God's Last Words

“A PAT ON THE HEAD”

Matthew 17: 1-9 (NRSV)
             A little boy decided he was going to read the Bible, so he opened his grandma’s huge, old leather-bound bible that had been passed down through the family for generations. As he turned the pages, a fragile, old pressed leaf fell out.

He gently picked it up and ran to his grandma, “Grandma! Grandma! I found Adam’s underwear!”

I once heard a preacher talking about the power of prayer and how important it was to always remember that simple words and requests are best.

He gave the following illustration: A hurricane had struck in Texas and people were huddled together listening to a preacher praying with great gusto and wonderful theological precision in the midst of the horrific storm. He cried out, “Send us the spirit of the children of Israel, the children of Moses, and the children of the promised land.” 

At this an old man with less theological skill but more practical directness prayed, “Lord, don’t send nobody. Come yourself. This ain’t no time for children.”

Jesus is getting to the point in his ministry that will not be a time for children or the faint of heart. The disciples will be going through a terrible time where they’ll be dazzled, confused, and uncertain. Jesus knows they need some reassurance.

 

Six days later, Jesus took with him Peter and James and his brother John and led them up a high mountain, by themselves. And he was transfigured before them, and his face shone like the sun, and his clothes became dazzling white.

Suddenly there appeared to them Moses and Elijah, talking with him.

Then Peter said to Jesus, “Lord, it is good for us to be here; if you wish, I will make three dwellings here, one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah.”

While he was still speaking, suddenly, a bright cloud overshadowed them, and from the cloud a voice said, “This is my Son, the Beloved, with him I am well pleased; listen to him!”

When the disciples heard this, they fell to the ground and were overcome by fear.But Jesus came and touched them, saying, “Get up and do not be afraid.” And when they looked up, they saw no one except Jesus himself alone.

As they were coming down the mountain, Jesus ordered them, “Tell no one about the vision until after the Son of Man has been raised from the dead.”

 

The Greek word translated as "transfigured" is meta-morp-hoo-mai. The Gospel of Mark uses the same word for the transfiguration. The Apostle Paul also uses this word to talk about a transformation that is to take place within us.

What catches my attention most about this passage is Jesus’ order to not talk about what they saw until after Jesus dies and is resurrected. Also it’s interesting to see God slap down Peter’s suggestion by interrupting him. This illustrates, like most things, the disciples didn’t get why they were there.

Matthew Henry thought that the disciples experienced the Transfiguration because "It was intended to support their faith, when they would have to witness his crucifixion; and would give them an idea of the glory prepared for them, when changed by his power and made like him."

Was the Transfiguration a message for God’s glory or man’s? I believe it was a message of God’s Glory through His Son Jesus. God is figuratively patting Peter’s head, as we would a child who is struggling to understand something beyond them, and suggesting that age and time will help the understanding process.

Let me explain: An old minister who survived the great Johnstown flood loved to tell the story over and over in great detail. Everywhere he went he would talk about this great historical event in his life.

One day the minister died and went to heaven (yes even boring people will go to heaven!). He was invited to attend a meeting with all the saints gathered to share their life experiences. The old minister got all excited and ran to Peter and asked if he might tell the exciting story of his survival of the Johnstown flood.

Peter hesitated for a minute and then said, “Yes, you may share, but just remember that in our audience tonight will be Brother Noah.

           I tell you that story for a couple of reasons. First of all, I thought it was funny. But more important, there is a lesson we need to learn in it.

Every story, every situation, every incident has at least two levels to it. The first level is what happened, the facts of what occurred. (Who, what, when, where and how).

Though sometimes the bare facts are interesting if they are outrageous or off-beat, most often the bare facts of a scenario are that, pretty bare. What adds spice and interest to the facts of any situation is the motivation. It seems to me that why things happen is usually more interesting than what happened, even if what happened is an extraordinary event.

If you use that type of thinking process, the Bible becomes very exciting reading to me. Events and situations that could seem like dusty old ancient history come alive with interest and intrigue when you look behind the scenes to the rest of the story.

Back in 1884 John Henry Patterson formed the National Cash Register Co. and he led the company to prominence and profitability. He made it successful because he paid attention to details and kept an eye on each part of the company.

At one point, it became apparent that the factory was having a high number of burglaries. Patterson was convinced that the security staff was not doing their job.

So, one night, he put on a phosphorescent suit and rode up to the plant on a white horse. He jimmied opened the door to the tool room, helped himself to several spare parts and rode off, without being challenged. The next morning, he fired the security staff.

Now, why did Patterson fire the security staff? He did that because they weren’t doing their job. They weren’t paying attention and were asleep during the night.

Here in Matthew 17, we have God trying to get the attention of Peter, James and John. It’s fairly obvious that this was the reason Jesus brought them here. A lot of times, Jesus would take his men aside for a time of teaching or prayer, but this time, it’s a little different.

No sooner had they reached the pinnacle when Jesus turns around… and his entire appearance has changed. His face shines like the sun, and His garments became as white as the light.

As if that weren’t enough, two men appear beside Jesus. We’re not told how the disciples knew who they were but they suddenly realized these two men were Moses and Elijah, two legendary Jews. And it got their attention, but they related to it in human terms or at least Peter did.

God wanted them relating in His terms.

When you read what happened to Jesus and His disciples, it is always interesting to ask the question, "How come God allowed that to happen?" or "Why did God act like that?" Now you know the simplest explanation is usually right. Amen.