Matthew 17 - Hearing the Son by Faith
Jesus is the Christ (16:16), which means He must suffer, be killed, and be raised (16:21). [It also means He will reign.] Then, Jesus says some standing there will see Him coming in His kingdom (16:28). Does He refer to the resurrection or the transfiguration? The simplest expaination is that He refers to His return (16:27), but that is the hardest to reconcile with 16:28.
One answer may be the transfiguration, which is described here with obvious [perhaps] connections to His return. Jesus meets with Moses and Elijah, who are the most likely candidates for the two witnesses. Of course, in the context of Elijah = John the Baptist [Baptizer might be more accurate], those witnesses may also be figurative. But, verse 11 makes me think these actual men will return.
This is all a matter of faith, which is exactly what we need more of. The other disciples (never assume He means only the 12) were not able to help the boy because of their unbelief. We must also have faith in Jesus' words, whether we can nail them down or not. Faith requires humility and submission. But, it is also a sign of sonship (v.5).
Hear this: Sonship is marked by transformation, faith, betrayal (v.22), freedom (v.26), and consideration (v.27). Jesus bore these marks, as should we. He is the Begotten Son of God, and we need to hear (faith) Him (v.5).
------------------------------------------
[ This reasoning may be hard to follow:
Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God who must suffer, but also reign. We believe He has suffered and will return to reign. Yet, we also believe He is reigning in some sense now. What then do we do with 16:28? What is He talking about? The return or the issue of Sonship? My best guess is that the transfiguration is a picture (a "seeing") of Jesus coming in His kingdom. I am not completely satisfied with this equation, but it seems like the best guess. This allows us to focus on the issue of Sonship, which seems to be important throughout the chapter. The whole chapter describes Jesus as the Son of God, tells us some of what that means (transformation, faith, betrayal, freedom, and maybe even consideration), and then tells us that we are also "sons" (17:26). This is all a matter of faith: of trusting the author of Scripture even when I have some doubt about my understanding of Scripture.
I write with a space limit and my notes are primarily intended for my own instruction. I may not always answer the question I raise, because I don't have all the answers. I may not ask a question at all or address only part of a passage. If you read these posts, please read the biblical passages as well. The posts are simply my current reflections of those chapters and verses. They are not particularly researched or edited, and are certainly not in sermon form. They are not given with any particular pastoral authority. They are my free-flowing thoughts. They are reflections. I post them in order to keep myself engaged in the study and so that you who read might explore further on your own. If something I say is confusing, skip it. I do that all the time myself.
Oh, by the way...
HAVE A VERY, MERRY CHRISTMAS! ]
One answer may be the transfiguration, which is described here with obvious [perhaps] connections to His return. Jesus meets with Moses and Elijah, who are the most likely candidates for the two witnesses. Of course, in the context of Elijah = John the Baptist [Baptizer might be more accurate], those witnesses may also be figurative. But, verse 11 makes me think these actual men will return.
This is all a matter of faith, which is exactly what we need more of. The other disciples (never assume He means only the 12) were not able to help the boy because of their unbelief. We must also have faith in Jesus' words, whether we can nail them down or not. Faith requires humility and submission. But, it is also a sign of sonship (v.5).
Hear this: Sonship is marked by transformation, faith, betrayal (v.22), freedom (v.26), and consideration (v.27). Jesus bore these marks, as should we. He is the Begotten Son of God, and we need to hear (faith) Him (v.5).
------------------------------------------
[ This reasoning may be hard to follow:
Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God who must suffer, but also reign. We believe He has suffered and will return to reign. Yet, we also believe He is reigning in some sense now. What then do we do with 16:28? What is He talking about? The return or the issue of Sonship? My best guess is that the transfiguration is a picture (a "seeing") of Jesus coming in His kingdom. I am not completely satisfied with this equation, but it seems like the best guess. This allows us to focus on the issue of Sonship, which seems to be important throughout the chapter. The whole chapter describes Jesus as the Son of God, tells us some of what that means (transformation, faith, betrayal, freedom, and maybe even consideration), and then tells us that we are also "sons" (17:26). This is all a matter of faith: of trusting the author of Scripture even when I have some doubt about my understanding of Scripture.
I write with a space limit and my notes are primarily intended for my own instruction. I may not always answer the question I raise, because I don't have all the answers. I may not ask a question at all or address only part of a passage. If you read these posts, please read the biblical passages as well. The posts are simply my current reflections of those chapters and verses. They are not particularly researched or edited, and are certainly not in sermon form. They are not given with any particular pastoral authority. They are my free-flowing thoughts. They are reflections. I post them in order to keep myself engaged in the study and so that you who read might explore further on your own. If something I say is confusing, skip it. I do that all the time myself.
Oh, by the way...
HAVE A VERY, MERRY CHRISTMAS! ]
Comments