"Down The Mountain - The Way to The Cross"_Matthew 17b Oct 20 2024

Intro and Prayer

Hello friends

We are continuing where we left off in Matthew 17

Last time we stopped at verse 8 where Jesus took three disciples up the mountain - for the Transfiguration

Today, we’re going to continue at verse 9 as we come down the mountain with Jesus

Last week:

“Up The Mountain - The Transfiguration”

Today:

“Down The Mountain - The Way to The Cross”

(Pray…)

Down The Mountain - The Way to The Cross

When I was growing up in the church, we had a phrase we used back in Youth Group:

“Mountain Top Experience”

It meant you had a wonderful spiritual experience

Youth camp - beach devotional - getting baptized - coming forward to an altar call, etc

As a teenager - your spiritual experience was mostly based on your high emotions

I want to suggest: the Transfiguration was a mountain top experience to those three disciples

They witnessed the glory of Jesus - and even Moses and Elijah in their glory

Peter, James and John had just seen something that the other disciples hadn’t seen

It would have blown their minds

The scene ranks up there with Moses talking with God through a burning bush

They saw Jesus in his glory - and they heard the voice of God with their ears

But reality always sets in - what always happens after the mountain top?

You always need to come back down the mountain

Verse 9 starts off: “And as they were coming down the mountain...”

There’s nothing wrong with mountain top experiences - but there needs to be more than just an emotional experience

All get into that more later, but let’s look at today’s text

Starting in verse 9 of chapter 17 -

Elijah

Let me read verses 9-13 of Matt 17

Matthew 17:9–13 ESV

And 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.” And the disciples asked him, “Then why do the scribes say that first Elijah must come?” He answered, “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 did to him whatever they pleased. So also the Son of Man will certainly suffer at their hands.” Then the disciples understood that he was speaking to them of John the Baptist.

Now what is going on here about Elijah?

We saw Moses and Elijah at the top of the mountain in their glorified state

Representing the Law and the Prophets

Both in fellowship with Jesus

The Father called out Jesus as his beloved Son - and it was him with whom he was well pleased

Jesus was standing with Moses and Elijah - and God said he was pleased with his Son, Jesus

Imagine being a Jew back then - imagine being Peter, James or John

And God’s voice from heaven is saying:

More important than the Law & Prophets, is my beloved Son

God told the disciples - and to us - “to listen to my Son”

He didn’t say to listen to the Law or the Prophets

Imagine for a moment - if you were a devout Jew

Your whole life, devoted to the worship of YHWH - through the Law and by listening to the prophets

And the Creator of the universe tells you audibly to listen to his Son, Jesus

He didn’t say to ignore those - the point is that Jesus is what’s important

The Law & the prophets always pointed to Jesus

Jesus is the Messiah - Immanuel, God with us

Listen to him

And Jesus - almost casually - says, “Don’t tell anyone about the Transfiguration you just witnessed” - until when?

Until the Son of man is raised from the dead!

Did you catch that?

Almost casually he tells them he will die

The disciples could not process that

If you go back to chapter 16, verse 21, this is what it says...

Matthew 16:21 ESV

From that time Jesus began to show his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem and suffer many things from the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and on the third day be raised.

Notice: “From that time...”

At this point in his ministry, Jesus is looking toward the cross - he’s looking towards Jerusalem & the suffering he will endure

The three disciples - on this emotional mountain top experience -

They are not looking toward the cross

They are looking towards their own version of the the Kingdom to be restored

Jesus is focused on the cross

The cross is why Jesus came to Earth

It was his main purpose

His purpose was to suffer - and die - and be raised on the third day

So that mankind can be redeemed

His death and resurrection changed us all

They’re were expecting Elijah to come before the Messiah - to restore all things before he came

They got this from Malachi

Malachi 4:5 ESV

“Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the great and awesome day of the Lord comes.

But that restoration was not absolute

In a true sense, the restoration of the world was to usher in the Messiah himself

Jesus the Son of God

Who came to Earth

To begin his ministry

And to suffer, and die, and be raised on the third day

That’s what JTB was ushering in

And so, JTB was a type of Elijah - who paved the way for God’s Redeemer

Malachi 4:5 is not so much about Elijah - it’s about Jesus

Look at verse 13 of Matt 17

Matthew 17:13 ESV

Then the disciples understood that he was speaking to them of John the Baptist.

What was the purpose of JTB?

