Matthew 17:9-13

Matthew 17:9-13

And while they were coming down out of the mountain, Jesus commanded them while saying, “You all should speak to no one about the vision until the Son of Man should be raised out of the dead.”  And the disciples asked Him while saying, “Therefore, why do the scribes say that it is necessary for Elijah to come first?”  And the one who answered said, “In one case Elijah comes and will cause restoration in all things.  But in another case I say to you all that Elijah already came and they did not recognize him and they did in him whatever they desired.  In this same way the Son of Man is also about to suffer under them.  Then the disciples understood that He said this to them regarding John the Baptizer.

Thoughts for Today

First Thought:

I think it important to once more talk about why Jesus would tell the disciples to say nothing.  Of course, the standard answer is always present.  The more people talk about Him and the supernatural things happening around Him, the more likely the moment of His death advances.  Jesus wants to die on God’s timing, not mankind’s timing.  However, I think there is a second reason here.  As the death of Jesus draws more and more near, His disciples are also more and more in jeopardy.  The disciples will face their own persecution; we know that much from the book of Acts.  But Jesus wants to make sure that they have as much time as possible to prepare and make sure their identity is coming from the Father before the time of persecution falls upon them.

What do you think of Jesus’ motives here?  What does this tell us about our need as human beings to know the proper time to speak and the proper time to not speak?

Second Thought:

We’ve heard about the Hebrew belief that Elijah will come prior to God’s Messiah, but I don’t think I’ve ever referenced from where that belief comes.  If you look at Malachi 4:5-6 you will see the main verse from which this belief is derived.  These are essentially the last words of the Hebrew Scriptures.  God promises that prior to the great Day of Judgment that He will send Elijah again in order to prepare the people.  In other words, the Hebrew people are looking for Elijah to come and prepare the way of God’s Messiah to make sure that anyone who wants to listen can be ready for the message of Christ.

What does it mean to you that this promise is the last words of the Hebrew Scriptures?  Do you think that there is importance upon this idea because it is at the end of the Old Testament?  Do you think that there is one Elijah who comes or does God said “many” Elijahs into the world to prepare all people in all times in all places? (See verses 11-12)  In this case, what people were the Elijahs that God sent into your life to prepare your heart for Christ?

Third Thought:

Of course, the Bible is clear that in the specific context of the disciples that the Elijah who was sent before Christ was in fact John the Baptizer.  John was tasked with preparing the people in the time of Christ’s physical coming so that they would be ready to hear the message.  He told people to repent.  He told them that someone more powerful than him was coming.  He is the one who pointed to Christ first, and he pointed to Christ’s actual physical coming to earth.  In this same manner, John the Baptizer sets a great mold for us to step into.  We are not Christ to the people around us.  But we can point to the true Christ.  We can be like John the Baptizer and point people to God’s grace in Christ and our need to repent of our sinfulness.

What do you think it was like for John the Baptizer to come before Christ and point people with confidence to Christ?  Do you think that you can follow in His example knowing that Christ did come and He did die and He did extend God’s grace to us?

Passage for Tomorrow: Matthew 17:14-21