Matthew 17:17-27
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.
Jesus Heals a Boy with a Demon
14 And when they came to the crowd, a man came up to him and, kneeling before him, 15 said, “Lord, have mercy on my son, for he has seizures and he suffers terribly. For often he falls into the fire, and often into the water. 16 And I brought him to your disciples, and they could not heal him.” 17 And Jesus answered, “O faithless and twisted generation, how long am I to be with you? How long am I to bear with you? Bring him here to me.” 18 And Jesus rebuked the demon, and it came out of him, and the boy was healed instantly. 19 Then the disciples came to Jesus privately and said, “Why could we not cast it out?” 20 He said to them, “Because of your little faith. For truly, I say to you, if you have faith like a grain of mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move, and nothing will be impossible for you.”
Jesus Again Foretells Death, Resurrection
22 As they were gathering in Galilee, Jesus said to them, “The Son of Man is about to be delivered into the hands of men, 23 and they will kill him, and he will be raised on the third day.” And they were greatly distressed.
The Temple Tax
24 When they came to Capernaum, the collectors of the two-drachma tax went up to Peter and said, “Does your teacher not pay the tax?” 25 He said, “Yes.” And when he came into the house, Jesus spoke to him first, saying, “What do you think, Simon? From whom do kings of the earth take toll or tax? From their sons or from others?” 26 And when he said, “From others,” Jesus said to him, “Then the sons are free. 27 However, not to give offense to them, go to the sea and cast a hook and take the first fish that comes up, and when you open its mouth you will find a shekel. Take that and give it to them for me and for yourself.”
We will all decide what we will do with Jesus of Nazareth.
Jesus created a Multitude looking for the Risen Jesus and this has - never - stopped since
the Victory of Jesus.
Jesus did something no one would pick to do.
He blended and blended and blended.
He blended a Holy Virgin of God, as an unmarried mother. Accompanied out of town, and in child birth, with a fiancé. He blended a child who learned to speak in Egypt with the blood lineage of Israel's Judea. Jesus blended the Tribe of Judah lineage Ministry without Levite Tribe lineage. Jesus blended a trade of carpentry against teaching in the Temple. Jesus blended and drew people into the wilderness instead of Jerusalem. Jesus blended away from His Family, chose His Capernaum and dwelled there. Not remaining in His Family Nazareth home. Jesus blended races (Simon of Cyrene) and Jesus blended beyond the norms, and spoke to women with equality. Jesus blended His travel daily, travelled by foot at a time of great wealth in the world. Jesus blended away from our idea of prospects, Herod called to meet Jesus and He did not go. Jesus blended the classes, He healed the high and the low and did not distinguish. Jesus blended away from seeking opportunity, He did not display the Works of God as tools. Jesus blended His dinner companions, He did go to eat with sinners and Pharisees and treated them as their hearts knew themselves to be. Jesus blended the people who would overtly and covertly employed by Rome. Matthew throws Jesus a Party with the do-what's-necessary-to-get-rich crowd.
Most of Israel was called by lineage: James bar Joseph, Jude bar Joseph, Joses bar Joseph. Jesus was twice Gospel-said to have blended seamlessly in His family as a Chiton, a seamless robe.
Jesus blended: Jesus is known as Jesus of Nazareth. Or bar Joseph. Jesus took bold truth and blended beyond comfort: Jesus of Nazareth: a name the Pharisees used to denounce Him as Prophetic. If Jesus has been Jesus of Bethlehem - this would have been more difficult to denounce Him Biblically.
John 1:45
"We have found him of whom Moses in the Law and also the prophets wrote, Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph"
By calling Him Jesus of Nazareth, Phillip might have been making a statement about the lowliness of His birth.
There was a group of people who were astonished by Jesus.
Very much wanting Jesus to fill their lives.
A young woman records herself as poor, single and not in a particularly convenient place for Jesus. And accepts Him.
A priest named Zechariah, who belonged to the priestly division of Abijah, thought this was an improbability. His wife thought differently quickly.
A man who could afford to travel and considered living in the City of Jerusalem, wanted to politely decline Jesus. To be merciful and move away. He dreamed of an Angel of the Lord and his life changed. He named all of his sons with the letter "J". James, Joses, Jude. And Joseph brought Jesus into his business and taught him all he knew of life.
Shepherds witnessed the Heavenly Host and quickly, with more than two by two - went to see Jesus and had an idea to explain to Jesus' parents what was Astonishing. Shepherds - by nature - care givers. The first to know - not of a prophetic announcement - to be given The First Good News. Touched to proclaim as the first Ministers of Jesus Christ.
