Read Part 3

(11/4) We are continuing in part four of our message series "The Way" looking at the revelation of Jesus identity to his closest disciples in Matthew chapter seventeen. In this passage we are going to discover Jesus entrusting Peter, James, and John with what is probably the most amazing secret of all time.

In fact, I wonder how many of you have had to keep a secret one time or another, maybe it was a surprise baby shower, an engagement, or an anniversary celebration? Or maybe, you are one of those who can’t keep a secret, maybe you have been entrusted with a secret, but more often than not it somehow seems to slip out?

Other people say that we shouldn’t keep secrets, as if that were being deceptive, or that everyone has the right to full disclosure. But the truth is that not everybody can handle knowing everything going on in everybody else’s life. And so, we don’t need to share our calendars with everybody, and even the Lord keeps secrets. The Bible says,

"The secret things belong to the Lord our God" (Deuteronomy 29:29).

I love that, because there are things unrevealed, secrets or mysteries yet to be discovered. And like I have always told my children, secrets were meant to be secrets, that’s why we wrap up birthday presents, because it is a secret, there is an appointed time for revelation, and that’s why we didn’t give it to them now.

Now, on the other hand, I have always told my children to tell the truth, which means that you often have to choose your words very carefully. Also, I find myself emphasizing over and over and over again, that the truth does not always need to be told. Because sometimes the truth hurts, and so you need to leave room for love, kindness, and compassion. You see, there are times when telling the truth or exposing a secret will hurt someone’s feelings, damaging a relationship, or spoiling that which someone else had intended to be a surprise.

In the passage of Scripture before us today, Jesus is changed, transformed before Peter, James, and John, allowing them to get a glimpse of his true identity, but then he tells them to keep it a secret. In fact, if you are familiar with the Gospels, you have probably read in other places where Jesus forbids people from revealing his true identity and maybe you wondered why. And there are others of you who know that God has a reason, a time and a purpose for everything under heaven.

For example, in the gospel of Mark, chapter one, Jesus healed a man with leprosy. It was a miracle, he was completely cured, his life restored, and the Bible says, "Jesus sent him away with a strong warning:"

"See that you don't tell this to anyone" (Mark 1:43-44).

But as we read on, we discover that the man paid Jesus no mind or maybe he just couldn’t contain himself, but he went out and began to talk freely, spreading the news about what Jesus had done.

"As a result, Jesus could no longer enter a town openly" (Mark 1:45).

Or you may remember that time when Jesus asked his disciples, "Who do people say the Son of man is?" And they gave him all kinds of answers about what others were saying, but then Jesus said, "What about you? Who do you say I am?" It was then that Peter spoke up saying,

"You are the Christ, the Son of the living God" (Mark 16:16).

Jesus applauded him for his testimony, declaring that it had been revealed to him by his Father in Heaven. But then he warned his disciples not to tell anyone that he was the Christ (Matthew 16:20).

In other words, Peter had just blurted out this great secret, revealing Jesus’ true identity, and his disciples were not allowed to talk about it. But then Jesus goes even deeper and begins to explain to his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem and suffer many things at the hands of the elders, chief priests and teachers of the law, and that he must be killed… (Matthew 16:21).

Peter, immediately began to rebuke the Lord, because he was caught off guard hearing Jesus speak of his death. In other words, he couldn’t understand how Jesus could be the Messiah and yet die, and so he began to react before Jesus even completed his statement that "on the third day he would be raised to life." But Jesus doesn’t skip a beat, he rebukes Peter saying, "You do not have in mind the things of God but the things of men" (Matthew 16:23).

Then he continues to instruct his disciples, speaking of his coming again, when he would return in his Father’s glory with his angels to reward his servants for their faithfulness. Then continuing in that train of thought, he says,

"I tell you the truth, some who are standing here will not taste death before they see the Son of Man coming in his kingdom" (Matthew 16:28).

