Pastor Steve
In Matthew 17, Peter was asked if Jesus pays the tax. Some commentators point out the fact that this tax was for the support of the temple in Jerusalem, and therefore was a matter of nationalistic pride, while taxes leveled by the Romans were resented by most of the conquered peoples, including Jews. But Jesus’…
Read MoreAnother failure in Matthew 17 is briefly mentioned. It is the disciple’s failure to understand Jesus’ prediction of His death and resurrection. This is the second explicit prediction in Matthew, (the first was in ch.16).
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Raphael’s, “Transfiguration,” is considered by many to be his seminal work before his untimely death at thirty-seven in 1520. Finished by one of his students it has two distinct parts taken from Matthew 17. The upper part depicts Christ’s Transfiguration with Peter, James and John present. Below, shows the Apostles trying unsuccessfully to heal the boy by casting out demons.
“On the most obvious level, the painting can be interpreted as the split between the flaws of men, depicted in the lower half, and the redemptive power of Christ, in the upper half of the painting. There are two figures kneeling to the left of Christ are the martyrs, Agapitus and Felicissimus.”
Read MoreThe combined awareness of the Lord’s grace and His majesty, His love and His justice, His friendship and His lordship should cause a kind of spiritual tension in every believer. On the one hand he rejoices in his loving fellowship with the Lord because of His gracious kindness, and on the other hand he has…
Read MoreWe finished last week by asking if anything could be more relevant than listening to Jesus…“This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased; Listen to him” (Matthew 17.5b ESV).
Read MoreThe importance of Jesus as the fulfillment of what Moses and Elijah stood for comes out even more clearly in what happens in Matthew 17 on the Mount of Transfiguration. Peter, the man of action, was not one to keep silent and merely marvel at what he was privileged to see. He thought he had…
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