The Town of Nazareth accepts the boy Jesus and sees Him to be filled with wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and man.
The Town of Capernaum comes to Jesus' First Sermon. Jesus has done Messiah healing. The Disciples of Jesus do not want to miss seeing a day of the life of Jesus Christ and go with Him.
Jesus crowd numbers from 12 to 72 to 2-3 thousand, to 5 thousand. Looking for Him at the Festival - 2 million. These people want Jesus. And
Luke 23: 27 A large number of people followed him, including women who mourned and wailed for him.
Christian History from Church Historians
Chooses Jesus even when Death was Possible
Why is this important? In Two Thousand Years, we do not see how well the Historical Truth supports even the simple things. For example, Caesar Augustus called a Tax, a Census. This was Augustus' Sole Mission as Caesar and why a sickly, asthmatic in very rare, men's high heels was ever considered.
There is Awe and Support and Understanding of the Magnificence of the Son of God and the intricacy of His Plan. Historical detail - is not necessary for belief!!! Yet when we read Jesus went to Bethsaida, the hometown of Peter, Andrew and Philip - we have learned about Jesus. We have learned it was important to include little discussed Philip. Love is inclusive. We have learned Jesus is Interested in our Lives as God tells you - He Is.
1,000 Ribbons for her hair. Jesus would listen to us tell Him every ribbon of our lives. Why wouldn't we seek to see ribbons around our Jesus?
When we Love someone - We Learn of Their Life. Jesus is even interested in Philip's Hometown. This is why we find out about the Bible and the History. We see more of the Life of Jesus, Only Son of God. More of Jesus, Messiah. More of Jesus, my Savior. More of Jesus, Son of Mary. More of Jesus, Son of Joseph. More of Jesus, friend of sinners. More Jesus!!! More of the awe of God. His Story.
Like the Exodus - we find God is interested in Justice for His people and their lives. In the Gospel - we find Jesus is interested in paying what is due to Caesar and He helps Peter too.
God is Interested in Our Details - We can be interested in His and those around Jesus.
Mary, Mother of God, Wife of Joseph is listed as poor. Her family is not listed.
And Yet.
Yet in her darkest hour, Mary had, probably, a sister in law, - Mary, wife of Clopas (probably Joseph bar Jacob (Jacob being the father of Joseph), Clopas bar Jacob.) This is important. Pilate killed many men, merely for coming to Jerusalem to Celebrate a Religious Festival. Simon of Cyrene is told, get in there and carry this beaten to death man's cross. He did not for a second dare to tell the Roman Battalion - no.
How would we ignore a woman who would stand at the foot of the Cross of Jesus? A woman brave. Loyal. Risking death. In the middle of Crucifixion - if the Battalion felt - for example - the spear wasn't sharp enough. It might have gone through one of the Jewish bystanders.
If we pick through History, we find a smidgen about Mary, wife of Clopas. Hegesippus, born 110 A.D., thought Clopas was the brother of Saint Joseph.
Credible.
Hegesippus wrote: "and remained with the Corinthians many days, in which we were refreshed with the true word."
In centuries later, the Church Historian who had witnessed some of what he wrote, Eusebius quotes from Hegesippus fifth and last book. A long account of the death of James the Just, "the brother of the Lord." Hegesippus the story of the election of his successor Simeon, and the summoning of the descendants of St. Jude to Rome by Emperor Domitian. The Historian Zahn has shown that the work of Hegesippus may still have been extant in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries in three Eastern libraries, saying: "We must lament the loss of other portions of the Memoirs which were known to exist in the seventeenth century." Works such as these - are important.
Jerome b 347 A.D is the Saint of Extreme Importance.
Like St. Augustine, Jerome thought very carefully before believing in Jesus. He took time to think about Jesus.
Jerome was hired by the Catholic Church to make sure the Bible was being copied correctly. He and the Catholic Church parted ways on morality. Jerome saw Catholic priests as morally lax (Jerome was a little Martin Luther ish) and they favored Jerome with the same opinion. Jerome started in Latin, went to the Hebrew Bible from the original Hebrew, having previously translated portions from the Septuagint, realized the Rabbinical Judaism had rejected the Septuagint as invalid.
And because of Jerome's Work -
our Scripture is parallel to the Dead Sea Scrolls.
And, of course, the academics still fuss.
Jerome said, reading the Hebrew work of Hegesippus:
"Hegesippus wrote a history of all ecclesiastical events from the passion of our Lord down to his own period... in five volumes, which has established the Hypomnemata as a Church history."
