Tell the Story
The Transfiguration
17 And after six days Jesus took with him Peter and James, and John his brother, and led them up a high mountain by themselves. 2 And he was transfigured before them, and his face shone like the sun, and his clothes became white as light. 3 And behold, there appeared to them Moses and Elijah, talking with him. 4 And Peter said to Jesus, “Lord, it is good that we are here. If you wish, I will make three tents here, one for you and one for Moses and one for Elijah.” 5 He was still speaking when, behold, a bright cloud overshadowed them, and a voice from the cloud said, “This is my beloved Son,1 with whom I am well pleased; listen to him.” 6 When the disciples heard this, they fell on their faces and were terrified. 7 But Jesus came and touched them, saying, “Rise, and have no fear.” 8 And when they lifted up their eyes, they saw no one but Jesus only.
9 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.” 10 And the disciples asked him, “Then why do the scribes say that first Elijah must come?” 11 He answered, “Elijah does come, and he will restore all things. 12 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.” 13 Then the disciples understood that he was speaking to them of John the Baptist.
Jesus Heals a Boy with a Demon
14 And when they came to the crowd, a man came up to him and, kneeling before him, 15 said, “Lord, have mercy on my son, for he has seizures and he suffers terribly. For often he falls into the fire, and often into the water. 16 And I brought him to your disciples, and they could not heal him.” 17 And Jesus answered, “O faithless and twisted generation, how long am I to be with you? How long am I to bear with you? Bring him here to me.” 18 And Jesus rebuked the demon,2 and it3 came out of him, and the boy was healed instantly.4 19 Then the disciples came to Jesus privately and said, “Why could we not cast it out?” 20 He said to them, “Because of your little faith. For truly, I say to you, if you have faith like a grain of mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move, and nothing will be impossible for you.”5
Jesus Again Foretells Death, Resurrection
22 As they were gathering6 in Galilee, Jesus said to them, “The Son of Man is about to be delivered into the hands of men, 23 and they will kill him, and he will be raised on the third day.” And they were greatly distressed.
The Temple Tax
24 When they came to Capernaum, the collectors of the two-drachma tax went up to Peter and said, “Does your teacher not pay the tax?” 25 He said, “Yes.” And when he came into the house, Jesus spoke to him first, saying, “What do you think, Simon? From whom do kings of the earth take toll or tax? From their sons or from others?” 26 And when he said, “From others,” Jesus said to him, “Then the sons are free. 27 However, not to give offense to them, go to the sea and cast a hook and take the first fish that comes up, and when you open its mouth you will find a shekel.7 Take that and give it to them for me and for yourself.”
Footnotes
[1] 17:5
[2] 17:18
[3] 17:18
[4] 17:18
[5] 17:20
[6] 17:22
[7] 17:27
Alot of big things happen on big mountains in the Biggest Story.
Noah’s ark rested on top of a mountain.
Abraham took Isaac to be sacrificed on a mountain.
Moses received the Ten Commandments on a mountain.
Elijah went toe to toe with the prophets of Baal on a mountain.
And, of course, Jesus preached his most famous sermon on a mountain.
Mercy Mountain, Sacrifice Mountain, Commandment Mountain, Victory Mountain. Preaching Mountain. And now one more: Glory Mountain.
One day—after the disciples confessed Jesus as the Christ, but before they knew what that really meant—Jesus took Peter and James and John up a high mountain by themselves. Maybe the three disciples thought Jesus had another sermon to give. But this time Jesus wasn’t there to say something, but to show something.
In an instant, Jesus was transfigured. That means he was changed, he was transformed. But not into a dinosaur or a robot or a semitruck. Jesus didn’t change into a secret identity. He wasn’t transformed into another thing. Instead, he showed himself to be who he really was.
On the mountain, Jesus revealed his glory. To look at his face was like staring into the sun, and his clothes became as white as a ten-thousand-watt light bulb.
And then suddenly, two other mountain men appeared with Jesus on Glory Mountain: Moses and Elijah. The three disciples were amazed. And confused. Peter offered to make three tents, one for Jesus, one for Moses, and one for Elijah. But before he could finish his half-baked idea, more glory came rolling in. This time it was a bright cloud and a voice from heaven saying, “This is my beloved Son. He is pleasing to me, and you should listen to him.”
Now Peter and James and John were really scared. They had seen such a display of glory. They fell on their faces in fear.
But Jesus came and put a hand on their shoulders. “Get up,” he said, “don’t be afraid.” And when they finally dared to peel their faces off the ground, they looked up and saw no one but Jesus. The revelation of glory had ended, but the one who had been revealed as glorious was still there.
As they were coming down the mountain, Jesus told his three close friends not to tell anyone what they had seen. At least not right away. He still had to die. And be raised. And then they would understand his glory in a whole new way.