Now, that has caused many people to question how that could be, but the difficulty only came after someone centuries later broke the flow of this biblical passage and inserted a chapter division. In other words, if we ignore the heading, "Chapter 17" and continue reading as it was intended, reading without pausing, Matthew tells us,

"After six days Jesus took with him Peter, James and John the brother of James, and led them up a high mountain by themselves. There he was transfigured before them. His face shone like the sun, and his clothes became as white as the light" (Matthew 17:1-2).

In other words, six days later, Peter, James, and John, see Jesus transfigured before them. The word literally means, "changed in form" and they see him in his glory. And so, they see him coming in his kingdom, completely unveiled in human flesh, allowing his glory to shine forth. In fact, that was the testimony of John,

"We have seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only" (John 1:14).

Peter, James and John saw the Son of Man coming in his kingdom. That was their experience, that was their testimony, they saw the radiance of God’s glory. Not the reflection of an outward light, but the revelation of an inward glory. Because as the Bible says,

"The Son is the radiance of God’s glory" (Hebrews 1:3).

And Matthew tells us that glory was seen in Jesus’ face and in his clothes as they became as white or as brilliant as the light of the sun.

"Just then there appeared before them Moses and Elijah, talking with Jesus" (Matthew 17:3).

And so, right here, Peter, James and John, were getting a glimpse of the kingdom. And there was a purpose in this revealing, because Jesus was revealing something to them about himself or about the kingdom. That’s what Jesus promised, not all of them, but some who are standing here will not taste death before they see the Son of Man coming in his kingdom (Matthew 16:28).

And so, Peter had just confessed that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God. They had learned about his imminent death and resurrection. And now, Moses and Elijah appeared in glorious splendor, in visible form talking with Jesus, and Luke gives us a detail that Matthew doesn’t include in his gospel. He said,

"They spoke about his departure, which he was about to bring to fulfillment at Jerusalem" (Luke 9:30-31).

In this scene on the mountain, the Father is revealing a glimpse of the coming kingdom. And Peter, James and John see three categories of people who will be in Jesus coming kingdom. The disciples and the others at the bottom of the mountain represent the nations who will be present in physical bodies. Moses represents those believers who have died or will die in Christ. And then Elijah represents those believers who never experience death as the Bible says,

"We who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air" (1 Thessalonians 4:17).

And so, it is these three groups of believers that will be present when Jesus establishes his kingdom on earth.

The three disciples were enjoying a foretaste of the kingdom just as the Lord had promised and Peter sensing the significance of this event 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).

In other words, he recognized that this was a fulfillment of the Jewish feast of Tabernacles that pointed forward to God’s harvest of believers as Jew and Gentile were made one in Christ. But while he was correct in his understanding of what was taking place, he was incorrect on the timing of the coming of the kingdom. And so, as he was still speaking,

"A bright cloud enveloped them, and a voice from the cloud said, "This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased" (Matthew 17:5).

God the Father authenticates his Son, just like he had in Jesus’ baptism, but once again Peter had spoken from a worldly perspective. In other words, he was looking for the kingdom without the cross, and so the Father rebuked him saying,

"Listen to him" (Matthew 17:5).

This testimony of God carried great significance for the disciples and many years later Peter referred to this event saying,

"We were eyewitnesses of his majesty… For he received honor and glory from God the Father when the voice came to him from the Majestic Glory… We ourselves heard this voice that came from heaven when we were with him on the sacred mountain" (2 Peter 1:16-18).

And, when the disciples heard this, hearing the voice of the Father giving honor and glory to his Son Jesus,

"They fell facedown to the ground, terrified. But Jesus came and touched them. "Get up," he said. "Don't be afraid" (Matthew 17:6-7).

In fact, over sixty years later, John had a similar experience with the glory of God. He tells us in Revelation,

"When I saw him, I fell at his feet as though dead. Then he placed his right hand on me and said: "Do not be afraid. I am the First and the Last. I am the Living One; I was dead, and behold I am alive for ever and ever" (Revelation 1:17-18).

And so, it was there on that mountain that they had a glimpse of the Kingdom, but when they looked up, they saw no one except Jesus (Matthew 17:8).

Shortly thereafter, they began making their way down the mountain, and the disciples were pondering their experience. They were puzzled because they remembered the Word of God through the prophet Malachi.

