34: Glory & Grief (Mt 17:1-23)

I’m wondering how many of you have, within the last 2-3 years, experienced a moment of GLORY - when you have known the Presence of God along with peace, hope, and joy?

Have many of you, in that same amount of time, have experienced a moment of GRIEF - where you struggled to sense God’s Presence, and where you were aquinated with trouble, fear, and pain?

Christians should expect to experience both glory & grief on this side of eternity. Today we are reminded to keep our eyes on the eternity while we keep our feet on the ground - to LONG for Heaven while we continue to LIVE on Earth.

The first followers of Jesus had some incredible moments of GLORY too, one of which we are about to see today. Think of all the wonderful moments they had in the presence of Jesus - his teaching, miracles, and fireside chats.

But…they also had incredible moments of GRIEF, even when Jesus was with them. We will see one of those moments today as well, as Jesus again brings up His impending death.

Last week we concluded with Jesus saying this:

Matthew 16:27–28 (NIV)

For the Son of Man is going to come in his Father’s glory with His angels, and then He will reward each person according to what they have done. Truly I tell you, some who are standing here will not taste death before they see the Son of Man coming in His kingdom.

And then we asked, What’s THAT all about. Today we find out…in CONTEXT.

I would propose that Jesus talks about the Son of Man coming in 3 different ways:

The first way is probably the way that most of us view this every time - the 2nd Coming of Jesus, when He returns to rule in reign over the Earth.

Secondly, as we will see later in Matthew 24:34 and has already been mentioned back in Mt 10:23, the Son of Man would come in judgement against unbelieving Israel during the generation of the first disciples of Jesus.

The third way related to seeing the Son of Man coming in His Kingdom is what we see today, when Jesus gives 3 of His disciples a glimpse of His glory that others will not see until the Second Coming of Jesus.

So, as we remember the context,

Matthew 17:1 (NIV)

After six days Jesus took with him Peter, James and John the brother of James, and led them up a high mountain by themselves.

We don’t know where this occurred.

The focus isn’t on WHERE they were, but WHAT happened while they were there.

Matthew 17:2–3 (NIV)

There He was transfigured before them. His face shone like the sun, and his clothes became as white as the light. Just then there appeared before them Moses and Elijah, talking with Jesus.

In a movie from back in my day, called “Cocoon” aliens put on synthetic human skin. When one finally revealed who they really were, he pealed off the human skin to reveal what was underneath - a bright luminescent face, that at first frightened the people looking on.

So too, the face of Jesus shone like the sun, and these 3 disciples of Jesus get a glimpse of His true GLORY which had been covered by human skin - a preview of what all will likely see when Jesus returns.

John later saw Jesus in a vision we call “Revelation”. Here’s what He writes.

Revelation 1:12–17a (NIV)

I turned around to see the voice that was speaking to me. And when I turned I saw seven golden lampstands, and among the lampstands was someone like a son of man, dressed in a robe reaching down to His feet and with a golden sash around His chest. The hair on His head was white like wool, as white as snow, and His eyes were like blazing fire.

[v15-17a] His feet were like bronze glowing in a furnace, and His voice was like the sound of rushing waters. In his right hand He held seven stars, and coming out of His mouth was a sharp, double-edged sword. His face was like the sun shining in all its brilliance. When I saw Him, I fell at His feet as though dead.

And now, here is Jesus, talking with Moses and Elijah - the ones who represent the Law and the Prophets. They affirm that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, who is about to finish the race as Jesus takes the turn toward Jerusalem where the cross awaits (Lk 9:31).

Matthew 17:4 (NIV)

Peter said to Jesus, “Lord, it is good for us to be here. If you wish, I will put up three shelters—one for you, one for Moses and one for Elijah.”

Peter is ready to camp out for a while and doesn’t want to leave.

Maybe he is thinking of the mobile tabernacle where Yahweh resided among the people during the ancient days of the Exodus - and now he’s thinking, “We need to build a place for these 3 to live.”

Some think that Peter saw Jesus as 1 among 3 equals rather than connecting the dots that the Law and the Prophets pointed to Jesus and now visibly affirm that HE IS GOD’S SON. Maybe Peter was thinking, “We can’t wait to hear Moses and Elijah talk!”

