Gospels (23) - Matthew 16:21 – 17:8, Mark 8:31 – 9:8 & Luke 9:22-36

Teacher: Rusty Kennedy
​Series: Gospels

Rusty's Notes

Matthew 17:1-8
1 After six days Jesus took Peter, James, and his brother John and led them up on a high mountain by themselves. 2 He was transformed in front of them, and His face shone like the sun. Even His clothes became as white as the light. 3 Suddenly, Moses and Elijah appeared to them, talking with Him.
4 Then Peter said to Jesus, “Lord, it’s good for us to be here! If You want, I will make three tabernacles here: one for You, one for Moses, and one for Elijah.”
5 While he was still speaking, suddenly a bright cloud covered them, and a voice from the cloud said:
This is My beloved Son.
I take delight in Him.
Listen to Him!
6 When the disciples heard it, they fell facedown and were terrified.
7 Then Jesus came up, touched them, and said, “Get up; don’t be afraid.” 8 When they looked up they saw no one except Him —Jesus alone.[1]
 
Matthew 17:9-13
9 As they were coming down from the mountain, Jesus commanded them, “Don’t tell anyone about the vision until the Son of Man is raised from the dead.”
10 So the disciples questioned Him, “Why then do the scribes say that Elijah must come first?”

• Malachi 4:5-6 - Look, I am going to send you Elijah the prophet before the great and awesome Day of the Lord comes. 6And he will turn the hearts of fathers to their children and the hearts of children to their fathers. [2]
• Based upon Pharisaic teachings (scribes)… Elijah must come first.
• Malach 3:1 - 1 “See, I am going to send My messenger, and he will clear the way before Me.[3]
  
  

11 “Elijah is coming and will restore everything,” He replied. 12 “But I tell you: Elijah has already come, and they didn’t recognize him. On the contrary, they did whatever they pleased to him. In the same way the Son of Man is going to suffer at their hands.” 13 Then the disciples understood that He spoke to them about John the Baptist.[4]

• John 1:19-21 - 19 This is John’s testimony when the Jews from Jerusalem sent priests and Levites to ask him, “Who are you?”
• He did not refuse to answer, but he declared: “I am not the Messiah.”
• “What then?” they asked him. “Are you Elijah?”

“I am not,” he said.[5]

• Jesus had previously told them that John the Baptist was the Elijah to come… “if accepted”.
• Matthew 11:11-14 – (addressing the multitudes) 11 “I assure you: Among those born of women no one greater than John the Baptist has appeared, but the 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 suffering violence, and the violent have been seizing it by force. 13 For all the prophets and the Law prophesied until John; 14 if you’re willing to accept it, he is the Elijah who is to come. 15 Anyone who has ears should listen! [6]
• John the Baptist would have been Elijah if he would have been accepted as Elijah.
• They didn’t recognize him as Elijah or Jesus as the Messiah.
• God knew all this through His foreknowledge.

 
Mark 9:9-13
9 As they were coming down from the mountain, He ordered them to tell no one what they had seen until the Son of Man had risen from the dead. 10 They kept this word to themselves, discussing what “rising from the dead” meant.
11 Then they began to question Him, “Why do the scribes say that Elijah must come first?”
12 “Elijah does come first and restores everything,” He replied. “How then is it written about the Son of Man that He must suffer many things and be treated with contempt? 13 But I tell you that Elijah really has come, and they did whatever they pleased to him, just as it is written about him.” [7]
 
Luke 9:36
36 After the voice had spoken, only Jesus was found. They kept silent, and in those days told no one what they had seen.[8]
 
Matthew 17:14-20
14 When they reached the crowd, a man approached and knelt down before Him. 15 “Lord,” he said, “have mercy on my son, because he has seizures and suffers severely. He often falls into the fire and often into the water. 16 I brought him to Your disciples, but they couldn’t heal him.”
17 Jesus replied, “You unbelieving and rebellious generation! How long will I be with you? How long must I put up with you? Bring him here to Me.” 18 Then Jesus rebuked the demon, and it came out of him, and from that moment the boy was healed.
19 Then the disciples approached Jesus privately and said, “Why couldn’t we drive it out?”
20 “Because of your little faith,” He told them. “For I assure you: If you have faith the size of a mustard seed, you will tell this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you.[9]

• After coming down off the mountain (an incredible experience) they entered into chaos.
• Similar to when Jesus was baptized and affirmed by God and then went into the wilderness and was tempted.

Mark 9:14-29
14 When they came to the disciples, they saw a large crowd around them and scribes disputing with them.

• There was a public scene occurring.
• God’s timing

15 All of a sudden, when the whole crowd saw Him, they were amazed and ran to greet Him.

• The crowd ran to Jesus
• But they had to take the focus off themselves, look up and see Jesus.

