Matthew 17:1-13
17: And after six days Jesus took with him Peter and James, and John his brother, and led them up a high mountain by themselves. 2 And he was transfigured before them, and his face shone like the sun, and his clothes became white as light. 3 And behold, there appeared to them Moses and Elijah, talking with him. 4 And Peter said to Jesus, “Lord, it is good that we are here. If you wish, I will make three tents here, one for you and one for Moses and one for Elijah.” 5 He was still speaking when, behold, a bright cloud overshadowed them, and a voice from the cloud said, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased; listen to him.” 6 When the disciples heard this, they fell on their faces and were terrified. 7 But Jesus came and touched them, saying, “Rise, and have no fear.” 8 And when they lifted up their eyes, they saw no one but Jesus only.
9 And as they were coming down the mountain, Jesus commanded them, “Tell no one the vision, until the Son of Man is raised from the dead.” 10 And the disciples asked him, “Then why do the scribes say that first Elijah must come?” 11 He answered, “Elijah does come, and he will restore all things. 12 But I tell you that Elijah has already come, and they did not recognize him, but did to him whatever they pleased. So also the Son of Man will certainly suffer at their hands.” 13 Then the disciples understood that he was speaking to them of John the Baptist.
Reflection
Moses and Elijah appear with Jesus on the mountain as his true glorious nature is privately revealed to Peter, James, and John (Matt. 17:1–3). These two men symbolize the entire Old Testament—Moses represents the Law and Elijah represents the Prophets. The point of this scene is to show us that everything in the Old Testament was leading to Christ. He is the goal of God’s work in history, and he is the fulfillment of God’s promises to save his people. All of God’s activity in the world and all of his words in Scripture are centered on Jesus Christ.
Romans 15:8-13
8 For I tell you that Christ became a servant to the circumcised to show God's truthfulness, in order to confirm the promises given to the patriarchs, 9 and in order that the Gentiles might glorify God for his mercy. As it is written,“Therefore I will praise you among the Gentiles, and sing to your name.”
10 And again it is said,“Rejoice, O Gentiles, with his people.”
11 And again,“Praise the Lord, all you Gentiles, and let all the peoples extol him.”
12 And again Isaiah says,“The root of Jesse will come, even he who arises to rule the Gentiles; in him will the Gentiles hope.”
13 May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope.
Reflection
These verses repeat that Jesus gave himself for the sake of others, even for “the circumcised” (Rom. 8:8)— the Jewish people, who for the most part had rejected him (John 1:11). This sacrifice provides us with an example of how we should treat one another (see Rom. 15:7), even when we have opposing personal opinions. The personal differences may have been especially intense in the Roman church, where Jews and Gentiles (non-Jews) had different ethnicities, backgrounds, and habits.
These verses also teach us that God has always desired to bring Gentiles into the kingdom in order to show them his mercy and be glorified (vv. 8–12). Paul wants to use this truth to encourage the Roman Christians toward mutual love. He wants to remind them that God has always planned to create a multiethnic gathering of worshipers. God’s mission to the Gentiles in his Son will also be a main theme of the next section.
Psalm 31:7-8
7 I will rejoice and be glad in your steadfast love, because you have seen my affliction; you have known the distress of my soul, 8 and you have not delivered me into the hand of the enemy; you have set my feet in a broad place.
To fuel our love for others, we must first be impacted by God’s unshakable love for us. Tell God of your desire to be deeply moved by his love, and consider what he has done to bring you to himself (1 Pet. 3:18).