But before he can finish completing his thought...

Matthew 17:5 (NIV)

While he was still speaking, a bright cloud covered them, and a voice from the cloud said, “This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased. Listen to him!”

This bright cloud that covered them on the mountain was similar to God’s Presence showing up in a cloud during the time of Moses with lightning, thunder, and fire (Ex 19:16, 24:15-18.)

Further, Yahweh’s Presence would appear in the form of a cloud at the entrance to the Tabernacle when Moses went in (Ex 33:9-10, 40:34-35).

Otherwise the cloud by day and fire by night would cover the Tabernacle until it was time to pack up and follow the cloud to the next encampment (Ex 40:36-38).

Of course God’s Presence showed up on Mt Carmel when Elijah challenged the false prophets to see which God would consume the sacrifice, and Yahweh did, as fire fell from heaven - leading the people of Israel to fall on the ground and cry out “Yahweh - He is God! Yahweh - He is God!” (1 Kgs 18:38-39).

But as greatly as Moses and Elijah were used by Yahweh, they are NOT the stars of the show.

Jesus wasn’t pointing back to the glory of Moses and Elijah!

Instead, those ancient heroes had always been pointing FORWARD to the glory of Jesus!

And the voice from heaven commands the disciples to listen to Jesus! What a simple life lesson.

How am I to live in this world - how am I to keep my eyes on what’s eternal while keeping my feet on the ground? Listen to Him - Listen to Jesus!

But this voice didn’t calm the 3 apostles down…instead...

Matthew 17:6–7 (NIV)

When the disciples heard this, they fell facedown to the ground, terrified. But Jesus came and touched them. “Get up,” he said. “Don’t be afraid.”

Thunder and Lightning If you’ve ever heard thunder clap near you as bright lightning raced to the ground, you likely hid behind something.

A few months back lightning hit somewhere near our back yard as I was standing near our back door, and I realized - WOW! I’m faster than I thought…as I hauled tail away from that door!

Imagine that kind of brightness minus the thunder clap or lighting, BUT hearing a powerful voice speak from the sky! How would YOU respond? They fell facedown to the ground, terrified!

Yet watch how Jesus responds to their fear, just as He had done several times before, comforting them by saying “Don’t be afraid” (cf. Mt 10:36-41; 14:25-27, Lk 5:4-11, ) and touching them just as Jesus does to John in Rev 1:17.

Revelation 1:17–18 (NIV)

When I saw him, I fell at His feet as though dead. Then He placed his right hand on me and said: “Do not be afraid. I am the First and the Last. I am the Living One; I was dead, and now look, I am alive for ever and ever! And I hold the keys of death and Hades.

With their faces to the ground, they were touched and encouraged by Jesus to not be afraid and get up,

Matthew 17:7-8 (NIV)

But Jesus came and touched them. “Get up,” he said. “Don’t be afraid.”

When they looked up, they saw no one except Jesus.

Suddenly, the glory and brilliance had faded, and all was as it was before.

No more bright clouds or faces,

no more Moses and Elijah,

no more voice from heaven

Just Jesus. And in this way, the words of Jesus had been fulfilled when He had early told them...

Matthew 16:27–28 (NIV)

For the Son of Man is going to come in his Father’s glory with His angels, and then He will reward each person according to what they have done. Truly I tell you, some who are standing here will not taste death before they see the Son of Man coming in His kingdom.

What an incredible moment of GLORY! I bet those guys couldn’t wait to tell the other disciples and their own families! But...

Matthew 17:9 (NIV)

As they were coming down the mountain, Jesus instructed them, “Don’t tell anyone what you have seen, until the Son of Man has been raised from the dead.”

Mark’s gospel gives us a little insight into what they were thinking by telling us...

Mark 9:10 (NIV)

They kept the matter to themselves, discussing what “rising from the dead” meant.

They still don’t seem to understand that Jesus had come to do more than heal and teach.

Jesus came to DIE, to become the sacrifice in place of Abraham’s sons…and the sacrifice for US!

