Thru the Bible

--Host--

Welcome to Through the Bible. We're about to arrive at one of the most breathtaking moments in all of scripture, the transfiguration of Jesus Christ in Matthew chapter 17. As our teacher, Dr. J. Vernon McGee says, it's not only the proof of his humanity, but the hope of all humanity.

I'm Steve Schwetz, your host on this five-year journey through God's entire word, and I invite you to grab your Bible and turn to Matthew chapter 16 verse 28. And as you find your place, let's hear how God is at work in the lives of fellow travelers on the Bible bus. First, we've got Sharon in the US, who shares this.

The day before Easter, I finished my first five-year study with Dr. McGee. Wow, I've learned so much. I really enjoy how Dr. McGee explains difficult concepts so clearly, and I love his humor. I can't believe the next five-year journey is beginning. While I'm a little sad to finish, I'm excited to see what I'll learn the second time through. Thank you for this program.

Well, Sharon, congratulations on doing your first trip. I got a seat saved for you for the next five years, and as long as you want to be with us. Now, from India, we've got a listener in Manipur, who tells us this.

I've been bedridden since 2019 because of my illness, and during that time, I also drifted away from God due to many troubles and worries in my family. In that difficult period, members of an elderly worship group began visiting me almost every day. They prayed for me, encouraged me, and helped me listen to audio Bible studies that they brought with them.

Through these visits and by listening to the word of God, I found strength and encouragement. One story that touched my heart deeply was from Luke 5, about the paralyzed man who was brought to Jesus by four people for healing. This story reminded me of my own situation, and I felt as though I too was being brought to Jesus. After that, I began to follow God more closely. I became a member of the Bible study group. I am very happy to be part of these gatherings, and my joy continues to grow as I listen to and learn from the word of God.

I love that story, don't you? Now, finally, here's Alison. She posted this on our Facebook page.

Love this Bible study. The way Dr. McGee shows how the entire Bible points to Jesus and God's plan of salvation is eye-opening. I learn something new every day. Thank you to everyone who keeps this ministry going around the world.

Well, you're welcome, Alison, and so glad that you're aboard with us each day. Now, is God opening your eyes as we travel through his word? You know, we love to hear your story. You can reach out through the app, email us at biblebus@tbb.org, or write to Box 7100, Pasadena, California, 91109. Canadian listeners, Box 25325, London, Ontario, N6C6B1.

And remember, you can always leave a message anytime at 1-800-65 Bible and tell us what Through the Bible means to you. Oh, and a quick reminder, Dr. McGee's notes and outlines, which he's going to mention in just a moment, are such a great help. And you can download them for free in our app or at ttb.org. Just look for our Digital Book, Briefing the Bible. Or request a printed copy by calling 1-800-65 Bible. Let's pray together.

Father, thank you for the gospel, the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes. Lord, as we come to see the transfiguration of Jesus, help us, like the disciples, to see him and him alone in Jesus' name. Amen.

Let's dive into Matthew 16 and 17 on Through the Bible with Dr. J. Vernon McGee.

--Dr. J. Vernon McGee--

Now, today, friends, we come to the 17th chapter of the Gospel of Matthew. If you have your Bible, we'll turn then. I hope you have our notes and outlines and that you're going through the Bible with us. Now, last time, I made the statement that verse 28 of chapter 16 belongs to chapter 17, and it does belong there because chapter 17 explains what our Lord meant when he made this statement.

"Verily I say unto you, there'll be some standing here, which shall not taste of death till they see the Son of man coming in his kingdom." Now, how was that fulfilled for the apostles in that day? Well, this that follows was the transfiguration. And the transfiguration is that picture of the Son of Man coming in his kingdom when he was transfigured before them.

Now, I want us to look at this, and someone may say, well, can you be sure that this has reference to the Transfiguration when he said, there'll be some standing here, they'll not taste death till they see the Son of Man coming in his kingdom. Now, listen to Simon Peter as he wrote in 2 Peter 1:16 and 18, and frankly, he happens to have been one of them that was there.

And I'm going to quote him first, "For we have not followed cunningly devised fables when we make known unto you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but were eyewitnesses of his majesty. For he received from God the Father honor and glory when there came such a voice to him from the excellent glory, 'This is my beloved Son, in whom I'm well pleased,' and this voice which came from heaven we heard when we were with him in the holy mount."