16 Then He asked them, “What are you arguing with them about?”
17 Out of the crowd, one man answered Him, “Teacher, I brought my son to You. He has a spirit that makes him unable to speak. 18 Wherever it seizes him, it throws him down, and he foams at the mouth, grinds his teeth, and becomes rigid. So I asked Your disciples to drive it out, but they couldn’t.”
 - How come your disciples can’t do what you do?
19 He replied to them, “You unbelieving generation! How long will I be with you? How long must I put up with you? Bring him to Me.”
 - Who is Jesus speaking to? The unbelievers…
 - Jesus is not condemning his disciples.
20 So they brought him to Him. When the spirit saw Him, it immediately convulsed the boy. He fell to the ground and rolled around, foaming at the mouth. 21 “How long has this been happening to him?” Jesus asked his father.
“From childhood,” he said. 22 “And many times it has thrown him into fire or water to destroy him. But if You can do anything, have compassion on us and help us.”

• Personal need

23 Then Jesus said to him, “ ‘If You can’? Everything is possible to the one who believes.”
24 Immediately the father of the boy cried out, “I do believe! Help my unbelief.”

• Personal faith

25 When Jesus saw that a crowd was rapidly coming together, He rebuked the unclean spirit, saying to it, “You mute and deaf spirit, I command you: come out of him and never enter him again!”
26 Then it came out, shrieking and convulsing him violently. The boy became like a corpse, so that many said, “He’s dead.” 27 But Jesus, taking him by the hand, raised him, and he stood up.
28 After He went into a house, His disciples asked Him privately, “Why couldn’t we drive it out?”
29 And He told them, “This kind can come out by nothing but prayer [and fasting].”[10]
 
Matthew 17:19-20
19 Then the disciples approached Jesus privately and said, “Why couldn’t we drive it out?”
20 “Because of your little faith,” He told them. “For I assure you: If you have faith the size of a mustard seed, you will tell this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you.
 
Luke 9:37-43
37 The next day, when they came down from the mountain, a large crowd met Him. 38 Just then a man from the crowd cried out, “Teacher, I beg You to look at my son, because he’s my only child. 39 Often a spirit seizes him; suddenly he shrieks, and it throws him into convulsions until he foams at the mouth; wounding him, it hardly ever leaves him. 40 I begged Your disciples to drive it out, but they couldn’t.”
41 Jesus replied, “You unbelieving and rebellious generation! How long will I be with you and put up with you? Bring your son here.”
42 As the boy was still approaching, the demon knocked him down and threw him into severe convulsions. But Jesus rebuked the unclean spirit, cured the boy, and gave him back to his father. 43 And they were all astonished at the greatness of God.[11]
 
Matthew 17:22-23
22 As they were meeting in Galilee, Jesus told them, “The Son of Man is about to be betrayed into the hands of men. 23 They will kill Him, and on the third day He will be raised up.” And they were deeply distressed. [12]
 
Mark 9:30-32
30 Then they left that place and made their way through Galilee, but He did not want anyone to know it.
 - Didn’t Jesus come to share the Gospel?
- He wanted quality time with His disciples.
31 For He was teaching His disciples and telling them, “The Son of Man is being betrayed into the hands of men. They will kill Him, and after He is killed, He will rise three days later.” 32 But they did not understand this statement, and they were afraid to ask Him.[13]

• They realized they were not getting it but probably should be.

 
Luke 9:43-45
43 While everyone was amazed at all the things He was doing, He told His disciples, 44 “Let these words sink in: The Son of Man is about to be betrayed into the hands of men.”
45 But they did not understand this statement; it was concealed from them so that they could not grasp it, and they were afraid to ask Him about it.[14]

[1] The Holy Bible: Holman Christian standard version. (2009). (Mt 17:1–8). Nashville: Holman Bible Publishers.
[2] The Holy Bible: Holman Christian standard version. (2009). (Mal 4:5–6). Nashville: Holman Bible Publishers.
[3] The Holy Bible: Holman Christian standard version. (2009). (Mal 3). Nashville: Holman Bible Publishers.
[4] The Holy Bible: Holman Christian standard version. (2009). (Mt 17:9–13). Nashville: Holman Bible Publishers.
[5] The Holy Bible: Holman Christian standard version. (2009). (Jn 1:19–21). Nashville: Holman Bible Publishers.
[6] The Holy Bible: Holman Christian standard version. (2009). (Mt 11:11–15). Nashville: Holman Bible Publishers.
[7] The Holy Bible: Holman Christian standard version. (2009). (Mk 9:9–13). Nashville: Holman Bible Publishers.
[8] The Holy Bible: Holman Christian standard version. (2009). (Lk 9:36). Nashville: Holman Bible Publishers.
[9] The Holy Bible: Holman Christian standard version. (2009). (Mt 17:14–20). Nashville: Holman Bible Publishers.
[10] The Holy Bible: Holman Christian standard version. (2009). (Mk 9:14–29). Nashville: Holman Bible Publishers.
[11] The Holy Bible: Holman Christian standard version. (2009). (Lk 9:37–43). Nashville: Holman Bible Publishers.
[12] The Holy Bible: Holman Christian standard version. (2009). (Mt 17:22–23). Nashville: Holman Bible Publishers.
[13] The Holy Bible: Holman Christian standard version. (2009). (Mk 9:30–32). Nashville: Holman Bible Publishers.
[14] The Holy Bible: Holman Christian standard version. (2009). (Lk 9:43–45). Nashville: Holman Bible Publishers.