John the Baptist was a type of Elijah who restored everything because he paved the way for Jesus - not just as the Messiah - but our Savior

That’s why Jesus said that Elijah already came and that’s why it says the disciples figured out that this was John the Baptist

John the Baptist paved the way for a great and awesome day

But notice that JTB didn’t pave the way for Jesus to be born

JTB paved the way for Jesus to begin his ministry

Hold that thought

Because in Matthew 17 there is a contrast between man’s objective - and the objective of Jesus

Jesus Heals a Boy with a Demon

Let me move on to the next section

Chapter 17 is broken into about four different events - that seem to not directly relate to each other

But I do think there is a relationship if you look closely

1-13 Up the mountain for the Transfiguration - and down the mountain as Jesus talks with the disciples

14-20 Jesus Heals a Boy with a Demon

22-23 Jesus foretells his Death and Resurrection

24-27 The Temple Tax

14-20 Jesus Heals a Boy with a Demon

Jesus is in the midst of a crowd

A man approaches Jesus on his knees

“Lord, have mercy on my Son”

His boy was having seizures - and he will even occasionally fall into a fire, and fall into water

And the man then throws the disciples under the bus:

“I brought my son to your disciples, but they could not heal him”

And then Jesus expresses his frustration - “O faithless and twisted generation - how long am I to be with you and bear with you?”

And when the disciples ask later - he tells them they don’t have enough faith

He basically makes the point that they don’t even have faith the size of a tiny mustard seed

“You can move mountains with faith this small - and you couldn’t even heal that man’s son.”

Jesus Again Foretells His Death and Resurrection

22, 23 Jesus is in Galilee with his disciples and he again tells them - he will be delivered over to men - and be killed - and be raised on the third day

Do you remember the point I made earlier?

Whenever Jesus foretells of his death, he always includes the Resurrection

This is the basis of the Gospel message -

The perfect Lamb of God who died on the cross for our sins -

But conquered death and rose the third day

The good news of the Gospel is that God forgives us - and gives us the hope of eternal life

And it says in Matt 17:23 that the disciples were “greatly distressed” -

because they couldn’t see the bigger picture

The Father told us to listen to Jesus

Do you suppose we need to listen to Jesus because he has the bigger picture??

Jesus was talking to his disciples about his mission on Earth

The greatest mission ever

The mission from God to rescue us from our sins - and die for us on the cross - and then conquer death by coming back to life three days later

The disciples were distressed because they didn’t have the bigger picture in mind

Did it ever occur to you that when you are distressed over how God is interacting in your life -

that maybe God can see the bigger picture and you can’t?

Listen to Jesus

Jesus was telling the disciples about the greatest thing ever - and they couldn’t see it

The Temple Tax

24-27 the Temple Tax

This was not a Roman tax, this was a special Jewish tax that went to upkeep of the temple

The Jews were expected to pay half a shekel, annually

We see the original idea in Exod 30

By this time, the collection of this tax was probably out of line with God’s original intent

But Jesus turns to Peter and asks him a question

Starting in verse 25 - This is from the NLT version

Matthew 17:25–27 NLT

“Yes, he does,” Peter replied. Then he went into the house. But before he had a chance to speak, Jesus asked him, “What do you think, Peter? Do kings tax their own people or the people they have conquered?” “They tax the people they have conquered,” Peter replied. “Well, then,” Jesus said, “the citizens are free! However, we don’t want to offend them, so go down to the lake and throw in a line. Open the mouth of the first fish you catch, and you will find a large silver coin. Take it and pay the tax for both of us.”

This isn’t a parable to teach us that we don’t need to pay our taxes

And whenever I read this, I always wish that I could just go fishing and find money in the fish I catch

God doesn’t work that way

The wording and setting here is difficult - but this is essentially a story that reaffirms Jesus’ willingness to provide for our needs

Putting it all Together

I want you to notice something about this chapter

And see it in light of a verse in Chapter 16

I believe that in Matthew 16:21 sets a new tone in the ministry of Jesus

Where Jesus begins telling them that he will suffer, die, and be raised

Think of various events in the four Gospels

Some of the actions of Jesus are on his own initiative - like the Sermon on the Mount

But a lot of his teachings come from a question someone has - Pharisee or disciple

In the Gospels, Jesus is either initiating an action or teaching - or he is responding to someone else’s question or action

Chapter 17 goes back and forth between what Jesus had on his agenda, and what others demanded of him.

Chapter 17 is about what Jesus had in his mind and what he wanted to accomplish - and how he dealt with interruptions

Even when he is interrupted, Jesus always makes sure his ministry agenda never gets sidetracked

God is sovereign…(he never changes his purpose because of us…he will always see to his will being accomplished...)

But God, in his sovereign ways, always moves to our ultimate spiritual needs

Whose initiative is shown in these passages?:

* 1-9 The Transfiguration and Jesus foretells his death: Jesus

* 10-13 The disciples question Jesus: Disciples

* 14-18 The kneeling father who pleads with Jesus to heal his son: The father in the crowd

* 19-20 The disciples question Jesus: Disciples

* 22-23 Jesus foretells his death: Jesus

* 24-27 Miracle of the shekel in the fish’s mouth: Tax collectors

Over and over - we see a back-and-forth between the initiative of what Jesus had to do,

And the initiative of those around him

Sometimes Jesus initiates an action

Other times, people interrupt him

I can’t think of a single time Jesus rebuked anyone for interrupting him

He rebukes his disciples for their lack of faith - but never for interrupting him

Jesus always showed patience, compassion, and love...