Now, when the Lord Jesus Christ was glorified on the mount of transfiguration with his disciples present, at least three of them that were present, why, we find that you have the fulfillment of this statement that our Lord made. It's a miniature picture of the kingdom, and this is something, of course, that Simon Peter confirmed for us.

Now, we'll find that the other Gospels have the Transfiguration with the exception of the Gospel of John. And that leads me to say something that may startle you here at the very beginning. The Transfiguration does not prove, nor set forth, the deity of Christ. It sets forth the humanity of Christ. Now, the Gospel of John is the Gospel which emphasizes the deity of Christ, and it's omitted in the Gospel of John. But all the other three Gospels have it, so that that ought to alert us.

Now, what you have here in the Transfiguration is the Lord Jesus Christ transfigured, and that is in my judgment, not only the proof of his humanity. And it reveals actually the hope of humanity for the man that you see glorified there, transfigured, is the kind of a man that you, my friend, will be someday if you're a child of God.

"Beloved, it does not yet appear what we shall be, but we know that when he shall appear, we shall be like him." Now, he was glorified before his death and resurrection, and this is the picture that's given to us. Now, I'm going to deal with this actually more thoroughly in the Gospel of Luke than any other, because Dr. Luke is the one that sets forth his perfect humanity. And Dr. Luke has some very interesting things to say that the other two, Matthew and Mark, do not have.

But let me just deal with what is here, and he was transfigured before them. And this word transfigured is a very wonderful word. And we are told here that his face did shine as the sun. He didn't have a light that was put on him like a spotlight. Actually, the light shown from within. This is merely a suggestion, but I would like to make it at this time. Evidently, it was this sort of thing that Adam and Eve had before the Fall in the Garden of Eden. They were clothed with some kind of a light.

Now, at the Fall, you will recall man discovered he was naked. He wasn't before because of the fact of that light that shown. Now, we find that Adam and Eve at the Fall made that discovery. It's the humanity of Jesus that was transfigured. The Transfiguration sets forth his perfect humanity, and it's not alluded to as we've said in the Gospel of John.

Now, we have here something else, and I can only merely allude to this because Dr. Luke will pick this up. This word transfigure is a very interesting word. It's metamorphosis. Now, metamorphosis can be either up or down. That little woolly caterpillar that women are generally so afraid of, that little woolly caterpillar was going to become a beautiful butterfly by the process of metamorphosis.

Now, this body that I have today, fell with infirmity. This body that I have, someday is going to be transfigured. Those that even are alive at the coming of Christ are to be changed, transformed, and that's the hope of humanity. Now, we have something else here, and I'll not develop this any further when we get to the Gospel of Luke, I'll go into a great deal of detail of the Transfiguration.

Now, these things that have to do with the Transfiguration, events and incidents around it, I will deal with here as Matthew gives them to us. And behold, there appeared unto him Moses and Elias talking with him. Moses was the representative of the law, and Elijah was the representative of the prophets. And Moses had died, you remember on the mountain. God had buried him. And Elijah had departed from this world in a chariot of fire. And Dr. Luke tells us that they were discussing his decease in Jerusalem.

Luke puts it like this, "Behold, there talked with him two men, which were Moses and Elias, who appeared in glory and spake of his decease, which he should accomplish at Jerusalem." Now, you see the law and the prophets both bore testimony to his death. Paul makes that clear.

Now, will you notice what took place there? Then answered Peter and said unto Jesus, "Lord, it's good for us to be here. If thou wilt, let us make three tabernacles: one for thee, one for Moses, and one for Elias." Now, Simon Peter could never resist an opportunity to make a speech. Every occasion was an auspicious occasion for him, and he generally got to his feet to say something. And generally, it was the wrong thing until the day of Pentecost. And here, it's the wrong thing. He should have kept quiet, but he couldn't, and he spoke out.

Now, he's rebuked what he's attempting to do, you see. He was attempting to put Moses and Elijah on the same plain with the Lord Jesus, and he's rebuked for that. Will you notice what we have here? "It's good for us to be here." We are told elsewhere that he said this not knowing what he said.

Dr. Luke, who I don't think had too much confidence in the statements of Simon Peter before Pentecost. I think Dr. Luke was a little provoked, and he would say, the reason he said this, he said this not knowing what he said. There's a lot of folk that talk not knowing what they are saying, and this was Simon Peter here.

Now, he's rebuked. I read verse five of Matthew 17. "While he yet spake, behold a bright cloud overshadowed them, and behold a voice out of the cloud which said, 'This is my beloved Son, in whom I'm well pleased. Hear ye him.'" Now, this is God the Father's testimony to Jesus the Son. He is the final authority in matters of revelation.

