Hear the Son – Matthew 17:1-9
Have you ever heard of a “benevolent dictator”? If you were to study economics, you might come across the term. It is a theoretical form of government in which a leader has absolute authority but he does so for the benefit of the population as a whole. He might allow some democratic decision-making but only on a limited basis.
There are a few problems with the concept of a “benevolent dictator.” First, no one who has ever had such absolute authority has ever used it benevolently. A second problem is that no human authority ever knows what is best for everyone under his rule. The third problem with the idea of a “benevolent dictator” is that too few people are willing to submit to the authority of such a person.
Enter Jesus Christ, the Son of Abraham and the Son of David. While Jesus does not present Himself as a dictator, rather He presents Himself as King, He does have ultimate authority and He is completely and purely benevolent.
Not only is Jesus the King of kings, but in our text when God speaks from heaven and commands us to “Listen to Jesus!”, we also see that Jesus is the Final Law-Giver and He is the Final Prophet of God. We need to listen to Him.
THE BACKGROUND – 17:1:
This event happens “six days later,” following Jesus’ discussion in 16:21-28. In that discussion, Jesus pictures Himself “coming in the glory of His Father with His angels” (vs 27). Specifically, the “glory of the Father” is going to be made visibly known to these three apostles.
THE GLORY OF GOD’S SON – 17:2:
Jesus’ face and clothes – His entire being – shone as bright as the sun, as bright as light, as white as it could be, illustrating for us Jesus’ own statement in John 8:12.
We should not overlook the significance of this event. In Isaiah 42:8, God said He would not give His glory to another. For Jesus to appear here in His glory is to show that Jesus has the same nature as God, the Father (cf. Heb. 1:3).
CHRIST’S DISCUSSION – 17:3:
Moses and Elijah appear with Jesus, talking with Him about His coming “exodus,” as Luke calls it (9:31).
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Elijah was the first great prophet in a long line of prophets who pointed Israel back to the Law. The prophet Malachi did predict that Elijah was going to come back (Malachi 4:5). Here he is, but not be a new prophet but to “pass the torch” to Jesus, the Son of God.
Just as Elijah pointed Israel back to the Law of Moses, so “Elijah” (John the baptizer, verse 13) pointed Israel to Jesus Christ.
THE SON, IN CONTRAST TO MOSES AND ELIJAH – 17:4-6:
In what ways do we listen to Jesus?
A. First, we listen to His direct words as we have them recorded mainly in Matthew-John. Listening to Jesus means: Doing what Jesus says to do; the way He says to do it; and for the reason He says to do it.
B. We listen to Jesus by following His example – 1 Peter 2:21.
C. We listen to Jesus by listening to His personally chosen apostles and prophets who were guided by the Spirit – 1 Corinthians 14:37.
THE BENEFIT FOR THE APOSTLES – 17:7-9:
They were not to fear His death just as they were not to fear His transfiguration. There were three great themes taught in this event but the apostles at that time did not understand. They should not start telling others about them until the Holy Spirit came over them following Jesus’ resurrection:
1. The deity of Jesus.
2. The end of the Law of Moses.
3. The resurrection of Jesus from the dead.
Our own resurrection is possible, our own glorification is possible, if we are united together with Christ, the new Tabernacle of God’s divine glory. Listen to Him!
–Paul Holland
