NOVEMBER 3

Preparation of Apostles for the End

As Jesus now continues his extensive tour north through; Caesarea

Philippi and then south again into Galilee/ he uses this time to prepare his chosen disciples for his death and to strengthen their min­istry in carrying on his work. At this point in Jesus' ministry" the apostles are truly convinced that Jesus is the Messiah, but apparently they too have notions of a political Messiah. Realizing that their understanding; of his messiahship is still very limited, and that their somewhat simplistic faith ivill be tested, Jesus begins to tell the apostles about his death, as well as the burdens which they themselves will face. Talk of their Leader's imminent death must surely confuse these men, who have hopes of playing key roles in a wholly different kind of kingdom.

 

The highlight of this period of preparation comes when Jesus takes Peter, James, and John (who seem to be the inner circle of the disciples) to (apparent­ly) Mount Hermon. There Jesus is transfigured. In what is evidently more than a mere vision, Moses and Elijah appear with Jesus as representatives of the law and the prophets. The subsequent disappearance of Moses and Elijah, as well as words of confirmation spoken from heaven, indicate to the three disciples the demise of the former dispensation and the supremacy of the kingdom of God in Christ Jesus.

 

Even with this demonstration to the inner three, and despite Jesus' warn­ing about humility in the use of their miraculous power, it is not long before all the disciples begin to dispute among themselves as to who among them is the greatest. Jesus sets a young child before them as an example of humility and teaches them about temptation, discipline, and forgiveness.

 

The Gospel accounts record here a confession by Peter that Jesus is the Christ. Using the word "rock" symbolically (since Peter's name means "rock"), Jesus says that it is upon the rock of Peter's confession of Christ that Jesus' kingdom will be established.

 

PETER ACKNOWLEDGES CHRIST. Mt.16:13-20 [Mk.8:27-30 Lk. 9:18-20]

When Jesus came to the region of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, "Who do people say the Son of Man is?"

They replied, "Some say John the Baptist; others say Elijah; and still oth­ers, Jeremiah or one of the prophets."

 

"But what about you?" he asked. "Who do you say I am?" Simon Peter answered, "You are the Christ,2 the Son of the living God." Jesus replied, "Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah, for this was not revealed to you by man, but by my Father in heaven. And I tell you that you are Peter," and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades b will not overcome it. I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven; whatever you bind on earth will be  bound in heaven, and what­ever you loose on earth will bed loosed in heaven." Then he warned his disciples not to tell anyone that he was the Christ.

 

SUFFERING FORETOLD. Mt. 16:21-23 [Mk. 8:31-33 Lk. 9:21,22]

From that time on Jesus began 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 and on the third day be raised to life.

Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him. "Never, Lord!" he said. "This shall never happen to you!"

Jesus turned and said to Peter, "Get behind me, Satan! You are a stum­bling block to me; you do not have in mind the things of God, but the things of men."

 

BURDENS OF DISCIPLESHIP. Mk. 8:34-38 [Mt.16:24-27 Lk. 9:23-26]

Then he called the crowd to him along with his disciples and said: "If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. For whoever wants to save his life*" will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me and for the gospel will save it. What good is it for a man to gain the whole world, yet forfeit his soul? Or what can a man give in exchange for his soul? If anyone is ashamed of me and my words in this adulterous and sinful generation, the Son of Man will be ashamed of him when he comes in his Father's glory with the holy angels."

 

KINGDOM WITHIN LIFETIME. Mk. 9:1 [Mt. 16:28 ,Lk. 9:27]

And he said to them, "I tell you the truth, some who are standing here will not taste death before they see the kingdom of God come with power."

 

JESUS IS TRANSFIGURED. Mt. 17:1-8[ Mk. 9:2-8 Lk.9:28-36a]

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. Just then there appeared before them Moses and Elijah, talking with Jesus.

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."

While 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. Listen to him!"

When the disciples heard this, they fell facedown to the ground, terrified.

 

But Jesus came and touched them. "Get up," he said. "Don't be afraid." When they looked up, they saw no one except Jesus.