"See, I will send you the prophet Elijah before that great and dreadful day of the Lord comes" (Malachi 4:5).

And so, as they are mulling this over in their hearts, Jesus told the three disciples,

"Don't tell anyone what you have seen, until the Son of Man has been raised from the dead" (Matthew 17:9).

Because he knew that if this most recent event became public knowledge there was a good possibility that they would attempt to make Jesus king by force. Not only that, but it would have infuriated the Jewish leaders, adding fuel to the fire, and so he advises them to keep this to themselves until after the resurrection because it was not his time.

And so, they were walking down the mountain, and as they were walking the three disciples began to put their thoughts into words and asked him,

"Why then do the teachers of the law say that Elijah must come first" (Matthew 17:10)?

Jesus responded to them patiently, explaining in verse eleven,

"To be sure, Elijah comes and will restore all things. But I tell you, Elijah has already come, and they did not recognize him, but have done to him everything they wished" (Matthew 17:11-12).

In other words, Jesus tells them this has already happened, Elijah has already come. The angel of the Lord had appeared to Zechariah in the temple saying,

"Do not be afraid, Zechariah; your prayer has been heard. Your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you are to give him the name John" (Luke 1:13).

The angel continues talking about how his son will be a joy and a delight to him, and many will rejoice because of his birth, for he will be great in the sight of the Lord. Then he says this in verse sixteen,

"Many of the people of Israel will he bring back to the Lord their God. And he will go on before the Lord, in the spirit and power of Elijah" (Luke 1:16).

And so, Jesus says, "Yes, Elijah has already come, but the religious leaders rejected him, they have done to him everything they wished." In other words, they allowed King Herod to kill him. And then, Jesus said,

"In the same way the Son of Man is going to suffer at their hands." Then the disciples understood that he was talking to them about John the Baptist" (Matthew 17:12-13).

As Jesus and the three disciples continue down the mountain, they understood that everything necessary to bring in the Messiah’s kingdom has already been accomplished, the only thing needed was the acceptance by Israel of her rightful King. Everything that had been predicted had been fulfilled as they descended with the Lord into the Valley were Satan was at work.

Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, this is where the gospel intersects with our lives, because many times we gather together in this place, we hear the voice of the Father saying,

"Listen to him" (Matthew 17:5).

We have this mountaintop experience, we receive greater revelation, and then we leave, we are sent out into the community, descending down to the lower things of this world. But what I hope you will understand is that Christ is no less in you in the Valley as he was on the mountaintop. And it’s not just the Monday mornings that I am referring to, it’s the seasons of ministry, and the seasons of life where we go from great highs to great lows.

When John the Baptist was in his prime the Bible says all of Judea came to see him. God was moving powerfully in his ministry, people were getting saved, people were getting baptized, and yet there was still resistance to his message. The Jewish leaders came to him and asked him who he was, he replied with the words of Isaiah the prophet,

"I am the voice of one calling in the desert, 'Make straight the way for the Lord" (John 1:23).

In other words, he declared, "I am who God said I am. And so, I am defined by what God said and not by the crowds."

We need to understand that when you anchor who you are in Christ, no matter whether you are on top or on the bottom, your identity is still in Christ. And so, the critics can say whatever they want, but it doesn’t matter what the people say, because the only thing that matters is what God says.

Peter, James, and John had been entrusted with this great secret, but it wasn’t long before the appointed time came, and his true identity was revealed. On that day, he offered himself as a sacrifice for our sins, because he is the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world. When mankind had done their worst, beating Jesus to the point where he was unrecognizable, just barely holding onto life, and then they drove stakes through his wrists and through his heels, nailing him to the cross. It was there on that old rugged cross that Jesus looked up to God, his Father and said,

"Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing" (Luke 23:34).

As he was crucified on that old rugged cross, up on Calvary’s hill, just outside of the holy city Jerusalem, the Bible says,

"From the sixth hour until the ninth hour darkness came over all the land" (Matthew 27:45).