St. Hegesippus appealed principally to tradition as embodied in the teaching which had been handed down through the succession of bishops, thus providing for Eusebius information about the earliest bishops that otherwise would have been lost. As historians search Eusebius, his fragments also tell of Hegesippus. One story tells the other.
Some will not accept Jesus.
Wheat and Weeds.
Mary's Family.
Heli is recorded with not one word to let us know a thing about Heli. The Word of God is silent on this man, other than the Talmud, The Sadducean Council, records recording Heli's daughter as Mary. The records are in Scotland today. We will go to town - connecting Scripture to Scripture.
Luke 1
In those days
Mary arose and went with haste
into the hill country, to a town in Judah, 40 and she entered the house of Zechariah and greeted Elizabeth.
This was not the decision a father would chose for a daughter about to marry into Joseph's Davidic lineage from the Kings of Israel and Judah. Mary's mother doesn't get a Scriptural nod. We could say Heli is interested in personal placement and prestige. Remember Joseph moves to Egypt fairly easily and considers Jerusalem upon the return from Egypt. Isaiah 7 does not discuss down and out finances of the Christ Child era - saying a cow, a donkey, land, so much milk the household must discuss how to effectively use the milk. When we discuss a land of briars - probably - God is telling us a land of barbs. Mary tells us of pride and verbal barbs.
The Temple is a tool of Herod - placement of the Priests is Herod's - printing coins for the first time, a non-Davidic king printing an image of himself. Educating his children in Rome. Naming cities after Caesar. The Temple increasingly becomes a cold place of education - going to Damascus to kill miracle workers for placement. Ruled by the strength of Herod and public opinion when the mob gathers.
The man at the Pool of Bethsaida. Healed after 38 years - chooses placement and prestige over Jesus.
9 of 10 Lepers did not return to give thanks to Jesus.
Judas - wanted to work for a King.
Caiaphas who killed Jesus, his home is found with mosaic images all over the floors. Only his sarcophagus (death) and his home with a prison in it are found.
Governor Felix finds Paul makes insane demands of faith. Felix had married into the Herodians, but she died in Pompeii with their child and Felix is removed from power and drifts quickly into obscurity.
Acts 25 - Bernice. the eldest daughter of Agrippa I, the Herod Agrippa of Acts 12:20. Bernice is born to Herod Agrippa and Cypros, as granddaughter to Aristobulus IV and great-granddaughter to Herod the Great. Her elder brother was Agrippa II (b. 27) and Acts 25 King Agrippa II - find Paul is only going to Rome because he has appealed to the Emperor. Berenice faded into oblivion, her fate is not known. King Agrippa II could have used his power to harm Paul. After Judea fell, he is named Praetor of Rome - treated well. Great friends with the Historian Josephus - who declared at least once Jesus as Messiah - and all lived to be very old.
Israel in Spring. Land of Milk and Honey. Tabor and Jordan River.
The trait the people who have welcomed Jesus with - is a mind, heart, soul, body willing to Love. Jesus is invited to flood lives like the Living Water flowing from the Temple. Where Jesus does more in us than we can ever imagine.
Mary was willing to move her life for Jesus. Joseph discovered he was too. Elizabeth knew her life had enriched. Zechariah had been - probably burned out. John the Baptist in the wilderness was seeking a wilderness tamed. Straight paths to the honest and loving heart of Father God.
The Disciples wanted Jesus to fill their lives. Zacchaeus in the tree, so wanted Jesus to love him. Jesus did and called out He knew Zacchaeus was forever moved with Love. Jesus spoke frankly of His Two by Two Minister, John the Baptist. Jesus fed the multitudes when John the Baptist died. We would all want that fish and bread sandwich, seeing Jesus' Blessing.
We would all want to walk up the mountain at the Sea of Galilee to pray and speak with His Father.
We would want to see Jesus, looking from the mountain over the Sea of Galilee to see God's Willingness. His Peace in His Father.
See Jesus' Hands as He reaches immediately to lift up Peter. John the Baptist has passed on, but Peter is being enabled to walk with Jesus.
Some day we will see the young woman, Mary, Mother of God present Jesus. And how awe-filled she must have felt that day. We will see Joseph and his face. See Jesus as God born to Love and Save His Creation. We will surely hear God say, "He is Good."
Abba,
Let us have the Blessing of Love one another.
Help us to have the Warmth of the Road to Emmaus and Jesus.
Fill us all, Jesus.
And we know You will. Amen.
♔ Lord Jesus Saves! †
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