Moses is fine. Elijah and what the prophet said is wonderful. The writer to the Hebrews says that God in sundry times divers manners, he's spoken in times past, but now he's spoken in the Son. This one who has come to this earth, and he is the final revelation of God to man. This is a great statement that we have here. "This is my beloved Son in whom I'm well pleased. Hear ye him."

Have you ever had a voice out of heaven commending you and saying that God was well pleased with you? Well, he's never said that to me, and he's never said that to you, nor anyone else except this one. This is the only one who's ever been well pleasing to God. And you and I will never get in God's presence until we're in Christ by faith. When we accept Christ as our Savior, then we're put in the body of believers. This is a great statement, friends. This is the only one that God's been pleased in.

Verse 6, "And when the disciples heard it, they fell on their face and were sore afraid. And Jesus came and touched them, and said, 'Arise, and be not afraid.'" "And when they had lifted up their eyes, they saw no man, save Jesus only." You want a good motto for your life, friend? It's here in verse 8 of Matthew 17. Only two words, "Jesus only."

Jesus only, they saw no man save Jesus only. He's the one who is the authority, and I hope you've marked those two words, "Jesus only" in your Bible. It's a good motto for all of us. Now, verse 9, "As they came down from the mountain, Jesus charged them, saying, 'Tell the vision to no man until the Son of Man be risen again from the dead.'"

Now, why wait until then, and then, why should it be told? Because it's part of the gospel story. It tells who he is. He's now the perfect Lamb of God. He's been tested for three years, and he's now on the way to the cross to die for the sins of the world. You see, it has to be a lamb without blemish. He's the only one who could die. Therefore, this is very important that we understand the Transfiguration in his perfect humanity.

He's transfigured. That's the hope of mankind today. The hope of mankind, friends, is not in science, not in education. Both of them are sort of letting us down today, don't you think? They've created Frankenstein monsters that we can't do anything with. They invented a little gasoline buggy up in Detroit. It's got us in a lot of trouble, polluting the air and clogging all the highways. And science can't solve the problem.

Believe me, friends, the hope of the world just happens to be in a person by the name of the Lord Jesus. And you have to be mighty sure who he is. You should know him. Then the second thing is what he did for us on the cross, and he has to be able to die for the sins of the world.

Now, will you notice, they are not to tell it until after his resurrection. And his disciples ask him, saying, "Why then say the scribes that Elijah must first come?" And this is a remarkable statement. "And Jesus answered and said unto them, 'Elijah truly shall first come and restore all things.'" He confirms now Malachi. But listen to this. "But I say unto you that Elijah is come already, and they knew him not, but have done unto him whatsoever they listed. Likewise, shall also the Son of Man suffer of them."

That is always raised a question, as you know, in the minds of a great many. What about this man? Was John the Baptist really Elijah? The answer, of course, is no. What our Lord is saying this, "You can't bring up an argument and say that he had to go to the cross, he had to die for the simple reason that John the Baptist was not Elijah, and Elijah has to come before he comes to establish his kingdom." And he couldn't have established his kingdom.

Now, I don't like iffy questions, and we're not dealing with an iffy situation. This is the way it happened. Our Lord is saying this that if they would receive him as king, John the Baptist would be Elijah. And again, I say to you, you ask me how could that be? I don't know. These are things God does, friends. He does a lot of things. He hadn't let me in on, but he does them. And this would have been one. But it's an iffy question. It just didn't happen this way at all.

But the second time now, our Lord says, "Likewise shall also the Son of Man suffer of them." Second time he's mentioned it. "Then the disciples understood that he spake unto them of John the Baptist." Now, we have a scene, and this is a miniature picture of today, kingdom of heaven situation, where does the church fit in? All right, come with me now.

Verse 14, "We'll go to the foot of the mountain, and the other disciples down there are really in trouble." Now, will you notice? "And when they were come to the multitude, there came to him a certain man kneeling down to him and saying, 'Lord, have mercy on my son.'" This, I think, was the worst case that was ever brought to the Lord Jesus. And now listen to him.

He says to him, "Have mercy on my son, for he's a lunatic and sore vexed, for often times he falleth into the fire and often to the water. And I brought him to thy disciples, and they could not cure him." That is the sad state. Here the impotent disciples at the foot of this mountain here. And here is the picture of today. The church is in a world that's demon possessed, and it's gone crazy, friends. You and I are living in a crazy world.