And there’s something else they didn’t understand, which is why they asked this next question.

Matthew 17:10 (NIV)

The disciples asked Him, “Why then do the teachers of the law say that Elijah must come first?”

Remember who they had just seen on the mountain - Moses and ELIJAH. But now Elijah was gone instead of fulfilling what Malachi 4:5-6 said.

Malachi 4:5–6 (LSB)

Behold, I am going to send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and awesome day of Yahweh. And he will turn the hearts of the fathers to their children and the hearts of the children to their fathers, lest I come and strike the land, devoting it to destruction.

So how could Jesus be the Messiah if Elijah DID NOT first come to fulfill what the Scriptures said?

Further, they thought Elijah showing up meant the END of suffering for the true followers of Yahweh. But Jesus counters and clarifies all this with His next statement.

Matthew 17:11–13 (NIV)

Jesus replied, “To be sure, Elijah comes and will restore all things. But I tell you, Elijah has already come, and they did not recognize him, but have done to him everything they wished. In the same way the Son of Man is going to suffer at their hands.” Then the disciples understood that He was talking to them about John the Baptist.

John had called people to repentance, to make things right with God and with one another. John’s ministry was successful, with thousands coming to hear his message, be baptized, and prepare themselves for the coming of the Messiah. In doing so, John fulfilled Mal 3:1 and what the angel had told John’s father just before he was born Luke 1:13-17.

But not everyone appreciated John’s message, including many of the religious leaders, and Herod Antipas who lopped off his head.

So too, Jesus would suffer like his forerunner, John the Baptist had. And then it clicked, John the Baptist WAS the one who fulfilled the prophecy about Elijah in Malachi.

Now back in the real world, Jesus and the 3 disciples with Him had to face the reality of daily ministry, from the GLORY of the mountain-top experience to the GRIEF in the valley of the sinful world.

Matthew 17:14–16 (NIV)

When they came to the crowd, a man approached Jesus and knelt before him. “Lord, have mercy on my son,” he said. “He has seizures and is suffering greatly. He often falls into the fire or into the water. I brought him to your disciples, but they could not heal him.”

Remember that earlier in Matthew’s gospel we saw that Jesus deputize His disciples and send them out with the ability to drive out demons and heal every disease and sickness (Mt 10:1-8). Yet, this time things are different. As hard as they tried, they could not heal this suffering son.

And this is certainly a strange sickness - seizures - okay, but often falling into fire and water? What kind of disease is THAT? This person is dealing with much more than a bad case of vertigo, as we are about to see.

Matthew 17:17 (NIV)

“You unbelieving and perverse generation,” Jesus replied, “how long shall I stay with you? How long shall I put up with you? Bring the boy here to me.”

Jesus is clearly frustrated because of unbelief, but whose unbelief? We’ll see that in a moment.

Since the disciples of Jesus couldn’t do anything to help, the boy is brought to Jesus.

It’s here that Dr. Luke tells us that this boy was possessed by a demon that would scream, foam at the mouth, and throw him to the ground (Lk 9:39-42).

Mark’s gospel adds that when the evil spirit saw Jesus he threw the boy into a convulsion on the ground, rolled around, and foamed at the mouth (Mk 9:20). So...

Matthew 17:18 (NIV)

Jesus rebuked the demon, and it came out of the boy, and he was healed at that moment.

Mark 9:26 says “The spirit shrieked, convulsed him violently and came out. The boy looked so much like a corpse that many said, “He’s dead.”

Luke 9:43 adds, “And they were all amazed at the greatness of God. While everyone was marveling at all that Jesus did.”

Matthew 17:19–20 (NIV)

Then the disciples came to Jesus in private and asked, “Why couldn’t we drive it out?” He replied, “Because you have so little faith. Truly I tell you, if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you.”

The focus here is WHO the disciple puts his/her trust IN. Moving mountains doesn’t have anything to do with land clearing, but with overcoming overwhelming obstacles in life.

The person who obeys Jesus and asks in accordance with God’s will (Mt 6:10) with simple and even small faith, will be answered.

Had the disciples done this, the demon would have been cast out.