Our needs never sidetrack the sovereignty of God

Here’s my point: We never interrupt God when we pray to him

And it’s necessary for us to reach out to the Lord with our immediate needs,

But at the same time, we can’t forget the overarching purpose he has for our life

He has a plan for your life

We need to listen to him - and turn our life in his direction

We tend to ask God to help us with our immediate needs

But God has a bigger plan for our lives

You can’t have a true Mountain Top experience without God communicating something to you

If you are in the presence of the Lord, there will always be some purpose to it

Usually, him communicating something to you

If you’re not in the presence of the Lord then it’s just an empty emotional experience

I’m not discounting the experience - I just want to make sure it was the Lord who was with you

By the way:

“Mountain Top experience” is not in the Bible - I use it because it’s fairly commonly used in the church

And because they literally climbed a mountain for the Transfiguration

In the Bible, there is a general connection between mountains and and closeness to the Lord -

The Bible mentions “mountains” more than 500 times

Mt Sinai - where Moses received the Ten Commandments

Mt Zion - the place where Yahweh, the God of Israel, dwells

We think today of Jerusalem

The Mount of Olives - where Jesus went to pray before his crucifixion

When God spoke to Moses through the burning bush at Sinai - it mentions, “Horeb - the mountain of God” (Ex 3:1)

...Valleys are generally the opposite

Psalm 23:4 ESV

Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me.

Today, you may be on a spiritual mountain - or in a deep valley

But you always need to listen to the Lord

Let me also clarify:

In my experience, I have never “heard” the voice of God

He communicates to us through his Word - when we read his Bible

But there have been times where he’s impressed an idea in my heart

God will never impress something that goes against his Word

If I want to hear the radio, I first need to turn it on

And if I want to hear a specific station, I need to tune it to that station

Reading the Bible is like tuning into God’s radio station - so you can listen to him

You can’t be a disciple of Jesus if you’re not listening to him

And you can’t listen to him unless you’re tuned into his daily Word

The Transfiguration was an encouragement to those disciples and to us - of the glory and fellowship we will enjoy in eternal life

But the communication came directly from the Father: “listen to him”

I’ve had various Mountain Top experiences in my life:

In 1973, when I went forward and placed my faith in Jesus

And years ago as the Lord was leading me into pastoral ministry:

Personal quarterly ministry retreats

Palm Springs tram ride to top of Mt San Jacinto - 8,500 ft...

What is Jesus impressing on your heart?

Is he encouraging you?

Or is he giving you new instructions to serve him?

Or is he piercing your heart to give up a sinful lifestyle?

Or maybe he’s calling you to repent and turn to him

Any true Mountain Top experience should change you on the way down from the mountain

The point of the mountain top is to make you a different person when you live in the valleys of life

Notice: Jesus was still with his disciples as they came down the mountain -

Imagine that - he’s always with you - especially in the valleys

God is with you during your highs and your lows - even though you walk through the valley of the shadow of death

He is with you!

Even when you are in that valley, you don’t need to fear evil,

Because God is with you

In reality - we don’t need to wait for some special Mountain Top experience

God should be constantly changing you and molding you - if you let him

But we need to be listening to him

Listen to him

What is the overarching plan God has for your life?

What gifts - what ministry, has the Lord given you?

What will it take to be a good steward of what he’s given you?

How is the Lord changing you today for his purpose?

I pray you’ll see the bigger picture

Before I close -

After the Father said, “listen to him” in verse 5 - do you remember the first words of Jesus?

“Rise, and have no fear.”

Some of you today need to hear those words from Jesus

In the name of Jesus, “Rise and have no fear.”

Some of you are being held back in fear...

I pray you will listen to him

(Pray…)

(Pick one…)

Communion

Matthew 26:26–28 ESV

Now as they were eating, Jesus took bread, and after blessing it broke it and gave it to the disciples, and said, “Take, eat; this is my body.” And he took a cup, and when he had given thanks he gave it to them, saying, “Drink of it, all of you, for this is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins.

Luke 22:19–20 ESV

And he took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and gave it to them, saying, “This is my body, which is given for you. Do this in remembrance of me.” And likewise the cup after they had eaten, saying, “This cup that is poured out for you is the new covenant in my blood.

1 Corinthians 11:23–26 ESV

For I received from the Lord what I also delivered to you, that the Lord Jesus on the night when he was betrayed took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it, and said, “This is my body, which is for you. Do this in remembrance of me.” In the same way also he took the cup, after supper, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood. Do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of me.” For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes.