Chasing glimpses of his glory – Matthew 17:1-13
I love that Matthew and the other gospel writers include the Apostle Peter’s imperfections in their writings. Peter’s life, and the scriptural references to his spiritual growth, personality and character give us great hope that God can use us because we find Peter is far from perfect. In the two consecutive passages before today’s verses we read conflicting stories about Peter. In the first one he is praised because he received a divine revelation that Jesus is both the Jewish Messiah and the Son of God (Matthew 16:13-20). In the second passage Jesus rebukes Peter by saying, “Get behind me Satan” because Peter’s outburst had become a hindrance to God’s plans (Matthew 16:21-28). Some Bible scholars believe these two accounts happened on the same day. In each story Peter’s boldness shows him to be a man who is quick to speak. Why is this good? Why is this dangerous? Why do you think God called a man like Peter to lead his church?
We learn from Peter’s life that God is not seeking perfection. God is looking for people who are willing to grow and be filled with his power. Filled with the Spirit of the living God, Peter was unstoppable. In today’s passage Peter and two other disciples will get a glimpse of God’s glory on the Mount of Transfiguration and again we find Peter behaving the same way. While he is fearful he is still quick to speak. Stop and take a moment to pray and ask God to speak to you before reading Matthew 17:1-13, and then look for how this passage exposes Peter’s distinctive personality.
1 After six days Jesus took Peter, James, and his brother John and led them up on a high mountain by themselves. 2 He was transfigured in front of them, and his face shone like the sun; his clothes became as white as the light. 3 Suddenly, Moses and Elijah appeared to them, talking with him. 4 Then Peter said to Jesus, “Lord, it’s good for us to be here. If you want, I will set up three shelters here: one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah.”
5 While he was still speaking, suddenly a bright cloud covered them, and a voice from the cloud said, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well-pleased. Listen to him!” 6 When the disciples heard this, they fell facedown and were terrified.
7 Jesus came up, touched them, and said, “Get up; don’t be afraid.” 8 When they looked up they saw no one except Jesus alone.
9 As they were coming down the mountain, Jesus commanded them, “Don’t tell anyone about the vision until the Son of Man is raised from the dead.”
10 So the disciples asked him, “Why then do the scribes say that Elijah must come first?”
11 “Elijah is coming and will restore everything,” he replied. 12 “But I tell you: Elijah has already come, and they didn’t recognize him. On the contrary, they did whatever they pleased to him. In the same way the Son of Man is going to suffer at their hands.” 13 Then the disciples understood that he had spoken to them about John the Baptist. CSB
How is today’s passage consistent with Peter’s story? Once again Peter’s boldness makes him a fast talker. In Mark’s version of the transfiguration in Mark 9:5-6 we see additional insight into his motivation.
5 Peter said to Jesus, “Rabbi, it’s good for us to be here. Let’s set up three shelters: one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah”— 6 because he did not know what to say, since they were terrified. CSB
Peter suggested they build shelters for Moses, Elijah, and Jesus because they were terrified and he didn’t know what to say? I find that fascinating. So, even when fearful Peter still chatters away, as if he could talk himself out of his fear. This is a person with a very unique temperament.
If we want to catch a glimpse of God’s glory, we must see he loves us and created our uniqueness. Just like Peter, we were created with an eternal purpose. With time God will transform us to look more like him, but he is never going to erase our personality. For example: when we are unkind or cruel that is not our personality, but our willful behavior, of course God wants us to give up our selfishness actions. Jesus wisely knows that sometimes our strengths and weaknesses are the same thing. We must give ourselves up to God warts and all. He made us unique for his purposes, so he even loves our special idiosyncrasies.
God was transforming Peter, so he could become the first spokesperson for the early church. Peter on the day of Pentecost filled with the Holy Spirit is going to boldly preach to the crowds gathered and each person is going to miraculously hear his message in their own language (Acts 2). But, even after Peter’s sermon on Pentecost he needed to keep growing because spiritual growth takes time. Remember, in Antioch when Paul confronted Peter for not standing up to the Judaizers who resented Gentile believers for being adopted into the faith (Galatians 2:11-14)? What we learn from the life of Peter, is God is not looking for perfection he is looking for someone who is willing to grow and learn to walk in his Holy Spirit’s power. What we need is more of God, not less of our uniqueness. Peter was extremely useful when his boldness was anointed by God.
If we want to catch a glimpse of God’s glory, we must be willing to live with mystery. God is not predictable, but he is always good. There is no formula that we can follow to get God to do what we want. He is not our personal Santa Clause. He loves us dearly, but he has a definite agenda to advance his kingdom on this earth. Like these three disciples on this mountain, God sometimes puts us in situations that initially scare us. If we could always understand what God was doing it would not require our faith or a relationship with Jesus. But, most importantly if we could figure out all that God is up to, God would not be glorified. A synonym for God’s glory is God’s majesty (Isaiah 35:2). How does this transfiguration experience reveal God’s majesty? The bright light shining from Jesus’ face was a tangible taste of all Jesus had left behind when he came to earth and put on a body.
Who does Moses represent in this transfiguration? Moses represents the Law. Who does Elijah represent? Elijah as the greatest and most famous Jewish prophet represents the prophets. What do you think was the purpose of Moses and Elijah appearing to Jesus? Maybe they came to encourage and strengthen Jesus for the death he was soon to face in Jerusalem. But, I also think the Father’s voice and what he says next is very critical, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well-pleased. Listen to him!” Remember as devoted Jewish men, Peter, James and John valued the Law and the Prophets in a way that is hard for us Gentiles to imagine. The Father is showing them through a terrifying vision that Jesus is the fulfillment and culmination of the Law and the Prophets. The unveiling mystery of everything God said on that mountain must have blown away their paradigm of what life with God looks like. But, in spite of their momentary fright, Jesus touches them as they cower in fear and tells them not to be afraid.
As they came down the mountain, Jesus warns them to not speak of what they experienced until he had been resurrected. With this caution Jesus is not seeking to control them, but to bless them and teach them the importance of waiting on God’s perfect timing. After listening to his warning they ask Jesus more questions and learn more mysterious truths about John the Baptist.
If we want to catch a glimpse of God’s glory, we must see he loves us and created our uniqueness, and we must be willing to live with mystery.
Why might God value our personal quirks?
God often invites us to live with mystery. How does mystery increase our faith?
I can relate to Peter’s specific imperfections because I am very quick to speak. His life and ministry give me hope because sometimes I don’t think through what I say. It is common to desire a life where nothing ever goes wrong, but God is much more interested in growing our trust levels. Do we really believe he is on our side?
Let’s think about our own personalities, our distinctiveness, and the things that make us who we really are. God loves us and created us with an eternal purpose. Only he knows how important our idiosyncrasies are. How could this truth give us rest and set us free?