Matthew 17:22–23 (NIV)

When they came together in Galilee, he said to them, “The Son of Man is going to be delivered into the hands of men. They will kill him, and on the third day He will be raised to life.” And the disciples were filled with grief.

What an incredible moment of GRIEF. Of course, they did not understand at that point what they later understood - that Jesus would be raised to life!

That’s how GRIEF jabs us in the gut - making us think that there is no future hope - that this is all there is. And sometimes we even overlook the PROMISE that will follow the PAIN (the resurrection after the crucifixion).

For those of us who have bought the lie that this life is all there is, or that we should only experience the GLORY of heaven while on earth - boy, are we frustrated!

The reality is that we WILL experience moments of GRIEF on this side of eternity - times when we hear the news we don’t want to hear - the times we must have FAITH that God’s Presence and Power is with us, despite the tough times we face. Especially if we remember that Jesus is alive!

Jesus, I Know You Are Here

A miserable looking woman recognized F.B. Meyer on the train and ventured to share her burden with him. For years she had cared for a crippled daughter who brought great joy to her life. She made tea for her each morning, then left for work, knowing that in the evening the daughter would be there when she arrived home. But the daughter had died, and the grieving mother was alone and miserable. Home was not "home" anymore.

Meyer gave her wise counsel. "When you get home and put the key in the door," he said, "say aloud, 'Jesus, I know You are here!' and be ready to greet Him directly when you open the door. And as you light the fire tell Him what has happened during the day; if anybody has been kind, tell Him; if anybody has been unkind, tell Him, just as you would have told your daughter. At night stretch out your hand in the darkness and say, 'Jesus, I know You are here!'"

Some months later, Meyer was back in that neighborhood and met the woman again, but he did not recognize her. Her face radiated joy instead of announcing misery.

"I did as you told me," she said, "and it has made all the difference in my life, and now I feel I know Him."

It’s not as though we don’t learn or grow during the tough times.

As C.S. Lewis rightly wrote: “God whispers to us in our pleasures, speaks in our consciences, but shouts in our pains. It is his megaphone to rouse a deaf world.”

We WILL also experience moments of GLORY, when God’s Presence and Power is unquestioned - times that we would like to camp out and just stay there until Jesus returns…but of course…we can’t. Not yet.

So, what do we do in the meantime as our lives bounce between GLORY & GRIEF?

How about this?

2 Corinthians 4:14, 16–18 (NIV)

because we know that the one who raised the Lord Jesus from the dead will also raise us with Jesus and present us with you to himself...Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.

Want to talk? STAFF & Deacons/wives

Discussion Questions

Share about a moment of GLORY (when it was easy to trust God, knowing He was near) and a moment of GRIEF (when it was tough to trust God, struggling to believe He was near). How did God use those moments in your life.

Read Matthew 17:1-8. Take some time to discuss what you find most significant about the transfiguration of Jesus.

Read Matthew 16:27-28. How did the transfiguration let the apostles “see the Son of Man coming in His kingdom”?

Read Malachi 3:1, 4:5-6 & Matthew 17:10-13. Jews who don’t follow Jesus as Messiah are looking for the return of Elijah before the coming of the Messiah. What might you share with a Jewish person to help them see John already fulfilled those prophecies?

Read Matthew 17:19-20. Why couldn’t the disciples drive out the demon? [Note: v21 is not found in the earliest copies of Matthew but is found in Mark 9:29.] What kind of faith can move “mountains”? Is the focus on our faith or the One we put faith in? Explain your answer.

Share a time when God answered a simple prayer of faith in a powerful way.

Read Matthew 17:22-23. Why were the disciples “filled with grief”, even after Jesus spoke of His future resurrection? How are we more likely to focus on current, yet temporary GRIEF rather than the eternal future GLORY?

Read 2 Corinthians 4:14–18. What secures the promise that God will raise us from the dead? Despite experiencing troubles (“light and momentary”) on earth, what can keep us from becoming discouraged (“losing heart”)?

What challenged or encouraged you most from today’s teaching? What does God want YOU to do with what we studied today?

Share prayer needs and pray for one another.