Matthew 17
Peter said to Jesus, “Lord, it is good for us to be here. If you wish, I will put up three shelters—one for You, one for Moses and one for Elijah.” Matthew 17:4 NIV
The transfiguration was a miraculous sight. Peter wanted to put up shelters, presumably so that they could stay on the mountain longer together and he could have this amazing experience prolonged. At this point Peter did not truly understand what Jesus was on Earth for. He didn’t know that Jesus was required to come down from the mountain, go to Jerusalem and be tried and crucified as a sacrifice for all. Have you ever experienced that amazing feeling when the Holy Spirit is working in you and you feel overwhelmingly lit up and passionate about God? You can feel that inner peace and joy because you are hearing from God and excited to carry out His will. For me, it comes more readily after a retreat or a Christian conference. Some people call that a “mountain-top experience.” This is what Peter must have been experiencing, and he wanted to stay there, to keep that feeling. But, like Jesus and Peter, we cannot stay in our “mountain-top experience.” We inevitably have to get back to the real world, take what we have learned, and continue on the path that God has set for us. The challenging thing is to take those passionate feelings towards our faith and use them in practical ways that continue to shine God’s light in our everyday lives.
When they came to the crowd, a man approached Jesus and knelt before Him. “Lord, have mercy on my son,” he said. “He has seizures and is suffering greatly. He often falls into the fire or into the water. I brought him to your disciples, but they could not heal him.” “You unbelieving and perverse generation,” Jesus replied, “how long shall I stay with you? How long shall I put up with you? Bring the boy here to me.” Jesus rebuked the demon, and it came out of the boy, and he was healed at that moment. Then the disciples came to Jesus in private and asked, “Why couldn’t we drive it out?” He replied, “Because you have so little faith. Truly I tell you, if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you.” Matthew 17:14-20 NIV
The disciples had previously been given power to drive out demons (in Matthew 10:8). So why were they unable to heal this demon-possessed boy? Jesus tells them in this passage that it is because of their lack of faith. It is the power of God that works miracles in our lives, which is as true in Jesus’ day as it is today. However, God cannot work with someone who does not have faith and does not believe that what they are asking for can be done. When Jesus returned to his hometown of Nazareth, the Bible tells us “He did not do many miracles there because of their lack of faith” (Matthew 13:58). Mark 6:5 states “He could not do any miracles there…” What are you asking God for His help with? Whatever it is, make sure that you have faith and truly believe that He can do it.
After Jesus and His disciples arrived in Capernaum, the collectors of the two-drachma temple tax came to Peter and asked, “Doesn’t your teacher pay the temple tax?” “Yes, He does,” he replied. When Peter came into the house, Jesus was the first to speak. “What do you think, Simon?” He asked. “From whom do the kings of the earth collect duty and taxes—from their own children or from others?” “From others,” Peter answered. “Then the children are exempt,” Jesus said to him. “But so that we may not cause offense, go to the lake and throw out your line. Take the first fish you catch; open its mouth and you will find a four-drachma coin. Take it and give it to them for my tax and yours.” Matthew 17:24-27 NIV
As believers in Christ we have dual citizenship. We are citizens of the United States or another country, and we are also citizens of heaven. Our primary loyalty is always to Jesus, but we are also required to pay taxes, respect our leaders, and follow the laws of the government of the country we reside in. Jesus said “They are not of the world, even as I am not of it” (John 17:16). He was speaking about the disciples, and about us. During our time on Earth, we need to do our best to represent God’s ways, so that more people will see and understand that God’s love and His ways bring abundant life. This is opposite of what the world teaches everyone, so we need to be very vigilant to live life God’s way at all times.