The darkness preceded the death of God’s Son, because darkness is frequently a sign of judgment, just like it was in Egypt when God commanded Moses,

"Stretch out your hand toward the sky so that darkness will spread over Egypt — darkness that can be felt." So, Moses stretched out his hand toward the sky, and total darkness covered all Egypt for three days. No one could see anyone else or leave his place for three days" (Exodus 10:21-23).

In the same way, the judgment of our sin fell upon the Son of God, he became our substitute, and for three hours darkness came over all the land.

The signs surrounding his crucifixion revealed his identity as the Son of God, our Messiah. When he took his last breath on that old rugged cross,

"The centurion, who stood there in front of Jesus, heard his cry and saw how he died said, "Surely this man was the Son of God!" (Mark 15:39).

"At that moment," the Father confirmed his identity with signs in the heavens, on the earth, and under the earth. Matthew tells us,

"The curtain of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom" (Matthew 27:51a).

Demonstrating that Jesus is the way, and that through his sacrifice, the way to God has been opened for all people. In other words, it wasn’t by our effort, not by human effort, but the temple curtain which was sixty feet tall was suddenly supernaturally torn from top to bottom, signifying that this was the work of God.

In the same way, there was an instantaneous supernatural earthquake, the Bible tells us,

"The earth shook and the rocks split" (Matthew 27:51b).

This earthquake is significant, because when God came down to meet with Moses and give him the Law the Bible says,

"Mount Sinai was covered with smoke, because the Lord descended on it in fire. The smoke billowed up from it like smoke from a furnace, the whole mountain trembled violently" (Exodus 19:18).

And now, this rock splitting earthquake in Jerusalem testifies that the demands of the Law were fulfilled in Jesus Christ.

"When the centurion and those with him who were guarding Jesus saw the earthquake and all that had happened, they were terrified" (Matthew 27:54).

You see, these are not just stories, these are eyewitness testimonies, and the Bible is giving us a roadmap, Jesus Christ is the beloved Son of God leading us back to the Father.

When Thomas, one of the disciples said, "Lord, we don’t know where you are going, so how can we know the way?"

Jesus answered him very clearly,

"I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me" (John 14:6).

In other words, not only is Jesus the way, but he is the only way. Jesus is the only way of salvation and through faith in him you can have a personal relationship with God and the promise of eternal life in heaven with him.

Jesus gave instructions not to tell anyone about his true identity until after he had been raised from the dead. That is the reality that we now understand to be true and as a result of that mighty supernatural earthquake, the Bible says,

"The tombs also were opened. And many bodies of the saints who had fallen asleep were raised, coming out of the tombs after his resurrection, they went into the holy city and appeared to many" (Matthew 27:52-53, ESV).

In other words, after his resurrection, three days later, when the stone was rolled away, the tomb was empty, Jesus was not there. As the Bible says,

"Christ was raised as the first of the harvest; then all who belong to Christ will be raised" (1 Corinthians 15:23, NLT).

And so, Jesus was raised first testifying that he is exactly who he claimed to be, then others were raised, testifying that Jesus is exactly who he claimed to be.

Jesus is the way, the truth, and the life, and that is important to understand, because there are many paths you can follow in life. There are many roads to choose from, but there is only one that leads into God’s kingdom. Jesus said,

"You can enter God's Kingdom only through the narrow gate. The highway to hell is broad, and its gate is wide for the many who choose that way. But the gateway to life is very narrow and the road is difficult, and only a few ever find it" (Matthew 7:13-14, NLT).

Jesus is referring to those ancient cities of his day that were surrounded with walls, and so the only way to enter the city was through the gates. Some gates were wide allowing crowds of people to pass through, others were narrow and only a few could enter in. Here Jesus compares the way to heaven as a narrow gate, that he is the way, and he said,

"I am the gate; whoever enters through me will be saved" (John 10:9).

As we close today, I hope you will understand that Jesus is the narrow gate, the only way to the Father, the only way into heaven, and that you will receive him as your Lord and Savior, your personal sacrifice.

Read Part 5

Read past sermons by Pastor John Talcott