Beloved Son Matthew 17:1-13

-On the Mount of Transfiguration, we gain a glimpse of Jesus unveiled.

I remember taking my youngest son to one of the national art galleries in Washington, DC. As we made our approach, I was so excited about what we were going to see. He was decidedly unexcited. But I just knew that, once we were inside, he would have his mind blown and would thank me for what I had done for him that day.

As it turned out, his mind wasn’t blown; it wasn’t even activated. I saw things of such stunning beauty that brought me to the edge of tears. He yawned, moaned, and complained his way through gallery after gallery. With every new gallery, I was enthralled, but each time we walked into a new art space, he begged me to leave. He was surrounded by glory but saw none of it. He stood in the middle of wonders but was bored out of his mind. His eyes worked well, but his heart was stone blind. He saw everything, but he saw nothing.

Paul David Tripp, Awe: Why it Matters to Everything We Think, Say, and Do, Crossway.

I. The Glory of the Son vv. 1-3

As we continue our look at Matthew’s Gospel, a lot has happened:

Peter correctly identifies Jesus as the Christ, God’s anointed servant

Unfortunately, when Jesus explains how this position means that He must go to Jerusalem and suffer and die

Peter rejects this notion entirely, and attempts to rebuke Jesus!

Now, Jesus is going to invite His innermost circle into a moment that should change how they view Him and reconcile two truths: glory and suffering

He takes them on a mountaintop

This is not accidental, but conjures up all sorts of images from the Old Testament

The mountain is the place where God meets with His people in a personal way and reveals something about His character and purpose to them

That is exactly what will take place here

In this moment on the mountain, they catch a glimpse of Christ, with His glory uncovered

This was His condition before His incarnation and it will be after His Resurrection and Ascension

They have never seen Him like this, because He willingly covered His glory as part of His incarnation

The vision matters, because it should confirm to them, in spite of what is to come, who Jesus is and God’s purpose for Him

On the mountain, Jesus is joined by Moses and Elijah

These men are heavy-hitters in the Old Testament and represent the Law and the Prophets

In important ways, they serve as forerunners of Jesus and foreshadow His ministry

They both meet God on the mountain

They both lead God’s people

They both proclaim God’s Word

They both departed life in God’s particular way

However, the ultimate fulfillment of God’s purpose is not found in Moses or Elijah, but in Jesus

When Julius Caesar returned to Rome after many years of fighting its battles abroad, he planned great festivities and triumphal processions to celebrate his victories over Gaul, Egypt, Pontos, and Africa. Each of the four processions took an entire day. His goal was to hold the city spellbound by his greatness.

The cavalcades wound through the streets and ended at the temple of Jupiter, displaying treasures, booty, large paintings of battles, and maps. Then came the prisoners with their barbarian kings; then the Roman officials; and then the commander himself, riding on a chariot drawn by three white horses. He wore a laurel wreath and purple toga, carried the eagle scepter, and colored his face with red lead to represent Jupiter, whose power had made the armies victorious, while over him a slave held the golden wreath. Yet the same slave also served as counselor to this demigod by repeating in his ear, “Remember, you are human.”

II. The Authority of the Son vv. 4-8

Peter sees all of this and he responds exactly as we would expect Peter to: in his own way

Jesus has already made it clear that He is headed to Jerusalem

Instead, Peter wants to build tents and just stay on the mountaintop

On the one hand, this is completely understandable from Peter, but on the other, he is completely missing the point!

Into this confusion, the Father shows up and speaks up to make the position of Jesus clear:

A unique relationship: Jesus is the Beloved Son

God’s good pleasure: The Father is completely satisfied with Jesus and His course of action

Full endorsement: The Father instructs the disciples to listen to Jesus and to obey

Jesus may share some similarities with Moses and Elijah who are great in their own ways, but He is uniquely authoritative

When He speaks we must listen

His teachings carry with them all of the authority of God Himself

We must understand, Jesus never makes suggestions

He loves us and He listens to us, but we cannot find His purpose in our own plans

The disciples do listen, and in so doing, they receive comfort

For all of the fear involved in facing God’s presence, they come away at peace

When we commit ourselves to Him, there is tremendous comfort to be found as we place our confidence in Him and His care for us

We can trust Him because He is trustworthy!

750 Engaging Illustrations for Preachers, Teachers and Writers 744: Trust

A television program preceding the 1988 Winter Olympics featured blind skiers being trained for slalom skiing, impossible as that sounds. Paired with sighted skiers, the blind skiers were taught on the flats how to make right and left turns.

When that was mastered, they were taken to the slalom slope, where their sighted partners skied beside them shouting, “Left!” and “Right!” As they obeyed the commands, they were able to negotiate the course and cross the finish line, depending solely on the sighted skiers’ word. It was either complete trust or catastrophe.

What a vivid picture of the Christian life! In this world, we are in reality blind about what course to take. We must rely solely on the Word of the only One who is truly sighted—God himself. His Word gives us the direction we need to finish the course.

III. The Suffering of the Son vv. 9-13

The scene transitions and Jesus and the disciples are leaving the mountaintop. Jesus has some specific instructions for them.

Oddly, He tells them not to tell anyone what they have seen

This is counterintuitive, because it seems that an endorsement from Moses and Elijah would be pretty strong confirmation that Jesus is the Christ

They must wait, however, because the mission must be completed

Death must precede resurrection

Suffering must precede glory

The disciples are confused; they want to know about a prophecy regarding the appearance of Elijah

Jesus makes it clear, Elijah (John the Baptist) had already came

The people did not recognize him, because his ministry was marked more by suffering than success

Now, Jesus will have the same kind of ministry: He is fully loved and endorsed by God, yet He will suffer greatly. Yet, in the end, there is a glory that exceeds whatever He suffers!

This truth ought to be something we carry with us:

As Instruction: This is how things work in God’s way of doing things. There is a purpose.

As Invitation: We are invited to share in His suffering. There is a fellowship.

As Inspiration: We are able to endure suffering in Him and just as He did. There is a hope.

2 Corinthians 4:16–18

[16] So we do not lose heart. Though our outer self is wasting away, our inner self is being renewed day by day. [17] For this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison, [18] as we look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen. For the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal. (ESV)

300 Sermon Illustrations from Charles Spurgeon He Walks with the Soldiers (Matthew 11:28–29; Acts 9:4; 22:7; 26:14; Romans 5:3; 2 Corinthians 1:4; Philippians 2:7–8)

Alexander was a great master of men, and one of the reasons why all his soldiers loved him so enthusiastically was that, if they were on a long march, Alexander did not ride, but tramped along in the heat and dust with the common soldiery. And when the day was hot, and they brought his majesty water, he put it aside and said, “The sick soldiers want it more than I. I will not drink until every soldier has a drink.”

So is it with Christ. In all our afflictions he is afflicted, and he will not have joy until he gives joy to his people. Yes, he has done more than Alexander, for he emptied himself of all his glories, and gave himself to die upon the cross, and consummated the redemption of his people by his own agonies.