 

APOSTLES ASK ABOUT ELIJAH. Mt. 17:9-13 Lk. 9:36b [Mk. 9:9-13 ]

MtAs 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."

The disciples asked him, "Why then do the teachers of the law say that Elijah must come first?"

 

Jesus replied, "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. 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. LkThe disciples kept this to them­selves, and told no one at that time what they had seen.

 

EPILEPTIC BOY HEALED Mt.17:14-21 Mk. 9:14-29 [Lk.9:37-43a; 17:5,6 ]    

Mk When they came to the other disciples, they saw a large crowd around them and the teachers of the law arguing with them. As soon as all the people saw Jesus, they were overwhelmed with wonder and ran to greet him.

 

"What are you arguing with them about?" he asked.

 

A man in the crowd answered, "Teacher, I brought you my son, who is possessed by a spirit that has robbed him of speech. Whenever it seizes him, it throws him to the ground. He foams at the mouth, gnashes his teeth and becomes rigid. I asked your disciples to drive out the spirit, but they could not."

 

"O unbelieving generation," Jesus replied, "how long shall I stay with you? How long shall I put up with you? Bring the boy to me."

So they brought him. When the spirit saw Jesus, it immediately threw the boy into a convulsion. He fell to the ground and rolled around, foam­ing at the mouth.

 

Jesus asked the boy's father, "How long has he been like this?"

"From childhood," he answered. "It has often thrown him into fire or water to kill him. But if you can do anything, take pity on us and help us."

"'If you can'?" said Jesus. "Everything is possible for him who believes."

Immediately the boy's father exclaimed, "I do believe; help me over­come my unbelief!"

When Jesus saw that a crowd was running to the scene, he rebuked the evil/ spirit. "You deaf and mute spirit," he said, "I command you, come out of him and never enter him again."

 

The spirit shrieked, convulsed him violently and came out. The boy looked so much like a corpse that many said, "He's dead." But Jesus took him by the hand and lifted him to his feet, and he stood up.

After Jesus had gone indoors, his disciples asked him privately, "Why couldn't we drive it out?" Mt He replied, "Because you have so little faith. I tell you the truth, 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.?" Mk" This kind can come out only by prayer.'1"

 

DEATH AGAIN FORETOLD. Mk.9:30-32 [Mt.17:22,23 Lk.9:43b-45]

They left that place and passed through Galilee. Jesus did not want anyone to know where they were, because he was teaching his disciples. He said to them, "The Son of Man is going to be betrayed into the hands of men. They will kill him, and after three days he will rise." But they did not understand what he meant and were afraid to ask him about it.

 

COIN FROM FISH'S MOUTH. Mt. 17:24-27

After Jesus and his disciples arrived in Capernaum, the collectors of the two-drachma 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 sons or from others?"

"From others," Peter answered.

"Then the sons are exempt," Jesus said to him. "But so that we may not offend them, 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."

 

APOSTLES DISPUTE ABOUT RANK. Mt. 18:1-4 Mk.9:33-35, Lk:9:46-48;17:7-10

MkThey came to Capernaum. When he was in the house, he asked them, "What were you arguing about on the road?" But they kept quiet because on the way they had argued about who was the greatest.

 

Sitting down, Jesus called the Twelve and said, "If anyone wants to be first, he must be the very last, and the servant of all." Lk "Suppose one of you had a servant plowing or looking after the sheep. Would he say to the servant when he comes in from the field, 'Come along now and sit down to eat'? Would he not rather say, 'Prepare my supper, get yourself ready and wait on me while I eat and drink; after that you may eat and drink'? Would he thank the servant because he did what he was told to do? So you also, when you have done everything you were told to do, should say, 'We are unworthy servants; we have only done our duty.'" MtHe called a little child and had him stand among them. And he said: "I tell you the truth, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. Therefore, whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.

 

CONCERN FOR THE YOUNG. Mt.18:5,6,10-14 Mk.9:36,37,42 [Lk. 17:2,3a]

Mk "Whoever welcomes one of these lit­tle children in my name welcomes me; and whoever welcomes me does not welcome me but the one who sent me." MtBut if anyone causes one of these little ones who believe in me to sin, it would be better for him to have a large millstone hung around his neck and to be drowned in the depths of the sea.