And the church is impotent. Why? Because it doesn't have enough psychology, or enough methods, or enough money? Has all of these things. But that's not what the church needs today. Will you notice this? "I brought him to thy disciples, and they could not cure him." "Then Jesus answered and said, 'Oh, faithless and perverse generation.'" And I believe that would be his word to his church today, friends. Probably to you and to me.

"How long shall I be with you? How long shall I suffer you? Bring him hither to me." May I be very kind and sweet in saying this, but many folk in my physical condition recommended that I go to certain healers. I went to none. May I say I took my case to the one who says, "Bring him hither to me." He's the great physician. Take your case to him, my friends.

"And Jesus rebuked the demon. He departed out of him, and the child was cured from that very hour." I say again, this is the worst case our Lord dealt with, and I'll be dealing with it again in Dr. Luke's gospel, and we'll have more to say about demon possession, as we've mentioned before. "Then came the disciples to Jesus apart and said, 'Why could not we cast him out?'"

Now, listen. "And Jesus said unto them, 'Because of your unbelief. For verily I say unto you, if ye have faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye shall say unto this mountain, 'Remove hence to yonder place,' and it shall remove, and nothing shall be impossible unto you." Now, when you say nothing is impossible, nothing that's according to the will of God for you to carry out the will of God in your life. It was God's will that this boy here.

Now, why couldn't they do it? Well, because they didn't have faith. That was the problem. Now, verse 21 is actually not in our best manuscripts. It's not in Nestle's text, the Greek text at all. And it got in some of the others and was put here. You can do with it as you please. I do not consider it a part of the inspired word of God. "Howbeit, this kind goeth not out but by prayer and fasting."

And I believe that fasting is not essential for this at all, but as we've said before, it's voluntary. Verse 22 now, "And while they abode in Galilee, Jesus said unto them, 'The Son of Man shall be betrayed into the hands of man, they shall kill him, and the third day he shall be raised again,' and they were exceeding sorry."

Now, this is the third time he's on the way to Jerusalem, way up in Caesarea Philippi. He began mentioning this. Now he's in Galilee, and again he mentions it, and all they can do is just feel sorry. Verse 24, "And when they were come to Capernaum, they that receive tribute money came to Peter and said, 'Doth not your master pay tribute?'" They paid temple tax by the way. He said, "Yes." "And when he was coming to the house, Jesus prevented him or hindered him, went before him, saying, 'What thinkest thou, Simon? Of whom do the kings of the earth take customer tribute? Of their own children or of strangers?'"

Peter said unto him, "Of strangers." Jesus saith unto him, "Then are the children free. Notwithstanding, lest we should offend them, go thou to the sea, cast a hook, take up the fish that first cometh up, and when thou hast opened his mouth, thou shall find a piece of money, and take and give unto them for me and thee." And now he demonstrates that he is recovered what Adam lost. So that what we have here, friends, I think is something that is quite interesting, that in the Transfiguration, this is what Adam was. In the tribute money, this is what Adam did. And the Lord Jesus has recovered both for us.

We'll pick up in chapter 18 next time. Until then, may God richly bless you, my beloved.

--Host--

Jesus only. You know, Dr. McGee is right. That's a motto worth living by, isn't it? Consider writing it somewhere so that you'll see it often, and let it remind you throughout the day to keep your eyes fixed on him. Are you enjoying these studies in Matthew? I know I am. They're so rich. I find myself thinking about them long after the program ends, turning them over in my heart and meditating on them. If you're doing the same thing, would you like to go a little deeper? Don't forget that we've got free Bible companions, and we have one for Matthew as well, available anytime through our app or at ttb.org.

Now, as we go, I want to thank those of you who faithfully support this ministry through your prayers and sacrificial giving, especially during these long, quiet summer months. Your partnership is really such an encouragement as the Bible bus continues its journey around the world in more than 250 languages. If you want to learn a little bit more about how you can partner with us, just visit ttb.org or call 1-800-65 Bible. Again, that's ttb.org or call 1-800-65 Bible.

I'm Steve Schwetz, praying that you experience the joy of our Lord as you keep your eyes fixed on him above all else.

Today's study is always available, free to stream or download, thanks to the generous and faithful investments from your fellow Bible bus travelers. Just go to ttb.org or download our app to listen again anytime. As always, we'd love to know what's God teaching you.