Matthew

Chapter 17

Chapter 17 marks a turning point in the presentation of the Gospel of Matthew. From this point on Jesus is far more focused upon his death and resurrection and the impact that those events will have upon the community.

Transfiguration

The Transfiguration of Jesus is believed to have taken place on Mt. Hermon. Peter, James, and John attend. These three appear to form an inner circle for Jesus. These three men appear also in Gethsemane when he is praying directly before his betrayal. Several elements of the theophany (a revelation of God’s – God shows something of his identity)

First, the event takes place on a mountain. Other significant divine disclosures also take place on mountains. Remember Mt. Sinai on which God reveals himself to the Moses and the people by the giving of the 10 Commandments. Remember also Mt. Ararat on which Noah landed and God revealed the promise through a rainbow. It was upon a mountain that God revealed him ultimate mercy and promise to Abraham when he stopped the sacrifice of Isaac. It was upon a mount that Jesus revealed his first sermon, The Sermon on the Mount. Jesus disclosed his teaching of the law.
Moses and Elijah appear. These are important characters. We hear Jesus teach about the Law and the Prophets. Moses is the lawgiver, or perhaps the law discloser. Elijah is the voice of the prophetic. Remember some of the stories about Elijah. Elijah brought down the god Baal and the entire priesthood of Ahab and Jezebel through the miracle of God accepting the sacrifice offered. Elijah fled the country and wanted to die for fear that Jezebel’s army would come and destroy him. Elijah in his flight during the great famine asked the Widow at Zarapheth for some food. She gave him the last of her flower and the last of her oil. She was about to consume it with her son and then die of starvation. She gave it to the prophet and from then on until the famine ended, her jars were never empty. As soon as she emptied them, God filled them again. It was Elijah who was taken up into heaven before he died by God’s chariot of fire. Elijah is the prophet who return foretold in the Book of Micah. He is to precede the coming of the Messiah. Every year at the Seder, the door is opened and the congregation awaits the coming of Elijah. In Jesus’ cry from the cross Eli, Eli, l’ma sabachthani! “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me,” the Jews mistake Jesus calling for Elijah to come. In the presence of these two figures Matthew is giving the unmistakable evidence that the Messianic kingdom of God has appeared on earth and that Jesus is the undeniable Messiah.
The cloud overshadows them. This same word is used by Luke to describe God’s overshadowing of Mary at the conception of Jesus. The cloud depicts God’s presence and the Glory of the Lord.
The voice from Heaven in the cloud speaks, “This is my beloved Son. Listen to him.” The first time this voice spoke was at Jesus’ baptism. The word, “listen” holds special significance also. Recall that when Jesus began his teaching he began with the words, “Let those who have ears Listen.” Jesus’ call is to awaken those who are expecting the Messiah and the messianic kingdom – those who find the kingdom escorted into the world through the presence of Jesus.

The disciples were terrified of the vision that they saw. God on earth was revealed to their eyes in a way that they had never seen before. They did not have to await the sign of Jonah that would reveal the messiah to the world. They saw it first hand, and yet, they were instructed not to tell the story until Jesus was revealed as the messiah at his resurrection of from the dead.

Elijah

The discussion resume around the topic of Elijah. Jesus testifies to the truth that John the Baptist was “Elijah” as far as his message on the banks of the Jordan was that the messiah has come. The discussion points, not so much to John, but to Jesus. Matthew’s message after all is that the Messiah and the Messianic Age has dawned in Jesus, a present reality in the world.

The Possessed young Man

This is one of the teaching examples that Jesus uses to dialogue about faith. The disciples were unable to cast the demon out of this boy and the reason Jesus sights is that such actions require extraordinary faith. Jesus teaches that a little faith goes a long way. Even the disciples, who knew Jesus better than anyone else, still have that shadow of “little faith” hanging over their heads. They are still blocked from the full recognition of Jesus the Messiah, even though they saw him transfigured on the mountain. Their faith is still shaken by the third proclamation of Jesus impending death and resurrection. The disciples were still greatly distressed at the words.

The Temple Tax

Jesus is challenged on the requirement of paying the Temple Tax. This is something required of every Jewish male yearly. For those who were challenging Jesus and the disciples the tax was a matter of importance. They were challenging Jesus’ participation in the rites and responsibilities of being a Jewish man. Jesus did not rum from their inquisition, however, demonstrated that God even provides the tribute due for such matters. The coin necessary for both taxes was found in the mouth of a fish. The statement also lends itself to the continued discussion of faith. Faith does not only extend to matters of moving mountains and curing the sick, but pertains also to the simple tasks of daily living, even to meeting our “religious” obligations.

The element of the critical importance is the revelation of the Messiah born into the world. Jesus continues to teach his disciples about himself as the Messiah while also teaching them that the meaning of his life if about the come to fullness – his death and resurrection.

Wednesday, November 01, 2006