people who had been with him only one day. The four thousand were mostly Gentiles who had been with him three days and had simply used up their supplies. This miracle taught a special lesson to the disciples. We wonder why the disciples forgot the previous feeding miracle, but most likely they wondered if Jesus would do the same miracle for Gentiles. He did!
(1) The enemies of truth are often religious people who live according to man’s traditions. Satan often uses “religion” to blind the minds of sinners to the simple truths of God’s Word. 
Leftovers. Do you like leftovers? It depends on how good the meal was the first time around, right? If it was a fantastic meal at a favorite restaurant but I can’t eat it all, then you better believe, I asking for a box to take home what I didn’t eat the first time. However, many times, I leave the box full of a future lunch of leftovers on the table, forgetting what I loved so much.
The Jews were served the Bread of Life and Living Water in the Person of Jesus Christ, but many of God’s Chosen people refused to eat or drink. A Gentile woman comes and asks for just the scraps of what Jesus has to offer from His table of mercy and grace. He blesses her for her faith by healing her demon possessed daughter. “Your faith is great.” Can you imagine our Lord saying that to us? Susan, you’re faith is great. I am getting emotional just thinking about it now.
The key to this woman’s faith in Jesus is HOW she asked for Jesus’ help. She came to Jesus in humble worship of the One who she knew could heal her daughter. Her persistent faith in Jesus got His attention and He saw her heart. I relate to the woman. I am not worthy of all that God has done for me but I will continue to ask for His help, mercy, love and grace because I know He will deliver me when I am going through troubled times as he does all people who believe in Him with all that is in them. He knows my name. He knows my heart.
The Faith of a Gentile Woman
Jesus Teaches about Inner Purity
8 ‘These people honor me with their lips,
God wants us to give Him our hearts, and not just our lip service. We believe in the heart (Rom, 10:9–10), love from the heart (Matt. 22:37), sing from the heart (Col. 3:16), obey from the heart (Rom. 6:17; Eph. 6:6), and give from the heart (2 Cor. 9:7). No wonder David prayed, “Create in me a clean heart, O God” (Ps. 51:10). Jesus declared boldly to the multitudes that sin comes from the heart, not from the diet. It is what comes out of the mouth that defiles us, not what goes in. 
What we were really asking for was needed affirmation that are here because HE called and invited us here, not that we just jumped from the “boat” to see if we could make it on the mission field for more than a month. Are You with us in this? Are we doing what you asked? How strong is our faith and hope in You? Are we willing to go the distance and finish well because You are walking beside us? “Lord, if it’s really you…tell me to come…”
27 But Jesus spoke to them at once. “Don’t be afraid,” he said. “Take courage. I am here!”
If you knew that Jesus Christ was in the next room, praying for you, would it not give you new courage to endure the storm and do His will? Of course it would. He is not in the next room, but He is in heaven interceding for you. He sees your need, He knows your fears, and He is in control of the situation. 
Oh, brothers and sisters in faith…listen to what God is telling this day.
Jesus Feeds Five Thousand
It takes little imagination to picture the embarrassing plight of the disciples. Here were more than five thousand hungry people, and they had nothing to feed them! Certainly the disciples knew that Jesus was powerful enough to meet the need, yet they did not turn to Him for help. Instead, they took inventory of their own food supply (a lad had five barley loaves and two fish) and their limited treasury. When they considered the time (evening) and the place (a desolate place), they came to the conclusion that nothing could be done to solve the problem. Their counsel to the Lord was: “Send them away!” 
1. Start with what you have. Andrew found a lad who had a small lunch, and he brought the lad to Jesus. Was the boy willing to give up his lunch? Yes, he was! God begins where we are and uses what we have. 
