SHARING BREAD
9 As they were coming down the mountain, Jesus
instructed them, “Don't tell anyone what you have seen,
until the Son of Man has been raised from the dead.”
10 The disciples asked him, “Why then do the teachers of the law say that Elijah must come first?”
11 Jesus replied, “To be sure, Elijah comes and will restore all things. 12 But I tell you, Elijah has already come, and they did not recognize him, but have done to him everything they wished. In the same way the Son of Man is going to suffer at their hands.” 13 Then the disciples understood that he was talking to them about John the Baptist.
10 The disciples asked him, “Why then do the teachers of the law say that Elijah must come first?”
11 Jesus replied, “To be sure, Elijah comes and will restore all things. 12 But I tell you, Elijah has already come, and they did not recognize him, but have done to him everything they wished. In the same way the Son of Man is going to suffer at their hands.” 13 Then the disciples understood that he was talking to them about John the Baptist.
Matt
17:9-13 (NIV)
As these original followers of Christ, we must come down
from our mountaintop experiences with Him and as these first disciples also
demonstrated, we must take Jesus’ instructions with us. I am reminded of God’s command to the
Israelites in Haggai regarding the rebuilding of the earthly temple – give
careful thought, go up, bring down and build:
7 This is what the LORD Almighty says: “Give careful
thought to your ways. 8 Go
up into the mountains and bring down timber and build the house, so that I may
take pleasure in it and be honored,” says the LORD. Hag 1:7-8 (NIV)
As the Israelites were building the physical temple, modern
day believers are building our spiritual temples - our bodies –progressively becoming
more and more conformed into the image of Jesus. We grow in Christlikeness when we spend time
with Him (go up on the mountain), take down what we learn and subsequently apply
the Truth to our lives. Paul tells us in
Romans:
29 For those God foreknew he also predestined to be
conformed to the likeness of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many
brothers. Romans 8:29 (NIV)
In our verses for today, Jesus gives His guys a charge –
keep this vision private for the present.
The time would come when they would speak but this was not the
time. Solomon tells us:
1 There is a time for everything, and a season for every
activity under heaven: Eccl 3:1 (NIV)
……a
time to be silent and a time to speak,
Eccl 3:7 (NIV)
If they had proclaimed this miraculous event of their taste
of the coming kingdom perhaps people who were already inclined would seek to
make Jesus King by force – which, of course, was not part of God’s plan of
redemption. Perhaps as well, if
prematurely proclaimed, the credibility of it would have been rocked by His
sufferings and death which were hastening on.
After our Lord’s resurrection, the speaking of this event would be a
great confirmation of it.
Next we discover His inner circle seeking clarity from
Scripture from the Source setting forth the proper example for all followers of
Christ. When we lack wisdom – when we are
to ask for it and in faith believe we will receive it as James tells us:
5 If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who
gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him. 6 But when he asks, he must believe and not doubt,
because he who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind. 7 That man should not think he will receive anything
from the Lord; 8 he
is a double-minded man, unstable in all he does. James 1:5-8 (NIV)
Our Lord had already spoken regarding the Baptist coming to
fulfill the prophecies of being the Elijah who was to come recorded earlier in
Matthew yet it was clear these guys now needed reminding.
Isn’t it refreshingly kind of our Lord to continue to repeat Truth to
our dull ears day after day?
11 I tell you the truth: Among
those born of women there has not risen anyone greater than John the Baptist;
yet he who is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he. 12 From the days of John the
Baptist until now, the kingdom of heaven has been forcefully advancing, and
forceful men lay hold of it. 13 For all the Prophets and the Law prophesied until John. 14 And if you are willing to
accept it, he is the Elijah who was to come. 15 He who has ears, let him hear.
Matt 11:11-15 (NIV)
“God often uses the repetitive events and
themes in daily life to get my attention and draw me closer to Himself. Now instead of just listening for God's
whisper, I am trying to recognize the sacred echoes- those moments when God
speaks the same message to my heart again and again. I call them sacred echoes
because I've noticed that throughout my relationships, daily life, and study,
the same scripturally sound idea or phrase or word will keep reappearing until
I can no longer avoid its presence. Is this mere coincidence or is it something
more? When it comes to hearing from God, I firmly believe the Bible is our
source and authority. God's Word is like
a megaphone to His people. Throughout Scripture God speaks through kings and
queens, princes and prophets, poets and pilgrims. He speaks through weather
patterns, barnyard animals and even the stars in the sky. God is not only
creative, but He is persistent in getting our attention and communicating with
us.” The Sacred Echo by Margaret Feinberg
What I glean from
this:
· I must
come down from my mountain top experience with Jesus – my time with Him in His
Word – further equipped to grow in Christlikeness as the Truth taught is
applied.
· There is a
time for everything.
· If I lack
wisdom (which is daily), I need only to ask believingly.