"See that you do not look down on one of these little ones. For I tell you that their angels in heaven always see the face of my Father in heaven./

"What do you think? If a man owns a hundred sheep, and one of them wanders away, will he not leave the ninety-nine on the hills and go to look for the one that wandered off? And if he finds it, I tell you the truth, he is happier about that one sheep than about the ninety-nine that did not wander off. In the same way your Father in heaven is not willing that any of these little ones should be lost.

 

WARNING ABOUT TEMPTATION. Mt. 18:7-9 Mk. 9:43-50  [Lk. 17:1]

Mt "Woe to the world because of the things that cause people to sin! Such things must come, but woe to the man through whom they come! If your hand or your foot causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away. It is better for you to enter life maimed or crippled than to have two hands or two feet and be thrown into eternal fire. MkAnd if your eye causes you to sin, pluck it out. It is better for you to enter the kingdom of God with one eye than to have two eyes and be thrown into hell, where

" 'their worm does not die,

and the fire is not quenched. 'k

Everyone will be salted with fire.

"Salt is good, but if it loses its saltiness, how can you make it salty again? Have salt in yourselves, and be at peace with each other."

 

WORKS DONE IN JESUS' NAME. Mk. 9:38-41 [Lk. 9:49,50]

"Teacher," said John, "we saw a man driving out demons in your name and we told him to stop, because he was not one of us."

"Do not stop him," Jesus said. "No one who does a miracle in my name can in the next moment say anything bad about me, for whoever is not against us is for us. I tell you the truth, anyone who gives you a cup of water in my name because you belong to Christ will certainly not lose his reward.

 

REBUKE AND DISCIPLINE. Mt.18:15-17

"If your brother sins against you,' go and show him his fault, just between the two of you. If he listens to you, you have won your brother over. But if he will not listen, take one or two oth­ers along, so that 'every matter may be established by the testimony of two or three witnesses.  If he refuses to listen to them, tell it to the church; and if he refuses to listen even to the church, treat him as you would a pagan or a tax collector.

 

APOSTLES GIVEN AUTHORITY. Mt. 18:18-20

"I tell you the truth, whatever you bind on earth will be " bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be " loosed in heaven.

"Again, I tell you that if two of you on earth agree about anything you ask for, it will be done for you by my Father in heaven. For where two or three come together in my name, there am I with them."

 

PETER ASKS ABOUT FORGIVENESS. Mt 18:21,22 Lk. 17:3b,4

M'Then Peter came to Jesus and asked, "Lord, how many times shall I forgive my brother when he sins against me? Up to seven times?"

Jesus answered, "I tell you, not seven times, but seventy-seven times. Lk "If your brother sins, rebuke him, and if he repents, forgive him. If he sins against you seven times in a day, and seven times comes back to you and says, 'I repent/ forgive him."

 

PARABLE OF SERVANTS IN DEBT. Mt.18:23-35         

"Therefore, the kingdom of heaven is like a king who wanted to settle accounts with his servants. As he began the settlement, a man who owed him ten thousand talents P was brought to him. Since he was not able to pay, the master ordered that he and his wife and his children and all that he had be sold to repay the debt.

"The servant fell on his knees before him. 'Be patient with me, he begged, 'and I will pay back everything.' The servant's master took pity on him, canceled the debt and let him go.

"But when that servant went out, he found one of his fellow servants who owed him a hundred denarii.'' He grabbed him and began to choke him. 'Pay back what you owe me!' he demanded.

"His fellow servant fell to his knees and begged him, 'Be patient with me, and I will pay you back.'

 

"But he refused. Instead, he went off and had the man thrown into prison until he could pay the debt. When the other servants saw what had happened, they were greatly distressed and went and told their master everything that had happened.

"Then the master called the servant in. 'You wicked servant/ he said, 'I canceled all that debt of yours because you begged me to. Shouldn't you have had mercy on your fellow servant just as I had on you?' In anger his master turned him over to the jailers to be tortured, until he should pay back all he owed.

"This is how my heavenly Father will treat each of you unless you for­give your brother from your heart."